Summary

• Captain Rex's appearance in "Return of the Jedi" remains unconfirmed, allowing fans to speculate and debate.
• It is possible for Rex to have become a Rebel soldier and appear in the film based on his involvement in the Rebel cause.
• Lucasfilm is unlikely to officially confirm or deny Rex's presence, as it would hinder fan engagement and the ability to build head canon.

Lucasfilm's Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni shared why he has yet to confirm if Captain Rex made an appearance in Star Wars has intentionally left that question unanswered.

Filoni gave his rationale for this decision in an interview with IGN.

"It's one of those things that gets brought to your attention by other people at work and they're like “Hey, people are saying this,” so I'm like "Oh, that's fascinating – haven't really thought about that, that's weird." But on some of those things, it's like you're taking a character that had existed prior to my coming along as part of that Rebel Commando Unit, and I didn't want to lay it down in stone one way or the other, if that is Rex, is not Rex. For some people it's fun to believe it is Rex and some people don't want to believe it's Rex, and I'm fine either way with that and I think I left it in a state where you could believe one way or the other."

Will Lucasfilm Ever Confirm Whether Captain Rex Was In Return Of The Jedi?

As a captain of the 501st Battalion and a clone who remained involved in the Rebel cause throughout the Imperial era, it is entirely possible that Rex did become a Rebel soldier and is in Return of the Jedi. The soldier in question also has an uncanny likeness to the older Rex seen in Rebels and The Bad Batch. The question of timeline and his age is a confusing and difficult one, though. While clones were rapidly aged to become troopers faster during The Clone Wars, it's unclear how they aged over time (it's possible that even the Kaminoans didn't know, given the experimental nature of the clone army).

Either way, it seems unlikely, based on Filoni's interview, that Lucasfilm would ever officially confirm whether that is Captain Rex in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Part of the allure of Star Wars, and fandoms in general, is the ability of the audience to build head canon that can be debated back and forth without end. Star Wars in particular is such a longstanding franchise with so much retcon that it forms the perfect catalyst for that kind of debate. Were Lucasfilm to confirm that it is Rex (or isn't), that conversation would be shut down, and there's simply no fun in that.

Return of the Jedi and all Star Wars content can be streamed on Disney+.