Which Star Wars Character Did Pee-Wee Herman's Paul Reubens Play?
Paul Reubens — who died at the age of 70 on July 30 of cancer — was well-known for playing Pee-wee Herman. With how out-of-this-world Pee-wee could be, is it any surprise that he also found a place in a galaxy far, far away?
Reubens' magic touch found its way to the world of "Star Wars" — though not in any of the sprawling franchise's feature films. Instead, it was Reubens' voice you used to hear whenever you rode the original version of Star Tours. He brought to life RX-24, or Captain Rex, the pilot droid character who leads you on your adventure. Unfortunately, Rex isn't the most expert of pilots, which results in the passenger being bumped around a lot during the journey, dodging space debris and even getting involved on the Rebellion's attack on the Death Star. All ends well, with Rex barely getting the riders back to the space port in one piece, and C-3PO cheerfully helping the riders to exit their vehicles and leave the ride que.
Captain Rex immediately became an indelible figure in Disney Parks' history, and will remain a lasting legacy for Paul Reubens long after his death — and long after Star Tours itself has ceased to operate, thanks to Disney's careful use of Rex within the parks themselves.
Star Tours was long an iconic part of Disney's park system
Star Tours became a hugely popular attraction at all four major Disney parks, and Paul Reubens' work as RX-24 accompanied millions of riders through their journey over the decades it was in operation. Captain Rex's adventures, however, have definitely changed over the years. The popular ride operated untouched at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland for many years, with its longest-lived iteration being in the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) theme park at Walt Disney World from 1989 onward.
The original iteration of Star Tours at each park closed for a refurbishment in 2010 to help bring Star Tours up to date with the newer films. Though he was replaced as captain by C-3PO, Rex lives on through Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Unfortunately, the character's presence in this new version is merely a silent cameo.
Fortunately, Rex's story got a happy ending in 2019 with the arrival of Galaxy's Edge, the full "Star Wars"-themed area at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Rex was given an upgrade for Oga's Cantina — that's him you see as DJ-R3X, spinning tunes and cracking wise, with dialogue once more voiced (and some of it even written) by Paul Reubens himself. The character also popped up on the animated series "Star Wars: Rebels" for an episode, once again voiced by Reubens. That's one galactically memorable character, brought to life by one eternally shining star.