Freck

"We're farmers from Tawl."
"Hey, there. I'm Freck."

―Leia Organa and Freck^[3]

Freck was an affable Condluran who worked as a transport driver for the Galactic Empire on the mining planet Mapuzo, his homeworld. Aligning with the Empire, he gained rapport with the local stormtroopers. In 9 BBY, the driver came across the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and the youngling Leia Organa, who went under fake names and were trying to find a spaceport. The alien offered them a ride in his FMR-385 cargo speeder and drove them toward a port, conversing with the pair and transporting some stormtroopers along the way.

The transport soon reached an inspection point, where Freck advised the stormtroopers on duty to check out his passengers. After the troopers did a scan of Kenobi, he attacked the soldiers, using Freck as a shield to shoot one of them. The Jedi then incapacitated the Condluran and escaped with Organa.

Biography

New passengers

"We got a bit turned around. We're looking for the nearest port. We need to get home."
"Well, I'm going that way. Jump in."

―Kenobi and Freck^[3]

During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Condluran^[2] Freck worked as an Imperial transport driver on^[3] his homeworld^[1] Mapuzo, a once-flourishing planet in the Mid Rim Territories that had been reduced to a mining wasteland by the Empire. He notably ferried around passengers such as stormtroopers, whom he came to get along with well.^[3] In 9 BBY,^[4] he was driving his repulsorcraft truck towards a local spaceport after a standard transport run by a quarry when he encountered two stray civilians, the younger of them waving for his vehicle. The pair were the fugitive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and^[3] the ten-year-old^[5] Alderaanian Princess Leia Organa,^[6] the latter having been rescued by Kenobi after being kidnapped.^[5]

Freck stopped for Kenobi and Organa, the latter introducing them as farmers from Tawl named Orden and Luma and claiming that she and her "father" had gotten lost on a trip. The Condluran called their story weird, but when Kenobi explained that they were looking for the nearest spaceport, Freck offered them a ride there as he was headed that way. The elder "farmer" was reluctant to accept, but Organa took up Freck's offer and thanked him. The driver assured them that they would be at the port in no time as they climbed in. While he drove down the road, Freck had his two passengers remind him that they were from Tawl. He complimented Tawl's people for listening to the Empire. Organa subsequently professed her and Kenobi's love for the Empire, the alien agreeing and saying there was nothing wrong with a bit of order.^[3]

Freck's transport came across a group of stormtroopers whose transport was late, prompting the Condluran to offer them a ride to their base. The driver introduced the troopers to "Orden" and "Luma," and asked where the soldiers had come from. One stormtrooper explained that they were being moved around to search for a Jedi. The Condluran hoped they were not in danger, but another trooper was confident that they would find the fugitive, unbeknownst that the Jedi was sat in the transport with them. The vehicle continued moving, one stormtrooper questioning Kenobi and Organa in the meantime. When the transport passed the troopers' base, one of them had Freck stop and thanked him as the group disembarked.^[3]

A very standard inspection

"Who are they?"
"A couple of strays I found. Thought you might wanna check em' out."
"All right. Thanks, Freck."

―A stormtrooper and Freck^[3]

Freck's transport soon approached an Imperial inspection point, and a nervous Kenobi asked if he could get off beforehand. Freck reassured his passengers that it was just a standard inspection and stopped at the laser-gate guarded by stormtroopers. The driver got out of his transport and told one trooper about his transport run. The stormtrooper asked about the two passengers, and Freck told the soldier they might want to inspect the pair.^[3]

Questioning Kenobi, the troopers had an Imperial Viper probe droid do a facial scan of the Jedi, forcing him to draw a blaster pistol and begin gunning down the probe droid and stormtroopers. A panicked Freck stuck close to his vehicle until Kenobi grabbed the Condluran and used him as a living shield to shoot another stormtrooper. Once the soldier was killed, the Jedi knocked Freck out with a pistol whip, escaping with Organa not long after.^[3]

Personality and traits

"We love the Empire."
"Nice to meet like-minded folk. Nothing wrong with a little order, right?"

―Leia Organa and Freck^[3]

Freck had a friendly demeanor and was happy to occasionally help transport hitchhikers. He supported the Empire,^[2] appreciating the order it kept in the galaxy and displaying the Imperial crest on his transport. The driver kept an amicable relationship with the Imperial stormtroopers on Mapuzo and offered them transport when needed. He was also easygoing with strangers like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Leia Organa, not hesitating to give them a ride and calling the favor his pleasure. However, Freck was suspicious of the pair and Organa's story and suggested the stormtroopers check them out. Freck had light skin and black eyes.^[3]

Equipment

Freck donned brown and gray attire including pants, a belt with compartments, fingerless gloves, and a leather jacket.^[3] He drove a FMR-385 cargo speeder^[1] that featured an Imperial flag attached to the back as a sign of his loyalty.^[1]

Behind the scenes

"And then the way it's rigged is that I wear this head piece […] and when I talk, the jaw moves. And so that was what was so cool about getting to do it. […] I would've flipped out if it was just a voice over assignment. But I got to be on set."
"[…] The character had your mannerisms, in your face, even though it…looked nothing like you."

―Zach Braff and Donald Faison^[7]

Freck first appeared in "Part III" of the Disney+ television series Obi-Wan Kenobi, directed by Deborah Chow^[3] and released on June 1, 2022.^[8] The character was portrayed in costume by John Rosengrant and voiced by Zach Braff,^[3] known for his role in^[9] the television series Scrubs,^[10] with other individuals also controlling Freck's eyebrows and eyes.^[11] Freck's costume included an animatronic head^[12] that functioned on what Braff stated was seventy motorized servos, with additional head movement features being remote-controlled by two puppeteers.^[7] In a practice run with the head set, the actor recited lines intended for the scene^[12] where Kenobi used him as a shield. Those lines did not make it into the finished episode.^[3]

A significant portion of Obi-Wan Kenobi was shot on a set known as "The Volume,"^[12] which Braff was shown around by Chow,^[7] as Freck's actor had previously starred in the director's debut film.^[11] The scenes with Freck, though, were filmed in a desert ranch^[7] in Irwin, California^[11], where the actor, by his own account, remarked to the director that the show's viewers would think the set was still The Volume.^[7] While the landscape was all natural features, the surrounding mountains and additional special effects were added in post-production to all of Freck's scenes.^[11] According to Braff, Rosengrant, while in costume for the character, had to have cool air pumped into the suit due to the hot weather. During the shooting of Freck's scenes, the actor would recite his lines behind cameras with the headpiece on as part of the animatronic's choreography^[7] and a microphone was attached to his head piece^[13] to project his speech for the filmed interaction^[12] with Kenobi, Organa, and the stormtroopers.^[3]

Braff was surprised that, because of the secrecy behind Obi-Wan Kenobi's production, his "sides"—scripts he used for his part in the episode and hoped to take with him as a souvenir—were taken away by staff at the end of the day.^[7] After the release of "Part III," fans reportedly mistook Braff's voice of Freck as that of the actor Seth Rogen.^[9] Braff himself discussed his role on his podcast with fellow Scrubs actor Donald Faison,^[7] who was also part of Star Wars as the character Hype Fazon in the 2018 animated series Star Wars Resistance.^[14] Expressing his joy about being in the show, he wished for there to be an action figure or LEGO set including him.^[7]