Raymus Antilles

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Raymus Antilles was the captain of the Alderaan Diplomatic Cruiser Tantive IV from the time of the Clone Wars until his death in 0 BBY at the hands of Darth Vader. He served the Royal Alderaan Civil Fleet under Senator Bail Prestor Organa. Despite sharing the same surname, Captain Antilles was not related to Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Personality and traits 3 Behind the scenes 3.1 Raymus vs Colton 4 Appearances 4.1 Non-canon appearances 5 Sources 6 Notes and references

[edit] Biography

Raymus Antilles was a native of the peaceful planet Alderaan, a member of the prominent House of Antilles, the uncle of Corla Metonae and related to Queen Breha Organa. Though a member of this royal bloodline, he himself held no title. He wore the iconic gray uniform of an Alderaan starship captain, and carried a target blaster.

Following the transmission of Order 66, Captain Antilles recovered a Jedi homing beacon from the ruined Jedi Temple, encountering opposition from clone troopers of the 501st Legion in the process. The beacon helped Bail Organa locate Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. Captain Antilles transported the Jedi back to Coruscant, and later ferried the weary Masters to the medical center of Polis Massa.

When Bail returned to Alderaan aboard the Tantive IV, it was in the company of the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as Bail's newly-adopted child, Leia. To preserve the secret of the girl's true parentage, Bail ordered Antilles to have C-3PO's memory wiped, though R2-D2 managed to avoid this fate.

Over the next nineteen years, Raymus Antilles continued to command the Tantive IV, but was separated from C-3PO and R2-D2 until almost immediately before 0 BBY.

Early during the Galactic Civil War, Raymus, now the member of the Rebel Alliance, received the modified CR90 corvette Sundered Heart as a gift for running aid and medical supplies past several Imperial blockades and modified it with additional weapons. He took this ship for some of his most dangerous missions instead of the Tantive IV.^[2] In the Battle of Kuat he personally destroyed six Imperial shipyards in orbit of the planet, in order to begin the operation of stealing the X-wing prototypes. He also attacked a fleet of Imperial ships transporting Rebels, saving them from certain death. He was involved in many other missions for the Rebel cause. Later, while back in command of the Tantive IV, he was part of the mission which intercepted plans for the Death Star.

During the Battle over Tatooine, he commanded Blue Squadron from the cockpit of the Tantive IV. When the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Devastator captured his ship and the 501st Legion stormed the cockpit, he was captured and taken to Darth Vader. The Sith Lord strangled Antilles to death (without the Force) after he refused to give information on the location of the Death Star plans. The Dark Lord then threw his body at the wall.

[edit] Personality and traits

Raymus Antilles was level-headed, schooled in diplomacy, and a capable pilot. He was also a strong Rebel Alliance sympathizer and skilled at running Imperial blockades, but he lacked experience leading ground troops.^[2]

[edit] Behind the scenes

Raymus Antilles was played by Peter Geddis and Rohan Nichol in A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith, respectively. He was voiced by David Ackroyd in the Star Wars radio drama and by Stephen Stanton in Star Wars: Empire at War.

George Lucas proposed that Denis Lawson, the actor that played Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy, might make a cameo as Raymus Antilles (much as Jeremy Bulloch had a cameo as Captain Jeremoch Colton). However, Lawson turned down the offer, and Lucas returned to his original choice, Nichol.^[source?]

Rohan Nichol suffered an accidental shaving incident leaving a noticeable nick on his chin that would not stop bleeding prior to filming for Revenge of the Sith. After apologizing to George Lucas for the blemish, the latter jokingly responded that the character "must have gotten it in the Clone Wars."^[3]

According to Chapter 5 of the Visual Guides, Raymus weighs 79 kilograms.^[4]

[edit] Raymus vs Colton

In the novelization of Episode IV the captain strangled by Vader seems to be called 'Colton'. C-3PO refers to a "Captain Colton"; of course he would refer to Jeremoch Colton, however the full name Colton Antilles was also given in C-3PO: Tales of the Golden Droid.

Furthermore, actor Peter Geddis who played "Captain Antilles" in A New Hope does not appear to be nineteen years older than Rohan Nichol in Revenge of the Sith.

Therefore, it was perhaps originally intended that the character seen in Revenge of the Sith was not the same "Captain Antilles" killed by Darth Vader; Colton was originally identified as a possible Raymus Antilles's son, named in honor of the latter's colleague, Jeremoch Colton (who was perhaps introduced in continuity to explain the reference to 'Captain Colton' in the novelization).

However Leland Chee confirmed later that the captains in both films are the same individual^[5][6]; this retcon, if indeed there has been one, is surprising, since not only it erases the 'Colton' character mentioned by C-3PO from canon (unless he refers to Jeremoch Colton), but it also brings about the inconsistency of age and appearance between the two actors.

[edit] Appearances

• "Bailed Out" - Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 5
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith comic
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith junior novel
• Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
• Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight (Indirect mention only)
• The Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception
• Star Wars: Empire at War
• Death Star
• Star Wars Empire: Princess... Warrior
• Star Wars radio drama
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel (First appearance) (First identified as Captain Colton)
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novel
• Star Wars 1
• Star Wars Journal: Captive to Evil
• The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Appears in flashback(s))
• X-wing: Wraith Squadron (Mentioned only)
• Children of the Jedi (Mentioned only)
• Shield of Lies (Mentioned only)

[edit] Non-canon appearances

• "Captain Threepio" - Star Wars Tales 8 (Ambiguously canonical source)
• "Trooper" - Star Wars Tales 10
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga

[edit] Sources

• Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
• Star Wars Insider 90
•  "Premiere Limited" - Star Wars Customizable Card Game (Card: Physical Choke)
• Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive
• Visual Guides
•  Homing Beacon #164 - Captain Antilles Speaks! on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
•  Heroes of Revenge of the Sith on Wizards.com (article)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: Empire at War: Prima Official Game Guide
•  Raymus Antilles in the Databank

[edit] Notes and references