User:Cavalier One/Kota

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Rahm Kota was a Human male Jedi Master and General during the Clone Wars. Born on a war torn world, Kota fought in the trenches during the planet's internal conflicts from the age of ten. At the age of eighteen, Kota met the Jedi Mace Windu, who had been dispatched to the planet to end the conflict peacefully. Discovering Kota's Force sensitivity, Windu took Kota back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi. Despite being well over the traditional age of acceptance, Kota was schooled in the Force by Master Yoda. His forthright and blunt nature earned him few friends in the Order during his training, but his courage and loyalty to the Jedi and the Republic were without question. During the Clone Wars, Kota was made a general in the Grand Army of the Republic. However, he did not believe that clone troopers were fit for battle, and refused to lead them. Instead, he commanded his own militia comprised of volunteers. The militia served with distinction during the war, operating as both a line unit and special operations force.

In 19 BBY, when Order 66—an emergency contingency order that ordered the clone forces to terminate their Jedi commanders as they had become a threat to the Republic—was issued, Kota survived the slaughter of his fellow Jedi since there were no clone troopers serving with him. Going into hiding with his militia, he maintained ties with fellow purge survivors Kazdan Paratus and Shaak Ti, and allied himself with the Alderaanian senator, Bail Organa. Kota began striking at Imperial targets, taking interest in the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, hoping to draw him into a confrontation. This culminated in a mission to seize a TIE Fighter Construction Facility in orbit of Nar Shaddaa. Kota believed that he could draw Vader out with the strike, but was instead confronted by the Dark Lord's secret apprentice. The two dueled in the facility's command center; Kota was beaten and blinded, but managed to escape the confrontation.

With his confidence shaken—and his connection to the Force seemingly gone—Kota turned to drink and went into hiding on Cloud City on Bespin. He was discovered by the apprentice he had dueled on Nar Shaddaa, who wanted his help in fighting the Empire. The apprentice—who had been tasked by Vader to create a rebellion with which to oppose Emperor Palpatine—wanted Kota to instruct him in the Force. Kota suspected that the young man before him was the same man who had blinded, but—through the Force—sensed a bright spot within him that gave him hope that the apprentice could be turned away from the Dark Side. He reluctantly agreed to help the apprentice, and assisted him in making contact with Senator Organa, Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila and Senator Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia through a series of missions. Together, they pledged to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic to fight against the Empire. During this time, Kota recovered much of his former self, and restored his connection to the Force.

During the meeting of the Corellian Treaty, Vader attacked the assemblage with Imperial forces. The apprentice—who had come to renounce his ties to Vader and the Empire—had attempted to keep the meeting secret, but had been discovered. Kota attacked Vader, but was easily beaten and captured, along with the gathered senators. Taken to the Death Star, a battlestation under construction in the Despayre system, he was to be interrogated and executed by the Emperor himself. The apprentice—who had been left for dead on Corellia,—infiltrated the superweapon and fought his way to prisoners. After engaging and beating Vader in a duel, the apprentice rescued Kota from a Force lightning attack by the Emperor. While the apprentice held off the Emperor, Kota and the senators escaped the Death Star aboard the apprentice's ship, the Rogue Shadow. Regrouping on Kashyyyk, Kota joined in the official declaration of their intentions to rebel against the Empire.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 The Clone Wars 1.3 The Dark Times 1.3.1 Striking back at the Empire 1.3.2 Drawing out the Dark Lord 1.3.3 Fall from grace 1.4 Birth of the Rebellion 1.4.1 An unlikely apprentice 1.4.2 Gathering allies 1.4.3 Forging an Alliance 1.4.4 Prisoner 1.4.5 A declaration of Rebellion 2 Personality and traits 3 Powers and abilities 4 Behind the scenes 4.1 Alternate Dark Side ending 4.2 Conception and creation 5 Appearances 6 Sources 7 Notes and references

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Born and raised on an unidentified planet, Rahm Kota fought in the brutal trench warfare that ravaged his homeworld from before the age of ten. Eventually, the Jedi Mace Windu was dispatched to the planet to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Windu met and befriended Kota, now aged eighteen, and found that he was strong in the Force. After completing his mission, Windu sought to have Kota return with him to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to train in the Jedi arts. Despite the fact that he was well past the traditional age of acceptance for new apprentices, Kota was inducted into the Order and trained under Jedi Master Yoda himself. During his training, his gruff and forthright personality earned him few friends. After attaining the rank of Jedi Knight, Kota often questioned the Jedi Council's decisions, and voiced his opinion that the Order should adopt a more forceful approach when dealing with criminals or negotiating treaties. However, no one doubted Kota's commitment and loyalty to both the Republic and the Jedi, or his courage, as he always chose the most dangerous and hazardous assignments.^[1]

[edit] The Clone Wars

By the beginning of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, Kota was a Jedi Master, and was appointed as a Jedi General in the Grand Army of the Republic alongside his contemporaries. However, Kota believed that the clone troopers produced by the Kaminoans were not fit to be soldiers, and refused to lead them into combat.^[4] He did not believe that clones could be as creative or as intelligent in the field as non-clones.^[1] Instead, he organized and trained his own militia, comprised of dedicated beings from across the galaxy^[4] that included members of local planetary militias, mercenary groups, and even Separatist prisoners-of-war.^[1] Kota and his Militia served with distinction, fighting as both a regular unit and a special operations force^[4] on several fronts, including several successful offensives in the Outer Rim Territories.^[1] Kota began to grow weary of watching his troopers and friends killed in the war, and firmly believed that the conflict would eventually see the destruction of both the Jedi and the Galactic Republic, and the rise of Chancellor Palpatine.^[4]

Three years after the start of the war, Chancellor Palpatine issued Order 66 to all clone units, which stated that the Jedi had become a threat to the Republic, and had to be eliminated. Palpatine was actually a Sith Lord operating under the name Darth Sidious, and the entire war was part of an elaborate plan to destroy the Jedi Order and have the Sith rule the galaxy. Palpatine named himself Emperor, and reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire.^[5] Kota's decision to lead his own troops spared him the fate that befell most of the Jedi commanders in the Grand Army by the simple fact that he had no clones under his command. A squad of Antarian Rangers serving with Kota learned of the order, and immediately took him and his troops into hiding.^[4] Stealing a Republic cruiser, Kota and his forces disappeared into the Outer Rim.^[1] Kota's fears had become reality.^[4] Following his disappearance, Kota was officially listed as dead in Imperial records, although Lord Darth Vader was aware that he survived.^[2]

[edit] The Dark Times

[edit] Striking back at the Empire

Kota fled to the Outer Rim Territories, where he decided to dedicate his life to opposing the new Galactic Empire. Establishing a number of small bases, new recruits flocked to his banner as the Empire tightened its grip on the galaxy. Kota and his Milita remained hidden, emerging only to strike at Imperial targets in well-executed and carefully planned raids.^[4] Kota allied himself with Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, who was fermenting rebellion within the halls of the Imperial Senate and secretly assisting fugitive Jedi who had escaped Order 66. Organa began feeding Kota data on Imperial targets, allowing the general to strike deep at the Empire's war machine. Through Organa, Kota was able to maintain communications with other Jedi, including Ylenic It'kla, who was serving as the senator's aide; Shaak Ti, who was in hiding on Felucia; and Kazdan Paratus, who had taken refuge on Raxus Prime.^[2] While conducting his rebellion, Kota took an intense interest in Darth Vader himself, attacking targets that appeared to have some level of importance to the Dark Lord of the Sith, such as assaulting a factory that he had recently visited, or stealing a shuttle that Vader had used as a personal transport.^[4] Kota's main aim was to finally draw Vader into a confrontation with himself so that the Sith Lord could be eliminated once and for all.^[2]

[edit] Drawing out the Dark Lord

In 3 BBY, using information gained from Organa, Kota struck at a TIE Fighter Construction Facility in orbit over Nar Shaddaa, hoping that the bold action would finally force Vader to face him. Kota and his Militia boarded the station, engaging the station's stormtrooper complement, and placing explosive charges throughout the facility at strategic points. As Kota's Militia secured the command center, a vessel was detected on approach to the facility. Kota believed that the ship was bringing Darth Vader to face him, and ordered the containment field on hangar twelve to be lowered so that the Dark Lord could board the facility.^[2]

Kota waited in the facility's command center for Vader, but was surprised to find that the intruder was not the Dark Lord of the Sith, but a young man who was Vader's own secret apprentice. Despite his shock, Kota engaged the apprentice in a lightsaber duel, and found the boy stronger in the Force than he had thought.^[2] Unwilling to let the apprentice live, Kota used the Force to detach the command center from the construction facility, continuing to battle the Darksider as it plummeted towards the surface of Nar Shaddaa.^[3] The two continued to duel, but the apprentice was stronger and Kota began to tire, taking several hits that reduced his robe to a smoking ruin and caused one of his shoulder pads to glow red hot. Kota was caught in a chokehold by the apprentice, and battered with flying debris until he was knocked to the ground. Vader's apprentice brought his lightsaber blade down, engaging the general in a saber lock. Kota received a glimpse of the apprentice's future as the combatant's blades were forced closer to his face, sensing that Vader would not always be his opponent's master and that he had not been turned fully to the Dark Side of the Force. He was also astonished to see that the apprentice's future included himself. In that moment, the apprentice pushed the locked blades towards Kota's eyes, blinding the general.^[2]

In agony, Kota sent out a wave of Force energy that shattered the viewports of the command center, dropping his lightsaber in the process. Wind howled through the command center as debris was sucked out during to the drastic change of pressure, and Kota followed, dropping spread-eagled into the Vertical City below. Vader's apprentice retrieved Kota's lightsaber, taking it as a trophy of his victory.^[2]

[edit] Fall from grace

Although blinded, Kota survived the fall from the command center, landing on a transport,^[6] and went into hiding on Nar Shaddaa. Falling into despair, the general found his connection to the Force severely diminished, and believed that he had lost the connection completely. In response, he turned to alcohol to ease the loss. He also used a bandage to cover his blinded eyes. Several weeks after the incident, he was found by Bail Organa who wanted to recruit him in a mission to rescue his adopted daughter, Princess Leia Organa. The princess had been sent to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, ostensibly as an Senatorial Observer and the guest of Captain Ozzik Sturn, who was supervising the construction of a Skyhook above the planet. In reality, Leia Organa was being held as a hostage to stop her father from speaking out against the Empire in the Senate. Kota refused to help Organa, feeling that his condition made him useless for such a task. The Senator arranged transportation for Kota to Cloud City on Bespin via Ziost, informing him that he would seek help from Master Shaak Ti on Felcuia instead. Although Kota warned him against that course of action, Organa went anyway.^[2]

[edit] Birth of the Rebellion

[edit] An unlikely apprentice

On Cloud City, Kota took refuge in the Vapor Room, a bar that catered to Ugnaught miners, paying for exclusive use of a table. Ignoring the galaxy at large, Kota let his appearance degrade; his hair became greasy and ill-kept, and his robes were loose fitting and stained. Despite attempting to keep a low profile, word of the presence of a blind man who could nevertheless pour a glass of Corellian brandy without spilling a drop reached the ears of the Empire.^[2]

Months after his encounter with Vader's apprentice over Nar Shaddaa, Kota was woken from a drunken stupor by a force-sensitive individual requesting his help. Kota pointed out that he was of no use due to his injuries, although the young man countered by informing him that he needed his mind and experience in fighting the Empire, not his eyes. Through his weak connection with the Force, Kota suspected that the individual in front of him was the same man who had duelled and blinded him over Nar Shaddaa. Feeling that Vader had not turned him completely to the dark side, Kota found something within the apprentice—a single bright spot that burned within him, that gave him hope and that he clung to. The apprentice was still in league with Vader, however, who had mandated him to create a rebellion through which the two of them could depose the Emperor.^[2]

At that moment, Imperial forces, tipped off to Kota's presence by a local informant, raided the Vapor Room. The apprentice fought his way out of the bar, covering Kota while the blind and drunk Jedi Master attempted to navigate his way out of the watering hole. During the ensuing battle, Kota became separated from the apprentice, making his own way to the balloon dock where the young man had arranged a rendezvous with his ship. Despite having come to believe that the Empire was unbeatable, and nothing that they could do would ever defeat it, Kota agreed to help the apprentice, noting that he had a friend in the Senate who could use his lightsaber. When he asked the young man if he had a name, the apprentice told him he had none.^[2]

[edit] Gathering allies

Once aboard the Rogue Shadow, Kota met with the other members of the crew—the pilot Juno Eclipse and the droid PROXY. Given access to a communications console, Kota attempted to contact Bail Organa but failed. Remembering that Organa had attempted to recruit him to rescue his daughter, Leia, he reasoned that extracting her from Kashyyyk might make the Senator more liable to listen to the mysterious young man. He directed the ship to Kashyyyk, telling his new companions that there was something of value to the Senator on the surface, and retrieving it would be in their best interests, although he neglected to mention that it was Organa's daughter. On approach to the Wookiee homeworld, Kota questioned Captain Eclipse over the vessel they were in; the former Imperial pilot told them it was stolen, and tried to forestall any further conversation in case she gave away that the ship was the same one that had ferried the apprentice—who she knew by the codename "Starkiller"—and herself to Nar Shaddaa. Kota told her not to worry as they were all fugitives, and he wasn't about to turn her in to the Empire.^[2]

While the apprentice fought his way through Imperial forces on Kashyyyk, Kota continued refusing to tell him exactly what he was looking for, telling him that he would know it when he found it. When he did eventually find the princess, she refused to go with him, telling the apprentice that she could not leave until the skyhook that was being constructed in orbit was destroyed. The apprentice agreed to attempt to destroy it so that the princess would take her shuttle and leave planet. En route to the tractor beam mooring that kept the skyhook in orbit, the apprentice stumbled across a hut that he was drawn to, and asked Kota for advice. Kota warned him off from entering it, telling him that there were some things that he wasn't ready to learn, and that if he entered, he had to face whatever was inside alone. The apprentice ignored him, and entered. Through his weak connection to the Force, Kota felt something of the apprentice's experience—which included a vision of his father—which caused him to sag against the control panels.^[2]

Eventually, the apprentice destroyed the skyhook and returned to the Rogue Shadow, where he demanded to know the identify of the woman he had just rescued. Kota filled him in on her identity, and that of her father, and the apprentice demanded to speak with him. Kota admitted that he had been unable to reach Organa since they left Bespin, and that he had gone to find Shaak Ti. Before he could reveal that Felucia was their destination, the apprentice revealed it himself. Kota commented that he must have been strong in the Force in order to read his thoughts, although the truth was that the apprentice had been to the planet previously and killed Shaak Ti.^[2]

On Felucia, Kota refused the apprentice's offer to join him in retrieving Organa, stating that he was pretty much useless in his current condition. The young man succeeded in his mission, defeating Shaak Ti's corrupted apprentice Maris Brood in the process, leading to a reunion between Kota and Organa. Organa revealed that Master Ti was dead, and Kota commented that her killer was probably the same individual who had blinded him. In return, he revealed to Organa that he could not contact Kazdan Paratus on Raxus Prime and feared the worst. In a conversation between them and the apprentice, the young man brought up the concept of open rebellion against the Empire. Kota commented that they would need a victory—a big target—to convince potential allies that they were not just talking but were prepared to take action. The apprentice told them that he would meditate on the matter, and eventually returned to Kota with a target in mind—a new Imperial shipyard that was producing Star Destroyers that had been established in orbit over Raxus Prime. In truth, however, the target had been suggested by Vader himself to the apprentice.^[2]

On the way to Raxus Prime, Kota sensed that Eclipse—who had discovered that the apprentice was still in contact with Vader and the two were conspiring to bring down the Emperor—was troubled about something. In addition, he almost discovered that she and the apprentice had been to Raxus Prime before when she slipped up, sarcastically mentioning that it was good to see the planet again. She covered it by claiming to have made dumping runs to the planet. In reality, she had ferried the apprentice to the planet to kill Kazdan Paratus, a task at which he had succeeded. As Eclipse laid out a plan to destroy the shipyard—by commandeering the ore cannon on the surface of the planet and using it to destabilize the facility’s orbit—Kota inquired if there had been any word from Paratus since they arrived, only to be told that there was no sign of him.^[2]

As the apprentice made his way across the surface of the planet towards the ore cannon, Kota retired to the cargo bay of the Rogue Shadow. While he was sequestered away, PROXY, who was attempting to slice into the planet's Core computer so that he could assist the apprentice in adjusting the aim of the ore cannon, was infected by the supercomputer's intelligence. The Core convinced the droid to carry out his primary programming—attempting to kill his master—while the apprentice was engaged with the mission. To this end, he temporarily incapacitated Eclipse, overrode the Rogue Shadow's launch codes, and left the ship.^[2]

Shortly after reprogramming the ore cannon and firing three shots at the orbiting shipyard, the apprentice became aware that one of the Star Destroyers that was under construction was falling towards the planet. Contacting the Rogue Shadow, the apprentice frantically ordered Eclipse to take off immediately. Instead, he got Kota, who had discovered PROXY's actions. With no option to fly the ship out of danger, Kota told the apprentice that he would have to use the Force to pull the Star Destroyer into the cannon itself. When the apprentice expressed disbelief, Kota told him that size did not matter to a Jedi. As he told the apprentice what he had to do to save them all, the drunken slur in his voice disappeared, and he recovered some of the confidence and bearing of the seasoned general he once was.^[2]

As the apprentice used the Force to grip the Star Destroyer and bring it down into the cannon itself, the resulting impact sent shockwaves through the planet's massed trash heaps. The waves rocked the Rogue Shadow, forcing Kota to hang onto the co-pilot's seat as the ship bucked underneath him. As the waves stopped, the general called for the apprentice over the comlink, desperate to make sure he was still alive. Finally assured that he was, he told the young man that PROXY had incapacitated them and left the ship to go after the apprentice. While Eclipse and the apprentice were worried about PROXY's state of mind, Kota reminded them that the droid had been infected by an Imperial computer, and it had been carrying all the plans for the forthcoming rebellion. PROXY was a security risk that had to be taken care of, one way or the other. The apprentice dealt with the droid, defeating him in lightsaber combat, and returned him to the ship.^[2]

As the apprentice recovered from pulling the Star Destroyer down, Kota informed him that he had set up a meeting with Corellian Senator Garm Bel Iblis on Cloud City. Travelling there in the Rogue Shadow, Kota told the young man to find Lobot, the city's cyborg administrator who would be able to give him Bel Iblis' current location. The apprentice learned that Bel Iblis had been captured by the bounty hunter Kleef, who worked for Chop'aa Notimo, a Mandalorian working for Black Sun who was attempting a takeover of Cloud City. The apprentice managed to rescue Bel Iblis, who agreed to join the rebellion, suggesting that they meet further with Bail Organa.^[7]

Following the apprentice's rescue of Bel Iblis, the senator met with Organa and Mothma in a series of meetings in Organa's Cantham House residence. While the three dissident senators hashed out the basic plans for an Alliance to Restore the Republic, Kota, Eclipse and the apprentice went to ground on the planet Rhommamool. Located in the Outer Rim, Rhommamool's location close to the Corellian Trade Spine meant that HoloNet transmissions were readily available, but its remoteness ensured a low level of Imperial activity.^[2]

During their enforced wait, Kota attempted to learn more about the apprentice; specifically, who had taught him in the ways of the Force and of the lightsaber. Kota could not recognize the style, and told the apprentice that if he knew who his original teacher was, it would help him to understand him better. The apprentice asked who needed to understand him; Kota told him that Bel Iblis definitely would, since an unknown quantity made him a military threat. The apprentice was evasive in his answers, but related his experience with Maris Brood on Felucia. When Kota inquired if his original master had suffered the same fate as Brood, the apprentice refused to answer. Frustrated, Kota returned to his private musings. After eight days at Rhommamool, Kota received word from Organa that the meeting to formalize the creation of a rebellion against the Empire would take place on Corellia. Eclipse set a course for the planet, and the Rogue Shadow left orbit.^[2]

[edit] Forging an Alliance

En route to Corellia, Kota continued the transformation back into the seasoned general he once was, a process that had truly begun when instructing the apprentice in his Force usage on Raxus Prime. He spent the time polishing his boots, cleaning his robes and generally tidying his appearance. He even discarded the cloth that covered his eyes. The apprentice believed that Kota was still in a depressed mood, especially when the general did not join them in attending the meeting between the senators inside a ruined building in Corellia’s arctic wastes. As the meeting progressed, Kota made his entrance, declaring his intent to join the fledgling rebellion. The apprentice was surprised at his appearance, commenting that he thought Kota had been passed out in the cargo hold of the Rogue Shadow. Kota replied that he had finally come to his senses.^[2]

As the assembled senators pledged their commitment to create a rebellion against the Empire, Imperial troops, under the command of Darth Vader himself, attacked the congregation. As Imperial soldiers battled against security forces brought by each senator, Kota used the Force to take the apprentice's lightsaber and launched himself against Vader. The Dark Lord telekinetically caught Kota with the Force, choking him until he offered no more resistance, then tossed him towards a group of waiting stormtroopers to be taken prisoner.^[2]

With Kota down, Vader turned his attention to the apprentice. It became clear to the senators that the Dark Lord and the young man knew each other, although they believed that the two were in league to expose their rebellion. While that had been their original plan, the apprentice’s experiences and time with Eclipse and Kota had changed his mind about his allegiance to Vader. He had come to love Eclipse—although he was not aware of it for some time—and Kota had shown him that the Dark Side of the Force was not necessarily more powerful that the light, and that anger and hatred did not have to rule his life. Vader attempted to kill the apprentice, but was interrupted by the droid, PROXY, who took on the holographic form of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Knight from the Clone Wars. Although Vader defeated the droid easily, it gave the apprentice time to escape the confrontation.^[2]

[edit] Prisoner

Taken prisoner by Imperial forces, Kota was taken to the Death Star, an enormous battlestation being built over the planet Despayre in the Horuz system. Along with Organa, Mothma and Bel Iblis, Kota was taken before Emperor Palpatine himself for interrogation and eventual execution. Before the Emperor could enact his plan, the apprentice—who had infiltrated and fought his way through the Death Star after being recovered from Corellia by Captain Eclipse—came to their rescue. After dueling and defeating Darth Vader, Palpatine attempted to sway the apprentice back to the dark side, telling him to kill Vader and take his place at the Emperor's side. Kota used the Force to grab Palpatine's lightsaber from his belt,^[2] killing two Royal Guards that were standing watch over the prisoners,^[6] then lunged at the Emperor. Palpatine responded by electrocuting the general with Force lightning. Organa pleaded with the apprentice to help Kota, rather than slay Vader, who had been wounded in the duel. Using the Force, the apprentice sent a wave of transparisteel and debris towards the Emperor, forcing him to cease his lightning attack on the general.^[2]

As the apprentice stood over the defeated Emperor, Kota knew that the young man wanted to kill Palpatine for all he had done to him. He told him that if he surrendered to the dark side now, all the good work he had done would be lost, and he would be right back where he started. Although he hesitated, the apprentice stood down, and prepared to leave with the senators on the Rogue Shadow. The Emperor, however, was not prepared to let them escape, and unleashed more Force lightning at Kota, striking him in the back and knocking him to the ground. The apprentice moved to block the attack, taking the Emperor's lightning into his own body, and then redirecting it back at Palpatine. Locked together, the apprentice told Kota and the senators to get out. Kota and the senators boarded the Rogue Shadow,^[3] although the general hesitated, watching the conflict between the Emperor and the apprentice before being urged to board by Senator Organa.^[6] As Imperial reinforcements arrived, the apprentice opened himself fully to the Force, releasing a massive wave of energy that resulted in an explosion that destroyed much of the observation dome, injured Vader and the Emperor, and killed the apprentice. The Rogue Shadow escaped the Death Star just prior to the explosion, ferrying Kota and the senators to safety.^[3]

[edit] A declaration of Rebellion

Aboard the Rogue Shadow, Kota revealed the events of the apprentice's death to Eclipse, telling her that he had willingly sacrificed his own life to allow the general and senators to escape. At his insistence, Eclipse set a course for Kashyyyk. On the Wookiee homeworld, Kota finally learned the name of the young man—Galen Marek—after Senator Organa did a thorough search through all available records. He was the son of two Jedi, and had been born and raised on Kashyyyk until Darth Vader had kidnapped him as a boy after slaying his father, Kento Marek.^[2] At a meeting—which included Organa and his daughter, Bel Iblis, Mon Mothma, Eclipse and Kota—the Alliance to Restore the Republic was officially born, taking the Marek family crest as their own symbol.^[3] Following the meeting, Eclipse confronted Kota, asking him if he always knew that Marek had been the one who had blinded him. Kota told her that he had indeed suspected as much. When Eclipse asked him why he had helped them, knowing what Marek had done, Kota told her of the bright spot burning within the young man that he had felt in the bar on Cloud City—and that it was her.^[3]

[edit] Personality and traits

Rahm Kota was a hardened soldier, who was noted as being an excellent tactician and combat commander. Regarded as cold and militant by his fellow Jedi, Kota always advocated the use of aggressive force in punishing those who disrupted law and order. Nevertheless, Kota was loyal to the Jedi Order—even if he disagreed with some of their policies—and was committed to the stability of the Galactic Republic. He gained a reputation for never abandoning those in need,^[1] and during the Clone Wars, his leadership style instilled confidence in his troops. However, as the war dragged on, Kota came to the belief that the conflict would see the end of both the Jedi and the Republic, and he grew weary of seeing soldiers and trusted friends killed in battle.^[4]

During his enforced exile, Kota employed reckless tactics in an effort to draw out Darth Vader. Confident of his own abilities and skills, he was certain that he could face the Dark Lord and defeat him in single combat. Cocky to the point of arrogance, he was humbled when he was beaten and his sight was taken from him during his duel with Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek.^[2]

Following the loss of his sight duelling Darth Vader's apprentice, Kota became disillusioned in his planned attempts at defeating the Empire, coming to believe that challenging the Emperor's war machine was a "fool's errand". Adopting a defeatist attitude, the aging general began to see the conflict in terms of numbers, stating that it did not matter how many stormtroopers were killed because there were thousands more waiting to take their place. His defeat at the hands of a "boy" shook his confidence, and Kota came to see himself as useless without his sight. His connection to the Force was severely weakened, and the general believed that he had been cut off from it, although he demonstrated some abilities—such as probing the apprentice's thoughts on Cloud City to determine his intentions, and feeling the aftermath of the young man's experiences in his former home on Kashyyyk.^[2]

During his time on Cloud City, Kota turned to drink to ease the loss of his sight and his Force connection, wanting nothing more than to be left alone and forgotten. Kota allowed his appearance to fall into disrepair; his usually immaculate hair was allowed to hang loose, his robes became stained, and he did not appear to even clean the bandages that covered his sightless eyes. Even after being recruited by the apprentice to assist in building a rebellion against the Empire, Kota would often request alcohol, and because disappointed and withdrawn since there was none available to him.^[2]

Kota's journeys with the apprentice—and witnessing his attempts to forge an alliance to bring down the Empire—helped him to rediscover his fighting spirit and confidence. By the time of the mission to destroy the shipyard over Raxus Prime, Kota began to act more like his old self, issuing orders again like the seasoned general he was, and counselling the apprentice on how to use the Force to pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky—an act that the general, in his previous defeatist frame of mind, would have previously considered impossible. When the apprentice met with the three senators to form the Rebel Alliance on Corellia, Kota appeared at the meeting having laid his ghosts to rest, being neat, sober, and confident—and with his connection to the Force seemingly re-established when he was able to confidently walk to the meeting table as if he were able to see clearly. In a conversation with the other members at the meeting, he revealed that he considered the apprentice to have saved him. Kota was also able to use the Force to snatch both the apprentice's and the Emperor's lightsabers from them.^[2]

Kota always suspected that the apprentice was, in fact, the Dark Sider who had blind him. However, he sensed that the Dark Side did not hold sway over him as much as he thought. Resolving to help him, even if he felt he could offer no practical assistance to the young man, Kota was confident that the apprentice would do the right thing. He supported him through the assembly of the dissident senators, and was sure that the apprentice's arrival on the Death Star signalled his intent to start the rebellion.^[2]

[edit] Powers and abilities

Kota was a skilled lightsaber duellist, and was a practitioner of Juyo.^[4] Unlike most Jedi, who hung their lightsabers from their belts, Kota kept his in a sheath on his back.^[3] Despite being trained in the most aggressive of the seven forms of lightsaber combat,^[4] Kota prefered to adopt a defensive stance in combat, using the Force to protect himself until he could launch a counter attack.^[1]

Well trained in the use of the Force, Kota was able to use telekinesis to move objects or deflect incoming attacks and projectiles,^[4] and to throw his lightsaber with extreme accuracy.^[1] He also employed telekinesis to hurl objects at enemy combatants or repel them from his presence,^[1] and had enough mastery to detach the command tower from the TIE Fighter Construction Facility over Nar Shaddaa and send it plummeting towards the planet.^[3] He also had training in farsight,^[4] and was known to have received at least one vision of the future.^[2]

[edit] Behind the scenes

Rahm Kota was introduced in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a multimedia project created by LucasArts, in collaboration with Dark Horse Comics, Del Rey, Lego, Hasbro, and Palace Press that was released in 2008. Kota was one of the main characters, and featured in the video game, novel, and comic. Kota later gained mentions in Wizards of the Coast's The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. A toy was also made of the character, and released as part of The Force Unleashed toy line.

Kota is voiced in The Force Unleashed video game by actor Cully Fredrickson, whose likeness was also used as the basis for the character's appearance. Fredrickson was the first actor cast for the game. One of several actors who read for the part, Fredrickson approached the reading fully in character which initially made the casting director believe that the actor may be standoffish and difficult to work with. However, it was soon realized that Fredrickson was just being Kota. That, combined with the actor's physicality and his ability to produce a wide range of facial expressions, convinced the production team to hire him as the gruff general. Fredrickson was described as the "consummate professional", and "a lot of fun to work with."^[8]

Kota as portrayed in the video game version—both in-game and in promotional shots—of The Force Unleashed has brown eyes.^[3] However, in the novel of The Force Unleashed, his eyes are referenced as blue just prior to the apprentice blinding him with their locked sabers.^[2]

In the Wii, PSP and PlayStation 2 versions of The Force Unleashed, Kota is found in a bar on Nar Shaddaa instead of Cloud City. Also, as Marek receives the vision of his father following the completion of the Trial of Spirit in the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant rather than in his former home on Kashyyyk, he attempts to discuss his experience with Kota prior to the mission to the Wookiee homeworld. Kota is not interested in talking about it, however.^[7]

In the game, despite losing his lightsaber to Marek following their duel in the TIE construction facility, Kota still has one when he joins the apprentice on Cloud City. During the level, Kota can engage and fight Imperial soldiers while following the apprentice. He also has the lightsaber during the cutscene when Vader interrupts the Corellian Meeting, and uses it to try and fight the Dark Lord. In the novel, Kota loses his lightsaber, and it becomes Marek’s own; part of the plot involves the apprentice further refining the weapon to become better attuned to him. This article assumes that the novel version of events take precedence over the game events, and that Kota did not have a lightsaber following his duel with Marek on Nar Shaddaa.

In the video game, entering the code "MANDALORE" unlocks a costume that allows the player character to look like Kota.

[edit] Alternate Dark Side ending

At the conclusion of the game, the player has the option of two paths to follow to complete the adventure. The branch point comes directly after the duel with Darth Vader; the player then has the choice to either face Vader again, killing him, or engage the Emperor in a duel to save Kota, who is being electrocuted with Force lightning. The canonical ending involves fighting the Emperor and saving Kota. If the player takes the option to kill Vader, however, the Emperor attempts to sway the apprentice back to the Dark Side by getting him to kill Kota. The apprentice attempts to strike the Emperor down instead, but is beaten back. With the apprentice down, the Emperor uses the Force to pull the Rogue Shadow into the observation dome in which they are located. The resulting explosions and debris kill all those present—including Kota.^[3]

[edit] Conception and creation

During the development of The Force Unleashed, once the concept of having the player control a character that was Darth Vader's secret apprentice was settled on, it was realized that Jedi opponents would be needed for him to go up against. Concept art for various Jedi was drawn up, including one that was described as a "Samurai Jedi". At the same time, the production team were looking to add a character that would act as a second mentor to the apprentice, one who could give him instruction in the Force that he could not receive from Vader. Originally, the concept called for the disembodied spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn, preserved in the Netherworld of the Force, to fulfil this role. However, George Lucas did not approve of this concept, since he wanted a completely new cast of characters for the game.^[9]

Ideas for the character were explored, including a hermit Jedi in the tradition of Yoda, and even bringing back the character of Darth Plagueis in some form. However, in order to streamline the process, it was decided that the mentor role would be filled by one of the Jedi opponents originally designed for the apprentice to face early on in the game. W. Haden Blackman, the project lead on the game, and the production team decided they wanted a Jedi who was different from the established Jedi Master mentor characters already established in the Star Wars universe. Instead of the mystic Jinn, or the nurturing Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mentor was meant to be "less Gandalf and more Army General."^[9]

With this mind, the developers turned their attention back to the original concepts. Artist Amy Beth Christianson returned to the original concepts and found the artwork of the Samurai Jedi. She redesigned the character, creating a character that was armored, wore a topknot and carried his lightsaber on his back. In addition, he was scarred from combat. The original concept art went through several revisions, but did not evolve much from the original drawing. With the basic appearance of the character established, the script evolved and a downfall was introduced. This played into the concept of the Ronin—a Samurai who has lost everything that he once held dear, such as his master, his honor and duty, and sense of worth—and Kota was shown to be at his lowest point, becoming a drunk, feeling worthless and unable to use the Force. His experiences with the apprentice help Kota to regain his pride and connection to the Force, in turn returning him to the path of the Jedi. When Cully Fredrickson was cast in the role, Blackman noted that the character actually became tougher than originally scripted due to the actor's imposing physical stature.^[9]

[edit] Appearances

• The Force Unleashed novel (First appearance)
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comic
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game

[edit] Sources

• Star Wars Miniatures: The Force Unleashed
•  The Force Unleashed: Co-Star Evolution on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
•  The Force Will Be Unleashed on September 16 on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
• The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide

[edit] Notes and references

Category:Humans Category:Jedi Generals Category:Males Category:Post-Ruusan Jedi Masters Category:Rebel Jedi