Don-Wan Kihotay

Hess Korrin
"Don-Wan Kihotay"

Don-Wan Kihotay, bornHess Korrin, was aForce-sensitivemaleHuman who served as a librarian onObroa-skai. A fanatic of thefallenJedi Order, Korrin fantasized about being aJedi Knight, as he had much spare time to read their lore and history. When theImperial Security Bureau shut down Korrin's antiquities wing on Obroa-skai, the man snapped, and became "Don-Wan Kihotay," alightsaber-wielding warrior who genuinely believed that he was a Jedi.

He escaped the notice of the ISB, and found himself onAduba-3, where he was a source of amusement for the localspacers. Kihotay later joined theStar-Hoppers of Aduba-3, a ragtag team assembled byCaptainHan Solo to defend the township ofOnacra from theCloud-Riders ofSerji-X Arrogantus. Kihotay participated in thedefense of the town and even did battle with a gargantuanSithspawn. He later passed away onTelos IV, in a medical station when it fell underattack from thebounty hunterBeilert Valance.

Biography[]

A librarian without a library[]

Hess Korrin was aHumanmale who worked as a librarian on the academicworld ofObroa-skai. He was tasked with the cataloguing of antiquities, and spent much of his time on his own. Korrin spent years researching theJedi Order. He became a total fanatic of the Jedi, and an expert on all there was to know about them. The man began indulging in wild fantasies, and his grasp on reality weakened. Korrin was taken by surprise when theImperial Security Bureau ordered that the antiquities section of Obroa-skai be closed down, citing a "public safety issue." The bureau destroyed Korrin's entire wing.^[1]

Korrin's mind snapped, and his hold on reality vanished utterly. He was determined to preserve the memory of the Jedi Order, and believed it to be his sacred duty to maintain and revive their crusade for peace and justice throughoutthe galaxy. He adopted the name of "Don-Wan Kihotay" in honor of his new quest, and equipped himself witha yellow-bladedlightsaber, replicaJedi armor, andJedi robes. Such views and undertakings were heretical underEmperorPalpatine'sGalactic Empire, and "Kihotay's"Ithorianmanager realized that the man's heresy would get him executed. Kihotay was clandestinely transported offworld by the Ithorian, but the ISB gave chase. At the planetAduba-3, the manager was killed by agents of ISB, but the bureau was still utterly unaware of Kihotay's existence.^[1]

Knight errant[]

Sporting his lightsaber and Jedi armor, Kihotay wandered Aduba-3, and he was found to be harmless by the localspacers, who were amused by his obsolete antics.^[1] In0 ABY, Kihotay heard that a posse was being gathered in thespaceport ofTun Aduban. Making his way toLocru's Central Saloon, he waited in a queue to be interviewed for inclusion in the posse. All he knew was that the posse was being assembled to defend the innocent. Introducing himself as aJedi Knight, Kihotay was told by his interviewer,Han Solo, that the Jedi had been outlawed since the rise of the Galactic Empire. Kihotay held firm to his claim, however, and drew his lightsaber, hoping to be included in Solo's "holy mission" so that he could continue to be worthy of the Jedi Knights. The old man knelt before Solo, and theCorellian agreed to let him join, but only if he swore to uphold theGalactic Republic, and serve as a "defender of the right." Kihotay pledged his allegiance, and assured Solo that he would not let the posse down, before being harangued by a tetchyLepi,Jaxxon, who was next to be interviewed.^[2]

The next day at dawn, Kihotay assembled with the rest of Solo's posse—Jaxxon, theWookieeChewbacca, theHuman femaleAmaiza Foxtrain, theSpinerHedji, the youngJimm Doshun—or "the Starkiller Kid" as he was apparently known, and thetractor-robotFE-9Q. As they were assembled a group ofskyspeeders flown bySerji-X Arrogantus and theCloud-Riders gang approached. As they did so, Solo explained to the posse that they would be defending the farming village ofOnacra against Arrogantus and his hoods. Solo and Arrogantus bandied words and threats, before the Cloud-Riders rode off.^[2] The posse saddled up onbanthas, and rode out to Onacra. Kihotay in particular donned his Jedi armor, and armed himself with alance. While approaching the village, Doshun, who was actually a native on Onacra, pointed out a pack of attackinghigh-hounds ahead. Solo led the posse into an attack, and they engaged the predatory creatures. Drawing his lightsaber, Kihotay was able to slay one of the creatures, and Solo managed to save a local farmgirl,Merri Shen.^[3]

The posse eventually made it to Onacra, and stabled their banthas. Solo later put them and the villagers to work assembling makeshift defenses against Arrogantus' inevitable attack. When their work was done, the posse gathered, and Jaxxon noted that the Cloud-Hoppers, led by Arrogantus, were incoming. With his lightsaber, Kihotaybattled the attackers, before Solo and Chewbacca called for support from he and Foxtrain. Although Foxtrain quickly dispatched one Cloud-Riders, she was grappled from behind by another. Incensed that Foxtrain was being manhandled, Kihotay moved to her defense, cutting down his foe in the name of righteousness. However, he was too slow to notice a skyspeeder approaching from behind him. Kihotay sustained a blaster bolt to the back, and fell, bidding Foxtrain farewell.^[3] His armor, however, had sustained the force of the attack, and the old man survived.^[4]

The Sithspawn[]

Complicating matters was the emergence of theBehemoth from the World Below, a gargantuan beast resistant to blasters that could fire massive concentrated blasts of lightning from an organ on its head.^[1] The posse regrouped, but were forced to disperse when the creature caused a landslide. Despite that, it was clear that the Behemoth was attacking the Cloud-Riders exclusively, and was being controlled by a villager known as theOld One, who was hoping to ward off the marauders with the beast. Kihotay pointed out that while his armor might have shielded him against a blaster bolt, it would likely be of little use while facing the Behemoth. Solo advised him to keep himself covered behind the nearby rocks. When both Arrogantus and the Old One were trampled by the Behemoth, Doshun pointed out that the Behemoth would likely go on a rampage and destroy Onacra. Although there was dissent from Foxtrain, who believed that since Arrogantus was done they had fulfilled their obligation, the posse remained intact. After Jaxxon attempted to destroy the creature by himself, Kihotay clandestinely separated himself from the others, and, believing that only a Jedi Knight could conquer the Behemoth, prepared to confront it by himself.^[4]

Scorning his fellow posse members, Kihotay called out to the Behemoth, issuing forth a challenge. He attracted the beast's attention, and even as the other members of the posse called out in despair, he progressed towards the monster. It fired a blast at him, which missed wildly. Resolving to destroy the beast, the old man continued his approach. Another blast missed Kihotay, and Hedji approached, urging the old man to face the reality of the situation and accept that he would not survive against the beast. Kihotay was adamant that the Spiner should not interfere with his quest to slay the monster. Nevertheless, Hedji fired a barrage of quills at the beast—it responded by obliterating the Spiner. Undeterred, Kihotay continued his approach yet again, until Solo intervened, wresting the lightsaber from the old man's grip. The old man thought the proceedings blasphemous, but Solo was able to successfully plunge the weapon into the Behemoth's chest, causing it to disintegrate. Assured that the power ofthe Force was with them, Kihotay watched on as the monster was vanquished. Victorious, the posse regrouped, and was paid by the villagers. Doshun stayed with his people, but the rest of the posse rode off on banthas.^[4]

The Behemoth had in fact been aSithspawn created by theSith LordSeviss Vaa,^[1] a sworn enemy of the Jedi Order,^[5] during theNew Sith Wars.^[1] Kihotay eventually fell ill, and his delusion began to consume him. He went toAnglebay Station on the planetTelos IV, where he was treated for his ailment. The station was subsequentlyattacked by a group of thugs under the command of thebounty hunterBeilert Valance. As the thugs entered Kihotay's room, he believed they had come to bring him his lightsaber. He announced that he was once again ready to fight alongside Han Solo and the Star-Hoppers of Aduba-3. He alluded to a "boy" who had a "droid,"—Jimm Doshun and FE-9Q respectively, but Valance's thugs interpreted his words as reference toLuke Skywalker and his droidsR2-D2 andC-3PO—the individuals Valance hunted for. Kihotay then fell silent, and the station was destroyed.^[4] Kihotay perished as a result. Two years later, he was profiled byhistorianVoren Na'al for theAlliance to Restore the Republic's historical records. Kihotay was considered by Na'al to be the oddest of Solo's team. The posse would later come to be known as theStar-Hoppers of Aduba-3, and were the subject of aholodocumentary produced byTri-Nebula Entertainment.^[1]

Personality and traits[]

Kihotay, or Korrin, was obsessed with the tales of the Jedi—their life, culture, and purpose—and became an expert on the order. So thorough was his obsession that he began to fantasize about being a Jedi himself, so much so that his hold on what was real and what was fictional slipped. When the ISB destroyed his antiquities wing, Korrin slipped totally into his fantasy Kihotay persona, never to return to his original personality. He fully believed that he was a Jedi Knight, and saw it as his duty to uphold their ideals.^[1] As such, he swore to uphold the Republic and defend the innocent against the unjust. He felt that if he were to not do so, he would be unfit to bear the title of Jedi Knight.^[2] It was his belief, and that of those around him, that he was the last of the Jedi. His sense of chivalry and righteousness was offended when the voluptuous Amaiza Foxtrain was manhandled by a brute, and Kihotay was roused into action as a result.^[3] Kihotay also saw it as his mission to destroy the emergent Behemoth from the World Below, and felt that he was above mercenaries such as Han Solo. When Solo wielded Kihotay's lightsaber, the old man protested, and saw the act as blasphemy against the holy ritual of the Jedi.^[4]

Powers and abilities[]

A Force-sensitive, Kihotay possessed a particularly lowmidi-chlorian count nonetheless. Had it been higher, he would have likely joined the Jedi Order he so revered, and would likely have been exterminated along with them. He had the ability to performmind tricks. Kihotay could also read and writeBasic,Cerean, andZabraki.^[1] In the heat of combat, Kihotay was able to put his yellow-bladed lightsaber to use against high-hounds.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

Don-Wan Kihotay first appeared inStar Wars (1977) 8 (1978), written byRoy Thomas andHoward Chaykin. The character was later killed off byArchie Goodwin inStar Wars (1977) 16 (1978). Kihotay was categorized as an "oddity" of theStar Wars line fromMarvel Comics in the article "Comic Marvels" (2006), written byJason Fry.

The character was inspired by the titular "Knight-Errant" insane character from the legendary novel"Don Quixote" written by classic Spanish authorMiguel de Cervantes. The novel was published in two volumes, in 1605 and 1615, and is considered one of the most influential works of literature from theSpanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish language literary canon.

Appearances[]

• Star Wars (1977) 8(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld)(First appearance)
• Star Wars (1977) 9(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld)
• Star Wars (1977) 10(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld)
• Star Wars (1977) 11(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld)(In flashback(s))
• Star Wars (1977) 16(recolorized inStar Wars: A Long Time Ago... Volume 1: Doomworld)

Sources[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia'simages for this article subject.

• "ComicScan: Marvelously Silly Aliens" —Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 3
• "The Starhoppers of Aduba-3" —Star Wars Gamer 4
• "Comic Marvels" —Star Wars Insider 91
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• So Uncivilized: Great Gunslingers inStar Wars, Part 1 onStarWars.com(backup link) (original link is obsolete)
• "New Planets, New Perils" —Star Wars Insider Special Edition 2022

Notes and references[]