Around14 ABY, Xiono later became thefather ofKazuda Xiono, alongside Kazuda'smother. During the latteryears of theNew Republic Era, Senator Xiono facilitated his son's entry into aNew Republic Defense Forceacademy, which, in turn, led to Kazuda's service in theNew Republic Defense Fleet'sStarfighter Corps until he eventually joined theResistance. When theFirst Orderdestroyed Hosnian Prime in34 ABY, Hamato, Kazuda's mother, and the rest of theirfamily survived, as they had been off-planet during the cataclysm. Following the loss of the New Republic Senate, Senator Xiono contacted his son, warning him of the danger his activity as a Resistance spy had placed his family in.
"General, be honest. Isn't this just another attempt to gain New Republic resources to aid in what has ultimately been your personal quest to find Ezra Bridger?"
Xiono (second from right) gathered alongside Mon Mothma (center) and other senators to hear Hera Syndulla's report.
After Xiono pushed for them to begin the meeting promptly, Syndulla informed the group of Imperialloyalists that orchestrated anincident on[2] the planet[7]Corellia, expressing her belief that the incident was a sign of greater Imperial activity—the return ofGrand AdmiralMitth'raw'nuruodo. When Syndulla sought approval to lead a task force to theDenab system for investigation, Xiono protested, believing Syndulla was attempting to divert New Republic resources toward hersearch for the missingJediPadawanEzra Bridger. The pair continued arguing over the subject, with Xiono affirming[2] his[1] belief that they should aid the New Republic's citizens instead of allowing Syndulla to embark on a personal quest. Syndulla rebuffed Xiono's statements by having the senator clarify to those present that he had not served in the Galactic Civil War and instead not engaged in either side.[2]
After Mawood and Rodrigo concurred with Xiono's stance, Syndulla insisted that Thrawn's capabilities were atypical of anImperial officer and urged the committee to help her prevent a new war. When Xiono insisted that both Thrawn and Bridger weredead, Syndulla snapped at him in disagreement. Mothma then dismissed Syndulla from the meeting to speak with Xiono and the others alone, leaving the general to bid the group farewell. Syndulla later informed former JediAhsoka Tano and her Padawan,Sabine Wren, of Xiono and the senators'[2] vote against aiding them.[9]
Syndulla's disobedience[]
"My job is to protect the people of this Republic and that is exactly what I was doing in the best way I know how." "I see, and you protected the New Republic by ignoring direct orders?" "No, I protected the New Republic by ignoring you."
Despite her orders, Syndulla later traveled to the Denab system alongside asquadron led byCaptainCarson Teva to assist Tano and Wren.[10] Thearchitect droidHuyang expressed surprise at her arrival, having assumed the New Republic had authorized her mission. The droid was less surprised when she clarified she was defying orders by coming anyway but nevertheless reassured her when she surmised that Xiono and the other senators may have been right about the endeavor. As a consequence of her actions, the senators sent a small group of New Republicvessels to retrieve her for a hearing on[11] the planet[7]Coruscant, intending to potentially permanently strip her of herrank if she was found out of line.[11]
Xiono (right) next to Gial Ackbar during Hera Syndulla's court-martial hearing
During her Coruscant tribunal, Xiono sat next to theMon CalamariGial Ackbar and derided Syndulla for ignoring orders by acting as if the New Republic was still operating as the Rebellion instead of a government and pursuing personal goals with her rank's privileges. Syndulla expressed that her actions had been to protect the New Republic, flatly informing the assembled that she was not ignoring her general orders but instead ignoring him specifically. When prompted by Mothma, Xiono agreed that some form ofincident had occurred on the planetSeatos but likened the general's report to an outlandish child's fairy tale. Syndulla once again reaffirmed that the evidence demonstrated activity ofImperial Remnants, though the senator once again shrugged the idea off, asserting that Imperial numbers were dwindling.[9]
From the audience, Teva reminded Xiono ofMoffGideon and theincident on[9] the planet[7]Mandalore. Xiono rebutted that Gideon acted alone, stating that the threat of Thrawn's return remained unlikely and that Syndulla should becourt-martialed for acting in her personal interests. His motion was interrupted by the sudden arrival of theprotocol droidC-3PO, whom SenatorLeia Organa had sent on her behalf. Despite Xiono's objections, C-3PO recounted to those present that Organa had personally approved Syndulla's mission to Seatos without awareness of Xiono and the Defense Council's prior denial. Though Xiono was against admitting evidence from a "mere droid," offending theastromech droidC1-10P, Mothma declared that C-3PO's evidence had settled the matter and ended the session without further objection.[9]
Father to a pilot[]
"My dad didn't want me to compete, said I wasn't ready, but I proved him wrong then."
―Kazuda Xiono regarding his father's opinion of his first race —Link▶️(file info)[12]
Kazuda Xiono's trophy, won in spite of his father's wishes
Around14 ABY,[13] Hamato became thefather ofKazuda Xiono,[1] alongside Kazuda'smother. The parents raised their son on Hosnian Prime[14]—which became the capital of the New Republic by28 ABY[15]—theirfamily living with a wealthy status in its aristocracy.[14]
When Kazuda attempted to compete in his first race, his father was against it, telling his son he was not ready. Nonetheless, Kazuda won, proving his father wrong and winning anaurodiumtrophy.[12] Hamato facilitated his son's service to the New Republic[5] by using his influence to ensure Kazuda's enrollment[7] in aNew Republic Defense Forceacademy, further ensuring that Kazuda's training was put to use by helping him join theNew Republic Defense Fleet. That allowed Kazuda to pursue his aspirations of becoming a highly skilledpilot in theNew Republic Starfighter Corps,[5] though Hamato expected his son to follow in his footsteps as a senator.[16]
Son in the Resistance[]
"Pay up, kid. That's 1,500 creds you owe me." "Well, I don't have that much on me, but if I could contact my parents…"
In34 ABY,[17] shortly after hisrendezvous with theResistance during theCold War[5] between the New Republic and theFirst Order,[18] Kazuda decided to join the Resistance, believing the First Order—a successor state to the Galactic Empire—threatened theRepublic's place inthe galaxy. After making his choice, the younger Xiono felt compelled to inform Hamato. Contacting his father via a scrambled hologram transmission on aCR90 corvette, Kazuda intended to ask him for assistance. However, Hamato—who regarded the Resistance as extremists—chastised his son for getting "mixed up" with them and berated him for asking for assistance, prompting Kazuda to change his mind about asking for his father's help.[5]
After Kazuda had begun hisservice as a Resistancespy, being deployed to thesupertanker fuel depotColossus on[5] the planet[7]Castilon, he encountered theAleenaGrevel, who harassed him over an allegedly owed 1,500credits after Kazuda had thrown aholodart into thegorgmongerBolza Grool. The young Xiono professed that he did not have enough credits on him but could contact his parents to help pay what he owed. Later that sameday, Kazuda lamented how much of his life had progressed with his father's intervention and resolved that he would succeed in his mission—as well as hisrace againstracerTorra Doza—without his father's help.[5] During his mission, Hamato's son told the Resistance astromech droidBB-8 about his father's pushback in his childhood and how his trophy stood as a charm of luck due to his victory in spite of his father.[12]
"Did— Did the rest of the family make it?" "Yes. We were off-world when the attack happened. Your mother and I have been trying to contact you for days, Kazuda."
Senator Xiono urged his son to beware of bounty hunters following the Hosnian Cataclysm.
Later the same year,[20] Kazuda believed that he had the necessary evidence of the First Order's occupation of theColossus to give to his father for a case in the New Republic Senate. However, the First Order soon rose and proclaimed theend of the New Republic, firing the planet-destroying[21]superweapon[7]Starkiller Base'ssuperlaser and destroying theHosnian system—including Xiono's homeworld, Hosnian Prime. Upon witnessing the cataclysm, Kazuda became horrified, fearing that his father, along with his friends and the Senate, was gone.[21]
Following theBattle of Castilon[22] and the Resistance'sevacuation from the planetD'Qar,[18] Senator Xiono and Kazuda's mother tried to contact Kazuda for several days. Eventually, the senator reached his son via a specially coded message and assured Kazuda of their survival, having been off-planet during the cataclysm. Hamato refused his son's request to meet the Resistance at D'Qar, as the First Order had identified Kazuda as a spy. Senator Xiono then warned his son thatbounty hunters would be after him before the transmission cut.[4] Despite his father's warning, Kazuda resolved to continue his service to the Resistance.[14]
After Kazuda went on therun from the First Order alongside theColossus's inhabitants, the group eventually found what they believed to be refuge on the planetAeos Prime. Kazuda resolved to continue his service to the Resistance despite his father's warning and later recounted his resolve to the endeavor to theColossus' CaptainImanuel Doza, noting that he would not leave the fight even though his father wished him to.[23]
After Exegol[]
"Those senators who were either newly elected, or had previously served in the Old Republic and had sat out the war—such as Senator Hamato Xiono—seemed to believe that by remaining neutral they had not been tainted or corrupted by the manner in which the conflict had been fought."
―An excerpt fromThe Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[24]
Beaumont Kin (pictured) mentioned Xiono in his bookThe Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire.
In35 ABY,[25] following theBattle of Exegol,historianBeaumont Kin mentioned Xiono in[24] his[26] historybookThe Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire. In the book, Kin included a public relations image of Xiono and mentioned his neutrality in the Galactic Civil War as an example of a factor toward the New Republic's inner turmoil. Kin also partly attributed the New Republic's internal conflict to the attitude of senators such as Xiono that, with the war over, politicians needed to focus on maintaining peace rather than prepare for war. A memo from Xiono to Mothma was cited regarding claims that concerns about ex-Imperial sabotage were simply paranoia, as well as a belief that lingering ex-rebel factions were warmongers reluctant to accept that the Galactic Civil War had ended. Kin also claimed that the refusal by Xiono and others to accept that Imperial sympathies still lingered in the galaxy contributed to the threat Imperial loyalists posed to the New Republic.[24]
Personality and traits[]
"As usual, you always need help—my help. I help you get into the Academy, I help you get into the Navy, I help you get everything you wanted."
Hamato Xiono was ahumanmale.[5] He hadtan skin, pronounced cheekbones, and browneyes.[3] In 9 ABY,[8] he had some stubbled facialhair and the hair—which was black—on his head extended to the base of his neck.[2] In 34 ABY,[27] he was clean-shaven and his hair—now a light shade of brown with graying stripes—was short-cut.[4]
Despite his allegiance to the New Republic, General Syndulla accused Senator Xiono of waiting out the Galactic Civil War to see which side of it came out on top. Additionally, he opposed the idea that any lingering Imperial remnants posed a threat to the New Republic and believed the New Republic's focus should be on helping its own citizens rather than waging war.[2] He was against using New Republic resources to serve the personal agendas of individuals, though his own actions to support his son's career would prove hypocritical.[1] The senator regarded the Resistance as a band of extremists and was disturbed by his son mentioning their organization.[5] Xiono had a degree ofanti-droid sentiment, believing that evidence provided bydroids during legal proceedings was illegitimate.[9]
Coming from a position of wealth and influence, the senator supported his son Kazuda Xiono's aspirations to become aNew Republic pilot. Although Hamato was willing to aid Kazuda in his endeavors, he felt that his son relied on him for everything—from entering the academy to joining the New Republic Navy.[5] Adversely, Kazuda felt that his father's support was not for him but for his father himself.[12] Ultimately, Kazuda kept his relationship with the Resistance a secret from his father, hoping to achieve something on his own without the senator's help for once.[5] Likewise, Kazuda believed that his father—and other senators like him—would not recognize the First Order as a threat even with intel revealing their operations, such as weapons manufacturing.[28] However, upon learning of his family's survival of the Hosnian Cataclysm, Kazuda urged his father to find the Resistance, a request Hamato refused, believing it would place their family in too much danger.[4]
Equipment[]
During his meeting with Mothma and Syndulla[2] and Syndulla's later court-martial hearing[9] in 9 ABY,[8] Hamato Xiono was wearing a green, wrapped tunic.[2] During his transmission to Kazuda[4] in 34 ABY,[27] he wore a red, sleevelesstunic gilded with gold trimmings and shoulder pads and a black undershirt with gray and gold cufflinks at the end of each sleeve. He also wore a blackbelt with a gold trim and gray pants with a gold stripe on the outer side of each leg. Hisboots were black with three straps on each, and he wore blackgloves. He bore a gold insignia on his chest.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Depiction[]
"And literally, the first take we had together, I missed my cue, because I was just, like, grinning, I, like—I'm sorry, I'm sorry, because it was just too—it was too much! I couldn't—I couldn't say the line because I was just, like, watching him."
Hamato Xiono first appeared via a hologram in "The Recruit,"[5] the first episode ofSeason One of the animated television seriesStar Wars Resistance, which first premiered onOctober 7,2018.[30] Though his name is not said in the episode, it is provided in the credits.[5] He was first fully pictured in the first trailer forResistance'ssecond season, which was uploaded to the officialStar WarsYouTube channel onAugust 14,2019.[31] ActorTzi Ma provided his voice inResistance.[5] Xiono had a very specific costume design forResistance in order to better establish the character as a relatively wealthy senator with military ties at a moment's notice.[32] His concept art was designed by[3]Star Wars Resistance art director[33]Amy Beth Christenson onDecember 1,2017.[3]
Xiono made his first live-action appearance—portrayed by actorNelson Lee—in "Part Three: Time to Fly," the third episode of theDisney+ live-action television seriesStar Wars: Ahsoka,[2] which premiered onAugust 29,2023.[34] ThroughoutAhsoka, he is referred to solely as "Senator Xiono" in the episodes themselves, the captions, and the credits.[2] He was confirmed outright to be Hamato following an update to hisDatabank entry onStarWars.com.[6]
Concept art of Hamato Xiono
In a2024 interview on the Hall of Justice podcast, Lee stated that he had missed his cue during the first take of the scene depicting Hera Syndulla's court martial trial, as he had been too excited by the presence of actorAnthony Daniels portraying C-3PO. He also mentioned that he did not initially know what he was auditioning for beyond the role beingDisney-related. Lee further described his being selected for the role of Hamato Xiono as an honor and stated that he found online discourse surrounding hatred and dislike for the character amusing. He also said that he had watchedResistance in preparation for the role and "geeked out" knowing he would play Xiono. Lee described the experience of playing an antagonistic character as cool.[29]
AfterResistance[]
"We were going to get to see Hamato's relationship with, uh… with the First Order and how he was sort of willing—working for the First Order in season three, and it wasn't—it was more out of necessity than him just being a bad guy."
―Brandon Auman, regarding Xiono's possible role in a potential third season ofResistance —Link▶️(file info)[35]
Star Wars Resistance showrunner Brandon Auman (pictured) spoke about scrapped plans for Hamato Xiono in a potential third season of the show.
Resistance directorJustin Ridge stated in an interview during the charity livestream Podathon 2024 that Xiono was always meant to act as a narrative foil to the Resistance and that seeing him fulfill such a role inAhsoka was surreal.[36]Resistance showrunnerBrandon Auman stated in an interview withWookieepedia that seeing Xiono appear inAhsoka was exciting, listing him as an example of characters originating inResistance that got to "live on" in laterStar Wars media. Auman also stated that, hadResistance received a third season, Xiono's relationship with the First Order would potentially have been further explored, and he would have possibly worked with the First Order—not out of camaraderie, but out of self-perceived necessity—after initially playing both sides. Xiono would have also been explained to have been building starships for the First Order.[35]
Additionally, Auman revealed that early pitches for the third season featured Xiono being involved in a plot to bring Kazuda into the First Order in an attempt to save him from what he perceived as the impending destruction of the Resistance following the eventual return ofDarth Sidious—which he would have been aware of—putting them at odds with one another. The executive producer further elaborated Kazuda would have refused to join the First Order despite his father's request, putting him at odds with the rest of his family, who were all affiliated with the First Order by that point. However, ultimately, the production ceased after its second season. As part of this plotline, Hamato, Kazuda's mother, and Kazuda'solder sister would have been featured. However, ultimately, the production ceased after its second season.[35]
When asked on the official WookieepediaDiscord server if an excerpt from[37] the 2024 reference bookStar Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire[24] implies Xiono had served within theGalactic Republic,[37] authorChris Kempshall[24] replied that it was not his decision. Kempshall additionally stated that it could be read either that way or that he was simply mentioned alongside others who had served the Republic. As Kempshall was unable to fully clarify whether or not Xiono served the Republic, this article presently assumes he did not.[37]
Appearances[]
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↑37.037.137.2Chris Kempshall (@chriskempshall) inWookieepedia'sDiscord server (July 9,2024): "Ultimately that's not my decision to make. So I think it can be read either way. At the very least he sits out the war and could've been a senator pre war. So I think it's entirely plausible he'd been a senator some 10 years before Ahsoka." (message link) (screenshot)
Star Wars: Ahsoka — "Part Three: Time to Fly"(Appears in hologram)
Hamato Xiono in theDatabank(backup link)
