The Force Unleashed Jedi Rahm Kota Almost Appeared in Rogue One
Our Spanish friends from the site La Fosa Del Rancor uncovered an interesting tidbit during their latest podcast about a Legends Star Wars character that almost appeared in Rogue One. Read on for the details…
In their latest podcast La Fosa Del Rancor talked with director Marcos Cabota, who remembered an interesting story. A friend of his was auditioning for a role in Rogue One. That was very early even before the movie got a title. The people that auditioned got several early script pages for the tests. In these script pages a blind force user was mentioned, who was revealed to be Rahm Kota.
For those unfamiliar with the game The Force Unleashed and Rahm Kota, here’s Wookieepedia’s entry on the character:
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. During the Clone Wars, Kota was made a general in the Grand Army of the Republic. He did not believe that clone troopers were fit for battle, however, and refused to lead them. Instead, he commanded his own militia, comprised of volunteers. In 19 BBY, when Order 66 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, Kota allied himself with Alderaanian Senator Bail Organa. Kota began striking at Imperial targets, taking interest in the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader and 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 drinking and went into hiding in Cloud City on Bespin.
We all know that later this blind Jedi character would evolve into Chirrut Imwe in the final script of the movie.
Rahm Kota was a very interesting and very well developed character who had many fans. Unfortunately the game The Force Unleashed is not canon (mainly because of the unprecedented force power that the main protagonist has) and this was a missed opportunity for him to get canonized.
Still, it’s possible that this test script was never intended to be used in the future, just for the auditioning process, so who knows…
Source: La Fosa Del Rancor
Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.
Born on April 24, 1980.
It’s pretty widely accepted that Chirrut Imwe is one of the best characters in Rogue One, so I’m glad they went they way they did with the script. Still, it’s always interesting to hear about possible directions they chose not to go in.
Agreed
I always felt that Kanan took Rahm Kota’s place in the new canon.
I feel Kanan is version of Kota and Ezra is version of Starkiller
Agreed. Between chirrut and Kanan, Kota would have been redundant as another blind force sensitive
I’m glad it didn’t happen. Luke being something special in ANH is diminished with Kanan and Ezra in Rebels, so having yet another Jedi around so close to ANH seems at odds to Vader supposedly hunting down those Jedi remaining in hiding.
We don’t need more Jedi coming out of the woodwork and we need a good explanation to why Kanan and Ezra are never mentioned during or after ANH.
Yes, Rebels needs to end with epic and meaningful deaths (or other transformations), such that Mon Mothma and the rebels know that they are no longer in the fight come R1 timeframe. Especially since Kenobi has met and knows all about Ezra.
Well they aren’t mentioned because they weren’t created yet, but I get what you are saying. It’s annoying that you read the comics, and then they are coming up with all these crazy reasons why the Jedi and force users are still around (Barish Vows and whatever) just so you can see Vader fight someone with a lightsaber.
You never saw non/Jedi-Sith Force users in the OT. That is how it should have been in the comics and new canon. Now everyone has the f**king force and you are seeing Stormtroopers cosplaying as characters from Destiny with a Lightsaber. So stupid.
/rant
Totally – I can’t help but think at this point they’ve no idea how to deal with Kanan and Ezra. Ezra should never of been a full Jedi in training for this long, but instead stalled in his potential or something.
I wouldn’t mind having a cameo of Vader in an anthology film hunting down a hidden Jedi.
You’re a Jedi, boy! Size means nothing to you. Reach out with the Force and grab that ship, or you will die on this trash heap!!!
They more than likely gave them pages made up specifically for the audition so that they wouldn’t give away details on the movie.
Yes I wish he was used. They used star killers real name Galen and Juno is almost like jyn Erso. Maybe they will show up in Han Solo movie
Only if Han doesn’t witness any force related powers.
Jyn Erso most likely came from Jan Ors.
I never knew that was until now. She also looks like a big influence for rose Tico because that quote says roses nickname is “cranky pants” and the quote of Jan says she is cranky and they also look very similar http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jan_Ors
I thought it was Donnie Yen’s idea to make Chirrut blind ?
If Kanan survives Rebels, it would be cool if Luke eventually runs into him in a post ROTJ animated series or something. But I just don’t know how they would explain his willingness to abandon his Jedi path a second time. I personally think Kanan will die in season 4, but if he doesn’t, I imagine he will look and act a lot like Kota in a future story.