Star Wars fans watching the Obi-Wan Kenobi series may have noticed plenty of references and Easter eggs throughout the series, one of which brought an iconic video game character into the franchise's current canon. While some references made throughout the show simply created more continuity for certain pre-existing characters, others tied in Legends characters that hadn't yet been brought back into the fold by Disney. For fans of the video games set in the Star Wars universe, this could lead to the reintroduction of a beloved Jedi.
In the third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the titular character finds himself in a safe house that had previously been used by many of Star Wars' other Jedi survivors as they attempted to escape from the clutches of the Empire. While there, Obi-Wan examines several messages that have been inscribed on the walls, presumably by previous tenants. He mentions Quinlan Vos by name, but many other etchings can be seen around the room. The writings are in Aurebesh, Star Wars' most common writing system, so most viewers wouldn't be able to read them at a glance, but Star Wars' official trivia gallery confirmed the identities of many of the names. Among the characters mentioned, perhaps most exciting is the inclusion of Rahm Kota, the iconic Jedi Master.
Rahm Kota was first introduced in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, in which he was a former Jedi Master attempting to wage his own war against the Empire. In the wake of his introduction, Rahm Kota quickly became one of Star Wars Legends' most iconic video game characters, and went on to appear in several other titles that expanded on his character and backstory, weaving him into the fabric of the original and prequel trilogies, and truly setting him apart as a Jedi. Unfortunately, when Disney reset the Star Wars canon, Kota faded from the limelight along with many other beloved characters and stories. Now, however, Kota is confirmed to exist, even if in name only, in Star Wars' new canon, and could potentially return in the future.
Rahm Kota's Story Deserves To Be Made Star Wars Canon Again
Fans were first introduced to Rahm Kota in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, when Galen Marek - Darth Vader's secret apprentice, and the game's protagonist - was sent to face the Jedi as a response to Kota seizing control of a TIE Fighter construction facility. After being confronted, and subsequently blinded, by Galen Marek, he would eventually take his attacker on as his apprentice. Kota and Marek would go on to facilitate The Force Unleashed's own rebel origin story, with Kota successfully converting his new apprentice from the dark side to assist in the formation of the Rebel Alliance (something Vader himself had wanted). Star Wars has since gone on to explore the Rebels' origins in other stories, which haven't included Kota, but there is still plenty of room for his story in the Star Wars universe beyond just that era.
While Rahm Kota was introduced in the time of the Galactic Civil War, he has a far more expansive history. Kota became a Jedi prior to the Clone Wars, showing extreme talent despite ing the order as an adult. He then became instrumental in Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron's clone Jedi storyline when he trained a young Falon Grey, who was the source of the Jedi clones' DNA, as his Padawan. Both Jedi survived Order 66 thanks to one of Kota's most unique beliefs: his disapproval of the clones' use as soldiers. He refused to serve with them, instead leading a militia composed of non-clone volunteers, and was thus spared being assassinated at the hands of the Republic's mass-produced soldiers.
Star Wars Could Reimagine The Force Unleashed's Story
The story of a Jedi General refusing to serve with clones would make for an interesting film or series by itself, and that's only one facet of Rahm Kota's story. His role in the universe may have to change due to recent projects' contradictions, but maintaining his character would still be a major boon for the franchise. Since Kota was mentioned in Obi-Wan Kenobi, which covers several major events in Jedi: Survivor's BBY year, he could potentially appear in the game or one of its successors. He could also continue the trend of characters making live-action debuts and appear in Andor, which will tell the story of the Rebel Alliance's formation over the span of the five years leading up to the events of Rogue One.
As interesting as those stories would be to tell, it would also be reasonable to approach Rahm Kota's story from a less direct angle. Given the settings of Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Bad Batch, and the Star Wars Jedi games, it can certainly be argued that Star Wars has a saturation problem when it comes to the era between the prequel and original trilogies. Fortunately, Kota's timeline also extends into the future, allowing for new stories by adding Kota to Disney's recent push of the New Republic era.
In lieu of receiving his own, revised story in the new Star Wars canon, Rahm Kota could also be re-introduced in a canonized version of The Force Unleashed. Fans have long clamored for the return of Starkiller, General Kota, and the story of The Force Unleashed in general. The most interesting route would be to fully reboot the series, updating its story where necessary to fit with the current canon of the franchise, though this would also be the most controversial option. The Force Unleashed 3 was rumored for a while, but this seems unrealistic given the current trajectory of the franchise.
Considering the amount of projects that exist in the Star Wars timeline, both in and beyond its canon, keeping everything in order and without contradiction is a difficult task. Despite this, the wealth of quality stories and characters that currently exist in the Legends limbo should be allowed to make a return wherever possible. It seems as if Disney will continue to produce Star Wars content ad infinitum, so it can certainly make space for Rahm Kota and his contemporaries somewhere. Whether his return takes the form of a film, series, game, or otherwise, Rahm Kota's wisdom, conviction, and compelling redemption story make him worthy of inclusion in any canon Star Wars tale.
