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Ahsoka’s third episode marked the franchise’s first-ever live-action appearance of an original Star Wars Resistance character, Senator Hamato Xiono. Senator Xiono (played by Nelson Lee) debuted on the sequel trilogy-era animated series via hologram. He’s the father of Star Wars Resistance‘s main character and hero, Kazuda Xiono. Senator Xiono’s tense meeting with General Hera Syndulla on Ahsoka wasn’t just a fun crossover, though. It showed how Xiono’s refusal to take Hera’s warnings seriously will one day lead to his home world’s destruction in The Force Awakens. Let’s dive into Senator Xiono’s role in Ahsoka, his Star Wars history, and his ultimately tragic story.
Who Is Ahsoka‘s Senator Xiono?
New Republic Senator Hamato Xiono represented Hosnian Prime, a major Core Worlds planet. Ahsoka revealed the wealthy, well-connected, regal politician also held an even higher position in the fledgling government. Senator Xiono was part of a small group of influential Senators who worked as both advisors and decision-makers alongside Star Wars‘ Chancellor Mon Mothma during the New Republic’s early years.
Ahsoka carefully notes that Xiono attained his spot in Mothma’s inner circle despite not having fought against the Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Hera Syndulla accused him of sitting out the conflict to see who won, but it’s not clear why Senator Xiono didn’t rebel against Palpatine. Hosnian Prime was close to Coruscant, the seat of the Emperor’s power. It might have been all but impossible for Hosnian Prime to rise up without causing its own destruction.
That danger might explain Senator Xiono’s past inaction in the Star Wars world, which would have seemed prudent to him once the Empire collapsed. It clearly did not prevent his people from electing him to serve as Hosnian Prime’s Senator for decades. But it did prove a harbinger of how Xiono would serve his New Republic.
When Did Senator Hamato Xiono Make His Star Wars Debut?
Senator Xiono first appeared in the Star Wars universe on the animated series Star Wars Resistance, which took place 25 years after Ahsoka. Xiono (voiced by Tzi Ma) originally appeared via a scrambled hologram during the show’s first season. While we couldn’t see his face during that call, we could hear him scolding his son for working with the “extremist” Resistance group. Senator Xiono had previously secured a position for his son in the New Republic Defense Force Academy. That resulted in Kazuda joining the government’s Starfighter Corps.
Star Wars Resistance made it clear that Senator Xiono wanted his son to serve the New Republic, which he hoped to keep out of a war with the First Order. Only war—and worse—would ultimately find Senator Xiono in Star Wars‘ world.
What Happened to Hosnian Prime in The Force Awakens?
Senator Hamato Xiono’s Hosnian Prime was so important in Star Wars, it ultimately became the capital of the New Republic. It was also part of the rotation of planets that temporarily hosted the Galactic Senate. All of which made it a primary target of the First Order. The fascist group took aim at Hosnian Prime and four other planets in the Hosnian System when it used Starkiller Base. That fatal blast, seen across the galaxy, destroyed all five planets along with the New Republic’s Fleet that had been based on Hosnian Prime.
Hamato Xiono and his family only survived because they’d been off-world during the attack. And yet, despite the annihilation of his planet and his people, mirroring the moment in Ahsoka, Xiono still could not bring himself to fight. When he contacted his son to let him know he was alive, Xiono implored his son to run rather than fight with Star Wars‘ Resistance. He even blamed Kazuda for making his family a target.
Ahsoka Reveals The Tragedy of Senator Xiono’s Own Failures
Now, thanks to Ahsoka, we know Senator Xiono’s failures were not just limited to later in life. Nor was his cowardly response to Hosnian Prime’s destruction a single dereliction of duty. He was never capable of doing the job the galaxy and his people needed him to do when it needed Xiono most. He always failed to see the danger posed by Imperial loyalists and the First Order that sprung from them. The Senator was so desperate to avoid war that he helped usher in its arrival.
If Senator Xiono had taken General Syndulla’s warnings seriously during the time of Ahsoka, he might have saved his home and millions of lives. Instead, he helped ensure its destruction and an era of death in the galaxy far, far away. It’s a sad end for a Senator who could never recognize what so many others desperately tried to make him see.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post Senator Xiono’s Live-Action Debut on AHSOKA Makes His STAR WARS Story More Tragic appeared first on Nerdist.
Ahsoka’s third episode marked the franchise’s first-ever live-action appearance of an original Star Wars Resistance character, Senator Hamato Xiono. Senator Xiono (played by Nelson Lee) debuted on the sequel trilogy-era animated series via hologram. He’s the father of Star Wars Resistance‘s main character and hero, Kazuda Xiono. Senator Xiono’s tense meeting with General Hera Syndulla on Ahsoka wasn’t just a fun crossover, though. It showed how Xiono’s refusal to take Hera’s warnings seriously will one day lead to his home world’s destruction in The Force Awakens. Let’s dive into Senator Xiono’s role in Ahsoka, his Star Wars history, and his ultimately tragic story.
Who Is Ahsoka‘s Senator Xiono?
New Republic Senator Hamato Xiono represented Hosnian Prime, a major Core Worlds planet. Ahsoka revealed the wealthy, well-connected, regal politician also held an even higher position in the fledgling government. Senator Xiono was part of a small group of influential Senators who worked as both advisors and decision-makers alongside Star Wars‘ Chancellor Mon Mothma during the New Republic’s early years.
Ahsoka carefully notes that Xiono attained his spot in Mothma’s inner circle despite not having fought against the Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Hera Syndulla accused him of sitting out the conflict to see who won, but it’s not clear why Senator Xiono didn’t rebel against Palpatine. Hosnian Prime was close to Coruscant, the seat of the Emperor’s power. It might have been all but impossible for Hosnian Prime to rise up without causing its own destruction.
That danger might explain Senator Xiono’s past inaction in the Star Wars world, which would have seemed prudent to him once the Empire collapsed. It clearly did not prevent his people from electing him to serve as Hosnian Prime’s Senator for decades. But it did prove a harbinger of how Xiono would serve his New Republic.
When Did Senator Hamato Xiono Make His Star Wars Debut?
Senator Xiono first appeared in the Star Wars universe on the animated series Star Wars Resistance, which took place 25 years after Ahsoka. Xiono (voiced by Tzi Ma) originally appeared via a scrambled hologram during the show’s first season. While we couldn’t see his face during that call, we could hear him scolding his son for working with the “extremist” Resistance group. Senator Xiono had previously secured a position for his son in the New Republic Defense Force Academy. That resulted in Kazuda joining the government’s Starfighter Corps.
Star Wars Resistance made it clear that Senator Xiono wanted his son to serve the New Republic, which he hoped to keep out of a war with the First Order. Only war—and worse—would ultimately find Senator Xiono in Star Wars‘ world.
What Happened to Hosnian Prime in The Force Awakens?
Senator Hamato Xiono’s Hosnian Prime was so important in Star Wars, it ultimately became the capital of the New Republic. It was also part of the rotation of planets that temporarily hosted the Galactic Senate. All of which made it a primary target of the First Order. The fascist group took aim at Hosnian Prime and four other planets in the Hosnian System when it used Starkiller Base. That fatal blast, seen across the galaxy, destroyed all five planets along with the New Republic’s Fleet that had been based on Hosnian Prime.
Hamato Xiono and his family only survived because they’d been off-world during the attack. And yet, despite the annihilation of his planet and his people, mirroring the moment in Ahsoka, Xiono still could not bring himself to fight. When he contacted his son to let him know he was alive, Xiono implored his son to run rather than fight with Star Wars‘ Resistance. He even blamed Kazuda for making his family a target.
Ahsoka Reveals The Tragedy of Senator Xiono’s Own Failures
Now, thanks to Ahsoka, we know Senator Xiono’s failures were not just limited to later in life. Nor was his cowardly response to Hosnian Prime’s destruction a single dereliction of duty. He was never capable of doing the job the galaxy and his people needed him to do when it needed Xiono most. He always failed to see the danger posed by Imperial loyalists and the First Order that sprung from them. The Senator was so desperate to avoid war that he helped usher in its arrival.
If Senator Xiono had taken General Syndulla’s warnings seriously during the time of Ahsoka, he might have saved his home and millions of lives. Instead, he helped ensure its destruction and an era of death in the galaxy far, far away. It’s a sad end for a Senator who could never recognize what so many others desperately tried to make him see.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post Senator Xiono’s Live-Action Debut on AHSOKA Makes His STAR WARS Story More Tragic appeared first on Nerdist.
Representation matters, and Black children deserve to see positive representations of themselves, their identities, and their communities in the books they read.
Growing up, it was a Saturday ritual for my mother to take me to the library. It was something I looked forward to, spending time with my mother and having a world of books to choose from.
I also remember how difficult it was to find books with Black children. There may have been a few, but for the most part, none with rich stories for me to identify with. So, I had to place myself into stories that weren’t necessarily for me and use my imagination.
But finding one representative story is not enough. In a 2009 TED Talk that’s been viewed over 30 million times, Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talked about the danger of a single story. She tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
When children don’t regularly see an accurate representation of themselves, it sends to them a powerful and harmful message that they do not belong. If children aren’t able to find themselves reflected in the stories they read or when the images they see are not authentic, they learn a lesson in how they will be perceived in the world. Black children need to see their real lives on the page; their families and culture.
I was excited to find out that Adichie was publishing her debut children’s picture book, Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a story about a little girl’s love for her mother’s scarf, and the adventures she shares with it and her whole family.
Adichie wrote this story for her daughter and as the daughter of Grace and James, her late mother and father. This is why the book is published under the name Nwa Grace James. She wanted to honor the relationship with her daughter as well as honor her parents, whom she lost recently.
This is an adorable book with beautifully-colored illustrations by Joelle Avelino, a Congolese and Angloan illustrator. The story is about Chino and her mama’s soft, silky scarf. For little Chino, the scarf is like a piece of her mama that she can hold onto throughout the day while Mama is at work. Chino plays with the scarf as any typical young child would. The green fabric with “big red circles” and “little blue circles” can be a blanket for Bunny, a curtain to play peekaboo, and a scarf for Chino, which she wears at dinner when Mama comes home.
Throughout the day, Chino plays games, eats snacks, and exercises with her papa, grandpa, grandma, and Bunny. The scarf serves as a connection. This comes to life when grandma ties the scarf around Chino’s head and tells her, “Now you look just like Mama.”
Finally, the scarf returns to Mama at bedtime. Mama has long, beautiful braids that she has to keep tight. This book rolls through the typical day of a fun-loving family from morning until bedtime, and Adichie has a wonderful way of emitting a fun and warm impression on the reader.
What I love is that Avelino’s illustrations depict a family with a range of skin tones and hair colors, which is a refreshing reflection of the true diversity of the Black community. Bright backgrounds with repeating circular patterns feature various shapes and colors while placing the focus on Chino’s relationships with the people she loves most. The straightforward text lingers on each scene, inviting children to dwell in Chino’s world.
Reading this story made me think about how the smallest thing, like a piece of cloth, can do big things for a child. I don’t know about you, but my mother had a couple of items of clothing that I associated with her. I can’t say that I used them to feel closer to her when she would leave, but I do understand little Chino’s bond with her mother.
Chino’s mother must have her sleeping scarf, with its bold colors and circles “to keep her hair soft and nice.” Chino loves that scarf almost as much as her mama, as it gives her comfort. When Mama must leave for work, Chino worries that she won’t come back. Most children can relate to this, as they don’t want to see Mama go. Chino’s mama knew that something so special to her would be just the thing to refocus her child’s fears.
Overall, this is such a sweet story about worries and adventures, along with routines and family. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf shows how the smallest things are connected, how a family relates to one another, and more importantly, how Mama always comes back home.
I give this book a 5/5 stars. It is a celebration of everyday Black family life.
Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is available September 5 everywhere books are sold. Please consider purchasing from Bookshop.org which helps indie bookstores compete online and maintain their presence in local communities.
Are you ready for MORTAL KOMBAAAAT? We certainly hope so. And if not, you’d better prepare yourself because a brand new Mortal Kombat game, Mortal Kombat 1, is heading our way on September 19. Mortal Kombat 1 promises to create “a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities.” But as we look to the franchise’s future, it’s also a good time to relive the past. The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 has a treat for old-school fans of the game. It homages a 1993 TV commercial, known as “Mortal Monday,” that was released to hype Mortal Kombat‘s original console outing. Let’s take a walk down Mortal Kombat memory lane below.
First up is the most recent Mortal Kombat 1 trailer. We must say, yelling/whispering Mortal Kombat over and over again is honestly a very effective mechanism to get you to remember the game is coming soon. Of course, this new version of the nostalgic “Mortal Monday” trailer also features Dave Bautista for some extra star power. Why not? Bautista says of participating in the trailer, “I vividly remember the original Mortal Monday commercial, especially the iconic scream… That’s what started my journey as a fan of Mortal Kombat, which continues to this day 30 years later. I’m very thrilled and honored to be a part of the game’s legacy.”
The Mortal Kombat 1‘s trailer description further offers, “It’s In Our Blood. Discover a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by Fire God Liu Kang. Mortal Kombat 1 ushers in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and Fatalities!”
Meanwhile, the original “Mortal Monday” ad really takes us back to the ’90s. They just don’t make campy commercials like they used to. Still, we applaud the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer for trying to recapture the nostalgic magic of this 1993 TV spot. We see at the end that the ad promises Mortal Kombat will release on Genesis, Super NES, Game Gear, and Game Boy. Those are some worthy consoles, for sure. And, of course, the “Mortal Monday” commercial offers the signature “Mortal Kombat” scream, which still gives long-time fans chills.
Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon notes more about this Mortal Kombat walk down memory lane. He notes, “The original Mortal Monday commercial earmarked the beginning of our journey into making games for home gaming system… It’s amazing to pay homage to such a memorable moment in Mortal Kombat history as we get ready to launch our newest game, Mortal Kombat 1.”
It’s 30 years later and we’re still screaming for Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat 1 will release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on September 19.
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