Adar Tallon

"There is nothing wrong with fear. You need never be ashamed of it, as long as it doesn't stop you functioning. Fear is your natural warning system; it keeps you alive so that you can fight. Show me a man who isn't afraid, and I'll show you a fool who is a danger to his entire ship. And I do not tolerate fools in my navy."

- Adar Tallon

Adar Tallon was a military instructor, starfighter tactician, and commander for the Galactic Republic, Rebel Alliance, and New Republic.

Admiral Tallon was a brilliant tactician who fought during the Clone Wars alongside the Jedi and the forces of Alderaan. A veteran soldier, it was Tallon who spoke to many new recruits about the brutal realities of war. Through the conflict he commanded the Sundiver. His starship tactics, such as those at the Battle of Balamak, had a heavy influence, earning him the post-period title of "The Father of the Old Republic Navy," and lending his name to self-created tactics like the Tallon Roll and the Tallon Split.

Clone Wars
"Alarm klaxon? Commander Tallon, what have we got?" "Separatist ships have arrived to support the Rendili fleet, General!"

- Saesee Tiin and Adar Tallon

Adar Tallon was an officer in the Republic Navy who was particularly adept at starfighter tactics, though he also served as a naval commander. During the Clone Wars, Tallon made a name for himself, and eventually became a hero due to his exploits of the field of battle. At some stage during the war, he fought alongside the House of Alderaan, though his more well known exploits found him at the side of the Jedi Knights. When a Confederacy of Independent Systems flotilla emerged in the Balamak system and began jamming a HoloNet node with experimental technology, Adar Tallon was enlisted to devise a counter-attack for the Galactic Republic. With Jedi Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Nanda-Ree Janoo leading the attack, Tallon's plan was enacted, and the jamming was lifted, allowing HoloNet access in the Taldot Sector once more.

Now bearing the rank of Commander, Tallon served with a naval task force headed by Jedi Generals Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin. Tallon served aboard the flagship Sundiver, which was called into action during the Battle of Rendili. When negotiations aboard the Rendili Home Defense Fleet flagship turned sour, General Koon and Captain Jan Dodonna were taken hostage by Mellor Yago, along with Republic sympathizer Captain Jace Dallin. The situation remained a standoff until a Confederate force entered the system.

Tallon alerted General Tiin to the danger, prompting the Iktotchi to take action. Tiin took to space in his starfighter, joining the battle personally and leaving command of the Sundiver to Tallon. As the Rendili fleet attempted to flee, Tiin ordered Tallon to engage the Home Defence Fleet flagship at close quarters, hoping to dissuade any attempts at escape. The attack allowed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to disable the flagship's astronavigation system, trapping them in the system. Generals Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos were able to liberate Koon, Dodonna and Dallin, seize control of the Rendili flagship, and turn the tides on the Confederate attackers. The battle won, the Republic now had posession of a large fleet of Rendili Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers.

The New Order
"There came a time when it became obvious that Palpatine would soon rule the galaxy. I knew that I would have to flee or die opposing him."

- Adar Tallon

In 19 BBY, the New Order was formed, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine locked himself in office, declaring himself Emperor. Tallon did not warm to the new government: his former allies, the Jedi, were now virtually extinct and considered enemies of the Galactic Empire, and the navy he served was now a part of Palpatine's gargantuan war machine. He spoke out against Palpatine, but realized that the Emperor was far too powerful to be toppled. Palpatine himself payed attention to Tallon: being a war hero, he could influence the population.

Fortunately for Palpatine, Tallon decided to feign his own death. He hired a medium-sized frieghter that would take him to Tatooine, and enlisted his pirate friend Quist to "attack" the frieghter while Tallon's ship, the Battalion was in the vicinity. The ruse was enacted in the Dalchon system, with Tallon and his crew safely transferring to the frieghter while Quist destroyed the Battalion. In the Empire, it was commonly accepted that Tallon and his crew had gone down defending helpless merchants from pirates. Even Palpatine bought the story, and believed that he didn't have to do the damaging deed of executing a popular war hero for treason.

Life on Tatooine
"I came here to this desolate planet far from the interests of the Empire, fell in love, and settle down to start a home."

- Adar Tallon

On Tatooine, Adar Tallon and the Battalion crew bought new identities, and settled down on the desert planet of Tatooine, waiting for the politics of the galaxy to swing once more. As the years went by, Tallon's desire to fight the Empire lessened. He found himself a wife in Kay, and a home in Fort Tusken. He employed two servents, Morr and Cala Wenn, as well as a droid, LN-26. The spacious Fort Tusken allowed him to pursue several hobbies, such as music, and also featured a large hangar in which he kept his vehicles, including four Z-95 Headhunters.

Joining the Rebellion
"And now the hiding ends."

- Adar Tallon

In 0 BBY, Imperial stormtrooper patrols began scouring Tatooine for a pair of droids. Tallon believed that the Empire had finally come to track him down, and so he contacted his old Battalion crew, including Vytor Shrike and Jungen, who were now bounty hunters. At any rate, Tallon was tired of hiding, and he decided to form his own army of mercenaries from his crew to fight Palpatine's Empire. Although the intent of the Imperials had been to search for the two droids, they did indeed discover that Tallon was alive. Quist had been captured by the Imperials and had exchanged information on Tallon for his life. Acting on their information, the Imperials, let by Captain Parlan of the Relentless, brought in bounty hunters, as well as their own agents to track down the war hero.

Holing up in Fort Tusken with his comrades as Imperial and bounty hunters, as well as small group of soldiers from the Rebel Alliance closed in, Tallon vowed to take the battle to the Core Worlds if he won on Tatooine. Quist had returned to Tallon's band, but the war hero did not realize that his former comrade was acting as an agent of the Empire. Soon enough, a group of people Tallon believed to be Imperials were brought into Fort Tusken's music room. The group claimed to be members of the Alliance, and protested that they were sympathetic to Tallon's cause. As the war hero debated with the intruders, Quist took Kay hostage, and used the momentum to usher in his Imperial allies.

A pack of bounty hunters swept into the room, amongst them Jodo Kast, Zardra, Puggles Trodd. Shrike and Jungen were quickly paralyzed, but the Rebels were able to beat the invaders back. Quist exchanged Kay's life for his own and also fled. Realizing that the group were in fact Rebels, Tallon agreed to join the Alliance, provided he could bring his wife and droid along with him. Making their way through various Imperial entanglements in Mos Eisley Spaceport, and evading capture by the Relentless over Tatooine, Tallon and his new Rebel allies were able to make it to the Alliance safely.

The increase of activity due to the hunt was detected by N'tain Xalis, leader of the Rebel cell of Tatooine.

Tactician
In his service to the Alliance, Tallon taught space combat tactics to starfighter pilots, tutored starship commanders in capital ship maneuvers and commanded several strike groups. Tallon's starship combat maneuvers proved to work best with Dodonna's military strategies, often besting the most advanced Imperial commanders and allowing the inferior numbers of the Alliance to triumph time and time again. At the same time, Tallon worked in different field missions with young tactical genius Risiev Credal.

In 1 ABY, Tallon found himself in the city of Tyrena, Corellia where one of his starfighter pilots had been framed by the Empire and arrested by CorSec. Hoping to rescue his colleague, Tallon enlisted the help of a wandering spacer. He needed security override codes that would allow him to get close enough to the prison ship carrying the pilot to successfully pull of a rescue operation. The operation was a success, and the pilot was spirited away from Imperial custody on Dathomir.

Silent Water
Tallon was also in command of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Silent Water, the flagship of his own personal task force; it played an instrumental role in the Battle of Heterkus under his command.

The New Republic
After the formation of the New Republic, Tallon joined his old friend General Jan Dodonna's "Gray Cadre," together with Vanden Willard and Pashna Starkiller. As part of this body, he continued to advise the New Republic on military policy, especially during the reappearance of Emperor Palpatine.

At one point during his military career, Tallon wrote Treatise on Starfighter Tactics, which detailed his knowledge of starfighter combat.

Behind the scenes
As Adar Tallon was originally a character from a Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game scenario, it is impossible to determine the precise details of his rescue, as every group of players running through the adventure would do something different. However, "official" information always suggests that Rebel agents (the player characters) helped Tallon's associates rescue Tallon from Jodo Kast and the other bounty hunters. Afterwards, the Rebels took Tallon off Tatooine to join the Alliance, and Darth Vader executed Captain Parlan for his failure.

In the computer game Star Wars: Rebellion, Adar Tallon is the Alliance equivalent of Bevel Lemelisk, being able to research in all three fields of technology: ship design, troop training, and facility design. Despite his canonical past as a soldier, his combat and espionage skills are low, and his leadership abilities are average.

Appearances

 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 14:2:12
 * Star Wars Republic: The Dreadnaughts of Rendili
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Star Wars Galaxies

Notes and references
Adar Tallon