Kazuda Xiono

"In my mind, that's what I was&mdash;Kazuda Xiono, the best starfighter pilot in the galaxy."

- Kazuda Xiono, to Poe Dameron and Neeku Vozo

Kazuda Xiono, nicknamed "Kaz" and "Kazzy," was a human male military pilot who served the New Republic in the years following the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War. The son of Senator Hamato Xiono, Kazuda served with the Starfighter Corps of the New Republic Defense Fleet during the cold war, at which point the Resistance recruited him to spy on the First Order. As a result, he was sent to the Colossus&mdash;an independent refueling station located on the Outer Rim planet Castilon&mdash;where Commander Poe Dameron instructed him to gather information pertaining to the local population's sympathies and determine if their allegiance was to the Republic or the First Order.

In order to carry out his assignment as an intelligence operative, Xiono required an occupation that would serve as a cover for his spying activities. He therefore became a starship mechanic in Jarek Yeager's repair shop. Additionally, he supported Yeager's Team Fireball as a racer and stunt pilot.

Early life
"I help you get into the Academy. I help you get into the Navy. I help you get everything you wanted."

- Hamato Xiono, to Kazuda Xiono

Born on the Core World Hosnian Prime sometime after the Battle of Jakku, Kazuda "Kaz" Xiono was the son of Senator Hamato Xiono, a wealthy politician who served in the Galactic Senate during the era when the galaxy was governed by the New Republic, years after the Galactic Civil War. With his father's support, Xiono was able to enroll in a military academy which, in turn, led to service in the New Republic Defense Fleet. By then, the rise of the First Order gave way to a tense political standoff between the Republic and the Galactic Empire's successor. By 34 ABY, Xiono was serving as a T-85 X-wing pilot in the New Republic Starfighter Corps.

Joining the Resistance
"You can work on my team. But when it comes to your mission as a spy, I don't want anything to do with it."

- Jarek Yeager, to Kazuda Xiono

When New Republic Command acquired critical information pertaining to the First Order's operations in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories, Xiono's squadron was tasked with delivering the intelligence to the Resistance. They were engaged by Major Elrik Vonreg, who sought to prevent the squadron from completing their mission. Unable to outmaneuver the First Order pilot, Xiono ordered his wingmates, Mia Gabon and Hugh Sion, to abandon the mission while he remained behind to await the arrival of their Resistance contact, Commander Poe Dameron. Together, Xiono and Dameron were able to drive off Vonreg's TIE.

Concerned by the First Order's growing influence, the Resistance sought to protect the Republic by gathering information relating to the hermetic state. Dameron therefore recruited Xiono into the organization. Although he was a pilot at the time, the Resistance sought to utilize Xiono as a spy for a classified assignment on the Colossus&mdash;an independent refueling station located on the Outer Rim ocean planet Castilon.

Dameron, who served as Xiono's point of contact, instructed the young operative to gather as much information as he could on the station's views concerning the Republic and First Order, as well as to determine which side the population ultimately supported. Xiono's activities as a spy required him to maintain a low profile; therefore, he found work as a starship mechanic in a local repair shop owned by Jarek Yeager. Yeager knew that Xiono was a spy and although he wanted nothing to do with the latter's mission, he allowed Xiono to join Team Fireball. In return, Xiono used his flying skills to the team's benefit, earning extra credits as a racer and stunt pilot. During his time with the team, he flew the craft known as the Fireball.

First race
"Nobody survived racing against me, but who knows? Maybe you'll be the first to walk away."

- Torra Doza, to Kazuda Xiono

One of Xiono's first contacts on the Colossus was Neeku Vozo, another member of Yeager's team. When Xiono expressed his ambition to be the best pilot in the galaxy, Vozo thought Xiono was, in fact, the most skilled flyer. As a result, gossip began to spread across the platform much to the dismay of Xiono, who had hoped to keep a low profile while spying on the First Order. At Aunt Z's Tavern, Vozo's assertion that Xiono was a great pilot was ultimately taken as a challenge, one that Xiono was initially hesitant to accept but could not forfeit without facing repercussions. However, he was permitted to choose the racer he would compete against, and his choice was Torra Doza&mdash;the youngest racer on the Aces squadron.

Yeager loaned the Fireball to Xiono in order to compete in his first race. Although he accepted the ship, Xiono was dismayed by its condition and tendency to explode while flying, having grown accustomed to flying state-of-the-art starfighters such as the T-85 X-wing during his career as a New Republic pilot. Even so, Xiono managed to compete with Doza despite the superior quality of her racer, the Blue Ace, and nearly won the race until the Fireball failed when Xiono pushed its engines too hard. Even though he failed to win, Xiono managed to impress the Colossus' population with his racing skills and also secured his place as a mechanic in Yeager's repair shop.

Pirate attack
The arrival of Hallion Nark, one of Yeager's clients, would put Xiono's skills as a mechanic to the test. By his own admission, Xiono only knew how to pilot a starship&mdash;he knew little about repairing them. His lack of mechanical expertise was apparent to his colleague Tam Ryvora, however. In an effort to maintain his cover, Xiono claimed that he was a self-taught mechanic who learned the craft while working in a factory on Coruscant.

Xiono ultimately discovered that his client was, in fact, a fellow spy. However, Nark's allegiance was with Kragan Gorr and his gang of pirates. Working in secret with the First Order, Gorr's pirates intended to attack the Colossus with the assistance of their Neimoidian operative. Xiono sought to warn the station, but was prevented by Grevel, a con-artist who had Xiono accosted in order to extort him for money. The pirates commenced their assault on the platform using the cover of a storm known as the "triple dark." While the Aces engaged the pirates, Xiono managed to acquire Nark's comlink which he used to broadcast a grating feedback loop over the pirates' comm channel. As a result of Xiono's actions, the pirates were unable to coordinate their attack and therefore withdrew from the battle.

Personality and traits
"Can you imagine what it's like to be an Ace pilot?"

- Kazuda Xiono

Whereas Kazuda Xiono was confident in his abilities as a trained pilot in the New Republic Navy, he was less sure of himself when it came to his role as a Resistance spy. Despite feeling out of his element as a spy, Xiono was determined to make the best of his situation, largely through his cover as a mechanic in order to better carry out his mission for the Resistance.

He was loyal to the New Republic, having been born under its rule. Believing the First Order posed a threat to his government, Xiono felt compelled to support the Resistance in spite of his father, who viewed Leia Organa and her followers as extremists. Unlike Hamato, Kazuda was inspired by the Resistance, particularly by its leaders such as Organa and Poe Dameron.

Xiono was a human male who had black hair, brown eyes, and light skin. He had a scar on the left side of his temple hairline by the time of his assignment on Castilon.

Skills and abilities
"Get ready to be impressed."

- Kazuda Xiono

Kazuda Xiono specialized in piloting New Republic X-wing starfighters. Unlike his role in intelligence gathering, Xiono was both skilled and self-assured in the cockpit of a starfighter. Xiono's lack of mechanical expertise, however, posed problems with his cover on his undercover mission, as he was supposed to be a mechanic as well as a pilot, and had some difficulty learning.

Behind the scenes
Kazuda Xiono is the main character of the 2018 Lucasfilm Animation series Star Wars Resistance. He is voiced by Christopher Sean.