Erudo Ro-Kiintor

Erudo Ro-Kiintor was a human male that served as the senior New Republic senator from Hevurion. About six years before the destruction of the Hosnian system, Ro-Kiintor was part of a faction known as the Centrists which advocated a stronger central government and a powerful military. Six years later, Erudo was suspected by the Resistance of colluding with the First Order by blocking motions critical of the Imperial remnant in the Galactic Senate.

In response, General Leia Organa sent Poe Dameron and his colleagues on a mission to steal his starship Hevurion Grace. Despite the arrival of a First Order fleet, Poe and his colleagues managed to bring Ro-Kiintor's ship back to the Resistance. As a result, the Resistance uncovered evidence that confirmed Ro-Kiintor's collusion with the First Order and information relating to Leia's quest to find her Jedi brother Luke Skywalker.

The Centrists
Erudo Ro-Kiintor was the Senator representing the planet Hevurion in the Galactic Senate of the New Republic, the successor to the Rebel Alliance. About six years before the destruction of the Hosnian system, Ro-Kiintor was a member of the Centrists faction in the Galactic Senate which advocated a strong central government and a powerful military. The Centrists were opposed by the Populists who believed that individual planets should retain full sovereignty. One of Senator Ro-Kiintor's political adversaries was Leia Organa, a former hero of the Rebel Alliance and the daughter of Darth Vader. As tensions between the two factions escalated, the Centrists began calling for the creation of the position of First Senator to bring order to the divided Senate.

Serving the First Order
About thirty years after the Battle of Endor, Senator Ro-Kiintor was secretly colluding with the First Order, a remnant of the "Old Empire" that had emerged in the Unknown Regions. He aided the First Order by blocking motions extending sanctions to the First Order or increasing support for the Republic Navy. In return, the First Order transferred large sums of money into his accounts through shell and third-party corporations in the Corporate Sector Authority. Erudo's Pinnacle-class luxury ship Hevurion Grace was spotted by Resistance operatives in First Order space. Some like the Resistance leader General Leia Organa suspected that he was in contact with senior First Order officials like General Hux and Supreme Leader Snoke.

While General Leia believed that Senator Ro-Kiintor was engaged in treason, she lacked hard evidence to charge the Senator. In response, General Organa sent her best pilot Poe Dameron and his former Rapier Squadron colleagues Karé Kun and Iolo Arana on a mission to steal the Hevurion Grace so that the Resistance could access his ship's navicomputer. Flying vintage Z-95 Headhunters, the Resistance pilots intercepted Ro-Kiintor's ship in the Uvoss system and Iolo managed to disable the Hevurion Grace with a concussion missile. Upon sighting Poe and his comrades, Senator Ro-Kiintor and his crew mistook them for pirates and sent a distress signal to the First Order.

Wearing an EVA suit, Poe Dameron managed to eject from his Headhunter and climb aboard the Senator's starship in space. Posing as a member of the Irving Boys, Poe ordered Senator Ro-Kiintor, his servant, and the pilot at gunpoint to move to the ship's escape pods. When Ro-Kiintor protested, Poe shot at the floor and threatened to enslave him and his entourage. Ro-Kiintor and his entourage fled into the escape pods. Despite being attacked by several First Order warships and TIE fighters, Poe and his comrades managed to flee into hyperspace with Erudo's stolen yacht.

The following day, Leia and her crew examined the Hevurion Grace navicomputer and uncovered evidence which confirmed that Senator Ro-Kiintor had indeed working for the First Order. Leia feared that Erudo was not alone and that there were other like-minded senators conspiring with the First Order. Among the information that the Resistance salvaged from the ship's navicomputer was information about a puzzle leading to her missing Jedi brother Luke Skywalker. Using this information, Leia sent Poe on a mission to find her old friend Lor San Tekka, whom she believed could lead them to Luke.

Legacy
It is unknown whether Erudo Ro-Kiintor and his entourage were picked up by the First Order fleet or was later apprehended by the Resistance. His services to the First Order were seemingly rendered moot when the military junta destroyed the Hosnian system and decimated the Galactic Senate and much of the New Republic Starfleet.

Personality and traits
Erudo Ro-Kiintor was a tall, thin man who liked to dress in extravagant robes and wore a narrow visor over his head. He owned a Pinnacle-class luxury ship called the Hevurion Grace. Erudo supported the views of the Centrists, a faction in the Galactic Senate, which wanted a stronger central government and a more powerful military. Later, Ro-Kiintor became a secret ally of the First Order and helped derail motions critical of the Imperial remnant in return for financial support. His duplicity earned him the ire of several Resistance members including Leia Organa and Poe Dameron.

Fearful of having his dealings with the First Order exposed, Ro-Kiintor contacted the First Order for help when he was accosted by members of the Resistance in space; who were disguised as the pirate gang known as the Irving Boys. When confronted by a disguised, Erudo attempted to challenge the "pirate." However, he and his entourage were easily cowered when Poe fired a blaster and threatened to sell them as slaves if they did not leave the Hevurion Grace.

Behind the scenes
Erudo Ro-Kiintor first appeared as a minor antagonist in Greg Rucka's 2015 junior novel Before the Awakening, which was released as a prequel tie-in to Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Rucka's novel served to outline the strained relationship between the Resistance and the New Republic. He later appeared as a minor character in Claudia Gray's 2016 novel Bloodline, which chronicled the beginnings of Leia Organa's estrangement from New Republic politics. In addition, Ro-Kiintor was briefly mentioned in Charles Soule's Marvel Comics issue Star Wars: Poe Dameron 2: Black Squadron, Part II; which was released on May 4, 2016 around the same time as Bloodline.

Appearances

 * Bloodline
 * Before the Awakening
 * Star Wars: Poe Dameron 2: Black Squadron, Part II