Yos Kolina/Legends

"The Calamari system is of great importance to the Republic, King Kolina. But our armies are spread extremely thin right now.''" "''Then regretfully, without your help, I can no longer guarantee the stability of this region. Farewell."

- Anakin Skywalker and Yos Kolina

Yos Kolina was the eighty-second King of Mon Cala, reigning over the Mon Calamari in support of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. A strong and respected leader, he worked with such advisors as Senator Meena Tills and Captain Gial Ackbar of the Mon Calamari Guard to ensure the well-being of his people, in addition to operating with the Mon Calamari Council. Although the Mon Calamari and their Quarren neighbors always clashed over their differences, Kolina was able to keep the peace thanks to his friendship with the Quarren chieftain, Nossor Ri, with the two leaders dispelling tensions through open discussion and mutual respect. They remained united in their support of the Republic and the Jedi Order, and Kolina even led soldiers from both peoples into battle during his rule over Mon Cala. Around the second year of the war, Kolina found the unity of his kingdom challenged when the Confederacy of Independent Systems began to make advances on the Calamari system.

Kolina petitioned the Republic and the Jedi High Council for aid, but he was shortly thereafter assassinated by Separatist Commander Riff Tamson. Having been integral to his people's peace with the Quarren, Kolina's sudden death left the throne to his young son, Prince Lee-Char. Renouncing Mon Calamari rule, Nossor Ri and the Quarren allied with the Confederacy, resulting in civil war on Mon Cala. Nevertheless, Lee-Char was able to bring the fighting to an end with the support of Captain Ackbar and the Republic, succeeding his father as King of Mon Cala.

King of Mon Cala
"Generals, I regret to inform you that the situation here is grave. While my people remain loyal to the Republic, the Separatists are making advances on the system, and may soon threaten our home planet."

- Yos Kolina, to Plo Koon and Anakin Skywalker

The Mon Calamari male Yos Kolina was born into the royal bloodline of the planet Mon Cala in the last decades of the Galactic Republic's rule. In line for the throne of his homeworld, Kolina ascended to be the King of Mon Cala by the time of the Clone Wars, becoming the eighty-second ruler to bear the title. As the leader of the Mon Calamari, Kolina kept his world allied to the Republic in its war against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, with Senator Meena Tills representing their people in the Galactic Senate. Being the Supreme Commander of Mon Cala's military, Kolina was directly served by Captain Gial Ackbar of the Mon Calamari Guard, who acted as the chief military advisor to the crown. Working with a democratically-elected government, the Mon Calamari Council, which balanced out the power of the royal house, Kolina lived in the royal palace in Mon Calamari City, the capital of Mon Cala. He eventually had a son, Lee-Char, who became the prince and was to one day succeed him as the King of Mon Cala. As with his predecessors, Kolina was faced with the challenge of unifying two of Mon Cala's species: the peaceful Mon Calamari and the aggressive, isolationist Quarren, who long resented the former's advances in technology, the arts, and galactic affairs.

Despite their striking differences, Kolina formed a friendship with the chieftain of the Quarren, Nossor Ri, a bond that allowed the two leaders to keep the peace on their homeworld through open discussion and mutual respect. Working closely with Ri, Kolina became indispensable to the civilian harmony amidst the oceans of Mon Cala. Under his rule the Mon Calamari and the Quarren long remained united in their support of the Republic and the Jedi Order. Kolina even led Mon Calamari and Quarren soldiers into a number of battles, displaying bravery and loyalty to his people. During the Clone Wars, the Mon Calamari contributed to the Republic's war effort by providing Republic shipyards with a special metal ore to strengthen cruiser armor plating. Around 21 BBY, the second year of the war, the Confederacy, looking to bring the Calamari system onto their side, began to make advances on the system with an invasion fleet under the command of General Grievous. Kolina was soon contacted by Jedi Generals Plo Koon and Anakin Skywalker, who sought to learn more about the situation.

Kolina reported the imposing threat of the Separatists and stated that without the Republic's help, he would be unable to guarantee the stability of Mon Cala or their region of the galaxy, before ending the holotransmission to the Jedi Temple. In response to Kolina's statements, Koon brought a clone trooper task force of the Grand Army of the Republic's 104th Battalion to the Calamari system, reinforcing a Republic outpost on the comet Iceberg III against Grievous's invasion fleet. However, Koon and his troops were unable to prevent Grievous from continuing to advance on the system. Kolina thus faced the rising potential of civil war on his world, with the Quarren&mdash;many of whom had grown dissatisfied with the Mon Calamari monarchy as well as the Republic&mdash;looking to ally themselves with the Confederacy, in a bid to seize Mon Cala for themselves. The Confederacy capitalized on this rift by targeting Kolina himself.

Death and legacy
"If it comes down to it, we must be willing to fight&mdash;or even die for what we believe in. That is what King Kolina would have done and what I'm sure Prince Lee-Char will do as well."

- Gial Ackbar

As part of the Confederacy's plan to secure the Calamari system, Commander Riff Tamson was sent to Mon Cala to assassinate Kolina, as doing so would compromise the unity between the Mon Calamari and the Quarren and escalate the world toward civil war. Tamson confronted Kolina in the palace's throne room and killed the King of Mon Cala with a staff, leaving his corpse to be found by his people. In the wake of Kolina's death, a dispute erupted with the Quarren over their sovereignty and the line of succession of the monarchy. Seeing an opportunity to break free of rule by the Mon Calamari crown, the Quarren challenged the monarchy, hoping to place one of their own on the throne. With a diplomatic crisis unfolding, Captain Ackbar requested the presence of Republic officials to help mediate the situation. Senator Padmé Amidala and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker were sent to Mon Cala, but Nossor Ri responded by asking for a Separatist envoy, who came in the form of Riff Tamson. At a gathering between the Mon Calamari and the Quarren, Ri refused to support the coronation of the young and inexperienced Prince Lee-Char. Tamson exploited the Quarren–Mon Calamari tensions in Kolina's absence, convincing Ri to side with the Separatists so that the Quarren could claim control over Mon Cala. In secret, Tamson had made arrangements with Confederate Head of State Count Dooku to be the true ruler of Mon Cala, instead of Ri and the Quarren.

In the ensuing Battle of Mon Cala, Tamson and Ri led a combined assault on Mon Calamari City. The Mon Calamari and their reinforcements from the Republic Grand Army continually lost ground, with all of them eventually being captured by Tamson and put to work in prison camps for Dooku and the Confederacy. Tamson then took Kolina's throne for himself, much to the shock of Ri and the Quarren, who began to regret their alliance with the Confederacy. When Lee-Char and his Jedi protector, Padawan Ahsoka Tano, were the only ones who had evaded capture, Dooku sought to finish what he had begun with Kolina's assassination: the termination of the royal bloodline through the execution of the Prince. Despite grappling with the challenge of living up to Kolina, Lee-Char overcame his doubts and grew to become Mon Cala's next ruler, using his father's old friendship with Ri to convince the Quarren to re-side with the Mon Calamari and the Republic. Tamson and the Separatist presence on Mon Cala were thus vanquished by the allied forces, and Lee-Char succeeded his father as the eighty-third King of Mon Cala.

Personality and traits
"Your father was my trusted friend. I am&hellip; sorry for your loss."

- Nossor Ri, to Lee-Char

A Mon Calamari male, Yos Kolina had blue eyes and orange skin. As the King of Mon Cala, he kept his people, the Mon Calamari, allied to the Republic and the Jedi Order in the midst of galactic conflict. He displayed honesty even when it made him regret doing so, telling Plo Koon and Anakin Skywalker that he would be unable to keep the peace in the Calamari system without their help. A strong and confident leader, Kolina dedicated himself to serving all inhabitants of Mon Cala, including his Quarren neighbors, in spite of their differences. He formed a friendship with Chieftain Nossor Ri, becoming his trusted friend and ally, and worked hard to keep disputes civil and respectful through public dialogue. He became vital to the peace on Mon Cala, and his assassination thus caused cooperation to deteriorate and tensions to escalate. As a military commander, he led Mon Calamari and Quarren soldiers into many battles. He was revered for his bravery, to the point that tales were told of his valor as king. A widely respected ruler, he became an example and role model for his son, Prince Lee-Char, who constantly sought to become a leader like him, particularly when tasked with unifying Mon Cala. By the time of Lee-Char's coronation, both Captain Gial Ackbar and Senator Meena Tills believed that Kolina would be proud of his son. As the monarch, Kolina wore traditional robes and the shell crown of his people.

Behind the scenes
"With the Calamari system producing vital metal ore resources used to strengthen armor plating, it's up to players to protect the Mon Calamari leader and prevent Separatists from taking control."

- StarWars.com first references the character of Yos Kolina

King Yos Kolina was created for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series and was introduced in "Mission on Iceberg Three," a mini-game campaign for the Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures video game that was released in July 2011. The story for the game was developed with input from Series Supervising Director Dave Filoni as a lead-in to the "Battle of Mon Cala" story arc, which was featured as the September 2011 premiere of the television series' fourth season. In "Mission on Iceberg Three," Kolina appeared in holographic form in the opening cutscene of the mission. His assassination was referenced in the final cutscene by Plo Koon, though it was not until the episode "Prisoners" that his murderer was confirmed to be Riff Tamson. Kolina was the first member of the Mon Calamari monarchy to be introduced into Star Wars canon. His voice actor for "Mission on Iceberg Three" was not credited. His name was misspelled as "Yolina" in the "Prisoners" episode guide and as "Yos Kalina" in the Mon Calamari entry in the Encyclopedia on StarWars.com.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Ackbar's Underwater Army
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Warriors of the Deep
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Warriors of the Deep