- "Sa'kalla!"
- ― Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek's battle cry
Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek, also known as Paodok'Draba'Takat for short—and to most as Pao—was a male Drabatan who was born on the Outer Rim planet of Pipada in 31 BBY. He left his homeworld, and dream of becoming an engineer behind, after the Galactic Empire invaded his world for resources to improve the Imperial Military.
Sometime after leaving his homeworld, he joined the Alliance to Restore the Republic to fight the Galactic Empire, and eventually reached the rank of corporal. Pao took part in a demolition job to destroy a communications tower on the astronomical object of Foerost for the Alliance. The skills he used in that demolition job later assisted in the Battle of Scarif—a turning point in the Galactic Civil War for the Rebel Alliance.
During the Battle of Scarif, Pao was among those who volunteered to join Rogue One, an unconventional team of rebels who looked to retrieve the Death Star plans from the Imperial Center of Military Research. Upon arriving on the planet, captain Cassian Jeron Andor—the leader of this mission—assigned Pao to Main squad alongside sergeant Ruescott Melshi and two former members of the Guardians of the Whills, Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe. Pao helped cause a distraction to draw the Stormtrooper garrison's attention with multiple other rebel soldiers while Cassian, Jyn Erso, and K-2SO snuck into the Citadel Tower and obtained the plans. While retreating from the oncoming stormtroopers, an All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport emerged from smoke and was swiftly taken down by Blue Squadron whom had just breached the Shield Gate guarding the planet. Pao was killed soon after before death troopers were deployed to the battle.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek was a male Drabatan born on the Outer Rim planet of Pipada[1] in 31 BBY. His shortened name was Paodok'Draba'Takat; however, he was known to most simply as Pao—as remembering and pronouncing his name was difficult for many. He studied structural dynamics and dreamed of becoming an engineer, but these wishes would remain unfulfilled when the Galactic Empire began an occupation of his homeworld. The Empire exploited the planet of its resources to further expand the Imperial Military forces and satisfy their fuel needs. The occupation caused most of the Drabatan species—including Pao—to abandon their homeworld.[2]
The Rebellion[]
A cry of rebellion[]
- "Commander— If Jyn Erso can't get the job done, we need to consider a plan for raiding Saw Gerrera's fortress in the Jedha Catacombs"
- ―General Davits Draven, expressing his concerns to Mon Mothma
Pao was amongst the rebels recommended by General Draven for a strike team.
Pao eventually gave up his wish of becoming an engineer to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic in order to fight the Galactic Empire. After serving with the Alliance for some time, he became a corporal of the Rebel Alliance Special Forces.[1] At some point Pao undertook his first known mission[2]—a demolition job to destroy a communications tower on the terrestrial astronomical object of Foerost.[7]
In 1 BBY,[3] Cassian Jeron Andor—a Captain part of Alliance Intelligence—received secret Imperial information that reported the Galactic Empire had been constructing a superweapon named the Death Star that had the power to destroy a planet. The alliance had attempted to contact the lead engineer of the space station—Galen Walton Erso—through his daughter, Jyn Erso. She was extracted from Imperial capture by members of the Marine Corps led by rebel Lieutenant Ruescott Melshi and the reprogrammed Imperial KX-series security droid, K-2SO.[5] Jyn Erso was later brought to the Mid Rim[1] moon of Jedha to make contact with rebel extremist Saw Gerrera and receive a message from her father about the rumored superweapon.[5]
General Davits Draven recognized Pao for his fearlessness and self-awareness. For this reason, the Drabatan corporal was among those considered to be a part of a strike team to raid Saw Gerrera's Base on Jedha if Jyn was unable to complete her mission. General Draven recommended Pao, alongside the multiple other soldiers[6] to rebel Chancellor[8] Mon Mothma as candidates for this strike team and a potential larger squad built around them.[6] However, Draven's strike team was not formed, as Jyn was able to complete this task and later speak directly to her father on the planet Eadu. She then brought the information back to the rebel base[5] on the Outer Rim moon of Yavin 4.[9]
Battle of Scarif[]
- "Melshi, Pao, Baze, Chirrut—you'll take main squad, move east and get wide of the ship"
- ―Captain Cassian Jeron Andor, issuing orders
Pao (right) volunteered to partake in an unsanctioned mission to steal the Death Star Plans.
Jyn Erso met with the Alliance Cabinet to discuss the information she had received from her father, stating that the plans for the Death Star were being kept on the Outer Rim planet Scarif. However before her meeting with the Cabinet was even complete, Cassian Andor and Ruescott Melshi began calling upon volunteers to partake in an unsanctioned mission to steal the Death Star Plans from Scarif, even if it meant disobeying orders.[7] Pao eagerly joined the newly formed Rogue One group, being one of the first people to respond to Melshi's call.[10] He, alongside the nearly two dozen other volunteers boarded the stolen Imperial shuttle SW-0608, with the former Imperial pilot turned rebel Bodhi Rook as it's pilot and departed for Scarif. On the way to the planet, the soldiers exchanged war stories and talked amongst themselves.[7]
The planet was protected by the orbital Shield Gate space station, which provided the only entry and exit from the surface to space. Using the shuttle's Imperial access codes, Rogue One was able to pass through the shield gate without incident and began their descent onto the planet. After landing on Landing Platform Nine, some of the troopers felt worried and expressed concerns about the task at hand, until Jyn Erso gave a speech to the group, which motivated and gave the rebels hope for the mission they were all about to undertake. Captain Andor then instructed Pao, alongside Melshi, and two former Guardians of the Whills—Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe—to take main squad and plant charges along the base, and make it appear as if there were a hundred soldiers compared to the small amount that were actually present.[5]
Pao planting an explosive on the side of a barrel to provide a distraction
Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor then took Imperial disguises alongside K-2SO into the facility to retrieve the plans from the vault in the Citadel Tower while Pao and the rest of the soldiers prepared a distraction. After the area was clear, Pao led the group as they snuck out of the ship. After taking cover behind a crate, he signaled for the other soldiers to follow in close to him, leaving five soldiers behind to protect the ship and Bodhi Rook—who would be their only way off of the planet. The troopers then quickly entered the jungle canopy. Rogue One then gathered together as sergeant Melshi handed out explosives to each of the rebels, telling them to plant one at each pad, Pao received one of them and placed it on the side of a barrel[5] and more in the barracks of the Scarif garrison.[2]
Chaos on the beaches[]
- "Light it up."
- ―Cassian Andor to Ruescott Melshi
Captain Andor gave Melshi the signal to blow to charges and begin the distraction. Explosions erupted all across the island[5]prompting Imperial director of Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research—Orson Callan Krennic—[11] to order the Scarif garrison to be deployed in order to combat the rogue rebels. Pao and the rest of the rebel fighters on the main platform immediately ambushed and engaged the shore troopers and stormtroopers. He took cover from the oncoming fire behind a crate situated behind Baze Malbus, who was firing his MWC-35c "Staccato Lightning" repeating cannon at the oncoming Imperial troopers as his comrades began to fall. Amid the ensuing chaos, an All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport emerged from the smoke caused by countless explosions and began firing upon them. Pao let out a yell alerting his fellow troopers to the threat—incorrectly identifying the towering walker as an All Terrain Armored Transport—and started to retreat back into the shrubbery on the beach while he continued to fire at the approaching Imperials.[5]
Pao taking cover behind boxes on the Imperial platform while combating the Scarif garrison
Soon after the AT-ACT attacked, the rebel fleet arrived above the planet to engage the Empire's ships stationed over the Shield Gate. The AT-ACT continued to chase the rebel foot soldiers out of the canopy and into an open beach with little cover, Pao leaped into a ditch attempting to use it as cover, letting out his war cry of "Sa'kalla!" Members of Blue Squadron were able to breach the shield gate before it was closed and consisted of twelve T-65B X-wing starfighters and one UT-60D U-wing starfighter/support craft; together, the squadron took down the Imperial walker, saving the fleeing rebels. Pao continued to run through the battlefield close to Melshi; however despite being saved from the walker,[5] he perished in the battle shortly before death troopers were deployed on the surface to combat the few remaining fighters.[2]
Legacy[]
Sacrifice not in vain[]
- "Rogue One, may the Force be with you"
- ―Admiral Raddus
Pao's distraction and sacrifice paved the way to the Death Star's destruction at the hands of Red Squadron's Luke Skywalker.
Pao's actions and sacrifice provided Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor enough time to transmit the Death Star Plans to the rebel Mon Cala capital ship Profundity, which was captained by the Mon Calamari Admiral Raddus.[5] The Battle of Scarif was the first major victory for the Rebel Alliance. These plans eventually made their way back to the Rebellion's base on Yavin 4 and were used to bring the destruction of the Death Star at the hands of the Force-sensitive rebel pilot Luke Skywalker and Red Squadron at the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY.[12] After the Battle of Scarif, some had begun to notice that the rebel commanders had started to feel almost embarrassed by the successful mission performed by the late Rogue One group, despite most of the fighters involved had been killed.[13]
At the Assault on the Mako-Ta Space Docks in 1 ABY, Luke Skywalker named his current group Rogue Squadron in honor of the members of Rogue One's efforts and sacrifice. Skywalker served as Rogue Leader and decided the next pilot should not go by "Rogue One" but rather "Rogue Two." Zev Senesca received this title, and the former was retired.[14]
Remembered for decades[]
- "Pao was a notable Drabatan who served as a commando for the rebel forces during the Battle of Scarif. Drabatans are freshwater amphibiods, so the salt water on Scarif was unpleasent for Pao. He nevertheless charged into battle with his Drabatese war cry of 'Sa'kalla!' against his Imperial enemies, inspiring his many squad mates to follow suit."
- ―A section of the entry on Drabatans in the Alien Archive
The recommendation of Pao and other soldiers to a strike team was included in The Rebel Files, a collection of documents relating to the Rebel Alliance compiled by the archivist Hendri Underholt. When The Rebel Files were recovered[6] in 34 ABY[16]—after being lost during the Imperial bombardment of the planet Durkteel[6] in 4 ABY—[17] the documents were passed on to General Leia Organa of the Resistance, and several Resistance members read them. Resistance officer and former rebel lieutenant Caluan Ematt read Draven's recommendation of Pao and his fellow soldiers and commented that Draven was on to something in selecting them, as evidenced by Pao's volunteering for the unsactioned mission to Scarif[6] that resulted in his death.[5]
Pao's legacy was recounted over thirty years later[18] in an artist's journal as part of an entry on the Drabatan species that refered to Pao as a notable member of his species. It also mentioned the presence of a Drabatan mechanic at the Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. The journal eventually came into the possession of the Graf Archive—a vast depository owned by the Graf family that contained documents that held historical importance.[15]
Personality and traits[]
- "Karabast! AT-AT!"
- ―Pao upon seeing an AT-ACT approaching his position
Pao courageously yelling during the Battle of Scarif
Pao was a male member of the freshwater amphibious Drabatan species[1] with tough gray skin[19] and amber eyes who, by 1 BBY, stood at 1.72 meters.[1] He often muttered oaths and curses in Drabatese, he understood Galactic Basic Standard however due to the structure of his jaw he struggled to pronounce words. Due to his skills as a soldier, his squadmates were fine with him speaking in his native tongue as relaying specific orders was not among his tasks.[2] Pao did not let low odds of success against him deter him from his goals and his thirst for battle was only exceeded by his hatred of the Galactic Empire which led to him being a fierce commando.[1] As a Drabatan that thrived in freshwater, the saltwater on Scarif was unpleasant for him.[15]
Pao's war cry of "Sa'kalla" that was shared amongst many other Drabatan warriors, was inspired by Sa'Kalla, a Drabatan singer who was one of the most vocal opponents of the Galactic Empire. She was killed after telling her people to continue their fight against the Empire.[20]
Skills and abilities[]
Pao was a demolitions specialist,[21] and because he was amphibious, he was particularly skilled at underwater demolitions. He studied in structural dynamics, which contributed to his ability to understand where the best place to set explosive charges on structures were. As a Drabatan, Pao had enlarged lungs and strong diaphragm muscles that allow him to speak with a booming voice as well as hold his breath for long periods of time.[1] Pao was not Force-sensitive, he had high speed and fighting ability, average strength and intelligence, but low diplomacy skills.[21]
Equipment[]
Pao wore replacement galven barrels on his arm gauntlets for his illegal boiler rifle.
During his time serving in the Rebellion, Pao wore water-shedding fatigues with a dark gray vest over a tan smock with upper arm guards made of folded reeds from his homeworld of Pipada[1] and on top of his head he wore a protective tan colored cap.[19] He donned a pair of wrist gauntlets over dark fingerless gloves; the gauntlets held replacement galven barrels for his illegally tibanna jacked black market boiler rifle as it often needed repairs. On his back he wore a backpack equipped with a transmitter antenna. Around his waist he wore a belt with a square buckle that had a design resembling the Rebellion's commander rank insignia, there were also two holsters attached to the belt that held cylindrical objects in each.[1] He also made use of sonic grenades.[22]
Behind the scenes[]
Development[]
- "A lot of the time Pao was running, ducking and diving amongst explosions on set and it was a challenge as he totally had to trust in the directions he's been given. Then there was a third person, Phil Woodvine, performing the physical expressions on Pao's face using radio-controlled animatronics."
- ―Neal Scanlan
Derek Arnold's face visible inside the Pao head
Pao, jokingly nicknamed "Bigmouth" by the filming crew,[24] was created for the anthology film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which was released on December 15, 2016.[5] He was portrayed by actor Derek Arnold, who was previously the puppeteer for the back legs of the Luggabeast in the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. While Pao's facial movements were controls by Phill Woodfine using radio controlled electronics[25] Pao was first seen in the first story trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story[26] and was later identified with his full name of Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide.[1]
According to Jake Lunt Davies, Pao originated from a sketch made in a creative brief for a character in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens who never made it into the final cut. He was originally designed with a lot of long spiky hair and a large mouth. When it was decided to use the character for Rogue One, it was concluded that his look did not fit with the military angle, so Davies replaced Pao's hair with a kind of kepi but opted to keep his big mouth. Eventually, director Gareth Edwards agreed to use Pao in the Battle of Scarif.[27] Edwards called Pao a platoon leader of sorts, saying Pao had a great design with a big mouth that looked good for giving orders and shouting at people.[24]
Concept art of Pao by Jake Lunt Davies
Star Wars Lore Advisor and author Pablo Hidalgo stated he believed Pao was more "gung ho" than most other Drabatan, but believed the rest of his people would be proud to call him a representative of their species. Alongside this, he stated that he planned to include a story in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide speaking of how Pao had a mild-mannered civilian life as an engineer before joining the Rebellion.[28]
In 2017, Pao was featured in the 2017 Topps Star Wars: Rogue One Series 2 card set produced by The Topps Company, Inc., in the 58th card "Pao Gives It His All," it incorrectly identifies Pao's battle cry as "Karabast" rather than the correct "Sa'kalla."[29] In The Heroes of Rogue One the third section of Pao's name is spelled incorrectly as "Nik'Linek’Ti'"[2] as opposed to to correct "Nik'Linke'Ti'."[1]
Team Pao[]
- "It definitely takes a team, it'd be incredibly selfish if I said, 'Oh, I was Pao,' because I couldn't have done it without Phill. He didn't just create the facial expressions, he guided me as well. He let me know what was happening; where Felicity (Jones) was, where Diego (Luna) was. That way I knew what angle I needed to have my head at to make sure Pao's eyeline was there."
- ―Derek Arnold, on his support as Pao
After production for The Force Awakens had been completed, Arnold was invited back to Star Wars as Pao, to which he quickly said yes. Arnold said his experience playing as Pao was exciting, for while he spent around one to two weeks on different puppets in The Force Awakens, he was Pao every day on set in Rogue One, aside from working two weeks on the giant puppet of Saw Gerrera's torture pet Bor Gullet, which took 15 puppeteers to operate. Arnold spent a couple of months filming the role of Pao, while wearing Pao's claustrophobic animatronic head, he could not hear or see anything apart from the loud robotic noises coming from the head, which Arnold described as like being in a cave.[25]
Derek Arnold on set as Pao
When running around during battle scenes, Derek Arnold's movement director Paul Kasey guided him through the set using an earpiece while the the external puppeteer Phill Woodfine operated Pao's facial movement. Pao's support team always arrived on set before anyone else according to Arnold, they mapped out the set and got Arnold used to the area before shooting his scenes, on set he was additionally guided by other actors. One challenge that was overcome by Arnold was attempting to look towards someone instead of passed them, which was assisted by Phill and Paul, who would give him instructions such as "Left, left, left, straight, straight straight, right, right, right, STOP!" Another member of "Team Pao" was Morna MacPherson, she, according to Arnold, took care of Pao. She arrived an hour earlier than anyone else and would both prep and fix the Pao costume. She also occasionally ran with Arnold providing an umbrella or water to the actor. There was always a group of people around Pao ensuring the safety of both Derek Arnold and the apparel.[25]
Deleted and altered scenes
- "Originally he was just going to come in and just hail the beginning of a big battle scene. Kinda come in, sniff the battle out and then scream at the start of the battle"
- ―Christopher Clarke
Pao running past Bistan's downed U-Wing in an unused scene
According to animatronic designer Christopher Clarke, Pao was originally set to only appear at the start of a battle in the movie, exiting a ship and sniffing out a battle before screaming to show off how wide the costume's mouth could open. However, he ended up having a slightly larger role in the movie.[30] Pao also had scenes featured exclusively in trailers and other promotional material. In one, Pao is seen charging past[26] the Iakaru rebel Bistan's[31] downed U-Wing on the beach, having seemingly lost his backpack antenna. Another features the Drabatan giving soldiers the signal to move forward during the Battle of Scarif.[32] However, neither of these scenes appeared in the final theatrical release of the film.[5]
Non-canon history[]
- "Can you hear me? This is Pao! I'm on heat! and I need backup!"
- ―Pao requesting help
In the Star Wars Go Rogue series on the official Star Wars YouTube channel, Pao is featured as an action figure and later a Lego minifigure speaking Galactic Basic Standard and serves as a rebel soldier assisting Jyn Erso and the other figures retrieve the second instruction booklet for the Death Star after they retrieved the first one.[33]
Appearances[]
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (First appearance)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization (and audiobook)
- Star Wars: Rogue One: A Junior Novel (and audiobook)
- Star Wars: Rogue One: Secret Mission
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Graphic Novel Adaptation
- Rogue One Adaptation 4
- Rogue One Adaptation 5
- Star Wars: Force Arena
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
Non-canon appearances[]
Star Wars Go Rogue | Chapter 3 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)- Star Wars Go Rogue | Chapter 4 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- Star Wars: Rogue One As Told By LEGO - Mini Movie on the official LEGO YouTube channel (backup link)
