A male human named Akenathen Tandin held the position of general within the Royal Onderon Militia during the era of the Clone Wars. Following the Separatists' seizure of Onderon and the appointment of Sanjay Rash as their hand-picked king, Tandin initially maintained his allegiance to the throne. However, an enlightening conversation with the imprisoned Saw Gerrera revealed the flaws in his judgment. Subsequently, he turned against Rash, uniting with the Royal Army to liberate former king Ramsis Dendup and the Onderon rebels from imminent execution. Collaborating with the Rebels, led by Saw's sibling Steela, and with support from the Jedi Order, Tandin and his comrades succeeded in expelling General Kalani's droid forces from Onderon and vanquishing Rash. As a direct consequence of their combined efforts, Dendup was restored to his rightful place as the ruler of Onderon.
Akenathen Tandin was the one in charge of the Royal Onderon Militia, holding the rank of general. After a coup, supported by the Separatists, allowed Sanjay Rash to take the place of Ramsis Dendup as king, Tandin stayed loyal to the new ruler. However, Tandin started to question his loyalty after he saw how Rash dealt with the growing rebellion. As the Onderon rebels began to cause problems by fighting the droid army, Tandin remained steadfast in his loyalty to King Rash. But, with the arrival of General Kalani, he soon found himself in constant disagreement with the super tactical droid, who was sent to Onderon by Count Dooku.
Tandin tried to get Rash to see that the rebels were only attacking the droid army. He suggested that if the Royal Onderon Militia took control of security, it might convince the rebels to stop fighting and talk about a settlement. Kalani refused, saying that the rebels might have supporters within the militia itself. Tandin insisted that the threat was from outside and that the droid reinforcements hadn't done much to stop it. Rash interrupted and said that they wouldn't negotiate with the rebels, whom he called "terrorists." Then, the droid R9-D9 came into the throne room and showed holograms of the rebel leaders. Tandin told the king and Kalani that Steela Gerrera and her brother Saw were involved in the rebel movement, along with Lux Bonteri, the son of the late Senator Mina Bonteri.
Saw Gerrera was apprehended during his attempt to liberate Dendup from his scheduled execution. Consequently, Kalani subjected Saw to torture, aiming to extract the whereabouts of his fellow rebels. Tandin intervened, halting the torture and opting to keep Saw alive in hopes of locating other rebels. He conveyed to the super tactical droid his belief in his ability to manage the people of Onderon, but stressed that such control couldn't be sustained against their will, as it would only lead to others rising up in Saw's stead. Kalani countered, asserting that those others would also suffer the same fate. Tandin retorted that such a strategy would inevitably lead to defeat in the war. Tandin remarked to Kalani that while his tactics were formidable, it was unfortunate that he couldn't conceive of an alternative approach. Later, Tandin engaged Saw in further questioning while the latter was enjoying tea, with Saw strategically planting seeds of doubt within Tandin's mind.
Shortly after, Tandin offered Saw a cup of tea and questioned why Saw had chosen to rebel against Rash's rule, believing that Onderon's past under Ramsis Dendup was outdated, and that the future lay with Onderon under Separatist control. Saw explained that his rebellion was fueled by King Rash's abuse of power, ruling with an iron fist to empower himself rather than the people. Saw declared that he fought in Dendup's name, as the former king had chosen to advocate politically for his people, rather than siding with either the Republic or the Confederacy for personal gain, as Rash had swiftly done. Saw presented Tandin with a choice: to sit as free men or as servants of the Separatists. Tandin insisted that he was free, while Saw had chosen the path of terrorism. Saw corrected Tandin, asserting that he was a patriot and that resistance was not terrorism. Saw's words of patriotism deeply resonated with Tandin, compounded by his awareness of Kalani's willingness to employ torture as a means of extracting information.
Later, Tandin witnessed Dendup's near-execution and the arrival of the rebels. When they were surrounded and defeat seemed certain, Tandin rallied all the palace guards to his side, preventing the execution. The royal guards encircled the battle droids while Tandin briefly held Rash hostage. He gave Dendup, the rebels, and the guards a chance to escape, willing to sacrifice himself for them. Rash warned Tandin that the moment he released Rash, the B2-series super battle droids and Droidekas would open fire and kill him. However, before the droids could shoot, Ahsoka Tano emerged from the crowd, using the Force push to knock the droids to the ground, saving the general. They then escaped together, inspiring the civilians to turn against King Rash for his deceptions. In the Onderon rebel safe house, Dendup questioned Tandin about his delayed defection from the Separatists. He replied that it was time for a new approach. Tandin and the royal guards then pledged their support to the rebels and their rightful King.
Later, the rebels moved out of the city and into the wilderness to draw the droids away from Iziz. Tandin agreed to Steela Gerrera's leadership when Dendup appointed her as the leader of both their forces. However, General Kalani sent HMP droid gunships to support the droid army in destroying the rebellion. Saw and some rebels attacked the droids from the air, throwing thermal detonators from their rupings, while Tandin led some troopers of the Royal Army riding on dalgos. However, their entire strategy was changed when the droid gunships arrived. The gunships quickly killed several rebels and members of the Royal Militia. After Saw failed to destroy a gunship with a detonator, Tandin rescued him, pulling Saw onto the back of his Dalgo. Tandin retreated, telling Saw and his troopers that they had to regroup at the nest. The rebels were on the verge of defeat until Hondo Ohnaka delivered RPS-6 rocket launchers on behalf of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the end, they were able to defeat the droids, forcing the Separatists to leave Onderon, and Kalani killed Rash. Sadly, the victory came at a great cost, as Steela died during the final battle. Tandin was there at her funeral in Iziz as Onderon celebrated its liberation.
Akenathen Tandin, an Onderonian human male general, possessed a height of 1.77 meters (5 feet, 10 inches). His physical characteristics included gray hair, green [eyes](/article/eye], and tan skin. Notably, he bore tattoos on his hands. As the commanding officer of the Royal Onderon Militia, Tandin spearheaded the army in combat. Initially, after Sanjay Rash's coup against Ramsis Dendup, Tandin remained loyal to the throne, fearing that a civil war would only exacerbate the suffering of the Onderon people. However, Saw Gerrera illuminated the errors of his ways, and this, combined with Kalani's inclination to employ torture for information extraction, prompted Tandin to turn against King Rash. Subsequently, he aided the Rebels in freeing Dendup from execution and joined the fight against Rash and the Separatists.
As the head of the Royal Onderon Militia, Tandin was a skilled military planner and an effective leader. Tandin and his army were in charge of watching over the king and keeping him safe. Tandin was also good at fighting with and without weapons, and like those under him, he was skilled with a laser lance.
Akenathen Tandin's first appearance was in "The Soft War," which was the fourth episode of the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. David Kaye was the voice actor for the character. The 2021 reference book Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Character Encyclopedia - Join the Battle!, written by Jason Fry, was the first to call him "Akenathen".