Valen Rudor
Valen Rudor, designation: "LS-607," was a human male who piloted TIE fighters for the Galactic Empire. Hailing from Corulag, he served on Lothal and held the title of Baron of the Empire approximately 5 years before the Battle of Yavin. Garazeb Orrelios once ambushed him and a group of stormtroopers after the Lasat got lost within the Capital City of Lothal. Rudor's subsequent call for backup was ignored by his superior officer. Later, his TIE/ln space superiority starfighter was destroyed by the Ghost. Ezra Bridger, a local con artist, discovered the wreckage in a field and feigned assistance to rob him, planning to sell parts of the ship on the black market. Years afterward, following Jho's arrest and execution for treason during an Imperial raid, the Empire granted Rudor ownership of Old Jho's Pit Stop.
Biography
Moving to Lothal
Valen Rudor, a Baron of the Empire, male and human, was a TIE fighter pilot within the Imperial Navy during 5 BBY. His designated operating number was "LS-607." After Sienar Fleet Systems established manufacturing facilities on the Outer Rim planet of Lothal, the company persuaded Rudor to travel to Lothal and evaluate the products produced in its factories. The Galactic Empire then used Rudor's relocation to Lothal in HoloNet News propaganda pieces.
Scuffle with Zeb
While inspecting a TIE fighter on a landing platform in Capital City on Lothal, Rudor encountered Garazeb Orrelios, who was being pursued by two stormtroopers. After being thrown across the platform by the Lasat warrior, Rudor was briefly incapacitated. He regained consciousness when a blaster, dislodged from a stormtrooper's hand, slid toward him. As Orrelios battled a small group of stormtroopers, the TIE pilot stood up, aimed the blaster at the Lasat, and requested reinforcements. The Imperial commander who responded questioned the number of intruders on the landing pad, causing Rudor to hesitate before demanding reinforcements. While awaiting the arrival of additional Imperial forces, Rudor attempted to shoot Orrelios, but the Lasat evaded him. Orrelios climbed atop the TIE fighter, grabbed Rudor, and threw him back across the landing area. Shortly after, stormtrooper reinforcements arrived, but their exchange of blaster fire with Orrelios ignited a fuel leak on the TIE fighter, resulting in an explosion. Rudor survived the explosion, and Orrelios managed to escape.
Encounter with Ezra
Following the incident with Orrelios, Rudor piloted a TIE fighter that engaged the Ghost, the vessel on which the Lasat served, in combat. The Ghost shot down Rudor's fighter, causing it to crash outside Capital City while the rebel ship escaped. Ezra Bridger, an orphaned citizen of Lothal residing in a nearby tower, witnessed the crash. Upon Bridger's approach and inquiry about Rudor's well-being, Rudor reacted with anger, ordering Bridger to stay away from the TIE fighter, which he considered Imperial property.
Bridger managed to open the TIE fighter's hatch and jumped inside, pretending to assist the pilot while secretly pilfering parts to sell on the black market. He then stole Rudor's helmet and exited the pod. Rudor fired the fighter's laser cannons at Bridger, but the boy used the Force to evade the blaster fire. Ezra was not yet aware of his Force-sensitive abilities, and Rudor did not suspect anything unusual about the boy's dodging skills. Bridger retaliated with his energy slingshot, knocking Rudor unconscious, allowing the boy to escape unharmed.
Trouble with the Spectres
Some time after his encounter with Bridger, who had since joined Orrelios' rebel cell, known as the Spectres, Rudor encountered Orrelios again on Kothal, where the Lasat was cornered by two stormtroopers. Seeking to settle the score with the Lasat, Rudor targeted Orrelios in his TIE fighter and instructed the troopers to arrest him. However, Orrelios leaped onto Rudor's fighter, tossed Rudor out, commandeered the fighter, and used it to rescue Bridger.
During the Empire Day ceremony in 4 BBY in Capital City, Valen Rudor was assigned the task of piloting a newly manufactured prototype TIE Advanced v1 starfighter. Before he could commence the test demonstration, the Spectres destroyed the ship and escaped offworld with the fugitive Tseebo, who possessed crucial Imperial secrets.
Bartender
Three years later, in 1 BBY, the Empire granted Rudor ownership of the cantina Old Jho's Pit Stop after Jho, a member of the Lothal resistance group, was executed for treason for assisting potential rebels during a raid conducted by the Imperial Security Bureau. A few days later, Ezra and Sabine Wren, disguised as civilians, entered the cantina, searching for the Lothal resistance. While the two rebels were at the bar ordering drinks, Rudor found Ezra vaguely familiar from their previous encounters. However, he did not recognize Ezra. When Ezra and Sabine attempted to leave, Rudor, suspicious, tried to have them arrested, but Jai Kell, a member of the Lothal resistance sent by Ryder Azadi to monitor the Spectres, quickly extracted them. Later, after the Spectres and Jai escaped into Jhothal's sewers through a hatch located in the Pit Stop, Rudor informed death trooper DT-L21 that he was unaware the hatch was unsecured.
Personality and traits
Valen Rudor was a human TIE fighter pilot originating from Corulag who relocated to Lothal during the Age of the Empire. He was a celebrated and proficient starfighter pilot who served as a test pilot for the Imperial factory situated on the Outer Rim world of Lothal. Despite his capabilities in physical combat as an Imperial starfighter pilot, Rudor proved to be no match for the Lasat warrior Zeb. He was protective of his TIE fighter, considering it Imperial property. Due to his reputation as a renowned pilot, Rudor was granted the privilege of flying a prototype TIE Advanced model.
Rudor was later assigned the responsibility of managing the cantina formerly owned by the late rebel Jho, which he transformed into a gathering place for Imperial personnel. Rudor viewed the late Jho as a traitor. Rudor also recognized Ezra Bridger but could not recall the boy's identity. Rudor subsequently led a search for the Spectres and Jai Kell but neglected to secure a hatch in his cantina, enabling the rebels to escape and connect with Ryder Azadi.
Behind the scenes
Valen Rudor debuted as a minor character, voiced by Greg Ellis, in the first season of the Disney XD animated television series Star Wars Rebels in late 2014. Rudor was initially intended to reappear in the third season episode "The Antilles Extraction" as an instructor at the Skystrike Academy, but his role was ultimately assumed by Vult Skerris.