Carson Teva

By the time the planet Alderaan was destroyed in 0 BBY, Carson Teva was already a member of the Rebel Alliance fighting against the Galactic Empire. He once fought alongside the astromech droid R5-D4 during that period. After the Empire's fall, Teva remained in service with the Alliance's successor, the New Republic, attaining the rank of captain in the New Republic Starfighter Corps and piloting a T-65B X-wing starfighter. Teva grew suspicious of activity from Imperial remnants in the Outer Rim Territories, a concern not shared by the New Republic in the Core Worlds. However, the limited size of the New Republic Defense Force prevented Teva and his fellow officers from adequately patrolling the entire Rim due to resource constraints.

Based at Adelphi Base on the planet Adelphi in 9 ABY, Teva was a part of the Adelphi Rangers starfighter squadron, operating within the Spinward patrol. As part of their patrol duties, he and Trapper Wolf, a fellow New Republic pilot, were searching the Outer Rim for remaining Imperial forces. The duo encountered the gunship Razor Crest near Maldo Kreis. Noticing the starship's missing [transponder](/article/transponder] signal, Teva contacted the vessel via comms, with him and Wolf flying on either side. Din Djarin, the Mandalorian pilot of the gunship, responded, explaining that the Razor Crest was a pre-Empire vessel and therefore not required to have a beacon. Teva countered that the New Republic had implemented new regulations mandating beacons on all crafts. Djarin acknowledged Teva's statement, promising to set up a beacon, and both prepared to part ways.

However, Teva persisted, requesting a ping from Djarin to assure them he was not affiliated with the Empire. The Mandalorian hesitated, claiming his ship's hardware was offline, then specifying it was not working. Teva suggested the bounty hunter follow them to the Adelphi outpost if they couldn't confirm he wasn't Imperial. Djarin then transmitted his ping, but Teva heard him whispering and inquired about it, with the Mandalorian offering an excuse. Having received the ping, Wolf asked Teva to switch to channel two, and they linked Djarin to a prisoner breakout on the New Republic Correctional Transport Bothan-5.

As the New Republic pilots activated the s-foils on their X-wing starfighters, Teva questioned the Mandalorian if the Crest had been near Bothan-Five. At that moment, the Razor Crest veered away from the X-wings, heading towards Maldo Kreis. Teva and Wolf pursued, with Teva ordering Djarin to stand down, threatening to fire. Teva noted to his wingmate that the Crest might disintegrate in the atmosphere due to its age. As they followed the Razor Crest into glacier canyons, Teva again demanded Djarin to stop, but lost sight of the gunship and instructed Wolf to head north to cover more ground.

Having lost the Razor Crest, Teva and Wolf investigated the vessel, discovering an arrest warrant for Djarin for abducting a prisoner on Bothan-Five. However, they also found security records from Bothan-Five indicating the Mandalorian had helped capture three other high-priority culprits involved in the heist and attempted to save the life of Lieutenant Lant Davan. Teva and Wolf soon located the Razor Crest through a hole in Maldo Kreis's surface, being attacked by knobby white ice spiders. The pilots fired on the spiders, landed, and used their A280C blaster rifles to eliminate the smaller creatures.

Djarin emerged from his damaged ship to meet the pilots, and Teva explained their findings from the Razor Crest, asking if the information was accurate. When the Mandalorian asked if he was under arrest, Teva suggested he was not. Djarin then requested help fixing the Razor Crest's hull in exchange for foregoing the bounties on the three criminals he helped apprehend. Teva instead asked the bounty hunter to fix his transponder in case he encountered a New Republic patrol again. The New Republic pilots then boarded their X-wings and departed.

Some time later, Teva and a wingmate traveled to Nevarro, a volcanic planet independent of the New Republic but regularly patrolled by the Spinward patrol. On Nevarro, an Imperial remnant-controlled base had recently been destroyed. He visited Nevarro City, governed by Magistrate Greef Karga, whose transponder logs showed the presence of the Razor Crest. Teva questioned Karga about the base's destruction and the Razor Crest, but the magistrate claimed to have no memory of anything prior to the event and stated his control droid couldn't distinguish pre-Empire vessels like the Crest. After the captain inquired if there was anything else, Karga assured him he'd receive a message if there was.

After leaving Karga, Teva approached city [Marshal](/article/marshal] Cara Dune, whom he knew from her records had been a [soldier](/article/rebel_trooper] in the Alliance. The captain offered Dune a position in the New Republic, but she declined. Teva then expressed his concerns about Imperial activity in the Outer Rim, emphasizing the importance of local support. After Dune silently refused, he pointed out her Alderaanian origin, asking who she had lost during the planet's destruction. The marshal said she had lost everyone, and the captain offered his condolences before leaving a marshal's rank plaque and returning to his X-wing.

At a later time, Teva and Lieutenant Reed were patrolling in X-wings above the [desert](/article/desert] planet Tatooine. They noticed a rebuilt N-1 starfighter flying at high speed next to a passenger liner, violating New Republic regulations. Teva and Reed pulled over the [N-1 fighter](/article/n-1_starfighter], and Reed questioned the pilot, who stalled. Teva recognized Djarin's voice, preventing Reed from taking manual control and letting the Mandalorian off with a warning.

Teva then inquired about Djarin's involvement with the Imperial remnant incident on Nevarro, as Djarin's former ship, the Razor Crest, had been reportedly involved. When the captain asked the Mandalorian to answer some questions, Djarin used the N-1's thrusters to escape the X-wings. Reed believed the starfighter had jumped into hyperspace, but Teva corrected him and the lieutenant wondered if they should report the N-1 fighter. The captain sarcastically asked Reed if he wanted to spend the day filling out reports, which the lieutenant declined laughingly.

Later on, Teva was relaxing at the cantina in Adelphi Base, chatting with another New Republic pilot at the bar, when the Snivvian bartender brought him a message on a datacard. Teva asked to borrow the Snivvian's viewer to read it, which the bartender agreed to. The viewer showed a hologram message from High Magistrate Karga, explaining that Pirate King Gorian Shard had taken over Nevarro City. Karga humbly requested the New Republic's help in clearing out the pirates, emphasizing the dire situation and fearing Nevarro's fall to the invaders.

The Lasat pilot Garazeb Orrelios, overhearing the message, expressed his concern for Nevarro. Teva wanted to forward the message to Coruscant to request permission to intervene in Shard's occupation, but Zeb said Coruscant hadn't responded to dispatches in weeks, doubting Teva would get a timely answer. Unwilling to let that happen, Teva decided to go to Coruscant himself, with Zeb wishing him luck.

Teva went to the New Republic's offices on Coruscant and headed to Colonel Tuttle's office. Outside, Tuttle's Rodian assistant tried to stop him from entering without permission, but Teva barged in anyway. Despite the Rodian's stress, Tuttle allowed Teva to stay and make his case. The captain introduced himself and requested authorization for the Adelphi squadron to deal with the pirate siege, showing Karga's message on his holo-player. Tuttle paused the message to respond when Elia Kane, a New Republic Amnesty officer, entered to ask if he needed anything from the commissary. Tuttle asked Kane about Nevarro, and Teva noticed the pin on her uniform linking her to the Amnesty Program, which consisted of former Imperials reintegrated into society.

Kane mentioned Nevarro's status as an independent planet. Despite Teva arguing they couldn't leave the planet defenseless, Tuttle said requests from New Republic member-worlds had priority, questioning if intervening on an independent planet was worth the resources. Teva brought up reports of Imperial activity related to Moff Gideon, a warlord captured by Djarin and his allies and handed over to the New Republic, suggesting a link to the pirate invasion. Tuttle dismissed Teva's claim as a "leap," but the pilot pointed out that Gideon never made it to his trial at the New Republic Tribunal.

Tuttle tried to dismiss his claims, Teva requested authorization and backup to deal with the pirates. Kane suggested Nevarro's leaders needed to understand the value of joining the New Republic. Teva called it suffering and an Imperial mindset, but the amnesty officer argued Nevarro needed a "new perspective." The captain said her kind didn't see the light, citing her capture, though the ex-Imperial called it liberation. Tuttle concluded they'd see if they could allocate additional assets, and Teva warned him something dangerous was happening before looking at Kane and leaving.

Seeking help elsewhere, Teva reconnected with his old ally R5-D4, who had been sold to Djarin. Teva tracked a signal from R5-D4 to locate a secret Mandalorian covert on a rocky [desert](/article/desert] planet. He landed near the parked Mandalorian Gauntlet starfighter and approached the covert's cave hideout. As he neared the entrance, Teva identified himself with his arms raised. Paz Vizsla, the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian, emerged, followed by other Mandalorians, and warned the "blue boy" to leave. Djarin also came out and asked how Teva found them, the captain explaining his ally's help as R5-D4 revealed himself. Djarin stopped Vizsla from killing the pilot, citing when Teva gave him a break above Tatooine.

Though Djarin also asked him to leave, Teva handed over Karga's message, careful not to cite the Mandalorians with their weapons drawn, and explained Nevarro's situation. Pocketing the message, Djarin spoke privately with Teva, questioning his real intentions. The captain claimed Nevarro would be destroyed and Coruscant didn't care. Teva wanted the New Republic to realize the Empire was growing again, with Bo-Katan Kryze listening. Teva reiterated that Karga was in danger before returning to his X-wing. Wanting to help Karga, Djarin convinced the covert to aid Nevarro, and the Mandalorians successfully defeated the pirates.

While patrolling through empty space, Teva found a wrecked Lambda-class T-4a shuttle with a breached hull. He contacted Lieutenant Reed, reporting his discovery and asking for reports in the area. Reed found a record of a missing ship with classified details. Teva had his astromech R7 launch a probe droid to investigate the wreckage and sent the shuttle's transponder signal to Reed to run through flight logs at central command. Reed found it was a New Republic prison transport, and Teva's probe discovered the bodies of New Republic corrections officers.

Teva had Reed check the Lambda shuttle's departure times, and the lieutenant found they matched the starship transporting Moff Gideon, confirming rumors he never made it to trial. With no survivors or Gideon's body, the captain concluded it was an extraction. Teva scanned the shuttle with the probe, finding a fragment of beskar alloy embedded in the wall, suggesting Mandalorians were the perpetrators.

After the Mandalorians liberated Mandalore and got rid of Gideon in their battle, Djarin entered the Adelphi Base lounge with his adopted son Din Grogu, expressing interest in working for Teva and the New Republic. However, he said he'd be selective given his new responsibilities as a father and teacher. Teva countered that it was against regulations, but Djarin said the cooperation would be unofficial, acting as an independent contractor. The captain said he needed to think about it, but the Mandalorian said he already had. Djarin requested scrap assassin droid parts to rebuild IG-11 as a front payment. Teva agreed, and IG-11 was rebuilt to serve as the Marshal of Nevarro.

At a later time, General Hera Syndulla, a Twi'lek, was joined by Teva and several other pilots. Also present were her son Jacen Syndulla and the C1-series astromech droid C1-10P, known as "Chopper." Together, they embarked on an unauthorized mission to assist the Togruta Ahsoka Tano, the Mandalorian Sabine Wren, and their architect droid Huyang on Seatos. Syndulla was grateful for Teva's willingness to assist. Teva responded by saying he wouldn't miss it for the world, addressing her as "Phoenix Leader." Teva and his fellow pilots then escorted the VCX-100 light freighter, the Ghost, before they all made the jump to hyperspace.

Their hyperspace journey concluded as they arrived in the Denab system, where they encountered the massive, ring-shaped starship known as the Eye of Sion. As they drew nearer to the colossal vessel, Teva commanded the other pilots to lock their S-foils into attack position, which he also did. Approaching the Eye of Sion, Teva and Syndulla detected an immense power surge emanating from the ship. Hera deduced that the ship was preparing to enter hyperspace. Before Teva could react, the massive starship jumped to hyperspace, creating a powerful shockwave that violently tossed him and his X-wing starfighter around. Teva managed to survive the shockwave and regain control of his fighter, but two other pilots, Baysee and Mowaat, collided and perished in the event.

The remaining group then made their way to Seatos and began searching for Tano and Wren, who had mysteriously disappeared. While Syndulla, accompanied by Jacen and Chopper, went to investigate an altar, Teva, Jensu, and Lander conducted an aerial search of the planet's surface, looking for the missing Togruta and Mandalorian. Soon after, Carson landed and informed Syndulla that they were past their scheduled return to base and that Senator Leia Organa Solo could only provide cover for them for a limited time. Their conversation was interrupted when Jacen summoned Hera. After spending a moment with her son, Hera instructed Teva to return to his fighter and conduct another full sweep of the ocean, and for Huyang to join her on the Ghost to continue the search for Tano. Huyang, somewhat perplexed, briefly explained that Jacen possessed special abilities and that his father, Kanan Jarrus, was a Jedi. Teva then quickly headed to his fighter, instructing Lander to prepare everyone for departure. As Teva continued his low-altitude search, he informed Syndulla via comms that there was no sign of anyone in the ocean and warned that they were approaching the fuel reserves. Syndulla expressed her gratitude and ordered him to expand his search along the coastline. He veered off to the side, with Jensu and Lander following behind.

Through their persistent efforts, Teva and the others were successful in rescuing Tano, who was in the process of drowning in the ocean. After a single rotation, Teva urgently convened with Syndulla and Tano, who were in conversation after the latter had recently regained consciousness. He cautioned Syndulla about the impending arrival of a New Republic fleet; however, they were not coming to provide assistance, but rather to apprehend the missing general for trial. Syndulla and Teva boarded the Ghost and contacted Chancellor Mon Mothma to seek clarification. Via hologram, Chancellor Mothma inquired if they possessed any evidence to substantiate their claims of Imperial activities and the return of Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known as "Thrawn." Hera reluctantly admitted that they did not. With no further arguments to present, Chancellor Mothma instructed Syndulla to accompany the fleet back to Coruscant to face trial for her actions, which would determine whether she would face permanent suspension. After their unsuccessful attempt to persuade the chancellor, Tano entered the cockpit, asserting that she knew how to locate Wren.

Subsequently, Teva and the other fighter pilots ascended out of orbit to delay Syndulla and Tano, encountering the New Republic fleet. When Captain Girard, the fleet's commander, inquired about Syndulla's location, he evaded the question. Girard responded by threatening to strip Teva of his rank, at which point Teva relented and revealed Tano and Syndulla's plan, though he cautioned her that she might not believe him. As he elaborated on the current situation, a pod of purrgils flew past Teva and the fleet, shortly before jumping into hyperspace, leaving him in awe.

Upon returning to Coruscant, Teva attended General Syndulla's trial in the Defense Council building. During the proceedings, Hamato Xiono, a senator in the New Republic Senate, remained unconvinced that the emergence of Imperial Remnants was significant, dismissing the report of the incident on Seatos as a mere fairy tale. Teva rose from his seat and cited the recent conflict on Mandalore as a counterargument to Xiono's assertion. In response, Xiono characterized Gideon as a lone warlord, lacking evidence of a broader conspiracy. Xiono then accused Syndulla of abusing her authority for personal gain, advocating for her court-martial.

The protocol droid C-3PO then entered the courtroom and presented a report from Senator Organa, which demonstrated that she had personally authorized General Syndulla's reconnaissance mission to Seatos and was unaware that Senator Xiono had voted against her mission. C-3PO requested that the other senators direct their concerns to Organa in her capacity as the leader of the Defense Council. Chancellor Mothma deemed the data transcript to be sufficient to resolve the matter. Xiono reluctantly withdrew the proposed court-martial, and Mothma adjourned the hearing. With the trial concluded, Teva approached Syndulla and C-3PO with a smile, congratulating the general. Syndulla was then summoned by Mothma, while Teva continued his conversation with C-3PO.

At some point, Teva disseminated the survival compendium "Species From A to Z" to new recruits of the New Republic. This guide contained information about various sentient species throughout the galaxy. The information had been compiled by scouts and xenobiologists within the New Republic.

Carson Teva was a human male with a height of 1.75 meters (5 foot, 9 inches), featuring tan skin and graying hair. Known as a man of honor, he held a strong belief in the New Republic and garnered the respect of his peers. While pursuing Djarin alongside his wingmate Trapper Wolf, he showed hesitation to fire upon him, even as he attempted to evade them, but continued to threaten the possibility in an effort to make the Mandalorian surrender. After learning about Djarin's selfless actions on Bothan-Five, Teva made the decision to release the bounty hunter, citing the difficult times.

The captain became concerned about the growing Imperial presence in the Outer Rim, concluding that local assistance was essential to address the issue. Upon discovering that Cara Dune was from Alderaan, Teva recognized that she had lost loved ones in the planet's destruction and offered his condolences when she stated that she had lost everyone at that time. During a second encounter with Djarin, Teva recognized the Mandalorian's voice and made sure to be lenient regarding any obstruction of rules, refraining from reporting the bounty hunter. In an attempt to connect the dots regarding the Imperial remnant incident on Nevarro, he attempted to elicit information from Djarin, but was unsuccessful.

Teva donned an orange flight suit paired with synth-leather reinforced pilot boots and a blue helmet adorned with the New Republic insignia in yellow. He also sported a brown jacket featuring a rancor patch, as well as a patch showcasing blue and red birds with the aurebesh letters Esk and Yirt. He piloted a T-65B X-wing starfighter and effectively wielded an A280C blaster rifle when battling creatures on Maldo Kreis. Teva utilized a notepad for taking notes during his interview with Karga and possessed an Alliance badge, which he gifted to Dune. The captain also collaborated with the astromech droid R7.

Carson Teva's initial appearance occurred in an X-wing within the official trailer for season two of the live-action television series The Mandalorian, which was released on YouTube on September 15, 2020. Subsequently, he was featured in "Chapter 10: The Passenger" of the show, directed by Peyton Reed and released on November 6, 2020, on Disney+. The pilot was credited as "Captain Carson Teva" and portrayed by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, an award-winning Korean-Canadian actor with a passion for creating Star Wars and Ghostbusters cosplay.

According to Lee, Dave Filoni, the executive producer of The Mandalorian, discovered the actor after Filoni's wife, E. Anne Convery, began watching Kim's Convenience, a show in which Lee was known for his role. The producer became an admirer of the show and decided to create a role for Lee in the second season of The Mandalorian. Deborah Chow, one of the directors from The Mandalorian Season One, had known the Kim's Convenience actor for approximately 25 years and attempted to contact Lee, eventually encountering him at the Unforgettable Gala in Los Angeles in 2018.

Lee expressed his disbelief when Chow informed him that Filoni wanted to write a role for him, but the director sent photos of Lee's cosplay to the producer, who joked that Lee could simply arrive on set in his own costume. Three weeks later, Lee received an invitation from Chow to visit the set during the filming of The Mandalorian Season One, where he met the showrunner Jon Favreau. Lee also observed the filming of scenes from Filoni's "Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" and Chow's "Chapter 7: The Reckoning" at Manhattan Beach, and Filoni provided him with a tour of the season one sets afterward, with Lee reciprocating by offering a tour of the Kim's Convenience sets.

After several more months had passed, the actor learned from Chow that she had advised the producer to create a more substantial role for him, but he remained uncertain that his part would materialize. This changed in October 2019, when Lucasfilm contacted Lee's agent to inquire about the actor's availability. Lee pledged to do whatever was necessary to be available, provided it did not interfere with the production of Kim's Convenience. He was subsequently given his character's codename, "foodie pilot." The plan was for Filoni or Favreau to call him about his role, but Lee missed Favreau's initial attempt to contact the actor. When he finally spoke with Favreau, the showrunner informed him about "Carson."

According to Lee, he promptly flew to the set after his call with Favreau and was immediately taken to the wardrobe department for his costume fitting. Lee's costume was custom-made for him, including a custom-painted helmet. He utilized his costume-making skills to assist the wardrobe experts working on The Mandalorian with buckling ejection harnesses and other aspects of his new costume. When the wardrobe department needed a reference photo of Lee in his X-wing pilot costume, they provided him with the pilot helmet used by Biggs Darklighter—a minor character from George Lucas' 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope—as his on-set prop helmet was still being painted. Afterward, Favreau gave Lee a tour of the sets for season two, which occurred sometime before the debut of season one.

For the third season of The Mandalorian, Teva donned a brown bomber jacket that was custom-designed by Shawna Trpcic and uniquely cut like the other pilots' jackets in that episode. The bomber jacket featured several custom patches designed by Lee. The rancor patch was originally intended to be a bulldog, due to its significant personal meaning to Lee, but was later changed. The prototype of the patch depicted a full silhouette of a rancor with its eye glowing, but there was a concern about the rancor's tail resembling genitalia. They also considered using a rancor's claw, but ultimately decided on the rancor's head. The blue bird and the red bird on one patch were inspired by the flag of South Korea, while the Aurebesh "E" and "Y" were a nod to East York, a borough of Toronto where Lee resided.

Additionally, Lee had to wear a fake mustache for his scenes in the third season, as he had shaved his mustache for his other role as Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

For his appearance in the episode "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" of the 2023 live-action series Ahsoka, Lee requested Trpcic to remove the chinstrap from Teva's helmet, partly because the chinstrap made Lee's beard look "funny-looking." According to Lee, Trpcic supported his request after he provided archival footage of pilots in previous Star Wars projects without their chinstraps. His request was subsequently granted, and the chinstrap was absent in the episode.

Armed with more information about "Carson" from his script, Lee chose to model the character after marshals of the Old American West, portraying him as a street-smart lawman and survivor who operated by his own rules and did not anticipate much assistance. Lee's first shoot was for Carl Weathers' "Chapter 12: The Siege," and after meeting Weathers, the actor first performed the scene where "Carson" interacted with Gina Carano's Cara Dune. In his second shoot, in February of 2020 in Los Angeles, California, he filmed scenes for "Chapter 10: The Passenger" using the repurposed X-wing set that had been used in Gareth Edwards' 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The X-wing set featured functional lights and controls, largely consisting of smartphone screens slotted into the dashboard to project video screens. Surrounding the X-wing set was an LED screen that projected a simulated star field backdrop around Lee, and the spacecraft model he sat in rocked, creating a very realistic experience for the actor. Reed instructed the actor to emulate a real-life aircraft pilot. Filoni reprised his role as Trapper Wolf to be the wingmate, as Chow, who was originally suggested to be the wingmate as Sash Ketter, was occupied with her show Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Much of the footage shot from the X-wing set was ultimately unused in Chapter 10. Filoni contacted Lee after the filming to discuss the selection of his character's last name, and the actor accepted Filoni's first suggestion, "Teva." Following the release of "Chapter 10: The Passenger," Lee received a flurry of responses from his fans and co-workers. The actor himself watched his debut with his family. He told CBC News that a Korean-Canadian individual like him making it into Star Wars provided hope that dreams can come true. According to Katy O'Brian, the actress who played Elia Kane, the office scene with Kane, Teva, and Tuttle was filmed over two days by the episode's director Peter Ramsey.

In an interview, Lee stated that Teva was from Alderaan.