Valen Rudor
Valen Rudor, designated "LS-607," was a human male who piloted TIE fighters for the Galactic Empire. Originally from Corulag, he was stationed on Lothal and held the rank of Baron of the Empire approximately 5 years before the Battle of Yavin. He and a group of stormtroopers were once attacked by Garazeb Orrelios after the Lasat became disoriented within Capital City's streets. Rudor's subsequent attempt to request backup was ignored by his superior officer. Later, his TIE/ln space superiority starfighter was destroyed by the Ghost. The wreckage was discovered in a field by Ezra Bridger, a local con artist, who feigned assistance to steal from him and sell parts of the ship on the black market. Years afterwards, following Jho's arrest during an Imperial raid and subsequent execution for treason, the Empire granted Rudor control of Old Jho's Pit Stop.
Biography
Relocation to Lothal
In 5 BBY, Valen Rudor, a Baron of the Empire and male human, served as a TIE fighter pilot within the Imperial Navy. His assigned operating number was "LS-607." Sienar Fleet Systems, after establishing manufacturing facilities on the Outer Rim planet of Lothal, successfully persuaded Rudor to visit Lothal to evaluate products manufactured in its most productive factories. The Galactic Empire then used Rudor's transfer to Lothal in propaganda reports disseminated via HoloNet News.
Altercation with Zeb
While Rudor was inspecting a TIE fighter on a landing platform within Capital City on Lothal, he encountered Garazeb Orrelios, who was being pursued by two stormtroopers. After being hurled across the platform by the Lasat warrior, Rudor was briefly rendered unconscious. He regained consciousness when a blaster, dislodged from a stormtrooper's grasp, slid towards him. As Orrelios battled a small group of stormtroopers, the TIE pilot stood up and aimed the blaster at the Lasat, requesting reinforcements. The Imperial commander who responded questioned the number of intruders present, causing Rudor to hesitate and demand reinforcements. While awaiting the arrival of additional Imperial forces, Rudor attempted to shoot Orrelios, but the Lasat managed to evade him. Orrelios then ascended to the top of the TIE fighter, seized 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 blast, and Orrelios successfully escaped.
Run-in with Ezra
Some time after the incident with Orrelios, Rudor piloted a TIE fighter that engaged the Ghost, the vessel on which the Lasat served, in combat. The Ghost downed 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, inquiring about Rudor's condition, Rudor responded with anger, demanding that Bridger move away from the TIE fighter, asserting that it was Imperial property.
Bridger managed to open the TIE fighter's hatch and jumped inside, feigning assistance to the pilot while secretly pilfering parts from the ship to sell on the black market. Subsequently, he absconded with Rudor's helmet and departed. Rudor retaliated by firing the fighter's laser cannons at Bridger, but the boy was able to use the Force to evade the blaster fire. Ezra was not yet aware that he was Force-sensitive, and Rudor did not recognize the unusual nature of the boy's dodging abilities. Bridger responded by firing his energy slingshot, knocking Rudor unconscious and allowing the boy to escape unharmed.
Problems with the Spectres
After his encounter with Bridger, who had by then joined Orrelios' rebel cell known as the Spectres, Rudor encountered Orrelios once more on Kothal, where he found him cornered by two stormtroopers. Seeking to settle the score with the Lasat, Rudor targeted Orrelios with his TIE fighter and instructed the troopers to arrest him. However, Orrelios leapt onto his fighter, ejected Rudor, commandeered the fighter, and used it to rescue Bridger.
During the Empire Day ceremony in Capital City in 4 BBY, Valen Rudor was assigned the task of piloting a prototype TIE Advanced v1 starfighter fresh from the factory. Before he could begin the demonstration, the Spectres destroyed the ship and fled offworld with the fugitive Tseebo, who possessed vital Imperial secrets.
As a 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 his attempts to aid 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 in search of the Lothal resistance. While the two rebels were at the bar ordering drinks, Rudor felt a vague familiarity with Ezra from their previous encounters. However, he did not recognize him. When Ezra and Sabine attempted to leave, Rudor, growing suspicious, attempted to order their arrest, but Jai Kell, a member of the Lothal resistance sent by Ryder Azadi to watch for the Spectres, quickly extracted the two rebels. Later, after the Spectres and Jai had escaped into Jhothal's sewers via a hatch located in the Pit Stop, Rudor informed death trooper DT-L21 that he had been unaware that the hatch was unsecured.
Personality and Characteristics
Valen Rudor, originally from Corulag, was a human TIE fighter pilot who relocated to Lothal during the Age of the Empire. He was a proficient and renowned starfighter pilot who served as a test pilot for the Imperial factory on the Outer Rim world of Lothal. As an Imperial starfighter pilot, Rudor possessed some skill in physical combat but was ultimately outmatched by the Lasat warrior Zeb. He was protective of his TIE fighter, viewing it as Imperial property. Because of his reputation as a skilled pilot, Rudor was granted the privilege of piloting a prototype TIE Advanced model.
Rudor was later assigned the responsibility of managing the cantina previously owned by the late rebel Jho, which he transformed into a gathering place for Imperial personnel. Rudor considered the late Jho a traitor. Rudor also recognized Ezra Bridger but was unable to recall the specifics of their previous encounters. Rudor subsequently led a search for the Spectres and Jai Kell but failed to notice an unsecured hatch in his cantina, enabling the rebels to escape and rendezvous with Ryder Azadi.
Behind the Production
Valen Rudor made his debut 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 slated to reappear in the third season episode "The Antilles Extraction" as an instructor at Skystrike Academy, but his role was eventually taken by Vult Skerris.