Jee Ken Tsokee

This article is non-canon within the canon continuity. This article covers a subject from a Star Wars: Visions story that Lucasfilm declared is set in an alternate history within a reimagined galaxy.

Jee Ken Tsokee, known by the nickname Jay, was a Force-sensitive human male former Jedi Padawan and singer following the Clone Wars. After escaping Order 66 during a Clone Wars battle, he was found by Hutt guitarist Geezer Odajion. Tsokee subsequently joined Odajion's band, Star Waver, serving as its lead singer.

At some point in the Imperial Era, Jabba the Hutt placed a bounty on Odajion for refusing to join his crime syndicate, with the bounty hunter Boba Fett capturing the guitarist for execution for his perceived transgression. In response, Tsokee came up with a plan to rescue Odajion by performing the song "Galactic Dreamer" to wide acclaim at the Mos Espa Grand Arena on the planet Tatooine, thereby convincing Jabba not to execute his friend.

Biography

From violence to vocals

Jee Ken Tsokee, known by his nickname Jay, was a Force-sensitive human^[1] male^[2] who became a Padawan^[4] of the Jedi Order. With the dawn of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems^[3] in 22 BBY and subsequent passage of the Jedi Military Integration Act, Tsokee was made a Jedi Commander^[5] in the Grand Army of the Republic.^[3] In 19 BBY,^[6] Tsokee was present for a battle between the Republic forces and the Separatist Droid Army.^[3] Upon the issuance of Order 66,^[6] which required all clone troopers to kill the Jedi they had served under,^[7] Tsokee fled the carnage^[8] of the battle with^[3] his^[1] lightsaber in hand, falling into a vehicle that had a Hutt named^[3] Geezer Odajion^[1] aboard. The Hutt asked the Padawan what he was, and Tsokee looked around the vehicle to see musical instruments and other devices used by musicians and bands.^[3]

Tsokee became the lead vocalist of Odajion's^[3] rock and roll^[1] band, Star Waver. In the band, Odajion played the flaming rumble bass guitar, a three-torsoed individual named Lan Ar-Shoo played the versatile cluster drums, the droid K-344 "Kurti" played electrified dual guitars, and the droid V-5 mixed electronic sounds for their music. Throughout that time, Tsokee retained his lightsaber.^[3]

Losing Geezer

At some point during the Imperial Era, Jabba the Hutt put out a bounty on Odajion over the latter's refusal to join his crime syndicate. Star Waver was performing their song "Galactic Dreamer"^[3]—which Tsokee had written^[9]—at a concert when a group of bounty hunters led by Boba Fett interrupted the performance, seeking to collect the bounty. Tsokee sought to calm the situation and resume the band's performance. Fett commanded the Hutt to come along to be delivered to Jabba and told Odajion that if^[3] he^[1] were to resist,^[3] he^[1] would disintegrate the guitarist's friends. Odajion reacted nonchalantly before attacking Fett using the flamethrower functionality of his flaming rumble bass, starting a skirmish between the band and the bounty hunters.^[3]

The Star Waver members sought to retreat to their starship,^[3] The Rolling Gales,^[10] and the band members engaged Fett and his companions in combat using their instruments as weapons to cover their retreat. One member of Fett's squad, the Weequay Pagetti Rook, tackled Tsokee, who sought to draw his lightsaber in defense, but Rook drew a blaster pistol on Tsokee until V-5 pushed the Weequay off Tsokee. After Star Waver escaped the concert venue to their ship, Fett pursued the fleeing band aboard his own ship, Slave I, and shot down The Rolling Gales. The bounty hunter took Odajion with him to Jabba at blaster-point, and Odajion was to be executed for his perceived transgressions.^[3]

Tsokee was distraught to see his friend taken away by a bounty hunter after all they had been through together. The former Padawan took his lightsaber in hand and rushed out of The Rolling Gales to rescue Odajion from Fett. Tsokee shook in fear, trying to ignite his blade to attack Fett. However, instead of activating, Tsokee's lightsaber produced electrical sparks, distressing him. Fett took Odajion away as Tsokee retreated to the ship, where V-5 played a recording of Star Waver's first rehearsal as a band. Tsokee ran out of the ship and cried that in the end, Star Waver was just a band. At that time, Tsokee thought of a plan by which the band could rescue Odajion from execution.^[3]

Gambit in the Grand Arena

Tsokee, Kurti, Ar-Shoo, and V-5 negotiated a deal with Jabba to perform one song with Odajion before his execution at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, located on^[3] the desert planet^[7] Tatooine. The band members greeted the Hutt guitarist, who was held in stuncuffs by Bib Fortuna,^[3] Jabba's majordomo.^[7] Released from his binders by Fortuna, Odajion asked in confusion what his friends were doing there, to which Tsokee and Ar-Shoo explained that the band had made a deal with Jabba to allow them to perform one last song before Odajion's execution. Star Waver would perform with their instruments for a packed audience that would include Jabba himself at the arena, making it their largest audience thus far. Tsokee asked Odajion whether he would agree to perform; indeed, the Hutt agreed, and Tsokee passed his friend his flaming rumble bass.^[3]

As guards, including Gamorreans, ushered the reunified band toward the platform on which they would perform, one Gamorrean guard saw and heard the definitive sound of Jay's lightsaber and stopped the singer before he could join the rest of the band on stage. The former Jedi told the guard to calm down, as his former weapon was now only a microphone. The guard then allowed Tsokee to join his bandmates in front of the crowd.^[3]

The band played "Galactic Dreamer," which was recorded by Hologlide J57 cam droids and broadcast far and wide on Tatooine. The crowd roared with delight, desiring an encore, and even Jabba and his entourage reacted positively. Tsokee boldly gave Jabba an offer, claiming Star Waver would become the most popular band in the galaxy and giving him the chance to be their first investor. The roar of the crowd convinced the Hutt crime lord to allow the band an encore instead of executing Odajion. The Hutt guitarist, Tsokee, and K-344 smiled upon hearing the news that Odajion would live.^[3]

Anni's poster

Between 8 ABY and 34 ABY,^[11] the Twi'lek girl Annisoukaline Kalfus had a poster depicting Tsokee and the other members of Star Waver above her bed aboard the spacetug Cormorant, where she lived with her mother, Kalina Kalfus, on^[12] the planet^[13] Chandrila. The poster depicted Tsokee as entirely blue in color.^[12]

Personality and traits

Tsokee was a human with light skin and gray eyes. He had blue-gray hair that was short during the Clone Wars.^[3] Later, as the lead singer of Star Waver, Tsokee grew his hair longer and shaggy,^[14] hiding his Padawan identity. He stood approximately 170 centimeters tall.^[1]

As a Padawan, Tsokee fled a battle of the Clone Wars in fear. After being taken in by Odajion and joining Star Waver, Tsokee grew to be close friends with the Hutt and the other members of their band,^[3] who were drawn together by music, the only thing that mattered to them. Like Odajion, Tsokee was rebellious and disliked the fate he was dealt, and they both decided to take their destiny into their own hands. Tsokee did what he wanted while trying to break free from his past.^[1] During his time with Star Waver, Tsokee remained more fearful of combat than his fellow band members. When Boba Fett came to seize Odajion; the Hutt guitarist, Ar-Shoo, and K-344 were quick to engage Fett's crew; skillfully using their instruments as weapons. In contrast, Tsokee quivered and hesitated to draw his lightsaber against the attackers.^[3]

In spite of Tsokee's fear of fighting, he was willing to fight to defend his friends. When Boba Fett brought Odajion to Slave I, Tsokee confronted the bounty hunter with his lightsaber. Tsokee trembled in the rain afraid to engage Boba in combat, but nevertheless attempted to activate his Jedi weapon to defend Odajion. When his saber failed to activate, Tsokee became solemn and distraught. However, after reflecting on his friendship with Odajion, the singer thought of a plan to negotiate with Jabba to save his friend's life. Tsokee appealed to Jabba's desire for money and power, ultimately saving Odajion by convincing the crime lord that Star Waver would be more profitable to Jabba with all its members alive.^[3] During the performance, Tsokee defiantly showed his face after previously having hid it behind his hair.^[1]

Powers and abilities

As a member of the Jedi Order, Tsokee was Force-sensitive. Tsokee used the Force to leap high in the air as part of his performance at the Mos Espa Grand Arena. He was also a talented singer and guitarist, and was charismatic enough to work up a crowd. Tsokee utilized his ability to entertain and excite his audience to convince Jabba the Hutt not to execute Odajion.^[3]

Tsokee was capable of brandishing a lightsaber as a weapon. K-344 found him helpful at performing repairs on The Rolling Gales.^[3]

Equipment

As a Padawan, Tsokee wielded a blue-bladed lightsaber in the Clone Wars. His lightsaber was damaged when he fell into Odajion's vehicle, after which he used it as a microphone. Tsokee attempted to fight off the bounty hunter Boba Fett with his lightsaber when Fett kidnapped Odajion, but his saber only produced sparks of electricity rather than activating its plasma blade, rendering Tsokee unable to rescue his friend in that way. Later at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, some of Jabba's Gamorrean guards mistook Tsokee's lightsaber for a functioning weapon, leading the singer to assure them that it was merely a microphone.^[3]

In addition to his microphone, Tsokee used a guitar during performances.^[3] The equipment used by Star Waver was nicer than they could afford because the band members splurged on it when they had extra credits.^[1] As a Padawan, Tsokee wore tan Jedi apparel with brown boots and a belt. After joining Star Waver, he wore a brown top over a tan shirt, blue pants, black shoes, and a brown glove on his right hand.^[3]

Behind the scenes

Milestones

Jay first appeared in "Tatooine Rhapsody," a non-canon short film in the Star Wars: Visions series directed by Taku Kimura of Studio Colorido^[3] and released for streaming on Disney+ on September 22, 2021. The character was first revealed in a video uploaded to the official Star Wars YouTube channel on July 3, 2021^[16] and was identified as Jay in a post on StarWars.com on August 17, 2021.^[17] His full name of Jee Ken Tsokee was revealed in The Art of Star Wars: Visions, a 2022 reference book written by Zack Davisson.^[1] Tsokee was voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino in Japanese and by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the English dub. The Japanese version of "Galactic Dreamer" was sung by Nonpe, while Gordon-Levitt performed the English version of the song.^[3]

Concept art of Tsokee was created by Kazuhiko Yabumoto and Cedric Herole, with one piece they created of Tsokee and his guitar^[18] dated to August 28, 2020. One piece of art for an early proposal was drawn by Kimura, who noted Tsokee's appearance was quite different from his final design.^[9] Additional concept art was included in The Art of Star Wars: Visions, including two pieces that depict scenes^[1] not present in the final version of the short^[3]—one depicts Tsokee, Ar-Shoo, and Kurti on a Tatooine street, and another shows Tsokee and Odajion hiding from clone troopers.^[1] Tsokee and other members of Star Waver also appeared on a poster in Aardman Animations' short "I Am Your Mother," released as part of the second volume of Visions^[12] on May 4, 2023.^[19] Concept art of Annisoukaline's bunk that depicted the poster was created by Aurelien Predal and Andy Janes and was dated to 2022.^[20]

In Kimura's original idea for the short, Tsokee would have formed a band to earn money while hiding in his hometown during the aftermath of Order 66. When his identity was discovered by the Galactic Empire, he would set out to Tatooine to get help from his old friend,^[21] Jedi Master^[7] Obi-Wan Kenobi. Tsokee's band also would have performed an anti-Imperialist song to encourage people to rise up against the Empire. However, Kimura thought his original pitch was too similar to other Star Wars projects in which immature Padawans grow up to fight the Empire, and he decided to instead strengthen the short's themes of passion for music and Tsokee's desire to play with his friends rather than fight. The idea of Tsokee turning his lightsaber into a microphone was thought of by Atarshi. Although Kimura was worried fans would dislike the idea, he decided to use it because he found it viusally interesting and felt it clearly expressed the theme of choosing music over war.^[21]

Inspirations

Kimura said he had the inspiration to create the characters Jay and Odajion to express the power of music. While Odajion was a Hutt, he did not want to become a crime lord; loving his music and having the strength of will to leave his family. Similarly, Tsokee breaks free from the restraint of his Jedi past, wishing to "rock together" with his Hutt friend. Kimura recognized that music is central to Star Wars and wanted to change the genre to rock and roll while staying true to the series' theme and values. His studio wanted to convey the message of doing what you want and not being caught up in the past;^[15] having both Tsokee and Odajion escape their past to build a brighter future together.^[22] Kimura wanted Tsokee to be a person and a boy without being too conscious of him being a Jedi,^[9] and said another idea for the short came from being curious about ordinary people dragged into the metastory.^[1] He also said that in his mind, Tsokee wrote the lyrics of "Galactic Dreamer."^[9]

To Gordon-Levitt, creativity means finding a centered place in oneself where you feel powerful by creating something. Tsokee has such moments in the short film, and Gordon-Levitt loved voicing Tsokee as a character with the combination of music, creativity, and the Force. Lucasfilm executive producer Josh Rimes believes Star Waver exemplifies Star Wars' core theme of a "found family."^[15] The blade of Tsokee's lightsaber was never activated in the short, and when Tsokee converted it into a microphone, it marked his final break with his past. Tsokee is also intended to represent self-confidence.^[1]

Tsokee's outfit was inspired by classic Star Wars designs with small twists to modernize it. For the character designs in the short, Studio Colorido wanted a hybrid that combined Western and Japanese styles. They used squat bodies that existed in three-dimensional space, rather than the traditional two-dimensional, and the proportions had softer edges than traditional Western animation, one of Studio Colorido's strengths. Each of the members of Star Waver were visually distinct, and because they were squatter, Kimura said they tended to be cute, although that was not necessarily their intention, and that the studio sought a new direction in design.^[1]

Concept art gallery

Star Wars: Visions

Storyboards

Concept art

Digital renderings

In-progress artwork

Concept art

Early proposal art^[9]

Star Waver member heights^[1]

Tsokee as a Padawan^[1]

Tsokee's clothing and belt^[1]

Tsokee concept art^[1]

Concept art, Kazuhiko Yabumoto and Cedric Herole,^[18] August 28, 2020^[9]

Tsokee concept art^[15]

Tsokee and his microphone^[1]

Star Waver concept art, Yabumoto and Herole^[23]

Concept art^[1]

Tsokee escaping Order 66^[1]

Tsokee escaping Order 66^[1]

Tsokee and Odajion hiding from clone troopers^[1]

Star Waver members on Tatooine^[1]

Tsokee singing^[1]

Tsokee and Fett^[1]

Tsokee and Kurti aboard The Rolling Gales^[1]

Tsokee, Kurti, and Ar-Shoo in The Rolling Gales^[1]

Tsokee sitting aboard The Rolling Gales^[1]

Annisoukaline Kalfus's bunk with a poster of Tsokee, Aurelian Predal and Andy Janes, 2022^[20]

Appearances

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Audio · Images

• Star Wars: Visions — "Tatooine Rhapsody" (First appearance)
• Star Wars: Visions — "I Am Your Mother" (Poster only)
• I Am Your Mother/Aau's Song (Poster only)

Sources

Notes and references