Tion Medon

Tion Medon was a Pau'an male who served as Master of Port Administration for Pau City on the planet Utapau. Holding the position for over two centuries prior to the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Medon was loyal to the Republic in spite of Utapau's neutrality in that conflict. He became an unofficial leader with the arrival of General Grievous of the Separatists, who had his droids execute other members of the governing Utapaun Committee. Medon served the Separatists while Utapau hosted the Separatist Council, although he secretly supported a resistance movement.

In 19 BBY, the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on Utapau in search of Grievous. Medon met with the Jedi in Pau City, discretely confirmed that Grievous was on Utapau, and also provided an overview of the Separatist Droid Army's presence. Kenobi instructed Medon to have his people take shelter and prepare any warriors for battle, and the administrator spread word of the Republic's imminent attack. Medon coordinated the resistance's collaboration with the Grand Army of the Republic, and together they were victorious against Grievous. However, the Republic forces occupied Utapau shortly afterward, and Medon was one of the first Utapauns arrested, with his fate afterwards unknown.

Biography

Early life and the Clone Wars

Tion Medon was a Pau'an male from^[1] the Outer Rim Territories^[4] planet Utapau,^[1] born several centuries before the outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY.^[2] He^[1] was a direct descendant of Timon Medon, who was credited with uniting the scattered nation-states and cultures on Utapau.^[5] On account of his heritage, Medon served as Master of Port Administration—a mayoral-type role^[8]—for the capital^[9] Pau City for more than two centuries^[10] before 19 BBY,^[11] overseeing all major traffic passing through the planet.^[5] Medon maintained his ancestor's tradition of diplomatic compromise^[12] and was an influential voice in the planet's governing committee, although he was not the planetary leader.^[5] The Pau'an Zyn Javeb served as one of Medon's lesser aides during the final years of the Galactic Republic.^[13]

Utapau maintained neutrality during the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems,^[14] and while outwardly sharing that stance^[7] and attempting to avoid involvement in the conflict,^[15] Medon was loyal to the Republic.^[7] In the course of the war, the forces of General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Army,^[10] arrived on Utapau, taking Medon^[7] and the entire planetary populace by surprise.^[15] Seeing their approach, Medon ordered the largely Utai crews of the Utapau Skyforce^[16] and the outgunned Utapaun Security Forces Porax-38 starfighters into hiding among the depths of space and Utapau's concealed hangars,^[17] sinkholes, and caves,^[18] concealing the planet's true military capabilities.^[7]

Captive administrator

The Utapaun Committee was initially reluctant to allow the Separatists on their planet.^[15] Medon watched in horror as Grievous's^[5] IG-100 MagnaGuards executed the other committee members in response,^[10] making Medon the de facto planetary leader. He felt he had no choice but to lead Utapau to surrender^[15] while quietly supporting a resistance movement in Pau City's shadowy levels.^[5] The Separatists used Medon's word against his will during the occupation,^[19] and Lampay Fay served as his aide-de-camp during that period.^[20]

Near the end of the war, Grievous returned to Pau City, clutching several Pau'an hostages and claiming that they promised Medon's loyalty. The administrator greeted the general and complied with his demand to store equipment and host the members of the Separatist Council, including Nute Gunray, Po Nudo, Shu Mai, Passel Argente, San Hill, and Poggle the Lesser. Medon promised that his new guests would be taken care of, and Grievous insisted that Utapau would remain under Separatist occupation. The general reminded Medon that any offworld communication would inhibit Grievous's "protection," and he instructed Medon to take care of the vessels that were soon to arrive. Medon complied, and before departing, Grievous grabbed Medon by the throat and threatened to destroy the sinkhole containing Pau City if he caught wind of any Jedi involvement on Utapau.^[6] The Separatists established their own base in Pau City, building a factory that deliberately swallowed several ancient administrative buildings.^[15]

A Jedi's arrival

In 19 BBY,^[11] Republic clone intelligence intercepted a diplomatic package from the Chairman of Utapau that confirmed Grievous's presence on the world.^[21] As the general had become the new Separatist leader with the death of Count Dooku, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi approached Utapau in pursuit of Grievous.^[4] Medon had been ordered to reveal Grievous's presence as part of a trap,^[22] and a number of Utapauns were to be executed if the Jedi did not leave the planet.^[23] Flanked by Fay, Javeb, and four other robed Pau'ans^[4] on a landing platform on the city's Civic Level,^[9] Medon approached Kenobi's fighter.^[4] The Jedi was surprised at the speed of their meeting, suspecting that he had been expected. Kenobi sensed Medon's lack of malice and heightened level of fear through the Force and approached the administrator, who introduced himself.^[22]

Medon already knew of Kenobi's reputation^[24] and questioned the Jedi about his purpose on Utapau. In response to the rising anxiety he sensed in Medon, Kenobi answered truthfully and stated that the war brought him there,^[22] attempting to avoid mentioning Grievous as he was uncertain as to Medon's loyalties.^[24] The administrator feigned ignorance^[5] and insisted that there was no war on Utapau, unless the Jedi brought violence with him. After Kenobi revealed that he intended to use Utapau as a staging ground to search for General Grievous in nearby systems, Medon ordered three Utai mechanics to refuel Kenobi's fighter.^[4] He leaned sideways, creating the appearance of inspecting the underside of Kenobi's fighter, while blocking the view of the windows on the upper levels,^[25] from which an IG-100 MagnaGuard was observing Medon and Kenobi's conversation.^[4]

Hoping to secure Kenobi's aid,^[15] Medon stepped forward and whispered that Grievous was on Utapau and that his people were held hostage by the Separatists, with thousands of battle droids occupying the tenth level of the city. Kenobi instructed Medon to allow his people to take shelter and for their warriors to stand ready. The two bowed before Kenobi returned to his ship, instructing his astromech droid R4-G9 to fly his ship away and relay his attack plan to Clone Commander Cody. As they left the landing platform, Fay asked Medon if the Jedi was bringing additional warriors, and the administrator responded that Kenobi had not said so.^[4]

Battle of Utapau

Medon met with a MagnaGuard on an observation deck, and the droid demanded to know the Jedi's name. The Pau'an replied that he had not shared that information, lying that Kenobi had only wanted fuel.^[26] Medon passed on Kenobi's message to the resistance,^[5] recalled the planet's hidden starfighters,^[17] and anxiously awaited a signal for the attack to begin.^[5] When the battle commenced, Medon placed the Utapaun military in the service^[7] of the two brigades of the Grand Army of the Republic, with Utai soldiers augmenting the Republic forces.^[5]

Kenobi defeated Grievous in single combat, although the battle against the Droid Army continued.^[4] Kenobi conferred with Medon at some point while the battle was ongoing.^[23] Victory for Utapau's inhabitants would be short-lived.^[5] On the orders of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the Republic's clone troopers turned on Kenobi^[4] and placed Utapau under martial law^[21] in the name of Palpatine's new Galactic Empire.^[27] Medon's reputation for resourcefulness meant that he was among the first Pau'ans to be imprisoned,^[7] along with other members of the Utapaun resistance.^[5] Medon and his successors initially answered to an Imperial Moff, and and then to members of the Human Fey family.^[14] His fate after the Imperial takeover was unknown.^[15]

Personality and traits

Despite his fearsome appearance to those unfamiliar with him,^[15] Medon had an aristocratic,^[5] friendly,^[26] and gentle temperament and longed for peace.^[5] The administrator was accommodating, clear-thinking, and able to recognize troubling situations when he witnessed them while brave enough to act on them.^[28] He was devoted to his people and willing to do anything necessary to ensure their safety.^[23] Amidst the Clone Wars, Medon remained loyal to the Republic in spite of Utapau's neutrality,^[7] and wanted to keep his people and planet safe.^[15] He was horrified to witness the deaths of the Utapau Committee members^[10] and was in a state of constant fear under the Separatist occupation.^[22] Although he was agreeable to Grievous's demands,^[6] Medon supported the resistance movement against the Separatists and coordinated their alliance with the Republic during the Battle of Utapau.^[7] While an honorable individual,^[15] he was also willing to lie about Kenobi's intentions to a MagnaGuard.^[26]

When meeting him, Kenobi saw past Medon's mask of serenity and sensed his fear rising into panic,^[22] suspecting that the Separatists would execute thousands of civilians if the administrator made a false move.^[25] Although he was ordered to disclose Grievous's presence to lure Kenobi into a trap,^[22] Medon's shrewd attention to detail allowed him to provide accurate intelligence to the Jedi concerning the Separatist forces. While this allowed the Republic forces to free Utapau,^[29] Medon's reputation for resourcefulness saw him arrested by the occupying Imperial forces afterward.^[7] Even so, Medon was proud of the stance he had taken, although he was likely bitterly disappointed at the conflict's outcome.^[15] Like all Pau'ans, Medon preferred darkness to sunlight and consumed raw meat.^[10]

Medon spoke Galactic Basic Standard with an accent.^[22] As a Pau'an, he had lined gray skin—the color of which was caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight,^[3] and the skin around his deep black eyes was red.^[15] Medon stood at an imposing height of 2.06 meters (6 feet, 7 inches)^[1] and weighed 80 kilograms.^[3] His narrow, ratlike teeth gave him a frightening smile.^[23]

Skills and abilities

Medon's long arms had a wide reach, with which he could deliver a backhanded slap.^[3] His ingenuity was well-known, which led to his arrest by occupying Imperial soldiers after the Battle of Utapau.^[7] Medon could read and write in both Galactic Basic Standard and Utapese, in addition to speaking both languages alongside Durese^[23] and Utai.^[4]

Equipment

During the Clone Wars, Medon wore his official administrator's uniform,^[23] consisting of elaborate red floor-length robes—a recent fashion trend—along with a wide belt that supported his bony frame. The front of his robes below his waist had a cascading design of angled metal strips, which had its origins in the Pau'an relocation to Utapau. Medon's robes had a wide lapel collar that extended up to the sides of his head^[10] and covered his ear-disks,^[22] and his sleeves stretched down to his hands. He also carried the ornate port master's walking stick, which was fashioned from an exotic alloy,^[10] and the Pau'an could wield both an HB-9 blaster rifle^[30] and a blaster pistol. He also carried a datapad.^[23]

Behind the scenes

Revenge of the Sith production

Development and casting

Tion Medon was created for the prequel trilogy film Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith, written and directed by George Lucas.^[4] The design of the Pau'an species, completed by artist Sang Jun Lee, was originally intended to be used for Mustafarians on the planet Mustafar, but the species was moved to Utapau at Lucas's request.^[27] The storyboards for Medon's scenes were completed by Derek Thompson.^[32] It was initially unclear to the film's crew whether Medon would be created using practical makeup or computer-generated effects,^[5] with part of the consideration towards computer-generation being given due to concerns about finding actors of an appropriate height and narrow frame.^[33] The Pau'ans were created using both methods, with the character of Tion Medon designed to utilize an actor wearing makeup.^[5]

Australian actor Bruce Spence was asked to audition for the role initially,^[34] and was ultimately cast as Medon, which he described as "fortuitous" given that he happened to be available when offered the role after completing filming on the 2003 film Peter Pan.^[35] His casting was announced in an article published on StarWars.com on June 18, 2003, which only identified Spence as playing a "helpful alien."^[36] Costume designer Trisha Biggar felt that Spence's height worked appropriately for the character, and creature shop supervisor Dave Elsey was elated to work with Spence, believing his gaunt features made him look uniquely Pau'an even without makeup.^[31]

Spence was initially only given basic details about his role in the film but considered the opportunity to participate in a Star Wars film fortunate. His casting gave him the distinction of appearing in the third entry of each major genre trilogy in production at the time, having appeared as the Mouth of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and as The Trainman in The Matrix Revolutions. The actor considered his Star Wars role as the least substantive of the three, while expressing gratitude for the offer.^[35] Spence's casting also influenced the casting of Lampay Fay and Zyn Javeb, as the filmmakers wanted tall actors who resembled Spence's physique. Fellow Australian Goran Kleut was cast as Fay, and was particularly happy to work with Spence, whom he regarded as a legend.^[37]

Design and makeup

The lines in Medon's skin were added at Lucas's suggestion and were influenced by an African sculpture^[31] and ritualistic tribal scarring, although artist Robert E. Barnes believed they were initially intended by Lucas to be colored lines like tattoos.^[27] According to Biggar, Medon's costume mixed Aztec clothing design and 1920s aesthetics.^[33] Spence compared the costume to the vestments worn by religious priests.^[34]

The makeup process for Medon involved taking casts of Spence's hands, which formed the basis of gloves the actor wore to represent Pau'an hands. He also wore a mask covering his whole face, aside from his eyes and nose, which were decorated with makeup.^[38] Spence spent hours in makeup chairs^[27] and completed multiple makeup and costume tests,^[39] including the creation of a lifecast of his body by the film's creature department by July 10, 2003.^[35] The lifecasting process involved having Spence's head covered from the neck upwards and covered in a pink goo and plaster with straws placed in the actor's nose to allow him to breathe while the plaster set. Spence appreciated that film prosthetics had evolved to the point that his expressions could come through, compared to previous versions that were more like static masks.^[34] He felt the makeup process allowed him to develop the character as he explored the possible movements of the costume, including mannerisms and twitches.^[39]

The character's makeup also involved black contact lenses and prosthetic teeth.^[40] Spence found help in exploring the character through collaborating with the makeup team and Lucas. During a makeup test, Spence suggested removing the character's bottom row of prosthetic teeth, which he and Elsey agreed was an improved look for the character;^[38] this was included in the character's film appearance.^[4] By the actor's own recollection, the makeup for Medon took around four and a half hours to apply^[41] and an hour to remove. Spence did not recommend the makeup process for anyone with claustrophobia, but he loved the finished result nonetheless.^[34]

Portrayal and filming

Spence took Medon's design into account when portraying the character, feeling that the character's dark eyes reminded him of the wisdom and tenderness of a gorilla that might be present behind the character's imposing appearance.^[38] He appreciated that Medon's appearance could be seen as primitive and cruel but that his character was actually the opposite, interpreting it as a reminder that appearances can be deceiving.^[34] He also found the costume design helpful in defining the character's regal nature, leading to him presenting the character as though he carried a religious significance. Knowing Medon was an elderly character, Spence believed that his costume had been accumulated over a long period of time, evolving from past Utapaun administrators,^[31] with even small accessories carrying cultural significance.^[42] The actor viewed Medon as a revered elder statesman, believing that he would have felt slightly superior to the still-young Kenobi.^[27] Lucas explained to Spence that Medon spoke in sophisticated tones, leading the actor to portray him with an English accent instead of his natural Australian one.^[31]

The scene of Medon's meeting with Kenobi was filmed over multiple takes on August 20, 2003, at Stage 1 of Fox Studios, Sydney.^[39] Spence described feeling so comfortable with the makeup and costume by that point that he came to forget he was even wearing them.^[27] He felt the filming of the scene went smoothly and enjoyed working with Lucas,^[41] feeling that they were both in agreement about how the character should be portrayed. Spence also found Ewan McGregor, who played Kenobi, to be a relaxed and generous actor, resulting in an easy filming process.^[34] He noted that he spent significantly more time preparing the makeup for the character than actually filming his scene.^[41] The other Pau'an actors in the same scene only wore slip-on masks, as they were not required to have the same level of precision as Medon.^[12] A scene was filmed as a pick-up shot set in a golden room^[37] involving Medon, a MagnaGuard,^[43] and Fay,^[37] in which Medon is asked about Kenobi's name, and responds with the line "He didn't say."^[43] The scene was not used in the finished film, instead Medon's line was dubbed at the end of the scene on the landing platform,^[37] recontextualised to be about Kenobi's additional warriors.^[4]

Biggar was happy with the way Spence got into character through the costume, feeling as though he made himself taller and narrower.^[42] Lucas described himself as a fan of Medon's character, appreciating how the film's crew created him practically with makeup and costume design. Producer Rick McCallum praised the understanding of the character that Spence showed upon his arrival on set, and how his performance was able to imply the culture of the Utapaun people.^[44] In a later interview, Spence stated that he would be enthusiastic to hypothetically reprise his role for the television series Star Wars: Underworld, which was under development at the time^[41] but never filmed.^[45]

Appearances and continuity

First appearances

Tion Medon was first depicted and identified in behind-the-scenes photographs included in the Prequel Update^[46] and Best of Hyperspace sections of the seventy-seventh issue of the magazine Star Wars Insider,^[47] released on July 22, 2004 to subscribers and on newsstands on August 3 that year.^[48] The character's visage was also used to promote exclusive production photos from the film available at Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club, an online subscription service.^[49] Medon made his first narrative appearance in Reversal of Fortune, a Hyperspace-exclusive webstrip written by Paul Ens, illustrated by Tom Hodges,^[6] and released from October 2004 to June 2005.^[50]

Prior to the film's premiere on May 19, 2005,^[51] Medon appeared in the second issue of the film's comic adaptation written by Miles Lane, illustrated by Douglas Wheatley, and published by Dark Horse Comics^[52] on March 23, 2005,^[53] in which he meets Kenobi on the landing platform without his entourage present.^[52]

Alternate scenes and continuity errors

Matthew Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith, published on April 2, 2005,^[54] contains an extended version of Medon and Kenobi's interaction with dialogue not included in the film. Medon introduces himself to Kenobi and reveals that he was ordered to inform Kenobi of Grievous's presence as part of a trap. In response, Kenobi orders R4-G9 to inform Jedi command that he is about to attack Grievous. He then turns to Medon and instructs him to tell the Separatists that he only wanted to refuel and make contact with Republic Intelligence. Medon then asks for Kenobi's true intentions, and the Jedi adds that Utapau's warriors need to be ready for battle,^[22] as in the film.^[4]

The film's illustrated screenplay and the Jedi Readers children's book Obi-Wan's Foe, both published on April 2,^[55][56] both include^[43][26] the unused scene^[37] where Medon meets with a MagnaGuard and states that the Jedi only wanted fuel and did not provide his name.^[43][26]

Another Pau'an port administrator sharing Medon's surname, Telan Medon, appeared in the forty-ninth issue of the comic series Star Wars: Legacy, which was written by John Ostrander, penciled by Jan Duursema,^[57] and released on June 30, 2010.^[58]

The thirty-seventh issue of the revised run of The Official Star Wars Fact File, published on September 17, 2014^[59] stated that Tion Medon had unified the cities of Utapau,^[60] when previous sources had established that his ancestor Timon Medon had done so instead,^[12][10] including the ninth issue of the Fact File^[15] which was published on March 5, 2014.^[61]

Non-canonical appearances

The 2011 young readers book Star Wars: Head-to-Head Tag Teams, written by Pablo Hidalgo, places Medon in a scenario where he is allied with the Umbaran Republic agent Sly Moore and the Kubaz spy Garindan against the Skakoan Techno Union Foreman Wat Tambor, the Neimoidian Trade Federation Senator Lott Dod, and the Devaronian war criminal Labria. The scenario takes place in the Grand Convocation Chamber on^[3] the Republic capital planet^[14] Coruscant. The book states that Medon would instinctively take a leadership role for his team during the conflict, which would work effectively in combination with Moore's mental abilities and Garindan's stealth prowess. The expert's pick section of the book states that Tambor would use a prototype weapon to attack Moore and disrupt her abilities, giving his team the advantage.^[3]

Medon, voiced by Trevor Devall, appears in "Race for the Holocrons," the fifth episode of the non-canonical LEGO short film series LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles,^[62] which aired on Disney XD on June 15, 2014.^[63] Following the Battle of Yavin, Jedi Master Yoda and the Force ghost of Kenobi sent Luke Skywalker on a mission to retrieve holocrons to support his journey to become a Jedi.^[64] Led by the Force, Skywalker and his companions, Leia Organa and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, arrived on Utapau and met with Medon on a high level inside one of Utapau's sinkholes. When the Jedi hopefully inquired about the holocrons, Medon initially misheard Skywalker, who repeated the name of the holocrons again, and Medon initially appeared to recognize the name before revealing that he had never heard of them.^[62]

Ignoring Skywalker's disappointment, Medon directed his attention to several second-hand pre-Imperial vehicles available for purchase, including a Star Courier, a V-wing starfighter, a vulture droid, a Jedi interceptor, an SS-54 assault ship, and a Tsmeu-6 personal wheel bike. Medon highlighted the wheel bike, stating that it had belonged to Grievous, who had only used it on weekends. Organa declined Medon's offer, and shortly afterward, Skywalker kicked a rock in frustration, hitting a wild varactyl that attacked Skywalker and his companions, knocking Organa and the droids into the sinkhole.^[62]

Skywalker leapt in after them and used the Force to quickly assemble a bridge from falling debris, saving his friends while the varactyl continued plummeting. When the creature began climbing back up the sinkhole, Skywalker used the Force to launch his group back onto the level where Medon stood, now accompanied by a crowd of Utai. Medon and the crowd cheered at Skywalker's feat, but Organa quickly noticed that the varactyl was still pursuing them, and Skywalker asked Medon for a test drive of the V-wing starfighter while running towards it. Medon asked for Skywalker's driver's license, but he responded that there was no time. Medon and the Utai watched as the varactyl climbed onto their level and leapt onto the starfighter, but Skywalker was able to knock it down into the sinkhole and fly offworld to search for the holocrons on the planet Tatooine.^[62]

Appearances

• Reversal of Fortune (First appearance)
• Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith novelization (and unabridged audiobook)
• Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith junior novelization
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Movie Storybook
• Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith 2
• Obi-Wan's Foe
• Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (Picture only)

Non-canon appearances

• LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles — "Race for the Holocrons"

Sources

Notes and references