The Galaxy’s Favorite Pirate – A Hondo Ohnaka Breakdown
Hondo Ohnaka is the fandom’s favorite space pirate. Is he an ally to the Rebellion? Sometimes! But he’s always watching out for himself.
Thanks to Skeleton Crew, we are finally getting the kids-on-bikes style pirate adventure set in the Star Wars universe of my dreams. Did I know this was my dream prior to last week? No. But that doesn’t stop it from coming true.
And since the moment I realized this would be a Star Wars adventure full of space pirates, I’ve had one question: will we be seeing any cameos from any particular space pirates?
First appearing on The Clone Wars, Hondo Ohnaka quickly became a favorite character among fans. He is infamous to playing his own game, with his own rules, and looking out for his own benefit before anyone else. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be helpful to have around from time to time.
Hondo Ohnaka’s Early Life
Hondo is a Weequay, born on the planet Sriluur. When he was young, his mother taught him to pick pockets and generally imbued with him somewhat nefarious advice he would remember for his entire life. He was sold into servitude for Porla the Hutt, and learned even more about crimes here. But servitude didn’t sit well with Hondo and he escaped with a few others to live free lives as pirates.
The gang made their way to Farana, a planet out in Wild Space where they secured an entire fleet of ships, including Hondo’s flagship The Acushnet, and were on their way. The Ohnaka gang’s first few acts of piracy were little more than raids on small communities with little resistance, but they crew grew from there.
Hondo Ohnaka’s Famous Friends
Hondo Ohnaka went on to have a number of outrageous exploits. He was briefly in a romantic relationship with bounty hunter Aurra Sing, and was seen as likable and honorable by Jango Fett. During the Clone Wars his men kidnapped Found Dooku, realized his importance, and sold him back to the republic. But once Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker came to collect Dooku, Hondo drugged them and took them captive as well. All three captives escaped, and the Jedi left the pirate with little more than a warning.
But over the years, Hondo ran into seemingly everyone in the galaxy. He fought Guardian Chirrut Imwe on Jedha, challenged Darth Maul and the Nightbrothers, took Qi’ra prisoner, and tried to be one of Ezra Bridger’s worse mentors. No matter where in galactic history you look, Hondo Ohnaka is there.
The Republic
It’s probably fair to say that Hondo has an allegiance to Hondo and Hondo alone. But after being arrested by the Empire and recused by the Rebellion crew of the Ghost, he owed them at least one favor. And as Hondo would go on to say, he liked Ezra Bridger and would happily help him out. He helped the rebels fight the Empire on Lothal, eventually forcing a surrender and liberating the planet.
Batuu
Mostly likely due to a mixture of luck and a deep understanding of when to run away, Hondo survives into First Order times. Founding Ohnaka Transport Solutions on Batuu, he pretended to move into a more honest line of work. In reality, this is a front for his smuggling ring at Flack Spire Outpost.
In real life, you can catch a glimpse of Hondo in the pre-show line animatronic on the Smuggler’s Run ride in Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World and Land. Every now and again he’ll appear as a walk-around face character, but this is pretty rare.
Will Hondo Be in Skeleton Crew?
We don’t know yet! Thanks to his apperance in Galaxy’s Edge, we know that Hondo is alive, active, and sometimes working pseudo alongside the resistance during this time period. So as Skeleton Crew is going on, Hondo is out there, pirating. Is he pirating anywhere near where this story will take place? Or is he pirating lightyears away? That’s what we don’t know and only time will tell.
That said, I’ve never known a Disney / Star Wars project to leave a fan favorite character out when there is a cameo apperance opportunity.
Is Hondo Ohnaka Good or Bad?
Neither. He’s an anti-hero and a rogue, but he’s not bad. Hondo is the sort of character who will help if you if the pay is worth his time. Sure, he might sell you up the river or double-cross you for the same reason, but you’ll know those risks before you go in. In D&D terms, I’d put Hondo squarely in the “Neutral” column.
What is Hondo’s Ship?
Hondo’s ship is a modified ZH-40 Tribune class light freighter by Starfield Industries. His ship is named Katooni after a youngling of the same name that Hondo met during the Clone Wars.
How Old is Hondo?
We don’t have an exact canonical birth-year for Hondo, so his age has to be estimated. Since Weequay have a lifespan pretty similar to a humans, we can estimate that he’s likely somewhere in his 20s to 30s throughout much of the events of The Clone Wars. If he were to make an apperance in Skeleton Crew, he would likely be in his 50s or 60s. This would make him quite old for his apperance in Smugglers Run. But that would only help to explain why his role on that ride is one of give out instructions from far away and then not coming on the mission itself.
What is your favorite Hondo moment or quote? How do you think he’s survived all of these years and encounters? Do you think Hondo will make an apperance in Skeleton Crew? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force be with you, adventures!
