Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Hondo Ohnaka Mixed Tape



There is a lot of Star Wars content on Disney+, especially in the realm of animation. These cartoon series may be new to a lot of Star Wars fans and it is not easy to know where to start. That is where the Hondo Ohnaka Mixed Tape comes in. The Hondo Ohnaka Mixed Tape allows viewers to sample four Star Wars cartoon series while following a single character (Hondo) through many era’s of Star Wars history. For veteran viewers of Star Wars animation the mixed tape also serves as a thrilling ride through many beloved episodes.

The Clone Wars
20 Years Before the Battle of Yavin
(9 Episodes)

Season 1 Episode 11 - Dooku Captured
Season 1 Episode 12 - Gungan General
Season 2 Episode 17 - Bounty Hunters
Season 2 Episode 22 - Lethal Trackdown
Season 5 Episode 1 - Revival
Season 5 Episode 5 - Tipping Points
Season 5 Episode 7- A Test of Strength
Season 5 Episode 8 - Bound for Rescue
Season 5 Episode 9 - A Necessary Bond

Forces of Destiny
10 Years Before the Battle of Yavin
(1 Episode)

Season 2 Episode 12 - Triplecross

Rebels
3 Years Before the Battle of Yavin)
(8 Episodes)

Season 2 Episode 6 - Brother’s of the Broken Horn
Season 2 Episode 14 - Legends of Lasat
Season 3 Episode 1 - Steps into Shadow Part 1
Season 3 Episode 2 - Steps into Shadow Part 2
Season 3 Episode 9 - The Wynkahthu Job
Season 4 Episode 14 - A Fool’s Hope
Season 4 Episode 15- Family Reunion - and Farewell

The Freemaker Adventures
3 Years After the Battle of Yavin
(2 Episodes)

Season 1 Episode 8 - The Test
Season 2 Episode 5 - The Storms of Taul


Flight of the Falcon
34 Years After the Battle of Yavin
(1 Audiobook)

Pirate's Price


Who is Hondo Ohnaka?

Hondo Ohnaka is a Weequay pirate who is a sort of anti-hero. In the vain of Jack Sparrow, Hondo always has a con up his sleeve. He’s not evil (per-se) but he is mostly concerned with enriching himself.

Hondo is voiced by Jim Cummings (who also voices Winnie the Pooh and Tigger). According to Cummings, Hondo’s quasi-Mid-Eastern accent is based on Ricardo Montalbán, who portrayed Khan in the original Star Trek.

Hondo is the only character in the saga where you can track his story from the time before “The Phantom Menace” to the time after “The Last Jedi”.

Hondo: The Pirate Lord of Florrum


The earliest chronological appearance of Hondo Ohnaka is in the comic mini-series “Darth Maul” which takes place 32 years before the Battle of Yavin. At this point Hondo is already a pirate in a gang of Weequays. 12 years later Hondo has become the leader of that gang. He is recognized by his signature helmet, goggles, and his pet Monkey Lizards (Pilf & Pikk).

Hondo has a nice arc in the first five seasons of Clone Wars. Though Season 1 of the show sets him up as a villain we begin the see a softer side of Hondo in Seasons 2 & 5. In one breath he can tell a child-aged Boba Fett that “there is no honor in revenge” and in the next breath he can kidnap a bunch of Jedi younglings. Yet in the episode “A Necessary Bond” it is the youngling Katooni who inspires a change in character Hondo, who finally puts the needs of others before the needs of himself (if only for a moment).

Hondo: The Bounty Hunter of Ord Mantell


When we next meet Hondo (chronologically) he is working with IG-88 on Ord Mantell to claim a bounty on Qi’ra (an agent of Crimson Dawn). This 3-minute episode is part of the series “Forces of Destiny” which takes place in all eras of Star Wars and its voice cast includes the likes of Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Felicity Jones, Lupita Nyong'o, Kelly Marie Tran, and Ashley Eckstein.

Hondo: The Prisoner of Naraka


Hondo returns in Season 2 of the series “Rebels”. At this point Hondo is much older. He has lost his gang, his monkey lizards, and his riches. Yet he is still pulling cons and during one such endeavour bumps into Ezra Bridger and the crew of The Ghost. He has a few adventures with the Hera’s crew but eventually lands in an Imperial prison on planet Narka for a couple years.

Though most of The Ghosts crew has no love for Hondo, Ezra has a soft spot for him. The pirate reminds Ezra of what he could have become, if he would have remained a street rat on Lothal. It is Ezra’s trust in Hondo that begins to soften the old crime boss. The crew of The Ghost eventually breaks Hondo out of Imperial Prison and later Hondo becomes a true asset to the Rebellion. When Ezra is in danger, Hondo decides to help rescue the boy without thought of reward. It is Ezra’s friendship (and perhaps the memory of Padawan Katooni) that allows Hondo to become a Hero.

Hondo: The Captain Of Takodana

Six years later, Hondo has found a new crew and has secured a friendship with the pirate queen, Maz Kanata. Hondo operates out of her castle.  When the Freemaker siblings accidentally gets into a fender bender with Hondo’s ship the old pirate sends the kids on a mission to the third moon to retrieve some varactyl eggs. When the kids come back empty handed he is not pleased, but Maz puts the old pirate in his place before he gets too out of hand.

Sometime later, the Freemaker siblings hire Hondo to help them track down the suspension housing of a Corellian Defender. Hondo takes them to the volatile planet of Taul only to con them out of their ship, the StarScavenger. However, R0-GR, the Freemaker’s droid manages to capture  Hondo and the pirate lord is delivered back to his enemies on Takodana.

Hondo: The Smuggler of Batuu

 
More than 30 years later, Hondo could be found operating out of Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, a much older Weequay yet up to his old tricks. During his time on Batuu, Hondo convinced The Mighty Chewbacca to borrow the Millenium Falcon to carry out a train job stealing coaxium from the First Order. This adventure is chronicled in the book “Pirates Price” for which Jim Cummings provides the audiobook narration. It is also the backstory for the Disney ride “Smuggler’s Run” in the Galaxy’s Edge area of Disneyland and Disney World. Hondo can still be seen on Batuu (and in Disney Parks) for those who are willing to make the trip.

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