Ahsoka: Is Senator Hamato Xiono working for the First Order?

Ahsoka’s Senator Hamato Xiono is the newest character everyone loves to hate. While he was a haughty jerk in Star Wars Resistance, Nelson Lee’s excellent performance is taking him to new levels of boorish intolerability. It feels like Hamato is shifting from antagonist to villain with how vehemently he’s pushing back against the heroes. It begs the question:

Is he working for the First Order?

This is not a new theory. During Resistance’s second season, this idea made the rounds in the fandom when Hamato and his entire family survived the attack from Starkiller Base. To break down this speculation, we have to look at his actions in Resistance and the world of Star Wars books.

Multiple books published in the Sequel Era, such as Bloodline by Claudia Gray, document how the First Order infiltrated the New Republic government. We saw hints of this in The Mandalorian’s third season with the character of Elia Kane. The novels of this era focus on the First Order senators who worked their way into positions of power to weaken the New Republic from the inside out. They whispered in the ears of policymakers to convince other senators that the First Order wasn’t an actual threat.

As we have seen in Ahsoka, Hamato is quite vocal about the Imperial remnant not being an actual threat. Perhaps this is a hint of where his allegiances lie.

The other evidence to look at is from Star Wars Resistance. He’s the father of Kazuda “Kaz” Xiono, the show’s protagonist. Hamato has two appearances in the series, in the opening episode of both seasons. In the first episode, Hamato clearly states he dislikes the Resistance and believes they, along with General Leia Organa, are a group of radicals. It’s apparent he’s against the existence of the Resistance. In Ahsoka, with the timely arrival of C-3PO to bail out Hera Syndulla at her court martial hearing, it’s pretty clear how Leia feels about Hamato, too. Some fans created jokes about their work relationship:

What’s more telling is Hamato’s second appearance in Resistance. Kaz watched his home planet of Hosninan Prime get decimated by the First Order’s Starkiller Base, lining the series up with The Force Awakens. In the first episode of season two, he has no clue if his parents or family survived. Then, he gets a timely call from his father.

Hamato tells Kaz that he, his mother, and their entire family just so happened to be off-world when the First Order attacked. He also knows his son is a Resistance spy, which the First Order is unhappy about. Kaz’s role endangers Hamato and his entire family with the First Order’s violent galaxy takeover. Ultimately, Kaz chooses to stay with the Resistance. This is the last we hear from Hamato at this time.

The second appearance made fans wonder if Hamato was part of the First Order or at least aiding them. For Kaz’s entire family to escape Hosnian Prime could be read as a coincidence, but Hamato’s first appearance in the show clarified where his thoughts stood on Leia and the Resistance.

So, is Hamato Xiono part of the First Order? It’s not confirmed at the moment, but with all the evidence we have so far from novels, Star Wars Resistance, and now Ahsoka, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was a major reveal for the character down the line.

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