Rako Hardeen from Clone Wars season 4 and 5

Rako Hardeen first appeared in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series episode "Deception." He was voiced by James Arnold Taylor. Later, in the fifth season he, or at least his outfit will reappear on the same person, on Obi-wan Kenobi. Rako Hardeen was a male Human bounty hunter who operated during the Clone Wars. Hardeen possessed exceptional sniping skills and quickly came to be known as one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy during the Clone Wars. His abilities with a sniper rifle ultimately earned him the title: "The Marksman of Concord Dawn." Rako Hardeen had aspirations for greatness - he wanted to stand shoulder-to-shoulder among the legendary bounty hunters of his era, hired guns like Cad Bane, Embo and Twazzi. A crack shot, he was reputed to be the best marksman from Concord Dawn, but he never gained the notoriety he desired. That is, until the day he killed Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rako Hardeen carried a sniper rifle he was a skilled sniper, he also had a blaster pistol. He also used smoke grenades in case he needed to get away from someone. He also owned a BARC Speeder.

During the Clone Wars, Hardeen was hired by an anonymous client to murder Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Coruscant. After shooting the Jedi in the chest and 'completing the job,' Hardeen was pursued by Kenobi's vengeful former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Hardeen just barely managed to escape using smoke grenades and his speeder bike. When Anakin returns to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, he has to learn that his old master and friend is dead.

He then went to the Trueping's bar so that he could tell everyone about his success. While celebrating his high-profile kill at a dodgy cantina, he was summoned into the back room to meet his employer and receive payment. However, he found himself greeted by Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi–his supposed victim, now physically altered to look like Hardeen. Rako was shocked to discover his client was the Jedi Council. it was part of a secret plot to replace Hardeen with a Jedi agent to infiltrate the criminal underworld, sending Kenobi himself in a plot to infiltrate and sabotage Dooku's plot to kidnap Palpatine. Kenobi soon dressed as Rako, while Windu recorded bounty hunter's voice using a vocal emulatorso that Obi-Wan could use it. After Kenobi was ready, Windu put Rako to sleep. A Jedi funeral is held for Kenobi, but Ahsoka is worried for Skywalker, who has gone into a very grim mood.

Kenobi was was shaved bold, and disguised as Rako Hardeen in order to plant himself in a Republic prison as he was the infamous bounty hunter. For the perfect result, Kenobi then undergoes a facial transformation via nanotechnology to disguise himself as Hardeen. Also, he had to swallow a voice emulator droid which previously in loaded the voice sample gained from Hardeen by Windu. Then Anakin escorts the "prisoner" to the republic prison, giving Hardeen to Commander Fox, offering his help if someone is needed to teach the proper behavior to the criminal, Anakin would gladly teach him a lesson. Hardeen's reputation for having assassinated a Jedi proved valuable to Kenobi, who used it to gain the trust of other prisoners. However, a sharkman and his friend came to bully the newcomer, so Kenobi had to be cruel, piercing his fork into the hand of the aggressor.  Obi-Wan proceeds to make contact with another inmate, Moralo Eval, who is suspected to be a key figure in the plot against the Chancellor. Eval expresses his respect to "Hardeen" for having killed a Jedi; but things are complicated by the presence of Eval's cell-mate Cad Bane, who does not even bother to hide his distrust of the newcomer, and in addition, Obi-Wan learns that both of them plan to break out of prison very soon.
In due time, Bane stages a breakout by having the young  Boba Fett start a fight with Obi-Wan, triggering a general riot which Eval and Bane use as a cover for their escape. Obi-Wan joins them uninvited and surreptitiously aids them in escaping the prison through the morgue and incineration facility, though several members of prison personnel are killed by Eval and Bane in cold blood on the way. This is the first time we can take a look at the prisoncell block, with its very unique corridors. This bee nest cell shape like   corridors can be seen in Episode IV, when Han, Luke, and Chewie try to free princess Leia Organa from her cell. Commandeering a freighter, the three make their way off-planet. Despite Bane's continuing hostility, Obi-Wan has managed to win Eval's trust, who declares that they will let him join in on their next hit.

Rako Hardeen (still Obi-Wan Kenobi in disguise, but I will call him Rako afterwards) crash-lands the ship in the swamps of Nal Hutta to further throw any pursuers off their tracks, and he, Moralo Eval and Cad Bane proceed to the Bilbousa Bazaar to purchase new equipment and a ship. There Rako Hardeen gets his later and final outfit, which is identified as "his" clothes. Also, there he finds his special helmet on a shelf, which was based off of early Mc Quarry concept art for Boba Fett's helmet. During their shopping trip, however, Bane treats the Rodian owner of a local pawnshop, Pablo, very roughly by nearly killing him, which was a double mistake, because Bane created an enemy in Pablo, but spared his life, who later sends guards after them. Bane then sends Kenobi to buy a new ship while he and Eval procure some weapons. Once the deal is complete, however, Bane abandons Obi-Wan to the local authorities who were alerted by Pablo's assistant, since he still does not trust him. But Obi-Wan had previously attached a homing beacon to the ship's hull, and when questioned by the Hutt's henchmen, he reveals the tracking frequency and, while the guards proceed to shoot down the ship with several special sailbarge-like hutt fighters, escapes the dungeon. After contacting Yoda and Mace Windu and asking them to lift the manhunt in order to allow them free movement and provide some money for a new ship, Obi-Wan is rejoined by Eval and and a slightly maddened Bane, who have only barely escaped the Hutt's forces, just in time to present them with their new ship.

In the meantime, on Coruscant, Palpatine is asked by Windu to rescind the hunt for the fugitives. However, Anakin, who is visiting the Chancellor and is still unaware of the secret mission, does not take this decision well, and Palpatine exploits this by deliberately sending him and Ahsoka to Nal Hutta. After some brutal questioning of the locals on Anakin's part, the two Jedi learn about the next likely whereabouts of the fugitives' ship, since the ship seller decided to fuel up the ship only just enough to force them to seek out his brother's refueling station on Orondia. After spotting their quarry as they prepare to leave, Anakin decides to ram the ship into submission and board it in midflight, but is foiled by Bane and a subsequent crash-landing of both parties resulting from the furious chase through a local fuel-processing facility. Obi-Wan leaves the ship to tell Anakin the truth behind the matter, but is almost killed when his friend attacks him in a rage. Bane snares Anakin and prepares to kill him, but fails, and in the ensuing struggle Obi-Wan ends up wrestling with Anakin and addressing him by name before Anakin loses consciousness. Ahsoka arrives just when Bane prepares to finish off Anakin, but with her master unconscious and the fugitives' ship still operational, she cannot prevent the three from escaping. But as Anakin awakes soon afterwards, he relates his discovery that Obi-Wan is still alive and undercover and decides to find out the reason for this. At the same time, Yoda and Windu learn from Palpatine that he has sent Anakin after the fugitives, and so the two Jedi Masters decide to reveal the truth to Skywalker, risking he endangers the mission or end up even worse.

The trio consisting of the disguised Obi-Wan, Moralo Eval and Cad Bane arrive at Dooku's palace on Serenno, where the Count himself welcomes them, although the latter chastises Eval for his delay. From the Count, Obi-Wan and Bane learn that a contest is about to take place, and the two of them are invited to participate. The participants already on site include some of the galaxy's most successful - and thus notorious - bounty hunters: Next to Bane and Obi-Wan's disguise template, this includes Embo, Derrown, Twazzi, Sixtat, Jakoli, Mantu, Kiera Swan, Sinrich, and Onca (whose brother was just moments before murdered by the crazy Bane for his hat). Unarmed, all of them are to face a life-and-death challenge in the Box, a huge floating structure designed by Eval and filled with deathtraps; and only the first five survivors will be chosen for the task Dooku has in store for them, in return for a handsome reward. Meanwhile, in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker's suspicions about Obi-Wan are in the meantime confirmed by none other than Master Yoda himself, who apologizes for the deception but also makes it clear that due to Anakin's temper it would become too dangerous for Obi-Wan to involve himself in the mission. Once they have been transferred into the Box, the contestants meet their first challenge: Dioxis seeping from a pit in the floor, and a number of column platforms which provide a convenient but only temporary refuge from the gas. With the aid of his helmet's breath filter systems, Obi-Wan descends into the pit, where he finds a tunnel leading them to the next challenge, a room with laser spike-tipped horizontal columns emerging from the walls which claim Onca and Kiera Swan. However, Obi-Wan notices that the columns emerge in a certain pattern, thus serving as step-ladders to an escape route in the ceiling if the pattern is interpreted correctly, and leads his fellow contestants out of the chamber. The next contest involves a ray shield cage, whose walls slowly close in on the contestants, fitted with a likewise ray shielded turn-off switch. The only way to pass the switch shield would be a shot of a deadly serum which would shield its user against the shields' energy. By allowing Derrown to inject himself with the serum because the physiology of his race would allow him to survive the serum's effects, Obi-Wan once again manages to get the others out, save for Mantu and Jakoli, who are killed off by a ray shield emerging from the floor. The contestants proceed to the final challenge: A chamber whose floor is brimming with pop-pout flamethrowers, a small holographic target, and one single sniper blaster. The test is to hit the target three times in succession, every miss meaning that the platform the contestants are standing on is made smaller, therefore eventually plunging them all into the inferno below once the platform is fully gone. Sixtat takes the first turn, but fails and is killed off. Obi-Wan comes next and successfully hits the target, but then Eval, who is supervising this challenge personally and has grown jealous of "Hardeen"s' success since Dooku would likely put Hardeen in charge of the mission instead of him, decides to raise the stakes by demanding five hits and leaving Obi-Wan only one single column to stand on. Obi-Wan hits the target four times, but then the rifle's power runs out, and Eval deviously decides to finish him.
But as Obi-Wan is plunging to his doom, he is saved by Bane, who along with Dooku challenges Eval to face Obi-Wan in personal combat. For this purpose, all flamethrowers but those along the walls are deactivated, and Eval and Obi-Wan are lowered to the floor for the fight. Eval fights dirty by first calling in several probe droids, which Obi-Wan destroys, and then changing the floor into a small maze, but Obi-Wan eventually smashes Eval's control bracelet. The two face off in a fistfight; Obi-Wan brings down Eval but refuses to kill him under the pretense, "With all due respect, I just wanna do my job and get my money."

Nevertheless, he and his surviving compatriots are declared winners of the challenge and are entrusted with the Count's plan: to kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine as he goes to visit Naboo and hold him hostage in exchange for the release of the Separatist leaders who have been captured by the Republic in the course of the war. But instead of Eval or Kenobi, Dooku assigns Bane to act as the strike team's leader. In the Jedi Temple, the members of the Jedi Council along with Anakin and Ahsoka, discuss the security measures for Chancellor Palpatine’s visit on Naboo for its traditional Festival of Light. Mace Windu and Yoda have since disclosed to the others that Obi-Wan is still alive and in disguise, infiltrating Count Dooku's plot to strike against and kidnap the Chancellor. Anakin proves confident and determined to see the mission done, but perhaps a little too much, earning him concerned glances from Windu, Yoda and Ahsoka.

In the meantime, Count Dooku, Moralo Eval, Cad Bane and his team consisting of Obi-Wan, Embo, Derrown and Twazzi claim possession of a small hangar in Theed, by murdering the mechanics inside. The group congregates, and Bane proceeds to assign his fellow members' individual roles in the plot: Derrown is to take down the deflector shield erected for the Chancellor's protection, Eval is to provide the getaway transport, Embo and Twazzi, disguised as Senate Guards are assigned to escort the Chancellor, and a disguised Obi-Wan is to provide cover fire and incapacitate the Chancellor with a sniper blaster. Also, a special mapping device is issued to each of them, to lead them to the rendezvous point once the mission has been complete, and a special holographic disguise matrix is used to make them appear as Senate Guards. But as they leave for their posts, Dooku takes Bane aside for a moment and advises him to keep a special lookout for Hardeen, of whom the Count has grown suspicious. Finally, Palpatine and his escort, which includes Windu, Anakin and Ahsoka, arrive in Theed, where the Chancellor is welcomed by Queen Neeyutnee and a group of esteemed Galactic senators, among them Naboo's own representative Padmé Amidala and Sio Bibble, governor of Naboo. While security is in place, Palpatine shows little concern for the Count's imminent strike, and in worry of Padme's safety, Anakin assigns Ahsoka to accompany his wife and the Queen while he takes his place in the mission's front line. While assuming his position, Obi-Wan is finally able to contact Windu and inform him of the important elements of the Count's plan.

On that evening, the Naboo and their Senate guests gather at the Royal Palace to perform the initiation of the festival, with Bane infiltrating the crowd holographically disguised as a Neimoidian. However, when Dooku's operation commences and Derrown prepares to disable the deflector shield generator, Obi-Wan gives a warning to Windu, but he and Anakin are unable to prevent the shield’s deactivation or Derrown's escape. Obi-Wan attempts to prevent the latter, disabling Derrown's jetpack, but his blaster packs one shot only. The Chancellor is knocked out by the shield generator's explosion, and amidst the resulting confusion Embo and Twazzi make Palpatine look like a fallen Senate Guard with a holographic matrix while Twazzi takes on the Chancellor's appearance. Anakin and Windu intercept the two and fall for the ruse, whilst Bane and Eval make their escape with the unconscious Chancellor. As the only one closest to the kidnappers, Obi-Wan commandeers a speeder and follows Bane and Eval to the rendezvous point, where their escape ship is waiting (though Dooku apparently is not). When Obi-Wan arrives, he claims custody of the Chancellor at gunpoint, triggering a vicious fight against Bane. Obi-Wan eventually overpowers the two criminals and hands them over to the authorities (who just arrived, along with Anakin and Windu), and when his true name is revealed by Windu, Bane swears bitter revenge against the Jedi.

The next morning, Palpatine and the Jedi prepare to return to Coruscant, but even though the kidnapping was successfully thwarted, Anakin is still furious at Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council about having withheld the truth from him, even if this was meant to convince Dooku of "Hardeen"s' sincerity. An angry comment of his, however, triggers a suspicion in Obi-Wan, and before shedding his disguise, he returns to his position from the previous night and finds an activated com device in his sniper blaster’s case, meaning that Dooku had not shown because he had listened in on Obi-Wan's com calls to Windu. In fact, the Count awaits Palpatine and Anakin in an ambush, which was subtly arranged by Palpatine in order to draw out Anakin's frustrations and anger to their fullest and thus make him pass to the Dark Side of the Force for good. Anakin dispatches the two Magnaguards that accompanied Dooku quickly but when Palpatine tries to run away at Anakin's orders, a third Magnaguard intercepts him and holds him in place. Both watch as Anakin and Dooku duel across the halls and although Anakin holds Dooku down for a few seconds, Dooku manages to overpower him with Force lightning. Obi-Wan, however catches up to Anakin and together they manage to thwart Dooku's plan once again, destroying the lone Magnaguard and rescuing Palpatine, forcing Dooku to leave empty-handed, escaping in his shuttle. While Palpatine thanks the Jedi for their timely rescue, he makes an expression of mock concern about what the galaxy would become if the Jedi were no more.

The Rako Hardeen figure is a very special one. I haven't seen any existing figure, neither officially released, nor custom. It was made from different figure parts, we need 4 figures for the purpose, an Ep3 Kenobi, a prototype Boba Fett, a Rebel trooper, and a Lando Clarissian, and for that it is a quite special custom figure Only Hungarian Star Wars fans, and the readers of CustomStarWars are able to see this figure. His head van be replaced either with a tattooed head,  or the helmet.

Please take a look at my custom Rako Hardeen figure!

Custom Rako Hardeen figure with his helmet off

Custom Rako Hardeen figure in the  "Box" with Dooku

Custom Rako Hardeen as he followed Anakin

Custom Rako Hardeen back

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 by: Norbert Rostas