Admiral Motti's Full Name and Canon
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:08 am
While reading through the Wookiepedia entry on Admiral Conan Antonio Motti (the guy that Vader Vader Force-choked for dis-believing and mocking the Force in ANH), I found this interesting quote from the behind the scene scenes section:
"Motti was one of the last Imperial characters from the original trilogy to receive a full name. However, Michael Reaves and Steve Perry intended to finally give the character a first name with their 2007 novel Death Star, and had already chosen the name "Zi"—used in the as-yet unpublished novel—when George Lucas created his own name for the character on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Following this, the writers were forced to change the name before printing, although one instance of "Zi" remains in the novel. Motti's full name was given by Lucas on the May 1, 2007 episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, during which Lucas was challenged to a trivia question by a fan—O'Brien Associate Producer Jordan Schlanski—as to the name of this Imperial officer who Darth Vader Force-chokes in A New Hope. Lucas jokingly replied "Conan Antonio Motti,", after O'Brien's full name. Although the character had previously been known only as "Motti," Lucas's statement finally gave a full name to this character. On the day after the episode aired, Late Night posted a blog entry on the NBC website about their surprise at Wookieepedia's quick response in adopting the new name for the character, and their appreciation for Lucas in naming a Star Wars character after O'Brien.[12]
When asked at Celebration IV to confirm the canon status of Motti's first name, Leland Chee said that "It'll be revealed eventually,"[13]. The name was finally confirmed when Sue Rostoni posted the dramatis persona for Death Star on the StarWars.com message boards.[14]"
So even in jest, Luca's word on the canon name for a relatively minor character carries considerable weight. ;-)
-Mike
"Motti was one of the last Imperial characters from the original trilogy to receive a full name. However, Michael Reaves and Steve Perry intended to finally give the character a first name with their 2007 novel Death Star, and had already chosen the name "Zi"—used in the as-yet unpublished novel—when George Lucas created his own name for the character on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Following this, the writers were forced to change the name before printing, although one instance of "Zi" remains in the novel. Motti's full name was given by Lucas on the May 1, 2007 episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, during which Lucas was challenged to a trivia question by a fan—O'Brien Associate Producer Jordan Schlanski—as to the name of this Imperial officer who Darth Vader Force-chokes in A New Hope. Lucas jokingly replied "Conan Antonio Motti,", after O'Brien's full name. Although the character had previously been known only as "Motti," Lucas's statement finally gave a full name to this character. On the day after the episode aired, Late Night posted a blog entry on the NBC website about their surprise at Wookieepedia's quick response in adopting the new name for the character, and their appreciation for Lucas in naming a Star Wars character after O'Brien.[12]
When asked at Celebration IV to confirm the canon status of Motti's first name, Leland Chee said that "It'll be revealed eventually,"[13]. The name was finally confirmed when Sue Rostoni posted the dramatis persona for Death Star on the StarWars.com message boards.[14]"
So even in jest, Luca's word on the canon name for a relatively minor character carries considerable weight. ;-)
-Mike