Kora was a young woman with a mysterious past and the main protagonist of Rebel Moon, portrayed by Sofia Boutella. Her world was defeated by Balisarius, who spared her and took her in. He gave her the name "Arthelais" and trained her to fight for the Motherworld. She eventually rebelled against the Imperium, coming to be known as the "Scargiver."
Biography[]
"Kindness is a virtue worth dying for. I believe that. I didn't always."
Kora, A Child of Fire
Kora[2] grew up with her father, mother, and older brother and sister. They owned a tea shop and lived a peaceful life.[3]
Kora at the end of her homeworld.
At the age of nine, Kora lived with her parents on a planet that fell under Balisarius' attack. He and his forces slaughtered everyone on the planet, including Kora's family. Kora found a gun and Balisarius let her put the gun against his forehead. Kora pulled the trigger, the gun did not fire, and Balisarius took her back to the Motherworld. He renamed her "Arthelais" and adopted her as his own.
Arthelais plants a flag after her first conquest for the Imperium.
For the next nine years, Arthelais was indoctrinated and trained as a member of the Imperium. After graduating from the military academy at the age of eighteen, Arthelais became the youngest Imperium officer to hold a field command after demonstrating both her ability to fight under pressure and her knowledge of tactics and terrain. Her conquests brought several previously unconquered worlds under the Motherworld's control. Eventually, with her adoptive father's influence, Arthelais became the royal seneschal of the House of Carathon, a royal bodyguard tasked with protecting Princess Issa.
Assassination of the royal family.
Arthelais' position as seneschal was orchestrated by Balisarius, who planned to use her as a scapegoat for the assassination of the royal family. His plan was that he and the other senators would kill the king and queen while Arthelais would kill the princess. Arthelais reluctantly followed the plan, firing on Issa. The senators turned on Arthelais, who pointed her Guardian Gun at Balisarius, but couldn't bring herself to shoot her adoptive father. She stole the royal dropship and fled.
Kora lives her new life on Veldt.
Over the next three years, Arthelais found her way to Veldt and was found by a local farmer, Hagen. He took her in under her original name of Kora and the village gave her a new, quiet life at the edge of the galaxy. She became a farmer and worked with Gunnar before the Imperium found its way to the moon in the form of Admiral Atticus Noble's hunt for the Bloodaxe insurgents. When the village agreed to cave to the admiral's demands and hope for mercy, Kora knew it would end badly for them. She decided to leave them behind, however, during this process she answered Sam's calls for help, revealing her capabilities to the village and deciding that she couldn't turn her back on them if they would accept her help.
Kora leaving Veldt with Kai and Gunnar.
Kora and Gunnar left to find Titus for his military mind and the Bloodaxe insurgents that Noble sought. Gunnar had done business with them in the past and knew how to find them, so they figured that with their support, Veldt may stand a chance against Admiral Noble and The King's Gaze. In the port city of Providence, they found Kai, who, with his Tawau-class freighter and knowledge of the goings on of the galaxy, could help them both find Titus and recruit additional warriors who may be interested in the cause. They took him up on this offer and successfully found Tarak, Nemesis, Titus, and a small group of Bloodaxes led by Darrian Bloodaxe to fight for them.
Kai pushed Kora to agree to one last stop before returning to Veldt to plan their defenses. He had business on Gondival, which would be the last thing he would need to do before supposedly setting his life of self-preservation aside to fight with honor for Kora's cause. They stopped at the unregistered trade depot to unload Kai's crates, which were ecto-restraints in disguise. Noble's fast-attack launch emerged and began shooting down the Bloodaxe ships, while the ecto-restraints activated, capturing those with bounties on their heads. Simeon and his group of Hawkshaws held Milius and the other Bloodaxes at gunpoint, leaving Gunnar to Kai. Kai attempted to force Gunnar to sever Kora's spinal cord, but Gunnar instead used the bolt pistol to free her, and then to kill Kai. Now free, Kora was able to launch a counterattack against Noble's forces that had come to collect the bounties. The other members of the group also got free and joined her, but she charged ahead to face Noble directly. The two fought, with Kora dropping the admiral down to the rocky surface of the moon below, presumably killing him. She and the surviving members of the group returned to Veldt as planned, though now, it was to celebrate their victory rather than to fight.[4]
Kora faces Noble before the battle.
The group quickly learned that The King's Gaze was still approaching and that they would need to prepare their defenses. Kora supported Titus' plans in the five days they had before the dreadnought would arrive, harvesting the wheat, laying traps, and training the villagers. When Noble returned, they were ready. Kora faced him and she offered him a choice: Take the wheat and go or her warriors would destroy him. He countered, agreeing to the offer on the condition that he could bring her back to Balisarius. To save the village from the unavoidable bloodshed, win or lose, she agreed to avoid the fight. Gunnar couldn't so easily accept her conviction, however, and sounded the village bell to trigger the Veldt attack.
Kora and Gunnar fly to The King's Gaze.
Kora managed to slip away from Noble in the chaos of battle, which led to the next step of their plan. She and Gunnar took a uraki away from the village, up to Mara Falls where the royal dropship Kora initially used to reach Veldt was hidden. They used a smoke grenade to trick the Imperium soldiers of The King's Gaze into thinking they were of the landing party who'd been damaged and were brought into the dreadnought for support. They took down the medics and split up. Kora would plant explosives in the engine room, while Gunnar would get their ship back up and running so they could flee.
Kora fights Admiral Noble.
Kora was reported and Noble sent soldiers after her, but she managed to make her way back to the dropship through them, picking up a Krypteian sword along the way. She would need it, because when she arrived at the docking bay, Noble was there to cut her off. Gunnar, hidden on the dropship, fired on Noble and his Krypteian Guard from behind, but was only able to take out the Krypteian before Noble shot him. Kora lunged at Noble and, as the explosives went off and sent the ship tumbling out of the sky, the two fought as they slid down the tilting floor. Kora held her own, but in the end, Noble managed to overpower her. Gunnar had slid down with them, however, and though wounded, he managed to strike a decisive blow to Noble from behind with Kora's sword. Kora took the sword back to finish the job and the pair barely managed to make it off the ship before it hit the ground.
Kora and Gunnar at the crash site.
Their escape ship could barely fly, so they crashed on their way back to Veldt village. Gunnar wasn't doing so well with his slag wound. He told Kora he loved her as Devra Bloodaxe's fighter ships arrived to pick off the remaining Imperium enemies. Kora looked up to tell Gunnar of their success, but by the time she looked back down, he was dead. She mourned him with the village. At the funeral pyre, Titus informed Kora that Princess Issa was still alive and a new plan for the future started to form for the rebels.[5]
Abilities[]
- Multilingualism: Kora spoke at least a couple of languages, including Mothertongue and Sharaanism. It's unknown what her native tongue was, but as an otherworlder, it's likely the case that her mothertongue differed from that of the Motherworld.
- Leadership: Kora was an exceptional leader, leading Motherworld forces in conquest to such success that she became the most decorated soldier in the history of the Motherworld and securing her position as the royal seneschal for Princess Issa Carathon. She continued to lead after leaving the service of the Motherworld, leading the Veldt resistance to great success against The King's Gaze despite their enemy's far superior numbers, experience, and weaponry. She did this by gathering exceptional warriors and earning their trust, then delegating tasks among them to suit their strengths.
- Weapons mastery: Trained to master all weaponry, Kora was exceptional at combat with a variety of weapons.
- Hand-to-hand combat: Kora was skilled enough with hand-to-hand combat that she was able to disarm trained soldiers and use their weapons against them with a level of confidence that made the task seem easy.
- Marksmanship: Kora's primary weapon was her Guardian Gun, which was given to her by King Athander Carathon. She used this weapon effectively on multiple occasions, but was also skilled with other Motherworld weaponry.
- Swordsmanship: Even having never wielded a Krypteian blade, Kora quickly learned how to utilize one despite its intense heat and fought Admiral Noble on even footing with his own oracle steel sword, for which he was trained and properly equipped.
- Knot throwing: Kora was excellent at throwing knots, which was a skill she used to hook Noble's leg and trip him during her fight with him, as well as to later tie his bone staff to the buoy to stop him from using it on her.
- Pilotry: Kora had some skill in pilotry, enabling her to use a Motherworld dropship to flee the Imperium and find her way to Veldt. She was also able to fly Kai's Tawau-class freighter in his absence and was familiar with Motherworld protocols, enabling her to effectively pilot ships in formation.
- Agricultural acuity: Kora was skilled in farming to some degree, working with Gunnar to grow wheat on Veldt. She was dedicated to this task, taking pride in her work.
Equipment[]
- Guardian Gun: A decorative slag pistol, Kora carried this sidearm, the use of which was second nature to her. It was given to her by King Athander to use for the protection of his daughter, Issa. It was inscribed with, "My life for hers."
- Royal dropship: Kora stole the royal dropship after the assassination of the royal family and she used it to flee from the Motherworld. She crashed it on Veldt, where she was found by Hagen.
Relationships[]
Gunnar gave Kora a job after she deserted the Imperium. It was thanks in part to him that she was able to start a new, peaceful life on Veldt. Kora respected Gunnar's courage in the face of danger. Throughout their adventure together he was her closest confidant and later, her lover.
Balisarius was Kora's adoptive father, as well as the soldier in command of the destruction of her homeworld and the deaths of her family members. He was incredibly controlling of his daughter, renaming her, convincing her to follow along with all his manipulations, and ultimately using her as a pawn in the assassination of the royal family. Despite this betrayal and after years of living under his thumb, Kora couldn't bring herself to kill Balisarius.
Hagen was the man who found Kora when she crash-landed on Veldt. He set up space for her to stay in his own home and eventually came to see her as something like a daughter. They didn't always agree, even on life-and-death issues, but they always found their way back to each other.
Atticus Noble was Kora's main adversary after leaving the Motherworld. He originally saw her as nothing more than a prize that would secure him a seat in the senate. However, after being defeated by Kora and threatened by Balisarius, the rivalry grew much more personal, and he would stop at nothing to eliminate the Scargiver.
Den was a fellow villager in Veldt. A renowned hunter and easy lover, Kora had a casual relationship with him during her time in the village. He was amenable to marrying her, but this wasn't among her interests.
Sam was a friend Kora made in the village. Sam confided in Kora that she didn't believe she'd find a romantic partner from the village and joked about Kora’s relationship with Den, then Kora later saved her from the Imperium soldiers.
Titus was a general in whom Kora had a high degree of trust for his skill and leadership. While initially harsh, Titus was willing to join her after Kora suggested an opportunity for revenge. When they prepared for the Veldt invasion, the two were shown to have mutual faith in each other's abilities. Titus was also willing to keep her true identity a secret after realizing that she was the Scargiver.
Kai was initially seen as a means to travel from planet to planet and recruit fighters, but Kora was swayed by his speech about honor, believing he was someone nobler than just a sleazy mercenary. However, he turned out to be just who he initially seemed and betrayed the team, leading Kora to take back any compliments she gave him.
Appearance chronology[]
Chalice of Blood
age 9
age 13
Chalice of Blood
age 18
Behind the scenes[]
Kora's injuries, seen during the sex scenes in the director's cuts, were Sofia Boutella's idea. When she saw that Kora would be wearing a corset, she figured that Kora had a bad back after her time fighting for and fleeing from the Motherworld, and the corset helped support her. Boutella extended that concept into the sex scenes, asking for Zack Snyder's approval for the concept of the scars across her body, which he provided.[6]
"Kora/Cora" is a recurring name in Zack Snyder's projects, previously appearing as the name of a nurse in Dawn of the Dead and one of the protagonists in Army of the Dead: Viva Las Vengeance.
Gallery[]
See also: Images of Kora
References[]
- ↑ This character's physical traits are based on those of Sofia Boutella, who portrayed Kora.
- ↑ V. Castro (author). December 26, 2023. Rebel Moon Part One - A Child of Fire: The Official Novelization. Great Britain: Titan Books. P.101.
- ↑ V. Castro (author). December 26, 2023. Rebel Moon Part One - A Child of Fire: The Official Novelization. Great Britain: Titan Books. P.96.
- ↑ Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Shay Hatten (writers) & Zack Snyder (director). December 22, 2023. Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire.
- ↑ Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Shay Hatten (writers) & Zack Snyder (director). April 19, 2024. Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver.
- ↑ Anna Menta. "Kora's Scars in the 'Rebel Moon: Director's Cut' Sex Scenes Were Sofia Boutella's Idea: 'I Asked Zack If It Would Be OK'". Decider. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved on August 2, 2024. “Having been in wars and on battlefields for so long, [Kora] probably doesn't have the best back. And she probably needs support. Genuinely! When you find her on Veldt, she's plowing the land, I thought, 'That's what she was wearing the corset. It's back support!' That gave me the idea—which I'm happy about—you will see that in the extended version, that Kora has injuries.”
| Rebel Moon characters | |
| Main • Veldt • Motherworld • Other | |
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