Throughout the first two seasons of Star Wars Rebels, the crew of the Ghost continually runs afoul of Imperial Agent Kallus, whose name evokes "callus" or "callous."
A "callus" is a section of skin that has become thickened or hardened by friction; for instance, a person who does a great deal of work with his or her hands will typically develop calluses on those hands. The word "callous" (which doubles as an alternate spelling of "callus") carries another, similar meaning. A physical callus limits the sensitivity of one's skin; to be callous is to be insensitive to the needs, desires, or feelings of others.
In the first two seasons of Rebels, Agent Kallus lives up to his name; he is a hardened agent of the Imperial Security Bureau who is characterized by his disregard for others, be they the citizens tyrannized by the Empire or his own subordinates and colleagues in that Empire. He follows his orders and pursues his mission objectives without considering their human cost. In "Droids in Distress" (Rebels 1.3), for example, he reveals that he gave the order to use destructive ion disruptors on the Lasats, the people of Garazeb Orrelios.
As the show goes on, however, Agent Kallus' hard heart is softened and his name becomes an ironic contrast to his true character. When he and Zeb are stranded together on an ice moon in "The Honorable Ones" (Rebels 2.18), Kallus and his nemesis begin to develop a mutual understanding and regard for each other, and when Kallus sees how the crew of the Ghost care for Zeb, he begins to recognize how his colleagues in the Empire care nothing for him. Ultimately, Kallus becomes sensitive to both his own feelings and the needs of others; he ceases to be callous.
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Characters: Agent Kallus
Shows: Rebels
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