Thelonious Jaha has rarely been anyone’s favorite character. Not only is he an Old on a show that has prioritized the kids’ perspectives from the very beginning, but he has made some questionable decisions over the years. With the death of such a controversial to write, did showrunner Jason Rothenberg know for sure how he wanted to write Jaha’s exit? “I didn’t always know for sure,” Rothenberg told Den of Geek during a phone interview. “I feel like the one thing that really mattered to me was that he went out heroically. He went out in a way that felt sad, and emotional, and heartbreaking, and not like triumph, and people rooting for the death of this character, who is sometimes an antagonist. That was very, very important to me, as we set out to break that story.” “I wanted to tell a story where Jaha dies, in a way that is true to who he lived as, which was somebody who was always doing what he had to do, whatever it took, for his people to survive,” continued Rothenberg. “Certainly, he goes out in Episode 2 saving Sky Crew once again. But, also, that we were moved by it. I think that we achieved that, too. It is a significant loss, for sure.” How did you feel about the manner of Jaha’s death? Were you sad to see him go? Sound off in the comments below.
