WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Doctor Aphra #8-11, Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage and Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, on sale now.
Thus far, the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries largely focuses on creating new characters and lore, but there are some crucial connections to the Skywalker Saga throughout the novels and comics. One connection that is gaining importance is the Starros family, the ancestors of Sana Starros. Since her introduction in Star Wars #4, Sana Starros has become a major character within the Star Wars comics due to her ties to the rebellion, Han Solo and Doctor Aphra.
In a subseries that largely has focused on the Jedi, Ghirra and Avon Starros provide insight into the workings of the Republic senate and show how the Nihil's attacks are affecting the rest of the galaxy, respectively. And an excerpt from Justina Ireland’s upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic: Mission to Disaster confirms that Avon will be playing a major role in the upcoming third wave of The High Republic subseries. Som to prepare for this heightened focus on the Starros family, let's look at the main Starros women throughout different Star Wars eras.
Sana Starros Is a Rebel and Reluctant Ally to Doctor Aphra
Sana Starros was a skilled smuggler, born on Nar Shadaa, operating during the Empire’s reign, whose ship, the Volt Cobra, she claimed was actually the fastest ship in the galaxy. She also had ties to both Han Solo and Doctor Aphra, first appearing in Star Wars #4 searching for Han, who she claimed was her husband. She later explained to Leia Organa that the marriage was a ruse from a con that she and Han attempted to pull, but Sana continued to be an ally to the Rebel Alliance afterward.
Sana also had a romantic relationship with Doctor Aphra when the pair attended the University of Bar’leth together, but Aphra left her without any explanation. Sana bore a grudge against Aphra for leaving and for other betrayals. However, they have been thrown together multiple times, and they currently are working together for Domina Tagge. Their relationship seems to be healing, but whether they have a romantic future remains uncertain, especially as they deal with Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn in the Star Wars: Crimson Reign miniseries.
It is uncertain how much Sana knows about her family’s past role in the High Republic. Sana did help Aphra attempt to recover a Nihil path engine for Domina Tagge in Doctor Aphra #8-10, by Alyssa Wong, Minkyu Jun, Victor Olazaba, Rachelle Rosenberg, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, Ray Anthony Height, Carlos Lao, Tom Groneman, Mark Paniccia and C.B. Cebulski. But during their search, Sana did not mention any of her family’s High Republic connections, so she may not be aware of her ancestry. Still, if Sana continues to search for High Republic relics, she may learn that her family once was a major political force in the galaxy.
Ghirra Starros Is a Driving Force in the High Republic's Senate
The Starros family was a political powerhouse during the High Republic era, and Ghirra Starros was the Galactic Senator from Hosnian Prime. In Justina Ireland's Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage, Avon reflects that her mother "never met a problem she couldn't solve." While the High Republic era before the subseries began was relatively peaceful, Ghirra faced resistance to her rule, which even resulted in Avon's brief kidnapping as a child. In Justina Ireland's Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, Ghirra played a major role in blocking Xylan Graf's attempts to gain access to the Berenge Sector to perform hyperspace tests, and her instincts proved to be correct when Xylan turned out to be working with the Nihil.
The novel also shows that Ghirra has strong political instincts and is willing to use her connections in order to get the upper hand against her enemies. She picks Vernestra Rwoh and her Padawan Imri Cantaros to investigate the Berenge Sector precisely because she knows that Xylan Graf will underestimate them. She also plays her own cards close to her chest; in Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage, Avon reflects that her mother never really showed much emotion, even when Avon's father left or her great grandmother died. This ability to mask her emotions may serve Ghirra well in the Senate and in the fight against the Nihil, but it also has put a strain on her relationship with Avon, who may be in more danger than ever.
Avon Starros' Curiosity May Put Her in Danger
Avon Starros was first introduced in Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage as a technological genius. She reprogrammed her protocol droid/bodyguard J-6 to say swear words, and she often "borrowed" ships to learn how they work. She also schemed to get her hands on a lightsaber and succeeded by the end of the novel. Avon believed that her mother Ghirra sent her away due to annoyance, but her further reflection on her memories shows that Avon's mother sent her away to Port Haileap to keep her safe. When Avon is stranded with Vernestra, Imri, Honesty Weft and J-6 on the moon Wevo after escaping a Nihil attack, her technological knowledge makes her an integral part of their survival.
Avon believes that science is the solution to any problem, but she also has a strong sense of fairness that guides her actions. For example, she reprograms J-6 for a joke, but she also is trying to give J-6 more free will. Despite her focus on science and logic, Avon cares deeply, especially about her friends Her curiosity and strong need to get understandable answers may also be partially rooted in her childhood kidnapping, an event that clearly scarred her psychologically. She only knows that her kidnappers were "members of a local group" who wanted to influence Ghirra's votes in the Senate. But since Avon never received a clear explanation for her kidnapping, she may be seeking more concrete answers about the world around her.
While Avon did not play a large role in the second wave of the subseries, she is set to return for wave three. In the excerpt released on StarWars.com, Vernestra Rwoh has a vision of Avon being shot by someone dressed as a Nihil while in a mysterious laboratory. This vision is the impetus for Vernestra and Imri to travel to Port Haileap and later Dalna to help save Avon and discover what the Nihil are plotting for Dalna. Whatever those plans are, the excerpt makes it clear that Avon and the Starros family will play a larger role in the subseries going forward.