Staying at hotels, B&Bs, and even Airbnb’s there are often concierge services available about what to see and do in the area you’re visiting, so we’ve opened the concierge desk at the Manor to offer suggestions on what to read, watch, and enjoy when wanting to find out more about your favorite Star Wars characters now that you have the free time to do so! One of the most popular characters to come out of the Marvel comics line is Sana Starros: bounty hunter, smuggler, con-woman, and potentially, an ex-wife?? Creating an extra wrinkle for our heroes very early in the canon reset, Sana Starros took a starring role in the comics as her backstory was fleshed out, and we’re happy to share with you the best places to get acquainted with her!
Disclaimer: Since most people have likely already seen the Star Wars films, the Manor Suggests series will focus on the various publishing aspects of the GFFA. We also highly suggest, if a local comic shop or book store is still open/offering curbside service or other social-distancing options, please consider picking up many of the suggested titles below from them!
Smuggler’s Guide (Resource Guide; Written by Daniel Wallace, Chronicle Books 2018)
If you want to know about a smuggler, the best place to learn about them is through the words of their contemporaries! This in-universe resource guide gives a lot of background information on the galaxy and on the state of smuggling. Through hand-written notes, recorded by various dangerous smugglers, we learn a little bit about Sana and the world that she inhabits. In one humorous aside, for example, Sana uses her status as “Han Solo’s wife(!)” to lay claim to goods seized by the Emperor. One constant refrain of Sana’s life is her wit getting her what she wants: if she needs or wants something, she will find a way to manipulate her way into getting that. The writers in the Smuggler’s Guide know this way too well!
Last Shot (Novel; Written by Daniel José Older; Del Rey 2018)
In times past, you might have said that Sana Starros and Han Solo were friends. Really! They spent a lot of time together at this little dive bar that you might’ve heard of on Takodana, some castle run by a pirate queen. Sana’s part in the novel is more backstory than having a role in the main plot, but it informs a lot of it. She hires Han and Chewbacca to help her steal a device known as the Phylanx Redux Transmitter. Sana has stolen something else that’s very valuable, a diminutive crime lord, which brings the attention of many bounty hunters down on the trio. Even in just a few pages, Sana’s ingenuity and danger are displayed, showing why she and Han would’ve made a great pair…had he not double crossed her soon after.
Star Wars #4-6 “Skywalker Strikes” Arc [Vol. 1] (Issues in On-going Comic; Written by Jason Aaron; Art by John Cassaday; Colors by Laura Martin/Paul Mounts; Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos; Marvel 2015)
Unfortunately, Han and Sana’s relationship started to go a bit south. The first completed arc under Marvel’s new canon run of Star Wars comics, author Jason Aaron was really looking to shake things up a little bit, and maybe introduce us to aspects of our favorite characters’ histories that we didn’t know before. One of these secrets looms large over the first story arc as a dangerous bounty hunter has set their sights on Han Solo. Showing off a dangerous array of weapons and skill, this bounty hunter is not setting their blaster to stun. But stun they do when the identity of this bounty hunter is revealed as Sana Solo(?!?!) – a massive cliff-hanger which suggested that the comic series was going down an entirely new route. Though Sana’s role in this arc is smaller than in the ones that we’ll highlight later, this arc is how you really get to know how dangerous she is. If Han Solo’s original introduction in A New Hope was designed to give audiences the impression that he was dangerous, Sana’s introduction proves that, no, she actually is really dangerous.
Star Wars #8-12 “Showdown on the Smuggler’s Moon” Arc [Vol. 1] (Issues in On-going Comic; Written by Jason Aaron; Pencils by Stuart Immonen; Inks by Wade Von Grawbadger; Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos; Marvel 2015)
The dangerous woman revealed in the last story arc would soon start to show her cards, one at a time, in order to get what she wants. She wants her husband, Han Solo, to pay up for a string of jobs that he cheated her on. Sana’s introduction to the cast, starting small with only Han Solo and Leia Organa, brings a delightful new wrinkle into the core cast that we expected from the series. Already, Sana is causing friction between the two, who had really only recently started to come together as friends – or maybe a little more. But this arc not only introduces Sana to the main cast, but it introduces us to her. The last arc showed us how she was dangerous – this arc shows us why she is dangerous. She is a formidable pilot, potentially even rivaling the skill of the smuggler whom she married. We also learn about some of her connections with the underworld, setting her up as someone that you’d probably rather have on your side than against you. This arc sets up the Vader Down crossover, which Sana does not play a very large role in.
Star Wars #16-19 “Rebel Jail” Arc [Vol. 1] (Issues in On-going Comic; Written by Jason Aaron; Pencils by Leinil Yu; Inks by Gerry Alanguilan; Colors by Sunny Gho w/ Java Tartaglia; Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos; Marvel 2016)
After the events of Vader Down, the Rebels’ clash with Darth Vader on Vrogas Vos, Sana Starros is brought back to the center of the series in a major way. One of the Imperial agents working with Vader was captured on Vrogas Vos. A virtual unknown to the Rebellion, Doctor Chelli Aphra seems like a great prisoner to have: she’s worked with Vader and was heavily involved in the battle. Despite being unknown to most of the Rebellion, she is extremely well known to Sana Starros. Oh yes, the two have had quite an intimate history together. As Dr. Aphra is transported to Sunspot Prison, a dangerous mercenary is threatening to destroy the prison and kill every prisoner inside. As the Jail’s defense crumbles around Dr. Aphra, Sana, and Leia, unlikely bedfellows are forced to work together just to survive. But the prison falling apart isn’t the biggest concern: no, more pressing may be the fall-out between the two women as they discuss (with blasters) what happened to their relationship and, well, what type of person each sees the other as.
Star Wars #22-25 “The Last Flight of the Harbinger” [Vol. 1] (Issues in On-going Comic; Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Jorge Molina; Inks by Scott Hanna; Colors by Matt Milla; Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos & Joe Caramagna; Marvel 2016)
One of the most fun adventures in the Star Wars series, “The Last Flight of the Harbinger” showcases the Rebellion on one of their most daring supply runs. As Tureen VII starves, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker come up with a really, really dumb plan: capture a Star Destroyer and use it to break a blockade, thereby allowing relief to come to the people of Tureen VII! Sana Starros is brought along, and is given the chance to interact with quite a bit of the main cast. Her interactions with Luke are a spotlight, as she takes the role of a wise, but jaded, mentor of sorts, showing Luke how innocent and naive he really can be, telling him more about what the galaxy is actually like. But that’s not to say her interactions with Leia and Han aren’t gold: as the two spend most of the arc flirting and pretending to bicker with one another, Sana calls it as it is, identifying their blossoming relationship much earlier than anyone else does. This is the arc where Sana really shines as a part of the Rebellion.
Star Wars #34 “The Thirteen Crates” (Issue in On-going Comic; Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Salvador Larroca; Colors by Edgar Delgado; Lettering by Clayton Cowles; Marvel 2017)
In Jason Aaron’s final run in the Star Wars series, he chose to give all of the cast individual stories, usually starring one or two characters in an environment a little different from the regular contexts for the series. In this issue, Sana is teamed up with Lando Calrissian, the smoothest con-man this side of the galaxy…and yet, even his charm does not fool Sana. Sana’s complexity, wit, and intelligence is brought to center stage in this issue as she works out a complicated plan to rip off major crime syndicates all over the galaxy – very much to Lando’s dismay. This issue really needs to be read to be experienced, so I will try to not spoil any more!
Doctor Aphra #20-25 “The Catastrophe Con” Arc [Vol. 1] (Issues in On-going Comic; Written by Simon Spurrier; Art by Kev Walker; Inks by Marc Deering; Colors by Java Tartaglia; Lettering by Joe Caramagna; Marvel 2018)
If you were captivated before by thinking about Sana and Aphra’s past relationship, boy do I have a new story for you. Of course, this story focuses more on Dr. Aphra – it is her book, after all – but Sana plays a huge role in this. Imprisoned on an Imperial prison barge, Dr. Aphra is beset by enemies on all sides. Of course, she has the constant fear of Darth Vader, the ever-present danger of Triple Zero and BT wanting revenge, but now she has taken the ire of a Melvaynian police officer. Thankfully, Aphra was about to receive some help! From whom? Well, two unlikely sources, a pair you might never expect as people looking for her. The first person? General Hera Syndulla herself! General Syndulla knows that Aphra has good intel that would be a boon to the Rebellion. The second? Sana Starros! (That one was less of a surprise since you’re reading this article.) I know what you’re thinking: I am not sure I would want help from someone who is your ex-girlfriend who kind of hates you, is trying her best to avoid you, and very recently wrote you off as a lost cause. Yeah, I wouldn’t like to be in that situation, either, but when you’re Doctor Aphra, you may not have many choices other than that. One of the things that is different about this story is that it takes the hints “Rebel Jail” dropped about the relationship between Sana and Dr. Aphra and brings it into explicit territory, where the two directly talk about the relationship that they once shared. This makes Sana the first explicitly LGBTQ+ woman of color in the franchise, if I remember correctly. This relationship is played well, bringing out new dimensions to both Aphra and Sana at the same time.
Women of the Galaxy (Reference Book; Written by Amy Ratcliffe; Sana Art by Jennifer Aberin Johnson; Chronicle Books 2018)
Most of the content that we feature in these articles is usually more narrative focused. It’s not very easy to get the flavor of a person from an article; that’s why even these articles are written to point you toward the stories we feature, rather than recapping those stories. If you want to get a feel for a person, usually it’s better to read a story featuring them to see what they do, think, and say. But Amy Ratcliffe wrote an excellent book featuring a lot of the female characters in the history of the franchise, giving you a birds’ eye view of their life and their impact. You’ll notice that all of the authors above are male, so we wanted to feature a piece on Sana written by Amy, too. And it doesn’t read like a typical article; rather, it has warmth and appreciation for every character featured!
Honorable Mentions: The upcoming Doctor Aphra audio-drama is set to adapt Aphra’s first appearance from the Darth Vader (Vol. 1) comic series, but it may feature some background information on Sana and Aphra’s relationship!
Sometimes, it’s a lot more fun when you’re hanging out on the seedier side of the galaxy. That’s what you get when you hang out with Sana Starros and her side of the story! We’re so used to the Original Trilogy being the story of Rebels and Imperials, a handful of Jedi vs. the two most powerful Sith in the galaxy, and stories of underdogs that we forget, sometimes, that there are normal people in the galaxy, doing the best they can to survive. And some really make that work for them, like Sana! Some people are just forged in adversity, and it makes them smarter, stronger, and more fun to be around. So why not pull out some comics and read about the galaxy’s most exciting scoundrel?
MYNOCK MANOR SUGGESTS SERIES
Hera Syndulla
Captain Phasma
Count Dooku
Rose Tico
Lando Calrissian