Gaja bird

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"Enough, both of you. Aryssha is goodness-knows-where, and you two are bickering like gaja birds."
―Thea Starros, to Sana and Mevera Starros[1]

Gaja birds were a type of bird that could be found on the Core Worlds planet Hosnian Prime, where they plucked fish from the world's oceans. They bickered with each other and were hunted for sport. In 228 BBY, Starros Clan member Avon Sunvale recalled seeing the birds catching fish. During the Imperial Era, the clan's matriarch, Thea Starros, reproached her relatives Sana and Mevera Starros for bickering like gaja birds.

Behavior

"Well, we cannot stand here on the walkway and argue like a pod of gaja birds."
―Xylan Graf, to a group of individuals[2]

Gaja birds lived in pods and argued among themselves. On the Core Worlds planet Hosnian Prime, the birds swooped low over the waves of the world's oceans and caught unwary fish.[2]

History

"I should get a pet. Something big that can get up on my shoulder. Like a gaja bird or a neevlin."
―A member of the Rokana Raiders[3]
Gaja birds plucked fish from the seas of Hosnian Prime (pictured).

Gaja birds plucked fish from the seas of Hosnian Prime (pictured).

By 232 BBY,[4] during the High Republic Era, when she lived on Hosnian Prime, the Starros Clan member Avon Starros saw gaja birds pluck fish out of the world's seas.[2] In 228 BBY,[5] while she was living on the Outer Rim planet Hetzal Prime in the Nihil pirates' region of space known as the Occlusion Zone, Avon was the target of a number of assassination attempts and mentally noted that she felt she had become little more than a gaja bird being hunted for sport. Later, in an attempt to calm herself down as she stood outside of the Jedi Temple on[2] the Core Worlds planet[6] Coruscant, Avon took deep breaths and had calm visualizations of gaja birds taking unsuspecting fish from Hosnian Prime's oceans.[2]

That same year,[5] while on the Outer Rim planet Seswenna, the Graf family member Xylan Graf, the San Tekka clan member Jordanna Sparkburn, Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, the Shani Nihil Deva Lompop, and Avon—now going by the name Avon Sunvale—discussed their potential actions while they were waiting to speak with a contact of Graf's. Graf sighed and noted that they could not simply stand on a walkway and argue like a pod of gaja birds, which prompted Sparkburn to suggest that she and Graf head to meet his contact.[2]

In 3 ABY,[7] while a humanoid member of Rokana Raiders guarded the Khepi Tomb in the Khepi system, they pondered getting a pet that was large enough to get on their shoulder, and included a gaja bird as a potential option.[3] Around that year,[8] as they were traveling aboard the starship Vector Bundle,[1] the Starros Clan matriarch[9] Thea Starros scolded her granddaughter Sana and daughter Mevera for bickering like gaja birds after the two younger women had began questioning each other about past events that they had been actually or supposedly been involved in.[1]

Behind the scenes

Gaja birds were first mentioned in the second issue of the 2023 comic series Star Wars: Sana Starros. The issue was written by Justina Ireland and published by Marvel Comics[1] on March 8, 2023.[9]

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Sana Starros 2
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 The High Republic: Defy the Storm
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars Outlaws (A Pirate's Fortune DLC only)
  4. ↑ The High Republic: Defy the Storm states that Avon Sunvale saw gaja birds plucking fish when she lived on Hosnian Prime, which The High Republic: A Test of Courage establishes occurred before she was eventually sent to live at Port Haileap. Furthermore, Starros lives at Port Haileap at the time of the events of A Test of Courage, which Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of to 232 BBY.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: Timelines dates Starlight Beacon's destruction to 230 BBY. The implementation of the Guardian Protocols, which Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia places in 229 BBY, took place one week after Starlight Beacon's fall according to The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight 1. As The High Republic Adventures (2023) 4 takes place one year and two weeks after the destruction of Starlight Beacon, it must be set in 228 BBY. Since the events of The High Republic Adventures (2023) 6 are set immediately following the fourth issue and depict the expansion of the Stormwall, the expansion must have taken place in the same year. Meanwhile, the events of "Tales from the Occlusion Zone: No Big Deal" include the Stormwall's expansion and also depict the start of Pikka Adren's pregnancy. A later story, "Tales from the Occlusion Zone: Sparks Fly," states that Adren is eight months pregnant during its events, indicating that it is set eight months after "No Big Deal," and therefore one year, eight months, and two weeks after the fall of Starlight Beacon. "Sparks Fly" is set during the Battle of Eriadu, an event that begins in The High Republic Adventures Phase III - The Wedding Spectacular. As StarWars.com Star Wars: The High Republic Chronological Reader's Guide on StarWars.com (article) (backup link) places The High Republic: Defy the Storm between the events of "No Big Deal" and The Wedding Spectacular, its events must also be set in 228 BBY.
  6. ↑ Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
  7. ↑ Premium-Era-real Visit a Galaxy Far, Far Away with our Star Wars liveblog direct from San Diego Comic-Con 2024! on Popverse: "We're beginning our journey three years after the Battle of Yavin" (backup link archived on January 22, 2025) dates the events of Star Wars Outlaws to 3 ABY.
  8. ↑ The events of Star Wars: Sana Starros take place between those of issue 31 and issue 38 of the 2020 Star Wars: Doctor Aphra comic-book series. Issue 31 is also set after Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 3 ABY, while issue 38 is a part of the Star Wars: Dark Droids crossover event, which is followed by the events of issue 43 of the 2020 Star Wars series. Furthermore, the flashbacks of issue 50 of the Star Wars series—which follow the events of issue 43—take place approximately twenty-two years after Sheev Palpatine's ascension to the title of Galactic Emperor. Since Timelines dates that event to 19 BBY, the flashbacks must occur around 3 ABY and the events of Sana Starros must therefore also take place around the latter year.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Marvel-TemplateLogo Celebrate The Heroes Of Star Wars In Peach Momoko's Women's History Month Variant Covers on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)