Spikewheel

Spikewheel was a droid scavenger who captained the starship Salvage-1. A group of scavengers, including the Nikto Gritz, hoped to join her crew, though Spikewheel was only interested in recruiting Gritz as her first mate aboard the Salvage-1.

Spikewheel picked up a transmission offering a reward in order for the capture of Maul, who, unknown to her, was a former Sith Lord, driven to madness after he was stranded on the junk planet Lotho Minor. To test Gritz's potential, she stranded him and the other hopeful crew members on Lotho Minor so that he could capture Maul in a stun net and bring him aboard the Salvage-1. However, Spikewheel was unaware that the transmission was sent by Maul himself, who escaped the net and attempted to steal the ship so that he could leave Lotho Minor. Spikewheel was destroyed by Maul when she tried to defend her ship, but Maul was dropped back onto the junk planet by the other crew members.

Biography

At some point between 32 BBY and 20 BBY,^[1] Spikewheel operated as a scavenger and the droid captain of the starship Salvage-1. After she picked up a transmission claiming to offer a large reward for the capture of Maul,^[2] a former Sith Lord whose body was dumped on the junk planet Lotho Minor after he was defeated and thought dead during the Battle of Naboo. Maul, who was driven mad by his time on Lotho Minor,^[3] had sent the transmission himself, hoping to escape the planet. To test the Nikto scavenger Gritz, who aspired to become her first mate, Spikewheel stranded him on Lotho Minor along with fellow hopefuls Brennar, Seles, and Riki, who she tricked into believing that they could join the crew of the Salvage-1 if they survived one night on the junk planet.^[2]

Once Gritz, aware of their captain's true mission, captured Maul in a stun net, Spikewheel returned to collect their captive, upon which Spikewheel revealed her true motive for stranding the crew on Lotho Minor. She and Gritz attempted to decipher the transmission to figure out where to take Maul, but Brennar realized that the message had been sent by Maul himself. At that moment, Maul broke free from the net, attacking the crew. Spikewheel defended her ship, firing at Maul, but the former Sith Lord tore her apart. Following Spikewheel's destruction, Riki managed to open the Salvage-1's door, sending Maul, Gritz, and Spikewheel's remains falling back onto Lotho Minor.^[2]

Characteristics

Captain Spikewheel was willing to lie to hopeful crew members and use them as bait in order to capture Maul and receive the supposed reward promised in his transmission. She held little regard for the individuals who hoped to join her crew, forcefully stranding them on Lotho Minor and referring to them as "fleshbags."^[2]

A bipedal droid with feminine programming, Spikewheel had golden plating and yellow photoreceptors. The left side of her face was damaged and scarred, and had plating missing. Spikewheel had a number of spikes placed on her head, arms, and legs, and was equipped with wrist blasters.^[2]

Equipment

Spikewheel was the captain of the starship Salvage-1, from which she intended to lead a crew.^[2]

Behind the scenes

Spikewheel first appeared in a flashback sequence of Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle 1, a comic written by Cavan Scott, illustrated by Megan Levens, and published by IDW Publishing^[2] on October 2, 2019.^[5] When designing Spikewheel, Levens worked with a detailed description provided by Scott. To make the design creepier to fit with the tone of the comic, Levens showed Spikewheel's inner workings beneath the damaged half of her face, comparing it to a skeleton visible beneath burned skin.^[4]

Appearances

• Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle 1 (First appearance) (In flashback(s))

Notes and references