Wynnet Ree

Wynnet Ree was a human female who died a few hours after being born on the planet Jelucan in 19 BBY. Wynnet's twin sister Ciena maintained a special bond with Wynnet despite her passing, and tried to live her life for the both of them. Ciena said the phrase "look through my eyes" during significant moments of her life as a way for Wynnet to also experience it with her. She also wore a bracelet that served as a connection to her twin. Throughout the Imperial Era, during which Ciena served the Galactic Empire, she often thought of Wynnet.

Biography

Window into the world

Born on the planet Jelucan^[1] in 19 BBY,^[2] the human female Wynnet Ree died only a few hours after her birth. Her twin sister Ciena Ree lived on and, despite never knowing Wynnet, felt a unique bond with her nonetheless. Ciena wore a leather bracelet, a symbol of their twin bond. She never took the bracelet off under any circumstances. Ciena recited the phrase "look through my eyes" during important, terrible, and beautiful moments of her life as a way to share her life with Wynnet, invoking her sister's memory and reminding herself that she lived her life for both of them. When her father, Paron Ree, overheard his daughter saying the phrase, he also thought of Wynnet. Paron and the twins' mother Verine Ree raised Ciena in the valleys of Jelucan, part of a group on the planet known as the First Wavers.^[1]

In 11 BBY,^[3] the family traveled to the city Valentia. On the way there, an eight-year-old Ciena caught a glimpse of an Imperial shuttle, causing her to gaze at the sky in wonder and whisper the phrase. As Ciena grew up, she told her friend Thane Kyrell about Wynnet after Kyrell asked her about why she said "look through my eyes." Ciena explained her sister and stated that she felt Wynnet allowed her to be intentional about recognizing special moments in her life. As the two friends had both intended to enter the Jelucan preparatory academy and become pilots in the Galactic Empire, Ciena said that one of her goals was to show Wynnet the stars.^[1]

Through Imperial eyes

In 3 BBY,^[4] when Ciena joined the Empire as an Imperial cadet at the Royal Imperial Academy on the planet Coruscant, she was required to take her bracelet off. As a means of staying connected to Wynnet, she placed the bracelet in a cloth pouch and kept it in her pocket throughout her service. As she experienced many new things on Coruscant, Cinea felt guilty about the prospect of unintentionally leaving the traditional values she had grown up with on Jelucan behind. Regardless, she considered that her continued connection to Wynnet could minimize this. Shortly before graduation, as Ciena and Kyrell repaired a falling-out in their relationship, Ciena showed him the pouch she kept her bracelet in. Kyrell said that he had wondered what she had done with the bracelet, knowing it was not regulation to wear it on her arm.^[1]

When Ciena was stationed on the Death Star battle station^[1] in 0 BBY,^[5] she witnessed the destruction of the planet Alderaan. Ciena was shocked by the event, and mentally noted that she needed to show Wynnet, internally reciting the phrase.^[1] In 3 ABY,^[5] after key members of the Rebel Alliance escaped Imperial forces that included Ciena on Cloud City at the gas giant Bespin, she realized that she had not asked Wynnet to look through her eyes in a long time, and vowed to do so more often. After the events on Cloud City, Ciena took leave and returned to Jelucan to visit her family. There, she reunited with Kyrell, who had defected to the Rebellion after Alderaan. Although the two lovers found themselves on opposite sides of the Galactic Civil War between the Alliance and the Empire, they spent the night together in a cave known as the Fortress on their homeworld. Hours later, Ciena gazed at Kyrell's sleeping form and whispered "look through my eyes," which caused him to stir.^[1]

Following the Battle of Endor^[1] in 4 ABY,^[5] Ciena was grievously wounded. When she was recovered by the Empire and rushed to medical treatment, Ciena felt herself slipping away and pondered the idea of reuniting with Wynnet. However, she later awoke from surgery, where she found that her bracelet had been destroyed after it was deemed non-regulation. Ciena was devastated, having lost her sister's window into her world. In the aftermath of the battle, Ciena lost her faith in the Empire.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Wynnet Ree was first mentioned in Lost Stars, a young-adult novel written by Claudia Gray and published in 2015 as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens publishing program.^[1]

Appearances

• Lost Stars (and audiobook) (First mentioned)
• Lost Stars webcomic (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Writers on Writing: Claudia Gray and Cecil Castellucci on StarWars.com (backup link) (Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy
• Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy: Updated and Expanded

Notes and references