After a relatively short waiting time between announcement and release, Star Wars fans can rejoice at the fact there is a new game for fans of the franchise to enjoy; Star Wars: Squadrons. It is the fourth video game under the EA banner in this era, and undoubtedly the smallest, with a short campaign and limited multiplayer with lots of replayability.
Throughout that short story, fans get introduced to many fascinating characters who have significant roles in the story but who many fans know next to nothing about, even after playing the game.
10 Willard Waylin - Arkanis Academy
In both the Empire and New Republic side of the story, the player’s character has someone who tends to Titan and Vanguard Squadron ships, respectively. For Titan Squadron, that is Willard Waylin.
Waylin mentions that he attended Arkanis Academy. Fans of Rebels and a few books from the extended canon will recall Arkanis Academy as being the Imperial Academy that Ezra Bridger infiltrated and found the likes of Zare Leonis. It was also headed for a time by Commander Brendol Hux, father of Armitage.
9 Havina Vonreg - Elrik Vonreg
As a member of Titan Squadron, Havina Vonreg is a bit of a loose cannon, full of fury and rage ready to get unleashed on rebels and republic fighters all the time, while being fully dedicated to the Empire and its cause of wiping them out.
This entry is a bit of a cheat as it is not completely confirmed, but it seems inevitable and obvious at this point that Havina is related to another Vonreg. As fans of Star Wars: Resistance will know Elrik Vonreg is also a skilled pilot, as well as a Major in the First Order’s armed forces.
8 Rella Sol - Imperial Senate Ties
Sticking with Titan Squadron, another female member of the elite squadron is the primary tactical genius of the group, Rella Sol, who has ambition far beyond the TIE series ship’s cockpits, something that becomes clear if you speak to her in the campaign.
Prior to the death of the Emperor during the Battle of Yavin and the subsequent dissolving of the Imperial Senate, both of Sol’s parents sat in that government body. Sol hopes to recreate such a setting and continue her parent’s legacy.
7 Rae Sloane & Hera Syndulla - A Whole Lot
There are a few characters who already exist in Star Wars canon who pop up or get mentioned in Squadrons such as Wedge Antilles, the voice of Leia Organa, and mentions of Thrawn and Alphabet Squadron. By far, the most prominent, though, are Hera Syndulla and Rae Sloane.
Hera Syndulla is far more known, considering she came to be in the underappreciated yet excellent show Star Wars: Rebels, but for fans who did not watch that there is so much, they have to know from her upbringing to her son. As for Sloane, she is an extended canon character, and a fantastic one at that, with a fascinating career that any fan of her in this game needs to check out.
6 Keo Venzee - Dragon Void Run
Moving onto the New Republic’s Vanguard Squadron, Keo Venzee is a young, daring pilot who grew up on Mirial and is a fascinating part of the game, definitely being one of the more interesting people to talk to during the campaign.
It gets mentioned a couple of times that Keo is a former semi-pro racer, and they talk about the Dragon Void Run at one point. Fans of the extended canon will recognize this as a dangerous race from the Han Solo comics from 2016, meaning Keo participated in the same race as the famous scoundrel, although not at the same time.
5 Shen - Titan Squadron’s Darth Vader
Shen is a bizarre character given the one-way dialogue of the campaign, with him talking about all the pain and suffering throughout his career in the Empire and since his true identity is unknown, nor is his face’s look.
If you choose to interact with Shen, you know his story, although if not, you will miss out on the fact that neck-breaking and backbreaking accidents in combat left Shen to be repaired by the Empire and given a whole load of cybernetics, akin to Darth Vader. His story would be a fun one to explore in the future.
4 Grace Sienar - Sienar Fleet Systems
Grace Sienar is probably the member of Vanguard Squadron, whom the player’s character spends the least amount of one-on-one time with, but fans get pretty much the most interesting aspect of the character right from the get-go.
Grace reveals to the character if you choose to speak to her, that her family are Imperial sympathizers, and in-fact manufacture a lot of the TIE series ships for them. Since her last name is Sienar, this is a reference to Sienar Fleet Systems, who are huge manufacturers of Imperial fleets in both canon and Legends.
3 Varko Grey - Husband, Emory
Varko Grey is a character who appears in some of the game’s promotional material and is the tough veteran and leader of Titan Squadron, who has seemingly lived through it all with the Empire. He is also fascinating in that he has a sense of morality, and often wrestles with the decisions of the Empire.
What many fans may not know about Varko, though, is that he has a husband named Emory, a part of his life that he hopes to get back to in his retirement, which he talks about in the game. Star Wars has struggled with representation in the past, and this is a step in the right direction, rightfully representing those in the LGBTQ+ community.
2 Kierah “Gunny” Koovah - Lost Arm In The Battle Of Mimban
Gunny is the leader of Vanguard Squadron and a battle-hardened veteran who still seems to hold a passion for the New Republic/rebellion after decades of fighting oppression. This fighting cost Gunny her arm.
If you talk to Gunny, a great explanation will get given, and a Clone Wars reference will come up. It turns out Gunny lost her arm in the Battle of Mimban as a freedom fighter alongside the 224th division mud jumpers and the 501st Legion.
1 Keo Veneeze - They/Them Pronouns
Earlier on, Varko Grey’s sexuality got talked about as it turns out the Imperial veteran has a husband named Emory. But, he is not the only character who provides representation to the LGBTQ+ community in the game.
Keo Veneeze, as revealed by one of the game’s writers, uses they/them pronouns and that provides one of the biggest pieces of representation Star Wars has offered thus far. These two characters are hopefully indicative of a trajectory of more representation for a diverse array of people.
NEXT: The Sims 4: 10 Things You Need To Know Before Buying Journey To Batuu
