- "It is the blade that wins the war, my dear. And I always carry a spare."
- ―Zeva Bliss
Zeva Bliss was a human female criminal who led the gang known as the Spice Runners of Kijimi[2] after taking control of the group from Zarah Bliss. Unlike Zarah, Zeva was able to unite the Spice Runners into a truly united force.[4] Zeva was also the mother of Zorii Bliss. Zorii joined the gang at a young age, but refused to have special treatment as the daughter of the gang's leader.[2]
Biography[]
Early years[]
Zeva was the daughter of smuggler pilot Zarah Bliss and an unknown father. She was raised on Kijimi, where the Ashiga Clan dominated the criminal underworld[5]. Zarah had organized independent Spice Smugglers in the system, turning them into a de facto trade union. By 4 ABY, Zarah had died and Zeva had inherited the organization. She quickly went to work transforming it from a loose coalition to a fully unified Syndicate.
Alliance with Adelhard[]
Following the deaths of Darth Vader and Darth Sidious at the Battle of Endor, the Empire was splintered, but Grand Moff Ubrik Adelhard still retained control of the Anoat sector.[6] Brilliant but insane, Adelhard was convinced that Vader had chosen him to carry the torch for the Empire if anything happened to Imperial High Command.[7] Adelhard knew that he would need allies in the underworld, and he also knew that the Spice Runners were eager to step out of the shadow of the Ashiga Clan, so he approached Zeva, proposing that she offer mercenary support to his forces. Zeva agreed,[8] and subsequently approached Bib Fortuna, suggesting that the Hutt Clan similarly ally with Adelhard. Fortuna refused, laughingly suggesting that Zeva had gone mad.[3] With Spice Runner ships augmenting Adelhard's fleet, Zeva discovered a New Republic Taskforce, consisting of Kes Dameron, Jarek Yeager, Rynn Zenat, and Therisa Alern, that had eluded Imperial detection. Zeva attempted to capture the Taskforce, but they escaped, dealing damage to several of her ships.[9]
When Adelhard suffered his first defeat at the hands of Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and the aforementioned Taskforce, he demanded vengeance. Zeva accommodated him by placing a bounty on the head of General Skywalker, a move that her advisor, Tomasso, considered to be brazen even for her.[10] Zeva had two bounty hunters, the Trandoshan Kranor and the Arcona Cyborg Lan-Drus, that she kept on retainer for assassinations. She directed both of them to eliminate targets she knew that Adelhard would want dead. Kranor assassinated Senator Mirim Kess[11] while Lan-Drus assassinated New Republic Intelligence director Calder Behrens.[10] Kranor also attempted to assassinate Skywalker, attacking him on Chandrila, but timely intervention by Leia Skywalker Organa Solo and her security detail forced him to retreat.[10] Zeva eventually began to tire of Adelhard's instability, so using Kranor as her proxy, she supported Reyna Oskure and Kith Alaytia in their mutiny against the defiant Imperial.[7]
Post-Jakku[]
Bliss gathered a number of criminal allies and enemies on Kijimi for a summit under the guise of partnership, intending to instead execute them and raise the Spice Runners in the galactic underworld. Her plans were foiled by Poe Dameron, a recent member of the Spice Runners and an associate of Zorii, who refused to allow the executions to occur. Bliss overpowered Dameron, but before she could kill him, she was stopped by Zorii. However, Dameron refused Zorii's offer to defeat her mother and take control of the Spice Runners.[2] Zeva eventually died,[12] leading Zorii to become the leader of the Spice Runners by the time of the war between the First Order and the Resistance.[13]
Equipment[]
As leader of the Spice Runners, Zeva wore a blue temperature regulating body glove flight suit, a Plasteel battle mask with a Bronzium finish, and a fur-lined cape. She was armed with an E-851 blaster pistol and a Vibroblade.
Zeva was Captain of a Centurion-class battlecruiser.
Appearances[]
- Return of the Jedi – The Rebellion 1 (Mentioned only)
- Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 2
- Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 3
- Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 4 (Variant cover only)
- "Consolidation" — Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 1 (In flashback(s))
- Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 3
- Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 4 (Mentioned only; in the opening crawl)
- "False Histories" — Battle of Jakku — Last Stand 1 (In flashback(s))
- Poe Dameron: Free Fall (and audiobook) (First appearance)
Sources[]
- Star Wars: Character Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition
- NYCC 2022: Rise of the Red Blade Inquisitor Novel Revealed, and More Highlights from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: Timelines
- The Final Battle of the Galactic Civil War is Told Across Three New 'Star Wars' Comic Series on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link) (First pictured)
- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy establishes that Zeva Bliss died at some point before the mission to Kijimi, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 35 ABY.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Poe Dameron: Free Fall
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 2
- ↑ Return of the Jedi – The Rebellion 1
- ↑ Star Wars Outlaws
- ↑ Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 4
- ↑ "Consolidation" — Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 1
- ↑ Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising 3
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 3
- ↑ Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege 2
- ↑ Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary