Q: Is it true that some of the Mandalorians in your LEGACY OF THE FORCE books are gay?
KT: Yes.
Goran Beviin and Medrit Vasur are a gay couple. Homosexual men. Call it what you like, they're in a same-sex marriage.
Mandalorians are different colours, too. Black Mandos, brown Mandos, all kinds of Mandos. Some are from other species, not just humans. They're all ages, all types, and some of them are disabled. Because so many of them are soldiers, Mandos know all about dealing with disability.
The gay Mandos - like the rest of the Mandalorian cast - are in the series because I think the Star Wars galaxy, with millions of worlds and species, is probably more diverse than just a regular vanilla diet of straight, good-looking, able-bodied white folk with red hair and emerald eyes or whatever.
So I decided it was time SW had its first gay characters, because it was dumb for such a rich universe like that to be so narrow and unreal.
And I say that as a straight white able-bodied woman.
Because whatever your personal prejudices, we live in a diverse world, and people you don't happen to like because of colour or orientation or age or gender are not going to vanish because you don't accept them. I don't like slave-owners and people who think decapitating another being is casual work, but I still write about them, because they're there in the SW universe.
If you didn't spot that Goran and Medrit are queer - well, maybe you were only looking for pink armour, limp wrists, and mincing walks, not hard-as-nails mercenaries and armoursmiths. But none of the gay men I know are mincing pink-clad queens, so...I wrote what I saw around me. Real people who just happen to prefer their own gender.
And I wrote it as a detail rather than a major issue on which a plot hung.
Kids won't spot it and ask awkward questions that their parents might not be ready to answer. But for the mature reader, it's there, and Goran and Medrit aren't just close friends. They're an old married couple with adopted kids and grandchildren, just a regular and unremarkable part of the Mandalorian community.
Because Mandalorians don't give a toss what you do in your private life as long as you follow the basic rules about clan and looking after your kids properly. So...no big deal.
Introducing the Star Wars Fic Reference Wiki, a wiki for fic writers by fic writers!
The Star Wars Fic Reference Wiki is intended as a way for fic writers and other fanwork creators to easily look up pertinent information without having to slog through dense paragraphs or comb through categories with dozens or even hundreds of entries with few indicators of what the pages are. Do you want lists? Do you want tables? Do you want easily digestible bullet points? We've got 'em!
We build pages from common questions we or other fic writers have, such as:
All these fics incorporate events from Jedi Apprentice, but what really happened to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Legends?
How do the stories in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars mesh together?
Which characters are LGBTQIA+? Who are some LGBTQIA+ creators who have worked on a Star War? How about a timeline of LGBTQIA+ people and content?
BBY/ABY, BrS/GrS, BFE/AFE... what's the difference between these and all those other calendars? What calendar do characters use before the Battle of Yavin?
What are some idioms or kriffing swears this character could use to sound more Star Wars-y?
Does the GFFA have its own version of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup?
What could be used as a pack animal in one of the many, many deserts?
Why does this fic call him "Yan" or "Glamnor" Dooku? Is her full name Padmé Amidala Naberrie or something else?
How many costumes does Padmé wear? What about other SW costumes?
What are some canonical design options for a Kiffar OC's facial tattoo?
Are these the droids you're looking for?
Are you constantly losing those handy tumblr posts compiling useful resources? We have a permanent page for that!
(Swears in light mode; LGBTQIA+ characters in dark mode)
We've only recently started building the wiki, and are creating new pages all the time! We'd love help or suggestions for new pages. Have you never edited a wiki before? No problem! We have a tutorial for that. Are you not super confident about your English? No worries! Other wiki editors are here to help! We have a Discord server for the wiki, and side channels for things like SW fic recs and general fan chat.
Thank you for initial brainstorming and showing us there was an interest in and audience for this wiki, from us (facingthenorthwind and immithrax) to you: @nimata-beroya, @cacodaemonia, @elismor, @genericficerblog, @seth-shitposts, @takadasaiko, and @virusq!
Many hands make great wikis, so please, come on over and join us, and check back to see what new things we have in store! If you find our pages useful, we'd also love if you could spread the word, so other people can make use of the resources we've worked hard to create.
"Master of Shadows" is a seven-page magazine article written by Amy Ratcliffe and published in Star Wars Insider 236 by Titan Magazines and released on February 24, 2026.
The new Mandalorian Visual Guide book is out, so let’s see what it says about the Sisters Kryze.
I’m actually appreciative of what was established. It doesn’t fix the fracked up canonical timeline, but it also doesn’t add to it either. Whether it was intentional or not, it also seems to suggest that Bo-Katan is not that much younger than Satine. (Everyone, rejoice!)
We FINALLY have a Satine mention. This is the first time that Bo-Katan has been said to have a sister (not just a father) since she was brought into live action.
This is also the first time we’ve had an “authoritative” (for better and worse) source that has canonized the idea that Bo-Katan felt overshadowed by Satine.
But keep that in mind. We’ll come back to it.
I’m grateful that they’re pushing against the idea that Satine somehow imposed pacifism on the Mandalorians. It’s already been canon for years that Satine was confirmed as leader by the Mandalorian clans, who were exhausted from endless wars and longing for peace.
I do not like the fact that Star Wars is leaning into the idea that Bo-Katan’s participation in Death Watch was “impulsive.” It’s such a cop-out to say that Bo joined a terrorist cult by accident instead of that she was once convinced by their violent, traditionalist rhetoric and later saw the error of her ways.
(But I’m not surprised given the fact that The Mandalorian has also ceased portraying Children of the Watch as a cult that Din needs to evolve beyond.)
The way Dave Filoni used to talk about Bo’s decision to join Death Watch seems to me to imply a measured and resolute decision, not a decision made by someone young and impetuous.
I have a rather lengthy backstory that even explains how [Bo] became a Death Watch soldier that goes all the way back to the time she and Satine are six. Because to figure out how she got to that point, and yet Satine is a duchess... I have a whole story about who their father was and what their relationships were and everything with Vizsla, going back for a very long time and how that intersects with Obi-Wan Kenobi. (2013)
(TBH, it’s a little strange and disconcerting that they are overemphasizing the fact that Satine’s death was caused by Maul, who *betrayed* Death Watch, as if Pre Vizsla wasn’t already planning to kill Satine himself. It suggests to me that they’re doing their best to explain away Bo-Katan’s time in Death Watch and likely have no plans to address that issue with any kind of weight.)
However, I’m actually surprised and pleased that they did not canonize that Bo-Katan was a teenager in TCW.
I was scared by the line “exposure to conflict since her teenage years” but that actually makes more sense if you assume her teenage years were during the Great Clan Wars (the same as Satine) as opposed to during Satine’s reign.
Which, as I’ve elucidated before, is also established by The Mandalorian itself by the fact that Bo-Katan says her father was present at her Creed Swearing ceremony, which seems to happen when Mandalorians are about 13.
Based on Adoniram Kryze’s death date, Bo cannot be more than four or so years younger than Satine.
To me, the line about Bo “in her youth” being overshadowed by Satine also suggests that they cannot be more than a couple years apart in age.
If Bo was in fact a teenager during The Clone Wars, then she would have been 15+ years younger than Satine. Both of her parents would have died shortly after Bo’s birth because they are dead before Satine meets Obi-Wan, and Satine would have raised her younger sister AND her nephew-son together.
Under that circumstance, it would be so ridiculous to say that Bo-Katan felt “overshadowed” by her sister, who was functioning as her mother.
Beyond that, the book established that Bo is proficient in the same style of jet pack combat that Din Djarin was trained in. It continues to be a mystery how Children of the Watch is connected to Death Watch, which discovered Din in the first place.
It’s interesting that they still listed Bo-Katan’s homeworld as Kalevala even though she says that she was “born on” Mandalore. Maybe Mandalore just has better hospitals than Kalevala.
I don’t think this is new, but Bo-Katan is also four inches shorter than Satine, which is strange to me, but it reflects the real life heights of Katee Sackhoff and Cate Blanchett.
So. You got into Star Wars. You want to write a fic. But what the kriff is a midichlorian? Where even is the Outer Rim? Do you need to read Bossk’s entire Wookieepedia page before you can write that Din and Grogu fluff oneshot?*
Well, I’ve been where you are, pal. So I thought I might compile a few of the most common terms and whatnot to hopefully help you out.
Note: This is far from comprehensive, and if any veteran Star Wars fic-readers/writers spot a major mistake, let me know. And if you wish to add or expound, go ahead!
A Few Common Terms and Items
Some Common Expletives
Some nasty things to call people who have irked or wronged you
Weird Phrases
Configuration of the Galaxy
Hyperspace
Timeline Crash Course
Common Languages
Alien Species
1. A Few Common Terms and Items…
Refresher = bathroom/restroom/lavatory/toilet
E.g. “I need to use the refresher” = “I need to use the toilet.” “I’ll be in the refresher” = “I’ll be in the bathroom.”
Note: “toilet” has been used in canon (thank you, Andor) but, in starships, they’re more likely to call it a “vacc-tube” or simply “vac/vacc”
Caf = coffee
Note: from what I’ve gathered over the years, ”caf” is a bit of an umbrella term which includes artificial drinks with a resemblance to coffee, all the way to what is made from genuine space coffee beans.
Droid = robot, android; covers everything from space roombas to humanoid, talking robots
Blasters = pewpew guns
Slugthrowers = actual guns
Duracrete = concrete
Transparisteel = glass, usually the tougher, reinforced glass used in starship viewports
Flimsi = paper
Note: “paper” has been used in canon so don’t sweat over this one too much.
Plastoid = plastic
Note: “Plastoid” is a bit of an umbrella term for plastic-like substances. Things like Tupperware containers to Stormtrooper armour are described as plastoid.
Datapad = an electronic device, like an iPad but usually not as versatile; limited storage, tends to hold just documents and files; some have extra capabilities like a laptop computer, some have hologram emitters
Note: no hard-and-fast on these devices. You can make them iPads if you want, but do keep in mind the 1970’s origin of the universe and the limited abilities of the futuristic tech will make a lot more sense
Speeder = hover car
Speederbike = hover motorcycle
HoloNet = internet, news network
Bacta = a cure-all medical substance, can come in liquid, gel, patches, tablets—anything the situation requires. You can bob about in a tank of it, or lie in a pod; you can even ingest it. How fast it works, how much it heals—all up to the writer’s discretion.
Midichlorians = micro-organisms found in blood. Have enough of them, you’ll be Force-sensitive (able to use the Force). You’ll sometimes see this referred to as a person’s “M-count” in universe.
3. Some nasty things to call people who have irked or wronged you…
Skank. Skud. Skug. Skughole. Sleemo. Bantha fodder. Nerf-herder. Womp-rat (note: can be used affectionately).
4. Weird Phrases
“If that isn’t the quakta calling the stifling slimy” = “If that isn’t the kettle calling the pot black.” I.e. “Look who’s talking?” “You can’t talk; you’re just as bad.”
“A real skank in the skud pie” = “thorn in the side” “pebble in the shoe” “spanner in the works” I.e. a problem in the plan; something that may not seem like a problem right now but will inevitably become one later.
5. Configuration of the Galaxy
Think of the Galaxy Far, Far Away (GFFA) as a big fried egg (no, seriously, this is most often how it’s depicted). The yolk in the middle is the Deep Core and Core, the centre of the galaxy (and the worlds therein tend to act like it). Here’s where you’ve got Coruscant (the big city planet, most shown in the Prequels, the Clone Wars cartoon, and Andor). The Core worlds tend to have the strongest political presence of the day (Republic, Empire, or New Republic, depending on where you are in the timeline).
Inner and Mid Rims are left a little more to themselves but still work closely with the Core.
The Outer Rim is basically supposed to be the wild frontier. Most worlds out here are either self-governing or ruled by some crime family or the other (most common one you’ll hear of is the Hutts, who have a whole sector to themselves literally called Hutt Space). Some worlds have aligned themselves with the Republic or Empire, either by choice, through manipulation, or out of desperation. The Mandalorian Sector is in the Outer Rim.
Wild Space is the term for systems and worlds beyond the edge of the Outer Rim where no one really knows what’s on the other side; in contrast, the Unknown Regions are somewhat mapped but unexplored.
6. Hyperspace
Hyperspace travel time is largely left to the speed of plot (i.e. the trip takes as long as you want or need it to take for the story you’re telling). Travel between neighbouring planets can take just a handful of minutes; travel from the Core to, say, the Outer Rim should take a number of days but canon tends to make it just a few hours, sometimes even just minutes. What I’m saying is: no one should get on your case for having someone fly from Corellia (Core) to Tatooine (Outer Rim) in under an hour (if they do, they can take it up with Mr Lucas and that Coruscant to Mustafar trip which took like twenty minutes).
However, it is supposed to be that you can slash travel time if your destination lies along an established hyperspace route (basically a space highway).
Some notes…
Small ships (like single-man crafts) tend not to have hyperdrives (engines that enable you to travel through hyperspace)
You can’t track a ship while it’s in hyperspace (unless you planted a super sophisticated tracker on it before it jumped… or you’re writing in the Sequels era where they can do anything they want now)
You can change course while in hyperspace but if you’re piggy-backing on someone else, you don’t want to just detach at random while in hyperspace. You could very well appear in the heart of a sun and you won’t enjoy the experience.
You can call someone while in hyperspace and it never even buffers… unless they’re confessing their love at long last or revealing the name of your presumed dead parent
7. Timeline Crash Course
Oh boy. Okay. Not gonna get super into this, but some basics to get you on your feet…
There’s BBY and ABY (much like our BCE and CE). BBY = Before the Battle of Yavin. ABY = After the Battle of Yavin.
32 BBY — The Phantom Menace
22 BBY — Attack of the Clones (start of the Clone Wars)
19 BBY — Revenge of the Sith (fall of Old Republic, rise of the Empire)
0 ABY — A New Hope (the Battle of Yavin is the one where Luke takes out the first Death Star)
4 ABY — Return of the Jedi (fall of the Empire)
9 ABY — The Mandalorian
8. Common Languages
Basic = the universal language
Huttese = a very common language, mostly spoken in the Outer Rim
Mando’a = the Mandalorians’ language
Shyriiwook = the Wookiees’ language
Binary = the droid language (all those beeps and boops)
9.Common Alien Species
Twi’leks
The aliens that look almost completely like humans but with head-tails and a whole rainbow range of skin colours.
Rodians
Even if you haven’t seen A New Hope, you’ve probably heard of Greedo. Big, bug-like eyes, fish-like snouts, and diddly-bobs all over their heads. Can be a range of skin colours, but green is the most common.
Zabraks
Darth Maul. Basically humans with a bunch of horns all over their heads (and two hearts, but that practically never comes up).
Devaronians
Not to be confused with Zabraks, these guys look totally human but only have two big horns. They’re pretty tough—immune to most poisons, alcohol, fire, you name it.
Weequays
Hondo Ohnaka. Basically human but with really leathery skin (which is immune to blasterfire. Neat.)
Gotals
A mix between a human and a goat. I’m not even kidding.
Ithorians
The hammerhead guys. They got two mouths, usually talk in warbles and use translator gizmos (but some can speak Basic).
A final word…
Don’t worry. Seriously. You don’t have to have read and watched every shred of Star Wars material to begin writing a Star Wars fic. I dare say the majority of Star Wars fanfiction writers haven’t seen all of Star Wars. It’s an enormous franchise with material stacking up for nigh on half a century now!
Even if you’ve just seen one episode of one show, if that story and those characters have captured you and inspired something, run with it. Write it! Enjoy it! And, if you wish, share it—someone out there will love it too! ☺️
Sincerely, Autumn 🍁
*no. no you do not need to read Bossk’s entire Wookieepedia page before writing your Din and Grogu fluff oneshot.
