Who Is Sana Starros? Star Wars’ Unsung Smuggler Hero Explained

Out of the vast lore that makes up the Star Wars canon, Sana Starros is an original comic book creation, originally introduced as the wife of the scruffy-looking nerf-herder Han Solo. Transcending the circumstances of her original debut (she wasn’t technically Han’s wife), Sana has become one of the most important characters in a galaxy far, far away, acting as the connective tissue between many of the franchise’s iconic characters, as well as some of its lesser-known denizens.

Introduced by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday in 2015 during the early issues of Marvel’s Star Wars comic re-launch, Sana – like Han before her – is a tough-as-nails smuggler who does what she needs to get what she needs, a shared trait between the two that follows her throughout her initial appearances. Crossing paths with the likes of Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, Doctor Aphra, and more, Sana is an unsung hero with an itchy trigger finger that she has no qualms about pulling when the time calls for it.

Hailing from the Starros clan, a family that dates back centuries to the High Republic era of the Star Wars timeline, Sana was born and raised on the Smuggler’s Moon of Nar Shadaa, far out in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, and captains her own ship, the Volt Cobra. Similar to her future “husband” Han, Sana only ever looked out for herself and couldn’t care less about the toils of the Imperials and Rebels’ ever-constant plight, ensuring that her stance in the conflict stayed neutral when needed and only tipped to one side or the other when the credits – or her interests – lined up.

First appearing shortly after the epic Battle of Yavin, during which the original Death Star was annihilated by Rebel forces, her debut was shrouded in mystery as one of the first lines she uttered was her claiming to be “Sana Solo,” the apparently estranged wife of Han. Denying that they were ever married, Han had been avoiding Sana after absconding from the pair’s last job with her cut of the profits, leading Sana on a hunt for the man. Eventually tracking Han down, it’s revealed that their marriage was actually faked as a cover story for a job they were collaborating on. But it was his betrayal fueling her escapades as she searched him out in the years that followed.

However, her doomed relationships don’t end there, because while Sana not only had a fling with Han, she also had one with the morally confused, yet ultimately endearing rogue archeologist Doctor Aphra as well. But this relationship again sees Sana double-crossed, and their short but sweet connection is one that Sana is rightfully angered by. But Sana still holds that connection quite dear to her heart, leading Sana to help save Aphra on more than one occasion. In fact, Sana has grown so far beyond her initial petty smuggler mindset (and disgust with Han), that she’s worked with the Rebel Alliance frequently and has struck up friendships with Princess Leia and her iconic friends, solidifying her as a character that has more connections to the inner working of Star Wars lore than many others.

So while she might have gotten her proverbial foot in the door as Han’s “wife,” Sana has since become an integral character in the greater Star Wars mythos and has proven herself to be much more than a smuggler who’s only out for her next score. Sana Starros might not have made the jump to live-action just yet, but her continued and invaluable support as a sometimes-Rebel sympathizer might change that soon.

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