Swilla Corey

Swilla Corey was a female Human thief who lived on Tatooine.

Early life
Born into a life of slavery, Swilla Corey worked as an animal hand under a Tarnab merchant, gaining much experience and knowledge. When calling in at Tatooine, the merchant was attacked by Karazak slavers. Corey was able to escape to the planet surface unharmed, and, with her newfound freedom, decided to use her skills with animals to forge a new life for herself.

Working on a jerba ranch near the Motesta Oasis, Corey set up residence nearby, in an abandoned hut. She would travel the countryside, through farming communities, trading jerba leather, milk, and meat. Though she was never financially secure, Corey was happy enough just revelling in her freedom– a stark contrast from her upbringing in slavery.

Disaster strikes
Unfortunately for Corey, her entire jerba herd was scattered, and the added antagonism of a wild anooba pack did not help. With no assets whatsoever, Corey abandoned her hut, and moved to Mos Eisley. There, she was forced to resort to petty thievery and begging. Eventually, she began passing on her robbery skills to other initiates in the craft. One day, she saw her brand on a jerba outside Chalmun's Cantina, and she entered to investigate. Consulting one of her collegaues, the Yam'rii Kitik Keed'kak, she was told that the jerba belonged to a Pacithhip named Ketwol. Seeking answers, she hurried outside in order to wait for Ketwol, just as the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi stirred up trouble in the cantina by attacking Ponda Baba and Cornelius Evazan.

Meeting Ketwol
Tailing the Pacithhhip to his starship, the Herd Mother, she discovered that Ketwol was using the battered ship as a home. Seeking the right moment, she attempted to steal the jerba, but Ketwol detected the thievery, and stopped her. He explained that the animals had wandered out of the desert towards his ship, and as some of them had been exhausted or wounded, he had cared for them. In turn, Corey told her tale of misfortune, and Ketwol decided to give her shelter. Eventually, Swilla gathered her jerbas and returned to the desert, with the knowledge that she could always return to the hospitality and companionship of Ketwol.

Personality and traits
Bereft of lofty ambitions, Swilla Corey, upon being freed, was content with just making ends meet. Instead of making her new life a bountiful one, she prefered a simple life with her jerba herd, as it was probably the only thing she knew how to do well. Unfortunately, her lack of credits drove her to thievery when she lost her herd. Corey eventually grew proficient in this craft, and was adept at passing her skills onto others. She was also particularly curious, and did not give up the hope of finding her herd after the cataclysm that had scattered it.

Behind the scenes
Originally appearing in George Lucas' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the character that would eventually become "Swilla Corey" was simply known as "Local girl". Eventually, the character was given the name of "Swilla Corey" in the Star Wars Customizable Card Game set, A New Hope Limited, which also established the fact that she was a thief. In 2005, Corey's backstory was elaborated on by Tim Veekhoven through the first round of the Star Wars Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?". Veekhoven initially meant to have Momaw Nadon as the character that aids Corey, but changed it to Ketwol after reading that Pacithhip often herded jerbas, in the The Wildlife of Star Wars. The change was made due to the fact that Veekhoven believed that Nadon had already appeared in a plethora of Expanded Universe material, and as jerbas had already been written into his entry, the change seemed natural.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope