Huoba Neva

"Captain Neva's frigate is hit!"

- Leia Organa Solo, during the rescue mission to Coruscant

Huoba Neva was a female Sullustan from the planet Sullust. The daughter of a SoroSuub Corporation Executive Board member, Neva was accepted to the Imperial Academy, graduating fourth in her class. However, her status as a female non-Human severely stunted her progression through the ranks. After several years of being passed over for promotion, and growing dissatisfied with the Galactic Empire's treatment of non-Human species, she was contacted by Sian Tevv. A political agitator and member of the Sullustan resistance movement, Tevv convinced Neva to defect to the Rebel Alliance.

Neva found acceptance within the Alliance's ranks, and served both it and its successor state, the New Republic, with dedication. The elimination of an Imperial-backed insurgency in the Illoud system earned her commendations and the command of the EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Rebel Star, making her the youngest Sullustan warship commander in the New Republic Navy. Captain Neva died during a mission to rescue the crew of the Liberator from Coruscant in 10 ABY, which had been damaged by Imperial forces while on a scouting mission to the galactic capital. As the Rebel Star emerged from hyperspace, it collided with battle debris in orbit around the planet with the loss of all hands.

An Imperial career
Huoba Neva was the daughter of a member of the Executive Board of the SoroSuub Corporation. She excelled in team games and sports, and her academic qualifications&mdash;along with her parent's prominent position within SoroSuub&mdash;earned her a place at the Imperial Academy. Although accepting of SoroSuub's support, she wanted to get by on her own merits, seeing the Academy as a challenge and an opportunity to test her skills and capabilities. Being both non-Human and female, she knew that she would have a difficult time climbing the ranks of the Imperial Navy, which was dominated by Human males. However, Neva&mdash;like all Sullustans&mdash;had been taught that if one worked hard enough at achieving a goal, and deserved it, then that individual would be rewarded for their work. Neva was confident that if she applied herself, then she would attain her career targets.

At the Academy, Neva majored in command school and weapons systems, studying with a fierce determination. She graduated fourth in her class, and was commissioned as an officer in the Navy. However, other officers regarded her as a "token non-Human" within their ranks, disregarding her aptitude, skill, and training. Despite a spotless record and political reliability, Neva never attained her goal&mdash;the command of a starship. Initially, she had set her sights on commanding a scout ship or other combat vessel, but as the years passed, she watched lesser officers promoted over her. Eventually, after a period of three years without a promotion, she realized that she had enough. The Empire was not a meritocracy. Her experience with the Imperial Navy showed her that not all beings and organizations subscribed to the theory that her and her fellow Sullustans followed, and she began to wonder whether her&mdash;and SoroSuub's&mdash;commitment to the Empire was misplaced.

Defection and acceptance
Neva's dissatisfaction with her career had not gone unnoticed; Sian Tevv, a leading Sullustan diplomat and high-ranking member of the Sullustan resistance movement, had been watching her career with great interest. When it became apparent that her commitment to the Empire was faltering, he ordered his aides to approach Neva. They offered Neva the chance to defect and join the Rebel Alliance. Neva was unsure at the beginning; she was not a revolutionary, and she had no real interest in politics. However, she was a soldier, and she believed that if the Empire would not give her the chance to use her training and abilities to the fullest, then the Alliance would. She defected to the Alliance at the height of the Galactic Civil War, at a time when SoroSuub was still a pro-Imperial company.

Neva served the Alliance, and later, its successor state, the New Republic, which had been formed following the Alliance victory at Endor in 4 ABY and the death of Emperor Palpatine. She proved to be a capable naval commander, as well as an accomplished special forces operative and ground forces commander. At some point, she led a mission to counter an Imperial-backed insurgency in the Illoud system, an assignment that earned her several commendations and made her feel as if the transition from Empire to Republic had been truly worth it. She was subsequently promoted to command the EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate Rebel Star, becoming the youngest Sullustan warship captain in the New Republic fleet.

Final mission
In 10 ABY, a resurgent Galactic Empire, led by Emperor Palpatine&mdash;who had been resurrected through the combination of the dark side of the Force and cloning technology&mdash; took the New Republic's capital of Coruscant, forcing the Republic into retreat. One of the Republic's s, the Liberator&mdash;commanded by General Lando Calrissian and Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker&mdash;was assigned to spy on Imperial movements in the Coruscant system. During the mission, the vessel was caught in the middle of a battle between two Imperial forces, who had descended into civil war following their conquest of Coruscant. The Liberator was badly damaged, and crashed onto the surface of the planet.

A rescue mission was assembled to extract the surviving crew; the Millennium Falcon captained by Han Solo, and Captain Syub Snunb's Antares Six joined Captain Neva's Rebel Star in attempting the mission. As the small force sped through hyperspace, the Falcon navicomputer registered spatial turbulence at their re-entry coordinates, which was caused by a large amount of wrecked ships and battle debris from the recent conquest of Coruscant, and warned Neva and Snunb appropriately. Decanting from hyperspace, Solo realized that the density of wreckage would be too much for the frigates following him to handle; his wife, Leia Organa Solo, subsequently ordered the ships to change vector and go through a larger gap in the debris. Neva believed that the Rebel Star could make it through the wreckage behind the Falcon, and stuck to her course. However, she had miscalculated. The Rebel Star collided with the wreckage of a Star Destroyer, vanishing in a ball of flame. Neva was killed in the collision. Despite the loss of the Rebel Star, the Falcon and Antares Six were able to complete their mission and rescue the surviving crew of the Liberator.

Personality and traits
Huoba Neva was a perfectionist, and was determined to excel at whatever she chose to do. She firmly believed in the Sullustan view that if individuals worked hard enough, wanted something hard enough, and deserved to have it, then they would attain it. Despite being politically well-connected, Neva wanted to succeed&mdash;or even fail&mdash;based on her own merits and never relied on the favors of others. She had a strong connection to her family, and kept a holocrystal of them with her at all times.

Neva entered the Imperial Academy, viewing the military as a challenge, and aspired to become a distinguished officer with a command of her own. However, due to her status as a female non-Human, she was constantly passed over for promotion in favor of less-talented officers. The situation vexed her, calling into doubt her belief in her Sullustan outlook, until she joined the Rebel Alliance, and subsequently, the New Republic, despite having no prior taste for rebellion or politics. She reasoned that if the Empire refused to use her talents as a soldier, then the Alliance would. Neva's decision to defect was justified by her experiences within an organization that recognized and rewarded her skills and talents with a command of her own.

A capable soldier, Neva was comfortable in command of both naval and ground units, and had experience as a special forces operative in addition to her training in starship command systems.

Behind the scenes
Huoba Neva was introduced and killed in the first issue of Dark Empire in 1991, written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy. The character was later expanded on in an entry in the Dark Empire Sourcebook published by West End Games in 1993, which established her as a female Sullustan. In 1994, the character was also present in the opening scene of the audio adaptation of Dark Empire, where Neva was given a masculine, Human-sounding voice.

Neva went on to warrant mentions in the second and third editions of A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, the Star Wars Encyclopedia, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

Neva was also one of the Rebel Alliance characters featured in the video game Star Wars: Rebellion, receiving a mention in the strategy guide for the game. Huoba Neva is referred to as a male in the latter publication. Rebellion is, to date, the only source that has physically depicted Neva.

In Sullustese, "Huoba" is a male name meaning "powerful" and "Neva" means "legal council."

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * Dark Empire 1: The Destiny of a Jedi
 * Dark Empire audio drama