Diva Shaliqua

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"Diva Shaliqua. A singer in a band."

―Jabba the Hutt, introducing Magister Hego Damask to Shaliqua^[2]

Diva Shaliqua was a half-Theelin singer originally in the custody of Ingoda the Hutt. Named for the elite group of Theelin singers, Shaliqua's parents were killed while she was still a child, but she continued to serve her master until custody over her was transferred to Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Ingoda's business rival. Jabba would take her to varied public events, such as the podraces of Mos Espa, on the planet Tatooine. At one of these gatherings, Shaliqua met gambler Romeo Treblanc, who was actually the owner of Coruscant's Galaxies Opera House.

Though Treblanc suffered a great financial loss at the Boonta Eve Podrace of 32 BBY, he took a great deal of interest in the half-Theelin, seeing that she had untapped singing talent. When he had recuperated his losses in the following year, he purchased Shaliqua from Jabba, and took her back to Coruscant, where he hoped she would perform as an opera singer in his theater. Shaliqua, however, did not know of Treblanc's intent, and instead decided to rob him, before escaping his custody. Keeping a low profile, she made a living singing at varying nightclubs in Coruscant's less reputable districts.

Biography[]

"A gift from Ingoda, in place of credits owed to me. She and Diva Funquita came as a pair, but I made Funquita a present to Gardulla in the hope of smoothing over our lingering rivalry. My first mistake. The second: introducing Shaliqua to Romeo Treblanc, who would move worlds to possess her."

―Jabba the Hutt, on Diva Shaliqua^[2]

Diva Shaliqua was a female Theelin halfbreed who was born to a pair of slaves in the custody of Ingoda the Hutt. One of the slaves was of the rare Theelin species, which the Hutt tended to "collect". However, he forbade fraternization between slaves. Shaliqua was named "Diva" in honor of the religious order of Theelin singers. The name was also bequeathed to her in the hopes that she would live up to it, and develop great singing talents. Ingoda discovered the child and the fact that the slaves had been fraternizing, but decided to let Diva live, should she bear the fabled Theelin operatic skills. In that case, Ingoda decided that it would be financially wise to keep Shaliqua as a singer. Ingoda, however, became indebted to his rival, the Tatooine-based crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure, and was forced to sell both Shaliqua and Diva Funquita to the other Hutt.^[1]

Jabba gave Funquita away to fellow Hutt, Gardulla, but he kept Shaliqua for his personal band. He would take her to the podraces, where, in his private box in the Mos Espa Grand Arena, she would meet Jabba's fellow gamblers, such as Watto, Graxol Kelvyyn, and Romeo Treblanc. Treblanc, being the owner of the Galaxies Opera House on the planet Coruscant, took particular interest in Shaliqua. The half-Theelin took note of the fact that Treblanc's interests in her were not of the carnal type, but far more sophisticated.^[1] In about 33 BBY, Shaliqua traveled with Jabba, his Twi'lek majordomo Bib Fortuna and his Chevin security chief Ephant Mon to the moon Sojourn, where the Hutt held a business meeting with the influential Muun industrialist Magister Hego Damask.^[2] Shaliqua later accompanied Jabba to the Boonta Eve Classic podrace of 32 BBY and Romeo Treblanc suffered a huge financial loss during the event, after he bet on the podracer Gasgano. The Xexto racer was soundly beaten by young Human competitor Anakin Skywalker, forcing Treblanc to leave Tatooine and return to Coruscant. He promised, however, to return to Shaliqua year later.^[1]

In 31 BBY, Treblanc stayed true to his promise and purchased, and freed Shaliqua from Jabba, who did not recognize her true talent and had lost interest in the half-Theelin. Treblanc had recovered from his losses in the previous year, and hoped to cast Shaliqua in a small role for an upcoming musical to be played at Galaxies. He brought her back to Coruscant to study and perform at the Opera House, but mere hours after disembarking, Shaliqua fled the Coruscanti's custody, taking her emancipation datawork and some of Treblanc's minor valuables. Adopting a stage name, she worked in Coruscant's more seedy locales, singing at nightclubs and casinos in Coruscant's mid-levels. It was a legitimate career, but likely a far cry from the success she would have enjoyed in Treblanc's custody.^[1]

Personality and traits[]

Growing up in a harsh environment as a slave, Shaliqua developed a highly suspicious persona, as most who took interest in her as an adult were not interested in any kind of musical talent she might possess. When she did come across someone who took interest, she continued to harbor the thought that his intentions were not strictly honorable, and fled his custody at first opportunity, despite Treblanc's generosity. She had pale-colored skin and blue hair, and she wore a revealing costume during the Boonta Eve Podrace of 32 BBY.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Diva Shaliqua Episode I Snapshot — Shaliqua's full costume during filming

The character of Diva Shaliqua, portrayed by actress Bianca Warren, first appeared in George Lucas' movie Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, where she briefly appeared in the "Boonta Eve Podrace" sequence. She was given a name in Star Wars: Episode I The Visual Dictionary, and her backstory was elaborated on by "newlyn53100" and Nathan O'Keefe through the StarWars.com Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?." O'Keefe elaborated upon Shaliqua's biographical details, while "newlyn53100" explored the history of the Theelin species.

Information from her Databank entry was later used in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. In 2012, Shaliqua made an appearance in James Luceno's novel Darth Plagueis. The book stated that Shaliqua had orange-colored hair and purple beauty spots that ran down her face and neck, which conflicts with her depiction in The Phantom Menace as a plain-skinned Humanoid with blue hair.