- "Are you still involved in energy generation and enhancement?"
"No longer."
"But that was always your passion, Reeva. I was following your research every chance I got. You seemed to be on the the threshold of a major advance."
"Things change." - ―Galen Walton Erso and Reeva Demesne
Reeva Demesne was a female Mirialan scientist who worked for the Galactic Republic and later the Galactic Empire, specializing in energy research. She was recruited by Orson Krennic and unknowingly aided in the research and construction of the Death Star's superlaser. She worked alongside Galen and Lyra Erso for a time and attempted to alert them of the true purpose of their experimentation.
Biography[]
Demesne was enrolled in and studied energy generation, enrichment, and enhancement at the Futures Program institute on the planet of Coruscant. She met Galen Erso, who was then working under the title of "Professor," within the program and later mentored his wife Lyra Erso, who also met Galen and was proposed to during this time. Along with her friend Nari Sable, Demesne attended their wedding. Her topic of research later changed when she was drafted by Orson Krennic, newly appointed head of the Special Weapons Group by the Corps of Engineers, into the shield generator program at some point during the Clone Wars where she began work on defensive shield generators designed for capital ships and the soon-to-be named Death Star battle station.[1]
In 21 BBY, Demesne reunited with Galen on Coruscant for the first time in years after he was rescued from an unwarranted imprisonment on Vallt. She extended an invitation to an upcoming alumni reunion being held in two weeks at the end of their conversation. At the reunion, Demesne had the opportunity to speak to and catch up with Lyra after years apart. She also attempted to prevent a fray between Galen and fellow scientist Dagio Belcoze near the end of the gathering after Belcoze accused him of being a Separatist sympathizer who revealed Republic secrets during his detainment on Vallt. Belcoze would later call Galen to apologize, blaming his outburst on the alcohol he consumed during the event.[1]
Unable to contact Galen some time later, Reeva commed Lyra, who was surprised by the unexpected communication, and inquired whether her husband had recently spoken to Belcoze. She revealed that Belcoze was stationed on Malpaz, but quickly changed subjects and told Lyra that she herself was presently located on the planet of Hypori, vaguely hinting that the two planets held some significance. She also mentioned that she was part of Project Celestial Power before the call abruptly ended. Reeva's uneasiness and indistinct tone made it clear to Lyra that their communication was tapped and that Reeva wasn't able to speak freely nor share nor explain the entire truth of her remarks. Lyra shared this information with her husband. Three weeks later in a conversation with Krennic, Galen brought up his concerns of why Reeva was working on Hypori and not on Coruscant with himself as they were supposedly engaged in the same topic of research. As he was secretly listening in on the Erso family's conversations of suspicion within their apartment, Krennic foresaw Galen's concern and swiftly reassured him that he would look into it—a sham promise that would not be mentioned again or come to fruition.[1]
Delving deeper into the conspiracy Reeva brought to their attention, the Ersos realized that Galen's work was being weaponized once they saw sensory data of the remnants of the Hypori research station. This came after one of the Empire's so-called "energy research facilities" exploded when an experiment secretly trying to replicate Galen's work commenced and unexpectedly failed.[1]
Reeva was one of the primary scientists to witness an early test fire of the superlasers being designed for the Death Star upon the Hero Twins black hole systems. Following the successful destruction of this celestial phenomenon, she asked Krennic how the energy required for such a weapon would be stored, him asserting that that wasn't for her to worry about. When she pressed for further information about the project and revealed she wanted out since she foresaw her work would bring peace through fear, Krennic promised to reassign her her colleagues to another place "permanently." Not long thereafter, he ordered the energy research facility on Hypori, in the process of repair and where she was currently deployed, completely destroyed, killing Reeva and the other scientists stationed and secreting the Empire's work.
Personality and traits[]
Demesne had powdery green skin, her face tattooed in vertical bands of dark diamonds. Her full lips were pigmented in iridescent blue scales. She had gray hair. When meeting with Galen Erso, she wore a scarlet robe that reached the floor and a cowl that covered most of her hair. Lyra Erso described her as having a dark complexion with exotic face tattoos.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Reeva Demesne was first featured in Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel written by James Luceno and released in 2016. She was created as a character to further the plot of this prequel to the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story film, released in theaters a calendar month after the publishing of the aforementioned novel.
Appearances[]
- Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel (First appearance, simultaneous with Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel audiobook)
- Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel audiobook
Sources[]
- A New Age of Battle on Fantasy Flight Games' official website (backup link) (First pictured)
- Star Wars: Armada — Onager-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack (Card: Reeva Demesne)
- Star Wars: Armada — Upgrade Card Collection (Card: Reeva Demesne)
- Star Wars: Timelines