- "Here's the stars' own truth. Temmin takes care of us more than we take care of him. He helps pay for things. Shows up at the start of the week with a basket of fruits and bread, sometimes some wyrg-jerky or some of that spicy arguez sausage. If our evaporator or our flood-pump breaks, he shows up with the parts and the tools and he fixes it. We're a couple of old cluckers, and he takes care of us good. We'll miss him."
- ―Shirene to Norra Wexley about her son, Temmin Wexley
Shirene was a woman who lived on the Outer Rim planet Akiva with her wife, Esmelle, during the Imperial Era. In 1 ABY, when Esmelle's sister, the pilot Norra Wexley, left Akiva, she and her wife took Norra's son Temmin Wexley into their care. However, Temmin eventually left his aunts' home and began operating a junk shop in the world's capital city. Over the following years, Temmin continued to help Shirene and Esmelle with household duties.
In 4 ABY, Norra returned to Akiva and was displeased to learn that Temmin had not stayed with his aunts for some time. When the pilot and Esmelle argued over the issue, Shirene defused the situation and attempted to explain that she and her wife had not been equipped to handle parenting a strong-willed child like Temmin. Shortly after, the woman lent Norra her bala-bala speeder when she chose to follow her son back to his junk shop. The following year, Shirene and Esmelle attended the funeral of Norra's husband, Brentin Wexley. By 34 ABY, she and her wife continued to reside on Akiva and occasionally dined with Norra and her partner, the pilot Wedge Antilles.
Biography[]
Temmin's guardian[]
- "I spoke to your aunts."
"Yeah?"
"They said you don't even stay with them anymore."
"No. I stay here now. I'm independent." - ―Norra and Temmin Wexley, about Shirene and Esmelle
Shirene and her wife cared for Temmin Wexley (pictured) on Akiva for some time when his mother left Akiva.
Shirene was a woman who was married to another woman named Esmelle. During the Imperial Era, she and her wife lived on the Outer Rim planet Akiva in a home on Orchard Hill in the world's capital city, Myrra.[1] In 1 ABY,[2] Esmelle's sister, the pilot Norra Wexley, left Akiva to join the Rebel Alliance and left her son, Temmin Wexley, in the care of his aunts. Temmin lived with Shirene and Esmelle for some time, growing into a self-reliant young man. He eventually moved out of his aunts' home and began operating a junk shop in Myrra. As the years passed, Temmin began assisting Shirene and Esmelle by delivering food packages consisting of bread and fruits and occasionally including arguez sausage and wyrg-jerky. The young man also helped with living expenses and repairing his aunts' home machinery.[1]
Following the Battle of Endor[1] in 4 ABY,[2] Shirene and Esmelle met with Norra upon the woman's return to Akiva. The pair declined Norra's invitation to leave the world with her, despite the Imperial presence encroaching on the world. Much to the pilot's displeasure, the aunts informed Norra that her son had moved out of their residence and now lived in his junk shop. Afterward, she met with Temmin in his business and confronted him with what she had learned from Shirene and Esmelle, though he defended his independent lifestyle. Temmin refused to leave Akiva with his mother, so she reluctantly drugged him and carried him away toward the Moth, a freighter she had hired to take them offworld. However, when they arrived at the vessel to find it surrounded by Imperial stormtroopers, the pair fled the area on a speeder bike.[1]
Ensuing arguments[]
- "Shirene, you don't need to step into the middle of this—"
"Please, Norra. I'm in this. I have skin in this game. I love Temmin like my own son. But what I need you to realize is that he isn't our son. Don't misunderstand me. I just mean that we were never ready for this. For him." - ―Norra Wexley and Shirene, after the former's argument with Esmelle
Shirene argued with Norra Wexley (pictured) about her and Esmelle's troubles caring for Temmin Wexley in the latter's absence.
When the pair were separated during their escape, Norra used the speeder to flee to Shirene and Esmelle's house to rendezvous with Temmin. While waiting for her son to arrive, Norra expressed her frustration with Esmelle for allowing her son to move out of their home. Shirene interjected in their argument and suggested that her wife have a cup of tea to calm down, which she agreed to. Norra and Shirene conversed after Esmelle's departure, with the latter explaining her and her wife's stance on Temmin's independence and how he had grown up to be a young man to be proud of in her absence. Shortly afterward, Shirene lent her bala-bala speeder to Norra when she left their house searching for her son, who she assumed had returned to his junk shop. After rescuing Temmin from an encounter with thugs working for the crime lord Surat Nuat in the streets of Myrra, the pilot returned to the aunts' house with her son and rested while he repaired his B1-series battle droid Mister Bones. Later, following the rebellion on Akiva, Norra and Temmin again used spare parts from Shirene and Esmelle's basement to repair Mister Bones.[1]
After the Battle of Jakku[3] one year later,[4] Shirene and Esmelle both attended the funeral of Norra's husband, Brentin Wexley, who had been killed by Counselor to the Empire Gallius Rax. The pair also watched as Temmin buried the arm of Mister Bones, as the rest of the droid's body had been disintegrated in the same conflict. Following the funeral, Norra and Temmin stayed at Shirene's and her wife's home for a few days before returning to their new home on the planet Chandrila.[3] By 34 ABY,[5] she and her wife continued to reside on Akiva and occasionally dined with Norra and her partner, the pilot Wedge Antilles.[6]
Personality and traits[]
- "You can come with us. That offer is still on the table—"
"Pssh. Norra, better or worse, we put down roots. We're as grown into this hill as the orchard up the road, as settled as the bones in the dirt. You take your boy, though, and get him somewhere better." - ―Norra Wexley and Shirene
Shirene had dark skin, a bulky physique, and close-cropped curly hair. She loved her wife, Esmelle, and sometimes called her "Esme" as an endearment. Though not related to Temmin by blood, she cared for the boy like a son even though she and her wife felt that they were unequipped to serve as parental figures for such a strong-willed youth. Shirene and Temmin developed a stronger relationship during the years he spent working in his junk shop, as the young man helped her and her wife with household needs. The woman sought to maintain peace between Norra and Esmelle when they argued, using a soothing tone when diffusing the situation.[1] By 4 ABY,[2] Shirene enjoyed living on Akiva and refused to leave her home to flee offworld. However, she supported Norra's efforts to take Temmin with her off of Akiva and allowed the pilot to use her bala-bala speeder. Shirene spoke Basic.[1]
Equipment[]
- "I need to borrow your bala-bala."
"Of course, Norra. Anything you need." - ―Norra Wexley and Shirene
While living on Akiva, Shirene lived in a home with Esmelle that was equipped with a flood-pump and an evaporator. The home's basement housed a collection of tools and spare parts and served as a workshop. Their kitchen contained supplies to make tea, including a thermajug. The married pair also owned a blue bala-bala speeder with a braced box-rack and chain and ball-hitch.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- "Temmin's aunts raised him. […] That's their purpose. To be real, complex, compelling characters. […] They are there to be characters — realized, interesting, and with their own agendas and agency. I did the literal bare minimum here in including these characters […]"
- ―Chuck Wendig
Shirene first appeared in Aftermath, a 2015 novel written by Chuck Wendig as the first installment in Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy.[1] Wendig strongly defended his inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters in Aftermath following the novel's release, indicating that Shirene and Esmelle's role in raising Temmin was important and made them unique and compelling characters.[7]
Appearances[]
- Aftermath (First appearance, simultaneous with audiobook)
- Aftermath audiobook
- Aftermath: Empire's End
- Aftermath: Empire's End audiobook
- Resistance Reborn (Mentioned only)
- Resistance Reborn audiobook (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
Star Wars Helmet Collection 71 (Databank A-Z: Zam Wesell–Wexley)- Star Wars Helmet Collection 74 (Weapons & Uniforms: Black Squadron)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 Aftermath
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Aftermath to 4 ABY. The novel establishes that Norra Wexley's initial departure from Akiva occurred three years prior to the book's events, equating to 1 ABY.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Aftermath: Empire's End
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Aftermath: Empire's End to 5 ABY.
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Resistance Reborn to 34 ABY.
- ↑ Resistance Reborn
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Episode 0: Luke Skywaker And The Return Of The Rainbow Gaysaber – Chuck Wendig: Terribleminds by Chuck Wendig on terribleminds.com (March 9, 2016) (archived from the original on May 28, 2023)