Kristine Smith came late to the nerd-game via her husband Martin, but once she was in, there was NO turning back! Comics were her gateway drug into pop culture, but love for movies and TV fill her geek goddess veins in recent years. With 20 years of San Diego Comic-Con under her belt, Kristine’s passions run wide, but she’s had a consistent love of both Disney and Star Wars since childhood.
Meet My Character – Captain Ma’Li Ficent
The true origins of Ma’Li Ficent, captain of the starship Aurora, are as elusive as a shadow. It is rumored that her mother was a Nightsister on the run after Count Dooku’s traitorous slaughter of her kind during the Clone Wars. Hidden on Ryloth by a Twi’lek with whom she shared an unbreakable but forbidden love, Ma’Li was born a child of two worlds, the proud independent Ryloth and the fierce unyielding Dathomir. The mysterious death of her mother while Ma’Li was still young had a lasting impact on her throughout her formative years. Despite his efforts, Ma’Li’s father could not help her control the rising magick power that she inherited from her mother’s Nightsister lineage.
Shortly before the Battle of Endor, a public and unfortunately destructive outburst of Ma’Li’s raging temper and powers forced her and her father on the run to evade capture. Before succumbing to his injuries, Ma’Li’s father desperately sought refuge for her with a past smuggling associate, Hondo Ohnaka. Upon learning of Ma’Li’s special powers, and seeing possible use and profitability from them, Hondo agreed to let Ma’Li join his gang of infamous space pirates.
Over the years, Ma’Li began to control the awakened magicks within her. Among her talents was conjuring magicks that could obscure a ship from sight or radar, which proved to be an invaluable asset to an outlaw gang. As the years passed and her notoriety grew, Hondo gave Ma’Li command of her own crew and starship, the Aurora. Shortly after, Hondo formed Ohnaka Transport Solutions, a thinly veiled cover for his many enterprises of various legality.
In no small part due to her fierce reputation and temper, along with her steadfast loyalty to those she valued, Ma’Li rose in the ranks of the now-partially-legit organization, rising to second-in-command only to Hondo himself. But Ma’Li’s magicks were kept a top-level secret within the gang due to their importance to the organization’s vast smuggling operations. As a result, only a select few knew of Ma’Li’s true position of power, with most believing her to be merely a captain of a vessel within their fleet.
Nowadays Captain Ma’Li Ficent often keeps a seemingly calm demeanor, rarely betraying the raging emotions and secret powers within her. But crossing Ma’Li Ficent is never to be taken lightly, as her true motives and allegiances remain as secretive as her powers. But if you need something transported under the radar, if nobody else can help, and if you can find (and afford) her, maybe you can hire…Captain Ma’Li Ficent and the Starship Aurora!
