Page 63 - Star Wars Insider #195

ENFY NEST AND THE CLOUD-RIDERS

something of herself in Jyn Erso—someone who
wasn’t able to have a normal, peaceful childhood.
The war stole that opportunity from both of
them. She also saw Erso as another who would be
underestimated because of her age.
While they only interacted during a brief
conversation, it was intense, and ended with
Erso telling Nest that Saw would underestimate
her, too. Jyn Erso’s advice wasn’t the only sign of
tension between Nest and Gerrera. They disagreed
on the use of the coaxium, revealing some of
Nest’s reservations about the methods she had
been forced by circumstance to support. Saw
believed he was doing the best thing to destroy
the Empire. Nest wasn’t so sure.

A Matter of Trust
One aspect of the storytelling in Solo was
to connect the young smuggler with Han’s
characterization in A New Hope. More specifi cally,
it sought to understand how Han could desert his THE CLOUD-RIDERS
friends as the rebels prepared their assault on the
Death Star, only to came back at the last minute Enfys Nest’s team was made up of a diverse group of humans and aliens, many
from worlds Nest’s gang helped liberate. Believed to have been formed by
to do the right thing and save the day. It boiled
Enfys’ mother, the Cloud-Riders differentiated themselves from other gangs
down to Han having trouble putting his trust in with their signature swoop bikes. Their home base was the starship Aerie, a
anyone other than Chewbacca—and during the carrier vessel. Also known as the marauders, they would drop from their ship
period when he encountered Enfys Nest, Solo’s on their modifi ed rides to bear down on their enemies like birds of prey.
While their work led them to act as smugglers or pirates depending on the
ability to trust anyone was tested to the absolute needs of each mission, they were not motivated by profi t alone. Enfys Nest and
breaking point. her mother ensured that the group targeted only criminals and the Empire, or
Beckett and Qi’ra both betrayed Han for those who enabled its vile domination of the galaxy.
different reasons: Qi’ra to secure power and

For her part, Nest saw financial success as a crime lord, and Beckett

something of herself to sell the coaxium and retire. From them,
Han learned to suspect anyone who appeared
in Jyn Erso—someone to be a friend. Nest, initially portrayed as an
aggressor and certainly not to be trusted, turned
who wasn’t able to out to be one of the less untrustworthy characters
have a normal, 04 Unmasked, Enfys in the movie. Surrounded by scoundrels and
desperate people since childhood, the Corellian
Nest (Erin
peaceful childhood. Kellyman) rallies had never met anyone as loyal and determined
the Cloud-Riders.
to help others as Enfys Nest. The reveal of
Nest’s true motivations and her struggle against
04 impossible odds were things Han would long
remember, and recognize in Leia and Luke
several years later.
Despite her youthful age, Nest had never been
shielded from witnessing the horrors of war fi rst-
hand. All her life, she had been among people
who believed that sometimes they had to do
violence in order to prevent further violence
down the line. But, as her conversation with Saw
showed, Nest had moral lines that she would
not cross. Like Han Solo, she grew up knowing it

was essential to fight to survive. That need had
forged her into a formidable warrior, and one
who understood that power must not be used to
oppress others, but to aid the oppressed.

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