Star Wars book cover brings back an EU horse favorite

The war of stars Expanded Universe is full of wonderful things. Some of them are perhaps so wonderful because they are gripping dramas or raise fascinating questions about war of starsOthers may be entertaining because they’re completely insane. “What if a horse piloted an X-Wing?” is one of those questions that may be all three.

This special horse – this special Thakwaashto be precise, it is Hohass “Runt” Ekwesh. A member of Wraith Squadron, the covert operations starfighter squadron/command unit founded by Wedge Antilles as a new tactical method for the New Republic’s conflicts with the myriad Imperial remnants in the wake of the Battle of Endor, Runt (nicknamed because he was relatively small for his species, but still several times the size of an average human) was a particularly gifted but brash pilot on Wraith Squadron’s founding team. Thakwaash develop multiple personalities for specialized functions, which they learn to better control and switch between as they grow older and more experienced. While Runt’s pilot mind was exceptionally talented, he had a very aggressive personality that clouded his judgment and ability to follow orders in the heat of battle, something he eventually began to get a handle on and overcome with the help of his wingman and close friend Kell Tainer.

Did we mention he looks like a horse in an X-Wing pilot flight suit? Yes.

Introducing the covers of the next edition of Essential Legends paperbacks featuring original cover artwork, hitting shelves this fall!

Art by: @seanpphillips, @Doalyand Juan Esteban Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/ZbJXiNoFB5

— Star Wars Books (@StarWarsByRHW) July 11, 2024

We will all remember this wonderful war of stars Character – honestly, he has a great arc in Aaron Allston’s Wraith Squadron Books – because Runt is on the newly unveiled cover for Solo CommandArrival in war of stars “Essential Legends” collection of reprints of European novels. Solo Command appears in the latest wave of paperbacks due out this fall, along with The Adventures of Han Solo by Bryan Daley (with cover artwork by Sean Phillips) and the Power unleashed Novel by Sean Williams (with cover artwork by Juan Esteban Rodriguez).

Illustrated by Doaly, who designed the covers of all X-Wing Books republished in the collection so far are a vivid picture with bold colors and, we cannot stress this enough, a horse in an X-Wing pilot suit on the cover. Although the Thakwaash have always been described as horse-like, depictions of how Horse-y they are have changed over the years. Some interpretations have given Runt a more alien appearance, almost similar to the EU’s depiction of the Bothans, while others, like Doaly’s work here, have leaned more towards “Literally a horse.”

Solo commandThe artwork is also part of a cool, ongoing trend that Doaly started with the “Essential” reprints of the Wraith Squadron Books so far in which a human member of the squad is paired with one of their alien partners: Wedge Antilles was next to Jesmin Ackbar (Admiral Ackbar’s niece) on the cover of Wraith SquadronTyria Sarkin was paired with the Gamorrean Voort “Piggy” saBinring on Iron Fistand now Runt is on stage with Shalla Nelprin Solo Command. Only a few of these characters have made the transition from the Expanded Universe to the current war of stars continuity, so it’s a pleasure to receive brand new illustrations from them after all these years, especially ones that highlight the diverse mix of pilots who were part of those squadrons.

But it also simply speaks to some of the wonderful contrasts of the old Expanded Universe, and war of stars by and large. The spook Books were gritty military combat thrillers, dealing with the details of covert combat, espionage and deception, as well as skirmishes with space fighters – so few characters felt safe and as if they could die at any moment. They remain, alongside the broader X-Wing series of novels that Allston worked on with writer Michael A. Stackpole, some of the best stories the EU had to offer. And now we say that while offering a book that features a horse in an X-Wing pilot suit on the cover.

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