Stinger Mantis crew

For other uses, see Stinger and Mantis.

"Yeah hey we had some good times didn't we, huh? Me, you, the space witch. Cere."

―Greez Dritus, to Cal Kestis^[3]

The Stinger Mantis crew, also abbreviated as the Mantis crew, operated aboard the Stinger Mantis during the reign of the Galactic Empire. The crew was initially formed by the former Jedi Cere Junda, who wished to restore the Jedi Order some time after Order 66. Junda hired the pilot Greez Dritus to transport her on her quest in his starship.^[1]

In 14 BBY,^[7] when Junda learned that the Imperial Inquisitorius was headed to Bracca, she and Dritus visited the planet and rescued the former Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, who joined the crew to assist with Junda's quest. On Bogano, Kestis was joined by the droid BD-1, who had been left on the planet by Junda's former Master, Eno Cordova, to help guide future Jedi into finding a holocron that listed Force-sensitive children in the galaxy.^[1]

During a mission undertaken to Dathomir by Kestis, the Nightsister Merrin also joined the crew after helping Kestis defeat Taron Malicos, a Jedi Master who had fallen to the dark side. The crew ultimately retrieved Cordova's holocron, but Kestis destroyed it to keep the children listed on it safe from the Empire.^[1]

At some point during the crew's travels, Kestis rescued a stray bogling while on Bogano. The bogling stowed away aboard the Stinger Mantis, becoming an inconvenience for Dritus, who was unaware of their stowaway's true nature.^[1] However, Dritus became aware of the bogling's presence on board^[4] at some point between 12 BBY and 11 BBY,^[5] coming to enjoy its company.^[4]

By 9 BBY,^[6] the crew had mostly gone their own separate ways. Dritus operated a cantina on Koboh called 'Pyloon's Saloon', named for his grandmother. Junda reunited with her former Jedi Master Eno Cordova on Jedha where she devoted herself to reassembling the Jedi Archive with the assistance of the Anchorites, a sect of force worshippers and scholars. Merrin explored the galaxy and became aware of the Hidden Path for force sensitives. She would later bring Junda into the path. Kestis and BD-1 continued to operate the Mantis and new members joined the crew. Most of the new crew, except for Bode Akuna, were killed during a mission on Coruscant. Afterwards, Kestis reconnected with Dritus, Merrin, and Junda. After Bode and Cere died, Bode's daughter, Kata Akuna, was adopted by the Mantis crew.^[3]

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"And one day, I met someone who also lost his family. Together we found another way to survive."

―Merrin, to Kata Akuna^[3]

MantisCrewReunitedJedha — Members of the Mantis crew.

The Stinger Mantis crew was a crew and rebel cell that began when former Jedi Knight Cere Junda teamed up with pilot Latero Greez Dritus, the owner of the starship Stinger Mantis. Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis joined the crew after being rescued by the two from an Inquisitor, an agent of the dark side of the Force intent on eliminating the Jedi who survived Order 66. Kestis and Junda assumed leadership roles within the crew. The BD explorer droid BD-1, a former colleague of Junda's Jedi Master, Eno Cordova, joined the others as Kestis's inseparable companion when the crew visited the planet Bogano, where Kestis rescued a female bogling and gave her a home aboard the Stinger Mantis. Finally, the Nightsister Merrin, a survivor of the massacre of her people on Dathomir during the Clone Wars, joined the team. Kestis and Merrin, like Junda, lost those they called family, their homes, and this grief drove them to fight against the Galactic Empire, as its leader, Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine, was one of those responsible for their losses.^[1]

After the dissolution of the crew, now a rebel cell, the crew gained new members who helped Kestis and BD-1, the only ones who continued to fight directly against the Empire, continue the fight. They were Bravo, Gabs, and the Klatooinian twins Koob and Lizz. The new members would later die on a mission, as would Junda, who was killed by Darth Vader shortly thereafter. After Junda's death, Kata Akuna, daughter of Bode Akuna, an Imperial spy and former Jedi who caused Junda's death, joined the reunited crew. Like other crew members, Akuna also lost a family member to the Empire, her mother.^[3]