Koska Reeves, a Mandalorian of the human race and female sex, held membership within the Nite Owls. In the years succeeding the Great Purge, Reeves found herself on the moon known as Trask. It was there that she participated in the theft of an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser alongside Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Axe Woves, and Din Djarin. At a later time, she and Kryze once more allied with Djarin during a mission aimed at rescuing Grogu, Djarin's companion, and seizing the light cruiser he occupied. This seizure was intended to support Kryze's ambition to reclaim Mandalore and retrieve the Darksaber from Moff Gideon. However, when Kryze's attempt to claim the Darksaber failed, Reeves departed from Kryze's group, becoming a mercenary within a Mandalorian faction led by Woves. Subsequently, Kryze triumphed over Woves in combat, reassuming leadership of her unit, which led to Reeves' return to her side.
During the reign of the New Republic, Koska Reeves belonged to Clan Kryze, a Mandalorian clan under the leadership of Lady Bo-Katan Kryze. She also served within Kryze's Mandalorian squad, the Nite Owls. Kryze's ambition was to regain dominion over the planet of Mandalore, but she had previously lost the Darksaber, a black-colored lightsaber that granted its wielder the right to claim the Mandalorian throne. This weapon had fallen into the hands of Moff Gideon, a former Imperial Security Bureau officer who commanded a remnant of the Galactic Empire. In 9 ABY, Reeves, along with Kryze and fellow Mandalorian Axe Woves, participated in a Mandalorian resistance movement, targeting transports serving Gideon's Imperial remnant. Their goal was to seize weaponry and pinpoint the location of Gideon and the Darksaber. To prevent Mandalorians from infiltrating their starships, the Imperials implemented life-form scans.
Reeves and her companions eventually made their way to the estuary moon of Trask, where an Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser was in the process of acquiring weapons at a local black market port. The presence of the trio drew the attention of Din Djarin, a Mandalorian bounty hunter who was seeking out other Mandalorians to aid him in returning Grogu, a Force-sensitive foundling, to the Jedi. Djarin journeyed to Trask in search of Kryze's group. Upon his arrival, Reeves observed him at the port, disappearing from his view as he surveyed his surroundings.
Djarin boarded a Quarren boat after a Quarren boatman promised to take him to the Mandalorians. However, the Quarren intended to feed Grogu, who was confined within his hovering pram, to their mamacore. They also trapped Djarin in the creature's pit, intending to drown him and steal his beskar armor. Subsequently, Reeves and her comrades intervened to rescue the bounty hunter, with Kryze initiating the engagement with the Quarren. Reeves and Woves joined the battle soon after, resulting in the Quarren's defeat.
After the three Mandalorian resistance fighters defeated the Quarren, Kryze pulled Djarin out of the mamacore pit. The Mandalorian bounty hunter expressed his concern for Grogu, who was still inside the creature. Reeves then leaped into the pit to rescue the foundling, firing at the mamacore and emerging with Grogu safely secured in his hovering pram. Upon landing, she released the foundling from the pram and handed him to Djarin. The Mandalorian expressed his gratitude and began to explain his mission, at which point Reeves and her comrades removed their helmets.
Djarin believed that removing their helmets disqualified them from being Mandalorian, leading Kryze to realize that he adhered to the Children of the Watch, an extremist Mandalorian cult that practiced an ancient interpretation of the "Way of the Mandalore." After Djarin insisted that there was only one Way of the Mandalore, he departed from the group, prompting Reeves and Woves to exchange glances. Reeves and her comrades later destroyed the Quarrens' boat.
Djarin was soon confronted at the port by the brother of the boatman who had previously deceived him. The boatman's brother, supported by armed Quarren, was then intercepted by Reeves, Kryze, and Woves, who used their WESTAR-35 blaster pistols to eliminate the group. They then invited Djarin to a local inn. At a table, Kryze explained their mission to seize weapons and ultimately retake Mandalore to the bounty hunter. Reeves and Woves listened to the conversation, with Reeves consuming a tentacled creature in the process. Kryze promised Djarin information regarding the whereabouts of a Jedi in exchange for his assistance in their mission.
The four Mandalorians positioned themselves atop Djarin's gunship, the Razor Crest, and observed the Imperial Gozanti-class cruiser, which was docked nearby. Kryze outlined the resistance fighters' plan to seize weapons from the cruiser, and Reeves noted the vessel's practice of scanning for life forms when Djarin suggested stowing away. The bounty hunter then entrusted Grogu to his friends Frog Lady and Frog Man to ensure the foundling's safety during the mission.
As the Imperial cruiser departed at dawn, Reeves and her three associates used jetpacks to approach the vessel. Kryze and Woves engaged two stormtroopers on an external walkway, while Reeves attacked another who emerged and sealed the door. After disarming the trooper, she ascended while carrying her adversary, dropping him onto the cockpit of the Gozanti cruiser. Woves opened the door into the cruiser, and Kryze eliminated three stormtroopers before the others joined her and proceeded down the hallway, engaging another group of troopers. Utilizing cover at intervals, the Mandalorians defeated the stormtroopers and advanced towards the cargo bay, eliminating more defenders along the way.
Another stormtrooper squad attempted to halt the Mandalorians in another hallway, but Djarin deployed a smoke bomb, allowing the four to use the cover to gun down the troopers with ease. Reeves and her comrades used a lift to access the cargo bay area, where they encountered a group of stormtroopers led by an Imperial deck officer who were waiting to intercept them. The Mandalorians engaged the defenders, eliminating several troopers before being trapped in the cargo control area. Using the control area, the four opened the cargo bay doors, expelling the remaining Imperial defenders from the Gozanti-class cruiser.
Reeves and her companions entered the cargo bay and began inspecting the crates of weapons while Kryze communicated with the Gozanti cruiser's captain. After Kryze threatened to seize the entire vessel, Djarin insisted that it was not part of their agreement. Kryze, however, convinced him to continue fighting alongside them, and the Mandalorians began advancing towards the bridge, where the captain was located. Meanwhile, the captain contacted Gideon, requesting reinforcements. Gideon instead ordered the captain to scuttle the ship, and the captain killed his two bridge officers, taking one's seat to direct the cruiser into a nosedive towards Trask.
The Mandalorians soon realized the cruiser was plummeting towards Trask when they were jolted by the sudden maneuver. As they reached the hall leading to the bridge, a squad of stormtroopers fired upon them, pinning them down. Woves assessed the enemy's numbers, and Reeves used her vambrace to gauge the Gozanti-class cruiser's altitude loss. She reported altitude measurements while Kryze wanted to advance and Woves emphasized the impossibility of doing so. Djarin then requested cover from the others and advanced, while Reeves and her fellow resistance fighters opened fire on the stormtroopers. Using his armor for protection, the bounty hunter hurled detonators at the enemy squad, destroying them instantly.
While Woves covered their flank, Reeves, Kryze, and Djarin entered the cockpit, with Djarin pulling the captain from his seat. Reeves and Djarin assumed manual control and prevented the ship from crashing into the ocean of Trask. The captain committed suicide using an electronic mechanism in his mouth after Kryze attempted to interrogate him. Reeves continued piloting the ship and alerted the others to a distress signal. Kryze then instructed Reeves to pilot the cruiser out of the atmosphere and prepare for a jump to hyperspace while she provided Djarin with the location of a Jedi. The bounty hunter parted ways with Reeves and her comrades shortly thereafter.
Reeves, Kryze, and Woves departed Trask, and the former two eventually visited the desert world of Lafete aboard a Kom'rk-class fighter/transport, frequenting a diner there. While they were having drinks, Djarin and Boba Fett, a clone of a Mandalorian who wore his gene donor's armor, entered the bar and approached Reeves and Kryze. Djarin revealed that Grogu had been captured by Gideon and that he required assistance to execute a rescue mission, but Kryze doubted their ability to locate the moff and dismissed Fett as a fake Mandalorian. Reeves further belittled Djarin's companion as a sidekick, prompting Fett to tell her to relax. She then threatened him, but Kryze intervened.
Djarin revealed that he possessed the coordinates of Gideon and his Class 546 Cruiser, which the Mandalorian bounty hunter asserted could aid Kryze's campaign to reclaim Mandalore. Fett expressed his disdain for the idea of retaking the planet and exchanged insults with Kryze. Reeves then attempted to strike Fett, who threw her onto a table and attempted to restrain her with his whipcord launcher. She countered by pulling her opponent closer and delivering a blow before using her jetpack to propel him onto another table. As the two used their flamethrowers against each other, Kryze once again separated them and agreed to assist Djarin in exchange for Gideon's light cruiser, Djarin's reconsideration of joining them, and an opportunity to kill Gideon and claim the Darksaber.
The four boarded Fett's Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft, the Slave I. There, they encountered the assassin Fennec Shand, the New Republic marshal Cara Dune, and the captive Imperial scientist Doctor Penn Pershing, whose Lambda-class T-4a shuttle designated Shuttle 2743 was parked outside. They assessed Gideon's Class 546 Cruiser, with Pershing assisting them in mapping Grogu's location and a platoon of Dark Troopers that were not yet activated. Kryze devised a plan to simulate an attack on Shuttle 2743 by the Slave I to compel the cruiser to take them aboard. Then, she, Reeves, Shand, and Dune would fight their way to the bridge to confront Gideon, while Djarin would silently deactivate the dark troopers and rescue Grogu.
Reeves and Kryze piloted Shuttle 2743, carrying Djarin, Dune, and Shand as passengers, through hyperspace, closely followed by Fett aboard Slave I. Kryze instructed the rest of the group to leave Gideon to her, intending to defeat him and claim the Darksaber. Reeves and Kryze emerged from hyperspace near Gideon's cruiser and simulated being pursued by the Slave I, with Kryze issuing a distress call requesting emergency docking. The cruiser's comms officer advised Shuttle 2743 to remain clear of the launch tube to allow TIE fighters to deploy against Fett's attack craft, but after Kryze countermanded the order, the TIEs ceased launching, though two had already been deployed.
Reeves and Kryze flew Shuttle 2743 into the launch tube, skidding to a halt in the middle. As stormtroopers ordered the shuttle to clear the tube, the group, excluding Djarin, disembarked and began firing upon the stormtroopers. After Kryze ensnared one trooper with a grappling line, Reeves fly-kicked the soldier and continued to eliminate other personnel in the hangar. The group advanced towards the command bridge, with Reeves observing as they approached a corner leading to a walkway bridge. She reported that the route ahead was clear, but Kryze was suspicious and so the pair took point as they crossed the walkway. When a squad of stormtroopers appeared on the other side, Reeves and Kryze flew clear of the walkway bridge while Dune and Shand defeated the squad.
Six more stormtroopers ambushed Dune and Shand from behind, but Reeves and Kryze reappeared from either side of the troopers and swiftly gunned them down. The four reached a storage room, where additional stormtroopers were waiting to surprise the infiltrators. Shand had Kryze and Reeves cover their rear while she and Dune eliminated the hidden troopers. Reeves located one stormtrooper and threw the soldier to the floor, finishing off her foe with her blaster pistol. As the group reached the other side of the room, more troopers arrived from behind, only to be targeted by Reeves and Kryze. The pair continued to cover their rear as their two allies advanced forward, engaging more defending stormtroopers along the way.
Reeves and her three companions entered a lift that took them to the bridge. They immediately exited into a gunfight with defending stormtroopers, whom they easily mowed down. The group then charged into the center of the bridge, eliminating the remaining troopers and Imperial officers. Reeves disabled the weapons system by removing a code cylinder from a terminal, and Kryze inquired about Gideon's whereabouts. The four waited, with Reeves continuing to consult the same terminal from which she had taken the cylinder, until Djarin arrived. The Mandalorian bounty hunter brought with him both Grogu and a captive Gideon, whom he had defeated during his mission, thereby earning the Darksaber.
As the group acknowledged Gideon's defeat, the moff boasted that Djarin now possessed the Darksaber, despite Kryze's desires. Reeves watched as the bounty hunter attempted to hand the lightsaber over to Kryze, but was unable to because it had to be won in single combat. She then consulted the same terminal again before everyone at the bridge was interrupted by an alarm indicating the approach of dark troopers. The droid soldiers were able to return to the cruiser despite being ejected by Djarin during his mission to find Grogu. Reeves observed a security feed showing dark troopers making their way towards the bridge. Shand then had the Mandalorian seal the blast doors to the bridge to slow the new enemy down. Reeves watched the dark troopers arrive at the blast door on the security feed and prepared for a confrontation alongside her comrades.
As they awaited the dark troopers' breach of the door, the group heard their enemy bashing against the blast door. A new spacecraft then arrived at the cruiser, which Reeves identified as an X-wing. All parties aboard the cruiser were alerted to the new arrival, the Jedi Luke Skywalker, who disembarked and began destroying dark troopers with his lightsaber. Gideon attempted to shoot Kryze and Grogu, but was quickly stopped by the group. Skywalker soon arrived at the blast door after laying waste to all of the dark troopers, and Djarin opened the door to let the Jedi through. Reeves watched as Djarin gave Grogu to Skywalker to be raised with the Jedi.
Koska Reeves was proficient in hand-to-hand combat and demonstrated the ability to swiftly eliminate enemies with a blaster pistol during engagements.
Koska Reeves donned brown clothing and dark blue beskar armor, passed down through her family, adorned with the emblem of the Nite Owls on her shoulder pads. Her armor was equipped with a JT-12 jetpack, weatherproof gloves, a rangefinder attached to her helmet, and rocket dart launchers integrated into her knee guards. Reeves also carried a WESTAR-35 blaster pistol, which she kept in a holster, and possessed Mandalorian vambraces with concealed weapons, including a whipcord launcher and a flamethrower. Reeves wore a black cloak while shadowing Din Djarin after his arrival on Trask.
Koska Reeves made an appearance in "Chapter 11: The Heiress" of The Mandalorian, a Disney+ series created by Jon Favreau and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, which was released on November 13, 2020. She was portrayed by Mercedes Varnado, also known as Sasha Banks, a WWE star, with Lauren Kim and Caitlin Hutson serving as her stunt doubles. Reeves was initially featured in the official trailer for the second season of The Mandalorian on September 15 2020.
According to Varnado, Favreau discovered her after watching her interview on the YouTube web series Hot Ones. The show runner believed that her fierce personality was well-suited for a Mandalorian, along with the physical prowess she demonstrated from her involvement in the wrestling industry. After obtaining Varnado's contact information, the casting director of The Mandalorian contacted the WWE star via Instagram, and Favreau offered her the role via FaceTime. Varnado was initially apprehensive, fearing that her portrayal in the show might conflict with her wrestling career. To fulfill her role, she reportedly went directly from performing on live national television to waking up at 5:00 the next morning, catching a flight, and heading straight to the trailer. Varnado still had glitter on her face from the previous WWE event.
Favreau, along with producer Dave Filoni, provided Varnado with a concise background of her character. This included Reeves's identity as a Mandalorian and her objective to aid Din Djarin while also securing the Darksaber. Varnado also collaborated closely with Howard, who addressed all her inquiries and communicated with her via text messages leading up to the filming. The WWE star expressed her intention to infuse a genuine sense of emotion into the act of rescuing Grogu, committing "everything" as if Grogu were genuinely in the process of drowning. Moreover, she incorporated aspects of her wrestling persona, employing familiar moves like the dropkick, back elbow, and fireman's carry during the action sequences, which her wrestling fanbase would readily recognize. Varnado received support from her stunt team, Kim and Hutson, who executed some of the action sequences. The wrestler limited her involvement in these sequences to prevent any potential mishaps that could negatively impact her WWE career, which she engaged in on a weekly basis.
During the filming of a scene set in the inn located on Trask, Varnado was required to consume a lengthy udon noodle in order to simulate the act of consuming an octopus. However, she had been prepared to ingest an actual octopus for the purposes of the show. The wrestler stated that she drew inspiration from her preferred film, Oldboy, where the protagonist, Oh Dae-su, is depicted consuming an octopus. Varnado's costume necessitated only a single adjustment for tightening. She noted that performing choreography while wearing the armor presented a greater challenge, as she was more accustomed to wearing more flexible athletic apparel in WWE. Despite this, she successfully fulfilled her role.
When filming the scenes aboard the Gozanti-class cruiser, Sam Hargrave, serving as the second unit director, aimed for Reeves and the other Mandalorians to engage in shooting and concealment tactics reminiscent of classic Star Wars gunfights. Furthermore, Favreau desired Reeves, Woves, and Kryze to operate in coordination but independently from Djarin, so as to distinguish the trio from their new companion. The hair stylist Maria Sandoval was responsible for Reeves's distinctive cross-braids, with the apparent intention of creating a unique characteristic that girls could emulate through cosplay. In an interview featured in Variety magazine, Varnado expressed her admiration for the welcoming nature of Favreau, Howard, and Filoni, drawing a comparison between being on set and her initial experience in the wrestling ring.
The 2023 Topps Star Wars card set designates Trask as her world of origin, but Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy later identified it as Mandalore. Given that the Topps Star Wars set contains several inaccuracies concerning character homeworlds, this analysis assumes the Star Wars Encyclopedia to be the accurate source.