Emil Graf had a pet Kowakian monkey-lizard named Noni, who was female. Noni accompanied her owner on the scout ship Star Herald as they traversed Wild Space. The BB-series astromech droid BB-00, known as "Boo," and the monster droid CR-8R, referred to as "Crater," were also part of the crew. The group frequently exchanged stories, often centered around their shared experiences aboard the starship.
Crater was often irritated by Noni's habit of pilfering various items on the Star Herald. She was known to take his tools, including a laser-caliper and several hydrospanners. Crater considered her a major annoyance and sometimes even wished to be rid of her. They frequently argued, with Noni often gaining the upper hand. However, Graf consistently sought to mediate between the two. Noni also demonstrated a remarkable level of intelligence, notably when she saved Crater.
Noni possessed a considerable intellect and consistently formulated clever strategies to save the day when necessary. During a disastrous mission at the Lost Library of Nelgenam, after Crater and Boo were shocked by a Tarinna, Noni used wires from destroyed librarian droids to reboot them. They then created a distraction for the Tarinna, giving Graf time to escape, and ultimately toppled a bookcase onto the creature.
Emil Graf was the owner of Noni, a female Kowakian monkey-lizard who was his beloved pet. Noni journeyed through Wild Space aboard the Star Herald alongside her master, the monster droid CR-8R, also known as "Crater," and the BB-series astromech droid BB-00, nicknamed "Boo."
Sometime between 34 ABY and 35 ABY, Crater was extremely frustrated because Noni had once again absconded with his laser welder. Noni was aware that Crater required the tool to repair the power stabilizer, and that his repulsorlifts were insufficient to pursue her. Crater struggled to comprehend the Graf family's fascination with pets, suggesting that rathtars would be a better choice than Noni. Graf responded by pointing out that Noni's unwavering belief in her ability to outsmart Crater reminded him of a story that his great-aunt Lina Graf had once shared.
Graf proceeded to explain that the moral of the story was that one should not overestimate their intelligence. Crater concurred and then activated the sprinkler system, which startled Noni and caused her to relinquish the laser welder. Graf returned the welder to Crater, much to Noni's displeasure.
While aboard the Star Herald, Noni sat beside Graf as he recounted a tale about Mattis Banz, a boy who stood up to a bully.
Back on the Star Herald, Graf was spending time with Noni, praising her attractive features. Crater, however, did not share Graf's sentiments, instead viewing Noni as an unkempt creature resembling scrap metal taken from a hull. Graf disagreed and challenged Crater to name a creature cuter than her. Crater obliged, listing numerous creatures until he mentioned the porg, prompting Graf to inquire about it. Crater proceeded to describe the porg, noting that while a porg could sing, Noni could not. He also acknowledged that a porg could cause chaos, which Noni was certainly capable of doing. After the monster droid finished, Graf asked if they should get a porg, but Noni spilled a drink on Crater's, screen and Crater said they only needed one Noni.
As they journeyed through hyperspace, a peculiar sound echoed throughout the Star Herald. Graf admitted that he had never heard the sound before, but Crater explained that it was Noni, who had attempted to enter the kitchen through the ventilation ducts in pursuit of a foodcake, only to become trapped. Boo suggested that Crater cut her out through the wall, but Crater was unwilling to undertake further repairs to the ship. He decided to let her remain stuck in the vents for a while. Graf acknowledged that Noni could be quite troublesome, but Crater interrupted, asserting that trouble always seemed to follow her. Nevertheless, Graf defended her, arguing that everyone gets into trouble at some point, reminding him of a story about a boy from Tatooine.
After Graf completed the story, he explained to Crater that, despite Noni's propensity for getting into trouble, it was still their responsibility to assist her. Crater agreed that beings should care for one another, but he maintained that Noni was simply too much effort. Meanwhile, Boo was in the process of cutting the vent to free her. Once Boo removed the vent, Noni came flying out and collided with the droid. Crater then prepared to clean up after Noni as Boo zapped her. However, Graf expressed his belief that Noni would do the same for Crater.
As the Star Herald navigated an asteroid field, Crater pursued Noni after she made off with his hydrospanner. Graf observed that it appeared as though Noni was in love with the hydrospanner and had no intention of relinquishing it anytime soon. Crater dismissed the idea of being in love with an inanimate object as nonsense, but Graf recounted a story in which such a thing had occurred. After the story, Crater didn't believe Graf could compare it to the hydrospanner he needed. But Graf thought Noni's heart wanted it as she hugged the hydrospanner.
At a later time, on a planetoid, Noni assisted the crew in their efforts to scare away mynocks from the Star Herald. Following Crater's narration of a story, the crew successfully removed the mynocks, and she celebrated by swinging from a vine.
While docked at a space station, Noni was present when Boo accused Graf of stealing his laser-caliper. Graf attempted to defend himself, but Boo hurled an insult at him as Noni fled in apprehension. Graf then shared a story about mistaken identity with the droids. Upon finishing the story, Graf discovered the laser-caliper in Noni's bed. However, Boo offered the excuse that he often struggled to distinguish between the two.
Noni was present with the rest of the crew before they travelled through the Shosho Belt to reach the Shosho Outpost. After a bumpy ride, the crew was very dizzy as they relaxed at the outpost.
Subsequently, Crater instructed Boo to seal all the vents as they joined forces to locate Noni, who had stolen Boo's radar receiver. Graf questioned the situation, expressing his disbelief that tearing apart the ship was the appropriate solution. However, Crater was determined to stop at nothing to retrieve it. This reminded Graf of a story at Mos Eisley Cantina. After the story ended, Graf came up with a simpler solution to locating Noni. He placed a cake on the floor and waited for Noni to appear because she loved cake. Noni soon fell for the trap and ate the cake.
During a stop at a [jungle](/article/jungle] location, Boo insulted Crater in a way that caused Noni to erupt in laughter. Noni then climbed onto Graf's shoulder as he shared a story relevant to the situation.
Crater was once again infuriated with Noni after discovering that she had smeared jogan fruitcake all over his brand-new hydrospanner. Crater told Graf that she was driving him insane. Graf found this unusual, but Crater insisted that she was a menace. However, Graf advised Crater to appreciate the people in his life and shared a story about Majordomo Bib Fortuna.
Crater, however, failed to see how the story related to Noni. Graf explained that, while she may not be as hardworking as Bib Fortuna, she was still essential to the daily operations on the Star Herald. Just then, as Crater approached a live wire, Noni leaped forward and pushed him away, preventing him from being electrocuted. Crater expressed his gratitude to Noni and acknowledged that she was a vital member of the crew.
Graf was pursued by First Order stormtroopers after he pilfered the coordinates to the Lost Library of Nelgenam. He led the troopers to the Star Herald, where Crater was arranging the memory spheres. However, Noni knocked over all the spheres, causing the stormtroopers to trip and providing the time needed to escape. Crater initially considered Noni a menace, but the plan proved effective. Noni accompanied the crew to the ruins of the library, where they were nearly crushed by boulders upon entering.
After freeing Boo from the wreck-weavers, Noni rushed over to Graf with a worried expression. Graf reassured her that the spiders were gone and there was nothing to fear, until two librarian droids appeared, angered by the noise being made. Noni sought refuge behind Graf as he inquired for directions, but the droids remained upset about the disturbance and drew their blasters on Graf and Noni. The droids opened fire, launching Graf and Noni into the air from the explosions. Noni clung to Graf's back as they sought cover behind a large bookshelf. However, they quickly relocated to Crater's position, where Graf and the droid devised a plan to defeat the droids.
After defeating the droids, Noni climbed up one of the bookcases and located a memory crystal at the top of the case. Graf realizing it was their chance to not go home empty handed, climbed up the bookcase. But Graf slipped and fell but he was rescued by Noni, who used her tail to grab his boot and rescue him. Graf then tried helped Noni get the crystal out but they were having difficulties. Then, someone shocked Crater and Boo, shutting them down and a figure appeared behind Noni and Graf. The figure revealed itself to be a Tarinna and they planned to take the memories of Graf.
Noni fled to Crater and Boo as the Tarinna extracted Graf's memories. In an attempt to reactivate the droids, Noni seized the wires from the librarian droids and attached them to Crater and Boo, causing them to reboot. Crater expressed his disgust at seeing Noni but focused on rescuing Graf instead. He managed to distract the Tarinna long enough for Graf to escape. While Crater distracted the Tarinna again, Graf and the others pushed the bookcase over and onto the Tarinna. The crew then departed from Nelgenam.
Noni had red skin, yellow eyes, and purple hair. She exhibited a sassy attitude toward others, particularly Crater, and frequently stole his tools. Crater generally held her in low regard, viewing her as more of a nuisance than a valuable crew member. However, Noni found amusement in stealing his tools and occasionally displayed a sense of humor. Nevertheless, her cocky, overconfident demeanor sometimes worked against her. She could be tricked into returning stolen items with food, including the joogan fruitcake and sometimes believed she had gotten away with stealing too early.
Noni's relationship with her owner, Graf, was significantly more amicable compared to her relationship with Crater. Graf often complimented Noni and defended her when Crater accused her of theft. Noni demonstrated that she cared about Crater, even if the two were frequently at odds. She saved his life from a live wire and assisted in toppling a bookcase onto a Tarinna that was attacking him.
Noni debuted in the backup story, "Tales from Wild Space: Stop, Thief!" in the premier issue of the 2017 Star Wars anthology comic series, Star Wars Adventures. Cavan Scott wrote the story, Jon Sommariva illustrated it, and it was published on September 6, 2017.