Shenrick, a male of the Mon Calamari species, held the position of King of Mon Cala during the High Republic Era. Initially, he was a third son and not anticipated to ascend to the crown. Shenrick became involved romantically with Ghal Tarpfen, a Captain Third Class within the Mon Calamari Guard originating from a family of lower status. However, after a fateful event resulted in him becoming king, Shenrick rejected Tarpfen and removed her from service to the crown. Years afterward, while Tarpfen served as the Head of Security for the Starlight Beacon space station, the Nihil pirates attempted to exploit their past affair, a violation of Mon Cala societal norms, to blackmail her.
Shenrick, a male Mon Calamari, entered the world as the third son to the reigning monarch of the planet Mon Cala during the High Republic Era. Since he wasn't expected to inherit the crown, Shenrick encountered Ghal Tarpfen, a female Captain Third Class in the Mon Calamari Guard who came from a family of modest standing. They fell in love and started a secret affair, which went against the principles of Mon Cala society, which valued the "purity" of the royal family. During their relationship, Shenrick and Tarpfen enjoyed a holodrama about a Mon Calamari guard who ran away with a princess, feeling that it mirrored "their" story.
A tragedy suddenly elevated Shenrick to the throne as King of Mon Cala when his predecessor and older siblings were killed. Following this, he chose to reject Tarpfen, summoning her for an audience where he dismissed her from her duties with the Guard, falsely claiming she had requested it. Tarpfen, not wanting to see Shenrick marry another, left Mon Cala and joined the Galactic Republic. Both kept their past relationship secret, as its revelation could damage Shenrick's reputation and Tarpfen's family.
Years later, in 230 BBY, Shenrick continued his reign as king, while Tarpfen became the Head of Security at the Starlight Beacon space station. The Republic knew of Tarpfen's Mon Cala background. The ongoing conflict with the Nihil pirates had led some within the Republic government to become traitors, including Senator Ghirra Starros of Hosnian Prime. Through Starros, the Nihil discovered Tarpfen's past and tried to blackmail her, sending cryptic holomessages with Mon Cal documentaries, gossip column clips about the king, and the holodrama she and Shenrick had enjoyed. Tarpfen didn't initially understand the messages' purpose. However, she subconsciously felt something was wrong, which appeared as recurring dreams of Shenrick dismissing her.
After the Beacon was towed to Dalna for a relief effort, Tarpfen received a final holomessage showing a masked Nihil ordering her to disable security cameras in specific station corridors, threatening to expose her past if she refused. Remembering the previous messages, Tarpfen realized she was being blackmailed, worrying more about her family than Shenrick's public image. She didn't comply, instead assigning a security droid to monitor the feeds. Tarpfen was also concerned because she had been told to deactivate cameras in corridor sixteen, where there had been earlier problems and where Senator Starros was staying. The message also used Republic encryption, showing the pirates had powerful allies. Tarpfen investigated corridor sixteen but was ambushed by Starros and an accomplice, who knocked her out and kidnapped her after Starros said she should have complied.
Tarpfen was then suspected of attacking Dalnan Vice President Hackrack Bep, who Starros and her accomplice had actually assaulted, using Tarpfen's security code to erase camera feeds. However, Jedi Master Estala Maru found evidence of the Nihil's extortion attempt, presenting it to Controller Rodor Keen and Administrator Velko Jahen. Tarpfen woke up on a Nihil starship, taking over the cockpit. However, she lacked the piloting skills to turn it around and couldn't read the controls, feeling despair similar to when Shenrick dismissed her as other Nihil ships approached, not receiving a password from the ship. Tarpfen composed herself and used what she thought were her last moments to send a final message to the Republic warning of the traitors, which Maru and Jahen received on Starlight Beacon.
Shenrick, despite being a third son not expected to rule, showed affection for Ghal Tarpfen. They saw the holodrama about the Mon Calamari guard and princess as a reflection of their relationship. However, when Shenrick unexpectedly became king, he abruptly rejected Tarpfen, coldly pretending she wanted to be dismissed from the crown's service, so he could marry someone else. Shenrick was aware of Mon Cala social norms about purity, keeping his relationship with Tarpfen secret even after it ended because it could still ruin his reputation. He was a male of the Mon Calamari species.
Shenrick's first appearance was in a dream in the first part of the Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight short story "Starlight: Shadows Remain" by Justina Ireland, published in the 207th issue of Star Wars Insider magazine on December 14, 2021.