The Sunrider lineage was a well-known Human Jedi family during the time of the Galactic Republic.
From the year 1993 to 1998, Dark Horse Comics released a comic book series titled Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, which was made up of eight different story arcs. The characters Nomi and her young daughter, Vima Sunrider, a [Jedi Knight](/article/jedi_knight-legends], were featured in five of these arcs. Nomi played a major role in four arcs, while Vima took center stage as a Jedi apprentice in the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Redemption comic released in 1998. Andur Sunrider, Nomi's husband, had a brief appearance in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Saga of Nomi Sunrider published in 1993, and his grandfather, Jev Sunrider, was mentioned in the 1996 sourcebook titled Tales of the Jedi Companion. Throughout the 1990s, these Sunrider family members were referenced in several other Star Wars media works.
At some point, legal complications arose regarding Lucasfilm's usage of the "Sunrider" name. The identity of the complaining party remains unclear to the general public, although fans have speculated that the Jeep Corporation, who produce a trademarked jeep soft top named "Sunrider," filed a lawsuit. However, no Lucasfilm employee has confirmed this rumor, and Kyle Jewhurst, a Star Wars author, has disputed it. According to Jewhurst, Randy Stradley, the Dark Horse Vice President of Publishing, has stated that the legal issues stemmed from Tom Veitch, the author of Tales of the Jedi, having previously used the name "Sunrider" in another work.
During the development of the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Vima Sunrider was intended to be one of the main characters. However, due to the legal issues, the development team instead created a new character called Bastila Shan. The game, which takes place thirty years after the final Tales of the Jedi story arc, makes several references to Nomi, but only mentions her last name once. This single instance was an oversight on the part of the development team. They were also prohibited from using the name in the game's 2004 sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
Currently, the legal issues are still in effect, but they do not prevent a Sunrider from appearing in Star Wars media, nor do they prohibit the use of the family name. The latter is acceptable within the text of a work, as long as it cannot be confused with any other trademarked product. However, it cannot be used in the title of a book or be associated with an action figure. Nomi has been referred to by her full name in several recent novels and sourcebooks. However, Star Wars: The Old Republic, a MMORPG released in 2011, calls her "Nomi-Da-Boda" and only uses the first names of Vima and Andur. Nomi and Vima were originally slated to star in a 2012 novel, but the book was eventually canceled, supposedly due to "changes in direction and concepts in the overall publishing plans."