Zeen Mrala

Around 247 BBY, Zeen Mrala, a Mikkian female with Force-sensitivity, was born. Her parents were members of the Elders of the Path, a religious group. This group prioritized relationships between elders and acolytes over those between parents and children. Consequently, Mrala's parents left for a different commune when she was very young. For the first ten years of her life, Mrala's commune was constantly moving from planet to planet, making her wonder if they were running from something. During this time, her only constants were her best friend, a human named Krix Kamerat, and her pet cru, Cham Cham.

When Mrala reached the age of ten, her commune made their home on Trymant IV, specifically in Bralanak City. Her stay on Trymant became the longest she had ever spent in one place, leading her to consider it her home. She hoped that this stability would diminish her powerful Force abilities, as she felt secure there. The Elders preached that the Force was too dangerous for living beings to sense or use, so Mrala had suppressed her powers and kept their existence a secret from everyone, including Kamerat.

After Mrala had been living on Trymant IV for several years, the [Great Hyperspace Disaster](/article/great_hyperspace_disaster] occurred. This calamity involved the freighter Legacy Run breaking apart in hyperspace near the Hetzal system, resulting in galaxy-wide repercussions. A consequence of the disaster was multiple Emergences, where debris shot out of hyperspace at seemingly random times. One such Emergence posed a threat to the Trymant system, and the Jedi cruiser Star Hopper, the only Jedi or Galactic Republic starship nearby, was sent to assist. Amidst the chaos, Mrala and Kamerat were trying to reach the Elders' meeting house when a large, spider-shaped ship descended in a cloud of smoke.

The Force gave Mrala an ominous feeling when she saw the ship, but Kamerat, determined to protect her, pulled Mrala towards the ship, which belonged to the Nihil. The children witnessed Elder Tromak surrounded by the pirates, who seemed to be escorting him onto the ship. Two of the Nihil stopped Kamerat and Mrala, ordering them to leave, with one of them casually telling them to "have fun" with the impending chaos. Mrala and Kamerat tried to convince the pirates to allow civilians evacuating from the falling debris to board the ship, but the Nihil refused. The pirates almost killed the two, but Tromak intervened, claiming them as acolytes of his group, even though the pirates had only been instructed to collect him.

A group of Jedi Padawans led by Lula Talisola arrived and also demanded the use of the pirates' cruiser for evacuation, leading to a firefight between them and the Nihil. Taking cover with Kamerat, Mrala realized that the newcomers were Jedi and that, since they were said to use their Force powers for good, maybe she could too. Mrala felt compelled to act when she sensed a massive piece of debris heading straight for the city, leaping out of cover and trying to hold it off with telekinesis on her own. Talisola and her friends quickly joined her, neutralizing the threat posed by the large piece. Shocked, Kamerat angrily accused Mrala of lying to him as Tromak pulled him back, while Mrala tried to explain that she had never used her power before. As the fighting threatened to resume, the pirates surrounded the Padawans. A masked figure descended from the Nihil ship and ordered the Nihil to execute the Jedi.

As the Padawans prepared to fight, Mrala searched for Kamerat, whom she had lost track of in the chaos. Jedi Masters Yoda and Torban Buck arrived to help fight off the pirates, and Mrala joined the Jedi as they entered the battle. Kamerat, high above on the Spider Cruiser's entry ramp, was conflicted and wanted to go back for her, but Tromak overruled him, insisting that the boy was his assistant, and Marchion Ro, who was willing to abandon him for caring about his Force-sensitive friend. Mrala eventually spotted Kamerat and called out his name, before asking the Jedi Masters for help rescuing her friend, who had apparently been captured by the Nihil. Talisola supported her, stating that the Jedi had an obligation to help her because she had helped them and used the Force to do it, offering to rescue Kamerat himself. Yoda overruled her and said he would do it, ordering Buck to lead the Padawans to safety. After destroying a projectile a pirate had flung in their direction, the Grand Master asked to borrow Cham Cham, and a surprised Mrala agreed, asking him to be careful with her pet.

Mrala joined the Padawans and Buck as they entered the battle, using Force pushes against the pirates since she had no weapon. Talisola complimented her, saying she was a natural. When Farzala Tarabal saw Master Buck in trouble, Mrala rallied alongside the Padawans as Talisola led them to help the combat-averse Jedi healer. Soon after, a Galactic Republic rescue fleet arrived to assist as the pirates retreated. In the aftermath, as Buck was asked to explain his "Buckets of Blood" nickname by Tarabal and Talisola, the Nihil cruiser took off, alarming Mrala as Kamerat, Cham Cham, and Yoda were still onboard. Buck reassured them that the ship would not pass the Republic blockade, and Yoda, arriving, insisted that the ship had to be stopped.

Mrala was shocked by her pet's condition, who was sleeping, and Yoda reassured her that the cru was well-fed, having eaten the fingers of several Nihil, and possibly an arm. He told Mrala that she had to come to the Starlight Beacon with the Jedi, and she asked why he had not saved Kamerat. Yoda told her that the Jedi could not save those who did not want to be saved: he had spoken to Kamerat, giving him a holoprojector so he could contact Mrala and showing him Cham Cham to prove that she had sent him, but the boy, who was deeply conflicted, had reiterated that Zeen had lied to him, before sounding the alarm on Yoda's presence. The Spider Cruiser managed to escape the system by firing on a Republic medical frigate as a diversion for its Jedi Vector escort.

Mrala journeyed to the Beacon with the Jedi on the Star Hopper. Talisola comforted her as she cried about what had happened, and Mrala told her that Bralanak City was the only place she had lived that had felt like a home, but that maybe she had never really known what that was since her commune never accepted her for what she really was as a Force-sensitive. In response, Talisola and her friends, Tarabal and Qort, reassured her that they had her back and that she could find a new home. As the Padawan Academic Cruiser prepared to dock with the Beacon, Talisola further assured Mrala that they were arriving at one of the best places in the galaxy.

During her first week on the space station, Mrala was easily integrated into Talisola and her friends' group, making new friends among the Padawans and younglings there. She eventually received a message from Kamerat via their linked holoprojectors, in which he said he both missed her but was also angry at her for lying to him, and that he blamed her for "abandoning" him. She sent a message back to him, but as she was crying in her room, Talisola entered to inform her that the Jedi Masters wanted to speak to her. Masters Yoda, Buck, Avar Kriss, Estala Maru, and Kantam Sy arrived just after Talisola did. Sy asked if they were interrupting, and Kriss said that they wanted to talk with Mrala about what her plans were, if she was okay with that.

Moving to a larger room on the station, the Masters debated Mrala's fate. Maru pointed out that she was too old to begin Jedi training, but Kriss responded that since they did not know the current state of Trymant IV, they might not be able to send her back. Sy suggested that Mrala could remain temporarily, as she had gotten along with many Padawans, including Sy's own apprentice Talisola, a point Yoda agreed with. Talisola politely interrupted and pointed out that they should ask Mrala herself what she wanted to do, as her opinion was most important. Tarabal added that those with the next most important opinion, the friends Mrala had made during her time on the station, should also be consulted.

Tarabal, assisted by Qort, Bibs, and some other apprentices, regaled the room with a recounting of Mrala and Talisola's heroics at Trymant, using various props, including training weapons. Sy pointed out that the apprentices clearly wanted their friend to stay, and Maru agreed that Mrala should stay on a temporary basis, noting that she could be especially useful since she knew people in the Nihil camp. When Maru asked how they were going to find the Nihil, however, Yoda noted he had an answer for that, explaining about the holoprojectors he had given Mrala and Kamerat. Asked if her friend had reached out, Mrala admitted she had been contacted by him, but when she attempted to apologize, Yoda told her she had nothing to be sorry for, stating she might well save the day.

Maru noted that the Trymant attack was markedly different from their usual movements, and Yoda stated that the Nihil had had something strange onboard their cruiser. He was not sure what it was, but felt it was imperative that it be found. Kriss suggested that the Nihil group had therefore been on a high-level secret mission, leading Tarabal to exclaim that they could sneak-attack them. Yoda stated that the transponders aboard the holoprojectors only had short ranges, but that there was still a way to find them. Kriss noted that there were reports of Nihil activity in the Bright Jewel system, leading Buck to suggest they start searching at Ord Mantell. Sy declared that they needed to find out what Yoda had seen, and Yoda said that the transponder could only give its location by sending a message once they were closer, but that this was a heavy burden to place upon one so young and Mrala should only take it if she was comfortable. When Talisola asked her if she was going to help them stop the Nihil, Mrala said that she did not know.

Zeen Mrala, a Mikkian female, had red eyes and pink skin that faded into purple at the ends of her head-tendrils. Unlike some members of her species, she had both tendrils and ears. The beliefs of the Elders of the Path, with whom she was raised, caused her to fear her own Force powers and attempt to suppress them permanently. She kept her abilities secret from everyone, including her best friend Krix Kamerat. Mrala cared deeply for Kamerat and wanted to protect him. She also cared for her pet, Cham Cham. She was more discerning than Kamerat, being wary of the Nihil upon seeing them in Bralanak City.

After meeting the Jedi, Mrala became more at ease with her powers. She later confessed to Lula Talisola that she had never truly felt at home among the Elders of the Path because she knew they would not accept her for who she truly was. For her friend Kamerat, however, the revelation of her Force powers was a profound shock, not only because of their shared beliefs but also because it made him realize she had lied to him in the past. After arriving at Starlight, Mrala deeply missed Bralanak City and Kamerat, but she also felt more at home there than anywhere else and felt more relaxed since she was allowing herself to feel the Force instead of suppressing it.

While not a Jedi Padawan herself, Mrala welcomed the assistance of Padawans and Jedi Masters in refining her abilities. As their partnership continued, Mrala fell in love with Lula Talisola and acted like an older sister to Ram Jomaram. She was also incredibly happy to have found friends who liked her without being concerned about her Force powers, having come to realize she was diminishing herself to appease Kamerat and the Elders of the Path. Indeed, Kamerat had once asked her to bury her abilities deep down so they could return to a "normal" life. Calling him a "fool" who had never loved who she truly was, she severed all ties with Kamerat, who had become a Nihil leader with much innocent blood on his hands, after he was captured. When she nearly blamed herself for his actions, she stopped that train of thought, knowing that Kamerat had made his own choices.

Zeen Mrala was a powerful Force-sensitive, despite her efforts to suppress her abilities. The Force warned her of danger, such as when she saw a Nihil starship in Bralanak City. She was able to use telekinesis to briefly slow down a large piece of debris on her own, despite never having actively used her powers before. She was then able to effectively use Force-pushes in battle against the pirates, so much so that Lula Talisola complimented her as a natural. Despite not receiving official training, she was competent enough with a lightsaber to be trusted by Ram Jomaram to use his lightsaber to fend off Drengir and defend from Nihil blaster fire during the Attack on Valo and to use Jomaram's lightsaber again as well as Kantam Sy's lightsaber to deflect blasterfire during the Battle of the Corellian Shipyards.

Zeen Mrala's attire consisted of a blue tunic, grey pants, brown boots, and a long beige vest.

Zeen Mrala's initial appearance was in the 2021 comic The High Republic Adventures (2021) 1.