You’ve probably seen that cover where Han Solo throws a punch at a tall, fur-covered alien and wondered what on earth is happening. The scene looks chaotic at first glance, but it actually comes from a very specific moment in Legends with a lot going on behind it. Let’s walk through what that image is really showing and who that alien beside Han actually is.
Where The Image Comes From & Who Han Is Fighting
The picture comes from the cover of Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #10 (January 1997), drawn by Joe Jusko. The art pulls directly from a part of the Corellian Trilogy, especially events in Assault at Selonia. In that story, Han ends up in a forced fight during the First Corellian Insurrection, a chaotic period in his home system. The cover chooses a dramatic moment from that situation: Han and a Selonian locked in a fight arranged by Han’s cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo.
The creature on the cover is Dracmus, a female Selonian from the Hunchuzuc Den. She’s a sterile female, which means she’s part of the active group in Selonian society that handles jobs outside the dens. Dracmus specializes in negotiation with other species, including Humans, and she is tied to the Hunchuzuc Den, the Republicanists, and the New Republic. She plays a major part in resolving the larger crisis in the Corellian system.
Selonians have a look that makes sense of the “giant otter” comparison people like to make. They are large musteline mammals with sleek fur, long flexible bodies, pointed muzzles, and strong tails. They can move on two legs or drop to all fours, and they come from a semi-aquatic evolutionary line. Their whiskers, dark eyes, and body shape match the features described in Legends sources.
Why The Fight Happens
This whole scene happens because of Thrackan Sal-Solo, Han’s cousin and the leader of the Human League, a group pushing a human-supremacist agenda. During the Corellian Crisis, Thrackan takes control of the system, blocks hyperspace access using an interdiction field, and uses Centerpoint Station’s technology as leverage. During this power grab, he captures Han and also takes Dracmus, who is working against separatist forces.
Thrackan forces Han and Dracmus into a fight to entertain himself and to mock both of them. He trusts Dracmus to follow her promise not to escape, since promises in Selonian culture are extremely serious. Because of that, he feels safe enough to bring her out of her cell and put her in a fight chamber with his cousin.
This moment sets up the relationship that shapes everything that follows.
Han realizes he can communicate with Dracmus because he understands Mandaba, the Selonian language. During the fight, he uses quick phrases to ask her to hold back so Thrackan will not notice they are cooperating. Dracmus keeps the fight convincing enough to satisfy the Human League guards, and Han ends up battered and unconscious, but Dracmus does not harm him beyond what the situation demands. Their teamwork during the staged fight builds trust, and afterward they are placed in the same cell.
While held together, they talk about the interdiction field surrounding the Corellian system, the political situation on Selonia, and what they each know about the Human League and the separatist Selonians. They begin exchanging information in a careful way that helps them plan their escape.
What Happens Right After The Fight
Once the staged fight ends, the story moves quickly. Dracmus’s den, the Hunchuzuc, digs directly into the facility to rescue her. Because the staged fight built trust between them, Dracmus brings Han with her during the breakout. They travel through the Selonian Tunnels deep beneath Corellia, and she points out that no non-Selonian has ever moved through those areas.
From there, Han and Dracmus board a primitive Selonian cone ship and head for Selonia. During the trip and later on the planet, Dracmus becomes heavily involved in negotiations between different Selonian groups, including the Overden and the Republicanists. She reveals that the Overden has accepted the help of the exiled Sacorrian Selonians, which severely weakens their standing.
This discovery influences the political struggle happening across the Corellian system. It also leads to major shifts that help the New Republic eventually stop the misuse of the repulsor technology connected to Centerpoint Station.
