Is it ever stated why Mitialans (namely Bariss Offee and Luminara Unduli) cover their hair most of the time? If not, do you have any theories?

It’s never specifically addressed. However, fans have speculated that it may either serve a religious purpose, like many real-life hair coverings, or it may have something to do with the fact that they are Jedi. Very few Mirialans do cover their hair (Barriss and Luminara are some of the only ones we’ve seen), and since Mirial is a very religious society with a distinct caste system it could be that Mirialan Jedi are seen as a sort of priest to other Mirialans and thus may have special dress customs. Additionally, the coverings may be to protect or hide the extrasensory organs that Mirialans have on their heads, which would especially benefit Mirialan Jedi because of how noisy and crowded Coruscant is. (This may also explain why we see Barriss with her covering off in her quarters.)

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

What do you hope for the last episodes of Rebels?

Oh man, I don’t really know. I am irrationally hopeful that everyone will survive, but the episode titles and synopses we’ve seen would not seem to support that. I’d like to know exactly what happened to Ashoka, and I am excited to find out what they’re going to do with the Mortis arc. I also think it’d be neat to have Thrawn back, maybe to resolve the whole thing with Kallus. Really I just hope they wrap everything up in a way that does the series justice.

~ Jacen

What’s your favorite phrases used in dialogue in star wars? Do you like to weave it in or do you feel like its overuse makes it too obvious for the average reader (aka takes them out of the scene because it seems forced?)

My favourite by far to use is “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Actually I probably use it more than I should, it appears once in a lot of my stuff. (Next would probably be “That’s not how the Force works!”) I never aim to include any specific reference to canon dialogue, though, I’ll only write it in if it occurs to me in the moment that it would fit. I would say I am cautious about using that sort of thing, I think it’s easy for it to feel forced or unnatural and that can definitely detract from the flow of a story. And if I do include a phrase like that I’ll keep it to one per work, because otherwise I worry it’ll seem overused. When done properly though it’s a fun little nod to canon, I always like when they do that in the novels. 

~ Jacen

What did you think of the Solo trailer?

I wasn’t super excited for the Solo movie and I definitely have my problems with it, but I have to admit the trailer actually intrigued me. I’m glad they seem to be exploring Han’s time at the Imperial Academy, that was always an interesting part of his past in my opinion. I do hope they take the opportunity to address the Empire’s treatment of the Wookiees and Chewie’s life debt to Han. Overall I liked it, and I hope the movie comes through.

~ Jacen

Sorry, what grains are in the SW universe, and do any correspond with ours? Specifically is there space rice. Thank you!

Yes, rice does exist and grows on several different worlds. The only explicitly named variants are Ghoba rice and Kodari rice, but it is possible that tikit grain is meant to be the equivalent of sushi rice. No other grains correspond in name with any in the real world, but plenty do in function. Here is the Wookieepedia list of grains (rice is not there because it’s classified under edible nuts and seeds, which you can also look through if you like).

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

this is going to sound like a stupid question but… where did the hutts get all their money from?

A large variety of (usually criminal) pursuits. The prominent Hutt families had their fingers in all sorts of businesses, such as smuggling, narcotics, arms dealing, bounty hunting, and piracy. I’m sure plenty of Hutts also had more creative means of making money, like collecting protection fees and bribes from the citizens of their planets. It really depended on the individual, but those sorts of things were how most Hutts made a living. 

~ Jacen

Hi, I have a quick question- in your opinion is Dex diners food pretty typical of cheap diner food on Coruscant (like if you went to a different diner in a different place in the city it’d serve roughly the same stuff), or do you think it’s unique? Thanks!

We actually don’t know a whole lot about other similar establishments on Coruscant, unfortunately. There’s a huge variety in the food you can find there, so I would say Dex’s Diner probably serves at least some unique dishes. Others, like nerf steaks and juri juice, can be bought in many places throughout the galaxy. Since we have so much information on Dex’s Diner and so little on others, many dishes served there are only ever mentioned in connection with Dex, and I couldn’t say whether they could be found elsewhere or not. It seems it’s largely up to you!

~ Jacen

hi! do you know anything about the (culture of) governance in hutt space? would the planets be ruled directly by the hutts or through local government proxies, if the hutts are even involved to that degree (i’m not sure)? what do you think there is in terms of a police/military presence and a tax system? thanks in advance!

Hutt Space was governed by the most powerful and corrupt of the Hutt clans, or Kajidics, and their criminal networks, who were in turn overseen by the Hutt Ruling Council. The Kajidics were basically crime and/or business syndicates run by Hutt families, usually involved in many different ventures and often possessing leadership over dozens of worlds. Many clans were in constant competition with each other, but their rivalries were generally reigned in by the Hutt Ruling Council. (It was also common for Hutts to operate as lone crime lords, and some, such as Jabba, ruled whole planets by themselves.) 

It is unclear exactly how involved in the system the Hutts themselves were (it likely varied from world to world) but it seems to be that the prominent members of each clan had an involved role in guarding and ruling their territory. If a world was not governed directly by a Hutt (and this did happen), it would be overseen by agents of the clan in some capacity. Often, we see the dirty work carried out by vassals of different species, such as the Gamorreans, and the Hutts’ criminal networks. Hutt Space was known as a lawless place, and as such there was no organized region-wide police or military force, and likely no official tax system either, although it’s entirely possible there was an informal system of protection bribes in place. If the Hutts saw something they didn’t like, they could send bounty hunters to deal with the problem; this would be the closest thing to enforced law in the area. 

I hope that helps!

~ Jacen