There’s plenty to get excited about with the upcoming XCOM-like game Star Wars: Zero Company, including the fact that it even exists in the first place. I have to say, though, that one of the things I’m most excited about is a character who was quietly, almost unceremoniously announced back in April: the Togruta, Runa Blask. Runa is a fascinating blend of Star Wars lore and character-based humor that I can’t wait to get a giant helping of.
Interestingly, Runa isn’t even a playable character; she’s an advisor whom you’ll consult with back at your base. She’s also, by all accounts, a giant stick in the mud. See, Runa is a separatist, a pretty hardcore one at that, and she’s often going to take the opportunity to tell you about it. She is not especially thrilled about joining Zero Company, and will even mention offhand that it was the worst decision of her life. I can see how some might think this would get annoying, but there are several reasons why I’m expecting Runa to be absolutely brilliant.
Star Wars Fans Have Never Met A Separatist Quite Like Runa
Even if you’re very familiar with Star Wars lore and canon, and you know who the Separatists are and what they’re about, Runa brings something different to the table in Star Wars: Zero Company. However, for those who aren’t familiar, I’ll give you a short rundown. The Separatist Alliance, officially known as the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS), was founded by everyone’s second-favorite Christopher Lee character, Count Dooku. This was all, of course, secretly in service to Emperor Palpatine, but I digress. Dooku gave a widespread address essentially declaring that the Republic was corrupt and a failed expansionist state, and thousands of displeased planets subsequently seceded from the Republic and formed an independent group of worlds along the Outer Rim, thus creating the CIS.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)
The separatists are seen mostly as a failed movement outside of being the catalyst for the Clone Wars, but there’s a reason why Runa’s connection to them is so intriguing. To put it simply, she won’t shut up about it. Dooku formed the Separatists for no reason other than to increase tension within the Republic and eventually start a war; there was no genuine ideology behind it. Runa, on the other hand, truly believes the separatist message. More than that, she’s wholeheartedly devoted to it. Maybe even a little too devoted.
Remember how I said Runa was really unhappy about joining Zero Company? Well, as it turns out, there’s a reason that she’s not hanging back with the CIS anymore: they kicked her out. The specific reason for her excommunication isn’t clear just yet, but the assumption is that she was too obsessed with the separatist cause. Imagine how devoted you have to be to drive other devotees crazy to the point that they think kicking you out is preferable to dealing with you. That appears to be Runa.
Your squad leader is a Galactic Republic military captain, effectively the embodiment of everything Runa hates.
That characterization is set to clash brilliantly with Zero Company’s protagonist—and the only squad member who cannot die—Hawks. Your squad leader is a Galactic Republic military captain, effectively the embodiment of everything Runa hates. Hawks is basically Captain America as far as she’s concerned, and Runa is being forced to work with him; and not just with him, but to be his right hand. You just know there are going to be some glorious blowouts between these two, and I’m here for it. However, there’s also a ton of potential for some really satisfying character development if they manage to bridge some of their differences.
Runa Is Voiced by the Spectacular Vic Michaelis
The other reason I’m completely sold on Runa Blask is the actor lending their voice to the character. Runa is voiced by Vic Michaelis, news that probably would have generated a decent buzz around the game if it hadn’t been quietly announced and then swept aside. I didn’t even know about this casting until a week ago, and I’m both a Michaelis fan and have been following Zero Company pretty closely since its reveal back in April 2025. I was intrigued by Runa when her character was revealed in April, even while having no idea that Michaelis was playing her.
Vic Michaelis is a Canadian-American actor, writer, and comedian best known as the host of the hit Dropout improvised interview series Very Important People.
Vic Michaelis is a longtime member and honorary president of Dropout, a wildly successful improv comedy streaming service that you may already be familiar with. Dropout’s main claim to fame is its absurdist free-form game showGame Changer, with Michaelis appearing as a contestant in several episodes. However, Michaelis’ biggest success to date is hosting the show Very Important People, which is, to my mind, the greatest talk show ever created. In brief, Very Important People involves Dropout comedians done up in highly-detailed practical makeup—coming away looking like anything from a golem woman to a mutated adult baby—and then creating a character to match their look. Then, with no prior knowledge of who their guest is or what they look like, Michaelis interviews them. It is top-tier content, I promise you. Michaelis also appears in episodes of Dimension 20 and in the excellent Emilia Clarke spy thriller series Ponies.
Michaelis is a master of dry wit. Their humor is the kind that flies over your head only to circle back around and hit you 30 seconds later. There’s a matter-of-factness to it that you can’t help but grin over. This, frankly, suits the Runa Blask character perfectly. After all, Runa is supposed to be kind of annoying, but there’s a fine line between creating a character that is annoying and creating a character that annoys you. It’s much trickier to make a character like Runa likable—or at least relatable—despite her annoyances. That’s the kind of line that Vic Michaelis can definitely walk, and I’m excited to see how they handle it.
To be honest, I’m excited about a lot of what Star Wars: Zero Company is bringing to the table. A tactical strategy game set in the Star Wars universe and made by former Firaxis developers and the publisher behind the Star Wars: Jedi games sounds to me like a lot of competent people working on a game they’re well suited to. We’ll see if my feeling proves correct when Star Wars: Zero Company releases on August 27, 2026.
- Released
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August 27, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Bit Reactor
- PC Release Date
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August 27, 2026
