Diamonds in the Rough: Sean S

Welcome back to our monthly spotlight series! In this feature, I interview Star Wars costumers who have ‘gone the distance’ and put in the effort to create solid, in-universe outfits or personas. This month we’re talking with Sean S., who portrays the Rodian pirate, ‘Xetrax’:

Sean told me that he has been working on this impression for about the last five years; his initial inspiration was to create an ‘albino’ Rodian like Navik the Red, and that his facial markings are based on the patterns of a corn snake! As for his armor, Dengar was his main inspiration, as “the usage of scavenged armor is seen all throughout Star Wars“.

The basic backstory for Xetrax is that he is a pirate addicted to spice and gambling (Corellian Spike Sabacc specifically). His services as a mercenary are sold to the highest bidder… or sometimes the lowest, depending on how desperately he needs credits.

According to Sean, Xetrax’s mask is from Evan Parra FX and the chest armor is a movie-style Clonetrooper from Imperial Surplus. The outfit’s ‘soft kit’ tends to change – using everything from Dickies or a black jumpsuit to a Russian GORKA-3 suit.

Xetrax’s parts were weathered with various spray paints and washes, which Sean calls “the easiest way to weather things”.

In terms of real-world functionality, Xetrax wears a Roamer-6 breath mask which is actually attached to a mini air-conditioning unit that feeds cold air into the mask! This is definitely a necessity when wearing a full-coverage mask like a Rodian. Sean reports that he feels pretty pleased with the ‘outer persona’ at present, so the upgrades he has planned for the future are all practical, focused on making the cooling mask more reliable and comfortable.

If he were to use this impression for educational purposes, Sean says he would be sure to highlight the prevalence of recycled parts and armor in Star Wars, and he highly encourages more costumers to incorporate this aspect into their kits. And you know, he’s absolutely right!

If you’d like to see more of Sean’s costuming work, check him out on Instagram where he posts as icknaybob – his “Rodian Liberation Front” shoots are especially fun! See you next month!

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