Phoebe Mink: A Galactic Guardian Analysis

    The history of Rylaia is a tragic one. We learn early on that under the leadership of King Vitus and Queen Phoebe, Rylaia and her populous prospered. However, when the rival foxes on Thylaia allied with the Sith to eradicate the minks from the galaxy, the planet fell to war and Princess Minerva Mink was sent off-world to the Haven. It is later revealed that the monarchs hid the survivors in winding caverns nestled in the mountains of the kingdom. For decades, the minks suffered a fearful existence, remaining locked away in the caves out of terror that the foxes may still inhabit their home. At long last, the monarchs summoned the courage to reach out to their daughter, now a rising star in the Galactic Guardians. The vision they sent brought her home and Queen Phoebe insisted that Minerva take up her place as Princess (War of the Galactic Guardians: Chapter-13).

    Upon emerging from the caverns, Queen Phoebe and her family found the ecosystem of their beloved home to be near-irreparably changed. The once moderate climate, which records indicated was "a temperate forest biome," had been turned into a debris-coated realm of ice. Cities and civilizations were destroyed by Thylaian bombs, and everything had to be redesigned and rebuilt for the new arctic terrain. While the king and queen are initially respectful of the Guardians, it becomes clear that their only intention for sending Minerva away to the Haven was for her to receive the training that would allow the princess to return to the throne and defend the kingdom. It is quite possible they even intended for Minerva to be able to train Rylaian troops so the kingdom wouldn't be as vulnerable.

    Following the extermination of the Sith in Book 3, the princess retires back to Rylaia and re-joins her parents. In the interim, Queen Phoebe had slipped into a depression and thusly rejoiced at her daughter's return (Galactic Guardians - Book Eight Bios: Queen Phoebe). The joy shared by the monarchs led to the kingdom's prospering over the next year. However, Minerva returned permanently to her Guardian duties and Phoebe despaired once more.

    After Viperoth's destruction of Rylaia and the death of the king and princess at the hands of the Sith in Book 5, Queen Phoebe refocused on her planet and its success. Distraught by their death, and perhaps bitter that the Guardians could not do more to defend her kingdom (once again), it is understood that she struggles to recuperate her planet to its former glory. We don't see her again until she reappears in Book 8 to fight against the Guardians in the Galactic Senate.

    Throughout the series, Phoebe faces constant tension with the Galactic Guardians. As mentioned above, she and her husband resented that they didn't lend any assistance when the Thylaians attacked, but entrusted them with their daughter's life. When Minerva returns, her resentment for the Guardians returns, simmering as she's confronted with Minerva's desire to remain a Guardian instead of returning to her rightful place as Rylaian princess. It can even be inferred that she begrudges their part in Viperoth's return, which led to a second destruction of her kingdom.

    Selfishly, she blames the Guardians for stealing her daughter's life away and despises Michael GoldenHeart for stealing away Minerva's love. All of this funnels into a vindictive movement to end the Guardians. As a queen, it's revealed that she forbid minks from enlisting with the galactic law enforcement. As a senator, she exploits her losses as momentum builds in the Anti-Guardian movement, even pushing the public to consider just how many other families lost daughters and son, brothers and sisters to the "Guardian cause". Her attitude persists until Michael saved her life and teaches her that the dismantling of the Guardians via the Anti-Guardian Law won't accomplish peace for the galaxy. She realized instead that the Guardians may be useful.

    No matter how blindly people may let it pass, Queen Phoebe is selfish. Throughout the series, she displays a hunger for power both in her kingdom and in the Senate. As a mother, Phoebe should have allowed Minerva to follow her heart to be a Guardian; however, we see that the queen selfishly desires the influence that having the princess at her side may bring. In the Senate, she wields her daughter's memory as a weapon, in the form of a weapon she never wielded.

    Throughout Book 9, we see Phoebe frequently displaying the blue lightsaber that Michael GoldenHeart once used as an honor to his teammate's memory. The Galactic Senate blindly follows her in overwhelming droves of support. Cheering and rampaging, they are blind to her falsehood and everyone, Phoebe included, seems to forget that Minerva wielded green lightsabers. The symbolism here is interesting, since blue is often associated with loyalty and the weapon is used as a symbol of Michael's loyalty and Phoebe's exploitation of the young mink's memory.

    Earning a brief mention, I will note that Phoebe desires her family only if they bring her power. She brought her daughter home to rule at her side, but fell into despairing when her daughter chose her own path. She tried to victimize Minerva's Guardian-ship when it suited her needs, but promoted her heroism when her plans altered. She desperately and publicly tried to save Eloise from a terrorist's hand - an act that would be almost certainly futile in Demetrius's deranged control. While she honestly and truly mourns her husband and her daughter's deaths, it causes wonder what effects and motivations lie behind what is written.