Maria’s parents were both children of immigrants: her father’s family from Central America, her mother’s from Greece. She grew up in California, where she decided to attend the police academy and become an officer. She earned high marks in criminal procedure, shooting, and hand-to-hand combat, but also had a problem with authority. Her temper got her into trouble on occasion, but she graduated with honors and found a job with the police force.

Officer Montoya worked the streets, dealing with gangs, organized crime, and other risks on a daily basis. A routine investigation led her to evidence of corruption within the department. She was warned to mind her own business, but instead chose to dig deeper on her own. Maria discovered far more than just a few dirty cops. She uncovered infiltration by the shapeshifting alien Grue!

Hunted by the Grue, she found an ally in Pseudo, a rogue member of his race, who sought to warn Earth of the impending invasion, and was also hunted by them. Maria came to the attention of Mentor and the Star Knights. With the Grue threatening to invade, Mentor appointed Maria the new Star Knight of Earth’s sector of space. She accepted the job and got her initial training “on the job” using her Star Knight armor to help the Freedom League and Earth’s other heroes against the alien invasion.

Once the Earth was safe, Maria underwent training at the Star Citadel, and met her predecessor, A’Lan Koor. Once her formal Star Knight training was complete, Sri Montoya returned to Earth, where she serves as Earth’s resident Star Knight and a member of the Freedom League.

Star Knight served as a stalwart of both the Freedom League and the interstellar Order of Star Knights, although occasionally criticized for spending too much of her time on Earth and not the neighboring star systems.

After the alien artificial intelligence Tellax unleashed the nanotech “Silver Storm” in Emerald City, and attempted to do the same on a worldwide scale, events shifted on an intergalactic scale. Tellax’s reawakening coincided with the reappearance of the cosmic menace Collapsar the Devourer, and the destruction of Magna-Lor, the throne world of the Lor Republic, throwing interstellar civilization into chaos. Tellax, exiled from Earth, created its own corps of “Argents” intended to impose order on the cosmos and defend against the threat of Collapsar. Rogue Star Knight Blackstar gained possession of the Nightstone and used its power to create his Blackguard, equal and opposite force to the hated Star Knights.

Facing a war on multiple fronts, the Star Knights recalled many of their members from across the galaxy, including Sri Montoya from Earth. They gathered on Citadel to defend their Order from attack, and to coordinate efforts against threats on a cosmic scale. Where she was previously a peace officers, Maria found herself serving as a soldier in an interstellar war.

The eventual defeat of Collapsar quelled some of the interstellar conflict, and the new Stellar Imperium settled in to consolidate its hold over the former Republic, dealing with rebel forces struggling against the rule of the Star Khan, with the Star Knights officially neutral in such internal political matters.

With the forces of the Order needed more than ever out amongst the stars, Star Knight has been spending less time back on Earth, shifting to reservist status with the Freedom League, and only rarely making appearances in Earth’s solar system to check-in, leaving her homeworld in the capable hands of its other heroes. How long her “exile” from Earth will last, no one can say, but for the time being at least, Star Knight will continue to serve to the best of her ability.

PERSONALITY

Star Knight is fairly hard-nosed compared to her team
mates, she had to be in order to make it as a woman in a
largely male police force. She tends to go for aggressive so
lutions, although she’s learned some diplomacy from the
Star Knights and some restraint from Pseudo and Captain Thunder. She admires her Freedom League teammates and
it took her some time to get past their reputations to get to
know them as people, rather than heroic icons.
She also admires and respects her fellow Star Knights,
particularly after spending time “in the trenches” with
them in conflicts against the Grue, the Argents, the Black
guard, and the Stellar Horde. To Maria, the Star Knights are
truly members of an Order that transcends differences of
species and other superficial concerns with dedication to
a cause.
That said, Sri Montoya’s temper and tendency to chal
lenge authority has gotten her reprimanded in the past,
and she continues to struggle with the rules and regu
lations of the Order versus the day-to-day realities. Al
lowing a despot like Star-Khan to remain in power and
consolidate his hold over the new Imperium rubs her
the wrong way but, if the Star Knights have no regard
for other civilizations, would they be any better than the
Argents or the Blackguard?

POWERS & ABILITIES

Maria Montoya is a trained police officer, her skills enhanced
by Star Knight training and working with the Freedom
League, as well as considerable experience in the field.
The Star Knight armor she wears is a product of advanced
alien technology, powered by the cosmic Star Stone. The armor provides its wearer with perpetual life support and
the ability to fly in both planetary atmospheres and in
the depths of space, using hyperspatial “folds” to travel at
faster than light speeds between star systems.
The armor can generate and offensive “sword” of cosmic
energy that can be wielded as a short beam like an actual
sword or projected as a ranged blast. It can also generate
a protective “shield” to deflect attacks, in addition to the
armor’s inherent protective qualities.