Star Wars The High Republic
In January of 2021, Disney and Lucasarts started a brand new initiative. It is the introduction of a new era for "Star Wars" fans to dive deep into. It spans 350 to 50 years before the beginning of the Skywalker saga. As "Star Wars" fans, we hear a lot about when the Jedi were these shining bastions of the galaxy and the Galactic Republic was something to be admired, but that's really all we do. Hear about it. "The High Republic" era seeks to remedy that. It transports us to the time when the Jedi were renowned peacekeepers and the Republic was doing great works throughout the galaxy. This era is broken into three phases. Phase 1 is referred to as Light of the Jedi. We are going to start with part 1 of Phase 1. The best way to consume this is the order that I'll be discussing them in this post though there will be some overlap. Let's get started.
"Star Wars: Light of the Jedi" by Charles Soule
It is a time of peace in the Galactic Republic. The High Republic is getting ready to open the space station, Starlight Beacon, that will connect the inner worlds to the Outer Rim which is just beginning to be explored. Preparations are stalled when something collides with cargo and passenger ship, the Legacy Run, in hyperspace causing a disaster that threatens thousands of lives and causes all available Jedi to jump into action. The disaster is traced back to a band of bloodthirsty space pirates known as the Nihil, who have a unique way of navigating the hyperspace lanes. The leader of the Nihil seems to have a personal vendetta against the Jedi which could spell disaster for the ancient order and Chancellor Lina Soh and her Great Works for the High Republic.
I really enjoyed this book. I think it is a great starting point for this new "Star Wars" era and I really hope that we get lots of media exploring it. In "Star Wars" media up to this point, we see so much of the Jedi getting it wrong. They are losing the respect of the people. They are building their order back up again only to have it get fractured basically immediately. The same can be said for the Republic. We get told so much that the Republic is amazing and it's the right type of government, but I just wrapped up the era where it became so corrupt it pretty easily became a dictatorship. And in the time after "Return of the Jedi," it feels like they are headed in a not great direction. Here we see a Chancellor that is devoted to the people she serves. Who is actually doing "great works" that will leave a lasting impact on the galaxy for years to come. Reading this book you feel hope. You feel goodness. There are moments when the Jedi are coming together to do amazing things and it makes you want to stand up and cheer.
This book starts with it's foot on the gas and doesn't really let up. From the moment the Legacy Run breaks apart and pieces of it begin to emerge from hyperspace the action is fast and intense. We are introduced to lots of Jedi in pretty quick succession but the ones you need to know about are Avar Kriss, Loden Greatstorm, Bell Zettifar and Elzar Mann. Again, it's so cool to read about these Jedi using the Force in new and different ways. There are diverse Jedi of every race and species, even a Wookie Jedi. I see you Burryaga. Each Jedi sees and hears the Force in their own unique way and it's delightful to hear how it is described for everyone.
This book also introduces the antagonists for this era, the Nihil. The Nihil are pirates who are led by the Eye, Marchion Ro. Ro keeps his position by giving the rest of the Nihil new paths to circumvent the traditional hyperspace lanes that he gets from a woman that his family has held hostage for decades, Mari Son Tekka. Initially, you don't think that the Nihil will be a match for the Jedi, but that slowly changes throughout the novel particularly as Ro becomes more and more menacing. By the time I finished this book, I was worried for the Jedi and I can't wait to find out why Ro has such a personal vendetta against them.
The biggest negative to this novel is that it maybe does a little too much. It introduces a few too many characters and concepts and not all of them get the attention they deserve. I read this book twice and definitely enjoyed it more the second time because I was able to focus on things and characters that maybe I didn't the first. I get why this book is so jam packed. It's setting up other novels and comics series, but shifting a few of these things to other books would have streamlined this a little more.
Grade: B+
During each phase of The High Republic, there is an adult novel, a young adult novel and a middle grade novel. "Into the Dark" is the YA novel of the first part of phase one. It tells the story of Padawan Reath Silas. Reath is the padawan of Jedi Master and council member, Jora Malli. Jora is going to be the sheriff of Starlight Beacon for all intents and purposes. Reath is not excited to leave Coruscant and the Temple Archives to go out to the Outer Rim. Reath leaves on a small ship called the Vessel manned by an enigmatic crew: captain, Leox Gyasi, Affie Hollow, adopted daughter of the Byne Guild and Geode, a giant rock person that doesn't speak. Reath is joined by Cohmac Vitus, Jedi Wayseeker, Orla Jareni and Jedi Knight, Dez Rydan. On their trip, they fall prey to the emergences caused by the Great Disaster. They end up on an Amaxine space station that is filled with strange plants, effigies that are soaked in the Dark Side and they quickly lose one of their number. During all this, Vitus and Jareni are assaulted by memories of a mission they went on together when they were Padawans that impacts their current predicament.
I loved this book. I was almost all the way on board with "Light of the Jedi" but after reading this book I was all in. I don't want to get too deep into the plot specifics of this book, because I feel like there is a lot that happens in this book that is best for you to just experience on your own. Every character in this book is phenomenal. The Jedi are three dimensional. They are troubled which I love, but still are devoted to the Order and its tenets. I usually have an issue with flashback sequences that pepper a book. They don't usually add anything substantial to the narrative, but the flashbacks here definitely enrich what is happening in the main story. It highlights motivations for Vitus and Jareni that make what they are doing in the present clearer. It introduces two planets that will be important in phase 2. This book also introduces a new alien race that is one of the most terrifying alien races in the "Star Wars" universe, the Drengir. They will continue to play a part throughout the rest of this phase and hopefully beyond. I was wondering if they would abandon the Nihil in this second book, but they found an organic way to keep them in the book. Claudia Gray is one of the best "Star Wars" authors working today. She knows exactly what she's doing. She understands this universe and these characters in ways that few authors do. I hope they keep her involved in various eras for years to come. Seriously. If you are a "Star Wars" fan, read this book.
Grade: A
"A Test of Courage" is the middle grade novel for this first part of phase one of "The High Republic." On the Steady Wing, two Nihil pirates sabotage it cause it to break up in outer space. A group of children and a droid manage to get away in an escape pod. The party consists of new Jedi Knight, Vernestra Rwoh, Padawan, Imri Cantaros, brilliant daughter of a Republic Senator, Avon Starros and her protocol droid, J-6 and son of the Dalnan ambassador, Honesty Weft. They crash land on a strange moon that harbors many dangers not the least of them being the two Nihil who destroyed the Steady Wing. Vernestra is the youngest Padawan to become a Jedi Knight and she is thrust in to the deep end, trying to keep everyone alive and keep Imri from falling to the Dark Side.
Listen, I know what you're thinking. Why should I read this book that is marketed to middle grade kids. Well, you should read it because it is really good, first of all. It is also extremely dark for a book that is geared towards that age group. I mean, we are losing parents and surrogate parents in the first like fifty pages of the book and I need to remind everyone that we are talking about children here. Also, this book introduces characters that will remain important for the life of this era. Vernestra Rwoh is amazing. You're going to meet a live action version of her in the Disney Plus series, "The Acolyte" that will be premiering sometime in 2024. Avon Starros will continue to pop up throughout this phase. She is also the ancestor of Sana Starros, a character you are familiar with if you're reading the new Marvel "Star Wars" comics. This book introduces a classic element of "Star Wars" stories which is the sassy droid. J-6 is a great inclusion into that canon. Avon has made some adjustments to J-6 that are maybe not great and semi dangerous but to Avon's science mind they are amazing. If there is one thing that this new era is great at it is introducing compelling, diverse characters. Vern is ace. We love seeing ace representation in the "Star Wars" universe. We are even getting body diversity as Imri is described as being a little bit bigger than other human Jedi. If I had one minor gripe about this book its that Imri's flirtation with the Dark Side is introduced and resolved very quickly. It makes sense that he would feel these feelings after the sudden loss of his Master, but he seems to get pulled back from it very quickly. This is a short book and I kind of wish that it would have been maybe 30 pages longer.
Grade: A-
"Star Wars: The High Reublic" Vol 1, #1-7 by Cavan Scott, art by Ario Anindito
Each time we get a a new phase of "The High Republic" Marvel releases a new volume of it's "High Republic" comic series. This first arc draws from the three books that have came before it. This volume focuses primarily on Jedi Padawan, Keeve Trennis and her Master, Skeer. Skeer was close to Jedi Master, Jora Malli and lost his arm during the space battle with the Nihil in "Light of the Jedi." Keeve is ready to partake in the trials to make her a Knight but she feels distance from her Master due to the trauma he suffered at the hands of the Nihil. Avar Kriss is made the new marshall of Starlight Beacon by the Jedi Council after the tragic death of Jora Malli. Kriss sends Keeve, Skeer and Force twins Terec and Ceret to an unidentified planet in the Kazlin system after they find a destroyed starship that leads them into conflict with the Drengir and the Hutts.
Cavan Scott is one of the architects of "The High Republic" so it's great to have him spearheading this first volume of the Marvel "High Republic" comic series. I've talked a lot about the character work in this era and it continues to be top notch. Keeve Trennis is another phenomenal POV character for readers. She is relatable. She has issues. She feels human in a way that Jedi don't always. She is unsure about her new role as a Jedi Knight. She misses the connection with her former master, Skeer. I love the character of Skeer. First off, it's pretty cool to have a Trandoshan Jedi since we usually see them in more violent roles. So having one cast as a Jedi, immediately changes things. We don't talk too much about the impacts of trauma when it comes to the Jedi. It seems like they are expected to just brush off when awful things happen as the will of the Force. So, to see them really dive deep into Skeer's trauma and how it impacts him and Keeve is really cool. I love the twins and I hope that we get to learn more about them and their backstory. The art by Aninidito is great. It's dynamic. Clean line work. Clear action. I'm not super familiar with their work, but I enjoyed it. If I had one small gripe about these first seven issues is that I don't necessarily think the inclusion of the Hutts was necessary. It's nice to see them and know they are still being awful even back then, but I think the Drengir was maybe enough as far as villains go for this first arc. There is a nice cliffhanger that introduces a character from "Into the Dark" to Keeve's world and I'm excited to see how they interact. A reading note. I consider the first arc to be the first seven issues. Those are divided between the first two trades: "There Is No Fear" and "The Heart of Drengir."
Grade: A-
"Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures" Vol 1, #1-5 by Daniel José Older, art by Harvey Tolibao
Have you been curious what Master Yoda has been up to during this time with the Nihil? Well, you will learn with these five issues and be introduced to more compelling characters. "The High Republic Adventures" is the second "High Republic" comic series. It is aimed at younger readers and is published by IDW Publishing. Master Yoda is mentoring Padawans on the Star Hopper along with Master Torban Buck. They intercept a distress call from Trymant IV. One of the emergences from the Great Disaster is heading for the planet. Yoda, Buck and the Padawans jump into action to save the planet whose people have a deep mistrust of Force users. The Jedi cross paths with Force user Zeen Mrala and her best friend, Krix Kamerat. Zeen has been hiding her Force powers from Krix and when she reveals them to him it causes a rift that gets even deeper when Zeen goes with the Jedi and Krix with the Nihil, particularly when it seems like the Eye of the Nihil himself, Marchion Ro, has taken a special interest in Krix.
I was a little trepidatious when I first started reading this series. I wasn't sure if I would connect with a series that was filled with Padawans and honestly, Yoda was the big draw for me, initially. But I shouldn't have worried. "Star Wars" and honestly sci-fi and fantasy in general, really excels when it comes to telling a story of two friends who get put on completely opposite paths but are still on a collision course and that is true here with the story of Zeen and Krix. Zeen falls in with the Jedi and Krix with the Nihil. And not just any Nihil, Marchion Ro. This is the most we have seen of Ro since "Light of the Jedi" and it's nice to get a bit more insight into the leader of the Nihil. And see his interactions with this child who he clearly feels an affinity for. The mysteries with Ro keep on piling up and at this point, I'm OK with that because we are early in this era, but I will be expecting answers. I can't help but make some prequel parallels here between Zeen and Anakin Skywalker. Zeen is extremely powerful in the Force but too old to be trained as a Jedi, but it seems like they are going to teach her how to control her powers and teach her how to resist the Dark Side. This is an interesting distinction and I'll be interested to see how they tow the line. There's not as much as Yoda as I expected in this which is kind of a bummer, but something happens in the last issue that makes me excited to see where he's going to go in the next arc. Also, got to love the queer representation in this book. I haven't talked much about Padawan Lula Talisola, but she is an absolute delight and you can tell that romantic feelings are developing between her and Zeen.
Daniel José Older is another writer who is heavily involved in "The High Republic" and it shows. He does a great job of making these younglings well rounded and act their age without them being super annoying. The art is done by Harvey Tolibao. If you read any of Dark Horse's "Star Wars" comics before Marvel got the license back than you are familiar with his work. I love it. It just feels right to have him illustrating "Star Wars" comics and honestly, every page felt like a warm, familiar hug. This is definitely a story that we've read before, but Older's writing, Tolibao's art and this new setting make it feel fresher than it really has any right to feel. Another note, the majority of Phase 1 of "The High Republic Adventures" is collected into one graphic novel which is what I would recommend.
Grade: B+
Next up, we will move on to part 2 of Phase 1 of "The High Republic" which features the Nihil crashing the Republic Fair.
What do you all think? I'd love to hear from fans who have began their journey through "The High Republic." I really love it. I don't think I realized I was missing something like this until I started reading these books. I'd love to hear from you all in the comments. And if I know you and you're interested, I'll loan you all these books just so I have someone to talk to about it with.
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