January is fast approaching, even if it felt like it never would due to this insane year, which means The High Republic’s launch is nigh! To keep the hype train going, Penguin Random House and Del Rey were kind enough to release the first 8, yes EIGHT!, chapters from the initiative’s opening novel, Light of the Jedi, written by Charles Soule. The extended excerpt deals with one of the initial crises due to the destruction of a ship in lightspeed (the Great Hyperspace Disaster), giving us a glimpse at the Jedi and the Republic of the era. Also, the official site has dropped our first look at IDW’s The High Republic Adventures, which sees Yoda training new Padawans while dealing with the growing crisis, plus Cavan Scott, writer of the upcoming Marvel on-going comic The High Republic, offered an in-depth interview about the initiative as a whole and his series. Find my thoughts on the excerpt, the glimpse at IDW’s comic, and some details from the interview below! (Update: THR has begun and our reviews are rolling in!)
While the opening chapter of Light of the Jedi was already released, a tragic glimpse at what causes the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the following Chapters pick up shortly after, as debris from The Legacy Run hurtle out of lightspeed towards the Hetzal system, an agricultural series of planets and moons full of farmers and relative peace, definitely not prepared for the high-velocity destruction heading its way. Soule takes us through the perspective of several different characters, as is his style from his previous novels, fully-fleshing them out even if they’ll perish shortly after meeting them, from the monitoring station employees who first spot the disaster, the Governor of Hetzal, to Jedi Master Avar Kriss herself. As I said, Soule manages to give each one a true weight, and the details about them offer more insight into THR era than you might suspect, no matter the character. In particular, Kriss, and her musically inclined connection to the Force, makes for a compelling and new Jedi point of view, especially when it’s mixed with her unique ability to form a connection between all the Jedi around her, so they may share information to some extent (which sounds similar to Battle Meditation in Knights of the Old Republic). Her confidence, and resolve in such a perilous and unique situation is reassuring to the Republic armada around her, her fellow Jedi, and even to the reader, as the previous POV’s don’t offer much hope for the situation unfolding in the Hetzal system; it is reassuring to know Kriss is named the Hero of Hetzal, as teased a while back, so things are likely going to turn out alright, but I’ll be curious to see if she believes she deserves the title or not!
One aspect I really enjoyed regarding the excerpt was its details regarding the Jedi’s ships, the Vectors. Either single or double craft, they are an interchangeable series of ships the Order uses, while most of the piloting and calculations are left for the Jedi to do via the Force. This a big change, as 200 years later Jedi like Obi-Wan hate flying, most of the Order relies heavily on the droids attached to the ships, and they are outright offensive as the Clone Wars blooms. These Vectors have weapons, but they can be toggled from kill to disable, while they only fire once a lightsaber is inserted like a key. This means non-Jedi (or non-Jedi who haven’t stolen a lightsaber) can’t use the weapons, while the Jedi must make a conscious decision to use the weapons; it’s a minor thing, but such a concise way to show the difference in the Jedi from the prequels, as using any type of weapon, even if it means stunning a ship, must be thought about beforehand and later noted by the rest of the Order, unlike the General status and warrior focus of the prequel Jedi during their time in the Clone Wars.
Other little tidbits: It’s a small line, but curious one to note: Merven Getter, the scantech guy who detects the incoming pieces of the ship, mentions bacta, but it’s not yet a wide-used or grown item for the universe, so maybe we’ll get a little background on the “invention” of bacta for the wider galaxy; We meet quite a few Jedi in these short few chapters and I’m intrigued by them all, especially what experiments Elzar Mann attempts or the training of the young Burryaga, the Wookiee Jedi whose struggles here reveal he might be more in tune than expected; I was also happy many of the Jedi weren’t simply white males, but we got a good variety of species and genders. Overall, Soule’s debut novel looks like it’ll be quite the hit, from its intense, but satisfying pace, details for the era, and all the new characters we’ll get to meet and learn about. Light of the Jedi arrives January 5, 2021.
Our first glimpse of IDW’s The High Republic Adventures (see one page above), written by Daniel José Older, was revealed by the official site, showing off Harvey Tolibao’s excellent inked worked, with colors later to come from Rebecca Nalty. Tolibao’s work looks familiar, and thanks to Florian of Jedi-Bibliothek, now I know why: he contributed to Dark Horse’s Knights of the Old Republic series, one of my absolute favorites from Legends. It’s definitely a different look from IDW’s normal Adventures, which hues more for a cartoonish look to hit its all-ages vibe, and I’m really digging it. It also looks closer to Ario Anindito’s work from Marvel’s The High Republic, helping give the era a uniformed design/look. We get to meet Lula Talisola a bit more formally, whom Older has previously described as a Padawan eager to be Knighted, as that’s all she’s worked for, and her words in the preview images show she’s suddenly not so confident. I love the idea of Lula and the other Padawans being the main characters, all while trying to help deal with an intense and unfolding situation as the Nihil and their plot expands, while having Yoda around means they’ll learn on the job! I’m just really digging the art and Older has a great pedigree, as Last Shot is still one of my ultimate favorite Star Wars novels, so this should be a great addition to the era. The series is out in February!
As for Cavan Scott’s interview, it’s a wide-ranging, in-depth look at the process for starting the era as well as for his comic’s star, Keeve Trennis. While we’ve heard some of the details on how the project came to be, hearing Scott’s excitement and geek-out moments during the process only highlights how this is a series of stories made by fans like us. I also liked how Scott discusses his mindset working on the all-ages IDW comics for a while now and what it was like to switch to Marvel, where the shackles come off a bit. As for Keeve herself, Scott offers details on how she’ll be coming into her own as a Knight, just leaving her Master Sskeer, but still having to work together with him and alongside new or even more experienced Jedi, while working on the Starlight Beacon station, where the series takes place. There are a few lines that really stuck with me when Scott talks about Keeve: “What would it be like to be a Jedi who was literally, straight minutes away after being knighted, thrown into this situation? Who suddenly finds herself the focal point for the entire galaxy—all the eyes are literally on her?” and “It’s not always going to be easy for them {referencing Sskeer and Keeve}—I can’t really say more than that… but some troubled times lie ahead.” Keeve’s story looks to be one of the more intense and intriguing of the era, as we already know she’s one of the Lost Twenty, Jedi who left the Order, but this tease she’s the focal point for all that unfolds seems to tie into the hint the Drengir, the malevolent tree monsters, are linked to the fate of one Jedi. I’m guessing this is Keeve, and maybe how or why she’s linked to the Drengir is part of what drives a wedge between her and Sskeer. And with Scott writing the second adult novel for THR in Summer 2021, maybe that story will get even more coverage in the comic. Also, the preview page I attached here shows us a new, yet to be revealed Jedi; curious to meet them! Don’t forget to check out the interview for more preview images, as well as all the great details and the excitement Cavan Scott shares.
Check back at the Manor for more news and coverage of The High Republic, and starting in January, our reviews!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
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