Star Wars: High Republic is here and it is a good introduction to the High Republic world and the Jedi protagonist. It is written by Cavan Scott, the author of Star Wars young readers novel, Adventures in Wild Space: The Escape (2016), and wrote Dooku: Jedi Lost (2019). He continued the story of the droid CR-8 from Adventures in Wild Space in the IDW comic, Star Wars Adventures in “Tales from Wild Space.” Scott was part of the brain trust that helped develop the High Republic project.
The art is by Ario Anindito, a Marvel artist who worked on Atlantis Attacks #4 (2021), and the Star Wars annual #4 (2018). His artwork has good character expressions and captures the fun of a slightly different Star Wars world. Phil Noto provides the cover art for the regular issue of three Jedi above the space station. Noto was the artist for the 2015 Star Wars: Chewbacca limited series. The issue was released in January 6th, but was sold out for me, and took some time to finally arrive, so keep looking! The next issue will arrive on February 3rd so don’t get left out!
A Star Wars Timeline is on the first page just so everything is in place for the different properties. There is a title crawl to bring us up to speed on the High Republic, there are Jedi, there is a station called the Starlight Beacon, I kinda like the name. Plus, there is a “frightening new adversary” that may be a threat to the Force. Then, we get the world of Shuraden on the Republic Frontier. A new planet, it is not clear the placement in the galaxy, far from Coruscant? Also, if the frontier is the same as the Outer Rim or closer. On the surface is a Jedi Padawan with an inquisitive, flying alien called a Ximpi.
Then, we see the Jedi, Keeve Trennis, introduced here. Keeve was mentioned in Cavan Scott’s novel Dooku: Jedi Lost (2019). She is a woman with a shaved right side and the rest of her hair flows to the side, her Padawan braid is on the right. Keeve wears a Jedi coat and trousers, a modification of Obi-Wan’s robes, and carries a long, gold and silver wand, a lightsaber. She sends away the alien native, Kanrii. We see the reptilian Trandoshan eyes, the Trandoshans are the species that we saw with bounty hunter, Bossk in Empire Strikes Back (1980). This is a Trandoshan Jedi that brings his blue lightsaber down on Keeve’s double bladed green lightsaber. He has a brown Jedi cloak, white, monk-like tunic, and armored shoulder and gauntlets. Also, he has only one arm.
Kanrii shrieks that it is a monster, but Keeve is dueling with him, tested by him and admits he is her Jedi master. She uses a Force push to knock him down. This is Jedi Master Sskeer. He was introduced in the High Republic novel, Light of the Jedi. It appears that Sskeer is the first Trandoshan Jedi that we’ve seen. Sskeer and Keeve have a difficult relationship. Then, we get the two page title, There is No Fear, Chapter One, “Trial By Ordeal.” Sskeer points out the Needles, a group of green crystalline points, and he has hung a Thythonian pendant on top of one. Thython appeared in “Chapter 14: The Tragedy” of The Mandalorian. Keeve crawls up a Needle with Kanrii telling her he would be scared. The Needle breaks, but Keeve uses her lightsaber like a climbing piton to stop her fall.
There is some fan reaction to the use of the lightsaber. My answer is lightsabers can do anything that they need to do. There is no handbook to lightsaber use. Then, there is the question of physics, um, does anyone know Star Wars is a space fantasy? You know that you don’t hear laser bolts and swooping spaceships in space which is a vaccum? Scott admitted in a January 7 tweet, “Yeah, that one I’ll take on the chin. If I could go back and do that page again, I’d suggest she grabs the needle of rock once she’s used the saber to slow her.” It’s a minor point, if you have trouble with it, don’t read comic books. Keeve is hanging by her lightsaber and Kanrii points out his city. The Needles are suddenly broken by giant, red insectoid creatures! This shifts to Starlight Beacon, Jedi Master Avar Kriss is talking to Maru who is monitoring holographic displays.
Avar, first appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren #3 (2020). She is interrupted by the arrival of Jedi Masters Veter, a horned Tarnab which was also seen in The Phantom Menace (1999), and a slighter younger Yoda. Jedi Master Veter tells Avar that she is appointed marshall of the Starlight Beacon. Keeve has managed to reach the ground, but finds the insectoids are headed to the Shuraden City! She leaves behind her Jedi Trial and Sskeer behind to board her starfighter, the Jedi Vector, it is a thin ship with cannons protruding from its v-shaped wings. She contacts Starlight Beacon and notes the invasion. Maru identifies the creatures as Ridadi, but they avoid inhabited worlds. He reminds me of the Green Lantern Salaak who also monitors power ring generated screens.
In a splash page, Keeve accesses the Force, she sees a vision of the Ridadi traveling through space and drawn to the Starlight Beacon! Keeve works with Maru to realize that the Ridadi follow magnetic pulses from stars, the Starlight Beacon is interfering with it. She has the signal transmitted to her Jedi Vector to draw away the Ridadi. Maru changes the Starlight Beacon’s frequency. She sends off the ship with the Ridadi trailing behind it and leaps down. Keeve uses the Force to restore the damaged rocks of the Ximpi. Her actions will show her worth as a Jedi. I do have reservations against Keeve apologizing for her actions, Jedi need confidence even when they break their missions. I’m kinda interested in reading Scott’s High Republic novel, Star Wars: The Rising Storm. Star Wars: High Republic is an interesting look at the Jedi at this time with a good hero in Keeve Trennis!
Four Lightsabers out of Five!
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