The culmination of four and a half years of storytelling — and even more years beyond that for the authors — has arrived. Star Wars’ most ambitious publishing project comes to an end with Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule, the final novel in The High Republic era. Or is it the end? More on that in a moment.
I shared a spoiler-free review a couple of weeks ago, waxing poetic about the themes of Trials of the Jedi, The High Republic in general, and how much these books mean to me. It was one of the toughest reviews I’ve ever written, not because I didn’t love the book (I really, REALLY loved the book). It was hard to write because, perhaps more than any other High Republic book, Trials of the Jedi is almost impossible to review on its own.
Trials of the Jedi is the least standalone Star Wars book out there. Soule perfectly concluded the era’s story threads in a tale that’s as intense and action-packed as it is quietly intimate and achingly beautiful. As I said in my previous review, the book exceeded all of my expectations, left me speechless, and made me want to turn back to page 1 (and Light of the Jedi) to read it all over again.
As I sit here writing this, there are fewer than 24 hours before Trials of the Jedi is out in the world. And I’m…nervous. I did not write the book, obviously, nor did I have any input in its creation. But The High Republic, to me and many others, feels so personal. The authors, comic writers, artists, and Lucasfilm leaders who shepherded these stories into our hands made them feel like ours. For so many, Star Wars IS real — the characters, the planets, the stories, all of it is true, from a certain point of view, and happened in a faraway galaxy. The High Republic quite literally put those stories into our hands with epic stories of legendary heroes of light and life. Showing the golden age of the Jedi was something I never knew I needed, but I’m so glad The High Republic exists and will endure.
Speaking of enduring, Lucasfilm publishing director Michael Siglain recently told StarWars.com that Trials of the Jedi and the remaining comics aren’t the last times we’ll see The High Republic. It’s not the end of the era, just this particular story.
The article was part of a roundtable discussion with all the authors — something I did earlier this year for Star Wars Insider. StarWars.com may have beat me to the big news, but my big High Republic feature comes out in issue #232, out on June 24.
Enough about me, let’s get to the story of Trials of the Jedi. Mild spoilers ahead for the entirety of The High Republic, but no major spoilers for the ending of Trials of the Jedi.
Some housekeeping:
Yes, you should be caught up with The High Republic before reading Trials of the Jedi. That means at least all of the adult and YA books in the era. Yes, that means Phase 2, too.
Could you skip Phase 2 and still get the story? Sure, but you’ll miss crucial details about the origins of the Nameless, Planet X, and Marchion Ro’s family if you don’t read Path of Deceit and Path of Vengeance.
I don’t recommend just reading the adult books, especially in Phase 3. Tears of the Nameless is essential reading for understanding the connection between the Nameless and the blight. Into the Light is essential reading for understanding the connection between the blight and the Force.
Any other questions about reading The High Republic, let me know! And check out my updated reading guide below.
Two main stories are happening simultaneously in Trials of the Jedi — the Battle of Eriadu and the Nine Jedi’s mission to return the Nameless to their homeworld, Planet X, in hopes that it’ll stop the blight.
The Battle of Eriadu is the final confrontation between the Nihil and the Republic. The Nine’s mission to Planet X is the Jedi’s final confrontation with Marchion Ro. Everything has led up to these moments — chaos and darkness vs. light and hope. The Nihil and their Eye are self-serving, nihilistic (duh), and bent on destruction just because they can. Marchion Ro, in particular, is the epitome of “if I can’t have it my way, I will destroy the entire galaxy to prove that I can.” He’s quite literal about that.
The Jedi, on the other hand, are selfless, a bit self-righteous (but humbly so), are firmly believe in protecting all light and life in the galaxy even if it means sacrificing themselves. Interestingly enough, both sides have a lot in common even as they are on opposite sides of a fierce battle for the fate of the galaxy.
I gravitated toward the Nine’s POV chapters in Trials of the Jedi much more than the Battle of Eriadu. Don’t get me wrong, the Nihil vs. Republic battle on the home planet of the Tarkins was fantastically written. I may be behind on the comics and short stories, but I absolutely loved the scenes with Joss and Pikka Adren. Then there was the final, FINAL standoff between Porter Engle and General Viess, which still haunts me. It’s safe to say they both got what they deserved.
But the mission to Planet X encompasses all of the core themes and story beats of The High Republic. The future of the galaxy — or lack thereof — depends on the Jedi’s ability to safely transport captured Nameless back to their homeworld in hopes of restoring balance. Thanks to the efforts of Reath Silas and others, the Jedi learned the blight is connected to the Nameless — and it’s spreading even more rapidly, taking down entire planets and husking millions of beings. Though the Jedi are most keenly affected by the Nameless, they grew to pity the creatures and dedicated themselves to making things right — for Planet X and the galaxy.
The Nine Jedi are also the most riveting POVs in Trials of the Jedi. The book is very much a grand finale to the entire initiative, but it’s also a direct sequel to Temptation of the Force. Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann have one of the most beautiful and bittersweet relationships in all of Star Wars, and it’s been a pleasure watching them grow in the Force and grow together. Avar’s song and Elzar’s stormy sea in the Force are central to the climax of Trials of the Jedi, offering a light and love-filled ending to a relationship built on attachment.
Other standouts with scenes that brought me to tears include Bell Zettifar and Burryaga. These two! They also have an amazing relationship built on attachment and platonic love — something sorely missed in later examples of Jedi relationships. Understandably, Bell is going through darkness and struggles to keep his focus on the overall goal of stopping the blight and saving the Nameless, not on revenge against Marchion Ro. A final confrontation involving Marchion Ro, Burryaga, and Ember the Charhound had been vascilating between sobbing and cheering. Soule had me on the edge of my seat here, and honestly for much of the novel.
As a big fan of Phase 2, it was lovely to venture back to Planet X — and see how the removal of the Nameless affected the Force-saturated planet. I loved seeing the flora and fauna through the Jedi’s armor-covered eyes and how such deep saturation of light and darkness affected them. In short: They all had some great and not-so-great hallucinations. Still, Trials of the Jedi filled in some lore gaps for Planet X.
The rest of the Nine includes Reath Silas, Ty Yorrick, Torban “Bucks of Blood” Buck, Terec, and Azlin Rell. Ty and Azlin aren’t Jedi anymore, and it was fascinating to see the others’ wariness about their involvement in this mission. All of them were selected for a reason, and each gets their time to shine and prove how invaluable they are to saving the galaxy.
I want to stay clear of major spoilers, but Trials of the Jedi has one of the most satisfying endings and epilogues in all of Star Wars. I was crying happy tears before grinning in absolute delight while reading the last pages.
Plain and simple, Trials of the Jedi is a masterpiece. Truly, there couldn’t be a better ending to The High Republic.
I’ve told most of them already but it bears repeating: Thank you. Thank you to Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel Jose Older, George Mann, Zoraida Cordova, Tessa Gratton, Lydia Kang, Alyssa Wong, Michael Siglain, and all the others who contributed to the wonderful stories of The High Republic. Star Wars, the entire galaxy, is better because these books exist.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule is out now from Random House Worlds.
Can’t wait, loved the series. Hope this era continues as there is so much to tell.