Star Wars: The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule is the final novel in the publishing initiative that debuted in January 2021. As the culmination of more than four years of novels, comics, and audio dramas, it is an ambitious finale that effectively balances numerous storylines and character arcs.
Soule makes this work by largely focusing on the Luminous Nine, a group of nine current and former Jedi Knights selected to return the Nameless to their homeworld, known as Planet X. In Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott, Planet X is shown to be a mystical and bizarre world unlike any other in Star Wars, and that surreal factor is further heightened in Trials of the Jedi. The Jedi Order believes that returning the Nameless to Planet X is the key to ending the threat posed by the creatures and the Blight, the latter of which continues to consume all life on select planets across the galaxy.
The Nine include prominent individuals from the adult novels, such as Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, and Bell Zettifar, but also characters like Reath Silas, Ty Yorrick, and Terec, whose stories have primarily been told in other mediums (the young adult novels for Reath and the comics for Ty and Terec). It almost feels like Star Wars' version of an Avengers movie as the Jedi Order assembles an eclectic team of uniquely skilled Force users to save the galaxy.
Trials of the Jedi is often at its best when told from the perspectives of the Nine, with each member getting their own point of view chapters that make it easy to be invested in them. The Nine are a formidable team, and each member is able to shine and prove why they were selected.
After years of Reath mostly being in the young adult novels, it feels fitting to now see him become a main character in the final adult novel. His extensive research of the Nameless and the Blight makes him vital to this mission, as is his complex relationship with Azlin Rell.
Azlin's fall to the dark side of the Force makes him the most unlikely member of the Nine, but his unparalleled knowledge and experiences with the Nameless make him invaluable. He continues to be an unpredictable character who keeps the rest of the team and the audience on their toes. His presence also generates conflict within the team that makes the mission inherently more challenging.
A very different kind of complex relationship continues to unfold between Avar and Elzar after their beautiful romance in Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton, and their love continues to blossom in profound and shocking ways. The ultimate friendship between Bell and the Wookiee Jedi Burryaga Agaburry continues to be a highlight as well. Reath and Azlin, Avar and Elzar, and Bell and Burryaga are three of the publishing initiative's best-developed relationships. It is rewarding to see how those relationships factor into their mission and how the novel emphasizes the power of community and connection.
Meanwhile, the Nine grapple with fear, self-doubt, overwhelming pressure, and irrevocable consequences. Many of these challenges and consequences are because of the Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, who is somehow even more sinister and chaotic than he has ever been before. Trials of the Jedi fully cements Marchion as an all-time great Star Wars villain who can rival the likes of Emperor Palpatine. Marchion lives up to the name of the Nihil by embracing a nihilistic attitude that makes him terrifying, while also answering all the remaining questions about his ultimate ambitions.
Marchion's villainy is also keenly felt through the perspectives of everyday characters. Just as superhero movies benefit from showing how civilians are impacted, it is invaluable and grounds the story to see how these characters navigate the novel's galactic stakes. Each section of the novel begins with an interlude chapter from the perspective of a family fleeing the Blight. Many of the chapters set on Eriadu, a planet that becomes critical to the Republic's conflict with the Nihil, are told from the perspective of married couple Joss and Pikka Adren.
The importance of Eriadu has been built up in the comics, where the Stormwall had fallen without explanation. The Stormwall falling "offscreen" previously seemed like a baffling choice, but Trials of the Jedi proves that it was worth the wait, and it was the right choice to save such a game-changing development for the final novel.
While I was prepared for payoff and resolution, I was not prepared for how bittersweet this story would be. Bittersweet is the only word that can capture the satisfying beauty and the emotional devastation of a certain decision that the characters make.
There is a bittersweet quality to where things end with the Republic and the Jedi Order as well. With Phases I and III set approximately 200 years before The Phantom Menace, we always knew the Republic and the Jedi Order would survive. Their survival and perseverance deserve to be celebrated, yet the seeds of their fall during the prequels have been planted as well. I appreciate that there are strong ties to Phase II and an acknowledgment of how many of those seeds were first planted with the Path of the Open Hand 150 years earlier in the timeline.
Bittersweet is also how it feels as a reader to finish this book. For more than four years, The High Republic has given me a steady stream of stories to look forward to and enjoy, with the novels being the stories that I have enjoyed the most. It is immensely gratifying to experience such a strong ending that pays off years of storytelling, but it is difficult to accept that the story is over.
There are still some issues of the comics left, and The Acolyte tie-in novel, The Crystal Crown by Gratton, which takes place at a later point in the High Republic era, will be released on July 29. While speaking with StarWars.com, Michael Siglain assured that there will be more publishing stories to come in this era, and Trials of the Jedi definitely leaves the door open for a few particular characters.
That being said, this is the end of the story that began with Soule's Light of the Jedi in 2021. It is one of the best Star Wars stories that has ever been told, and it will be missed, regardless of what the future holds. Fortunately, Trials of the Jedi is a worthy ending.