Welcome to Star Wars Transmissions. I’m Dan.
On January 5th, 2021, Star Wars fans were thrusted into a brand new era of Galactic
history, known as the High Republic. This era in the Star Wars timeline was a period
of time that lasted for around two hundred years between approximately 300 BBY and 82
BBY in which the Galactic Republic was said to be at its height, expanding its reach into
the Outer Rim Territories. It was also a golden age for the Jedi, who
were significantly more active throughout the galaxy.
Each of the comics, novels, and stories that we’ve gotten on The High Republic, have
been so much fun, completely awesome, and have been a breath of fresh air.
So, I thought it’d be fun to discuss some interesting facts about this golden era in
Galactic history. Let’s take a look at 10 interesting facts
of The High Republic. Spoilers ahead for Light of the Jedi, Into
the Dark, The Rising Storm, and The High Republic comic series.
Obviously, get them booty cheeks outta here if you don’t want any spoilers
The Jedi were kinda, sorta allowed to have sex
During the days of the Prequel era Jedi, having sex was definitely something that was frowned
upon. Just ask our homeboy Anakin Skywalker. During the High Republic, however, that wasn’t
necessarily the case...well kinda. In the epilogue of the novel Light of the
Jedi, it’s alluded that Jedi Masters Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss had a sexual relationship
with each other while they were both padawans. Furthermore, it’s mentioned that such relationships
were tolerated, understood, and common for Padawans, but “things to be left behind
once one ascended to become an adult in the [Jedi] Order.”
Moreover, in the novel The Rising Storm, we learned that Elzar Mann had sex with one of
the Republic Fair’s coordinator’s, named Samera Ra-oon, even if he seemed to regret
it the following day. Additionally, in the novel Into the Dark,
the Jedi Padawan Reath Silas was asked by the pilot Affie Hollow if the Jedi have sex,
to which he teetered on whether he should go into his master's explanation about the
difference between "celibacy of the body and true purity of the heart" before opting not
to. While The Jedi Order during the High Republic
disapproved of both physical and emotional attachments, just like the Jedi of Anakin’s
time, their stance on the topic seemed to be far less hardlined and much more lax than
that of the Prequel era Jedi. Sex, to the High Republic Jedi, seemed to
be something that the Order kinda turned a blind eye to.
So yeah, the High Republic Jedi got down and dirty. The topic of sex has come up in several stories
of the High Republic, which is definitely not a coincidence.
It’s one of a multitude of examples that helps highlight the differences between the
Jedi Order of the High Republic and the Order during the years leading up to their near
demise at the hands of the Sith. Sticking with the Jedi...
Mind tricks were kinda frowned upon First seen being used by Obi-Wan Kenobi on
a stormtrooper in A New Hope, a Mind Trick was a Force ability that allowed the practitioner
to influence and control the thoughts, behavior and actions of the affected individual, generally
to the user's advantage. During the days leading up to the Clone Wars
and after it, the mind trick was a force technique that was used frequently and without hesitation
by the Jedi. During the High Republic Era, however, that
wasn’t the case. Instead of being called a mind trick, the
technique was commonly referred to as the mind touch during the High Republic, and it’s
implied that the mind touch was used far less often.
There were some Jedi in the Order, such as Jedi Master Avar Kriss, who preferred not
to use such a technique, believing it was not entirely a light side ability, since it
stripped someone’s agency from them and removed their ability to make decisions and
do things on their own. Jedi such as Elzar Mann, on the other hand,
believed that the mind trick-which is what he preferred to call it-was in fact a light
side ability, since the ability could be used for benevolent reasons.
Over time, the Mind Trick eventually became a more accepted and common technique used
by Jedi in the years leading up to the Clone Wars and after it, which is just another example
of how the Jedi of The High Republic and the Jedi of the Prequels differed.
Lina Soh’s Great Works were pretty great One of the High Republic’s most important
figures was Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh. She was elected into the role of Supreme Chancellor
prior to the Great Hyperspace Disaster in 232 BBY, which saw several fragments of the
Legacy Run freighter emerge out of hyperspace and collide with various planets and moons.
As Supreme Chancellor, Soh oversaw a period of Republic expansion into the Galactic Frontier
of the Outer Rim. In doing so, the Republic’s expansion was
reinforced by her ideologies of unity and a peaceful coexistence for all of the Republic
member worlds. To help achieve this, Soh established what
she called her Great Works, which were a group of outreach projects and programs undertaken
by the Galactic Republic. This included several technological innovations,
the opening of the Republic Fair on Valo, negotiations for a treaty between the Quarren
and Mon Calamari on the planet Mon Cala, as well as the creation and dedication of the
Starlight Beacon space station While on the subject of Starlight Beacon...
It’s one wild ass space station One of the biggest events to shape the High
Republic was the construction and opening of Starlight Beacon in the Outer Rim Territories.
Also known as the Starlight Station, Starlight Beacon was launched in 232 BBY, following
the events of the Great Hyperspace Disaster, in order to expand the Republic's domain to
the unexplored "dark zones" of the Outer Rim Territories
The space station was designed to serve a myriad of purposes, aiming to attend to the
diverse needs of the peoples and planets of the Outer Rim.
Because areas like the Outer Rim were dangerous and hard to navigate during the High Republic,
one of Starlight Beacon’s primary functions, as its name suggests, was to act as a beacon,
sending out a signal that guided travelers from other parts of the galaxy who ventured
into the Outer Rim territories. Additionally, because communication across
the galaxy was more difficult during this time, Starlight Beacon sought to remedy that
issue, serving as a massive relay point to facilitate better, faster communications among
the peoples of the Outer Rim. Another function of The Beacon was to also
serve as neutral ground upon which disputing world's could negotiate a potential peace.
Or, if the dispute turned heated and there was a threat of war breaking out-the beacon
was a military base, with a strong contingent of peacekeepers staffed on a rotating basis
from the worlds of the Republic Defense Coalition, which was the defense organization of the
Galactic Republic. The Jedi also had a presence on the beacon,
which housed the largest Jedi temple outside Coruscant, to serve as a hub for the order’s
activities in the outer rim and beyond. The Starlight Temple provided everything younglings,
padawans, Jedi Knights, and Jedi Masters might need to serve the citizens of the Outer Rim
and the force. Aside from hosting a large contingent of Jedi,
Starlight Beacon was also a hospital, an observatory, a research station, a bustling Market-trading
in goods from across the Outer Rim and beyond-as well as a cultural center.
Because the Beacon was open to all the citizens of the Republic, it was built to allow every
galactic citizen to experience the Republic in all its grand diversity, housing modules
that demonstrated the flora and fauna of various Republic worlds, with the exhibits constantly
changing to provide a truly representative experience of the Galactic Republic.
Since Starlight Beacon was built to serve a myriad of purposes, the space station wound
up being quite large and its creation taxed even the limitless resources of the Republic
at that time, which caused its construction to cost a great expense and effort.
The introduction of Jedi Wayseekers One of the most interesting things that have
come out of the High Republic is the introduction of Jedi Wayseekers into canon.
Wayseeker was a title of the Jedi Order that signified a Jedi who wished to operate independently
of the Jedi High Council and its dictates. Although a Wayseek operated independently
from the Jedi Order, they were still a Jedi Knight within the Order.
This meant that they were free to let the Force guide them in choosing their path and
missions. There were Wayseekers that had been known
to undergo solitary meditation on mountaintops and assist revolutionaries against planetary
tyrants. In one memorable case, a Jedi Wayseeker actually
became a minor singing sensation on Alderaan. The Umbaran female Jedi Master, Orla Jareni,
was a Jedi who declared herself to be a Wayseeker during the High Republic Era.
She felt that certain decisions of the Jedi High Council were wrong and that she should
be allowed to fully trust in her own feelings and the Force.
As a result of this, she anointed herself as a Wayseeker and sought to leave the Core
to instead travel to the Outer Rim and assist frontier planets dealing with issues such
as the Drengir and the Nihil. Speaking of the Nihil...
The Nihil’s use of Path Engines made them a unique and serious threat
One of the biggest threats to the Galaxy during the High Republic was the Nihil.
Based in the Outer Rim Territories, this group of marauders caused havoc and spread terror
and fear throughout the galaxy and the Outer Rim.
One of the things that made the Nihil such a threat was their use of Path Engines.
Path engines were a type of specialized hyperdrive that provided incredibly fast hyperspace travel
through the use of unorthodox and otherwise inaccessible Paths.
Paths were unlike regular hyperspace routes, in that they were impossible according to
conventional navigation systems. Path engines allowed the Nihil to appear unexpectedly
when undertaking raids, giving the marauders a feared reputation.
Theses devices were installed on Nihil starships in addition to normal hyperdrives, connected
to the vessels' engines. Path engines translated the Paths into navigational
data, allowing Nihil starships to travel through routes that would otherwise be impossible
to navigate. They even allowed the Nihil to jump in and
out of hyperspace in a planet’s atmosphere-something that was incredibly dangerous and essentially
only done by the Nihil. Path engines, as well as the Paths that they
utilized, were originally provided to the Nihil by Asgar Ro after he positioned himself
as the first Eye of the Nihil; upon his death, his son, Marchion Ro, took his place.
As the Eye of the Nihil, both Asgar and Marchion Ro were placed in charge of protecting, discovering,
and distributing Paths to the Nihil as they wrought havoc across the Outer Rim territories.
The Jedi Used Starfighters that Required a Lightsaber Key
During the days of the High Republic, the Jedi Order utilized a very interesting starfighter
called a Vector. Designed to be a physical extension of the
Jedi's connection to the Force, as the Jedi would use the Force to assist in piloting
the starship, the Vector was a sleek and streamlined vessel that emphasized performance and maneuverability.
They could be configured to carry either one or two occupants, providing Jedi with the
opportunity to fly either alone or with their Padawans.
Vectors were capable of responding quickly to their Force-sensitive pilots, which allowed
Jedi to achieve maneuvers that might otherwise be impossible with different starfighters.
The starfighters had minimal shielding, almost no weaponry, and very little computer assistance.
The capabilities of the spacecraft were defined by their Jedi pilots, and, as such, it was
believed that the Jedi were the shielding, the weaponry, and the minds that calculated
what the Vectors could achieve and where it could go.
Furthermore, when a cohort of Jedi Vectors were flocked together, they were able to connect
with each other through the force, allowing them to move together and in unison, weaving
and moving past each other at incredible speeds-something that was referred to as a Drift.
One of the most interesting aspects of Vectors was their weapons system, which had safeguards
in place to minimize the lethality of the starfighters.
The weapons on Vectors could only be operated with a lightsaber key, a way to ensure that
they were not used by non-Jedi, and that every time they were used, it was a well-considered
action. Once the lightsaber unlocked the weapons display,
the color of the display matched the color of the lightsaber’s blade that it was linked
with. Additionally, the ship's lasers could be scaled
up or down via a toggle on the control sticks, which meant not every shot had to be a kill.
This allowed the Jedi to disable or even warn a combatant or enemy, so as to not kill any
beings unless it was an absolute last resort, ensuring that the Jedi had every option available
to them for handling a situation or an adversary. Bacta was discovered during this era
Of the many wonders seen during the days of The High Republic, few had an impact upon
the galaxy the way that Bacta did. Considered as a new miracle drug, bacta came
into use during the High Republic Era as a replacement for juvan-a medicinal substance
also used for healing during the High Republic. Invented by the Vratix, an insectoid species
from Thyferra, and manufactured by two companies, Zaltin Corp. and Xucphra Corp. Bacta was a
thick, gelatinous substance with seemingly magical healing properties that helped the
body regrow tissue, including nerves, skin, and muscles.
It was a mixture of kavam and alazhi bacteria combined with ambori fluid and a type of barley
known as Vratixia renanicus, also known as Vratixian barley.
Because bacta promoted rapid regeneration of organic compounds, it could be used in
a variety of both critical and noncritical medical situations.
It was described as being warm to the touch and bacta liquid could aid in the healing
of head trauma, internal organs, and broken bones.
Furthermore, it could be placed in small dishes to mend cuts, burns, and other injuries, and
to even help regrow fingernails. Due to its "one-size fits all" use in medical
applications, it was a highly prized and commonly used medical treatment for most, if not all,
injuries. The agriworld Hetzal Prime attempted to grow
bacta during the High Republic, but their bacta facility could only produce the drug
in limited quantities. In 232 BBY, the Hutt Cartel provided protection
to an independent colony on the planet Sedri Minor, in return for regular payments of Vratixia
barley, which the colony grew. Bringing us to our next interesting fact...
The Hutts and Jedi were Allies for a time In 232 BBY, while investigating an attack
on a starship in the Kazlin System, several Jedi Masters and Knights traveled to the independent
colony on Sedri Minor to see if they could find any clues regarding the destroyed starship
in the Kazlin System. Once the Jedi arrived on Sedri Minor and began
to speak with the planet’s natives, several of the Jedi were captured by the evil Drengir,
which were a plant-like species of sentient, amorphous carnivores from the Wild Space planet
of Mulita. As the Jedi fought the Drengir, an armored
Hutt-known as known as Myarga the Benevolent or Myarga the Merciless-appeared on the planet
declaring that Sedri Minor was the property of the Hutt Cartel, as the Hutts protected
Sedri in exchange for Vratixian barley. The Hutt and her mercenaries soon attacked
the Jedi, resulting in a battle between the two forces.
As this occurred, the Drengir began to appear across the entire galaxy, infecting planets
and wreaking immense havoc galaxy-wide. Jedi Master Avar Kriss, who was fighting Myarga,
soon learned that distress calls from a multitude of Republic planets infected with the Drengir
inundated the Jedi on Starlight Beacon. Hoping to persuade Myarga that the fight between
the Jedi and the Hutts was insignificant compared to the threat of the Drengir, Avar Kriss had
the distress calls from Starlight Beacons sent directly to her comlink, allowing Myarra
to hear the carnage wrought across the galaxy by the Drengir.
To Myarga’s shock, some of the calls the Jedi were receiving were from the Hutt species
homeworld of Nal Hutta. Once Myarga understood that the entire Galactic
Frontier was under attack, and that neither the Jedi or Hutts could stop them on their
own, Myarga then agreed to an alliance with the Jedi to fight against the Drengir.
Although members of the Jedi Order and the Republic Senate did not fully approve of Avar
Kriss’ decision to form an alliance with the Hutt Cartel, the partnership between the
two factions allowed the Jedi to stand a fighting chance against the Drengir threat, as their
forces were already stretched thin combatting the Nihil across the Outer Rim.
And finally, last, but certainly not least... The High Republic introduced us to the king
and party man himself, Geode. The High Republic novel, Into the Dark, introduced
Star Wars fans to my number one homeboy, the wild party animal, Geode.
Hailing from the planet Vint, Geode was a Vintian male who acted as the navigator of
the transport starship Vessel, alongside the human pilots Leox Gyasi and Affie Hollow,
during the High Republic era. At this time, my homeboy’s date of birth
is unknown, but we know he was born sometime before the events of Into the Dark, which
took place in 232 BBY. As his name suggests, Geode’s appearance
resembled a tall, dark gray, flinty and flaky rock, so our boy was basically a rock slab.
According to Geode’s co-pilot, Leox, Geode's true name could only be pronounced by those
without a mouth. At some point prior to 232 BBY, Geode joined
the Byne Guild, which was a guild of starpilots and navigators, and soon began to work with
Leox and Affie on a regular basis, acting as a navigator for the Vessel.
According to Affie, Geode was typically shy before he got to know a being, whereas Leox
described Geode as a wild man, except when it came to the business of navigation.
At one point, while the trio were on Coruscant, Leox informed Affie that Geode was out “hitting
the clubs”, that he had no idea as to when the Vintian would return to the Vessel, and
that Geode was gonna have to slow down one day.
Party man our boy most certainly was. In 232 BBY, Geode. Leox, and Affie helped
several Jedi, including Padawan Reath Silas and the Wayseeker Orla Jareni with combatting
the Drengir and Nihil on an abandoned Amaxine space station, and even assisted Orla Jareni
in the purchase of her starship, Lightseeker. Months later, while providing transport to
several Jedi sent to Nal Hutta on a secret mission, Geode assisted in fighting off Jabba
the Hutt's thugs that had attempted to hold all aboard the Vessel hostage.
And there you have it. Those are 10 interesting facts about the High Republic.
Diving into this new era of Star Wars has been a ton of fun thus far.
There’s still a ton of High Republic stories that will be released in the coming months
and years, and I can’t freaking wait to read them all.
But what do you guys think about some of the facts we’ve discussed?
What are some of your favorite High Republic facts or moments?
Let us know down in the comments. If you like this video, please help out the
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Thanks for watching and stay nerd.