10 Greatest Jedi Masters of 'The High Republic'
Image Source: Culture Slate
The High Republic comic run has been going for nearly four years and ends next summer. But, in that time, it has introduced fans to a treasure trove of characters, be they Jedi, Nihil, or civilians. We at Culture Slate felt it was high time to highlight these characters through a brief rundown of some of our favorites, in various categories. We will broadly try and find characters who are in the same roles across all Phases, but will make choices in categorizing certain characters based on their activities in a given Phase or transformation as a character. Today, we will run through ten of the greatest Jedi Masters of The High Republic!
***Warning: This article will contain spoilers up to and including Wave 2, Phase 3 of The High Republic.***
10. Creighton Sun
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Creighton Sun was introduced to readers as one of the major characters of Phase 2, where he appeared in Convergence, The Battle of Jedha, and Cataclysm. Coming into the Forever War and forging a peace treaty, his investigation of the Path of the Open Hand after the Battle of Jedha is one of the many impetuses for that group to lash out at the arriving Jedi and outside parties. He fights bravely, though loses two close colleagues Jedi Knight Aida Forte and fellow Master Char-Ryl-Roy. However, his significance comes from his choices after the Night of Sorrow. He, alongside Master Yoda and others, forces closure on the event to prevent knowledge escaping about the yet-unidentified Nameless. It is highly debatable whether this was the right choice, as no deeper investigation allowed the Rods and the Great Leveler alongside Marda and Yana Ro to vanish, but he and others made it regardless. Despite this flawed action, he was still a good Jedi who worked hard to foster peace and good relationships with others.
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9. Sskeer
Image Source: StarWars.com
One of the most unique Jedi of The High Republic, Sskeer is a Trandoshan who was good friends with Jedi Master Jora Malli. However, losing her and his arm in the Battle of Kur against the Nihil slowly sets Sskeer into a tailspin just as he finishes training his Padawan Keeve Trennis. Across the The High Republic (2021) Marvel comic, Sskeer continues to deteriorate, suffering from a mental condition that makes it so he is unable to regenerate his lost limb or properly connect to the Force. Continually affected by this issue, he is assumed dead in the fall of Starlight Beacon after bravely facing the Nameless to allow his fellow Jedi to escape. However, he survived, though his mind has been incredibly affected to the degree that he was acting highly animalistic. Eventually, though, Keeve found her old master, and saved him from this suffering, beginning a painful process. Sskeer has suffered a lot in The High Republic, and there are stories still left to tell, both in the future through the upcoming Fear of the Jedi comic series, and from his past such as his mysterious and flirtatious relationship with Jedi Knight Orla Jareni.
8. Loden Greatstorm
Image Source: StarWars.com
Loden Greatstorm was introduced in Light of the Jedi as one of the greatest of the Order, a truly and fundamentally caring person, and master to Padawan Bell Zettifar. However, by the end of the story, he is assumed dead, secretly kidnapped by the Nihil, and tortured over the months that follow. By the time of The Rising Storm, Loden has begun to weaken but is ultimately able to escape from Marchion Ro’s cruel clutches. However, he is the first Jedi of Phase 1 to face the power of the Great Leveler, newly reawakened to husk those with a great deal of Force sensitivity. Loden’s corpse, iconology husked, became a major image in The High Republic community, but in the years since his death, authors have added more to his backstory to better fill out the character. Loden’s death is a true blow to the Jedi, and we will hopefully continue to hear more about his past to continually reinforce his role as one of the greatest Jedi of this time.
7. Silandra Sho
Image Source: StarWars.com
A shield to the innocent, Silandra Sho is a unique Jedi for her choice of weapon, or rather, tool. In possession of an ancient Jedi roundshield that she wears on her person at all times, Silandra deeply values life and the protection of others, teaching this philosophy to her Padawan Rooper Nitani. Out on the frontier, she had many opportunities to put this ideology into practice, first as part of a Pathfinder team in Quest for the Hidden City, and later during the Battle of Jedha where she confronted multiple foes. Losing a newly-found friend in the fighting, Silandra is driven in the aftermath to help the city recover, but she ultimately reunites with her worried Padawan soon after. Years later, when Rooper ascends to knighthood, Silandra passes the shield onto her and continues its legacy. A character drawn from some of the earliest concept art for The High Republic, Silandra Sho is a force for good and seeks to help those who need it with her understanding and measured approach open to all.
6. Vildar Mac
Image Source: Wookieepedia
In a sharp contrast to the previous entry, Phase 2’s Vildar Mac is a grumpy, brusque Jedi who is suffering from a deep trauma as he arrives on Jedha. As a child, his town was attacked and devastated by a Sorcerer of Tund, leading Vildar to hold a great enmity against that faith and suffer from struggles within himself regarding his emotions. His interactions with Padawan Matthea Cathley, as well as his surprise encounter and connection with Jedha vigilante Tey Sirrek, ultimately forge bonds that help him to survive the chaos of the Battle of Jedha. He helps members of the Path of the Open Hand and many other groups seek shelter at the tap bar called Enlightenment. Vildar soon goes on a rescue mission to help Jedi Knight Oliviah Zeveron, clashing with Path operatives and the Great Leveler in their possession, and survives. Taking up a role in the Convocation of the Force on Jedha for the cleanup that follows the battle, he and Tey Sirrek come to develop a romantic bond. Vildar later helps Tey control the powerful Hand of Siberus artifact that remains in the man’s possession after the Battle. A Jedi who goes through a deep journey of emotional healing on Jedha, Vildar doesn’t change everything about himself, but comes to be at peace and learns much about himself in the stories we’ve seen him part of.
5. Emerick Caphtor
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Jedi Master Emerick Caphtor was a contemporary of Elzar Mann, Avar Kriss, and Stellan Gios, growing up at the same time as them, and experiencing some of the same situations. Paired with his back-mounted droid Q-2, Emerick matured into one of the Jedi Order’s top investigative minds. He is called in to investigate the death of Loden Greatstorm, being introduced in Phase 1’s Trail of Shadows miniseries. Paired with private investigator Sian Holt at the request of Chancellor Lina Soh, the new team uncovers a trail that leads them to Dr. Kisma Uttersond. Formerly the caretaker to Mari San Tekka, her death left the Chadra-Fan in a precarious position. Stealing a Nameless, and looking to sell it on the black market, he is ultimately captured, though the choice to bring him to Starlight Beacon proves an error. The station, already in a decaying orbit, sees Emerick confront a Nameless with the aid of Sian, and he acquires critical information and physical evidence of the creatures before escaping the station. He has since been seen in Phase 3’s The High Republic Adventures comics, though will be getting his own story in Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone #3, as he continues to investigate the Nameless. Emerick fulfills a unique role as a Jedi detective, and one only hopes his investigative skills come into play in the final stories of Phase 3.
4. Cohmac Vitus
Image Source: StarWars.com
Cohmac Vitus was a Jedi Master who long struggled with internal issues regarding mourning and emotions. Losing his master as a Padawan on a mission gone awry which sought to prevent conflict between Eiram and E’ronoh, Cohmac would carry that trauma with him for years, well into his adulthood with the Jedi and a career focused on academia and scholarship, as well as learning the stories and customs of cultures across the galactic frontier. Alongside the likes of Orla Jareni and Reath Silas, he accidentally unleashes the Drengir from an ancient space station, but also helps to defeat the Drengir’s Great Progenitor later. He aids in the destruction of a Nihil gravity weapon but appears most prominently in Midnight Horizon. There, partnered with Jedi Master Kantam Sy, he is told a story about Sy’s brief departure from the Order for a person who they loved, while the two also fight a growing Nihil-led insurrection on Corellia. Midway through the battle though, Cohmac senses the death of his childhood friend Orla Jareni. Riven with grief, Cohmac savagely attacks the Nihil, and when the conflict is done, he resigns from the Order. Thanks to Tears of the Nameless, we know his fate; he never stopped trying to do good and dove into academia to do so, but while he was with the Jedi, he was truly a unique member of the Order. Struggling, but well-meaning and highly knowledgeable, he taught Reath Silas well as his Padawan, and may still return to the Jedi Order. We will have to wait and see!
3. Stellan Gios
Image Source: StarWars.com
Stellan Gios: Jedi prodigy, the master to a prodigy, and ultimately one of the most tragic characters of The High Republic. Forming a trio alongside Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann, he was always the responsible, orderly one who had great expectations placed on his shoulders. He ultimately grew up to be an exemplary Jedi who colored within the lines and trained a Padawan equally skilled as he, Vernestra Rwoh. She was then knighted shortly before Light of the Jedi began, and while Stellan was busy elsewhere, he eventually came to the forefront in The Rising Storm. Protecting Republic Chancellor Lina Soh, his encounter with the remains of his fellow Jedi Loden Greatstorm truly shakes him. Stellan becomes strained, working to fight the Nihil, and is unable to help his friend Elzar with a recent personal struggle despite the other’s direct request. Only as Starlight Beacon falls from the heavens does Stellan Gios speak of his problems to Elzar, of his resentment for the freedom he and Avar shared while Stellan was confined by the expectations of others. But in the end, he gives his life to save thousands of lives after Elzar makes a terrible mistake, and gives his lightsaber to his close friend. In the end, Stellan is a fallen star, but he burned bright and full of light in his time.
2. Porter Engle
Image Source: Wookieepedia
A Jedi who has appeared in all Phases of The High Republic, Porter Engle is a long-lived Jedi who has experienced many adventures that have profoundly shaped him. Forming a strong bond with a fellow Jedi, Barash Silvain, the two “siblings” operated as a perfect pairing. That was until the events shown in The Blade comic, where Barash made a mistake of judgment, and caused an ongoing problem to escalate. In the aftermath, Barash took a vow and left the Order, beginning the tradition of the Barash Vow while Porter was left broken. Fast forward a century and a half, and that Porter of old, the warrior and duelist, is long retired. Or at least, he was, before the threat of the Nihil. Forced to return to his warrior past, the jovial chef so renowned across the Order ultimately went rogue shortly before the Stormwall went up in a quest to fight the Nihil. Operating behind enemy lines, and becoming aware of his old foe, General Viess, joining with the marauders, Porter appears across Eye of Darkness and Temptation of the Force, fighting the good fight against these villains. However, Porter has a vendetta against Viess that has caused him to focus on her alone, and he will undoubtedly settle it in the upcoming Trials of the Jedi.
1. Avar Kriss
Image Source: StarWars.com
A Jedi paragon but with some flaws, Avar Kriss was introduced to fans in a tease back in The Rise of Kylo Ren but made her debut in Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule. She ended up going to the comic run that started in the same year, 2021, where she fought the Drengir, and later the Nihil, ultimately capturing Lourna Dee only to arrive back at Starlight Beacon as it began its slow descent down to Eiram far below. Surviving the terrible events of the station’s destruction, a riven Avar pushes herself to act on her own against the Nihil, only to get caught behind the Stormwall for over a year, where she proceeds to fight against this evil foe every way she knows how. Escaping the Stormwall by the end of Eye of Darkness, Avar is reunited with Elzar Mann and fully commits herself to the love they once shared when they were younger, which Elzar has always had trouble letting go of, in Temptation of the Force. Now she is free of her emotional turmoil and any confinement away from her allies. She fights for Light and Life, and it will be interesting to see her final chapter when the novel Trials of the Jedi comes to a close next year.
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Sources: Convergence, The Battle of Jedha, Cataclysm, The High Republic (2021), Light of the Jedi, The Rising Storm, Quest for the Hidden City, The High Republic (2022), Trail of Shadows (2021), Dispatches from the Occlusion Zone 3 (2024), Midnight Horizon, Tears of the Nameless, The Fallen Star, The Blade, Eye of Darkness, Temptation of the Force
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