Star Wars: The High Republic – Trials of the Jedi | Review

Trials of the Jedi brings the main High Republic story to an end that manages to be emotional and satisfying, while delivering one of the best modern Star Wars novels around.

Roughly four and a half years after kicking off The High Republic initiative with Light of the Jedi, Charles Soule returns (for the novel side of things) to close it all out. Spanning three different phases, each with multiple waves of books, comics, audio dramas, and manga, The High Republic has become a defining era in Star Wars storytelling. With almost every release hitting the bestseller list—or getting multiple printings—and various elements popping up in games and TV shows, there’s no denying its impact on the franchise in general.

With all that in mind, there’s also no denying this finale has a lot of high expectations coming along with it. On top of telling its own story, Trials has the onerous task of wrapping up numerous plot lines, and character beats, from across all phases and mediums. It’s no simple feat, but Soule manages to accomplish this almost effortlessly (or at least that’s how it reads).

The conflict against the Nihil is reaching its endpoint…and everyone knows it. As enemy forces gather around the planet Eriadu (where a resistance has been brewing within the Occlusion Zone), the Jedi have put together a team to embark on a dangerous mission. The Luminous Nine, as they’re called, must return the horrifying creatures known as the Nameless to their home planet. The goal, hopefully, is to put an end to the mysterious Blight that’s been infecting planets and turning all living things to piles of ash…without any potential cure.

And, well, that’s about all I’m going to say about the plot! Because it serves as a grand finale, mentioning any specific details could give away something important, especially for fans who’ve been eagerly awaiting this. Suffice it to say, it certainly feels like an epic conclusion and features a number of grand-scale elements, while retaining all the personal character moments this era is known for.

Above all, I have to say, I absolutely love how Charles Soule writes; something I was reminded of every time I opened the book and began reading (I was trying to savor this final one). Something about his distinct style works especially well for me. It’s hard to pinpoint, but the best way I can think to describe it is: cinematic. It’s something I noted, and loved, about Light of the Jedi as well. When you’re reading, it almost feels as though you’re watching a movie.

He paints such a vivid picture of events, not just of the primary focus, but the ancillary parts of a scene, without feeling like there’s been a bunch of heavy exposition. No matter what is taking place (space battle, hand-to-hand fighting, or just an intense conversation), you always have a clear idea of where people are and what they’re doing. There’s also a cinematic pacing to the way he introduces information/characters, while drawing out bits of the action. The result is a novel that’s almost impossible to put down. Every time you come to the end of a page, you immediately think, “I need just one more page” which then turns into, “just one more chapter.”

I mention this aspect first, because Soule’s approach to prose and story seems to be a key to making this finale work. There is a LOT of information and ground to cover in this story. Not only is it tying together plot threads across multiple phases of stories, it has its own unique plot to tell. Being the finale, there’s a ton of information coming at you at all times. Yet, even as the story pulls you forward at a breakneck speed, it carves out time to highlight important character beats, and never feels rushed.

For as much as I love The High Republic initiative, I have felt some of this final phase has been an exercise in catching up on things. Almost like they had were more concerned with hitting certain plot points to match up with other stories going on within the initiative. Even in Phase I’s finale, The Fallen Star, I felt like I was missing out on some key aspects for not having been caught up on certain comics. That doesn’t necessarily mean they were bad, by any means (Into the Light felt that way to me to a degree, but was still damn entertaining), but was emblematic of the way they were telling this sprawling story.

Being the finale, I was initially concerned Trials would be too preoccupied with connecting the dots and tying everything together. I mean, on some level I needed it to tie it all up, but didn’t want things to feel choppy or make me feel lost if I had missed/forgotten something from an earlier comic. Thankfully, that didn’t turn out to be the case, and the story flows smoothly.

It’s impressive how Soule was able to weave together all the elements from the other books, comics, and manga into a singular story without feeling overcrowded. Moreso, none of those aspects are introduced in a way that feels unnecessary, or leaving you lost. Soule does a fantastic job of mentioning characters and whole story beats in a succinct way that makes you feel up to speed on events you may have missed, without bogging things down. Hell, Trials even manages to bring in characters who’ve largely only appeared in the Star Wars Insider magazine short stories (Joss and Pikka Adren), in a way that feels completely natural and utterly engaging.

For the first time in a while with The High Republic, it genuinely felt like the story as catching me up on all the ancillary stories being told while moving its own story forward. I know the goal of many of the novels have been for newcomers to be able to pick them up and enjoy them without needing to read everything else around them. Frankly, Trials is the one that comes closest to doing exactly that. It could very well be a hoot for readers to enjoy on its own, as it does have a compelling narrative central to this book, but there’s no denying it won’t have the same emotional impact as those who have read all of them.

All of this is to say, don’t worry if you’re not 100% “caught up” on The High Republic. If you’re missing out on some of the middle-grade novels, or been waiting on the trade collections for the comics, don’t let that deter you from picking up Trials of the Jedi. It masterfully brings elements of all those stories together without ruining the fun of reading them yourself, and without detracting from the main story its telling.

If you have been keeping up with all of it, those moments serve as fun nods and add a bit of emotional depth. And yes, this book is big on emotions. Again, I’m not going to spoil anything, but prepare for some highs and lows, as this book runs the gamut.

Perhaps the only thing that’s thrown me off a little bit, is the timeframe of events. Trials helps narrow down the timeline of all Phase III, which makes it clear that pretty much the entirety of it takes place over a few months or so. It’s not a lot of time within the context of the story itself, with the last couple waves specifically happening within weeks of each other. This, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing, but kind of threw me for a loop considering this Phase’s more drawn out release schedule. It’s almost the opposite of the issue I had in Phase I where it felt like not much time had passed at all!

Again, I struggle to call this a complaint, especially a direct one against this novel. It’s more an issue overall with this Phase of the story, and Trials of the Jedi simply puts a spotlight on it by clarifying things. Even in the grand scheme of things, it’s not something that takes away from the overall enjoyment of the Phase, and will likely make things feel even smoother when it comes time to revisit this story.

Overall, Trials of the Jedi is the epic and emotional finale we’d all hoped for. Even better, it manages to bring the main story to a close without necessarily feeling like a “definitive” end to things. It doesn’t try to wrap up every single plot/character with a tidy bow—which would have absolutely felt rushed—but there’s a general sense of satisfaction in how things close out.

When I started this book, it felt like the novel could have gone a million different directions. By the time I turned the final page, however, I couldn’t imagine The High Republic ending any other way. For a publishing initiative that’s spanned nearly five years with a number of unforgettable characters and stories, they somehow managed to save the best for last. Even if we never got another story set in this era (I suspect we will), it’s ending on the best note possible that satisfies in almost every way.