Discussion: Who Will Live or Die in Star Wars: The High Republic
By Arezou Amin and Hope Mullinax
Back in October, Star Wars’ official Twitter released a promotional picture for the conclusion of Phase I of The High Republic. The words “Who will survive when the light of the Jedi goes dark?” are bold and ominous. So as we reach the end of Phase I, Geeky Waffle writers Arezou and Hope thought it would be fun to speculate who might survive or die.
Because we like to be sad and scream in pain over books we love.
100% is going to survive
Hope:
The two people I feel the most sure will survive are going to be Keeve and Bell.
Thanks to Dooku: Jedi Lost, we know that Keeve makes it to the rank of Master before she leaves the Order. So, she’s going to be safe at least through the end of Phase I.
When it comes to Bell, that kid has been through so much in Phase I. I just don’t see the Project Luminous writers being so cruel to kill him off with Loden. He’s been the staple padawan of the adult books, and easily in the running for one of the main characters of the whole story. I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon.
AND EMBER BETTER BE OKAY! Keep Cavan away from our best girl!
Arezou:
I agree with Hope regarding Keeve, because we know she hits the rank of Master before leaving the Order, she is definitely safe, at least for now.
As for Bell, I think he’s safe too, but not quite for the same reason. I don’t think someone suffering a lot precludes them from dying in the cruelest way *glares in Ben Solo* but I do think that Bell is going to be the red herring of the bunch. The kid has been through so damn much, it’s no wonder readers think he’s going to fall to the dark, or die in a blaze of heroic glory. For me, I think those options are too obvious for Bell. I don’t think this means he’ll be a Jedi forever, but that’s a discussion for another day.
I think Reath is also 100% safe but for tragic reasons - he is so deeply connected to those around him (Cohmac, Vernestra, even Nan and Dez) that the story is best served in keeping him alive to suffer. Project Luminous is nothing but pain.
Lastly, on the Jedi side I think Vernestra is 100% safe. She’s been a consistent presence through the middle grade and young adult books, and is one of the most consistent threads in the High Republic cast right now. For logistics alone, our girl is totally safe.
For the baddies, I would be extremely shocked if anything happened to Lourna Dee. The additional backstory and motivation given in the audio drama Tempest Runner, didn’t read like a swan song, but rather like she’s just getting started.
Probably will survive
Hope:
All of the padawan characters along with Vernestra are pretty safe in my mind. More than likely, we’re going to watch these kids grow up into Jedi Knights and Masters through all three phases. They’re probably going to be the point of view characters. The padawans have such a prominent focus in the story. Most of them are more established than a lot of the adult characters; for example, how Lula is a protagonist and Sy is barely a character at this point (we talked in-depth about that here). I just can’t see these kids leaving Project Luminous anytime soon.
I would also be so shocked to see these writers off a child. That would be so brutal and would probably lose some readers if they do that. At the end of the day, this is still a Disney property, not freaking Game of Thrones. Until they’re adults, these kids are probably well protected by plot armor.
Burry is probably going to be okay too. He’s the face of the kids' picture books. Corporate Disney wouldn’t want to lose their Wookiee lead for that run.
Also, the Edge of Balance characters are probably fairly safe. Lily and Keerin haven’t been around as long. I can’t see them introducing those characters just to kill one off since they have such little story so far.
Arezou:
So I just finished reading a totally unrelated book published under the Disney umbrella, where the 16-year-old protagonist had her soul sucked out and her body rendered lifeless by the end in one of the most chilling scenes I’ve ever read in a book for young people. So I don’t share Hope’s assessment that age is enough to keep a child safe under a Disney subsidiary.
That said, I do agree that they’re setting this up to be a generational story, so most of the kids are probably safe. That way we can see how this conflict with the Nihil turned traumatized children into traumatized adults.
I also imagine Burry and the Edge of Balance characters are safe because, simply put, their books are not the most widely read, and while both Hope and I would be devastated, I wonder how much of a gut-punch it would be to readers to witness the death of someone they barely know, if at all.
Also, as much as I personally love Dez Rydan, no one else mentions him outside of Into the Dark. I suppose it’s possible we get an offhand mention of his offscreen death and it’ll devastate Reath, but that would surprise me because I doubt most even remember him.
Speaking of Reath, I also think Nan will make it out alright. Much like Lourna, she’s just getting started on her character journey, and there’s no way they would cut it short now that she’s possibly playing double agent.
Probably has a chance to die
Hope:
As much as it pains me to write this, I’m really scared for Cohmac Vitus, Kantam Sy, Ceret, and Terec for one reason and one reason only:
‘Bury Your Gays’ is nothing new in media. It’s when an LGBTQIA+ character gets a prominent storyline or a love interest and then gets immediately killed off. More often than not, queer characters are seen as “more expendable” than their hetero counterparts. It’s a horribly harmful trope that’s been around forever, some of the earliest examples being from the 19th century (Hey, Oscar Wilde!).
All this said I want to trust that the Project Luminous writers will not be that cruel. They know and understand what these characters mean to queer fans. Still, I’ve been burned so many times before. As much as I love these writers, I don’t trust corporate Disney in any way, shape, or form. They have a horrible track record with handling queer characters and shows. Here’s hoping that the queer characters make it out of Phase I alive, but I’m not willing to be burned again by putting too much faith in Disney as a company.
Arezou:
I think it might already be too late for Terec and Ceret since their special Force bond was last seen being exploited by whatever Marchion Ro’s leveler is. I do think it’s a shame to have such a unique usage of the Force portrayed in a story, and then taken away before it’s fully explored. The twins were like a dyad on steroids, and it’s over before it ever really began.
I personally think Sy is safe, if only because they haven’t been in much. They’re definitely around in the High Republic Adventure comics, and in Race to Crashpoint Tower but they haven’t really been the focus of their own story. Sometimes - but not always - limited screen/page time in Star Wars is a good thing. It keeps you safe.
I am, however, deeply concerned for Master Cohmac. Beyond the horrible “bury your gays” trope, I worry that killing him is the easiest catalyst they can give Reath for some character growth. Unfortunately, having a character process grief seems to be the default setting to propel them into growing up, and Reath is the most sheltered of all the Padawans. Losing another Master might just propel him over the edge. His grief might make him leave the Order altogether. Much like this passage suggests though, the only thing that would come from Cohmac’s death would be a servicing of Reath’s arc, so for that reason alone, I hope they avoid it.
I’m also worried about Ty Yorrick. Yes, she’s a popular character, but I don’t think that’s enough to keep her safe. We already see her wavering in her decision to walk away from the Jedi Order by forming a bond with Elzar, and at this point, it would just be too easy for her to charge back into the fray, to save Elzar or one of the kids or something, and lose her life in the process. And then they give her a whole Jedi funeral and some speech about her “always being one of us in the Force” or something. I think the redemption to death pipeline is boring, and it’s not like Ty has anything to redeem herself for anyway, but I can see an avoidable moment like this being plated up as heroic.
Most likely to die
Hope:
All the adult characters are on the table to die. Since I think the padawans and Vernestra are safe, that leaves the adults with targets on their backs.
To get more specific, I think Sskeer could be a big character to go. For one, he’s not human. Star Wars isn’t always the greatest with alien characters and has always been far too human-centric for my tastes. And a huge chunk of the characters that have died thus far in Project Luminous has been mostly aliens. Just look at what happened to Loden! I don’t know why so many have been killed in The High Republic so their human counterparts can thrive. Hell, Cal Kestis was originally an alien character and was changed to human, because the game designers thought players wouldn’t connect to an alien. If Ahsoka Tano, Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios, Neeku Vozo, Synara San, and Grogu have proven anything, alien characters can carry a show.
Even in fandom circles, I’ve heard people talk about how Sskeer isn’t on the same level as his peers because he isn’t human. Like what the heck! He still is a sentient being with feelings and emotions! And has a love interest with Orla! Sskeer is a person! But regardless, Star Wars tends to off aliens before humans. Plus, Sskeer hasn’t had the best time health-wise in the comics. His time is coming sooner rather than later.
Avar and Stellan are the other two I think are in very real danger. Both became symbols of the Republic after Hetzal and Valo. As symbols, that’s the kind of thing that Marchion Ro would probably want to target. We know that Starlight Beacon is on fire in the promo picture; that’s a place that Avar is specifically tied to the most. I think if Starlight falls, Avar is going with it. Maybe Elzar will go with her. Starlight has always been described with many of the same descriptors used for the Titanic; all the words except for “unsinkable.” I could see Avar and Elzar have one last whirlwind romance book only to die tragically at the end like Jack and Rose’s romance in Titanic.
Any of the supporting characters are probably at risk too. Sure, there are fan favorites like Porter, but they’re not the biggest players at the moment. It would be easy to thin out the Jedi by taking out a few people here and there that aren’t in big roles.
I’m also wondering about the characters not shown on the poster. Indeera Stokes and Ty Yorrick are not there, so I’m wondering if one of them might be a surprise death (again, they’re not humans and Ty is a queer woman so fair game in Star Wars and corporate Disney apparently).
Also, what about non-Jedi characters? Will the Vessel crew make a return just for one of them to go? What about Chancellor Lina Soh? If any of these characters return, then they’re in just as much danger.
We should count villains in this too. I am almost positive Lourna Dee will make a play and take out Marchion Ro. Out of the Shadows definitely put Lourna in a position to take more power. They’ve been giving her more and more focus while Marchion is starting to slide into the background. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a major villain like Marchion get axed. To me, he’s the Dooku to Lourna’s Palpatine only there to be a stepping stone in her rise to power.
Arezou:
Let me state now, for the record, that I just don’t have it in me to spend another winter sobbing over a fake Star Wars man. And January 2022 is putting me in very real danger of sobbing over two.
Because yes, I do think one of the main trio - that being Avar, Elzar, and Stellan - are going to die. Their death will certainly have repercussions in their friend group, and through the order as a whole. As much as it pains me to say it, and I don’t want to put it out there in the universe, of the three I think Stellan is the most likely candidate.
Elzar has so much going on, being the one of the three who has actually touched the dark side, and the loss of his best friend would deeply wound him, especially given the Jedi’s history of pretending emotions and grief go away if you ignore them hard enough. He’s also the most...romantically expressive of the three of them, which is something we don’t see much of. He clearly enjoys flirtation and sex, but he is also deeply, deeply in love with Avar, which we have only begun to unpack.
Speaking of Avar, I feel like for all that she’s one of the faces of The High Republic, we don’t actually know enough about her to care if she dies, except in how it affects those around her. Very little has been done to crack her “perfect Jedi” veneer, even at this late stage in the game, so I can’t see most readers being shaken to their core if something happened to her.
But Stellan. Oh, Stellan. Stellan Gios, my perfect Jedi who never did a thing wrong in his life. There is way too much writing on the wall, and all of it spells out his doom.
For one, he’s appearing way too much. He’s one of the main characters of The Rising Storm. He’s the “Hero of Valo”. He’s appeared in the Life Day treasure, he’s in the Edge of Balance and he’s a secondary character in Trail of Shadows as well. Hard not to feel like we’re getting our fill now because we won’t be getting any later. If at any point Stellan starts reflecting on what it will be like as an old man, that’s when you know its all over.
Plus his death would send shockwaves throughout the core cast. Elzar would be devastated, the council would be missing its youngest member, and Vernestra would have lost the closest thing she’s ever had to a parent. Their relationship isn’t the best, it’s true. But that feels like a deliberate choice to either drive them closer together or drive her closer to the dark when she realizes she didn’t know what she had until it was gone.
On the evil side of things, I can’t help but feel like my other love, Marchion Ro, is a goner. Unlike Stellan, he’s actually been appearing less and less, while Lourna Dee takes center stage as a force to be reckoned with. He is the Plagueis to her Palpatine, the one who laid the groundwork for the devastation she will one day cause. Plus, Charles Soule is writing a two-part Marchion comic, and when Charles writes a comic focused on a dark-haired angry meow meow boy right before a major story event, it usually goes poorly for said meow meow *glares in Ben Solo again*.
