All posts by HydraLana

As opposed to my other recent post, regarding the influences on a past Star Wars novel, I want to try and guess what influences we might see at play in the upcoming novel The Living Force. This book uniquely looks to blend Prequel and High Republic Era elements into one story, with the main setting of the novel, Kwenn, being the site of a Jedi Temple Outpost, but also a Great Work called the Grand Renewal, which helped save the local population. While details on just what the Grand Renewal was are scarce, the planet being saved by the Jedi, and other mentioned details, implied it was some sort of disaster or calamity. In the time shortly before The Phantom Menace, Kwenn is now a faded world, struggling from a lack of tourism, changes in trade routes, and the threat of pirates roaming the space lanes.

Given the limited information we currently know, alongside details offered by a map of Kwenn’s notable islands, I want to make the following two predictions and possible connections.

Given that Kwenn’s Gem Cities are located on a series of islands, and that the High Republic draws from the American Gilded Age for their inspirations, I believe that the great calamity on Kwenn was a flood disaster. Perhaps it was man-made, or perhaps something due to a planetary climate issue, but regardless, if it was based around a sudden increase of water or rising water levels, I believe one could compare this event to the Johnstown Flood of American history. A devastating flood in Pennsylvania that wiped out several towns, and whose horrible destruction was well reported at the time, it was also the site of great recovery efforts launched by the nation. Johnstown helped give the recently-founded American Red Cross prominence for the aid they rendered, and led to laws changing regarding dams (since it was a poorly maintained dam on the grounds of an exclusive hunting lodge that burst, causing the flood). In this instance, however, one could imagine that the Jedi and the Republic helped prevent the worst of the planetary disaster, resulting in a best-case scenario Johnstown, where the wealthy and powerful actively helped protect those less fortunate than them, either through direct prevention efforts, or substantial aid after the fact. I look forward to reading more about just what the Grand Renewal was!

The second connection is to link Kwenn and its Gem Cities to Atlantic City, a notable tourism destination in the past which in recent decades has begun to struggle. Like the Gem Cities, Atlantic City began life on an island, Absecon Island, and with time and development from many figures, soon became a major site of tourism. Its boardwalk is credited with popularizing the commercial and practical feature that would later be so universal at other beach-side destinations, while also offering a range of activities and games for tourists. The city itself was full of accommodations, and other experiences, to keep people interested. Atlantic City’s prosperity remained high for many years, becoming an essential part of any visit for well-off European tourists. However, following the end of Prohibition, and WWII, that prosperity began to decline, only for the legalization of gambling and casinos in the city to grant it a second life. Today, this second boost in prosperity is declining, but when one examines the different Gem Cities, one can begin to see a number of small parallels. For starters, each island appears to focus itself on tourist activities, from pure leisure to athletic experiences, while it also appears gambling and casinos play a significant role. Ports of call for a casino ship that sails between the islands are highlighted on the map, while one of the islands appears to heavily focus on Fathier racing, a betting sport if ever there was one. Kwenn’s current status, as a struggling world with the Jedi preparing to pull their resources out of the area, also matches Atlantic City’s current problems, with many once prestigious locations closing down as companies leave the area. It all fits in my mind, and I hope when the book comes out, my guess may be correct.

After some discussions with others, I wanted to bring up a few interesting elements regarding the possible influences impacting Defy the Storm, all of which involve France through its history and culture. There are also some smaller elements of this book which link the Nihil to the Nazis, and a final detail which ironically, ties everything together: hotels. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR: Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm

The Belle Epoque

The High Republic takes from the American Gilded Age, among many other sources, for its inspiration. The examples of this are many, and range from small details such as terminology like business tycoons on Corellia being called Fathers of their various industries, to larger ones involving ideology and events like the Republic Fair being based in part on the Columbian Exposition. At the same time as the American Gilded Age though, was the Belle Epoque, an era of France centered on Paris considered the nation’s golden age which took place roughly following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, and ended as a result of the First World War. This era, while it saw great progress in areas of science, engineering, and architecture alongside a thriving high culture seen in fashion and the arts, was also filled with uglier elements, colonialism, racism, economic issues in wider France, and extreme anti-Semitism as the Dreyfus Affair showed.

Xylan Graf

These two real-world time periods overlap with one another, with much in common, and I think that Defy the Storm has multiple examples of French culture and history brought to bear as they relate to the Belle Epoque. This is perhaps most obvious in the additions made to the character of Xylan Graf, adjusting him from his previous appearance in Out of the Shadows. There, he was depicted as wholly duplicitous, though somewhat of a pawn himself to the plots of his grandmother, Lourna Dee and Chancey Yarrow. He was ultimately fairly two-dimensional. In Defy the Storm however, we get multiple chapters from his point of view, and we can see that Tessa Gratton (credited with writing the character in the interview on starwars.com she and Justina Ireland shared) gave him a clearly French aspect.

He uses French terms, grandmere and grandpere, to refer to his grandmother and the “bearded” face of a Nameless, he has a giant white fluffy dog as a Frenchman might a poodle or some other breed, and he’s intensely focused on high fashion and his appearance. He applies creams and beauty products to himself, constantly makes sure he looks his best, producing a dashing figure, in line with ideas regarding certain elements of upper class French society. Finally, he is also a character of open sexuality, flirting with women despite being married to a man, fulfilling the stereotype of the French lover. Such an idea, however, is not far off from the truth, as the Belle Epoque and later years following WWI saw a growing acceptance of homosexuality and lesbianism, at least in the upper class society of Paris. A number of notable female hostesses and culture curators was purported to have had female lovers, and extramarital affairs with the opposite or same sex were not uncommon (though while he is a massive flirt, Xylan remains loyal to his secret husband, Cair San Tekka).

Ghirra and the Salon

With the mention of upper class society women, we should now turn to the idea of the salon, and how its appearance in Defy the Storm further links that novel to French culture. The salon was a French invention, and refers to a social gathering of often upper class people who engaged in different aspects of artistic culture. One could approximate it to a modern day book club, though far from just literature, artwork of all sorts, plays and opera, as well as music, could be discussed or engaged with behind closed doors. Food and drink were also served, allowing for cuisine to be a topic of discussion, and such events were often sumptuous affairs with exclusive invitations, and many members of high society rubbing elbows. Many upper class society women were the force behind these gatherings, though men could host their own, to say nothing of married couples working together. As for the salon in Defy the Storm, it plays the important role of providing context for the current politics of the Republic, and giving Xylan Graf a chance to both scheme but also be abducted by Jordanna and Sylvestri. But, the salon we see on Hosnian Prime is also notable for how it features culinary creations, drinks, and artwork, all from sources behind the Stormwall, as a show of power through a prestigious, well attended event catering to Hosnian Prime’s elite. Ghirra is using her unique role, her proximity to the Nihil, to grant people access to what is rare and sought after at this time, seemingly to great success.

The Nihil and the Nazis

This last element then leads me into exploring the Nihil and the Nazis. Whereas before the connections were minimal to pure coincidence, it seems that the Phase 3 Nihil have firmer traits drawn from the Nazis. With regard to Ghirra’s salon, her actions are similar to those of women like Florence Gould, a millionaire’s wife who, during World War II, made the acquaintance of multiple Germans who arrived in Paris as part of the Nazi war machine, all for the purpose of carrying on her high-society lifestyle uninterrupted. These connections allowed her access to the black market for things like chocolate, diverse meats, and even the basic necessity of coal for use at her salons, alongside ease of travel around France at a time when the nation was broken up between Vichy and Occupied France, and when travel was internally restricted. She also benefited by having access to “ownerless” art that the Nazis auctioned off, collecting many works for herself and her properties, where they would be displayed at her salons as well. This sort of practice could also be linked back to the Belle Epoque, when artwork and culture from French colonial regions flooded back to the nation, where they were collected and put on display, dispossessing native people of their heritage. Ghirra’s salon fits all of these ideas to a tee, as do her actions, looking to preserve herself and continuing living her life apart from the occupiers who have changed the politics of the galaxy, just as Florence Gould did when the Nazis came to power.

As for direct links between the Nazis and the Nihil, there are two other notable instances of such a connection. When Defy the Storm’s group of travelers thrown together by the will of the Force breach the Stormwall, they go to Seswenna, a world located in extreme proximity to Eriadu, possibly in the same star-system. While there, Avon and Vernestra quickly encounter local collaborators, recruited by General Veiss, to help police and oppress the citizens of Seswenna City. They all bear a wrap of cloth around one of their arms, with a painted swirling eye to represent the Nihil. As I am sure many people are aware, such an image explicitly links to the Nazi SS, whose armbands featured the swastika, and their role here, as enforcement for the Nihil, also matches the role the SS often played. This is also notable due to the location these events play out on, as Seswenna is the homeworld of Conan Motti (the Imperial Vader chokes in A New Hope), and due to its extreme proximity to Eriadu, is in the same geographic region as the Tarkin family, who eventually spawns the infamous Grand Moff. Both men were key Imperial officers, and these worlds can be assumed to be highly Imperial-loyal in the Skywalker Saga.

The next link comes when one looks at the storyline set on Aricho. A world with plenty of water, and coniferous trees, Aricho could perhaps be best linked to someplace in the Mediterranean in our world. However, the name of the settlement which is a focus for the story, Ytrecht, seems to link the world and the ongoing situation on Aricho with something much closer to real-world Dutch city, Utrecht. Apart from being similarly named, both regions served as a place of safety for the persecuted to flee to in order to escape hostile situations. For Star Wars, this was Imri Cantaros, a Jedi behind the Stormwall who sought safety with the aid of Avon Starros to flee his death at the hands of the Nihil. In the real world, such a situation can be seen in the experience of Jewish migrants, fleeing extreme persecution in Germany, to a neighboring, neutral nation, the Netherlands. Amsterdam, a city in extreme proximity to Utrecht, was even called the “Jerusalem of the West” by some. In both cases too, this place of safety was overrun, as the Nihil took over Aricho and ruled it with cruelty, while for the Netherlands, the Nazis did the same. While we have yet to see the Republic coming in to assist Aricho and its people in full force, the local population appears to have successfully rebelled against their oppressors, and one can only hope that they remain free of Nihil scrutiny over the coming months.

Hotels

It may be odd to say, but the institution of the hotel, especially the luxury hotel, came to the greatest fore during the American Gilded Age, and overseas, in the Belle Epoque of France. Often built from the ground up, demolishing the old to bring the new, these structures were ornamental, vast, and sumptuous spaces for the rich so that they could host grand balls, galas or major social events. A number of these structures were also built by men who Americans would call the Robber Barons, such as the Waldorf-Astoria found in New York, built by the two branches of the Astor family working together. In France, similar mercantile titans built elaborate structures themselves, and all of these hotels competed with one another on just what they could offer their wealthy guests. This mindset also extended to their less-wealthy guests, who were able to experience luxuries, services and sights as part of their hotel stay they hadn’t at any time previous. However, hotels were also spaces that were useful for the housing of people in times of conflict, whether it was desired or not. The many hotels of Paris, France found themselves requisitioned, alongside countless other buildings, to house all manner of Nazis, collaborators, or those friendly to the regime. Florence Gould, who I mentioned earlier, spent a lot of time in Paris hotels, be it in residence at one, or visiting others kept or living there.

The function of the hotel in Defy the Storm blends all of these elements together. Riparian Gardens is a rich, lavish structure, well guarded and secure despite the chaos all around it. While Xylan doesn’t own it, or at least he doesn’t mention if the Grafs have an investment with it, he seems to be a seasoned traveler, seeming quite at home in its surroundings. Contrast such a structure, with its wealth and affluence, against the views of the rest of Seswenna City, sprawling, messy and damaged by the Nihil, and one can see the same sorts of stark contrasts viewed in cities like New York during the Gilded Age. The extreme poor lived within a mere block or two of the incredibly wealthy, and such proximity generated tension. However, at Riparian Gardens, there doesn’t appear to be such tension, at least not yet, but one can only imagine what might happen the more time passes on Seswenna following the expansion of the Stormwall. The hotel as the location of an illicit rendezvous, an event definitely not unfamiliar to countless elite people of society in our world, especially in the history of the past, is also alive and well. In the novel, Xylan meets with Cair after their harrowing experiences to share a tender moment, in spite of their marriage not likely being sanctioned by the leaders of their two families. It is a fine conclusion to the overall tale, which at the same time, also underlines the elegance of the institution with the countless amenities offered for a luxuriating soak in the hotel room’s attached sauna and bathing area.

I hope that some people find these observations intriguing! I really loved Defy the Storm, and I am interested to see if the new sources of influence I’ve noticed continue to play a role in other story materials Tessa Gratton or Justina Ireland will be writing! I’d love to hear any other interesting notes on history or culture that fellow readers have picked out, and I’d also love to discuss any of these points a bit further for those who are interested!

Warning: This Essay contains spoilers from Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor.

[Essay of the Week Contest] Submission: Week 76

Word Count: 2788

Reminder, don’t just drop a like on this post, be sure to add one to the actual submission post on the contest!

Introduction

We recently had the identity of Baylan Skoll confirmed to us in a news article, as a survivor of Order 66 who became a mercenary after the fall of the Jedi Order. I have no problems with this core fact, nor any reveal of new survivors who escaped the Order’s initial execution. 1% of 10,000 still leaves you with 100, etcetera, etcetera. However, there is a broader concern with Baylan and other recent additions to the Star Wars canon regarding the ratio of Order 66 (shortened to O66 from here on) survivors due to the narrative their inclusion solidifies. This narrative is not positive, and casts people of diversity and disadvantage as a hostile force looking to hunt and kill or hurt the often Caucasian, if not male, protagonists of various stories. I feel it is essential to keep this narrative in mind going forward as the Star Wars canon nears and clears a decade of new storytelling, as something that fans should be aware needs to change.

The Ratio

There are a number of survivors of O66 in canon, but many are just a name, and we lack any further context or knowledge of who they are. A handful joined or were converted into Inquisitors, and those I will not count due to the reversal of their role, and other elements to be explained later on. Of those left who we have seen, I fully acknowledge I do not know them all. However, with that said, the problem arises when one considers the prominent survivors who have appeared in popular comics, were the subject of/played a major role in books, or who have appeared in major video games, streaming/TV shows, or films. This list excludes prominent male alien survivors in order to demonstrate the problem at the heart of this analysis as even with their inclusion, the narrative remains the same.

White Human Male Survivors: Kanan Jarrus, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Cal Kestis, Baylan Skoll, Eno Cordova, Taron Malicos, and Naq Med (a key character to the novel Force Collector, and an interesting instance of a Jedi Order dropout being hunted by the Inquisitors)

Human Male Survivors: All of the above, Nari (from Obi-Wan Kenobi and while a near-human, there is no visual difference to indicate that), Quinlan Vos (again like Nari, so extremely similar to a baseline human it doesn't impact his visuals), Bode Akuna, and Kelleran Beq

Female Survivors: Ashoka, Cere Junda, and Jocasta Nu

The ratio is depressingly skewed, and as suggested earlier, recently grew with the addition of three new male survivors in prominent positions for the canon. This expansion has not been met with the growth of notable female characters, and when coupled with the narrative found in the Inquisitors, begins to paint a highly concerning picture.

The Other

We have continued to see the number of Inquisitors expand, with recent years being particularly kind in filling out the roster to the point it might be too full, and questions have been raised regarding the numbers in the Inquisitorius, and how their naming system functions. Ignoring those questions or possible issues, many of the Inquisitors present us with narratives of the Other, and how the suffering generated from that now drives them through their adoption of the Dark Side. For those unfamiliar with the concept, the Other is a term used to define an array of entities, characters, and more from literature and other material which are characterized as different, and often hostile, when compared with the surrounding world they are found in. Alien invasion narratives are the most easily understood example of the world versus an Other, and here, the Inquisitors drip with Otherness for multiple reasons. Below is a rundown of relevant information for each Inquisitor, even those we know little about.

• Grand Inquisitor: His narrative is not part of this argument specifically, as pride and selfish desire led to his fall. However, we can note his physically imposing features, with sharpened teeth and altered eyes.

• Second Sister: Trilla, who first appeared in Jedi: Fallen Order, is a woman who suffered greatly at the hands of the Inquisitorius. Betrayed by her master, her close friend and mentor, in a moment of weakness after her capture, Trilla and the younglings they were trying to keep safe were captured by the sinister organization. One can only imagine the fate of these young Jedi, and Trilla herself fell into hatred for her former master. While she later forgave Cere Junda, she survived this redemption mere seconds, and Darth Vader then cut her down.

• Third Sister: Reva Sevander, who first appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi, was among the survivors who directly fled from the Jedi temple itself. After being struck down, but not killed, by Anakin Skywalker, she lay within the bodies of her fellow Jedi until she was able to escape. Her grief, pain, and ultimately rage at knowing who Darth Vader truly was, as well as who had helped train him, and partner with him in the Order, led her to burn with hatred for Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi, ultimately making moves to eliminate them both but failing, instead being put on a path toward redemption. Her fate after this point is a mystery.

• Fourth Sister: An entirely new character, we know little about her at this time.

• Fifth Brother: A native to Artemesium, the Fifth Brother was taken into the Jedi Order, and watched as the Republic chose to decimate his homeworld for mineral extraction. The Jedi did nothing to stop these events, and disgusted by what had happened, the Brother ultimately turned to the Dark Side, believing the Jedi to be corrupt, weak, and deserving of death for having lost their way. He had many missions, and survived many of his fellows, before dying on Malachor.

• Sixth Brother: While an older character, he is still a relative unknown, beyond that he was once a Jedi known as Bil Valen.

• Seventh Sister: Another older character in SW canon, she remains an enigma as well. However, she has a significant aesthetic, as one of the first Inquisitors seen, with altered eyes and warped voice, as well as a malevolently playful personality.

• Eighth Brother: We’ve not seen much of the 8th, and there is little to comment on, though depending on your theories or suspicions, we may see more of them in Ashoka.

• Ninth Sister: Masana Tide is one of the most notable Inquisitors so far. Making a very successful transfer between comics and video games, she was an imposing Dowutin who suffered greatly at the hands of the Inquisitors, Vader, and then Cal Kestis. She lost limbs, her face was damaged, and due to her strong abilities around emotions, was prone to powerful rages. She was ultimately killed by Cal Kestis on Coruscant.

• Tenth Brother: The last of our numbered Inquisitors, Prosset Dibs was a member of the Jedi Order to fall fairly early into the Clone Wars. Filled with doubts about the methods of the Order and its new role as generals in the conflict, he ultimately turned against Mace Windu during a mission, though he was defeated and arrested. Allowed to live, he ultimately fell into the ranks of the Inquisitorius after O66, only to be one of its first members to die, being shot by his own Purge Troopers on Mon Cala.

• Iskat Akaris: Certainly not a new Inquisitor, though only recently named, we roughly know the path of Iskat’s story due to the summary released for Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade. Brought into the Jedi Order, she was part of the Jedi team sent to Geonosis as a Padawan, going on to serve in the Clone Wars where she began to question her origins and other elements of her role as a Jedi. When the Order fell, she eventually became an Inquisitor, only to die when Vader attacked her and her fellow yet unnumbered Inquisitor, Tualon, killing both due to their affection for each other.

• Tualon: We know little about Tualon, but he has black skin, a seeming rarity for a Twi’lek, as well as sharpened teeth and thus a severely menacing appearance.

Aside from these characters, there are several others who lack names, numbers, or solid identification in the canon. But, with all of their stories laid out, we should consider the parallels one can draw between many of these characters, real-world elements, and the nature of Otherness. Reva’s story has similarities to those of school shooting victims, especially with the detail of how she lay among the dead, her fellow students and teachers, only to escape later on after the massacre. Her Otherness comes from surviving such a horrific event, being in the direct line of fire and taking a wound, but living to deal with that pain the rest of her life. The Fifth Brother can be read as a migrant who leaves his home for a wealthier country, only to see their place of origin destroyed by war, corporate greed, or disaster. The outside parties who are in a position to help it recover or rebuild then simply don’t do anything to help, rendering him feeling angry and betrayed, perhaps even a lone survivor to a great disaster. The Ninth Sister is a heavy-framed female character with a great deal of emotion to her who undergoes terrible suffering through the loss of body parts, ending up broken and raging at the forces who have done this to her, wanting to extend that pain to others. The Tenth Brother, a theoretical blind man (though as a Miraluka, still able to see), has enough insight to understand the fall of his group from their standards and ideals, but ends up censured and confined for those beliefs. Iskat, a theoretically adopted character, tries to question her true origins and is shut down from pursuing her past, leading her to make a deal with the devil to try and learn the truths that were kept from her. She even goes on to make an “adopted” child of her own out of Eeth Koth’s offspring, stealing the newborn from their mother’s arms, and allowing strange caretakers to rear them upon the mission’s return to Coruscant.

All of these characters represent people who are detached from the wider world, rendered separate from it by trauma, loss, or circumstances outside of their control. These divisions grow, and create emotions they cannot turn away from, and in the realm of Star Wars, create forces which they embrace as doers of evil. They represent the Other for this reason. However, they represent the Other in more obvious ways. Almost all of the Inquisitors are alien species, and often fearsome members of those species. Be it sharp teeth, altered/gleaming eyes of unnatural hues (in the case of the Tenth Brother, a complete lack of eyes), or other traits, in addition to their suits of sleek black armor, they often serve to intimidate and are meant to stand out from other beings, especially in a state as conform-heavy as the Empire. The Otherness is unfortunately added to even further by the two human Inquisitors we know of so far, as both Reva and Trilla are female people of color, and for much of world history, such people have been treated as exotic, different, and separate from the rest of the world. Their inclusion here, in the rank of an organization like the Inquisitorius, only reinforces this element. Thankfully, we understand their stories with great clarity, and we can sympathize with them as a result, but few others are so lucky. In the end, the Inquisitorius and its members ultimately embody the Other on a deep level, through characters who hold close parallels to many real-world groups who have suffered, and continue to suffer.

The Narrative

As discussed above, the Inquisitors represent the Other, but it is an Other which has a worrying contrast against the characters who they stand in opposition to. These figures are often men, often Caucasian men as well, and are the vast majority of the well-known Jedi survivors we have currently identified. Before looking at the reasons from outside of the Star Wars universe for this dominance, we should also consider some elements of the Star Wars universe which can be used to explain the survival of these characters.

First, we should consider the nature of humans in Star Wars. They are a nearly ubiquitous species, found on virtually every planet in the galaxy, and have diversified to the point of producing various near-human species with minor physical traits differentiating themselves from Star Wars baseline humans. Due to this ubiquity, human Jedi undoubtedly had an advantage in hiding and moving throughout the galaxy after O66 because of this, and it would make sense that they and near-humans make up a large portion of the survivors. The ratio further skewing toward men points to the Star Wars galaxy generally featuring elements from our real world regarding gender relations, and it is likely those male characters had an easier time finding transit, accommodations, or traveling alone, than female counterparts.

Now, we should consider the out of universe reasons why there are so many human, male, often Caucasian, survivors of O66: connection, marketing, and merchandising. All three are wrapped up with one another, feeding each other for multiple reasons. For a character like Cal Kestis, as a human he is more immediately relatable to a general audience, they can understand what he looks like, and they know he lives, thinks, and acts how we might on an everyday basis. He is relatable, and thus marketable, able to sell hundreds of thousands of copies of his game on top of action figures, artwork, and more because we form a connection with him. But he is also familiar. The audience of Star Wars has often skewed male and for a lot of its history, so has the media produced to satisfy that audience. However, over the years, that dominance has shifted, and other groups are making themselves more recognized as being part of the fandom. They existed before, but time, and social media, has helped to broaden their reach and visibility. They want to see themselves represented, and companies are shifting to accommodate these groups, and acknowledge them more through characters and narratives which connect them better to the content of Star Wars.

But, this ultimately makes the optics of the growing narrative so disconcerting. The Inquisitorius, as an organization of Otherness, of alien species and women of color, hunt down Jedi survivors whose most notable members, and most prized targets, are often Caucasian and male. In the case of Cal Kestis, the Ninth Sister screams about wanting to break him, and cause him pain, while the Third Sister hunts a fan-favorite character (Obi-Wan), and then resorts to almost killing another (Luke Skywalker), all in the pursuit of her goals. I have nothing against Eno Cordova, Bode Akuna, or Baylan Skoll, each of them have (and will likely) add to Star Wars lore in exciting or unique ways. But, I still fear the growing subtext that we as fans are being subjected to, especially as it coincides with a particularly rough time in the real world for people who are often framed as the Other.

We as fans should hope for there to be more female Jedi survivors of note in the future, in addition to hoping to learn the backstories of the Inquisitors so we can understand them better. Characters like Reva and Trilla have so much added to them because we know the origin of their pain, and can empathize with them. We need that for all of these fallen Jedi, so they can become more relatable, and not exist so firmly in the sphere of the Other. All of this is possible as Star Wars continues to fill in knowledge gaps or threads left hanging in more recent years, and I sincerely hope that strides are taken to dismantle the underlying narrative I have outlined.

Conclusion

Even as I write this, we may be about to see things turning around. Maybe, when we get Rise of the Red Blade this July, we will both explore the backstories of multiple Inquisitors and gain information on a new and notable female Jedi survivor. Maybe as the months or future years wear on, the faceless names of survivors will be filled in, and we can see or experience the adventures of diverse characters during the perilous rise and expansion of the Empire. All I can say is that I hope that change or new information comes, and quicker than another decade, to give us more unique characters to root for, and to offer us as an audience greater understanding of what exists already.

Warning: This Essay contains minor and major spoilers from Phase 1 of The High Republic and The High Republic: Convergence.

[Essay of the Week Contest] Submission: Week 71

If you like this post, be sure to add another like to the submission post on the contest page!

Word Count: 3285

Introduction

From the Original Trilogy’s days as a commentary on Nixon to the Prequel Trilogy’s commentary on corporations in government to the Sequel Trilogy’s examination of neofascism and the ability of extremism to rise from “nothing,” Star Wars has drawn from American politics, history and culture to help shape its storytelling. The High Republic Initiative is no exception, and takes from a broad range of influences to inform its own messages, characters, and plots. One of the most intriguing elements of this effort is how the Initiative handles its Chancellors of Orlen Mollo, Kyong Greylark, and Lina Soh. In the case of Mollo and Greylark, they represent in equal part the two halves of Theodore Roosevelt, while Soh takes heavy inspiration from John F. Kennedy. In this essay, I will show the ties between these Chancellors and the American Presidents, how that might influence us to look at these fictional figures, and reveal the impact such details may have going forward into the Initiative.

Mollo: Peacemaking, Commerce-minded, and Carrying the Big Stick

The image we have of Orlen Mollo reaches us early in Convergence, as he leaves a strong impression both in his abrupt arrival, but also in his mannerisms and goal to end the Forever War. In these ways, he is very similar to President Theodore Roosevelt, and represents his more outspoken, public and world-focused persona.

First, we should look at the smaller similarities between the two men. For starters, both Mollo and Roosevelt experienced warfare in their lifetimes. Mollo’s brush with conflict is currently unidentified, but likely relates to the constant enmity between his people and the Mon Calamari, while Roosevelt was famously involved in the Spanish-American War as leader of the Rough Riders. Both men were shaped by these experiences, Mollo to crave peace, and Roosevelt, to focus on “shepherding” the possessions gained in the war, as well as influencing South American countries (though he later grew disillusioned). Mollo and Roosevelt also have physical difficulties, Mollo as a Quarren constantly dealing with dry skin and needing to get used to a range of foreign climates, while Roosevelt suffered from asthma in his youth, and worked hard to get past that problem through travel and strenuous exercise. Both men are also tinged with the frontier. While Mollo was a Chancellor leading a powerful nation, his tinge of the frontier comes from his extensive travels across the Outer Rim, professing to have an understanding of the politics and ways of these fringe sections of the galaxy. Up until the Forever War, it would appear he was correct as his career seems to have been successful. Roosevelt is a similar story, coming from a place of wealth and power, but leaving that life to become a ranch owner in what became North Dakota in the then-USA “frontier” with cowboys and more. Even while in such a rural setting, he sought to help and organize people for their betterment, and he later left that space to return to mainstream politics.

These frontier experiences also underline another similarity between the two men, in that their efforts are to fly their respective flags across a broad expanse of territory. Roosevelt had the Great White Fleet, a group of American naval vessels which circumnavigated the world spreading American influence to a range of nations, and showing the power of the USA due to the number of ships in the fleet. Mollo has his own ship, the Paxion, a personalized and luxurious Longbeam which he takes on extensive travels across the galaxy. He showed off this vessel on the Holonet in segments he recorded for the public. The ship is instantly recognizable to the Jedi Masters in Convergence, suggesting its high profile, and Mollo traveled from one end of the galaxy to another aboard it at the start of the novel, previously being on Batuu in the galactic northwest. Our last minor similarity is the pair’s adept use of wordplay. Mollo practiced his speeches, with carefully chosen words that, while they might fail on the hostile sides of the Forever War, clearly helped him win chancellorship with Kyong Greylark. Roosevelt for his part was also well known for his word choice, able to sum up his policies or ideas into simple slogans or concepts. One of his most famous will be explored more below: “Speak softly and carry a big stick — you will go far.”

Roosevelt’s diplomatic exploits abroad were often defined by these words, and both this mentality, as well as Roosevelt’s real-world uses of it, and his foreign policy affairs, are clearly seen in Mollo’s own actions. For those unaware, Big Stick diplomacy boils down to using the threat of conflict escalation through a nation’s military and political power to ward off other states or to make them agree to one’s terms in an equitable manner. Mollo prominently used elements of Big Stick diplomacy, subtly threatening Republic intervention and investigation early in Convergence to bring the royal leadership of both E’ronoh and Eiram to the table, and later, again threatening Republic interference in ceasing relief efforts and suggesting Republic intervention in blocking local trade to try and apply pressure on the negotiations. Roosevelt and Mollo’s focuses as politicians also cross over in their focus on commercial-weighted politics and peace efforts. The trade routes through the territory of the Forever War being thought important by Mollo, and his strong push for a peace treaty, has shades of the Panama Canal. The project was thought impossible by nations like France who previously attempted, only for Roosevelt and the Americans to successfully push the Canal to completion, opening up a whole new avenue of commerce. Additionally, Mollo’s intervention in a situation outside of the boundaries of the Republic to promote peace is like Roosevelt’s mediation of the Russo-Japanese War, which led to a peace treaty ending that conflict. Both that conflict and the Forever War in Convergence have shades of each other, two powers in close proximity fighting over broken agreements and arguing about the land between them, Eiria or the Timekeeper Moon in Star Wars (while the moon is neutral ground, it was clearly once settled, and the two sides barb about what to call the celestial body), Manchuria in the real world.

Overall, Mollo was not as outspoken as Roosevelt could be, and we sadly know little of Mollo’s domestic policies to compare against those of Roosevelt. But the spirit of Roosevelt is strong in Mollo, both men firm in convictions, in involving themselves in foreign affairs, and flying their respective national flags to outside powers. But, there is another side to Roosevelt, a more private or less discussed side, whose traits lend themselves to Mollo’s political partner, Kyong Greylark, more than the Quarren statesman.

Greylark: Political Dynasty, Loss, and Speaking Softly

We as an audience suffer due to the unfortunate lack of Kyong Greylark in Convergence. We get little of her in person, but what we do know from those encounters, and what others say about her, speaks enormous volumes. While Mollo was more outgoing, public-facing and active on the frontier, Kyong remained at the heart of the galaxy, and acted out other elements of Theodore Roosevelt not yet discussed above.

Both Greylark and Roosevelt are part of political and social dynasties in their respective worlds. For Greylark, family reputation is key, and her dynasty is described directly by her son Axel as seeking to be at the center of everything. There was considerable financial power behind the Greylark family as well, even before they were a family of the Chancellery. Axel’s expensive taste, and clearly large inheritance, are evidence of this. Roosevelt for his part was from a well-off family with deep connections to New York. Through relatives he could claim ties to the Schuyler family, who had many businessmen and leaders in the early era of the USA between the 18th and 19th centuries, while his own wealth was substantial. For example, when his father died, his inheritance could have allowed him to live life comfortably for that time, though he chose a more active path. Both Roosevelt and Kyong also appreciate nature. Roosevelt’s appreciation for nature is a bit of a contentious discussion, as while he worked hard to create multiple national parks, and to protect wildlife, he also shot and killed exotic wildlife frequently since he was an avid hunter. Kyong’s own expression of nature appreciation is also an expression of her family’s clear Asian-coded origins. In her office at the Greylark home, she possessed a garden waterfall, with a wide array of stones, as she tried to collect one from each world of the Republic. She used these stones to keep herself calm, slowly stacking them up while talking with her difficult son Axel, much in the way Roosevelt used nature to improve his health, and later, to cope with the loss of his first wife, taking flight to the rugged terrain of what became North Dakota. I would not be surprised if, when we learn more of Kyong Greylark, she passed bills seeking to protect certain planets or natural environments on particular worlds.

But it is that final aspect of loss, briefly mentioned above, that ties Kyong deepest to Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt lost both his mother, and his first wife, within mere hours of each other, mere days after the birth of his first daughter. He was broken inside by their deaths, particularly that of his wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, to the point that he never spoke her name again. Their daughter, named Alice after her, was never known as such growing up, the family using a range of nicknames to avoid the name Alice such was his grief. He didn’t even include mention of his wife in his autobiography. Kyong Greylark suffered a similar deep loss in her life, the death of her husband, in an event that broke apart her small family. Despite keeping a portrait of her husband in their home, Axel comments how easily she buried his memory and the emotions of that loss, rarely speaking of him except with her son. While at the end of the novel, we see how the loss of her husband, and the fate of her son, have deeply affected her more than is outwardly shown, she is still stalwart and silent regarding that loss, just as Roosevelt was. In fact, we never learn the father’s name in Convergence, perhaps an authorial choice to emphasize that elements of what Axel says is true.

The way such a deep loss affected their surrounding family is also another connection between this fiction woman and real man. Theodore Roosevelt eventually remarried, and there was great friction between his daughter Alice and her step-mother, some of it over Alice’s deceased mother. When Theodore became president, Alice was suddenly pushed into a spotlight bigger than anything previous, her fashion and more the talk of both DC and the country. She acted out during this time, performing pranks, or got involved in situations which were considered unconventional for a woman at the time. A similar pattern existed for Kyong and Axel, as while we are given no information on if Kyong has remarried, or was seeing anyone, the loss of that parent still provided enormous tension, and caused Axel to act out. He gambles, something Alice also did, runs across the galaxy, flits from romance to romance, and ends up thrown out or barred from many places, something Alice also experienced later in her life due to her unconventional ways.

Overall, we can see how Roosevelt’s private side, or aspects of him most people do not conventionally consider when looking at his standing, relate to a woman more behind the scenes than her alien counterpart. Yet, she was a force of strength despite those losses in her life, and while Axel disliked it, there is something to be said of someone able to put aside their grief to carry on in life, and accomplish amazing things.

Soh: Optimism, Conviction, and New Frontiers

Chancellor Lina Soh draws from a substantially different source than those of Mollo and Greylark, her predecessors in the galaxy. In a time-jump of influence from the ways of Theodore Roosevelt, Soh can instead best be related to John F. Kennedy, with his characteristics as well as struggles compelling in examining her own story.

Like Mollo, we should start with the smaller comparisons one can draw between Soh and Kennedy. To begin, both of them come from unconventional groups rarely at the center of power. For Soh, she came from a relatively minor planet and not from a background of means, her appointment seen as part of the changing times due to her outsider nature. Applying a similar idea to Kennedy might sound odd to some people as his family were wealthy with political ties, but he was part of an unconventional group by the fact that he was America’s first Catholic president. In a nation over 150 years old, such a fact seems almost shocking, but it does make Kennedy part of a different group from others. He had to overcome anti-Catholic bias to be as successful as he was in politics, similar to Soh’s own fight at overcoming her origins. Another small connection between the two figures is their engagement with the media. Kennedy was a participant in the first televised presidential debate, and overall worked with the media to broadcast live announcements and other events, his integration with the media going so far that he won an award for his efforts. Lina Soh also made use of her equivalent of television in the Holonet throughout and before the Republic Fair, having a reporter and their recording droid personally accompanying her entourage prior to and at their arrival. Even when just emerging from the coma, the first thing she did was perform an interview. Finally, we have their difficult home lives, while seeming ideal on the outside. Kennedy’s affairs and marital issues are well known today, though to outsiders and even many of the time, he and his wife were the picture of Camelot-like fantasy. Soh’s own situation is complex, and as of yet vague to us. She was a single mother, with the father of her son Kitrep out of the picture, likely through divorce as no grief or death involving the man comes up in novels like The Rising Storm. Instead, she had friction with her son regarding her duties, and while even Kitrep knew she was trying her hardest to make time for him and to try and accommodate his dislike of the spotlight, there are still struggles.

On the topic of struggles, we should now turn to the policies, and the conflicts, the pair became involved in to see how one informs the other. One cannot easily equate the Soviet Union and the Nihil, unless you’re of a certain generational mindset, but the way Soh and Kennedy approach the problem of a hostile force is similar. Specifically, we can compare Soh’s reaction to the Great Disaster, and Kennedy’s to the Cuban Missile Crisis. For both Soh and Kennedy, time was of the essence, and avoiding a full-scale conflict was at the top of their mind. Both had to deal with war hawks in their government, or for Soh, in close proximity to her powerbase in the Senate. Tia Toon and his Defense Force Program called for a departure from the more relaxed, voluntary forces the Republic had during the High Republic, as well as their reliance on aid from the Jedi. Meanwhile, many war hawks in Kennedy’s EXCOMM cabinet called for aggressive action and response to the perceived threats of the Missile Crisis. Both camps also operated on faulty information, or an incorrect assessment of events, with Soh believing the Nihil were destroyed only for them to ravage the Republic Fair, and Kennedy trying to assess the actions of the Soviet Union with limited understanding, and out of date or unclear information regarding the nature of the missiles, until a point.

We should also look at the politics and policies of both Kennedy and Soh to see their similarities. Both leaders preside over periods of relative prosperity but also change in their respective societies. For Kennedy, these ideas were core to his New Frontier policy, a spate of executive orders and bills meant to improve life for poor and underrepresented Americans, while also turning attention to the new challenge of space travel and exploration. While a portion of this dream was realized while he was alive, parts of this vision became elements of the Great Society of his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. Soh, for her part, already exists in a space-faring setting, but parallels can still be drawn. Her efforts as Chancellor saw her trying to improve the lives of her citizens and expand the Republic into new, or long neglected areas of the galaxy. To that end, she engaged in grand projects of unity and combinations of technology and materials to serve the wider galaxy, and involved as many members of the Republic as possible. The Starlight Beacon was an example of this, and was planned as the first of several similar stations, but the Republic Fair was also an effort to show both the diversity of the nation, and bring together people to appreciate that diversity. Soh also pushed colonization and exploration of new worlds, while also establishing Jedi outposts to help guard against attack or threats to these newly arriving populaces.

But her efforts, to push further into space, would draw the ire of the Nihil, just like how Kennedy’s own push toward space formed part of the Space Race, a battle of technology between the USA and the Soviet Union. Despite efforts toward peace by both leaders, Kennedy signing the first nuclear weapons treaty, and Soh overseeing efforts of peaceful co-operation, both would engage in military action to stem threats, or in Kennedy’s case, perceived threats. Soh would eventually empower the Jedi with all the resources of the Republic to hunt down and defeat the Nihil, while Kennedy would engage in American support of highly un-democratic actions to stop the spread of communism. These elements should lead us to the final topic of discussion, the end of “Camelot” in both worlds. For Kennedy, it came with his assassination, and soon after, an increase in American involvement in Vietnam. For Soh, it comes with the gradual wearing away at the self-assured security of the Republic by the Nihil, and the slaughter they unleash to blight events like the Republic Fair. Unlike Kennedy, Soh survived the effort to kill her, but her era of high morals, high values and grand efforts of co-operation are likely at an end.

Conclusion

The influence of the American Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy is clear to see in the lives of Kyong Greylark, Orlen Mollo, and Lina Soh. All existed during eras of perceived greatness and improvement for each of their societies, Roosevelt living at the end of the American Gilded Age, while Kennedy had his Camelot, and the Republic Chancellors spoken of here define the High Republic as we know it. But as we are seeing, and have already seen, all golden eras come to an end. As Phase 2 carries on, undoubtedly more will be learned of Mollo and Greylark, and when we return to Phase 3, I would not be surprised for the same to be true of Lina Soh. Through exploring the unique influences from the real world past on The High Republic Initiative, we can understand where new threats or issues in the Star Wars galaxy might emerge, as well as what solutions may or may not be adopted by these formidable people elected to lead the Republic.

Warning: This Essay contains minor and major spoilers from The High Republic: Path of Deceit, The High Republic: Convergence and Star Wars: The High Republic (2022).

[Essay of the Week Contest] Submission: Week 69

Word Count: 3312 (excluding block quotes)

Introduction

The High Republic Initiative has been a boon to the Star Wars universe, allowing an exploration of new sources of inspiration for its characters, the creation of new dimensions and diversity in the appearance or nature of those characters, and allowing for interesting stakes and events to take place in a time period different than anything seen in the canon so far. Among the vast new web of characters The High Republic has introduced is the Mother, looking to be the forefront villain of Phase 2: Quest of the Jedi. Mysterious in her powers and true nature, yet with a clear agenda, she looks to be a fascinating character to learn more about. In examining the influences on her character, we will be able to understand her broader role in the story told and yet to come, the unique and fascinating religious history she is drawn from, and get glimpses of the narrative hidden in the background or yet to unfold.

The Mother as Medieval Saint

When reading Path of Deceit, I was overcome with fascination with the repeated imagery of the cradled egg in the Mother’s arms. Another recent piece of popular media, the video game Elden Ring, featured a similar image with the character of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, who cradles an egg of amber. In the thorough research that followed, I learned the origin of such symbology is from the renowned medieval nun Saint Hildegard von Bingen. Hildegard lived in the period known as the High Middle Ages, from around 1098 to September 17th, 1179, and was an extraordinary woman. In addition to being elected to serve as the leader to her community of nuns, she wrote voraciously on a huge number of topics, particularly in the areas of medical science, faith and music. The essential part about Hildegard is that she also received many visions throughout her life, supposedly from a very early age. The one that resulted in her connection with eggs is known as Vision Three, or the Vision of the Cosmic Egg. This will be discussed second though, as we should first compare the life of the saint with that of the Mother.

Hildegard and the Mother’s lives strongly connect, particularly to the Mother’s role in The High Republic. For one, both women are healers, the Mother seeking to heal The Herald’s sick wife and Kor’s mother, Opari, while Hildegard’s medical focus was equally spiritual and practical in applying tinctures, rubs and more alongside thorough examination of health problems. The next is the path both women took. At this stage, we do not know the origin of the Mother, but there are indications she was of high status, or had an elevated position in the past (explored later in this essay). Hildegard was similar, a daughter of lower nobility, and someone who never lost those noble connections throughout her life. Their lives are also similar in a key event for Hildegard mirrored by the Mother and the Path of the Open Hand. Hildegard and her convent lived in a monastery, but desiring independence and a move toward poverty, to transfer from a well established monastery to a rougher, fresher structure in another city, Hildegard worked within the politics of the church to allow for such a transfer despite difficulties. The Mother has a similar story. Though she came to the Path of the Open Hand who were already in a place of poverty, she still came to rule over them due to her magnetic charm, miraculous acts, and visions, while also affirming and expanding the Path’s presence on rural, isolated Dalna. These two formidable women worked to lead their communities, and command respect from others. However, we should now discuss the Vision of the Cosmic Egg, which was recorded as follows (line segments bolded for emphasis):

“After this I saw a vast instrument, round and shadowed, in the shape of an egg, small at the top, large in the middle and narrowed at the bottom; outside it, surrounding its circumference, there was bright fire with, as it were, a shadowy zone under it... But from the fire that surrounded the instrument issued a blast with whirlwinds, and from the zone beneath it rushed forth another blast with its own whirlwinds, which diffused themselves hither and thither throughout the instrument. In that zone too there was a dark fire of such great horror that I could not look at it, whose force shook the whole zone, full of thunder, tempest, and exceedingly sharp stones both large and small. And while it made its thunders heard, the bright fire and the winds and the air were in commotion, so that lightning preceded those thunders; for the fire felt within itself the turbulence of those thunders.”

When one reads the quoted writing on the vision, one can immediately begin to pick out imagery and wording well known to anyone who has engaged with Phase 1 of The High Republic. Whirlwinds, thunder, tempest and more are all tied to the Nihil, who we know spawned from the Path of the Open Hand, and resulted in the remaining faithful’s transformation into the Elders of the Path. “A dark fire of such great horror I could not look at it” is also incredibly evocative of The Nameless, creatures of the Force who cause enormous fear in the Jedi, resulting in their deaths. Now consider the nature of the crystalline purple egg seen in Path of Deceit, it is literally an egg from another planet, a cosmic egg, whose presence and role is crucial to the events of The High Republic as we know them.

We should also consider the exegesis of the Vision of the Cosmic Egg. An exegesis is an interpretation or explanation of such a spiritual event, and the explanation of this vision comes from Hildegard von Bingen herself:

“​​The firmament in the likeness of an egg and what it signifies: For this vast instrument, round and shadowed, in the shape of an egg, small at the top, large in the middle and narrowed at the bottom, faithfully shows Omnipotent God, incomprehensible in His majesty and inestimable in His mysteries and the hope of all the faithful; for humanity at first was rude and rough and simple in its actions, but was enlarged through the Old and New Testaments, and finally at the end of the world is destined to be beset with many tribulations.”

God in Hildegard’s writing of the exegesis can be easily translated into the Force when pulled into the context of Star Wars. It is an omnipotent force, mysterious and incomprehensible, yet people seek to understand it, often crudely at first and later with more refinement. The Cosmic Egg as the Force also works perfectly with the way the Mother handles the hatching of the Nameless egg and how she refers to it. She immediately makes a strong connection with the supposed jewel when Sunshine Dobbs brings it to her, commenting it is filled with the Force, and when it hatches, proclaiming the juvenile Nameless as a manifestation of the Force itself as proof of the Path’s righteous mission. The final lines of the exegesis are also very important to note, because of their further links to what is to come in the High Republic. Phase 3’s title is Trials of the Jedi, and the exegesis finishes on the belief that the world will end as it is beset by tribulations, a synonym for trials. What we are going to see going into Phase 3 is the end of the world of the High Republic, the end of that era of prominence for the Jedi, all thanks to the hatching of a cosmic egg filled with storms and terrible fears clutched in the arms of a formidable woman.

The Mother as Biblical Prophet

The ties between the Mother and real-world religion are very strong, as can be read above with her close ties to a medieval saint, but they do not stop there. The Mother also has inspiration drawn from a figure of the Abrahamic faith tradition, the prophet Elisha.

The Mother’s name is Elecia Zeveron, her first name derived from the name Elisha, which means “God is my salvation”. In the Jewish tradition, Elisha was a prophet and miracle worker who came from a wealthy background, and was a close associate of the prophet Elijah (perhaps a more well known name to those with a Christian background). The end of Elijah’s life, and Elisha’s ascension, features a major piece of storm imagery which is important to note. When Elijah’s time in the world was coming to an end, he and Elisha went to the Jordan River, where Elijha was then lifted up by a whirlwind of fire and was carried up to heaven. When this happened, his mantle (both a piece of clothing, and now a metaphor to us in the modern day) fell to the ground where it was picked up by Elisha, who was proclaimed Elijah’s successor by other witnesses to the event. This biblical episode can be seen as having an inverted influence on the character of the Mother, who rather than Elisha in this particular instance, will become like Elijah ascending into heaven at some point in her story, likely by the end of Phase 2. Fire might even be involved as well, but we will have to wait and see. The Mother’s mantle for leading the Path of the Open Hand will then fall upon Maarda Ro, who will go on to break away from the Path, and instead form the Nihil from this religious division.

The Mother’s ties to Elisha strengthen from here on out, as the Biblical figure would go on to enact many miracles in aiding his people and others, acts which can be seen mirrored in the Mother. For instance, there are many episodes of drought, starvation, famine, and suffering by a lack of food or water, where Elisha solves them by miraculously transforming poisonous food, multiplying limited stores, or predicting coming rains. The Mother plays a similar role to the Path of the Open Hand within Path of Deceit, where her first miracle was the spontaneous creation of plants around her hut after her first vision, and her connection with wealthy sponsors has seen her provide for the community in tough times through supplies and medicine. This tie to wealth is also seen in the stories about Elisha, aiding wealthy women in specific problems but also for his outsized political impact on the world around him. The prophet frequently engaged in political affairs of his time, accompanying armies and advising kings and rulers. This can be seen in the actions of the Mother in Convergence, as she meddled in the politics of the Forever War by supplying healers, food and more to the planet Eiram. Healing was also a major part of Elisha’s miracles, and as mentioned earlier when discussing the Mother’s crossover with Hildegard von Bingen, healing plays an outsized role in the value and mystic power the Mother projects onto the Path of the Open Hand.

But Elisha’s political involvement bears returning to, because it is clear that the Mother may be about to follow in his footsteps in a major way. Elisha never directly led people into conflict, but he did intercede to aid certain parties, and to engage in diplomacy or politics when needed. Already we see the role of the Mother in the Forever War, but that instance is likely not the only one. We also know what is to come in Phase 2, a battle at the Pilgrim Moon of Jedha, likely within Jedha City itself. Already, her agents and influence have reached the city in the 2022 The High Republic Marvel run, and undoubtedly soon there will be violence and warfare to come. I would not be surprised if standing back from the chaos, avoiding the frontline yet still pulling strings, and engaging in acts of healing, will be the Mother, a prophet to her people with a powerful mantle to establish, and pass on.

The Mother as Supernatural Queen

The ties to prophets and saints with the Mother make her out to be a woman with good intentions, and in possession of holy powers she uses to help others. But as was discussed at the end of the last section, there is a darker side to the Mother. She comes from a position of high status, perhaps even nobility or royalty herself, yet has come a long way from such a high position to now lead a cult she turns toward violence. Her darkness is drawn from this change in her life, but also from the character taking on clear traits of banshees and vampires, which undoubtedly only add to her uneasy nature.

We must first dissect the Mother’s status as “queen.” We do not yet know her status prior to what is spoken of in Path of Deceit, but there are hints in the text and elsewhere as to her origin. To start, she is clearly of a mobile, upper-class origin. Not only does she constantly carry herself with grace, poise, and honeyed words, but she has significant influence reaching far beyond what one might expect for someone of the lower classes, living out an agriculture-focused existence great distances from prominent spheres of power. She is able to recruit cult members from Coruscant itself at the heart of the galaxy, gain funds from lavishly wealthy benefactors, but also interfere with the affairs of royal lineages, aiding and threatening the noble line of Eiram with an exact focus. The Mother’s other influences, of the prophet and the saint, also inform her ties to nobility and upper class, as both Hildegard von Bingen and Elisha were formidable figures in their own worlds, and engaged with the upper classes through their work, Hildegard’s writings, and Elisha’s miracles and political interventionism. Finally, there is the role of the Mother in The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic: Volume One. When reading the text and looking over the images, one might not initially see where the Mother could emerge in the myriad of sketches or character discussions, but she is there on page 21, as the screaming, fanged, and flowing-haired face of “the Force-Vampire Queen.”

Does the Mother suck the Force out of her victims, and does she stand meters tall over the Jedi she faces? No, she sadly does not. However, the Mother does possess many supernatural characteristics which tie her to folklore of the banshee of the Celtic tradition, and the vampire of many different traditions from across the world. First, we have the inhuman scream the Mother expels when the Nameless first hatches from the egg she cradled for most of Path of Deceit. Banshee screams are known to indicate either imminent death, or death as it occurs, which happens soon after she screams, with both Jedi she faces suffering permanent end at the hand of the newly-spawned Nameless. Next, following this moment, we can see that the Mother’s appearance changes. Before this point, she was youthful and ageless, beautiful and captivating, but afterward, her hand is mildly affected by the same force which calcified the Jedi, changing into a cracked, wizened appendage, while streaks of gray appear to emerge in her stark dark hair. Both of these she quickly covers up, but these transformations both tie into banshee and vampiric lore, regarding transformation. Banshees and vampires are both known to transform themselves to hide or mask their true appearance, vampires often seeking youth and beauty, while banshees can appear either as young, beautiful virgin girls, or elderly women.

Then, there are two final traits which are wholly vampiric in nature that one can tie to the Mother. The first is the strange wasting sickness mentioned twice in Path of Deceit. This sickness is not just the same affliction as has befallen the Herald’s wife, and Kor’s mother, Opari, but it is mentioned earlier in suspicious connection to the Mother. The text tells us that the Mother’s hut once belonged to an elderly Weequay who died shortly before the Mother arrived in the community, resulting in her being given the building from which she had her first vision, and the miracle of the plants growing around her new home. Vampires are often tied with unexplained illnesses or exhaustion, because it is often indicative of their feeding on a populace, and draining away their lifeforce. Even if the Mother is helping to heal Opari, she has been doing so for quite some time, and in holding the life of the Herald’s wife, and Kor’s mother, in the balance, she has (theoretical) power over them. The last trait is her enchanting nature. It is almost a certainty that the Mother has some sort of unique power at play, because as we see with characters like Sunshine Dobbs, her enthrallment of others is not natural. His mind skips over his genuine thoughts and actions to rush to her aid, and to provide the woman with whatever she wants, something which actively confuses Dobbs mere seconds after he speaks. It is also clear this ability doesn’t affect everyone, as both Jedi from Path of Deceit, Kevmo Zink and Zallah Macri, appear unmoved by her presence and words where others might be more susceptible. This ties into the natural beauty and enthrallment vampires are sometimes said to possess, using such skills to lure prey into a false sense of security, or to control others to do their bidding. The Mother can clearly be seen, with all of this evidence, to be made of inspirations drawn from supernatural traits.

But what is her connection with the Force-Vampire Queen of page 21 in The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic: Volume One? This becomes clear when reading the volume itself. Many early pieces of artwork for the High Republic Initiative served as jumping-off points for the writers and other artists, with five primary pieces of artwork, spinning off into a range of characters and concepts explored later. The image in question was specifically developed from the original writing pitch made by Cavan Scott, a known lover of horror and monsters, responsible for fleshing out the Drengir in the first Marvel High Republic series from 2020 and providing us with The Monster of Temple Peak later on in Phase 1. There is another key tie between this artwork and the Mother: Phil Noto, the artist, referenced artwork of the Celtic queen Boudica to inform his own creation. Boudica is a historical figure with deeper connections to the Mother than one might think. Their stories might also be similar, though we have yet to see the path the Mother’s background will take in future writing. For those unaware, Boudica was Queen of the Iceni, a people in Roman Britain, who revolted after the Queen and her daughters were dishonored by Rome after the King died due to matters of inheritance. While she was ultimately defeated, Boudica left a path of destruction in her wake, her people having destroyed Londinium (modern-day London) and killing thousands of Romans, both military and civilian, in their uprising. The Mother too, likely had a daughter, the Jedi Knight Oliviah Zeveron who we see to be stationed on Jedha sharing a last name, and the Mother mentions she has encountered both Jedi and Padawans before. Thus, while it is certain the Force-Vampire Queen and the Mother are not the exact same, one was clearly spawned off of the other.

A logical construction can also be made from the points and pieces of evidence in this section. The Mother, once a woman of means, wealth, and privilege, had a daughter taken away from her by Jedi, servants of the Republic, denying her a proper inheritance of blood and family continuation. In her rage and grief, she fled most of what she had from that life, and set about fostering and empowering a cult who disliked the Jedi, fueling that feeling into hatred. She has now launched an effort to leave a path of destruction in her wake, focused on the Jedi, but likely to annihilate a city of significance in the process. It would make a very compelling narrative, but, until the end of Phase 2 next year, we will have to wait and see. All we can say for now, is that she is a woman with powers social, political, and supernatural.

Conclusion

The Mother was a formidable foe for the Jedi of the High Republic to face even before this breakdown of her influences. But in unpacking and understanding what the authors are drawing from to build her should only raise her up higher, and give greater admiration to the authors for crafting such a layered character from so many different elements. She is someone built from the fortitude and multi-talented mindset of Hildegard von Bingen, alongside initiating the hatching of a devastating cosmic egg. She has the powers and influence of the Biblical prophet Elisha, and finally, she is a woman with supernatural characteristics intent on getting revenge for a hidden wrong. As we look forward to the second wave of Phase 2, we should all keep her layered and complex inspiration in mind to inform how we view her as a character and make sure we also keep a look out into other parts of The High Republic Initiative for the same dedication to creativity, and complex storytelling.