Silandra Sho's shield

Silandra Sho's shield, also known as Silandra's shield, was a plasma shield used by multiple members of the Jedi Order, including Jedi Master Silandra Sho. The shield was an ancient artifact of unknown origin created during or possibly before the Old Republic-era and was passed between Jedi for hundreds of years. It eventually came into Sho's possession when she received it from her master on the day she passed her Jedi Trials. In 382 BBY, while searching for the missing pathfinder team of Jedi Master Rok Buran on the planet Gloam, Sho used the shield to fend off predatory creatures and fought with it again against monsters in Gloam's mines. The same year, Sho made a pilgrimage to the moon Jedha and activated the shield on several occasions while investigating the bombing of a peace summit between the warring planets Eiram and E'ronoh. After a battle broke out between Eiram and E'ronoh forces, Sho used the shield to protect other individuals and during a duel with disciples of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door.

Around 379 BBY, Sho hid the shield on the planet Batuu, deliberately allowing it to be taken by a salmaca creature that had been raiding Peka village for several weeks. The next day, she challenged her Padawan, Rooper Nitani, to locate the shield in order to pass her Jedi Trials. Nitani found the shield in the salmaca's cave and used it to protect the salmaca and a group of villagers from each other. Upon Nitani's return, Sho gave the shield to her, honoring the tradition of passing it down.

The shield eventually came into the possession of a dealer on Batuu, before being rescued by the former Jedi Cohmac Vitus shortly after he left the Jedi Order in 230 BBY. Vitus later gave it as a gift to his former Padawan Reath Silas during a mission to the planet Tolis in 228 BBY. On Tolis, Silas used the shield to fight against the Jedi hunting Child of the Storm Sicarus and several Force-consuming Nameless creatures. Silas later used the shield to battle stone guardians and flying droids in a temple on the planet Varovia.

Silas frequently trained with the shield in the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant and researched techniques for fighting with it from holocrons. In the same year, Silas was selected as a member of a Jedi team who would return several Nameless to their homeworld Planet X to stop the plague known as the Blight. Silas attempted to use the shield to stop Nameless from attacking each other after they were compelled by Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro using the Rod of Power artifact. Silas also used the shield while preventing the former Jedi Azlin Rell and the monster hunter Ty Yorrick from fighting. Following the success of the mission, Silas brought the shield with him while searching for Rell.

Description

Silandra Sho's shield,^[5] also referred to as Silandra's shield,^[4] was a handcrafted^[5] plasma shield^[1] owned by numerous members of the Jedi Order, including Jedi Master Silandra Sho, who wielded it during the High Republic Era.^[2] The shield was in the shape of a large disc with a frame made of a lightweight metal with a tarnished golden hue.^[3] The frame was emblazoned with a central motif in the shape of a flower or leaf. Other than the insignia, the frame was smooth and unadorned, but was marred with tiny dents and scratches. The reverse side of the shield had a central bar that bore its grip. A hidden switch beside the grip activated^[3] two panels of^[4] blue plasma^[6] that formed the center of the shield^[5] and hummed when it was swung.^[3] When not in use, the plasma could be deactivated.^[5] The shield was capable of deflecting blaster bolts, lightsaber blades, and other attacks.^[7]

History

An ancient relic

An ancient artifact of unknown origin, the shield was created during or possibly before the Old Republic-era and was passed between Jedi for centuries. It was considered to be an irreplaceable and priceless relic, with many members of the Jedi Order revering it as a symbol of what they considered to be the Jedi's true role in the galaxy—to shield and protect those who needed help. The shield's owners included legendary Jedi such as Bran Ath'Morath and Carok Hittak. Hittak at one point set out on a quest beyond the Outer Rim and took nearly two decades to return home. Until his death, Hittak maintained that the shield had been the one thing that had kept him going while he was lost.^[2]

The shield eventually came into the possession of a Jedi who passed it down to their Padawan on the day he passed his Jedi Trials. The former Padawan later took on Silandra Sho as his own apprentice, and when Sho passed her trials, he gave the shield to her.^[2] At some point, Sho tattooed^[6] a blue diamond^[2] that was the same color as both the shield's plasma field and her lightsaber as a reminder of her desire to serve as a shield rather than a blade.^[6] While not using the shield, Sho wore it strapped to a harness on her back.^[2]

Around 389 BBY,^[8] Sho took on Rooper Nitani as her Padawan. During Nitani's time as Sho's Padawan, she often cleaned the shield for her master, and Sho recited stories to Nitani of the shield's previous owners, including Ath'Morath and Hittak. Sho also explained to her Padawan that she was only a temporary custodian of the relic and that it would continue to serve the people of the galaxy long into the future.^[2] Sho often told Nitani that she preferred to be a shield rather than a sword, and although she was proficient with her lightsaber, she favored using the shield whenever possible. However, she rarely used the shield while sparring.^[4]

Aubadas and Gloam

A mysterious observer

In 382 BBY,^[9] Sho had the shield with her while on board her pathfinder team's ship, the Umberfall, during a mission to find Jedi Master Rok Buran's pathfinder team, which had gone missing on the planet Aubadas. After the Umberfall landed on Aubadas, the team began searching for a city where they could find members of the native Katikoot species. Nitani noticed they were being observed by the Katikoot Brithik, and unsure of who she was, Sho slid the shield from its harness to her left arm and held it in front of her torso and lower face, then ushered the other members of the team behind her. However, the Katikoot was frightened off and the Jedi lost sight of her, after which Sho returned the shield to her shoulder.^[4]

Brithik returned soon after, this time standing on the opposite side of a gully, and Sho and Nitani decided to catch her in a pincer movement. Sho leapt in front of the Katikoot, activating the shield's energy panels and crooking it defensively in front of her. Brithik turned to flee, but found herself facing Nitani, who had sneaked up behind her to complete the maneuver. Nitani questioned her, but she did not respond, and more Katikoot arrived, surrounding the Jedi. Nitani returned her lightsabers to their holsters, while Sho lowered the shield, though she kept it in place on her arm. When one of the Katikook, Mittik, approached to speak with the Jedi, Sho returned the shield to her back, and Mittik eventually agreed to take them to their capital city Diurna.^[4]

Predators on Gloam

In Diurna, Sho and Nitani learned from the Katikook minister of works Kittik that Buran's team had gone missing while investigating reports of monsters in the mines of Aubadas's sister world, Gloam, so that they could be temporarily restarted while the Katikoot dealt with an energy crisis. Sho and her team traveled to Gloam to search for Buran's team, and while searching, Sho and Nitani waded through an area filled with dense mangroves, where they encountered predatory creatures. As one of the creatures prepared to pounce, Sho drew both her shield and her lightsaber and circled back toward Nitani to protect their rear flanks. When the creature launched itself at Sho, she put up her shield arm and sidestepped the predator while striking its flank with her shield to knock it off course. Nitani then heard Sho grunt and the shield clank off of what she assumed was one of the creature's horns.^[4]

The Jedi continued to fend off the creatures, but Nitani observed their strategy was not working, and Sho suggested a different plan. Extinguishing her lightsaber, Sho held the shield in front of her, then hovered it in the air in front of her. She extended her right hand, slowly turning her fingers, and propelled the shield with the Force forward into one of the creature's snouts. She then sent the shield in an arc behind her before propelling it toward two of the other beasts, striking each of them in the snout as well. Finally, Sho returned the shield to her arm and stepped forward, demanding the creatures leave, which they did. Nitani was impressed by what her master had done, and the two Jedi continued their search.^[4]

Becoming the shield

As the Jedi searched Gloam, the pathfinder team's pilot, Dietrix Jago, picked up a distress signal and found the stranded prospectors Spence Leffbruk and Dass Leffbruk. When Jago told them she had come with Jedi, Dass asked if they had brought lightsabers. Jago told him they did and then informed him that Sho had a shield as well.^[4]

Sho and Nitani eventually located the ruins of a Jedi temple, inside of which they found Buran, but learned that the rest of his team had been killed. As Nitani reflected on those who had died, she considered the importance of Sho's stance of being a metaphorical shield and felt that she would also need to act as a shield. After speaking with Buran, they learned that Rillik had ambushed him and the members of their team currently with him were in danger. Although Sho initially wanted to remain in the temple due to Buran's injury, Nitani convinced her they should return to warn their team by telling her they should act as a shield to protect those in need. After making the decision, Nitani noticed Sho seemed filled with purpose as she drew her shield from her back, slipping it onto her arm.^[4]

The Jedi made their way out of the temple and were attacked by the monsters as they headed across Gloam's landscape toward the Umberfall. They fought back against the creatures, with Sho using her shield to batter the final one before taking its head off with her lightsaber. Following the fight, the Jedi were able to contact the team's medic, Obik Dennisol, who informed them that Rillik had sent Jago and Mittik to Gloam's mines to kill them.^[4]

Battle in the mine

The Jedi headed to the mines, where they found Jago, Mittik, Spence, and Dass being attacked by more of the monsters. Sho ran ahead and circled the mineshaft, then flipped into the air and dived, activating both her lightsaber and her shield. She began launching herself from monster to monster as she attacked them. Nitani attempted a similar maneuver, but fell into the shaft. As Nitani fell, Sho hovered her shield beneath her Padawan, allowing her to spring off it and onto the back of one of the monsters. At the top of the shaft, Sho continued to fight the monsters with her lightsaber while whipping her shield in a protective arc around her. As most of the group began to make their way to a passage to escape, Sho returned her shield to her arm to batter the monsters as she made her way to join them.^[4]

The group eventually escaped the mine and returned to the Umberfall, where they found Rillik beginning to transform into one of the monsters. While ordering the others to board the ship, Sho raised her shield and readied her lightsaber to face Rillik alongside Nitani. However, Rillik did not attack, instead allowing the Jedi to attempt to help him. Ultimately, the group returned to Diurna safely, and Mittik oversaw the recovery of enough minerals from outside the mine to last until the Galactic Republic could install a new power source.^[4]

Battle of Jedha

Arrival in the Holy City

The same year,^[9] Sho made a pilgrimage to the moon Jedha. As the shuttle she was on cut through Jedha's atmosphere, Tilson Graf—another passenger and the Republic-appointed mediator of the signing of a peace treaty between the warring planets Eiram and E'ronoh—stumbled into Sho. Graf noticed the shield and commented that he had never seen a Jedi carry one, to which Sho airily responded that she supposed he had not.^[10]

After the shuttle landed in Jedha's Holy City, Sho met with the Guardian of the Whills Mesook, an old friend of hers. As they walked through a marketplace together, they discussed what had changed and what had not over the years, with Mesook noting Sho still carried her shield, comparing it to a talisman. Sho laughed and replied that it had saved her life a few times, and Mesook responded that according to stories he had heard, the shield had saved other lives as well.^[10]

Around a day later, a bombing occurred at the summit where the treaty was to be signed. Around nineteen hours after the summit, Sho began working with the Church of the Force adjunct Keth Cerepath to investigate. While they walked through a market on Jedha, Sho heard a noise which she believed to be another bomb and activated her shield. They ran to where they believed the explosion to have occurred, but upon learning it had actually been a backfiring speeder, Sho powered off her shield.^[10]

Tensions on Jedha

Cerepath later visited the tapbar Enlightenment, where he told his friends Moona and Piralli, as well as Enlightenment's owner, Kradon Minst, about Sho and her shield, with Moona being surprised to learn that a Jedi carried a shield. Later, Cerepath invited Sho to Enlightenment, and after they left the establishment and walked through a busy street, a speeder roared toward them. Sho activated her shield, then used it to deflect blaster shots coming from its driver, the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door disciple Mytion. Sho led the speeder away from the crowd and eventually bisected it with her lightsaber. The attacker began firing at her again, and Sho sent her shield out with a Force push to deflect the shots, amazing and confusing onlookers. Sho attempted to pursue the attacker, but after losing him in the crowd, recalled her shield and powered it off.^[10]

Sho became separated from Cerepath during the encounter, and while she was searching for him in the city's central square, the Herald of the Path of the Open Hand cult incited a riot, during which a Nameless^[10]—a Force-consuming creature that could induce terror and confusion in Force-sensitives^[11]—attacked multiple civilians. Unaware of what it was, Sho activated her shield and pursued the creature, but fell to her knees due to its effects and was pulled away by Cerepath's droid, P3-7A.^[10]

Sho returned to Enlightenment, where she found Cerepath, and the two then discovered Brothers of the Ninth Door were behind the bombing. When they exited the tapbar, they found that a battle had broken out between Eiram and E'ronoh. Sho saw a mining loader the E'roni military had adapted for battle and activated her shield. The loader fired its weapons at a building, and Sho used the Force to propel her shield, blocking debris from hitting a nearby woman and amazing Cerepath. The adjunct then suggested evacuating civilians to the Dome of Deliverance, which Sho agreed with.^[10]

Duel beneath the dome

Sho met Cerepath at the Dome of Deliverance after taking out several more mining loaders, where she was confronted by three Brothers of the Ninth Door—Mytion, Inoke, and Baarla—who attacked her with electrostaffs. Sho fought back with her lightsaber while also using her shield to fend off blows. After parrying furiously, Sho knocked back Baarla with her shield, then sliced Inoke's chest, killing him. Sho sliced off Baarla's forearms, then escaped to the lower level beneath the dome.^[10]

In the hall of the Kyber Mirrors beneath the dome, Mytion found Sho, and they continued their duel, with Sho again using her shield to batter away electrostaff blows. Eventually, Mytion battered Sho's shield away with brute strength, then jabbed her into a mirror with his electrostaff. Mytion began to choke Sho, but she was saved by Cerepath, who picked up her fallen lightsaber and stabbed Mytion, only to be stabbed himself by the dying disciple. Cerepath died moments later, after which Sho recovered her shield and lightsaber. She resolved to act as a shield and prevent any further deaths, then activated both her shield and lightsaber and walked away.^[10] At some point during the battle, Sho deflected blaster fire with her shield.^[12]

At the city's shuttle docks, Sho found that civilian ships were being destroyed. When a shuttle exploded, Sho used her shield to block shrapnel from striking^[10] Elecia Zeveron,^[11] the Mother of the Path of the Open Hand. Sho then walked with Zeveron to help her find the Path's Guide, Marda Ro. While searching, Sho heard a fight ahead of her and activated the shield before running toward it. She found several rioters attacking Ro, and threw her shield at one of them, knocking him to the ground before it returning to her arm.^[10] Zeveron then helped up Ro and Sho returned her shield to the harness on her back.^[13] Soon after, the Jedi convinced both the Eiram and E'ronoh forces to end the fighting.^[10]

Nitani's trials

Reflections

Later that year,^[9] while Nitani was aboard the pilot Sky Graf's ship, the Brightbird, during the Hyperspace Chase contest, she explained her motivations as a Jedi to Graf and thought of Sho's shield, realizing that unlike a lightsaber, which could attack or defend, a shield was devoted to being itself and was only meant to protect. Later, she reflected on her realization again while meditating during a hyperspace jump. Upon learning of the death of Padawan Kevmo Zink from the Path of the Open Hand member Fel Ix, Nitani wanted to ignite her lightsabers to make herself feel strong and also wished she had Sho's shield. When the Brightbird stopped on Aubadas to refuel, Nitani again thought of Sho's shield and her own lightsabers, imagining herself as a shield while considering how to protect her friends.^[6]

After the Brightbird docked at Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, Nitani reunited with Sho, who was wearing her shield on her back. Nitani asked her master to teach her to use the shield, explaining she had thought about the nature of her relationship with the Force and liked the solidity of being a shield. Sho agreed to her Padawan's request and suggested it could prepare her for her Jedi Trials when she came of age.^[6]

Hidden on Batuu

Around 379 BBY,^[14] a salmaca creature began raiding Peka village on Batuu. Several weeks after the raids began, Sho visited Peka and left her shield in a tree so it could be taken by the salmaca, then returned to the Batuu Jedi temple after telling the village help would arrive the next day. That night, the salmaca raided Peka again, taking both the shield and the droid Dee-Twelve back to its cave. The next day, Sho spoke with Nitani in the temple's meditation chamber, with Nitani mentally noting the conspicuous absence of Sho's shield. Sho informed her Padawan that it was time for her Jedi Trials and tasked her with locating the shield.^[2]

Nitani began searching outside the temple for the shield, and after attempting to sense its location with the Force, she searched Sho's favorite meditation spots—a tall tree and a vantage point several kilometers away. As she searched, she recalled what she knew of the shield's history and fought off her doubts about what would happen if she was unable to find it. After failing to find the shield in both locations, she tried to consider Sho's perspective. Remembering her master considered the shield's purpose to be to protect others, Nitani decided she would need to find people to protect and headed for Peka.^[2]

Upon arriving in Peka, Nitani learned from the villager Jerlyn—whose family owned Dee-Twelve—that the salmaca had taken the shield after Sho had left it. Nitani agreed to recover Dee-Twelve and help the village with their problem, and she accompanied a group of villagers, including the Weequay Kaxx, to the salmaca's cave. After arriving, Nitani convinced the villagers to stand guard outside and entered the cave. In a chamber within the cave, Nitani found the salmaca sleeping on a heap of mechncal junk next to a makeshift larder filled with the corpses of deadly gant spiders. After rescuing Dee-Twelve, Nitani turned to leave but then spotted the shield.^[2]

Honoring tradition

Before Nitani could retrieve the shield, the villagers entered the cave and began firing on the salmaca. Using the Force, Nitani reached for the shield and sent it flying through the air, spinning it in concentric circles and deflecting the blaster fire into the cave's ceiling. The salmaca then charged the villagers, and with another gesture, Nitani sent the shield toward the salmaca, striking its beak and momentarily disorienting it. The shield clattered to the ground, and Nitani ordered the villagers to leave. Once they had done so, Nitani projected calming thoughts to convince the salmaca she was not a threat, then collected the shield and left the cave.^[2]

With Jerlyn's help, Nitani convinced the villagers to leave out junk for the salmaca each night after explaining how it was protecting them from the gant spiders. Nitani returned to the temple with the shield, where Sho confirmed she had passed her trials. When Sho turned to leave, Nitani attempted to return the shield to her, but Sho told her to keep it. Sho explained that like she had, after carrying the shield long enough, Nitani would remember she was the real shield and would no longer need the shield itself to remind her of that. She also explained the tradition of passing down the shield, saying she wished to honor it. After Sho left, Nitani ran her fingertips over the shield, feeling the crest and its dents and scrapes.^[2]

Searching for secrets

A new owner

Eventually, the shield came into the possession of a dealer on Batuu. Not long after the former Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus left the Jedi Order^[3] in 230 BBY,^[15] he purchased the shield from the dealer after quickly recognizing that it was of the Order and appeared to have a significant history. However, Vitus never felt comfortable carrying it and put it aside to give to his former Padawan, Jedi Knight Reath Silas, who he knew would enjoy researching the history of the shield.^[3]

In 228 BBY,^[16] after Vitus returned to the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant, he and Silas underwent a mission to the planet Tolis to investigate the destroyed Tolemite civilization's knowledge of the Nameless and the plague known as the Blight. While traveling to Tolis aboard the starship Vessel, Vitus removed the shield from a burlap wrap and gifted it to Silas. Vitus informed his former Padawan that the shield was a rare and seldom-used tool of the Jedi and told him of the significance he believed it held, estimating it was well over one hundred years old. As Silas turned the shield over in his hands, impressed by its lightness, Vitus showed him how to activate it.^[3]

Silas swung the shield on his arm, testing its weight, and noted he had not known the Jedi used shields. The Knight ran through a series of defensive postures, thinking that it felt good and that carrying one carried a certain appeal. After powering the shield off and running his fingers over the marred rim of the shield, he decided he would research its previous owners in the Jedi Archives in the Temple and thanked Vitus for the gift.^[3]

The Tolemite repository

After arriving on Tolis, Silas wore the shield on his back in a makeshift harness he had created. While walking through the ruins of a city, he fiddled with the straps, and Vitus commented that it may take him some time to get used to it. Silas responded that it would be worth it and that he would find a better solution to carrying it upon returning to Coruscant. Vitus soon located an underwater repository that he believed contained the Tolemite's knowledge, and as he and Silas prepared to use the Force to raise it, Silas felt that the weight of the shield on his back was a welcome comfort.^[3]

Within the repository, Silas learned that the Echo Stone force artifacts could be used to control the Nameless, and he and Vitus then prepared to leave the structure. Before they could, Silas noticed Vitus suddenly stop and then instinctively activated the shield just before he felt a sense of terror caused by a nearby Nameless. Noticing the creature, Silas desperately pulled the shield from his arm and pushed it with the Force toward the Nameless. Just as he did, the Nameless leapt into the air, and the shield struck it in the head with a velocity that Silas believed should have broken its neck. Instead, the shield and the Nameless bounced off each other, falling into trenches of water on opposite sides of a walkway. Silas and Vitus fled the repository to escape the creature, and before he exited, Silas stopped to retrieve the shield with the Force.^[3]

Battle on the beach

On the beach outside, Silas and Vitus encountered Sicarus—one of the Nihil marauder organization's Jedi hunting Children of the Storm—with two more Nameless. Silas raised his shield as Vitus activated his lightsaber. Filled with fear as the Nameless approached, Silas clutched the shield despite feeling it would not be enough to save him. Even as he fell to one knee, Silas hefted the shield, prepared to make a last stand. However, Sicarus and the Nameless were distracted by the arrival of Jedi Padawan Amadeo Azzazzo, the Republic Defense Coalition officer Dorian Innes, and the mercenaries Ashton Vol and L-77.^[3]

Azzazzo engaged Sicarus in combat, but the Jedi hunter knocked him to the ground and prepared to strike a killing blow with his electrostaff. As his vision cleared, Silas saw this and flung the shield at Sicarus, using both hands and all of his strength. The shield struck Sicarus in the chest, knocking him off his feet and causing him to stumble several meters back. Although the Jedi hunter got back up to continue fighting, he and his Nameless were defeated, and the Jedi safely returned to Coruscant.^[3]

Ancient enemies

In the Jedi Archives,^[18] Silas and Azzazzo learned that the Rod of Ages, an artifact that contained an Echo Stone, may have been buried on the planet Varovia. Along with Vitus, they traveled to Varovia to search for the rod, and entered an underground Tolemite temple to find it. Silas held the shield as the group made their way through several chambers within the temple, eventually returning it to his back while attempting to clear fallen rubble.^[17]

After hours of walking, the group encountered droid-like stone guardians, who attacked the Jedi with long staff-like weapons. Silas used the shield to block a strike from one guardian, then threw it at another to assist Azzazzo. After defeating the guardians, the group continued onward. Sometime later, they encountered a pair of small flying droids, who fired on them. Silas held the shield in front of him, taking cover behind it while using it to deflect the droids' blasts. The next day, they came across a kyber mirror, which could reveal one's possible future paths. Knowing it was another test set by the Tolemites, Silas looked in the mirror, seeing several possible futures, including one in which he held the shield high above his head on a battlefield, but chose none of them. The mirror opened to reveal the hiding spot of the Rod of Ages, which they successfully recovered.^[17]

Mission to Planet X

Training

Later that year,^[19] while reflecting on his relationship with Vitus, Silas recalled that his former master had given him the shield. Silas was thrilled by the legendary object as both a historian and a warrior.^[20] As no other living Jedi at that point used a shield in combat, Silas studied techniques for using it from holocrons and frequently trained with the shield in Coruscant's Jedi Temple.^[7]

In the same year,^[21] Silas was selected as a member of^[7] the Luminous Nine,^[22] a Jedi team that would attempt to return twelve Nameless to their homeworld of Planet X in an effort to halt the spread of the Blight. While being fitted for armor that would protect him from the effects of the Nameless, Jedi Kirak Infil'a explained to Silas that the armor's function was not to protect against physical attacks, adding he could instead use his lightsaber and his shield. Silas mentally noted that although he was still not skilled with the shield, which he had left in his chambers, he had improved with it and would bring it on the mission.^[7]

As the Nine traveled to Planet X aboard^[7] the starcruiser^[23] Ataraxia, Silas sat with the shield propped up on the seat next to him. Jedi Knight Bell Zettifar spoke with Silas and inquired about his training with the shield, to which Silas responded that it was "coming along". Zettifar considered the shield to be fascinating and did not recognize the alloy it was constructed of. He felt that the shield suited Silas and he was glad the other Jedi had it.^[7]

Stopping the Blight

After arriving at Planet X, the Nine attempted to land on the planet in a shuttle, which crashed on the surface. When the team exited the shuttle, they noticed disturbances in the grass approaching them and formed a defensive circle, with Silas raising his shield and lightsaber. However, Jedi Knight Terec sliced the approaching creature in half. The Nine later encountered Eye of the Nihil Marchion Ro, who used the Rod of Power artifact to command dozens of Nameless to attack each other in an effort to increase the spread of the Blight. The Nine attempted to stop the Nameless, with Silas pressing the shield against one to hold it back. When the Nameless slashed at his face, Silas instinctively moved the shield to protect himself, allowing the Nameless to slip away.^[7]

During the fighting, one member of the Nine, the former Jedi and darksider Azlin Rell, took the Rod of Ages and fled into the nearby jungle, believing only he had the knowledge to use the artifact properly. Silas and the monster hunter Ty Yorrick pursued Rell, and Silas activated the shield as Yorrick tracked him. Yorrick considered the shield to be odd, but appreciated that Silas had activated it. When they found Rell, Silas approached him, using the shield to push away branches and vines in his way while Yorrick waited nearby. Silas attempted to speak with Rell, but Yorrick fired a dart at him, which Silas sensed and quickly spun around to block with the shield. Rell then began to choke Yorrick, but Silas slammed the edge of the shield into his stomach, causing him to double over. Silas then stood between Yorrick and Rell, extending his lightsaber and shield and stopping them from continuing to fight.^[7]

The Nine ultimately succeeded in their mission, stopping the Blight and capturing Marchion Ro. Following a memorial service at the Jedi Temple, Silas received permission from the Jedi Council to search for Rell, who had found a ship on Planet X and fled from the Jedi. Silas left Coruscant in a Jedi Vector and brought both his shield and his lightsaber, not knowing the choice he would make when he found Rell.^[7]

Rwoh's replica

At some point, a replica of the shield was created. The replica used a ghorsian crystal as a power source and was gifted to Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh by one of her former Padawans, Imri Cantaros. However,^[1] by around 160 BBY,^[24] several year after Cantaros had died, Rwoh had never had a reason to use the shield.^[1] That year,^[24] Rwoh used the replica shield during a mission to the planet Septra to stop the arms dealer Nilsson Summach, who was illegally manufacturing 47 lightsaber nullifiers. Jedi Knight Indara was surprised to see that Rwoh had a plasma shield and considered it to be a brilliant replica of the shield used by Silas.^[1]

Behind the scenes

Milestones

Silandra Sho's shield first appeared and was identified as Silandra's shield in The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City, a junior novel written by George Mann^[4] and published on November 1, 2022 as part of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project's Phase II.^[26] Prior to the novel's release, the shield was first revealed in an episode of Star Wars: The High Republic Show released on July 29, 2022.^[25] The shield was identified as Silandra Sho's shield in Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, a reference book^[5] released on November 19, 2024.^[27]

Mann explained that one of Sho's favorite phrases was that she would rather be the shield than the sword, and so she preferred to use her shield, which^[25] he^[28] described as "really cool," instead of her lightsaber.^[25] Mann also loved the idea of Sho being able to float it with the Force and use it as a step while jumping over buildings.^[28]

In Mann's young adult novel The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless,^[3] which was published on September 23, 2024, as part of The High Republic's Phase III,^[26] Reath Silas was given the shield by Cohmac Vitus, his former master.^[3] Mann said he had wanted Silas to have the shield even before he had the novel's storyline and asked if Silas could be given it early in the books's planning stages. Mann explained Vitus giving the shield to Silas was part of their bonding and that Vitus believed the shield belonged in the hands of a Jedi. He further explained that by giving the shield to Silas, Vitus was effectively saying that he could not think of anyone better to have it because of what it represents. Mann added that it felt perfect for Silas to be carrying the shield going into the endgame of The High Republic and that he was excited to see what other authors did with the shield.^[29]

Design

An initial sketch of a Jedi wearing a shield was created by Iain McCaig in July 2019.^[30] Individuals with shields on their backs is a frequently used piece of iconography by McCaig, who thought Jedi should wear shields while creating his first High Republic Jedi sketches. Another concept sketch of a warrior that became Sho with a shield was created by McCaig in November 2020. The piece was inspired by angel iconography, with the shield forming a halo. The piece instantly resonated with Mann, who initially thought it to be a hat or halo, but then considered the possibility of it being a shield. This led Mann to consider what type of Jedi would use a shield over a lightsaber and see themselves as a defender.^[28]

Another early concept of the shield was created by Jeff R. Thomas in April 2022, in which the shield's frame was silver rather than gold. Concept art of the final design was then created by Thomas^[28] and was based off of McCaig's sketch.^[31] Quest for the Hidden City and Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy both erroneously described the shield's rim as silver,^[4][5] matching its depiction in Thomas's April 2022 concept art.^[28]

The creation of Sho was the product of numerous conversations between Mann, artists, and editors that focused on her shield and overall look. At one point, Mann thought he would not be able to use the shield, but he was then given a design that worked and was told not to have Sho throw it like a discus, which would be too similar to^[28] the Marvel Comics superhero^[32] Captain America.^[28] The shield also appeared in the fourth issue of the comic series Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear, which was written by Mann, illustrated by Vincenzo Federici, and published by Dark Horse Comics as part of The High Republic's Phase III^[17] on January 29, 2025.^[33] Before the issue's release, Federici shared uncolored panels from the comic that depicted the shield on social media.^[34]

Concept art gallery

Appearances

• The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City (and audiobook) (First appearance, in book) (First identified as Silandra's shield, in book)
• The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha
• The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha script
• The High Republic Adventures (2022) 5
• The High Republic Adventures (2022) 6
• The High Republic (2022) 6
• The High Republic: Path of Vengeance (and audiobook)
• The High Republic: Quest for Planet X (and audiobook)
• "Shield of the Jedi" — The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life (and audiobook)
• The High Republic Adventures – Pathfinders 2
• The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless (and audiobook)
• The High Republic Adventures – Echoes of Fear 4
• The High Republic: Into the Light (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)
• The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi (and audiobook)
• The Acolyte: Wayseeker (and audiobook) (Mentioned only)

Sources

• Star Wars: The High Republic Show: High Republic Phase II Reveals, Chat with the New Authors, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com) (First mentioned)
• New Phase II Concepts and Covers Revealed on Star Wars: The High Republic Show on StarWars.com (backup link)
• The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic: Volume I (Picture only)
• "Fragile Peace": Exploring Phase II of Star Wars: The High Republic with the Newest Authors on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)
• Star Wars: The High Republic Show: Phase II Exclusive Reveals, a Visit to Dark Horse Comics, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collection
• Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy (First identified as Silandra Sho's shield)
• The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic: Volume II
• NYCC 2025: All the News and Reveals from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel on StarWars.com (backup link) (Picture only)

Notes and references