By George & Josh Bate
In 2021, the most ambitious multimedia project in Star Wars history launched, leading to an array of novels, comics, audio dramas, short stories, and more set in the High Republic era of a galaxy far, far away. The years since have seen fans fall in love with the characters and stories of this era and experience heartbreak and triumph in equal measure every step of the way. Now, in 2025, the High Republic publishing initiative culminates with the release of Trials of the Jedi, an adult novel written by Star Wars veteran Charles Soule. Relieving any anxiety that the grand finale of the High Republic era would miss the mark, Soule crafts a resounding, epic, gut-wrenching, and profoundly emotional conclusion that seamlessly ties together threads from various stories and affirms Trials of the Jedi as the Avengers: Endgame of Star Wars publishing.
The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi picks up amidst the ongoing conflict between the Republic and the Nihil. The power hungry and increasingly unpredictable Marchion Ro maintains the Occlusion Zone, cutting off a section of the galaxy from Republic reach and preventing anyone from leaving or entering. The Nihil aren’t the only problem for the Republic and Jedi to deal with as a deadly Blight mysteriously spreads across the galaxy and destroys everything in its path. Determined to save as many lives as possible, the Jedi devise a perilous plan to stop the Blight by returning Marchion Ro’s Force-eating Nameless creatures to their home world. As a group of nine brave Jedi undertake this mission, citizens of the planet of Eriadu caught in the middle of the Occlusion Zone take a final stand against Nihil occupation.
The comparison to Avengers: Endgame feels apt, not only as the new High Republic novel matches the epic scale of the massive MCU hit, but due to the way in which characters and stories from across a sprawling saga converge so effectively for a satisfying finale. Soule masterfully weaves together character arcs and plot points from so many previous High Republic stories, not just the main adult novels in the series. Fans of comics like The High Republic Adventures – The Monster of Temple Peak or middle grade novels like Quest for Planet X will find that elements from the entire publishing initiative are integrated into the story, in a way that simultaneously feels rewarding for fans who have read every piece of High Republic material and also approachable to those who haven’t. Even elements from Phase II stories like Path of Deceit, set 150 years before the current story, crop up in unexpected ways far beyond mere winks to the audience.
Integrating so many different characters and plot threads means that Trials of the Jedi is an ensemble, in the truest sense of the word. It is difficult to pinpoint a single main character as numerous characters play major roles, although the core players are The Nine: Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar, Burryaga Agaburry, Ty Yorrick, Reath Silas, Azlin Rell, and Torban Buck (who is not initially a member of The Nine). These are the Jedi (or Jedi-adjacents) who have been tasked to return the Nameless to their homeworld and end the Blight and, as such, the story largely revolves around them. In a manner not dissimilar from an Avengers film, Soule manages to spend dedicated time with each of the ensemble in a way that does service to every individual and gives everyone their moment to shine.
Soule’s intelligent structuring of the novel allows this to happen. Each chapter is told in the third-person and from the perspective of a given character. At times, this character may be one of The Nine, but, in other cases, chapters are dedicated to different characters, including Ghirra Starros and the Colmans, a family who find themselves in the middle of the Blight’s destruction. Employing this structure allows Soule to get inside the minds and hearts of a variety of characters and makes each chapter feel like a dedicated short story in a sense. Sometimes, it is unclear why a given chapter is being told from a certain character’s perspective until a major event happens, which adds anticipation and excitement heading into every new chapter.
Although much will be made of how the journeys of central characters like Avar and Elzar pan out, Soule’s work with relatively minor characters also warrants attention. As mentioned, the story of the Colman family is sprinkled through the text, often in the form of interludes between acts. On the surface, these interludes are of little consequence to the broader story, but they contribute immensely to conveying just how high stakes the situation is. It is one thing to hear about the Blight – it is another thing to actually immerse oneself in the sheer terror that comes from being surrounded by the Blight. A testament to Soule’s ability to create meaningful characters out of the most seemingly menial of situations, the Colmans quickly become characters to root for and to be invested in, making each step of their journey more intense than the last.
Of course though, Trials of the Jedi wouldn’t land as a finale without satisfying resolutions to its more central characters, namely The Nine. And, without exception, Soule excels in this regard. The novel often fluctuates with a focus on duos, whether that be Avar and Elzar, Azlin Rell and Reath Silas, Burry and Bell, or even Porter Engle and General Viess. Each of these duos has a rich history informed by pages and pages of books and comics beforehand, which means the culmination of their journeys here hold particular relevance. Although the emotions fostered at the end of each of these journeys vary, one thing is certain – tears will be shed. Sometimes, these tears may be tears of joy, other times they may be tears of sheer heartbreak, and other times they be tears of relief. Nonetheless, the mileage Soule gets out of these characters is incredible and will put you on a 400+ page emotional rollercoaster.
Out of all the journeys and duos, the trajectory of Bell and Burry’s relationship stands out the most. The two have played key roles throughout the High Republic saga, having gone through thick and thin together as their bond has grown stronger and stronger. Burry’s innate emotional intelligence and genuine care for Bell and his charhound Ember are more endearing than ever, while Bell’s never-ending kindness and compassion, even while struggling with the grief of his master Loden Greatstorm, proves heartfelt and inspirational. The journey these characters go on this novel peaked our anxiety and activated so many emotions, although revealing which emotions may give away key plot details. What can be said is that Bell and Burry, for us at least, are the heart of the High Republic, something Trials of the Jedi embraces wholeheartedly. Burry’s struggles communicating with others due to a language barrier and resultant tendency to not disclose his feelings to others continues to resonate, as does Bell’s willingness to comprehend Shyriwook (of which he understands about 70%) in order to provide love and support to his dearest of friends.
While we expected much from Bell and Burry in the novel, we didn’t expect to be so captivated by the intersecting journeys of Azlin Rell and Reath Silas. The two members of The Nine are the resident experts of the Nameless and, as such, find themselves grouped together throughout the book. Seeing how much Reath has matured since his initial appearance in The High Republic: Into the Dark proves fascinating, as does the evolution (or, rather de-evolution) of Azlin Rell, who undergoes arguably the most harrowing arc of any character across the High Republic era.
Trials of the Jedi has been billed as the final chapter (of sorts) of the High Republic publishing initiative. While various creatives have made it clear this is not the last we’ll see of this era, Soule’s novel certainly serves as a fitting finale for the numerous stories that have come before it. The resolution of the Nihil conflict, in particular the handling of Marchion Ro, feels appropriate and earned, as do the ways in which the journeys of each of the major players concludes. Difficult to pinpoint even the slightest of elements that would have benefitted from alteration, it is rare for a ‘final’ chapter of such a sprawling array of stories to conclude in such resoundingly successful fashion
VERDICT:
The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi is a 422 page emotional rollercoaster of the highest quality. Akin to Avengers: Endgame in its scale, stakes, and seamless convergence of so many characters and stories, the final High Republic adult novel beautifully rewards fans who have read every piece of High Republic material while remaining approachable to those who have not. Intelligently employing a third-person omniscient point of view that sees each chapter get inside the minds of a given character, author Charles Soule crafts an ensemble piece in the truest sense of the word, with no single central character dominating the story and, instead, a greatest hits of High Republic players to follow. With no exception, each of these players receives a satisfying resolution to their journey, although the handling of Bell and Burry proves to be the heart of the story and arguably the High Republic publishing initiative more broadly. Although the emotions fostered at the end of each of these journeys vary, one thing is certain – tears will be shed. Sometimes, these tears may be tears of joy, and other times they be tears of relief, and other times they may be tears of sheer heartbreak. The range and power of emotions fostered by reading Trials of the Jedi prove to be a testament, not only to Soule’s writing, but the wealth of stories and intricate planning that have come before it. Star Wars’ most ambitious multimedia project concludes on a perfect note.
The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi is available now.
