The upcoming Star Wars transmedia initiative, "The High Republic," will redefine our understanding of the Force. Star Wars is a unique franchise, a blend of science-fiction and fantasy unlike anything else. Its central heroes are not just starfighter pilots, but they are also Jedi Knights, beings who are able to wield the Force.
The most basic definition of the Force was given in the very Star Wars movie, all the way back in 1977. "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power," Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker. "It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." For decades, every Star Wars film and tie-in that explores the Force has really expanded upon the definition. But it seems the story of the High Republic will explore how different people perceive the Force differently, completely redefining our understanding of the phenomenon.
Speaking at the High Republic panel at New York Comic Con 2020, author Charles Soule explained the traditional definition is actually based on Yoda's perception of the Force. Other Jedi perceive the Force in different ways, and relate to the Force in different ways. One of the central characters in Soule's novel Light of the Jedi is Avar Kriss, who experiences the Force as music. "She calls it the Song of the Force," Soule explained. "And so, for her, all the different Jedi have their own tones and instruments, and it all comes together into this great symphony of dissonance and assonance, and all these beautiful things that she is able to perceive." All the other characters have their distinctive relationships with the Force as well; Soule also points to the example of the Wookiee Padawan Burryaga Agaburry, who sees the Force as a great forest, with himself as one leaf of a great tree.
The High Republic novels and comics are set 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Presumably, all these different perspectives on the Force were lost over time as Yoda became too dominant, the Grand Master who counseled others and the teacher who taught all the Padawans how to understand the Force. The prequel trilogy presented the Jedi as diminished, a shadow of their former greatness, but the story of the High Republic looks set to reveal the extent to which that was the case. The Jedi had lost their sense of individuality within the Force, attempting to conform their own relationship with it to the pattern set by Yoda. Little wonder so many of them chafed under it.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, they wiped the slate clean and started again with the canon. Now, though, every book, film, and TV series is equally canon, meaning this redefinition of the Force is as binding upon the Star Wars franchise as if it happened on the big screen itself. The "High Republic" initiative is possibly the most important event since the launch of the sequel trilogy, and certainly the most exciting. It is bold and confident, daring to redefine the Force, the concept that lies at the heart of Star Wars. It's going to be thrilling to get a fresh glimpse into the infinite mystery that is the Force.
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