Star Wars’ Battle of Jedha Is Unleashing the Ultimate Anti-Jedi Monster
The newest era explored in Star Wars media, The High Republic, has introduced some of the most terrifying threats to the Jedi, and now, the worst of them could be lurking on Jedha, one of the Jedi’s most sacred places. First seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Jedha is perhaps the single most important spiritual site for the ancient Jedi. It is the home of what may be the Jedi’s first temple, as well as a vast store of Kyber Crystals. The moon is also a site of pilgrimage for many hoping to have a deeper connection to the Force, and hides many mysteries.
The High Republic initiative has marked a new era of stories in the Star Wars universe. The first Phase of stories are set approximately 200 years before The Phantom Menace, with Phase II set a further 150 years prior. With Phase II fully underway, the Jedi are finding themselves beset on all sides. Not only are the militantly anti-Force cult, the Path of the Open Hand, gaining power, but there are greater monsters lurking in the shadows. Creatures known as the Nameless, the Levelers, or the Shrii-ka-rai are monstrous beings that feast upon the Force itself. The Path of the Open Hand have been shown to be able to control the Nameless, and now, both threats are seemingly coming for a familiar location.
Now, solicit information for Cavan Scott and Andrea Broccardo’s upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic Vol 2 #4 teases that the Nameless are about to be released on Jedha. According to a summary posted by League of Comic Geeks:
VIOLENCE COMES TO JEDHA! The Temple of the Whills has been attacked, Vildar Mac critically injured in the blast. Is Tey Sirrek to blame? The Herald of the Open Hand has arrived to address the Convocation, but just what is the nameless horror that lurks in the streets of the Holy City? The Battle of Jedha begins here!
If this threat is indeed the capital-N Nameless, then their presence in such a Holy Place of the Jedi only raises further questions.
Claudia Gray’s novel Star Wars: Master and Apprentice suggests that the Nameless may be directly connected to the Chosen One prophesy itself. Along with this prophesy, the novel reveals another that predicts, « Only through the sacrifice of many Jedi will the Order cleanse the sin done to the nameless. » If some grant cosmic injustice has been committed against the Nameless, then where better for it to be explored than Jedha, a place full of ancient mysteries and powers? The obvious assumption from the appearance of the Nameless is that they’re dark side creatures, but it’s possible that the Nameless weren’t created from malice, but by mistake. This could possibly be the « sin » of the Jedi that needs to be cleansed.
Jedha’s connection to the beings known as the Whills only deepens these questions. The Whills are mysterious beings with a deep connection to the Force who taught Qui-Gon-Jin the secret to living on after death as a Force spirit. The Jedi temple on Jedha is also known as the Temple of the Whills and is guarded by the monastic Guardians of the Whills. The High Republic: Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland revealed that the Path of the Open Hand founder Sachar Rold was a member of that Order, and thus, a connection can be drawn between the secrets of the Whills and the Nameless. Non-canonically, George Lucas intended the Whills to be microscopic organisms which had created Anakin Skywalker as the Chosen One. They were to be the ‘Whill’ of the Force. However, in canon, their purpose is more nebulous. Whatever the case, with Star Wars’ most terrifying monsters now on Jedha, it’s up to the Jedi of the High Republic to stop them; and where there’s a Whill, there’s a way.
Star Wars: The High Republic #4 will be released on January 4, 2023.
Source: League of Comic Geeks
