Jedi News is honoured to be part of the Star Wars Insider blog tour to celebrate the release of Star Wars Insider #200.
I am sat here marvelling at how far the magazine has come through the years. Insider began in 1987 as The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine, under which name 22 issues were published. In the fall of 1994, the name was changed to Star Wars Insider, and from #93 its home has been at Titan Publishing.
Announced last October during New York Comic Con Metaverse 2020, Lucasfilm publishing creative director Michael Siglain revealed that original fiction would be returning to Star Wars Insider magazine with a story from the upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic. Issue 199, released in December 2020, would be the start of that new journey which would see the return of original fiction for the first time since 2017.
For me, one of the staple features of Insider has been the original fiction. It has seen some great names pen exclusive original content, including the likes of Alan Dean Foster, Karen Traviss, Jason Fry, Matthew Stover, John Ostrander and Timothy Zahn. They have all had chances to create stand alone stories, but many have interconnected cinematic and literary events in the Star Wars galaxy.
So, who better to start that journey for us than Charles Soule? Soule has built an impressive Star Wars reputation and following with his work for Marvel Comics over the last few years. His first Star Wars novel, The High Republic: Light of the Jedi has topped the New York Times Best Sellers list since its release and the new 2-part original fiction, Starlight, ties in with this title.
The synopsis;
Fiction is back! Star War Insider #199 features the first in an ongoing series of Star Wars: The High Republic stories, exclusive to the magazine! The first is by acclaimed Star Wars author Charles Soule – a prequel to his Star Wars: The High Republic novel! #200 concludes Star Wars: The High Republic prequel story, Starlight.
The review;
Before we proceed, you do not need to have read any of The High Republic books to understand the plot and story told by Soule. But, if you have, it opens up a new meaning to some of the events that take place. Part 1, in issue 199 is like a pre-prologue and issue 200’s part 2, is like a post-epilogue where the events of Light of the Jedi are spoken of, but not in great detail. This means there are some mild spoilers, but nothing more than you will find by just searching for The High Republic online.
The story focuses on Joss and Pikka Arden, who seem to be just average people in the galaxy going about their normal life. Working to a deadline to help bring the Starlight Beacon online, then planning a vacation in the sun to relax and share some time together. Immediately, this makes me see them as just an average couple doing what most of us want to do. But in true Star Wars style, something has got to happen, hasn’t it?
Part one focuses on them preparing to finalise their work and get ready for their departure for vacation. Part of that journey will be alongside some of the Jedi who are currently visiting Starlight Beacon. A strange power anomaly has drawn their attention and if left unaddressed it could prove a major issue for the station. Pikka’s interaction with the Wookiee Jedi grabbed my attention and it felt like there may have been a connection there through the Force that she perceives as the Wookiee reading her mind.
This gives a bit of a look inside what makes them tick as individuals and as a couple. Good at what they do in their own right, but exceptional when paired together. Disaster averted, it is now time to leave Starlight Beacon and what better way to do this than in the company of Jedi. Boarding Third Horizon is uneventful, but the coming hours and days will change that unequivocally.
Part 2 takes us to after the events of the Legacy Run disaster in hyperspace which wreaks havoc on Hetzal Prime during the events of Light of the Jedi.
The Nihil have introduced themselves to the galaxy, but some believe they have been destroyed during the chaos over Hetzal. Joss and Pikka are at an inquiry into the events and it starts to reveal the layers of what they actually did amid the madness. Some of those actions defy belief and some, like slicing their ships computer, shall we say are somewhat illegal, but this is what helped save so many lives.
They had proved themselves as heroes, but not only that, the way they worked in tandem to achieve what they did caught the attention of Chancellor Soh, Admiral Kronara and the Jedi. Civilians and engineers by trade, but there is something special about them and the way they seemed to be guided by a ‘sixth sense’ during the disaster at Hetzal Prime. So, was something else sensed in that meeting with the Wookiee Jedi?
It is good to see that their efforts do not go unnoticed and now they are an influential part of The High Republic’s investigations into The Great Disaster and The Nihil. Oh, and they get their vacation granted before undertaking their first official mission as a reward.
The Arden’s are characters who look likely to become a more integral part of the narrative for The High Republic and possibly the Jedi. I have a message for the Arden’s and I need to quote an infamous senator; “we shall watch your career with great interest.”
Overall, it is a simple story about a couple who go about their lives generally unnoticed. But when they are needed, they step up and their talents rise to the top and get them recognised for the abilities that they possess. Starlight dovetails The Light of the Jedi perfectly. It explores that story a little further with some of the characters we meet, and offers an extra dimension to the book.
Original fiction is back, and in style! Issue 201 will see ‘First Duty‘ by Cavan Scott published, as he takes over from Soule to bring us more original fiction from The High Republic, and personally, I cannot wait!
Availability;
Star Wars Insider #200 is out now. It is available from comic book stores, newsstands and online. If you wish to subscribe, Titan are offering a special subscription offer — get 8 issues for just $47.99, saving 40%!
Click here for the next stops on the Star Wars Insider Blog Tour which runs through to February 16th, 2021.
