It all just sounds really lame and boring. Zero interest in any of it. Plus anything headed by KK needs to fail because she eventually needs to go. She is poison for Star Wars.
Even in the EU I didn’t care much about the Jedi stuff. All the politics and meetings get boring compared to the sith novels which always have way more action and underworld type of atmospheres.
There's a reason why the EU mostly stayed away from the 1000 years between the Darth Bane Trilogy and The Phantom Menace; because it was an era of peace and therefore didn't have much exciting going on.
you could have the small things, Jedi hunting pirates away, some organized revolution rising up to overthrow a local government, among other things. Sure there would be no galaxy shaking event but that doesn't mean there absolutely nothing to do.
The whole no attachments thing about the old Jedi never felt properly fleshed out and explained... people just assumed the Jedi were super strict monks who denied their feelings and had no attachments... but clearly they have range of emotions and duties and personal lives... the thing that was however seen as forbidden was the attachment of the One Being in your life who is your entire world... in most cases that is the love of a significant other... in a child's case... their parents, their Mom or Dad or both... in a grown-up sense if they had a (romantic) partner. These type of attachments are what the Jedi fear can be used against them to make them break bad to turn to the Dark Side... and that is what Anakin fell for hook line and sinker. Jedi still can have every bit of a life but if you start to have a major attachment that you cannot live without that would make you go to any lengths for them... that's when it's bad.
@@Jedishill680 Jedi go grocery shopping like the rest of us... line up if there is a line to the bathroom like the rest of us... Jedi have a lot of influence and respect but they shouldn't be so high up to think they are better than everyone... balance.... humbleness is still important
@@MedalionDS9 when I mean normal people I mean people who want a stable job, a long term partner and a nice place to stay. Jedi due to their commitment to the good of the galaxy can’t be normal people. That was the problem with Anakin he wanted to be both a family man and Jedi at the same time when he should have chosen between one or the other
@@Jedishill680 Yes, that is why I said Anakin fell for the attachment problem in my original post. When I mean normal lives... I mean they are not the super strict reclusive closed people who are not allowed to feel that some people think they are. But yes they have a duty, they are not living like everyday pedestrians. In AOTC, the Jedi acted like the Law Enforcement of the Republic.
You should do some “spoiler” videos where you talk about each comic book, key events of what happened and you thoughts about it all. Myself and i’d think many more people are the type of people who just don’t read comic books and other media like that much but are interested to see what the High Republic is all about, and get your take on it more in depth.
Hey Thor, I've always been very interested in your opinions on all the Star Wars canon publishings, but unfortnately mostly find that you're not really tackling those in your videos. So since you read every single novel, comic, etc., why don't you capitalize a bit on that and, if not separate reviews, do something like a monthly review roundup? I and I'm sure many others would highly appreciate that, because you would give some more orientation on which stories are worthwile, and it could bring many more fans into Star Wars reading!
The problem with setting your era in a time of peace in a franchise like Star Wars is that it doesn’t really work well, since the antagonists of this time period compared to the brutal and resilient Mandalorians or the sadistic and calculating Sith are just basic Pirates and Plant Monsters. As for me I’ll just stick with the EU, it had way more interesting conflicts.
I agree. Those Galactic Wars like The Old Sith Wars, The Mandalorian Wars, The Jedi Civil War, The Great Galactic War, The New Sith Wars make the Clone Wars to look like a meme.
@Lionard Kirsch Some EU stories felt repetitive, but overall, the Old Sith Wars, Jedi-Sith War, Second Galactic Civil War and Sith-Imperial War felt very distinctive. The thing is, it's not much of a Star Wars story without a dark side entity to oppose the good guys. Star Wars is literally about the eternal struggle between good and evil.
@A. Ahmou Yep. Tell you what, here’s a one description of good pirates. “We pushed into the Outer Rim, but we didn’t expect it to push back. The V’ress were a brutal and sadistic people. Hailing from the world of Larpress, they have terrorized nearly a hundred systems. The Jedi order has tasked us with hunting them down after a devastating raid that killed many of the Republic colonists. The only problem is, they know this region better than we know the backs of our hands. And the locals are tight lipped about everything related to the V’ress. It’s going to be a tough job, but I think I’m up for the task,” - Random Jedi
I just finished The Fallen Star today. As someone who has gone through about 80% of Audible's star wars catalogue, I was running out of stuff to listen to so I decided to give these a try. I think there are better star wars books, and if you ever want to read them, please look at all the concept art because it's very hard to keep track of who is who. But overall I liked them, would recommend
It has been extremely hit and miss for me. Some stuff is better than others. To break it down, the mainstay Star Wars writers do a pretty good job on their material (the people who have done things in the past). While the newcomer material struggles more. Anything where Vernestrah is the main character is absolute trash. Possibly one of the worst characters ever created and complete Mary Sue to the point she makes Ray feel like she hardily fits the definition. Comics are a mix. High Republic has highs and lows but High Republic Adventure is surprisingly really good and fun. It's kind of the opposite of the sequel trilogy that went in with no plan. High Republic's plan is so intricate and complex that it is hard to follow without reading all the stories and the stories are scattered across 50 different mediums. It may be a case of almost too ambitious for its own good. It has the benefit of being set in a time period where we don't know the characters or what happens, but the time period, unfortunately, is the height of the republic with minimal real threat. NOTE: I wrote this comment before watching the video. LOL! Really funny our thoughts were so similar.
And by comparison the Tales of the Jedi/Knights of the Old Republic comics, books and games were absolutely simple in premise: tell of the events that shaped the Republic and the Jedi.
Well, I had next to no interest in the High Republic before, but I have come to value your opinions. If I have opportunity I might just give it a look.
Ive been waiting for this video! I’ve only read the main trilogy of books (reading the fallen star rn) I think it’s pretty good with a few qualms like you mentioned, they are throwing a lot at you at once like I don’t always remember or care about some characters because there’s a lot of them and the books jump from different perspectives a lot. But I’d say I’m a fan of the main group of jedi we do follow throughout the 3 books. And It does overall tell to manage to tell a pretty cohesive and compelling story that feels very large scale and true to what we know the Jedi Order is supposed of this time to be about. I am really looking forward to Eclipse and The Acolyte because of reading these books. Bell Zettifar is probably my favorite character
I like Bell as well. Even though I have only read the first book I got this feeling that he was this character that was destined to grow as the story went on.
As one who has been re-reading the EU, I wasn't going to check out the High Republic. I thoroughly enjoy the EU and all of its stories. However, I will give the adult books a shot. Maybe it will grow on me. I was nervous about the High Republic books because I wasn't a fan of the Aftermath stories. And even though Thrawn is great, and I love Zahn's writing, the 2nd book in the Ascendancy series took a bit to get through, and I haven't touched the third book yet. But, let's give Light of the Jedi a shot and see what happens.
Not really a fan of Thrawn or Zahn's writing myself. Even back in the nineties, I struggled to understand what exactly I was meant to be gushing about.
The absolute best personification of a rock I've ever seen was in "The Children of the Stones". I saw this masterpiece on the Wisconsin Public Broadcast, right before or after "Dr. Who" (You know... back when it was good).
This is why I love your channel, its very balanced. You have sold me on checking it out. Personally I think the Sith of this era would have been a more interesting thing for Lucasfilm to have focused on but hey its happened, maybe there's some good stuff here.
Let's be honest, if they did more things with the old republic and stayed faithful to it fans would have been more happy and it would have actually preformed well. I really think the high republic was made because many fans wanted old republic stuff
@@shawnwarswick8898 I just want a Revan/Surik series or movie(s) that sticks to the books and games and that's it personally, I don't want them to add to it, just make high quality production stuff out of it, like, it's all there for the taking KOTOR and Bane should honestly be made pillars within the canon in a similar way the CGI animated series is As of now, I don't believe the disney SWU acknowledges the prophecy of " Sith'ari " and it's an easy thing to get wrong or disregard completely and it's like they really should just acknowledge it, like, I guess I lack imagination but how can you explain the Rule of Two without Bane, and how can you rewrite Bane without messing up the characterization established already and his motives for doing what he did
It doesn't really have much in common with that era at all. There are no Sith for one thing (at least, none that we know of) and the story is just very different in how it is set and told. The prequels have more in common with Kotor and TOR then this does.
I have no attachment to the old republic stuff but enjoy it, but I’m indifferent to the high republic. I tend to like stuff when I see it on screen, then expand to the books and comics from there if that makes sense. Been that way ever since they’ve changed continuity like Pete Davidson changes girlfriends if that makes sense
As someone who loved the old republic era since reading Tales of the Jedi and playing Kotor the only segment of lore I have a problem with is centered around the MMO's Eternal Sith empire story and some of the other expansions. Basically all Disney had to do was make good post Endor stories and we know how that went.
I've read all the adult high Republic comics including trail of shadows and own ALL 3 adult novels which I've read 2 out of 3 so far due to a huge backlog right now that I need to catch up on and I've enjoyed all of it. This is coming from a 43 year old man who saw rotj In the movie theater and has loved sw since that age and never turned back. Hope this comment can help someone give these books & comics a chance because they are very well written and enjoyable. In the last star wars comic Luke meets a Jedi from the high Republic era and would've never known who he was if I hadn't read the high Republic books. Very interesting to me ...
I am glad it is not terrible. I use to read all things star wars, I love the EU. But after it was Purged I just cant bring myself to get back into the books. I miss my younger selfs love of star wars. But I just cant enjoy it knowing where lukes story ends. Even stuff that doesnt involve him. I hope someday I can reread the EU novels I own and enjoy them again.
I didn't touch the High Republic stuff because the first thing I heard about the story was that they had a rock that didn't say or do anything as a character. I felt like that was trolling, and I didn't want to take a look after that.
I really want to get into them. Tried 6 times and just can't get through the first book. 😴. In contrast, even though I already own 100+ Legends books, I keep buying more and just finished The Rule of Two. When writers all understood SW and saught to tell a story in collaboration with other writers
@@vetarlittorf1807 Same even then Thrawn is not the same as Thrawn from the original THTE trilogy. I've given up on Disney era books and comics. I finished Lesser Evil recently and I doubt I'll even go back for Zahn books now. I reread the X-Wing books last year and the difference is night and day as those books were just so much better.
Same, dropped at the middle of the first book. But I got the main comic line, and the Adventure line ( the one for kids ) and it got me pretty invested, so I got the Trail of Shadows one... And now I got back into the books and it's far better. I think I had to see more of the universe before really getting interested by the first book. But from there, it goes along nicely.
It sounded really promising when I first heard of it but I haven't checked it out yet. I kinda feel like I belong in that category you described in the beginning: I feel like ima hate it cuz KK had her goons make it lmao That's how I feel for the most part. I'd rather watch a show or movie as well, never been much of a reader. I realize how much I've missed out on because of that. I do rather enjoy watching youtubers make videos about Star Wars characters n stories that I've never heard about, or when they cover the comic books.
I purchased an audiobook of a high republic months ago and I still haven't finished it. The story just hadn't grasp me as like the thrawn series or the new jedi order books.
I've been a big fan of the EU and read most of those books over the years and I was optimistic about the High Republic era and so I dived in with the first book Light of the Jedi but I gave up about half way through, I found there were just too many characters in it and no characters enough time to be really introduced and this made it very confusing plus the whole anomaly thing I found was a really bad way to kick this off. There was no villain introduced and it just left me waiting for something to really explain what was going on it never really did and with so many different story threads going on with the many, many jedi I thought it was a confusing mess and so gave up. I guess I've just been spoiled forever by the Grand Admiral Thrawn trilogy and hold every new Star Wars story up against it and none ever quite manage to measure up.
Will don't worry Star Wars Legends stories are coming back to Star Wars canon,don't have to read the books but going to in a audio book version is easy.
The High Republic is Star Wars for the Santa Inc crowd. I did try the Light of the Jedi on Audible and I returned it for Revan and never looked back. I do have lots of Geode action figures in my front yard.
As someone who consumes a great deal of videos from Doomcock, Midnight’s Edge and Valiant Renegade (among others), this was very refreshing. This, good people, is why we listen to multiple takes and angles of analysis. That’s true both in Star Wars and in the real world. Thanks Thor!
True, and I don't mind listening to different points of view, especially Thor Skywalker's. But by supporting this we tell Disney it's OK that they're vandalizing Star Wars and giving it to hacks like the story group to replace and change the time line as they wish. Let's not forget how hostile they are to fans, they just can't show it now under the new CEOs watch. We're not consumers, we're fans, and we won't swallow whatever mediocre content Lucasfilm sees fit to throw us every now and then. There's a reason why the High Republic is failing and it isn't because we are 50 year old basement dwelling man babies.
@@maisuchan6209 Agreed. I still remember that white board and how KK's team felt about Luke. Putting a reminder to write an ending? A ship named Vessel? The EU was de-canoned for that? And don't get me started on the new bake off or another "if you take like my politics, don't buy my book" writer. I doubt a High Republic Easy bake oven will be a hit. Professor Geek pointed out that Lucasfilm has been robbing ideas from the EU/Legends, but executing them at a lower quality. It's funny to me that sequel merch is near nonexistent, save for discount stores and clearance aisles, but Grogu is everywhere. As for the High Republic, it doesn't seem to be selling well. The books don't move fast. I know Thor is trying to be objective, but I think the bridge has already been burned. I know some bring up the Acolyte and the Eclipse game coming up, but the way Cameron Pasha talks the show is probably not going to happen or at least not in the way it was originally planned (he pointed out that changes have already been made, such as Brie Larson no longer being attached to it). Then with Eclipse, the game is years away and the devs have already admitted they bit off more than they can chew. Their usual engine can't handle an open world. Not to mention that despite "pretty graphics, " Quantic Dream doesn't really deliver good stories and their games don't have much combat.
@@maisuchan6209 I have a background as a professional musician, and I’m thinking and reading a lot about music, especially the artistic and expressionistic side of it. I’m also a giant hockey fan of my local team here in the north of Sweden where I live. These two worlds collided with each other when the team stopped using the goal music they’ve been using for many years. The reason was that it was written and performed by Gary Glitter, a convicted pedophile. I was strongly opposed to change this, for us fans of this particular team, iconic goal music due to this. My reasoning here is that most of the time, you really need to be able to separate the art from the artist (or in this case, the publisher and producer I suppose). I believe we should be able to enjoy a good story while at the same time stand up to the one’s publishing it for other faulty decisions they’ve made. There are countless of examples within this, and almost all of them comes down to convenience for the decision makers/people in power to expose it, if it merits a “canceling” or not. I.e. the Weinstein Co.’s earlier movies (not canceled), R. Kelly (very much canceled) etc. Not a perfect comparison but it was the first I came up with. In my own field of jazz music, there’s countless of examples of musicians who were practicing domestic violence, various versions of abuse, and a myriad of other things. Heck, if you read the biography of the base player Charles Mingus, he gives detailed instructions on how to manipulate one’s wife to prostitution. That man is still celebrated for the art he produced. So in my opinion, saying that the books are pretty good is not the same thing as agreeing with their other behavior. One is criticism of the art it self, the other is a critique of a complete disdain for an IP they are working within. I fully agree with both @maisuchan and @ThorSkywalker. And to me, that isn’t necessarily a contradiction.
@@Staffaffan I understand your take on this matter, and don't disagree with you. I personally have nothing against these writers. But if they were producing something wholly original I wouldn't mind so much. But this is Star Wars, a well known and once beloved IP. When we enjoy its books, comics and movies we have a certain lore we are expecting to stay consistent. But what these people are doing violates that lore and the stories we have loved for decades just suit their views and agendas. It's a complete vandalizing of property that's not theirs no matter what's legalities say. It's Star wars fans that have kept this property alive for decades, and them disrespecting and trying to push away those loyal fans just to draw in a new audience with such disdain puts people off their work. Poor sales of the high republic just proves that people never asked for this and just don't care to support it, yet they double down on it and keep pushing it. You can't force something on people when they don't want it and expect them to accept your work, but they do it out of spite anyway
Thanks for making this video, I actually needed to hear you talk about this. I picked up The High Republic fairly recently, with very low expectations, started with Into the Dark, aka the Geode book. I haven't finished yet (only one hundred pages left), but I'm finding it to be fun so far, except for some Geode bits, but I try to not pay too much attention to that character. Yesterday I bought Light of the Jedi because I heard/saw it was one of the better ones, but started to wonder if it was really worth it: The prizes have gone up recently and Star Wars books in my country are each day more expensive and scarce. But thanks to you now I know that it probably is worth it, since I share your opinons in almost everything Star Was, and you have convinced me that there's a fun and good enough story at the end worth spending money for. Sorry if my comment is so long, but I really had to show you my gratitude, thank you for getting me excited to read Star Wars again Thor, and May the Force be with you, keep doing what you do man!
I forget it even exists most of the time. I just don't see many talking about it either, especially a lot of the RU-vidrs like Theory, Geetsly, Generation Tech, Lore Master, or EckhartsLadder. The only channel I know that consistently talks about it is Explained and his videos on it don't get many views.
EckhartsLadder and CoreyLoses due a podcast pretty much every week, and they've covered the adult books at least from the High Republic, at least the first two.
Yeah but Lucas has always been a huge revisionist who is always changing his mind. It's very much canon that the Jedi had been declining since before the prequel era.
Would be great and would give you a lot of opportunities for content if you could do 'spoiler' videos on each book and comic from the High Republic. Really interested to hear your thoughts on each one more specifically!
Though I appreciate the honest review, the numbers don't lie though. The Higb Republic isn't selling like it needs to be. I've even seen people in this comments saying they forget this was even a thing. That should tell you what the state of High Republic is.
I got these books for Christmas because I had hype from the Star Wars Eclipse trailer. Mayhaps we I'll encounter Avar Kriss and her knights in the game. I'm still reading Light of the Jedi
I don´t really care about it enough to buy any products, but it is a respectable addition to the lore and I watch some videos about the High Republic from time to time.
Even if the whole concept of Geode is ridiculous, he is a much better character than most, if not all, the characters of the Sequel Trilogy. And that isn't a high bar btw.
The only saving grace of Geode to most every other Disney Star Wars characters, is the fact he is a great meme character. You could literally do a side story of Geode with various other rocks on adventures in space.
I’ve been loving it, yeah was kinda slow in the beginning because it had so much to setup but now that so much is established it’s really good and I think could hit great.
Could you give us a reading guide for it? Just the books, not the comics,,,, (if it is possible to read it in that way only).... which are the books and whichj order should they be read? Nothing are on shelves here in Sweden for it...and if I am gonna hunt down things, it is nice to know which are worth going for
I think I will give it a retry because I liked some aspects that this was going for like the Jedi golden age going to their inevitable fall but the stuff with hipper space and not being able to go through the outer rim through it just 200 years before episode 1 didn’t make sense and drove me crazy
Overall I liked the books. Bell and Burry really grew on me. There are some plot strings I’d like to see them wrap up or use better. Maybe that has something to do with the 150 year backwards jump. Now that I know you’ve done some reviews of them I’ll go back and watch those.
I'm glad it's not as bad, as I feared. Maybe I'll check it out one day. Unfortunetly unimpressive villains really killed my interest in this timeperiod.
I'd say no, they obviously don't understand anything about the Jedi and I don't did the whole "Jedi spreading manifest destiny" it just seems too weird. I they Disney really got too attached to the old west theme and just held on for dear life even if it didn't make sense. Definitely not for me. Remember they sat in a meeting room and asked the question "what would the Jedi be afraid of?" And made sentient leaf monsters and actually made a giant slab of rock into a character and called it Geod. Edit: oh God, they actually added Geod? Wow.
I am 3/4ths the way through light of the jedi, and it has been pretty enjoyable. I like the world building, even though I have problems with the world this takes place in. I think it is well written, the characters seem pretty well made, and yeah the bad guys kinda seem lame, but I am not sure how else they could make interesting bad guys that are not the sith and not going to result in an epic war.
Claudia Gray...I think she wrote Warcraft books back in my early 20s. She's a decent author from what I remember. I may check it out when Kathleen Kennedy is no longer part of Lucasfilm.
Having gotten into Star Wars via Kotor as a kid, for my part the High Republic has been the best thing I have run into under the Star Wars brand since Kotor 2. It deals in all the things I am most invested in; the nature of the Jedi, how has the galaxy changed, what did the Republic look like at its best? Having missed both due to age and interest, no single piece of Star Wars content set in the OT or the prequels has ever really caught my eye. I am just not as invested in those characters or iconography as most fans are. As I grow up, I also find myself reading more and playing/watching less, making this project a paticular treat and one I wish we could get for Kotor one day. It is, in some respects, what I always wanted to get for Kotor (instead of TOR) and what the sequels could have been. As the lore is what I find most appealing about it, I am less worried about the time jump to the past in phase 2. At worse it will give us more detail of the history ahead of the continuation of phase 1, at best, it may very well tie into the more distant past. I am looking forward to it either way. We are all the Republic!
I've been reading the Marvel comics, and after I finish the last Thrawn Ascendancy book, I'll get to the High Republic. Not hyped, but not that negative about it.
I have to read the thrawn trilogy. I ve read all the adult comics and 2 out of the 3 adult novels due to a huge backlog , I've enjoyed all of it so far. Go into with an open mind and you'll enjoy it. They're very well written and fun.
@@strongislandzfinest23 well, I'm currently finishing The Rising Storm and can say that it is really good. Very well written, enjoyable characters and the setting is great. You really should read the Thrawn books, both trilogies are great as well.
I love the high republic so far. I have read the main three novels plus Into the Dark. There are some really interesting character development in them and to see the jedi mindset start to shift it really cool to read about. BTW I do love legends books as well and these are better than a lot of them.
I have always trusted your opinion for we share a lot of opinions on our loved galaxy far far away. In time I might go back to these books, but I started the first book and got hit way so many characters that were not really cared about. Half way through it, it felt like it was waist of my time and returned it. If someone else enjoy these books, good for them, but this was not Star Wars that I knew, guess I love Kotor and classic Star Wars too much. If the world building (galaxy building) was more of Rogue One or the Mandalorian episodes of Book of Boba Fett, I am happy with that, I will even go as far as liking the Vegas planet in Last Jedi, but High Republic has not felt like the Star Wars that I like. But will continue to hear your thoughts on it for I don't have to...
Awesome review. I have only read Light of the Jedi. It was good, but there are more interesting books out there that have stopped me from reading the rest. Also I was a bit confused as to what order I should read the adult and young adult books if I want to read both. Any advice on the order would be nice.
1 Light of the Jedi 2 test of courage(middle grade) 3 into the dark(young adult) 4 rising storm(adult) 5 race to crashpoint tower(middle grade) 6 out of the shadows(young adult) 7 tempest runner(audiobook) 8 mission to disaster(middle grade) 9 The fallen star(adult)
I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed the main books in phase 1. The characters are all really fleshed out, and the Nihil actually feel threatening. My only issue so far is how it can be difficult to keep track of all of the characters. Some of them blend together. But Elzar, Bell, Reath, Buryaga Loden Avar Stellen and MarcheonnRoh at least are really intriguing characters that I was hooked on from their first chapters. The audiobooks voiced by Mark Thompson also really help to differentiate between the characters with how well he gives each character a voice of their own. The lore that the era creates is also really cool I find.
I have only read Light of the Jedi and a few of the comics, so I'm probably missing a lot of context, and I'm willing to admit that it gets better with time. But from what I read it's bad. The Nihil (unless they really get better afterward) are bad. They're portrayed as a real menace but they seemed only dangerous because the "good guys" are incompetent -- and when they aren't, then strangely they manage fine. If the Drengir are only here for the comics and not the 'big threat' then it's not only wasteful, it's dumb. They wouldn't have made much sense being the 'big threat' either given we've never heard about them or seen remnant of their destruction when the story barely happened 200 years before the films. Which brings me to one of the biggest bad decision for the High Republic, setting it only 200 years before the film. 500-600 years - if not more - would have been much better and allowed to show a widely different state of the galaxy, of the Republic, and the Jedi. I mean c'mon, 200 years before the films the Outer Rim was a barely explore and colonized part of the galaxy? It makes no sense. If phase 2 goes back in time, on one hand it's nice but what's the point? My biggest criticism for the whole High Republic project (from what I've glimpse here and there) is that because it's all canon - which I like - the fact they tailor stories according to their target audience makes it weird sometimes. The adult stuff is okay, but the young you go, the more you've go jedi at barely 14 training their own padawan, and "sentient" slabs of rock only there for the joke, and great galactic bake-off ... it just doesn't work.
100% agree on the time period being wrong. The Republic is 25,000 years old. THR should be set thousands of years earlier IMO. I'd be more inclined to go 12,000 to 8,000 BBY for it feel more right. That's overlooking the other flaws in the premise I have.
The problem is that Tales of the Jedi and the Kotor comics and games do what the High Republic does but much better( slight hickup with SWTOR but thats EA). Naga Sadow, Uleck Keldroma, Naiomi Sunrider, Revan, Malak, Exar Kun, Kriea, Nihilus and even non Jedi or Sith like the multiple Mandalorian leaders, Republic generals and other people. The old republic era shows how grand and old the republic is with well paced and separated each character was. High Republic frontloads you with too many characters at the start( around 30 to 35). Alot of the villains of the High Republic also don't even seem like viable threats. Also during Rebels season 2 they ruined what Malachore was. Instead of exemplifying Darth Vader's " the power to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the force", its simply a world with a run of the mill sith force draining weapon.
I am glad to finally hear a generally positive review of the High republic books. I haven't read them yet. Not because I'm boycotting them or anything like that, but because I only just got into reading Star Wars books during the Covid lockdowns, and started with the legends books first (there's a bit of a backlog there). I have started wondering about some of the canon novels, but pretty much all the reviews for High Republic that weren't from blatant schills ranged from "Fuck Disney High Republic sucks!" To "meh, it was ok. Not great" which didn't inspire too much excitement for me too pick them up. But hearing a genuinely honest person say they would recommend giving them a try is promising for me. It will probably be a while before I even think about actually buying them, but I will pick up at least the main books eventually.
I love the High Republic, it gives the Jedi more personality, and individuality, just like how the clone wars did for the clones. I think it’s a perfect addition to Star Wars. However I still wish that Disney explored the Old republic era, a canon Kotor would be really cool to see.
I predict there will be a point where Geode is going have a "Big Damn Hero" moment. It may be as simple as he shows up from off "screen" and crushes a bad guy that was going to kill the heroes or whatever. A character like that is a Chekov's Gun/character. I haven't read any of the high republic stuff, but i'm glad its not as terrible as it sounded like it was going to be.
So as a Stars Wars film fan, the High Republic has been a fun and enjoyable read. I have read every book except for Fallen Star and the comics. It's one of the first books I read in recent and wasn't a big reader till now.
A big red flag is that its set in the short 1000 years between the Russan Reformation and the Fantom Menace. There are some stories there in the EU but its mostly about individuals not whole organizations. Another can of worms for the High Republic is the fact yoda was born shortly after the Reformation signing as Yoda was born in 900 ish BBY. Yoda would have known about the last war with the Sith to some degree. The other problem is the High Republic retcon makes everything feel not as old and grand as it was. Also what defeated the Jedi in the Clone Wars to the Galactic Civil war eras was not a change against to be non emotional ( it does play a role but not as big as you think) the main thing that defeated the Jedi order was complacency and apathy. The plan Sideous had was not his alone but a plan of generations of Sith starting with Bane in 1000 years in the making.
Be honest they put a boulder in this that basically teleports doesn't speak, and makes it a navigator and I noped out. I'm all for characters like chewie or groot that at least have some facial and verbal communication then a literally rock with none of that.
I have not read anything from this series. Honestly, I might give the first book a shot after watching this video but what really pulls me away from the series is the desperate marketing that Disney does around it. Never, in the history of Star Wars novelisations, has there been a need for a talk show about a book series. Good books have sold themselves on their own merit, because they have great stories and characters. Word-of-mouth has been the most powerful, and probably, the only way to sell books. But these High Republic Shows with the same authors appearing over and over again in every episode to convince viewers that their characters are going through such awesome development, that the world they've build is so true to Star Wars and also, so easily discussing spoilers...all of it reeks of desperation TBH. Disney hasn't done this for any other literary property of theirs. Not even for the re-written Thrawn series.
Thank you for your honest review! As someone who has read everything "The High Republic" and enjoyed most of it, it's really good to hear someone like you (critical of Disney) praise it. It shows even more that, as you say, most of those who hate on it haven't even read it. If they had, they would give it some credit, at least for the meticulous planning. I disagree with you in one aspect though. For me, THR wasn't a slow start. I followed the marketing from the beginning and I knew which Jedi there would be and had seen concept art, so it wasn't hard for me to get into "The Light of the Jedi". On the contrary, it felt like finally coming home to this world of the old Jedi Order with these numerous Jedi characters I had craved for since the start of the new canon, but who had been so shamefully neglected. "Light of the Jedi" is still my favourite book of the series! However, I was pretty disappointed with "The Fallen Star", although Claudia Gray is normally my favourite Star Wars author. The whole story felt too small-scale compared to the other adult novels, which captured events taking place all over the galaxy, showed us politics, etc. Also Starlight Beacon seemed so lifeless in "The Fallen Star", like there were only 5 Jedi and a bunch of mindless civilians without any agency of their own on it. Plus characters constantly made stupid decisions and repeated their mistakes over and over. So "The Fallen Star" is definitely not the highlight for me, but the weakest novel (even including the YA novels). I hope you keep reading and enjoying THR, as I do. And I hope your videos on THR can convince some of your more skeptical viewers to give the project a chance. You won't regret it. For me, it's by far the best Star Wars since the start of the canon in 2014!
I didn't have too much of a problem with character decisions in Fallen Star, but I will agree Starlight felt... kinda small in it? It was one of the few times we're really on the station for anything significant and it didn't really feel like she (Claudia Gray) took advantage of that to really explore/explain the station. It's supposed to be the center piece of the whole High Republic Era and, to me, it never quite felt that way. Nevertheless, highly enjoyed where Fallen Star took some of our characters.
@@thorskywalker, yes, that's what I meant: Starlight was supposed to be all glory and golden and spectacular, a place to mingle for traders, settlers, adventurers, Jedi, etc. and then in "The Fallen Star" it was just a boring old hangar and a control center. There was potential to explore so much more! But I do agree: The character's journey was enjoyable and I'm still excited how it will continue in phase 3!
I finally attempted to start making RU-vid videos on starwars right after the the 2nd season of Mando ended. That's how hyped that show got me back on starwars and so I read the first 3 high republic comics and tried light if the jedi and I was so let down with how they started it I didn't want to even talk about starwars anymore an even unsubbed from every starwars related channel beside you and theory. I guess it got better but I have 0 interest in returning to that time period of starwars.
@@achaudhari101 it's 200 years before the prequels.......they can call it whatever they want but it's not a diffrent era of starwars. it's directly connected to the prequels and when I see shit like a Padawan using a ligntsaber to FULL STOP herself on a Cliffside and crying when she becomes a jedi knight. it let's me know the people creating storys, new lore that directly effects what we know about star wars and answering questions that I have about the universe don't actually care about the product they're creating. On top of that, that's when they got rid of Gina so again showing they care more about the effect starwars has in the real world opposed to if this is the right choice for starwars
@Zed Chillman Okay but I still don’t understand how the High Republic made you quit the franchise unless you’re now saying Gina being let go was the real reason. Because I know that even if you think the High Republic sucks, that normally wouldn’t be the reason to quit the franchise altogether like that as you said in your original comment.
From the moment I saw their list of priorities I was out, and no where they are going backwards in time for the story even more. My interest isn't there. Though if I hear more positive things from yourself and my friends who do go into all the books,. I might check it out when the whole story is out so I could read it in chronological order.
I own all of Phase One novelization. The comics may be a little outside my budget to stay up with. I almost quit at the slow pace of book one. Just as I was going to give it up WHAM! Just like that, it pulled me in. Now on to book two. It had so many characters and very slow pace. Around chapter 25, BAM! "Just when I thought I was out, they bring me back in." These Jedi in this Era are absolutely far more superior to the Jedi of the Clone Wars. they are masters of the four and utilize it responsibly. They love, they feel anger, and they do not create zombies with no emotion. I love these Jedis my friends give the book a try and keep mushing through you will not be disappointed
I read about 2/3rds of Light of the Jedi before I put it down just after it came out and haven't bothered to pick it up. I'll admit I was pessimistic going in for a few reasons. First that whiteboard that leaked looked pretty bad, secondly I'm not a fan of a couple of the writers working on it (Daniel Jose Older & Justina Ireland) and lastly is just the Story Group is involved and I've zero faith in them any more. Older's Last Shot is probably the single worst book I've ever read, worse then Wendig's Aftermath & the EU's Crystal Star. Why I put down TLOJ. Mostly I didn't like the premise of THR era that it sets up. It starts with The Great Disaster that doesn't work lore wise, it's like the Holdo manoeuvre cranked up to 11 and massively weaponised. I was internally screaming "that's not how hyperdrives and hyperspace works FFS". The Jedi catching up to and trapping space debris caused by the Great Disaster when it randomly drops out of hyperspace travelling at "near light speed" was so stupid because that's so incredibly fast. Secondly the time period just feels way off. This is set just 200 years before TPM but they are only just really starting to expand into the Outer Rim when The Republic is 25,000 years old and had hyperdrives longer than that - 32,000 years from memory. 200 maybe a long time for humans but other races in the Star Wars universe live for hundreds of years to nearly a thousand years. To navigate the Outer Rim they need this massive beacon, yet 200 years later a common navicomp is all that is needed. The Jedi are supposed to be at the height of their powers yet haven't openly faced the Sith for 800 years? Sorry but the Jedi at the height of their powers would be a mix of Sith battle hardened veterans and the younger Jedi that they've trained and passed on what they have learned directly. After 800 years the order is more likely to be unprepared for a massive conflict, just like the order was at the start of The Clone Wars. Apart from the hyperspace issues a lot of these problems would be non issues if THR was set much much earlier in the time line, like 12,000 to 8,000 years earlier at least. I didn't like how all the Jedi see the Force differently, like a song or leaves on a tree etc. Doesn't line up with everything else about the Force flowing through you etc.
Thanks for doing this video. The timing is impeccable because I just saw the books at the store and was wondering if they were any good. Been craving some new star wars material
Thanks Thor for making this video! This is my first time posting on any of your videos. I think that our minds just about always agree on the various Star Wars topics you cover. I'm a chronic student and I like learning. I got into Star Wars a lot later than most, as my Hispanic parents didn't get me into American pop culture early on as they weren't too interested in it. I've been watching and reading Star Wars since around 2010ish when I first watched the OT. I've loved Star Wars ever since. I enjoy continually learning more about the wonderful galaxy far far away. Is it always perfect, no. Do some people know Star Wars better than others, yes. Fundamentally, I think there is a Star Wars "DNA" that makes something Star Wars. I believe it boils down to telling stories of hope and the trials people and face in its pursuit. Unlike you Thor, I actually really liked the first adult book, I thought it had some nit picks but overall it set up the era fairly well. The third book IMO had a few too many writing errors with plot device uses, but it helped to continue fleshing out the overall story. Overall, what I'd like to say in this long post to other people is to be open to the era. I get a lot of people wanted something else, like KOTOR. (I did too.). If you don't like it, you're entitled to that, but there should be more to the reason than just because it's Disney or made by KK. If you don't like something, write a review and let the writers know. Even though they have a story they want to tell, fan reactions can help mold the story for all readers, because Star Wars can be for everyone. I think that the HR can help get more people into Star Wars that maybe weren't too interested in it before. I get that the HR isnt everyone's cup of tea, but it could be someone else's, and that whats neat about Star Wars. There's a large fan base thats always growing. Ultimately, I believe that the HR is still very much a Star Wars story, and if you havent checked it out, give it a shot. :)
I read all the adult and young adult books, and I enjoy the story so far. I agree that in the beginning there are far too many Jedi to keep track of them all, but over time I think you end up developing favorites and are more vested in each story. Haven't had time to venture into any of the comics though
I personally I have not read any of the High Republic stuff and do not intend to. Not that I don't think there can be good stuff in there but I just do not feel "Star Wars" from a lot of stuff that they put out anymore and prefer my old EU stories.
I'm glad to hear you like them but they definitely aren't for me. The idea of pirates vs. Jedi just doesn't make excited to read them. Plus, I'm still pessimistic that I would enjoy them. It could just be my ignorance but I would rather read an EU book like rogue squadron first.
Thor, have you seen the new 1313 gameplay that just surfaced yesterday? Kinda odd how it happened just a few days after those new respawn games got announced
4:30 "Master Yoda, you and I have been close since I was a boy. An infant. Yet if ending this war one week sooner-one day sooner-were to require that I sacrifice your life, you know I would.” “As you should,” Yoda said. “As I would yours, young Obi-Wan. As any Jedi would any other, in the cause of peace.” “Any Jedi,” Obi-Wan said, “except Anakin.” THIS is Jedi. This is how the greatest of them were in EU for a long time, and how Jedi are considered to be in the perfect picture. So tell me, if The High Republic era shows us Jedi Order in the pick of their morale and power, does it depict Jedi this way?
Hearing Thor actually recommend The High Republic made my day. I have been following the High Republic for most of this past year and it was one of my favorite things about 2021. I know that many people don't like or care about it, but hearing Thor who is very critical of everything (in the best way) say that The High Republic is worth trying -- that is awesome. I hope that more people give the High Republic a try, and reading these books has made me want to try reading some of the legends books.
Yeah I honestly have been enjoying reading The High Republic. It has its ups and downs, but I'm really happy that most of the negative press so far has been way overblown (ie: People getting mad at Geode who is barely even in the book he appears in lmao), and I'm really enjoying how the characters develop!
@@KetsubanSolo I know right, Geode barely pops up. Its interesting how most people who don't know anything about him, don't know that he's a Vintian (an interesting new species for Star Wars). I actually like his character because he provides some decent comic relief.
Hated every comic I've bought. Liked the Manga some but was weak over all. And the children's book I got for my child is unreadable because apparently Disney thinks people blowing up in ships is okay for 3 year Olds. 🙄 so yeah not appropriate. If people can recommend when it gets good I'll try but I'm a comic reader not a big book guy because of my dyslexia. I'm happy to try any good books. I like wookies and alien heavy stories and a wookie jedi being the main character badass is what I'd love. Please recommend something thanks.
@@achaudhari101 don't care for the whole "accident in hyperspace" thing, or the dark side plant monsters either. But if that's your thing, that's cool.
I couldn't get past the first issue. It was too much when the main character was holding up her body weight with a light saber as if it were a physical object rather then a blade made of energy. That level of utter stupidity just caused me to tune out from there on out. Glad to hear it eventually gets better I guess.
I had a problem with this as well until someone pointed out that lightsabers usually have intensity regulators, and that really ain't something new. Just throttle the intensity and such a move should absolutely be possible. Also, I'd recommend giving it another chance. Like, that was _one_ comic issue in a vast multimedia project that already spans six novels and dozens of comic issues.
@@Babyboss65 No matter the intensity, the lightsaber is so hot it burns through things, so the Jedi could slow her/his fall but he/she couldn´t just hold on the lightsaber stabbed into a tree.
@@Mysikrysa I mean, practice lightsabers used in the temple also can't burn through much (I recall Jedi Apprentice where Obi-Wan and Bruck Chun kept hitting each other with full swings and only got some burn marks from it), and we also don't know what that spire was made of. It seems acceptable to me.
I listend to all books of Phase 1 and read the comics and i totally agree with you. Fallen Star is just awesome, i needed to get a day of cause i didnt managed to go to bed, i needed to listen. I do like how different the Jedi are (RAM Jomaram :D) I like how they struggle with different hings (Reath, Imri, Bell, Komach ....) I Love the idea of wayseekers and so on. I am really curious about the great leveler. I cant understand all the hate. I got the impression the haven't read a single line and just focus on that "Diversity Stuff" that didn't matter to me. PS: I like Geod, i like for example when he had the stand off in fallen star and the enemy thought how good he manages to stay cool. He is a Rock :D sw mustn't be to serious all the time
I have read as much as you (All but the younger audience books). I have not been as impressed as you Thor. After reading all this I revisited the old EU and quite honestly I am wishing I didn't waste my time and money. I feel a lot of it is trying to set up lore taken from the sequel trilogy. The characters are OBSESSED with individuality to a point where Jedi teachings start to sound like a muddy mess of a suggestion, rather than a code that these people live by. After comparing it to pre-Disney books. I can safely say this goes in the trash pile in my opinion. I'd never revisit these stories, where I'd happily read Old republic and hire to the empire era books again and again. Even if it does get better in its 2nd phase, I am still left with the bad taste that this series has left in my mouth. I will never recommend the High Republic to anyone because the way it's written feels like it's for no one...
