The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha
Jedha. The worn streets of this ancient world serve as a confluence for the galaxy. Visited by all, yet owned by none. Here, the Jedi are but one creed among many worshipping and studying the Force. From the Guardians of the Whills to the Path of the Open Hand, countless beings come to learn, and to share, in peace.
As all of Jedha prepares for its Festival of Balance, the galaxy still reels from the violence on Eiram and E’ronoh. But after foiling a plot to escalate the war between the two planets, the Jedi believe that a lasting peace may be within reach. Master Creighton Sun and Jedi Knight Aida Forte arrive on Jedha with delegations from both planets to formally end the “Forever War.” The Jedi hope that the harmony of Jedha’s many factions, along with the signing of a peace treaty, will create a symbol to the rest of the galaxy of what can be accomplished through unity.
But not all are happy with the Jedi’s involvement or ready to concern themselves with peace. Rumors begin to swirl that the Jedi bring war in their wake. The distrust and anger that for so long fueled the Forever War now threaten to corrupt the communities of Jedha. When violence breaks out on the sacred moon, the war that was meant to end on Jedha may soon engulf the entire world.
Author: George Mann
Cover artist: Grant Griffin
Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill, Kristen Sieh, Jonathan Davis, Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes, Philip Hernandez, Catherine Ho, Sullivan Jones, January LaVoy, Saskia Maarleveld, Brandon McInnis, Salli Saffioti, Marc Thompson, Shannon Tyo.
Release Date: January 3, 2023
Length: 328 minutes
ISBN: 9780593633601
The latest full cast audio drama directed by the prolific Kevin Thomsen is a masterclass in audio production. Written by George Mann and performed by a full cast the newest installment in Phase 2 of The High Republic, The Battle of Jedha, is an action-packed tale that pulls in all the threads from the Wave 1 releases and refocuses them, ready for the next wave.
After the marriage of planetary heirs Xiri and Phan-Tu, peace is only one step away as the holy city of Jedha plays host to the signing of the peace treaty between historically warring planets Eiram and Eronoh. Jedi’s Creighton Sun, Aida Forte and Silandra Sho find themselves embroiled in a mysterious plot to sabotage the treaty and bring war to the holy city. Meanwhile The Path of the Open Hand, led by The Mother and, newly appointed guide, Marda Ro seek to join the influential council of faiths on Jedha, known as the Convocation. That’s their aim on the surface but as always The Mother has ulterior motives….
Despite what you might expect and regardless of some truly epic moments in the latter half of the story; this is a transitional story. It picks up the stories from Convergence and Path of Deceit and uses them to create its own event tale, reminiscent of Phase 1’s disaster led narratives. Save for appearances by The Mother and Marda Ro it isn’t the next step in the journey for the characters, Xiri, Phan-Tu and Axel Greylark are nowhere to be seen and Gella Natai only makes an appearance by hologram. This uses the events of their stories as the stage for Mann’s own tale. The good news is the main cast of characters here more than make up for it.
One thing that I am absolutely loving about this phase is the world building and the sense of place. This is something the Battle of Jedha does particularly well. Between this production and Scott and Anindito’s The High Republic comic series, Jedha has become of the most vibrant and exciting Star Wars locale’s and I can imagine a thousand stories being set in its winding streets, with it’s colourful Dickensian inhabitants. I want to know more about the underworld, the various religious orders and the dynamic between them. I want to visit the dive bar Enlightenment and have a drink with its rogueish but lovable patrons. There’s huge potential here and this version of Jedha rivals Batuu as the most tangible and animated location in Star Wars right now.
Creighton and Aida act as the audience’s avatar as they watch the situation devolve and quickly go from bad to worse and it’s hard to not to feel for them as they struggle to contain the horror. Silandra Sho, previously seen in Mann’s Quest for the Hidden City, is a much more compelling character here and her adventures with Adjunct Keth Cerapath is the emotional core of the story and easily the most entertaining story thread.
For a story with such a grandiose title and an eventful second half I can’t help but feel that in the end it’s all a little inconsequential in the larger arc of The High Republic. The production is a blast to listen to, but by the end everything is the same as it was at the end of Convergence. I don’t want to go too much into it for risk of spoilers, but the peace treaty/battle story thread is just a repeat, in theme, of the wedding scene at the end of Cordova’s novel. Similarly, as much as a I loved spending more time with my new literary crush, Marda and the rest of the Path of the Open Hand were only here in an almost tokenisitic manner, barely affecting the story. The end of their arc here is also perplexing and makes their appearance here seem even more pointless.
Don’t get me wrong though, this is a great listen and well worth your time. The cast are incredible with Catherine Ho and Brandon McInnis as Silandra and Keth being particular standouts. This also may be some of producer and director Kevin Thomsen’s best work to date as it boasts some truly outstanding production with a perfect use of a wide range of favourite Star Wars music pieces that really punctuate the action and emotion.
This was a great time but I’m now more than ready for Wave 2.
- Audible Audiobook
- George Mann (Author) - Raphael Corkhill, Kristen Sieh, Jonathan Davis (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 01/03/2023 (Publication Date) - Random House Audio (Publisher)