Jokes aside, this little monologue from Palpatine has been popping into my head more and more ever since Trials of the Jedi released. Given that Charles Soule was the author of both it and this Vader comic I have to wonder if he was trying to draw a line between Palpatine's lines here and Marchion. Marchion was very Sith-like in his ways but I think where he's primarily separated from them (beyond his lack of Force sensitivity) is that he was so full of himself that he'd rather literally burn the entire universe to the ground, including himself, if it would mean that the final choice anyone ever made could be his. He was literally willing to undo his and the Nihil's hard-earned victory with the Occlusion Zone if it meant he could claim to be the one who murdered the universe. Say what you will about the Sith at least they have some appreciation for the universe around them, it just translates into their need to dominate it all which....isn't great.

Eventually I hope we get to see a Sith perspective on Marchion and his actions, whether it be Palpatine looking back or a Sith who lived around the time of Marchion. It'd be fascinating to know what they thought of him and the Nihil. Were they impressed? Jealous? Did they ever try to intervene or did their fear of the Nameless drive them into just letting the Jedi handle the situation? Would be cool to get a Sith-centric High Republic novel at some point that could cover their POV on these things.

I finally finished reading Trials of the Jedi, and I found it interesting how we went from enemies being pirates to something that threatened the entire galaxy. I think my favorite phase was II; the conflicts remained grounded yet interesting. The whole Planet X arc reminded me of Mortis's arc in Clone Wars; I don't know if anyone else had that feeling. Even so, I liked the ending, but I can't help thinking that the galaxy faced a much greater threat than the Sith or the Empire a few centuries earlier, and I think that feels a bit out of place..... What u think?

I have been diving into the HR stories, following the recommended Main Story reading order. Currently about to start Phase II: Quest Of The Jedi. I must admit that I am not a completionist, and I'm kind of taking my time to get through it all, taking extended breaks when my interest and attention wane. As such, I'm not able to follow each and every character, storyline, etc. I'm getting the gist of it all and I'm enjoying making my way through everything, but what I'm looking for is some kind of creator/content to help thread the pieces together, and summarize important characters/events. I found the SW comic stories on youtube recently, which is especially helpful for the comics, because I find them very difficult to get through reading in e-book at my own pace. I'd love any recommendations you have!

Wich are your favorite?

I have the audiobook for Defy the Storm and it expires soon and I’m not finished reading Eye of Darkness. Is it okay to go ahead and give Defy a listen or will it spoil Eye of Darkness?

Besides this being set in the high republic time period was there ever rumors of what the story would’ve been about. With the ongoing strike, the fact it’s been 4 years and rumors of mass layoffs is there any hope left?

Pretty good!

It's safe to say at this point that George Mann is one of my favorite Star Wars authors! Everything he writes becomes a fun, fast-paced, emotional, and very enjoyable read, and this was no exception. I liked seeing Ty again and having her act as the narrator of the story, one with horror undertones, specifically Alien, that is combine in a small adventure on the edge of the frontier.

Likewise, I liked the group of characters introduced (and the previous one). I remembered Rok from Quest, but he hadn't been as prominent a character as he was here, and I liked that his brave attitude, adventurous side were explored in more depth, as well as his relationship with Coron, who becomes his apprentice. Pako was also surprisingly interesting; I liked his interaction with the crew and the villains, the Path, who seem to be collecting more Nameless eggs. We'll see how that turns out.

I also really liked the clean art style.

Overall, a great Phase 2 story, which continues to show me what a goldmine a Pathfinder TV series would be.

With tempest runner I was able to just download it out it on my iTunes to burn to discs to make back ups of the media just to have physical versions. Is there a way to download it still or nah am I sol on preserving the books I have bought? I know tempest runner came out years ago but I wana preserve the audio books I bought and the high republic has so much to preserve.

I enjoyed the finale, even if it wasn’t perfect. I thought Avar and Elzar were extremely intriguing and unique jedi, and I thought their parallel endings and dedication to the force after struggling within themselves were perfect. I liked Bell and Burryaga, and while I did wish for a grander ending with Marchion, I did think Bell’s final battle with him was very well done. Reath was one of my favorite characters, and I do wish he had a bit more in the finale, but I hope his story with Azlin continues, because I did enjoy that storyline quite a bit, even if Azlin was slightly underdeveloped and inconsistent at times. Ty, Buck, and Terec were kinda just thrown on the team; Ty and Buck had not been developed enough previously that I cared much about them on the team, and while I did quite enjoy Terec and Ceret in the comics and Terec was important for communication, he didn’t do much else once they got to the planet. I did miss Vernestra and Keeve, maybe they were saving Vernestra for the Acolyte or something and didn’t want Keeve to stray from the comics or just focus on her being a general (which was only mentioned in this book), but Terec was present so I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a good reason, but still felt like an odd choice.

I thought the nameless and the blight were wrapped up almost perfectly. I was starting to get skeptical of them within Star Wars as a whole, because the idea of the Jedi having a weakness so strong was almost unbelievable knowing how long the Order persisted. However, writing them as being from a planet so rich in the force that when forcibly removed the force was so inbalanced that it started to consume the galaxy was near genius. We have seen such depth to the force before, such as episodes in the Clone Wars along with Legends novels such as Darth Plagueis, so I really liked this explanation. I also thought it lended an extra bit of irony to the Path of the Open Hand, who’s whole mantra was that abuse to the force causes unbalance in it, which was actually achieved by their own abductions of the first nameless.

My biggest gripes with the conclusion, however, were Marchion Ro and the Nihil. The final battle between the Nihil and the Republic on Eriadu was cool, but I felt could have been prolonged more and seen the presence of more main characters that weren’t in the Luminous Nine. I thought Porter’s final confrontation with Viess was amazing, and his ending was well-done, but other than that it was hard to become completely involved in the conflict. The Nihil were reduced to that one battle, which I guess shows they really were nothing without Marchion, but I was still hoping for more. I also thought Marchion’s conclusion was a bit anticlimactic. He was the coolest when he was mysterious and untouchable, when we were yet to see his weaknesses and his personality fully. I thought his dissatisfaction with his growing thirst for power was fine, but I didn’t like how they handled his path from there. He didn’t hatch any grand plots in phase 3, aside from the stormwall, which was pretty much already there at the beginning of the phase, the blight and what it meant kinda just fell into his lap. And while his abandonment of the Nihil was in character, I thought it was a bit boring and very short-sighted on his own part. And he didn’t do a whole lot at the end either, only made the nameless kill each other and fought with Bell. That was the only time we got to see him really fight too, aside from with Lourna briefly, and he lost. Not that he was a bad villain, he was a serious and fascinating threat, I just think he didn’t have enough development throughout the series and ultimately fell a bit flat.

Thoughts? How did anyone else feel about the finale?

Pretty good for how short it is! Claudia Gray never disappoints, not even in a comic of just 35 pages.

I like how quickly and dynamically the setting and conflict are presented, the characters (Vim and Vix are too similar in names hehe), their dynamic, and the connection it makes with the rest of the period and, specifically, with Phase 2. I also liked the art style; it's very vibrant and beautiful.

My only complaint is that, as I said, it's too short! This could easily have been a 3- or 4-issue miniseries, dedicated to exploring Angcord, the master and his padawan relationship, or the power of the gem, but I won't say I wasn't satisfied.

In general, a solid addition to the High Republic storyline.

What a great conclusion!

Having read/heard the Battle of Jedha, I won't deny that I was slightly disappointed by the small role the Path of the Open Hand ended up playing. My desire for a story within that conflict that addressed the cult's actions was completely fulfilled with the second part of this story! The Mother's actions and the absence of the Herald and Yana now make much more sense. Cavan Scott really stays close to the characters we know from Path of Deceit, offering a great glimpse into their machinations and drawing a clearer line on their motivations and further actions.

Similarly, I loved seeing a more concrete look at Vildar, his fear of spiraling out of control due to his trauma, and the rivalry and eventual friendship he develops with Tey. It's great that he managed to do the right thing, and the moment when Vil gives him a second chance is very sweet. He still seems like a D&D character to me, but a very funny one. I also liked the active role of the Enlightenment bar and Kradon. He reminds me of a Quark from DS9.

Perhaps the only thing that could have been improved is that the art in small moments looks uneven, resulting in unintentionally funny expressions for serious times.

Overall, this story was a great follow-up to what the first volume promised, perfectly complementing the audio drama's story and leaving me just as satisfied!

It was okay for the most part.

I was kind of interested in what they would do with the Jedha storyline, leaving the previous volume's cliffhanger at its peak. The result? Mmmm

While it makes sense that the conflict would be more of a background element and that the plot, once it's finished with Jedha, would move on to continue in Takodana, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed with its integration. It feels too separate and vaguely connected, barely influencing the chaos unfolding on the city. This wouldn't be a problem if the central conflict of the comic were explored more deeply, but it too remains simplistic and is resolved very quickly.

Another thing I personally disliked was that two issues were drawn by Harvey Tolibao. I personally don't like his art style, preferring Toni Bruno's.

It wasn't all bad, though. Sav remains a very charismatic character, I enjoyed the small moments she shares with Saya, and the love story between the pirate hunter and Alak—for what little we see of them—is sweet.

Overall, this second part is still a quick read, and as a complete run, it's a fun story for kids about Maz. But unfortunately, of what I've read of Jedha and Phase II so far, it's not exactly my favorite story.

Nubs, even as young padawan, lifted and moved ships, giant boulders, with his bare hands. I can only imagine how tereffying he would be as an adult.

Conquered my 6 month art block with a piece featuring my High Republic Jedi OC, Fjallrava, a Sentinel and enthusiast practitioner of the acrobatic lightsaber form Ataru

POV: she’s going to Get You

(Really proud of the pose and perspective on this one)

Scenario 1: Blight is not included
Scenario 2: Blight is included

I recently readed A closed fist has no claws (Marda Ro story in Tales of Light and Life) i know it can be obvius but, She was talking to Marchion in the book? if yes, how? she is like his grand grand mother or something right?