Tag: Stellan Gios

High Republic Highlight: Avar, Stellan and Elzar

If you know me, you know I’m a big High Republic fan and share information on the books whenever I can. I thought I’d do a High Republic post once a month or so, highlighting an aspect of this era of Star Wars for those who are unfamiliar and are curious.

This post I’d like to focus on the three main Jedi characters that have been introduced: Avar Kriss, Stellan Gios, and Elzar Mann. It seems every Star Wars story has a trio of main characters consisting of two men and a woman. The OT has Luke, Han and Leia; the PT has Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme; and the ST has Poe, Finn and Rey. So why not the High Republic?

This trio happens to be all Jedi, which I find intriguing. They were Padawans together, the best of friends, growing up in the Temple and becoming Jedi Knights. By the time of the first book, Light of the Jedi, Avar and Stellan are Masters, while Elzar has yet to achieve that rank. Elzar is…a bit different. Let’s get into the character of each here.

Avar Kriss by Mike Mayhew.

Avar Kriss. Avar is prominent in the first HR book Light of the Jedi, but then shows up in the comics for most of Phase 1, where she often fights the Drengir (plant monsters, lol), often with the help of the Hutts, with whom she has made a temporary treaty. In time she becomes the Marshal of Starlight Beacon, the High Republic’s much-touted space station. Every Jedi in this era connects to the Force in their own particular way. Avar “hears” it as a song, and every living being exudes a different note. As Padawans, she and Elzar had a, ahem, relationship; this wasn’t expressly forbidden in the Temple at the time, but not exactly encouraged, either. Once they became Jedi Knights, they moved on from the relationship and focused on their Jedi duties. Well, Avar did, but Elzar is having trouble with his lingering romantic feelings for Avar.

Stellan Gios by Mike Mayhew.

Stellan Gios. If there ever was a poster boy for the Jedi Knights, Stellan is that Jedi. Handsome, charming, good at public relations, and dedicated to the Order, he’s dazzling in so many ways. Stellan sees the Force as a constellation of stars (as his name suggests), and Avar and Elzar look up to him and consider him their “polestar.” He’s the only one of the three who has trained a Padawan: Vernestrah Rwoh, a gifted Mirialan and the youngest Jedi to become a Knight in a very long time, at fifteen. Stellan plays a large role in the Battle of Valo against the Nihil and becomes an even bigger hero by saving the Chancellor, Lina Soh. While Avar is away from Starlight Beacon on her quest to find Lourna Dee, a Nihil leader, Stellan steps in and takes her place. Stellan believes Avar is becoming obsessed and perhaps starting down a dark road (and this may be true, but I haven’t read the comics, in which this story is told). Avar becomes rather resentful of Stellan stepping in and criticizing her; so by the time of The Fallen Star, they’ve had a kind of falling out. But it’s in this book that Stellan finds out who he truly is, beyond the shiny image of the Perfect Temple Jedi. Trapped on the doomed station, without the Order to guide him, without his Force powers (as the Nameless runs rampant on the station), he must dig deep within and find resources he never knew he had. Stellan ends up sacrificing himself to save others, going down with the station. I’ll admit, I got teary-eyed, lol.

Elzar Mann from the cover of Light of the Jedi.

Elzar Mann. Elzar is the most conflicted of the three Jedi, at least as the story goes on. Elzar, unlike his friends at the beginning of the story, is not a Master yet. The Order is a little hesitant to bestow that title on him, as Elzar has proved to be rather “experimental” in his Force abilities, trying things that aren’t sanctioned by the Order. He’s powerful, but they feel he’s a bit reckless, or at least, unpredictable. He reminds me a lot of Anakin, and I think he’s supposed to, the difference being in how the Order deals with such things. During the Battle of Valo, Elzar draws on his rage at the Nihil, using the dark side of the Force to pull a Nihil ship out of the sky. Afterward, he feels terribly guilty, and the Order sends him to an island with Orla Jareni, a Wayseeker (another way the Order is different from the prequel Jedi: a Wayseeker is a Force-user from the Temple who operates independently, outside the strictures of the Order). Orla helps him reconnect to the Force, stressing patience and persistence. Elzar sees the Force as an ocean, its powerful waves and its deep, quiet depths. Elzar struggles with his feelings for Avar; he respects her and their duties as Jedi, yet it’s still there. By the time of The Eye of Darkness, they’ve become closer in their grief over Stellan, and once the Stormwall is up and they’re separated, feelings on both sides have intensified. They’re reunited at the end of the book, and I see a passionate forbidden affair in the works, one that could ultimately lead to tragedy (sound familiar?).

So these are the main three Jedi introduced into the High Republic, among many, many Jedi, lol. I’ll occasionally do a post on other Jedi from the High Republic, as well as many other people, events, and concepts that I find interesting.

For Light and Life!

High Republic Wednesday–Jedi Master Stellan Gios

I’m really enjoying The High Republic stories I’ve been reading in the new novels, and wanted to do a weekly post on some aspect of them every Wednesday if I can. I don’t read the comics at the moment, in which a lot of the stories take place, but I will focus on the adult and young adult novels, and perhaps middle-grade books if I get to them. (And maybe someday I’ll check out the comics).

For my first post, I’d like to focus on Jedi Master Stellan Gios.

Stellan in his Temple robes. The HR Jedi are a little fancier than the prequel Jedi, and have formal attire for official functions, ceremonies, etc.

Stellan features prominently in the High Republic adult novel The Rising Storm, in which he leads the Jedi in defending the Republic Fair against an attack from the Nihil. His strength is put to the test as he attempts to protect Republic Chancellor Lina Soh and fends off Nihil attackers like the brutal Lourna Dee.

Stellan in his mission robes. Even these are a little fancier than the bathrobes we see the prequel Jedi in.

Stellan is a described as easy on the eyes, a little in love with the sound of his own voice, and one who enjoys being in the limelight. The truth is, he simply loves to teach about the Jedi and the Force, and is always ready to enlighten people. He’s recently become a member of the Jedi High Council, and often feels he isn’t ready to take on the responsibility such a position entails. Like many of the High Republic Jedi, he perceives the Force in a unique way; Stellan sees the force as the firmament, all the stars in the sky (his name is a clue, lol).

Stellan’s unique lightsaber, with its laser crossguard and retracting quillons.

Stellan is friends with fellow Jedi Masters Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann. The three grew up together as Padawans, and have a deep bond. He wasn’t present too much in the first book, The Light of the Jedi (Avar and Elzar starred in that one) but in The Rising Storm, it’s Stellan and Elzar’s relationship that is explored. Elzar is a bit of a loose canon, and Stellan often feels he needs to keep an eye on him, in the best possible way. Their friendship is deep, and they rely on each other for support and advice.

A variant cover of The High Republic comic by Mike Mayhew.

Early on in The Rising Storm, a news reporter named Rhil Dairo has just met Stellan. Here are her thoughts on him:

Rhil liked Stellan. He was a bit stiff, sure…a bit earnest and, on days when she wasn’t feeling generous, a little too keen on the sound of his own voice, but she could tell that his heart was definitely in the right place. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was a handsome son-of-a-blaster. Oh no, not at all. That chiseled jaw beneath the dashing beard, those blue eyes. And the smile. That smile! That was the real killer, right there. No wonder the Council had decided to make him their poster boy. (p. 55)

Later in the book, after the battle and Stellan is carrying the injured Lina Soh in his arms, these are his thoughts:

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Stellan knew the galaxy was watching. He could hear the whine of the cam droids, almost feel their lenses closing in, picking up every scrap of dirt on his robes, the injuries on his face, the tears in his eyes.

Jedi weren’t supposed to cry. They were supposed to keep their emotions in check. But weren’t they also supposed to feel compassion for those in pain?

For light and life.

For light and…

Stellan heard a whimper, but didn’t realize it was his own.

There was no avoiding the suffering of those whose lives had been torn apart, no avoiding their pain. If he could, if the anguish and the misery didn’t cut him to the quick, then what kind of Jedi would he be? (p. 339)

These two passages really show the two faces of Stellan, the public and the private. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him at the beginning of the book, but by the end, I loved him. Right now I’m finding Elzar Mann a little more interesting (more on him in a future post), but there’s no denying Stellan is a stellar Jedi.

For light and life. Thanks for reading!