The Republic Makes a Bold Choice In This ‘Trials of the Jedi' Excerpt

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a day ago

Almost 5 years after we first learned of it, we're nearly here: the final end of Star Wars: The High Republic. Nearly half a decade of books, audio dramas, comics, and even a TV show have lifted the lid on this fascinating period of the Star Wars timeline, but now the Jedi and the Republic's battle against the Nihil must end once and for all in Trials of the Jedi–and we've got an exclusive look inside at a pivotal moment from this last chapter.
io9 is excited to give you a look inside Charles Soule's Trials of the Jedi, and a crucial moment in which the Republic's Chancellor, Lina Soh, is confronted with a terrible choice–acquiesce to the demands of the Nihil and its charismatic, deadly leader Marchion Ro, or watch the galaxy suffer from the rise of the Blight, the mysterious life-sucking affliction slowly carving its way across the stars.
'In the tradition of many Star Wars stories, things for our heroes are pretty dire as Trials of the Jedi begins,' Soule told io9 in a statement provided over email. 'A horrible, life-ending Blight has appeared on planets across the galaxy, and the only person who seems to be able to stop it is our big High Republic villain, Marchion Ro. In this excerpt, we're with a fascinating lady named Lina Soh, the Chancellor of the Republic, as she considers Marchion's offer to save the galaxy from the Blight–and what accepting his help will cost.'
It was Soule who kicked off the High Republic transmedia initiative–alongside a veritable High Council of other writers who have formed the core of the High Republic team in the years since–with Light of the Jedi, the debut novel of the era, back in early 2021. And although the High Republic period itself will continue (we've got, at the very least, a few more books set around the timeframe of The Acolyte at the era's twilight coming), it is Soule who will bring this specific part of that project to its end.
'It was an extraordinary opportunity to begin the High Republic with my novel Light of the Jedi back in 2021, and now I have the incredible responsibility of bringing the big story to a conclusion with Trials of the Jedi,' Soule added. 'Fans across the world have connected deeply with the characters and worlds created within the High Republic, and what an intimidating, thrilling challenge it's been to give everything a strong, satisfying ending. Endings are tough, both for writers and readers–but I've tried to do the High Republic proud. I can't wait to see what people think about the way it all wraps up.'
Before all that though, check out our exclusive excerpt from Trials of the Jedi below–or take a listen to its audiobook form, read by Marc Thompson!
'Madam Chancellor,' said Norel Quo, a strange note in his voice, a touch of light, 'the Jedi are here.'
Lina Soh stood, to see another of the disks gliding toward her from the Convocation Chamber's wall. It was draped in black, and she knew the Outer Rim world it was assigned to—Hetzal. The once beautiful agricultural planet where the Great Disaster and the entire Nihil conflict had begun. Where the Jedi and the Republic had worked together to save billions of lives in a show of incredible collaboration, hope, and skill.
But now, it was a world lost to a different kind of cataclysm. In a direct rejection of everything the Republic had once achieved there, when the Nihil raised the Stormwall, they made Hetzal their seat of power.
The Nihil choosing Hetzal as their flagworld sent a very clear message: All that work, all that sacrifice, and in the end, the Jedi and the Republic had saved nothing at all.
The platform drew closer. A single Jedi stood upon it, wearing the bright white-and-gold formal robes they used for official duties. Droids hovered around the disk transmitting information to the other platforms in the chamber—and those outside it as well, Lina assumed. She was under no illusions about the security of this sacred chamber. The Nihil had infiltrated the highest levels of the Republic's government with their slicers and spies.
The Jedi aboard the platform looked at the chamber, the whole grand pageant of black drapery and holograms and busy aides. He seemed bemused. As the disk drew close to the chancellor's pedestal, he leapt, landing lightly beside Lina. Norel Quo offered an outraged murmur, but Matari and Voru did not stir. They knew this man posed no threat.
'Elzar, where have you been?' Lina said, moving to greet him. 'The Republic is in crisis.'
'I know, Lina,' he said, a familiarity she would accept from few others. 'We've been working on that. We've been trying to find a way to stop the Blight.'
Elzar glanced at several cam droids hovering not far away. The recording devices were omnipresent within the space under ordinary circumstances, considered part of the transparency necessary for democracy. The Jedi frowned. He lifted his hand and flicked out his fingers, and every one of the little round droids was flung away, to carom off the walls of the Convocation Chamber and drift slowly to the floor far below.
'Better,' Elzar said. 'I'd like this conversation to remain between us. And the targons. And Vice Chair Quo, of course. How are things, Norel?'
Jedi Master Elzar Mann was handsome—square-jawed with a precisely trimmed beard, his hair dark with a bit of wave to it, his skin copper. Charming, too—quick to smile. He was the Jedi to whom Lina was closest in the Order and had become a sort of de facto liaison between her office and the Jedi Council. She liked the man. Usually. Today, not as much.
'The Blight, Elzar. What have you found? Can you stop it' she said before the Jedi could enter into a chat with her aide about his day, asking after his nineteen children, asking how he'd gotten his horn so shiny.
'Yes, Lina, we can. In a sense,' Elzar replied. 'But there is other news. The Blight has appeared on Coruscant. It's beneath the Jedi Temple, down at the lowest possible level. In the old stones.'
Lina remained standing, but only just. Matari and Voru trembled, closing their eyes. Elzar was still speaking, but she couldn't hear him.
I'll have to issue an evacuation order, she thought. Over a trillion people. Where will we get the ships?
Finding an evacuation fleet was one thing; getting the planet's population aboard it would be another entirely. Coruscant had no open space. Every level, every chamber was occupied. She imagined the chaos that would ensue when word spread that the great city-world was poisoned. Panicked, fleeing people, waves of beings crashing into one another, surging upward from the deep levels, converging at the surface, trying to get away, away, away.
I have to agree to Marchion's terms, Lina thought. I have to let that monster save us. Even more than before, I have no choice.
Thoughts sped through her mind, too many to process, like a droid trying to handle a system update too complex for its circuits.
Then a few of Elzar's words surged to the surface of her mind—something he had just said.
'Wait . . . when did the Jedi first become aware of the Blight beneath the Temple?'
'A short time ago,' Elzar replied, his face serious. 'Days, not weeks.'
'What? You didn't tell me immediately?'
'We have it controlled. It's not going anywhere. One of our Knights, a Wookiee named Burryaga, first found the path to holding it back. We've refined his techniques. There was a substantial infestation on Kashyyyk we were able to eradicate entirely. You may have heard. Now, that one was a one-off—we won't be able to do that exact thing again. But—'
'Days?' Lina said, feeling an uncharacteristic fury grow in her, hearing the targons snarl. 'We could be well into an evacuation effort by now!'
'An evacuation of Coruscant is impossible, Lina,' the Jedi said. 'We both know it. Announcing that the Blight is here would only cause panic and millions of deaths—if not billions. We have the situation under control, contained entirely within our Temple. The Jedi are not elected. We do not serve. We help. If we believed we could not hold the Blight back, we would have told you earlier. But we have, and we will continue to.'
Elzar's tone was calm, but Lina felt like she had been slapped.
Who does he think he is? she thought, but the answer was obvious. A Jedi.
'Now, please, let me share something more positive,' Elzar said. 'We believe we can stop the Blight, Lina. Not just here but everywhere. We have a plan.'
'Will it defeat the Nihil?' Lina asked.
'No. That is a task for the Republic, though we remain committed to helping however we can.'
'Fine,' Lina said. 'Tell me what you've got.'
'We have captured a small group of Nameless—the creatures Marchion Ro used to murder so many of us.'
'I know what they are, Elzar. Why would you capture the beasts instead of killing them? To prevent him from using them against you?'
'Not exactly. We have a different approach in mind. I can tell you, but
it must remain absolutely secret. There are clearly ears within the Republic that report to the Nihil, and our best chance of success lies in—'
A chime sounded. Every eye in the Convocation Chamber flicked upward, toward the timer, which had hit zero.
'It is time, Madam Chancellor,' said Norel Quo.
The Senate chamber had a holoprojector built into its structure, able to display images much larger than any individual cam droid could. It activated, and Marchion Ro appeared within the chamber, enormous. Dominant. He sat on a sort of throne, wearing a long white coat and what appeared to be the same leather pants he'd worn in the Blight clip. His neck was bandaged, and a dark spatter stained his coat below the neck, running down his lapel. Whatever or whoever had hurt Marchion, he hadn't felt it necessary to change his clothes since the injury.
Marchion seemed at ease but focused. Not dismissive, not contemptuous—a foreign leader operating in his official capacity.
He glanced around the chamber, taking in the various elements—Blight indicators, the Occlusion Zone designation, and eventually Lina Soh herself.
'Impressive decorations, Lina,' Marchion said in his quiet, penetrating voice, the sound of being stalked. 'You have a Jedi with you. Elzar Mann, I believe. I wish . . . I were there in person, my friend.'
'As do I, Marchion,' Elzar said, all charm gone from his voice.
Marchion gestured out toward the Convocation Chamber.
'I see you've labeled the Blighted worlds. I can add another ten or so from within the Occlusion Zone, if that would be helpful. My scientists suggest more of this terrible scourge appears every day. I'm sure yours concur.' His face took on an expression of noble sincerity. No one would ever be able to argue that he wasn't taking the crisis seriously. 'I can begin immediately. I will remove the Blight from all afflicted worlds in the Republic.'
'At what price, Marchion?' Lina said.
'None. I just want the credit.'
The Supreme Chancellor took this moment to consider everything she had learned in the past hour—the state of the Republic she was pledged to preserve and protect.
What will it mean to say yes to him? Lina thought. To make such a public acknowledgment of Republic weakness? Nothing would change—but of course everything would.
The Republic would still hold nine times the territory of the Nihil, but the psychological power balance would shift. The Nihil would ask for more, ask to be treated as just another state, not an enemy, and many in the galaxy would see them that way.
The first concession is difficult, Lina thought. Each after that, easier and easier.
But what possible reason could she have for refusing Marchion's offer? A vague suggestion from the Jedi that they had some sort of plan? The same Jedi who had concealed material information from her—and had probably done so before and would again?
The responsibility of the supreme chancellor was to the Republic, to represent its interests and protect it as best as she could. To move it forward. To balance the needs of now against the needs of the future.
Matari and Voru stood, growling and gnashing their teeth in their throats, sensing her conflict and frustration.
Marchion Ro noted the targons' aggression. He smiled. Kindred spirits.
Lina could feel Elzar Mann's presence just behind her. She wanted to look at him, obtain his counsel even if just in the form of a nod or a shake of his head. But no. This decision was hers—hers alone.
This is the danger of consolidating so much power in one person, she thought. Just because I have the ability to choose the future for a trillion trillion beings does not mean I will choose well.
Lina took a deep breath and slowly released it.
What do I want? she asked herself. What does Lina Soh want this Republic to be?
Her targons went silent and still at her sides, icons of strength and power.
One more Great Work, she thought. That's what I want.
'We are all the Republic, Marchion,' said the supreme chancellor. 'We will solve this problem as we always have—together. You have chosen to exclude yourself from our great union, and stolen away and subjugated countless beings who chafe under your rule and wish to return to us. We will come for them. A price will be paid for everything you have done. The reckoning comes.
'The answer is no, Marchion Ro.'
I choose the Republic, Lina thought.
Now and forever.
I choose the Jedi, she thought.
She cut the line, watching as Marchion's face twisted in fury.
Reprinted from Star Wars: The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule. © 2025 by Lucasfilm Ltd. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.