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Star Wars The High Republic 1 – How Could [Blank] Survive?

BY Arvyn Braich October 14, 2022

Marvel recently released Star Wars The High Republic 1, the first issue of the 2022 comic series version. And what an issue it was! In this issue, they indicate that certain Jedi can use the Force, even after death. We’ve seen this in the Star Wars series previously, but the issue goes further than life or death. Naturally, there are spoilers for this issue, so look away now if you haven’t read it yet!Titled Path of Deceit, this first issue of the new series has centred on the Jedi Knight known as Vildar Mac. At the start of this issue, the Jedi Council send Mac to Jedha, where he’s trying to find out why certain Force artefacts have gone missing. Naturally, Mac suspects theft, but when he arrives at Jedha, he is in for quite a surprise. When he meets the citizens of Jedha City and other individuals from the Force Convocation, Mac is surprised at their perception of the Jedi Order. Instead of viewing the group positively, many individuals disdain the order, which greatly surprises Mac.

You might think that the rest of Star Wars The High Republic 1 focuses on him dealing with this. Well, you’d be wrong! Instead, we see an unnamed thief kill Mac! All we know about these thieves is that they’re Sephi, and they indicate that death wasn’t the end for Mac. They suggest that Mac could continue to survive, although it’s unclear how he could do this. Since this is the time before Force Ghosts, which we saw in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it’s unlikely that Mac survives this way. So how could Mac manage to live on? To find the answer, we need to know more about Mac.

Star Wars The High Republic 1 Summary

Image: Lucasfilm/Disney

From the start of Star Wars The High Republic 1, an unknown narrator tells us the story. Later, this narrator is revealed to be the Sephi killer. However, during these narrated scenes, we see that Mac remembers what his life was like before he became part of the Jedi Order. Mac recalls when a mysterious villain visited his village and murdered several people. Later, it becomes clear that Mac has worked for the Jedi for over five decades as a fighter instead of an ambassador. As such, Mac’s choice to visit Jedha City for the Force Convocation appears odd.

Additionally, the narrator makes it clear that Mac knew himself and how he fits into the galaxy before arriving in Jedha City. Of course, it’s possibly untrue. After all, at the end of Star Wars, The High Republic 1, we discover that the narrator is Mac’s murderer! So, they may tell some lies or at least tell the readers their views of Mac. Perhaps he’s nowhere near as self-assured as they think. But they know many details about Mac’s childhood, which is pretty interesting and suggests they have some history with Mac.

Jedi Force Ghosts

Image: Marvel/Lucasfilm/Disney

Of course, the biggest question now is how Mac survives his own death! Before dying, Mac found the thief, who appeared to have killed a woman. In Star Wars The High Republic 1, it’s suggested that the thief is part of the cult, Path of the Open Hand. This organization is trying to “free” the Force and believes that by freeing the Force artefacts, they can eventually free the Force itself.

Eventually, Mac confronts the thief, who seems to have a detailed understanding of certain Force abilities. The thief mentions using Morichro, which allows the user to stop a person’s heart with the Force. Mac refuses to believe this is true – but the thief shows that it is by stopping Mac’s heart!

During the thief’s escape from the scene, the narrator speaks about how Mac isn’t dead. It’s unclear how this could be true. Perhaps someone could perform a Star Wars version of CPR on Mac and restart his heart. However, the thief indicates that there are more mystical ways for Mac to continue that have something to do with the Force artefacts. Mac dies in a room surrounded by these items, and it seems they could be the key to his survival. At the end of Star Wars The High Republic 1, we get the suggestion that the thief and Mac have an important relationship with each other. Maybe he will return as a Force Ghost.

By killing off the hero at the end of this issue, Marvel managed to keep writers completely hooked and curious regarding what could happen next. In future issues, we’ll likely learn much more about the Force artefacts and the mysterious Path of the Open Hand.

Star Wars The High Republic 1 (2022) is available now.

Marvel

Hi! I'm Arvyn, and I'm an English teacher from the UK. I've been teaching English online for over 4 years to students from all across the world and all ages. Outside of work, I'm a huge fan of reading, video games, and playing with my adorable kitties. See ya!