Back at the beginning of January, Lucasfilm Publishing kicked off a year that promises to be chock full of Star Wars with the first 2023 content from A Galaxy Far, Far Away: the new audio drama Star Wars: The High Republic – The Battle of Jedha, written by author George Mann and performed by a full cast.
And now, in keeping with the tradition of other recent Star Wars audio dramas like Dooku – Jedi Lost, Doctor Aphra, and The High Republic – Tempest Runner, The Battle of Jedha is being issued in hardcover script form, for those who prefer reading, are perhaps hard of hearing, or even those (like me) who like reading along with the audio.
And boy, am I sure glad that they are still releasing these in both forms. I listened to the audio version of The Battle of Jedha a few months ago and– while I definitely enjoyed the experience– I felt like I had missed out on a lot of it due to my mind’s tendency to drift away onto other thoughts while listening to an audio-only production. Now that I can sit down, play the full five-and-a-half-hour audio, and read along with the book (which I did today in its entirety) I could really absorb the details and texture that Mann has built into his script. With the stage direction, narration, and plentiful dialogue printed on the page right there in front of me, my considerably short attention span had nowhere to run except to focus on the (perfectly engrossing) story. Of course, as I said in my previous review, the production on the audio side is fantastic as well, so this enterprise only helped to further enhance my appreciation of everything going on. To refresh, this narrative is set in the second phase of The High Republic publishing initiative, a few hundred years prior to the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. Ambassadors from the planets Eiram and E’ronoh have arrived on the “Pilgrim Moon” of Jedha (essentially this universe’s Jerusalem) with the plan of signing a peace treaty between their two long-warring worlds. Naturally, there are multiple Jedi there to make sure the process goes through smoothly, alongside Guardians of the Whills and other Force-related religions and sects who call Jedha their home. But as previously established in last fall’s novel Star Wars: The High Republic – Convergence, there are forces working in the shadows that don’t want to see the war between Eiram and E’ronoh come to an end.
Enter the Path of the Open Hand, a cult that opposes the Jedi for that Order’s use of the Force, which they claim disturbs the galaxy-wide balance of the mystical energy field. The Path has also relocated to Jedha from their previous home on Dalna (see The High Republic – Path of Deceit) and have already been stirring up trouble with protests and a dogged insistence that they be welcomed into the advisory body known as the Convocation of the Force. But when a series of explosions interrupt the treaty-signing process, it’s up to the Jedi and their allies to determine whether the Path is involved, and who among Jedha’s many denominations of Force religion they may be working with. This is a terrific continuation of the two above-mentioned installments in The High Republic, packed with likable and intriguing characters on all sides, and as I stated earlier, getting to read George Mann’s typewritten words along with the actors’ performances only makes things more interesting. From a behind-the-scenes perspective on how an audio drama like this comes together, it’s pretty fascinating to see how the performances different from what’s on the page and how the cast chooses their inflections. It’s also great to be able to read Mann’s descriptions of the audio effects, music, and background noises that play throughout each scene, giving the reader all the more insight into the author’s dramatic intent. Plus, there’s a handy list of “Dramatis Personae” at the front of the book, which serves as a convenient guide for those– also like me– who tend to get easily confused about such things, especially when the cast of characters is this large. But most of all I simply feel as though I better understand exactly what went down between all of these factions on Jedha to bring the peace process to a grinding halt. This story is sure to be looked back on as a key turning point in Phase II of The High Republic’s larger narrative, so it’s rather wonderful that there are now multiple ways in which to consume it.
Star Wars: The High Republic – The Battle of Jedha will be published in hardcover script form on Tuesday, February 14th, but is available now for pre-order. The audiobook version of The Battle of Jedha is also available now.