The Battle of Jedha (Star Wars: The High Republic)

by George Mann

The statue is one of the oldest images of a Jedi anywhere in the galaxy. If not the oldest. It is a sight to behold. It’s a symbol to the people of Jedha. An ever-vigilant guardian. A reminder that they’re always protected.

It’s just like their name implies. An opportunity for quiet reflection. Sometimes, the mirrors show you nothing but your own face staring back at you. Other times, I’m told, they reveal inner truths, glimpses of the past or future, of possibilities still being written within the Force.

The point of the mirrors is to show you what you need to see, not what you want to see. What you do with that is, of course, up to you.

The Season of Light is a time of spiritual reflection. A time to look inward to consider one’s place within the galaxy. The Festival of Balance, as I understand it, is an opportunity to recognize others and their place in the Force.

We need to be better, Aida. All of us. We need to recognize what we have and help the galaxy cling on to it.

We will. The Jedi Order, the Republic—we’ll find a way. One day, we’ll be the beacon of peace that the galaxy needs.

A massive thud that shakes the entire city. The immense statue of a Jedi—the Protector—has come crashing down outside the city walls. A sudden hush comes over the city.

That statue…it was Jedha itself. The very core of who we are. The symbol of the Holy City. Without it… Without it we are just thugs fighting in the streets while the city crumbles.

It’s the reason we came here, to Jedha. A place of peace. A place where we could show two warring worlds what peace could look like. What it was to be protected and cherished by a community, rather than give yourself over to hate and mistrust. And now this. This is what we have wrought. Destruction and death.

Do not mourn for what might never be, Master Sho. Celebrate what has already been. In life, Keth wished only to make a difference.