Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #11!
The suffering of the High Republic‘s most promising Padawan proves that Anakin Skywalker‘s transformation into Darth Vader would have been much darker if he lived during that particular era as opposed to when the Jedi fell in the prequel trilogy.
Lula Talisola of IDW Publishing’s Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures is undoubtedly the most talented of all Padawans in the High Republic, especially with the recent promotion of Keeve Trennis to Jedi Knight in Marvel’s series Star Wars: The High Republic. Usually a calm and collected Force-user who has proven herself on more than one occasion, Lula is currently so overwhelmed with feelings about the possibility of losing her friends that, for the first time, she cannot focus on what normally drives her, as revealed in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #11 by writer Daniel Jose Older, artist Harvey Tolibao, colorist Rebecca Nalty and letterer Jake M. Wood.
It’s much more understandable that Lula feels rage and fear in the IDW series than if another character did in Marvel’s parallel series. Although there is friendship in the latter series, Daniel Jose Older’s storytelling has effectively highlighted the relationship between his group of Padawans in an unrivaled manner through his employment of massive group hug sessions – of which there are several – and how he masterfully captures the interpersonal dynamics of the group despite their large number. While he has been able to focus on a few of them separately to deepen reader investment (as much as he can in just 11 issues, at least), Older usually creates two-page spreads that contain all of his Padawans together – each of whom has their own dialogue bubble as they talk amongst themselves, expanding upon their growing friendship. This close relationship among these Padawans would have made Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the dark side more likely had he lived during that time. It would have also forced him to betray more Jedi close to him rather than just Obi-Wan Kenobi in a more heartbreaking way.
Unlike during the prequels, the Jedi of the High Republic were much more lenient at the prospect of their members forming attachments. Many fans therefore rightfully came to the conclusion that these Jedi could’ve helped prevent Anakin’s betrayal since a major contributing factor that made him more susceptible to the allure of the dark side was his attachment to Padmé. Anakin was forced to keep his relationship a secret and later hide their marriage because the Jedi forbade these types of attachments. Had the Jedi been more forgiving of such sins Anakin may have not turned to Emperor Palpatine to help him save her.
Now IDW’s High Republic Adventures series adds a new variable to the mix that would have complicated his situation exceedingly. Anakin, who grew up as a slave with his mother whom he later had to leave behind, was already more reliant on close relationships than most Jedi. Upon losing his mother he was left with a void in much need of filling. In the High Republic, Anakin would have accomplished this by forming close friendships with the likes of Lula. However, if Lula, who started as a Padawan much earlier in life than Anakin did, is able to experience immense feelings in regards to losing her friends, then Anakin, an unexperienced Padawan who was already more prone to such emotions, would have stood no chance. As Darth Vader, a fallen Anakin Skywalker of the High Republic would not only have been likely tasked with killing Younglings like his future counterpart, but with murdering the very friends whom he was originally afraid of losing in the first place.
