Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #7!
The Jedi of the High Republic era actually used their fear and learned from it, rather than rejecting it as an emotion to avoid. This is seen in a recent Star Wars comic when a Padawan named Farzala finds himself in captivity and is forced to rely on the teachings of his Master Obtratuk Glii about the importance of fear. Grappling with this emotion helps Farzala escape his imprisonment and save the day like a boss.
Farzala finds himself in this unfortunate predicament after peace talks with the Hutts end in disaster in IDW’s Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures. The ship that had transported him and his Jedi companions to the proceedings is commandeered by Jabba the Hutt’s goons, who fire down upon the pivotal engagement to create the impression that the Jedi have used the prospect of peace as a guise to gain access to and slaughter the Hutts. Jabba the Hutt’s act of sabotage is quite effective, and his clan immediately incarcerates Farzala in a cage that hangs precariously above terrifying creatures.
In Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #7 by writer Daniel Jose Older and artist Harvey Tolibao, Farzala can’t help but feel afraid during his imprisonment. The fact that he’s even experiencing fear causes him to worry about how Jedi are not supposed to have such an emotion, a worry that causes the young Padawan to spiral into other negative places within the dark recesses of his mind. He only finds comfort in thinking about his master Obtratuk Glii who taught him that fear is actually not the enemy. In recalling the pivotal lesson, Farzala remembers Glii revealing that fear can actually teach him. To prove his point, Glii explains that a Jedi can’t hope to overcome something like fear if he never experiences it or learn about something he’s never felt. The master goes so far as to say that Jedi who pretend they don’t feel fear are fools: “Each time we feel fear, it is an opportunity to become better at overcoming fear!“
Remembering that final quote empowers Farzala to face what he’d been fearing ever since he was captured: the prospect of his looming death. He accomplishes this by thinking back on Glii’s words about how death makes Jedi one with the Force, giving Farzala the courage to swing his overhanging cage until it breaks, freeing the Padawan from his imprisonment to save the day.
This is an important lesson, not just for Padawans, but for Jedi Masters as well. Jedi have always endeavored to reject fear, especially Yoda. They view it as an emotion that can never be experienced, for it serves as a gateway to more powerfully destructive feelings, such anger and hate, before succumbing to the dark side of the Force. It’s one of the main reasons why Yoda initially refuses Qui-Gon Jinn’s request to train Anakin Skywalker. He has too much fear in him, as Yoda says. If Anakin’s master had been Glii, could the Jedi Master have helped the boy from becoming Darth Vader? It’s possible. This just adds to another theory that the High Republic‘s view on attachments could have prevented Anakin’s betrayal of the Jedi. It seems Anakin may have been born during the Star Wars wrong era.
