A sentient rock named Geode that debuted in the novel The High Republic: Into the Dark just made his first appearance in IDW Publishing’s comic book series, Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures.
The male Vintian’s main role in the novel involves transporting Jedi to Starlight Beacon as a navigator of the transport starship Vessel. But Geode quickly became known among readers for his strange appearance (he’s literally a giant rock slab) and his ability to both startle and disconcert his Jedi passengers. Although seemingly just a tall, gray monolith of stone, the Vintian has a tendency to suddenly appear in different locations despite having no noticeable appendages that make movement possible. The fact that he doesn’t possess a mouth also makes Geode unsettling as he always responds with ominous silence.
Geode’s odds traits are put to better use in the comics when his ship is pirated by Jabba the Hutt’s bounty hunters in Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #6 by writer Daniel Jose Older and artist Harvey Tolibao. The bounty hunters take control of the ship during peace negotiations between the Hutts and the Jedi and fire down upon the proceedings. Since the Jedi arrived on Vessel, this creates the impression that the Jedi used the talks as a ruse to attack the Hutts.
During the ship’s assault on the proceedings, the Vessel‘s crew and passengers are held at gunpoint so that the bounty hunters can man the guns. However, Geode is able to escape by disappearing and suddenly reappearing in the cockpit next to one of the pirates who had been piloting his ship. This creeps out the bounty hunter to such an extent that he immediately gives up the controls and flees, referring to Geode as an “evil stone thing.” This allows Geode to safely steer (without arms) the ship away from the peace negotiations while his crewmates and passengers take advantage of the ensuing chaos by hiding from their captors.
Some Star Wars fans have been overly critical of Geode due to his unprecedented appearance, claiming that he is nothing more than a rock. But fans need to remember that many of the species in Star Wars are just ridiculous and humorous like Jabba the Hutt’s Kowakian monkey-lizard named Salacious B. Crumb. His only purpose is to look disgusting and cackle. Plus, nothing about Geode is any worse than the likes of Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks. Additionally, Geode’s ability to unnerve those who are unfamiliar with him and his idiosyncrasies is just hilarious, and the comics have proven that they can also be of use in battle or, at least, when ships have been commandeered.
Even more so, Geode shares some sort of connection with Padawan Qort, a mysterious character that Star Wars readers know almost nothing about. For example, Qort’s speech is never translated. It’s just a bunch of random characters. Even his species is unknown except that he has deep blue skin with brown eyes and wears a skull on his face. It’s only appropriate that the only way in which readers can learn anything about a mysterious character like Quort is from a reticent rock.
