Summary
- The Star Wars galaxy has a long history of violence, with light and dark forces constantly fighting for control. Even the Jedi, who are not supposed to be warriors, have grown up in the shadow of conflict.
- The High Republic Era, thought to be a golden age for the Jedi, was actually a time of unprecedented conflict. The Jedi Order clashed with the Nihil, a group of space pirates, and suffered devastating attacks. The fall of Starlight Beacon and the emergence of the Nameless have brought tragedy to a new generation of Younglings.
- Younglings in the Star Wars universe continue to suffer, even in the High Republic Era. Trauma and loss have caused some Younglings to lose their ability to use the Force, and they grapple with feelings of attachment and guilt. The story of these Younglings living through turmoil will be compelling but challenging.
Star Wars' next generation of Jedi Younglings have suffered a trauma just as great as Order 66. Envisioned as the revenge of the Sith, Order 66 was not the first Jedi Purge in history. In Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi, set during the High Republic Era two centuries before the Skywalker saga, saw members of the Jedi Council reflect on their past. "There have been times in our history when the Order was reduced to but a handful of members," Jedi Master Yarael Poof reflected.
This single line of dialogue confirms what has long been suspected; that the Star Wars galaxy has been locked in a cycle of violence for untold generations, with light and dark vying for control of the galaxy. Jedi are not supposed to be warriors, but countless generations of Jedi have grown up in the shadow of conflict. No doubt the Younglings have always suffered the most – the next generation of Jedi, the future of the Order, a perpetual target because of their limited ability to defend themselves.
