Star Wars: Cavan Scott Reveals What Scares the Jedi in The High Republic Phase III Finale

All good things must come to an end, and that rings true for Star Wars as well. The High Republic introduced Star Wars fans to new tales in a galaxy far, far away that took place centuries before the Skywalker Saga, during the golden age of the Jedi Order. Marvel has explored The High Republic across three different phases, with Phase III set to conclude in Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi. New York Times Bestselling author Cavan Scott, one of the architects behind previous High Republic projects, returns to pen Fear of the Jedi and wrap up the story of Jedi Master Keeve Trennis.

ComicBook spoke to Cavan Scott about Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi and about concluding Phase III of The High Republic. We checked in to find out Scott’s highlights about Phase III, the meaning behind the Fear of the Jedi title, the appearance of The Acolyte‘s Wookiee Jedi Master Kelnacca, and bringing Keeve Trennis’ story arc to an end. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at interior pages for Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi #1 by artist Marika Cresta (Doctor Aphra).

[RELATED: Star Wars: The Acolyte Finale Includes Massive Franchise Cameo]

ComicBook: You’ve been involved with The High Republic storytelling for some time, and now you’re back to wrap up Phase III with Fear of the Jedi. What have you enjoyed the most about the Phase III era of Star Wars storytelling?

Cavan Scott: It’s been so much fun bringing everything together, including elements from Phase II (especially the character of Tey Sirrek who first appeared in the second phase and has lived quite a life since.) It’s been such a joy to see all of my fellow High Republic creators nail the landing in their respective stories, playing out events we started planning seven years ago! The High Republic has been a huge part of my life since the first day we all sat around a table at Skywalker Ranch and such an incredible experience. And we’re now — finally — in the end game!

Fear of the Jedi is an ominous title when you consider how Jedi are trained to overcome fear because it leads to the dark side of the Force. What can you tell us about the title’s meaning and if it foreshadows dark times ahead?

At the end of our first week of planning what would become The High Republic back in 2018, I asked a question: ‘What scares the Jedi?’ It became a question for the initiative as a whole, and, in this series, I attempt to answer it, focusing on the fears on one particular Jedi: Keeve Trennis, who has been largely our hero throughout Marvel’s High Republic run. Keeve has been through a lot, and has never been afraid to question herself. Now, after recent events, she has started to question the Jedi Order in total. As we know from the 2019 audio drama, Dooku: Jedi Lost, Keeve goes on to become one of the Lost, Jedi Masters who leave the Order. This last series will reveal why.

Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi Master from The Acolyte, is a guest star in Fear of the Jedi. How did knowing Kelnacca’s fate in The Acolyte shape how you fleshed out the Wookiee’s backstory?

His fate didn’t factor in so much, but I jumped straight to scripting Fear of the Jedi from writing last year’s Kelnacca one-shot to tie into The Acolyte, so was happy to also be able to bring back his Padawan Yarzion Vell. I love how all these stories come together in Star Wars, and stoic — often brusque — Kelnacca is such fun to write.

Keeve Trennis has been a focus of your previous High Republic stories and is the main character here. What are your thoughts on her character arc, and has it progressed how you envisioned it in those opening chapters?

Everything I’ve written for Keeve has been leading up to this point. I wrote a draft of her final scene on the same day as I submitted issue one five years ago, so I’ve always known where she was headed. It was an emotional day when I finally got around to including it in the script for the final issue. Some of the details needed to be tweaked, because characters and situations evolve over time, but the scene is largely the same as it was back in 2020 when I saved it in a folder titled, rather ominously, ‘The End!’

Keeve means a lot to me, as does her Jedi master, Sskeer. It’s a weird feeling. I feel as if I’ve watched her grow up on the page, and now she’s exactly where I knew she would be. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved with the initiative as a whole, and the Marvel run in particular. Over 40 issues of storytelling? That’s no small achievement, and it’s all thanks to the readers who have supported us every step of the way.

To wrap up, what are you most excited for Star Wars fans to see and experience in Fear of the Jedi, and what can you say (if anything) about what lies beyond Phase III?

Aside from Keeve’s fate, there is trauma to come for Tey and conflict for Lourna Dee, who I will miss writing! Fear of the Jedi is everything I love in Star Wars. Adventure, space battles, giant monsters and wonderful character moments that will break your heart one minute and warm it the next. As for life beyond, Phase III, well, this is the end of the story that we’ve been planning since 2018, but not for the High Republic as a whole. There are always more stories to tell….