Star Wars: The High Republic Reveals Trials of the Jedi and Night of Sorrow

On Saturday at Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm Publishing revealed new details about what’s next for Star Wars: The High Republic, including the Night of Sorrow, one of the darkest chapters in Jedi history, and Trials of the Jedi, Phase III of the Star Wars: High Republic initiative. The Star Wars: The High Republic panel occurred on the Galaxy Stage at 1 p.m. GMT on Saturday, April 8th in London.  Krystina Ariell, host of StarWars.com‘s The High Republic Show moderated the panel. Joining her were Star Wars: The High Republic authors Claudia Gray, Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule, with SVP of Franchise Content and Strategy at Lucasfilm James Waugh, and Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director Michael Siglain. 

The panel began with a reminder about the upcoming spring Star Wars: The High Republic releases, including the novels Path of Vengeance by Scott, Quest for Planet X by Tessa Gratton, and Cataclysm by Kang. The panel then revealed never-before-seen spreads from Older’s, details about the upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic YA anthology Tales of Light and Life, and an exclusive “Night of Sorrow” visual.

Star Wars: The High Republic Phase III: Trials of the Jedi

Looking to the future, the Star Wars: The High Republic Panel revealed that Alyssa Wong had joined the project’s writing team. Wong has been writing Marvel Comics Doctor Aphra ongoing series since it relaunched in 2020.

The panel then revealed the full list of upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic novels, including publishers, authors, and titles from the first wave of Phase III (Nov. 2023 – Spring 2025). Phase III begins with the adult novel The Eye of Darkness by Mann, the middle-grade novel Escape from Valo by Older and Wong, and the young adult novel Defy the Storm by Gratton and Justina Ireland. Subsequent adult novels include Temptation of the Force by Gratton and Trials of the Jedi by Soule. Future young adult novels include Tears of the Nameless by Mann and Into the Light by Gray. Middle-grade novels will be Beware the Nameless by Zoraida Cordova and A Valiant Vow by Ireland.

Vernestra Rwoh in Star Wars: The Acolyte

Leslye Headland, the executive producer and creator of the upcoming Disney+ series , appeared at the end of the panel, joined by actor Rebecca Henderson. Headland announced that Henderson would play Vernestra Rwoh, a Jedi from the High Republic era, in The Acolyte.  

Venestra “Vern” Rwoh debuted in the first Star Wars: The High Republic release, Soule’s Light of the Jedi. Since then, she’s appeared in Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic comic book series and Star Wars: The High Republic novels including A Test of Courage, The Rising Storm, Race to Crashpoint Tower, Out of the Shadows, and Mission to Disaster. Rwoh is the former padawan of the great Jedi Stellan Gios. She obtained the rank of Jedi Knight at 15 years old, making her the youngest Jedi Knight in some time. By the time Star Wars: The Acolyte takes place, she should have plenty of experience under her belt.