"I have taught you everything I know. And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."
asters and apprentices are as integral to the Star Wars mythos as starships and lightsabers. Given the franchise’s roots in Joseph Campbell’s work and the importance of a mentor in the Hero’s Journey, the master-apprentice relationship is foundational to the universe George Lucas created and that we have enjoyed for so long. In following the framework that Campbell illustrated, Star Wars follows a nearly universal pattern in human storytelling that transcends time and culture. In that sense, the crucial role of a mentor—a Master—in Star Wars storytelling is arguably one of the elements that have helped the franchise endure for generations.
“Meeting the mentor” is a critical step in the Hero’s Journey. Without the mentor, the would-be hero is reluctant to leave their everyday life—it might be late, and they might need to go home. But the mentors’ skills and knowledge give the hero what they need to leave their comfort zone. The hero is only ready to embark on the adventure after meeting the mentor.
In the Star Wars universe, encountering and training under a master is also crucial in our favorite characters’ arcs. In the life of a Jedi, the relationship between master and apprentice often becomes the most important relationship many of our antagonists have. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan; Obi-Wan and Anakin; Anakin and Ahsoka.
The dynamics we see on screen between Jedi Masters and their Padawans find parallels in Star Wars literature and a mirror in the ways of the Sith. We explore on-screen master-apprentice relationships even further. We meet new pairings, like Loden and Bell or Cohmac and Reath. We read about what Jedi apprenticeship looked like hundreds or even thousands of years earlier and Luke’s own efforts to train a new generation of apprentices. We also find out what happened between Darth Plagueis and his apprentice and precisely why “always two there, no more, no less.”
Whether you want more adventures from duos you’ve already seen on screen or meet new mentors, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in these books.
Coming Soon
Our team is hard at work building out this collection. Stay tuned!
Books in this Collection
Brotherhood
Brotherhood is an adult novel by Mike Chen and focuses on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker must stem the tide of the raging Clone Wars and forge a new bond as Jedi Knights.
The Clone Wars have begun. Battle lines are being drawn throughout the galaxy. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.
After an explosion devastates Cato Neimoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order's most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Neimoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy—and senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.
Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone–and his former master's insistence that he listen this time—Anakin’s headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party, and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.
Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal—but uncertain—footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together—and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Neimoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers.
The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
The High Republic: Light of the Jedi is a canon novel. It is the first volume and part of the first wave in Phase 1 of the multimedia project Star Wars: The High Republic.
The events of the novel are set 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace. . . Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic
It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. But even the brightest light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any preparation.
When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives.
Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi's heart.
Obi-Wan & Anakin: (Trade Paperback)
Before their military heroism in the Clone Wars, before their tragic battle on Mustafar, and many decades before their final confrontation on the Death Star, they were Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. Now join them a few years into the "chosen one" Anakin's training. Teacher and student have grown closer over time, but it's been a difficult road. And things aren't about to get any easier. In fact, when they are called to a remote planet for assistance, the pair may be pushed to breaking point. As they find themselves stranded on a strange world of primitive technology and deadly natives, will they be able to save themselves? First they must learn who called for help…and why!
The High Republic (2021) Vol. 1: There is No Fear (Trade Paperback)
The High Republic Vol. 1 There is No Fear
A canon trade paperback that collects issues 1-5 of the Marvel comic-book series Star Wars: The High Republic
A new era of Star Wars storytelling begins! Journey back to the High Republic — the golden age of the Jedi! Centuries before the Empire and the Skywalker saga, the Jedi are at their height, protecting the galaxy as Republic pioneers push out into new territories. But as the frontier prepares for the dedication of the majestic Starlight Beacon, Padawan Keeve Trennis faces the ultimate choice — will she complete her Jedi trials, or rescue the innocent from disaster? And can she trust her closest ally? Enter a rich and vast world of new Jedi! New worlds! New ships! And new evils to fight — including the terrifying Nihil!
COLLECTING: Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) #1-5
The High Republic: Midnight Horizon
The High Republic: Midnight Horizon
This is a canon young adult novel and part of the third wave in Phase 1 of the multimedia project Star Wars: The High Republic.
Two hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, in the era of the glorious High Republic, the Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy!
After a series of staggering losses, the Republic seems to finally have the villainous Nihil marauders on the run, and it looks like there's light at the end of the tunnel. Until word comes of a suspected Nihil attack on the industrial cosmopolitan world of Corellia, right in the Galactic Core.
Sent to investigate are Jedi Masters Cohmac Vitus and Kantam Sy, along with Padawans Reath Silas and Ram Jomaram, all fighting their own private battles after months of unrelenting danger. On Corellia, Reath and Ram encounter a brazen young security specialist named Crash, whose friend was one of the victims of the Nihil attack, and they team up with her to infiltrate Corellia's elite while the Masters pursue more diplomatic avenues. But going undercover with Crash is more dangerous than anyone expected, even as Ram pulls in his friend Zeen to help with an elaborate ruse involving a galactic pop star.
But what they uncover on Corellia turns out to be just one part of a greater plan, one that could lead the Jedi to their most stunning defeat yet….
The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City
The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City
Daring pilots chart new routes through hyperspace, while Pathfinder teams make contact with frontier worlds to invite them to join the Republic. When a Pathfinder team's communications droid is found drifting in space, damaged and bearing a cryptic message, Jedi Knight Silandra Sho and her Padawan, Rooper Nitani, are sent to find the missing team members. Their investigation leads them to the planet Gloam, a ravaged world said to be haunted by mythical monsters.
Padawan
Padawan is a young-adult novel by Kiersten White and will focus on Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
Obi-Wan Kenobi struggles with his place in the Force as a young Padawan in this coming-of-age adventure!
Obi-Wan Kenobi really wants to be a good Padawan. The best Padawan, even. But that’s feeling more and more impossible with his new master, Qui-Gon Jinn. All of Obi-Wan’s friends are off training to be real Jedi, getting mission experience, while he's still on Coruscant, practicing his forms and sitting in silent contemplation. Ever since Qui-Gon's former master, Dooku, left the Order, it feels like Qui-Gon has been too busy trying to connect with the Force or arguing with the Jedi Council to properly train his Padawan.
When Obi-Wan finally convinces Qui-Gon to take him on a mission to a remote planet once explored by an ancient Jedi, his master doesn't show up the morning they are to leave—so Obi-Wan impulsively takes off by himself. Upon arriving on the mysterious, lush planet, he encounters a group of teenagers with no adult supervision—and who all seem to have some connection to the Force. Free from the constraints of the Order, Obi-Wan joins them in their daring adventures, but the Padawan side of him keeps questioning the teens' strange relationship to the Force, and to the verdant planet around them, and what all of it might mean to his future. Obi-Wan will test the limits of his relationship to the Jedi and to the Force in this exciting, yet soulful exploration of one of Star Wars' most enduring heroes.
