Star Wars Reveals New Jedi With Dark Rey-Like Lightsaber

By Benny Stein Posted: January 28, 2021

As the Star Wars universe continues to grow, the franchise is expanding past strictly film and into the realms of television, comics, and even more. The most high-profile of these new comic ventures specifically is Star Wars: The High Republic , a sort of cross-media endeavor spanning across comics, books, and web shorts.

Set 200 years before even the earliest film in the franchise, this project pits the Jedi against a new foe — the nefarious Nihil. The story of The High Republic kicks off with an event called "The Great Disaster," something fans can see for themselves in the already released Light of the Jedi .

Divided into three phases ( Light of the Jedi , Quest of the Jedi , and Trials of the Jedi) , The High Republic is set to give fans a look at a new chapter of the Star Wars universe, though some imagery may call back to other well-known entries in the series.

REMINISCENT OF REY

In the most recent episode of Star Wars: The High Republic Show , fans were treated to a look at a brand new Jedi, named Orla Jareni. Shown off in a single piece of concept art, the character appears to be decked out in classic Jedi form, sporting a white tunic accentuated with gold highlights.

Notably, Jareni is shown with a hinged double-blade lightsaber, something that the video makes note of as quite similar to the one Dark Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) wielded in a vision in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

A DARK SIDE TO THIS NEW JEDI?

While little else has been revealed about Orla Jareni, this minute detail may be a hint at the character's future. The video mentions the connection with Ridley's Dark Rey, so the creators may have had this dark turn in mind when writing the new character.

Additionally, with this character design borrowing from underused imagery in the larger Star Wars world, we may see more of this in the rest of The High Republic series, allowing fans to get a more fleshed-out look at some interesting visual ideas from the franchise.

Even so, this is only speculation, and for a real understanding of the character, fans will have to keep up with the ongoing story of The High Republic .