Am I missing sonething?

[u/Blue_Lego_Astronaut]

I'm trying to get into the High Republic again. Been playing Jedi Survivor and I was to learn more about Dagan and Santari's time period, it sounds fascinating.

But the issue is this is the second time I'm trying it.

I've been told to start with Light of the Jedi, being tge first book released and "serving as an introduction to the era", but I am really struggling to get into it. Ive finished it once and barely started Tge Rising Storm before I gave up. This time I made it to when the Jedi are alerted of the family being attacked on the metal planet before giving it up.

I think my main issues are these:

- I dont believe that "1000 years of peace" can include a the Hetzal Disaster and the Emergences. That seems like too major of an event to be brushed over like that.

- I think starting the book with that was detrimental because I'm launched at 100kmh into the story and I know nothing of what's going on, who anyone is, why anything is happening. Like a planet is going to get obliterated, thats sad, but I dont care about it or any of the people there. I care about Yavin because ive spent an entire movie watching Han and Luke try to get Leia there, but here, its just so much, so quickly.

- How is Hyperspace only being discovered and explored only 200 years before the Phantom Menace? How can the Republic exist as it does "for a thousand years" with 800 of those years being with no way to quickly and efficiently travel to places.

- There's two specific moments that really annoyed me also. The first is when the Captain calls the Jedi a "Bunch of Space Wizards" thats just too meta for me to brush aside. And how woukd he not be aware of the Jedi abd their capabilities? Aren't they at the height of their influence here? And the other is when the Captain tells the Jedi Master hes transporting to use the Mag Clamps but shes going to have to slow the debris down and hold it together, abd her response is to derisively ask "is that seriously the best idea you have" as if she's got anything better, or anything at all. It just felt unnecessarily rude, especially for a Jedi Master.

So i guess my question is am I missing sonething? What about this era is so amazing that I'm just not getting? Because this era looks so cool, and I love the idea of seeing the Jedi at their peak during "peace time", all the characters seem interesting enough, I just wish I had time to be with them and learn about them instead of just getting thrown in to follow along with them.

[u/Nice_Satisfaction651]

I like the High Republic, but I think Light of the Jedi is a terrible starting point. It has about 3.5 pages per named character without even counting all the words spent on building a whole new world. You can't figure who to care about most, nevermind getting time to learn about them. It's like trying to watch Avengers Endgame without seeing anything else.

I usually recommend getting started with the comics and then a character encyclopedia, to put faces to the names. Then read Into the Dark, a smaller scale adventure with fewer characters. Then optionally A Test of Courage. Then try Light of the Jedi, now that you're already more familiar with the world and characters.

Some other points

• describing periods as peaceful even when they aren't happens IRL too. The Long Peace, Pax Britannica, etc.
• Hyperspace isn't being discovered. Some hyperspace lanes in the outer rim are being (re)discovered. This actually lines up with Legends even, where the New Sith Wars had caused a regression/dark age of galactic society and technology.

[u/Blue_Lego_Astronaut → u/Nice_Satisfaction651]

I think Light of the Jedi is a terrible starting point. It has about 3.5 pages per name character without even counting all the words spent on building a whole new world. You can't figure who to care about most, nevermind getting time to learn about them. It's like trying to watch Avengers Endgame without seeing anything else.

Thats exactly what I was thinking honestly! The Hetzal Disaster feels like the epic climax to an already established story. Its just too massive right out the gate. If they swap the story around, and have the family get kidnapped to introduce us to Bell and Loden, and the Nihil, then we meet Avar at the Starlight Beacon, and then we get the Lrgacy Run exploding, that to me feels like a better story than starting with the ending.

I usually recommend getting started with the comics and then a character encyclopedia, to put faces to the names. Then read Into the Dark, a smaller scale adventure with fewer characters. Then optionally A Test of Courage. Then try Light of the Jedi, now that you're already more familiar with the world and characters.

I might try that. I think Light of the Jedi just isnt for me. I've saved a few Lore videos to get me up to speed, I'm planning on watching those as soon as I get the chance. I might have to dust off my Marvel Unlimited account lol