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Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8 hints at a future appearance from Maz Kanata, who might show new ways to utilize the Force.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8 and Justina Ireland’s Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, both on sale now.
While Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures had a mini arc focusing on negotiations with the Hutts against the Drengir, a new arc reunites the young Jedi Padawans and their friends in the battle against the Nihil. In Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8, the Nihil decide to attack the Jedi Temple on Takodana. The temple is defended by a lone Jedi, Sav Malagan, and the series also hints that Maz Kanata may be making an appearance in this arc as well. While Maz is allied with the Jedi and has some Force sensitivity, she is not a Jedi herself, and her unique position in regards to the Jedi Order may make her a good candidate to be a mentor, particularly to Zeen Mrala, who also is Force-sensitive but not a member of their order.
Even though Maz does not make an on page appearance, her presence is still felt throughout Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #8 (by Daniel José Older, Toni Bruno, Rebecca Nalty, Jake M. Wood, Riley Farmer and Heather Antos). In the issue, a Galactic Data File on Takodana includes a map of the area surrounding the Jedi Temple, but the map also highlights Maz’s Castle, its “ancient defensive passageways” and “Maz’s library and private museum.” While these locations are not featured in the current issue, their presence on the map hints that these locations will in all probability be important later on. At the end of the issue, Sav mentions that “Maz is heading over with some of her crew to help.” Since the young Jedi Padawans and their friends are also heading to Takodana to lend their aid, it is likely that they will meet up with Maz sooner rather than later.
Maz’s presence in the High Republic era has already been mentioned in the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries. In Justina Ireland’s Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, Sylvestri Yarrow and her girlfriend Jordanna Sparkburn plan to seek out employment on Takodana on the suggestion of Xylan Graf. Sylvestri and Jordanna’s plan to go to Takodana means that they may appear in this arc as well. In a note to Syl, Xylan mentions a “friend on Takodana who is always looking for enterprising new partners,” and later on Syl’s estranged mother, Chancey Yarrow, confirms that this friend is Kanata. Maz’s affiliation with the Grafs and Xylan Graf in particular places her in a morally grey area, especially since Xylan allied himself with the Nihil to attempt to build a superweapon to knock ships out of hyperspace. Still, as a pirate queen, it is expected for her to be allied with many parties, including some that are outside of the law.
In the sequel era, Maz is over a thousand years old, and she has been running her castle for a millennium. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kanata alludes to her own Force sensitivity when she tells Rey, “I am no Jedi, but I know the Force.” In an unreleased deleted scene, Maz uses the Force to collapse a tunnel on Stormtroopers during the attack on her castle. Throughout the sequel trilogy, Kanata is a stalwart fighter for the light even though she is not an official member of the Jedi Order.
In the High Republic era, Kanata’s status as a Force sensitive individual who is allied with but not a part of the Jedi Order could make her an excellent mentor for the young Jedi and their friends, particularly Zeen Mrala. Zeen is being trained by the Jedi to hone her Force abilities, but she is not currently set to become a Jedi herself because of how late she began her training. Furthermore, Zeen was raised by the Elders of the Path who forbade any usage of the Force and shunned Force sensitive individuals. Her childhood best friend, Krix Kamerat, has joined with the Nihil and is dead set on destroying the Jedi, in part because he views Zeen’s secret Force abilities as a personal betrayal. Zeen is set to encounter Krix again on Takodana, and a supportive presence like Maz could help her find her place within the Force and make peace with her past.
Therefore, like Yoda, the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries will show a younger version of Maz, but she may still play a similar role in the subseries as she does in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the rest of the sequel trilogy. Since the subseries is exploring different ways of approaching the Force through other characters, Kanata’s Force sensitivity may contribute to this portrayal. As the young Jedi journey to Takodana to aid the Jedi Temple in the fight against the Nihil, Maz may provide the young Padawans and their friends with a new perspective on the Force and their role within the galaxy.
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