Star Wars: Escape From Valo Leans Into One Of The Franchise's Original Inspirations

This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars — The High Republic: Escape From Valo."

"Escape From Valo" is the latest novelized "Star Wars" offering in the era of "The High Republic." Written by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong, it follows the Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram (previously seen in books like "The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower" and "The High Republic: The Rising Storm") as he finds himself deep inside the Nihil Occlusion Zone, trapped on the planet Valo. Valo was the site of the Republic Fair — sort of an intergalactic World's Fair — and a brutal attack by the Nihil.

For those not up to date on the High Republic Era, the Nihil is a brutal band of pirates that uses secret paths in hyperspace lanes to maraud the Republic. After causing a massive calamity in hyperspace, they drew the attention of the Jedi, who became their sworn enemies. Upon attacking the Republic Fair and destroying the Jedi's Starlight Beacon (a symbol of hope on the frontier of the Republic), the Nihil retreated into their own territory and set up an Occlusion Zone. As seen in "Star Wars — The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness", the Occlusion Zone consists of what they call a "Stormwall," which prevents any space travel across it without their leave. By creating a grouping of planets that couldn't be harassed by the Jedi or the Republic, they were able to have their own lawless space. 

Many star systems found themselves trapped in Nihil space, as did many Jedi. Ram, stuck as he is on Valo, does his best to disrupt the Nihil and help the world's innocent people by disguising himself as a vigilante named "The Scarlet Skull." When his activity inspires copycats, he's shocked to discover those copycats are really a small band of Jedi Younglings who have been living in the remains of the old Zoo for the last year of the occupation on their own. As Ram tries to protect the Younglings, the Nihil begins closing in on them, setting them on a race to secure an important stash of bacta and medical supplies hidden at the bottom of a lake.

One of the reasons the Jedi are so intensely helpless against the Nihil has to do with the mysterious creatures dubbed "The Nameless." These monsters feed on the life force of those who wield the Force like the Jedi, turning them into ashen husks. Those that survive are paralyzed by fear and unable to tap into the Force. One such Youngling in the book encountered a Nameless during the attack on Valo and it left them so scarred that they couldn't tap into the Force for a full year, unable to quiet their mind.

"Escape From Valo," although not inherently vital to the continuing story of the High Republic, does advance our understanding of the Nameless and the precarious position the Nihil are in. They come to Valo in search of a medical treatment that will help them grow more Nihil. Other attempts to breed the creatures for their continuing war have been met with failure, but this treatment — which can be found at the bottom of a lake on Valo — is the key.

While it remains to be seen how this whole chain of events plays out in future High Republic installments, it shows how clever the writers are here. The Nameless are a big issue and their existence around the time of the Skywalker Saga would break most people's suspension of disbelief when it comes to the "Star Wars" universe. It would also make the work of the Inquisitorius a lot easier. But if there are medical advances and reasons (as presented in this book) that prevent the Nameless from being used later, that means the writers are planning for the future in careful ways.

"Escape From Valo" includes a  lot of touchstones to other parts of the "Star Wars" tapestry, including characters that are descendants of characters we met in the second phase of "The High Republic" — namely Maz Kanata's pirate gang from the Dark Horse Comics series "High Republic Adventures," which was also written by Older. The idea of the Scarlet Skulls came from these comics as well; they were a brutal gang that cut out the tongues of those initiated. Their name strikes fear in the hearts of those who hear it, and that's exactly why Ram chose that name. Even Therm Scissorpunch — everyone's favorite lobster-clawed scoundrel who first appeared in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" — and Dexter Jettster from "Attack of the Clones" get cameos here, as they were also part of Maz's original crew in those comics.

With the Younglings taking refuge in the Zoo on Valo, there were opportunities to incorporate many animals from the "Star Wars" saga and interact with the characters. These include Nexu, Acklays (including baby Acklay!), and Reeks, all seen in "Attack of the Clones," as well as Kryknas, the spider-creatures from "Star Wars Rebels," and Vulptices, the crystal foxes from "The Last Jedi." It was a really terrific way to connect a lot of disparate pieces from the "Star Wars" saga in a place that made sense.

My favorite inclusion to other bits of "Star Wars" in the book is the phrase "That's so wizard!" First uttered by Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in "The Phantom Menace," it became a popular exclamation among "Star Wars" fans and is about as perfect a phrase for kids as anything. Reading Jedi Younglings use the phrase is enough to put a smile on my face and probably yours too.

This book is nothing but adventurous fun. It feels partly like a "Zorro" serial, with the over-the-top secret identities and antics of the Scarlet Skulls. The adventure also has a pulsing beat, much like the original "Flash Gordon" serials that "Star Wars" owes so much of its tone to. It's just a rollicking lot of fun, and that's been one of the key ingredients in Older's previous middle-grade "Star Wars" literature. Adding Wong into the mix only magnifies the effect here.

For fans of that "Indiana Jones" type of pacing, this book is a perfect companion to that franchise. Those who are eager to keep up on every detail of "The High Republic" will certainly want to check out this book. That said, if you're just sticking to the main story, it's not mandatory reading.

Still, you'll be poorer for it. It's just a great time.

"Star Wars — The High Republic: Escape From Valo" is now available to purchase just about wherever you can buy books.