For Phase One of The High Republic, there are many Jedi Masters, Knights, Padawans, and other characters that pull focus in the novels. But there have also been some endearing side characters that have stood out, and Lucasfilm saw an opportunity for added context to their characters. That is easier with species that can live at least a few hundred years, like Sav Malign and Porter Engle, who first appear in The High Republic Adventures and Light of the Jedi, respectively. 

Both are quirky but mysterious enough that readers might invest in a comic series to learn how they fit into the overall High Republic narrative. But are readers interested in the family dynamics of the Jedi Order through the eyes of a species that can remember their biological family?

Because how Porter Engle became the Blade of Bardotta is not the focus of Charles Soule’s The Blade (the planet doesn’t come up until the last few pages). The four-issue comic series introduces Barash Silvain as Engle’s adoptive sister, who finds a way to make a family within the Jedi Order and lets those attachments cloud her judgment while attempting a peaceful negotiation.

**Mild spoilers for The Blade**

The Story

The Blade occurs within the Phase Two timeline sometime after Princess Xiri and Phan-tu marry (Convergence). Porter is not yet the renowned cook and is stationed on the planet The BoneWorld along with Barash. While Porter is good with knives and a skilled fighter, Barash has a knack for sensing when people are telling the truth.

The two Jedi live a life of what Star Wars fans would consider a true Jedi and go where they feel they need most. It is why the position of Wayseekers, first introduced in Into the Dark, appealed to many readers. However, Porter and Barash are still in the Jedi Order and taking up cases from the Republic Office of the Frontier of member planets petitioning for the Jedi’s help. 

Barash senses they are needed on the Outer Rim planet of Gansevor, but the Republic office does not have transport going that way, so they must catch a ride with a Pathfinder team.

All of this further builds on the area’s remoteness and that they will be unable to reach the Republic if needed. And once the two arrive on Gansevor, there is a sense that nothing is what it seems. The city is home to a valuable mining resource, Baudraxite, central to the planet’s energy infrastructure and the primary resource Firevale trades with other cities on Gansevor. After a briefing from the Envoy, the two set out with supplies for Firevale to achieve a peaceful solution, understanding that there are vested interests that might be separate from the Jedi’s desired outcome. But they discover a culture so steeped in deception that it makes a lasting impression on the two Jedi. 

The story occasionally flashes back to Porter and Barash’s time as Younglings, then Padawans, but these are not overwhelming and avoid breaking the flow of the present narrative. These scenes are primarily to get a backstory for Barash to help inform her perspective as she navigates the politics of Gansevor. Wisely, Soule does not spend too much time getting our heroes to Firevale— they are there and in the thick of the drama by the end of issue #2, giving two issues to ramp up conflict and come to a resolution (though not in the way you might think).

The Characters

Porter appears front and center and is the sole figure on every issue, but this is just as much Barash’s story. Being a Kage, she remembers her early childhood, including her family of brothers and sisters, before the Jedi Order took her. Highlighting the reality that most Jedi never remember their biological families, this immediately endears the reader to Barash, and we understand why she asks Porter to be her brother. However, this attachment concerns the Order enough to attempt to separate the two as Padawans. The two figure out a way around that but good things always come to an end (as Barash reminds Porter that Kage do not live as long as Ikkrukkians). She certainly is not around during the events of Phase One. 

Speaking of Phases, Star Wars The High Republic: The Blade is the first part of a Phase of Porter Engle’s life—the end of Porter and Barash but the beginning of The Blade of Bardotta. A miniseries for Phase Three, Star Wars The High Republic: The Broken Blade, has been confirmed. So consider that this miniseries is part of Porter’s High Republic character journey.

In addition to our Jedi heroes, we have two star-crossed lovers, Prince Colden and Princess Sicatra, who are at the root of the conflict. The leader of the Bethunian faction laying siege on Firevale, Field Marshall Tozen, also has ulterior motives and enlists a Jedi-killer Mirialan named General Viess, escalating the situation. The Jedi’s presence sets off a domino effect for these characters that parallel (and differ) from the Eiram/E’ronoh conflict in surprising ways.

This is not the first time that Star Wars has presented us with an equivalent of a previous Star Wars character, only to add a twist. Colden and Sicatra are meant to mirror Xiri and Phan-tu (complete with a disapproving mother in Queen Keraan). But looks can be deceiving, even to a Jedi.

Canon Contributions

While we have seen the Kage species in canon before (starting with The Clone Wars episode “Bounty” and continuing in various novels and comics), The Blade reveals that they form memories at a very young age. 

Gansevor is a planet in the Tammuz Sector of The Outer Rim and is referred to as The Planet of Knives because of its sharp knife-like mountains and its people, who are more threatening than they initially appear. Is it a coincidence that a man who will be known as “The Blade” had a significant life-changing event occur on the “Planet of Knives”?

There is a brief panel in issue #2 with Envoy Seleen where the bottom of her dress seems to have yellow and orange sein jewels similar to Queen Amidala’s throne room dress in The Phantom Menace. While the Naboo Queen’s wardrobe is made and constructed by Naboo citizens, we know that Amidala had a skilled designer that utilized fabrics from across the galaxy for specific purposes. Perhaps there was influence from Gansevor. 

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If you are a Porter Engle fan, you might initially be disappointed that he is slightly sidelined in his series, but there is so much rich backstory that no doubt will pay off in Phase Three.