Jedi Knight Reath Silas is one of the main protagonists of the epic space opera Star Wars metaseries Star Wars: The High Republic.
Silas was a young member of the Jedi Order who lacked the adventurous spirit that many of his compatriots possessed. He was, however, a keen student of history and culture who engrossed himself in the Jedi Archives on Coruscant whenever he got the opportunity. He had an unfortunate lack of talent which he made up for with sheer effort and dedication.
Eventually, Reath was forced to travel to the Galactic Frontier by his Master Jora Malli who wanted him to experience the galaxy properly. However, Silas, his fellow Jedi, and various disparate groups became stranded on the mysterious Amaxine station when the Great Hyperspace Disaster occurred. Onboard the station, Silas befriended the Frontier girl Nan and worked alongside the other Jedi to maintain order among the stranded. Upon returning to Coruscant at the end of the crisis, Silas discovered that Nan had been a member of the space-faring marauder gang called the Nihil, a group that had taken the life of his master Malli while Reath had been stranded on the Amaxine station.
Alongside his allies, Silas returned to the station to stop Nan and the Nihil from gaining access to the station's secrets. Reath was forced to face dual threats on the station: the Nihil and the sentient carnivorous plant species called the Drengir, the latter of which had been accidentally awoken by the Jedi. Silas and his Jedi comrades were able to stop the Nihil from weaponizing the space station, although Nan survived and the Drengir were unleashed upon the galaxy. Deciding that he wanted to honor his late master's memory, Silas chose Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus as his new mentor and chose to stay on the Frontier rather than returning to the Temple on Coruscant.
Roles[]
In Phase I: Light of the Jedi, Reath Silas appears as the main protagonist of the 2021 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, a cameo character in the 2021 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi and the 2021-2022 comic series Star Wars: The High Republic, the tritagonist of the 2021 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows, a minor character in the 2023 short story collection Star Wars: The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life, a cameo character in the 2021-2022 comic series Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, a minor character in the 2023 short story The Lonely Traveler is Home, and the deuteragonist of the 2022 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon.
In Phase III: Trials of the Jedi, Silas appears as a minor character in the 2023-2024 comic miniseries Star Wars: The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight, a cameo character in the 2023 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness, and a supporting character in the 2024 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm. He is set to return in the 2024 novel Star Wars: The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless.
Synopsis[]
History[]
Reath Silas was a Force-sensitive Human native to Coruscant, the ecumenopolis capital planet of the democratic Galactic Republic. Born in approximately 249 BBY during the High Republic Era, Silas was discovered by the Jedi Order at a young age and inducted into their ranks. He was raised in the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant, where he was taught how to harness his connection to the Force and how to adhere to the light side of the Force by avoiding worldly attachments. Silas's connection to the Force wasn't as strong as a typical Jedi's, yet he made up for his natural shortcomings through hard work and discipline.
After receiving training during his formative years, Silas was selected as the Padawan learner of Jedi Master Jora Malli—a member of the Jedi High Council. Through his master, Silas became acquainted with Jedi Knight Dez Rydan who had been Malli's previous Padawan. Reath Silas much preferred studying history and culture in the Jedi Archives on Coruscant than partaking in expeditions, which was in juxtaposition with Rydan's adventurous personality.
Outbound for Starlight[]
Speeder Chase on Coruscant[]
| “ | My first Padawan craved endless adventure. My second one would happily avoid it. What both of you actually needed was the same thing: balance. I found it for him, and I've found it for you. | „ |
| ~ Malli telling Silas the good that travelling to the frontier would do for him. |
In 232 BBY, Silas accompanied his master in a PI-R airspeeder as they pursued a skiff full of thieves who had stolen valuable ores that were being used for construction. Having skilfully piloted the vehicle through the spires of Coruscant, Reath was eventually able to latch onto the escaping speeder with a tow cable. However, the skiff began a nose dive in the hopes that it would force the Jedi to release their cable. Silas wasn't dissuaded however, as he knew his master planned to jump to the skiff and force the vehicle to stop. Just as intended, Malli was able to reach the skiff and force the pilot to stop with a Jedi mind trick.
An hour later, after they oversaw the arrest and processing of the thieves, Malli informed Silas that they would be leaving Coruscant soon and travelling to the Galactic Frontier. Malli had been offered the position of Marshal of the "Starlight Beacon," a massive space station nearing completion that would help bring the innovations and culture of the Republic to the worlds of the frontier, and so was required to move to that region of the galaxy for the foreseeable future. In order to give the reluctant Silas more time to say goodbye to Coruscant, Malli travelled to the Starlight Beacon alone and scheduled his journey for a later date.
The Great Hyperspace Disaster[]
| “ | 'Adventure' is usually a euphemism for 'going places that have lots of bugs,' I mean, I know bugs have their place in the Force and are living beings in their own right... but that doesn't mean I want them in my socks. | „ |
| ~ Reath complaining about his assignment to another Padawan. |
Weeks later, Reath's fellow Padawans threw a farewell party to commemorate his new assignment. After detangling himself from the party, Silas headed to the spaceport where he was greeted by those who would accompany him on the trip—Dez Rydan, Jedi Master Cohmac Vitus, and Wayseeker Jedi Master Orla Jareni. Eventually their transport, a starship called the "Vessel," arrived to collect them. Silas and the other Jedi met the crew of the Vessel, which consisted of the eccentric Captain Leox Gyasi, the teenage co-pilot Affie Hollow, and the Vintian navigator known as Geode.
During the journey, Silas was eating in the ship's mess area when he was approached by Geode and Hollow. Hollow, who was from the frontier herself, knew next to nothing about the Jedi and was interested in learning about them; so Silas gave her a brief description.
As the Vessel travelled through hyperspace, Gyasi relayed troubling news to the passengers and crew: for reasons unknown, hyperspace was filled with debris that could easily destroy the Vessel if a collision were to occur. Fortunately, Gyasi was able to to make it passed the debris with only minor damage. Seeing as the starship repair knowledge of the older Jedi was less recent than his own, Silas exited his jump seat and ran off to assist Affie Hollow with emergency repairs.
Assault on Mulita[]
| “ | The Force surrounds us... it is the light. The Force dwells in us... the Force flows through us... the Force protects us... the Force is light... for the Force is strong. For the Force is light. For the Force is life. For the Force is life. | „ |
| ~ Silas and the other Jedi harmonizing in order to cripple the Drengir. |
Reath Silas battling the hordes of Drengir on Mulita.
In 231 BBY, Reath Silas and his master Cohmac Vitus participated in an attack on the Wild Space planet Mulita, the homeworld of the Drengir where their Great Progenitor resided. The goal of the strike team, which consisted of a joint coalition between Jedi and Hutt Cartel forces, was to forcefully place the Great Progenitor into stasis. Because the Drengir shared a hivemind called the "rootmind," every single Drengir in the galaxy would also fall into stasis if their leader did. Upon reaching the planet surface, the Jedi and the Hutt Cartel were faced with hordes of Drengir that threatened to overwhelm them.
To make matters worse, the Drengir had infected the minds of massive arthropods native to the planet and were using them to bolster their numbers. In order to turn the tide, Silas and the other Jedi used the Force to connect to one another by using Jedi Master Avar Kriss as a conduit. By combining their will, the Jedi were collectively able to sever the Great Progenitor's connection to the rootmind. With the Drengir forces unfocused, Silas and the Jedi twins Ceret and Terec used the opportunity to activate a stasis field that trapped the Progenitor. With their leader defeated the Drengir were, after months of devastation, affectively pacified.
Powers & Abilities[]
Abilities[]
- Expert Duellist: Like all Jedi, Reath Silas trained from a young age in the use of a lightsaber. Silas was a highly talented duellist who, despite his disinterest in fieldwork, consistently scored at the top of his Padawan class's lightsaber duelling ranking. He demonstrated a preference for "Form III: Soresu," the lightsaber combat style most tailored to defense. Soresu employed tight, deliberate movements designed to conserve the user's energy and wear down an opponent, therefore creating opportunities to launch decisive counterattacks. As a Padawan with little field experience, Silas was able to defend for a time against the attacks of the seasoned Jedi Knight Dez Rydan and was only slightly outmatched by Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh in sparring. Within the first two years of the Nihil conflict, his lightsaber skills improved dramatically as a result of the frequent battles and spars he participated in. Even before being made a Jedi Knight, Silas was a powerful warrior capable of consistently besting his own master with ease. He was also highly affective against groups of enemies, best exhibited when he battled against an army of fanatical Nihil raiders for around an hour before finally being overwhelmed.
- Mechanical Skills: As a Jedi learner, Reath Silas was taught how to perform basic starship repairs in the event of an emergency. Although his skills were rudimentary at best, Silas was able to assist Affie Hollow in stabilizing the Vessel after the damage it sustained during the Great Hyperspace Disaster.
Gallery[]
