Max Nocerino 
Max returns to the High Republic era and delves into “Beware The Nameless,” the next thrilling chapter in the expansive and captivating Star Wars literary universe.
Phase III of Star Wars: The High Republic has kicked off, and a delightful treat was presented to us with “The High Republic: Beware the Nameless.” The novel is a middle-grade novel by Zoraida Cordova, a talented writer who previously wrote The High Republic: convergence. Further back, she also wrote several short stories about Star Wars. Beware the Nameless is no exception to her skills. While it revolved around creating a story for children, it did not hesitate to kill characters in what would be deemed to be a far-too-adult theme for a middle-grade novel.
BEWARE OF THE HUTTS!
Beware the Nameless also makes Star Wars history. Let me explain. One of the main characters of this story is a young Hutt named Churro. Since Hutts were introduced with Jabba in 1983, there was a disturbing trend that all Hutts (both in Legends AND new canon) were unsavory, immoral individuals. Jabba was a straight-up sociopath, and every Hutt after him was almost as bad. I have read countless Star Wars novels, and not once did they introduce a Hutt who wasn’t a slimeball.
Fans of the lore know that Blotus the Hutt was once Chancellor of the Republic (in Legends). However, we know next to nothing about him, and he could have been corrupt for all we know. Anyway, it seemed wrong to pigeonhole one group of beings as being overtly evil, and now, in 2024, we get Churro. Churro is small and slim for a Hutt and was born into a typical ruthless Hutt family. Yet, he is kind and cares about others. He is an academic with a greenhouse to study various creatures from across the galaxy. He is bullied heavily by his cousins (who all fit the bill for a stereotypical cruel Hutt) and struggles to connect with his sister. Although she cares about him, she also has that Hutt ruthlessness streak.
FUNCTIONAL STORYTELLING
The story was divided into two parts and didn’t function as A plot B plot story. The A plot was arguably the story of Zenny Greylark and the lovable padawans from The High Republic: Escape from Valo to find Zenny’s older sister. This RDC member got lost behind enemy lines. But I enjoyed the perspective shifts to Churro. Most casual fans do not realize how BIG a deal a good Hutt character is. I apologize for waxing poetically about him. It just is a miraculous one-of-a-kind event.
For some High Republic fans, the name Zenny Greylark may ring a bell, and yes, that is the same Greylark family from a century prior in Phase II of The High Republic. Zenny can be just as edgy as her Greylark ancestor. I feel that her standoffish personality was a very healthy character foiled with the infinite positivity that radiates from Padawan Tep Tep and the calm, reassuring demeanor of Padawan Kildo. We also meet a new Padawan named Jamil Sollis, who desperately longs to be made a Padawan learner and finds himself sucked into this impromptu first mission. I also liked looking at the story through Jamil’s lens; his shyness and uncertainty felt like how I would approach the galaxy if I were a Star Wars character.
DISTRESS CALL
The mission was initially led by Ram Jomaram, a slightly older Padawan who is perhaps even better with mechanical repairs than Anakin Skywalker! He was supposed to rescue refugees from an agricultural world. But the younglings were in the ship when it took off. Zenny wants to find her older sister, and when a distress call from a nearby planet is received, the group splits up begrudgingly with the Padawans chaperoned by an elder female Jedi Master and a Nautolan no-nonsense RDC agent. While in this new world, they bump into Churro, who crash-landed on the world due to a botched mission to steal from the Nihil, led by his sister Dahara. The group (especially Zenny) does not initially trust Churro (due to Hutt’s reputation). But soon, they become close friends with him as they travel to the nearest outpost on the planet.
It was a very different type of story. The primary mission that was teased (and expected) with Ram diverted very quickly, and we see absolutely nothing of his mission. The bond between the children and their adventure was very Kumbaya. But people die when they encounter the horrific monsters known as the Nameless. So, you can’t dismiss this book as a boring kids’ story. Cordova also made a lot of other surprising choices. The strange methods to try and capture the Nameless for the Republic and the very anti-climactic. But they are also significant Nihil adversaries who track and try to trick them on the planet. I felt that finding Lexi Greylark on this planet was a bit of a plot stretch and a little too convenient of a plot point, but it worked out relatively okay.
VERDICT
The book was very cheap on Star Wars lore, as while Churro did make references to alien creatures across the galaxy (both out loud and in his head), it was nothing like the constant animal-name-drop-references that Chuck Lorre was so fond of. Perhaps this is a good thing?
The in-atmosphere dog fight between Zenny and the Nihil in the planet’s atmosphere was strangely exhilarating. Also, the final “scene” of trying to catch the Nameless was well thought out and creative! I enjoyed this book, but the best part for me was Zoraida’s exceptional writing skills. I bonded with Churro the Hutt and felt that his story should be continued at some point. He is a great character and a true unicorn (due to his species). This was an unusual book. It was not what it seemed at various points in the plot. It surprised me multiple times with the direction Zoraida took it in. I would not classify it as essential High Republic reading, but its uniqueness should not let a fan underestimate it. Please give it a read. Just for fun. A-
Star Wars: The High Republic – Beware The Nameless by Zoraida Cordova is available to order now.
FORCE FACTS
Get ready for an adventure through Force Facts. Here, we will uncover all the fun facts, juicy trivia, and hidden Easter eggs. Buckle up and see how many of these incredible nuggets of information you spotted!
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Churro the Hutt was an aspiring scientist and intellectual who studied plants, bugs, and other animals and was one of the few Hutts willing to learn to speak Basic. He was acquainted with over a thousand types of species from across the galaxy and regularly did experiments in his greenhouse to test various scientific processes. He wasn’t a super-genius like Avon Starros but a thoughtful and intelligent being who loved learning new things. I was fascinated by the ants he had in his procession that could withstand the volcanic terrain of Mustafar and his experiments to try and grow Gammorean snoruuk mushrooms in the swamps of his home planet, Nal Hutta. I also chuckled slightly that Naboo has a species of bamboo. Naboo bamboo. Very cute.
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Churro always gets hiccups when jumping into hyperspace. The physiological effects of hyperspace travel have started to have been explored a lot in canon, and it’s fun to see new effects constantly pop up.
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The Nihil “opponent” is a Heliko from Helikoprion, a novel species, a distant cousin of the shark-like Karkarodon. However, this variant is even more terrifying as it can unhinge its toothy maw like a snake to attack prey, and its teeth are strong enough to saw through diamonds!
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Bacta is still a new invention in the galaxy, and the Lexi still uses its predecessor Rejuv. It is fair to say that after hyperspace travel, bacta really was the next technological revolution in the galaxy.
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Churro is reminded of the Mon Cala whaladon song. This was a fun little reference to Legends, as Whaladons were a species of whale from Dac that were sentient and lived alongside the Mon Calamarians and Quarren on Dac. I liked this species and was glad to see it become canon.
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Zoraida made a minor mistake comparing crushing weight to being in an anti-gravity chamber. Anti-gravity is the hypothetical opposing force to gravity, and it would actually make a person feel weightless rather than heavy.
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I feel like there was Star Trek reference when Churro gave the Rodian peace hand sign with his fingers. Live long and prosper!
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Another “mistake” that Zoraida made was stating that the Jedi could NOT communicate verbally through the Force. New Canon has an odd relationship with telepathy, as some sources say it’s possible, while others don’t. Timothy Zahn is one of them, having it stated in his novel Thrawn: Alliances as not how the Force worked, yet we very clearly see it in Season 2 of the Mandalorian and a Canon Mace Windu comic. Yet Zoraida was correct in implying that mind tricks are too advanced for younglings to perform.
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I also (correct me if I’m wrong) felt there was slight nod to the Simulation theory that is the main plot point of the Matrix. Zenny cannot believe she found her sister and compares it to being in the afterlife or a simulation. Yet, for the latter, is she referring to a flight simulator that many of the characters in the series use to train as pilots, or something more existential and metaphysical?
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For some reason, the wider galaxy knows about green milk. This seems odd and makes me wonder if it’s a different type of green milk than the one Luke drinks in solitude in his self-exile on Ahch-To.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
