Star Wars The High Republic‘s Phase 2 kicks off with Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland’s Path of Deceit and introduces many new and interesting characters, including The Mother.
The Path of the Open Hand is a Force Cult that operates on the remote planet of Dalna, where Path of Deceit is set. Throughout the novel, we meet the cult’s mysterious leader, a powerful and manipulative woman known to her followers as The Mother.
Elecia Zeveron
Before migrating to the Galactic Frontier in the Outer Rim, Elecia Zeveron was a force-sensitive human female from the Core Worlds. Settling on the Outer Rim planet of Dalna, Elecia was welcomed with open arms by a spiritual community called The Path of the Open Hand. It was amongst this cult-like missionary group that Elecia received the title of The Mother.
The Mother and The Path of the Open Hand
Arriving on Dalna around 382 BBY, Elecia quickly joined and meshed well with The Path of the Open Hand leadership and ideals. The Path of the Open Hand upheld three central: tenets freedom, harmony, and clarity, as well as how they perceived the Force. Believing the Force must remain accessible and unadulterated, Elecia’s force visions seemingly coincided with the Path’s ideals, and she instantly began to be hailed as a prophet. Though already having a hierarchy within the group, Elecia was pronounced spiritual leader and given the title of The Mother, expanding the group’s operations and beliefs.
Elecia began preaching the importance of not only the abuse of the Force but of freeing it from those who would abuse it, stating this alone would bring true balance. To accomplish her goals, The Mother founded a group within the sect called The Children, tasked with carrying their sermon to other worlds in the galaxy. However, this group had a secret mission to find and “liberate” artifacts imbued with the Force and return them to Dalna to be locked away for the safety of all.
Mysterious Mother
Now that we know who The Mother is…who is she really? Little is known about The Mother before arriving on Dalna, but many hints about her true nature are given in Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Elecia is stated to have a substantial effect on individuals, with at least one character saying there was “something intoxicating about her” and it “being difficult to hold a thought in his head” while he stared at her. When asked if she was a Jedi, Elecia responds “No, I am a prophet. I do not use the Force; I commune with it and try to share its will with all those who would listen”.
It is interesting to note that The Path of the Open hand believes in complete abstinence from the Force, deeming any use of its power as an abuse, bringing imbalance to it. However, another character references how the Force shines through her because she speaks for it, which blesses her with poise and beauty. The mystery intensifies when Dalna is visited by Jedi Knight Zallah Macri and his padawan Kevmo Zink investigating the whereabouts of a stolen artifact from a royal family. Finally, when The Mother hatches a mysterious egg, she may have also hatched a wave of curiosity in readers’ minds throughout the galaxy.
Overall, The Mother and The Path of the Open Hand bring an air of mystery that has not been felt since the prequel trilogy and promises to keep fans glued to the page. In addition, the High Republic keeps the fascinating universal lore of Star Wars rolling with the introduction of phase 2. New and old fans will find great content in this massive multimedia project guaranteed to have you attempting to force push (or choke) your boss out of his seat.
If you’re new to Star Wars The High Republic and looking to check it out in chronological order, check out our High Republic reading order before you get started.
Looking to purchase The Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland? click here.
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