WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, on sale now.
In Charles Soule's Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, the Jedi team based on Elphrona has an animal companion: Ember the charhound. Of the team, Ember seems to have bonded with Padawan Bell Zettifar the most. Their bond is significant because the Jedi are warned against all attachments, including pets. While the Council currently seems to be making an exception to this rule for Bell, his bond with Ember shows that more Jedi could benefit from animal companionship.
Bell Zettifar is a member of a team serving at a Jedi outpost on Elphrona. Ember joined the team, which also includes Bell's Jedi Master Loden Greatstorm, Indeera Stokes, and Porter Engle, after she showed up injured at the outpost. The narrator states, "Indeera treated her injury, Porter fed her, Bell named her, and Loden had allowed her to stay, declaring that the Force had brought them a new member of the team." Ember became an important member of the team, showing that these Jedi are willing to bend the rules of the Order.
While Ember seems to be like a normal dog in appearance, she can breathe fire. She uses this ability to aid her team in a fight with the Nihil. As Porter watches, Ember "opened her jaws and a huge gout of yellow flame spat out, enveloping the Nihil before he could bring his blaster to bear." Ember is relentless in the pursuit of her enemies, and she does not stop torching them until they are dead. Ember's fire powers are very useful to those she protects.
Despite the entire team's affection for Ember, Bell seems to have developed the strongest bond with her. He confides in her, and she always gravitates to his side when he is near. Bell's connection with Ember is unsurprising considering the way that he views the Force. In the "Jedi Padawan Bell Zettifar" featurette on starwars.com, the narrator explains that "Bell sees the Force as a flaming light. When he focuses that light is sometimes no brighter than embers, but other times, it burns with the strength of an inferno." The mention of embers is clearly an allusion to Ember despite the fact that she does not appear in the video. In the novel, Bell reflects, "A few times, he'd felt as bright as the sun, so much light pouring out of him he was afraid he might go blind." In many ways, Ember is a living embodiment of fire, and therefore she also is a living embodiment of how Bell perceives the Force itself.
After the perceived loss of Loden Greatstorm, Bell is left bereft and directionless. He does not believe that Loden is dead, but he has no idea how to proceed or whether he should take the Jedi Trials without Loden there. The Jedi Council seems to be letting Bell keep Ember with him for the time being. The narrator explains, "Ember padded along at Bell's side. Perhaps unorthodox, but who would tell the Padawan that he must be even more alone?" This moment shows that the Jedi are open to accepting change in extreme circumstances, and through his bond with Ember, Bell might be able to "chase away the shadows" of the conflict with the Nihil and find direction once more.
Bell and Ember's bond calls into question the far-reaching warning against attachments for the Jedi. With the Jedi of the High Republic facing greater threats than before, they need new ways of coping with their trauma. Animal companions could help them cope with their grief and provide comfort. Thus, Bell and Ember model an alternate path for the Jedi, one that welcomes some more attachments in the wake of new trials.
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