Star Wars has introduced a new Force power - "hyperspace tripping." Hyperspace is the key to travel in the Star Wars galaxy, with starships that exceed light speed jumping to another dimensional plane in order to move at phenomenal speed. The true nature of hyperspace has always been something of a mystery, though, and it's gradually becoming clear that's true from an in-universe perspective. This lack of understanding may explain why even the Empire never weaponized hyperspace - and why Vice-Admiral Holdo's hyperspace kamikaze attack in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was such a game-changer.

Lucasfilm's Star Wars: The High Republic transmedia initiative has taken fans back in time, to a period some 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. This appears to be a time when hyperspace technology really began to advance into the modern, recognizable form; previous books have even revealed where the Jedi hyperspace rings came from for their starfighters. But it has also revealed some Jedi believed hyperspace to be an aspect of the Force itself - and Justina Ireland's novel Out of the Shadows certainly supports this theory, introducing a new power called "hyperspace tripping."

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Out of the Shadows stars Jedi Knight Vernestra "Vern" Rwoh, a teenage prodigy among the Jedi who successfully completed the Jedi Trials when she was aged just 15. She may be young, but Vern possesses a unique relationship with the Force, and the book reveals she sometimes possesses a power called hyperspace tripping. When Vern is aboard a vessel traveling through hyperspace, her mind can actually become unmoored from her body and travel ahead through this mysterious plane of existence. She receives visions of distant worlds - visions she is learning to use to guide her, to allow her to understand where she can best serve the will of the Force. Vern has almost no control over these experiences, which she describes as "Force tripping," and that understandably freaks her out a little.

Star Wars Out Of The Shadows Cover

This may well be similar to an ability demonstrated by Mari San Tekka, a member of the San Tekka clan whose affinity to hyperspace appears to be Force-related and granted her the power to chart new hyperspace routes. Mari San Tekka's family were hyperspace prospectors, and they used her powers for themselves, but Mari was ultimately taken by a group of space pirates known as the Nihil. Certainly, Mari appears to feel some sort of special bond with Vernestra Rwoh, for she grants Vern her last secrets before passing away in Out of the Shadows.

It's always exciting to see Star Wars introduce new Force powers, but hyperspace tripping is one of the most intriguing to date. A Jedi who mastered this ability would be able to scout ahead with their mind even as they traveled through hyperspace, meaning they would be impossible to ambush when they emerged - for they would see the ambush being set up. Hopefully, Vern will continue to experiment with this power as the story of Star Wars: The High Republic continues.

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