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jedi and fatness in the high republic era

so. high republic media has given us so much in terms of characters that are not white, are not straight, are not cis etc. … but what i expected the least was that they gave us jedi who literally don’t fit into the ~ideal~ body type that jedi typically have - slim, athletic, muscular. the #1 argument against jedi being fat is always: they need to be physically fit. they need to be disciplined. they need to be fast, and proficient in combat. disregarding the stereotypes that fat people aren’t disciplined etc. i just… i never got it because: you can be fit without being straight-sized. you can be proficient in combat. you can train to run fast. and jedi? jedi have the force to support them. and even if they aren’t all of those things they “need” to be - there’s always jedi librarians. healers. teachers. explorers. but i digress. let’s get back to the high republic!

there are two jedi padawans that are fat or fat-adjacent in high republic media: imri cantaros and ram jomaram. and they’re written in such a loving, respectful way i cry when i think about it.

i don’t want to make a huge analysis or anything, but i’d really like to share a couple of my oh-my-god-this-character-is-fat-and-i-love-them-so-much moments.

that’s ram, who has appearances in: the rising storm, race to crashpoint tower, high republic adventures, trail of shadows (in one panel lmao), midnight horizon.

Ram hated fighting. Well–he’d never done it, but he hated the idea of it. It felt like his body refused to cooperate any time even a practice battle was called for. Lightsaber training and Jedi combat maneuvers were his two worst areas, and the very thought of going face to face with an enemy made him jittery. (race to crashpoint tower)

but even though he says he hates it or can’t do it, he’s good at it!

and pls look at him go in this panel in trail of shadows #3:

and one quote from midnight horizon that i love love LOVE:

“Absolutely,” Reath said, lighting his own green one and standing at the ready. “What were you going to ask me?“ Their sabers met with a jangly surge of power. Reath was careful to move slow, telegraphing his every move so Ram would see it coming and block. "Oh.” Ram said, easily swiping away Reath’s sizzing blade and then shoving him clean across the room with the Force. “Never mind.” Reath sat up with a huge grin plastered across his face. “It’s like that, huh?” He stood, cracking his neck the way his master had. “Game on!”

reath like “i’ll go easy on this little dude” and ram just obliterates him. 😌

that’s imri! he has major appearances in: a test of courage, out of the shadows, mission to disaster. he’s not as explicitly fat as ram (and for some reason his depiction in the high republic comic is… not the way he’s described in the novels lol) but i’m absolutely counting him.

Imri was tall and broad-shouldered and his hefty frame was a perfect match for his master’s. He had pale skin, a mop of golden hair, kind brown eyes, and an uncanny knack for perceiving the feelings and thoughts of those around him. (out of the shadows)

and:

Imri was relieved to see that there were no durga berries today. They were delicious, but Master Nyla had been hard pressed to find a tabard in his size, and he didn’t want to tempt disaster by eating another one. (mission to disaster)

also, in mission to disaster he’s constantly eating or talking about food and it’s so incredibly delightful.

i love these two boys so much and it’s just really, really neat that the high republic writers are giving us at least crumbs of diverse body types on top of everything else.

EDIT: OH!! very important addition by @cohborikardok:

yes!!! thank you!