'Star Wars: The High Republic' set to finally give fans Jedi knights worth looking up to
A fresh, bold new era of 'Star Wars' is about to have its story told properly for the very first time. Lucasfilm's 'Star Wars: The High Republic' publishing campaign is going to tell stories in the 'Star Wars' universe, in a galaxy far, far away, an even longer time ago. Set 200 years before the prequels, 'The High Republic' is going to tell the stories of the Jedi at the height of their power, before apathy, corruption and the Dark Side of the Force settled in amongst them all.
The Jedi Order had long fallen by the time we hear of them in the very first 'Star Wars' movie. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) described the Jedi as peacekeepers, a noble order of Force-wielders who were paragons of virtue. In the prequel series, however, and the various spinoffs, we see that they were anything but. There were brave Jedi knights, but they tend to more of the exception than the rule. The Jedi knights of the prequel series and 'The Clone Wars' exist in a morally grey area, inching ever closer to black.
The legacy of the Jedi was to be passed on through Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) but the sequel movies ultimately saw the Jedi legacy in an uncertain place as the movies started out with.
With 'The High Republic,' however, we finally get to see the Jedi as they were meant to be. We will get to see the galaxy that was worth fighting for and ideals worth believing in. It's possibly the most hopeful that 'Star Wars' has been for a while and fans are excited about it.
"Overall though, I am SO excited for the High Republic era. It sounds like they’re pushing Star Wars in new directions to keep things fresh. Also I am SOLD on Arthurian Jedi Knights. HELL YES," says this one Twitter user. "Taking an Arthurian approach to #StarWars is a big YES in my book. Excited for this new era!" writes another.
One fan holds judgment, but is optimistically curious. "Honestly, i’m really curious about the high republic - the whole point of the prequel era is to show how the jedi have become corrupt and absolutely are not “protectors of the light” or whatever bull***t they claim to be. that they’re nothing like the jedi of old," they write, continuing, "To see what the jedi were SUPPOSED to be, peace keepers of the galaxy, is going to be really interesting. i hope it’s a stark contrast to the jedi of the clone wars."
The 'Star Wars: The High Republic' publishing campaign is set to launch in September 2020, but you can pre-order the novels now.
