'Star Wars: The High Republic': Wookie Jedi, Space Vikings and all we know about the project so far
The future of 'Star Wars' is in the past. Lucasfilm executives have announced a new campaign of books and novels titled 'Star Wars: The High Republic' which will be expanding the franchise's history into the distant past.
Here’s everything you need to know about the project:
Premise
The projects that are part of 'Star Wars: The High Republic' will be set 400 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga. Set in a time before the rise of the Sith, the galaxy will be seen in the middle of a golden age when both the Republic and the Jedi were at the heights of their prosperity. “We are so excited to be opening up such a rich, fertile era for our authors to explore,” Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement. “We’ll get to see the Jedi in their prime.”
“This was a golden age for the Jedi, and also a time of galactic expansion in the Outer Rim," explained James Waugh, Lucasfilm vice president, franchise content and strategy. "So expect there to be rich tales of exploration; charting out the galaxy, meeting new cultures, and discovering what pioneer life in the Outer Rim was like. This is an incredible sandbox for our storytellers to play in, both within publishing and beyond, and we can’t wait to see the great fiction they build within it."
The stories will pick up after a cataclysmic event called the Great Disaster, which throws the galaxy into chaos at a time when a lot of the region still exists outside of the Republic's control. Lucasfilm has also revealed that there will be a number of Jedi and bounty hunters, among other characters, who will play major roles although there will be a core group of heroes around whom the stories will be centered.
Heroes
The Jedi of this time won't be the battle-weary warriors we're used to seeing. They're more like the medieval Knights of the Round Table, noble heroes untainted by the horrors of war and completely committed to the cause of protecting the galaxy.
“Star Wars: The High Republic features the Jedi as we’ve always wanted to see them — as true guardians of peace and justice. This is a hopeful, optimistic time when the Jedi and the Galactic Republic are at their height. But of course, into this glorious new era something wicked this way comes,” Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain revealed. “This initiative will give readers young and old a new corner of the galaxy to explore through rich, meaningful stories. Plus, readers will learn what scares the Jedi.”
Interestingly enough, the cover for Charles Soule's novel 'Star Wars: The High Republic — Light of the Jedi' features a Wookie who appears to be a Jedi Knight, a first for the franchise. The Wookiee Jedi is named Burryagga Aggathuri.
Could he be some ancient ancestor of Chewbacca? Probably not but we're still excited to find out.
We don't know much about all the heroes who will be appearing as part of the campaign but we're holding out hope that we might see a younger Master Yoda, though probably not a baby version. Considering Yoda was 900 at the time of his death, he would be a young adult during this era and we can only imagine what that would look like.
Villains
As we noted earlier, this is a time before the Sith arrived in the galaxy so the Jedi don't have their usual opponents to worry about. However, that doesn't mean everything's going to be all hunky-dory.
The Jedi heroes of the High Republic will be going up against a new threat called the Nihl. Not much is known about these new villains besides the fact that they seem to be space pirates of some sort. Lucasfilm describes the Nihl as 'Space Vikings' and Siglain has revealed that the motto of this new group is "You can't take it with you, but we can take it from you," which could mean that they're also into grave robbing.
Right now, there doesn't seem to be any connection between the Nihl and Darth Nihilus of the Sith from 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords' but based on the character designs that have been released, it is possible they may have been early precursors of the Cloud-Riders from 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'
Trailer
An announcement trailer for the upcoming project was released on February 24 with creators and executives from Lucasfilm breaking down the world of 'The High Republic'. They also tease that since this is a time when the Republic is still expanding, there will be a more Wild West feel to the whole thing.
Titles and Release Dates
Here are all the novels and comic books announced so far as part of 'The High Republic', along with their release date:
'Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi' by Charles Soule (Adult novel, Del Rey) - Releasing on August 25.
'Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage' by Justina Ireland (Middle Grade novel, Disney Lucasfilm Press) - Releasing on September 8
'Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark' by Claudia Gray (Young Adult novel, Disney Lucasfilm Press) - Releasing on October 13
'Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures' by Daniel José Older (IDW Publishing comic book series) - Release date unknown
'Star Wars: The High Republic' by Cavan Scott (Marvel comic book series) - Release date unknown