The Star Wars franchise is heading into new territory thanks to the High Republic initiative. This brand new concept from Lucasfilm will see the publishing, animation, live-action, and video game departments all be brought together for a completely unique creative experience.
Taking place years before the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the Empire, the story will take fans on a different journey, with new characters, planets, villains, and a galaxy that looks completely unfamiliar to even the most dedicated of audiences. There's a lot of exciting releases for the High Republic era, but which ones are worth checking out for the secrets of the Jedi and these tales of old?
Tales From The Galaxy's Edge: Temple Of Darkness
Tales From The Galaxy's Edge took inspiration from the titular Disney World Land based on a galaxy far far away. It has since evolved into a VR experience unlike anything other in the Star Wars franchise, and it is now incorporating the High Republic.
With players being taken back to this tumultuous time, this is really an early opportunity for fans to genuinely step into this world and join both new and familiar characters. Frank Oz even returns to voice this younger version of the Jedi Master Yoda before he ever joined the Council.
The High Republic Marvel Series
Writer Cavan Scott and penciller Ario Anindito have teamed with cover artist Phil Noto in order to create a brand new comic book series for Marvel, set during the High Republic era. This comic series will contribute a huge amount to the overall mythology of this initiative.
Featuring a diverse set of brand new characters, the story is to track the life of Jedi Padawan Keeve Trennis who has a huge decision to make regarding her future with the Jedi Order and her place in the galaxy itself. It will be one of the best places to have an ongoing story set within the High Republic and a perfect place for beginners to start.
The High Republic Adventures
IDW Publishing has also been commissioned to create a few different projects for this huge story initiative, and the team have created a comic series written by Daniel José Older, featuring cover and panel art from Harvey Tolibao.
The story sees a group of aliens that resent the Jedi, get offered help from a team of young Padawans who feel it is their duty to aid those in need. It's a standoff that creates some intriguing character dynamics, and it's one that coincides with the introduction of some complex new villains.
Light Of The Jedi
From Charles Soule comes the first of the major novel releases with timelines that take place within the High Republic era. The book is advertised as a look within a period of great certainty and prosperity, albeit one that could come crashing down at any moment.
With the Jedi at the absolute height of their power, a great and terrible event takes place that not only completely shakes the foundation of the peacekeepers and potentially makes them question their code, but also throws the galaxy into chaos. The impact of this book will be felt in other High Republic titles.
The Great Jedi Rescue
Cavan Scott is going to be a huge contributor to the High Republic era and this kid-friendly book gives younger fans a way to access the narrative of this massive story campaign, without the concepts and themes being dumbed down.
With the great hyperspace disaster strikes, a group of Jedi must help save everyone that has been affected and perhaps even begin to unravel why this really happened. It's a short story, albeit one that can also be enjoyed by adults alike.
Into The Dark
Author Claudia Gray already has a great history with the galaxy far far away so far, but she continues to add to her track record with Into The Dark, a young adult novel that should once again still also appeal to older readers as well.
The Padawan Reath Silas finds himself right in the middle of the action when he is directly affected by the great hyperspace disaster. He then finds himself on an abandoned space station, investigating what really happened out there.
A Test Of Courage
Another Junior novel in this ever-expanding series brought to readers by author Justina Ireland, this book follows a group of Padawans and their leader Vernestra Rwoh on a small scale adventure to be enjoyed by all ages.
Stranded on a jungle moon thanks to the great disaster, this group has to survive and indeed thrive if they are to make it off of this dangerous world and re-establish a link with the Jedi Order. This is a fantastic starting point for young readers to Star Wars, in general.
Squadrons
Star Wars Squadrons has been known to include some fun little nods to other areas of the Star Wars franchise, but Lucasfilm recently revealed that the game will actually include some relics of the High Republic era.
It's not totally clear how far this initiative will be pushed in the future, as Squadrons continues to be updated, and the High Republic carries on expanding; it's very possible that this is something that will impact other EA games down the line, as well.
Star Wars Insider
Star Wars Insider is well-known for being the official source for fans to continue to explore this franchise further. Years ago, the short stories used to be a focal point of this very important publication. Lucasfilm is continuing that tradition by commissioning a number of short stories set within the High Republic, written by many of the writers contributing to other projects in the series.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte may seem far off, but this TV show already has an exciting filmmaker at the helm with Leslye Headland as the showrunner. The series is set within the High Republic and will be the first on-screen look at the Star Wars universe 200 years before the one with which we've grown accompanied.
With such a huge project taking audiences into different territory, it's certainly a show to look forward to. Unfortunately, it is currently in very early development, but it's definitely one to watch out for, as it seems to be an exciting concept.