Now that Lucasfilm has officially announced Project Luminous and the High Republic era, Star Wars fans will finally get a chance to see the Jedi Order at the height of their power and Jedi Knights as they've always meant to be. The announcement comes courtesy of a Lucasfilm event held at Walt Disney Studios, where Lucasfilm's creative director Michael Siglain assembled the five Project Luminous authors and creators: Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel Jose, and Charles Soule. There, the Project Luminous team debuted the first glimpse at what is set to become a massive undertaking in storytelling for the Star Wars franchise moving forward.
Project Luminous was revealed to be a multi-phase saga that will primarily play out in books and comics (for now, at least), set 200 years before the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The focus of the stories will revolve around the High Republic, an era of the galaxy in which the Jedi were in their prime and exploring the unidentified planets in the Outer Rim. The project will be developed with a similar focus to Marvel Studios approach for the MCU, in that each author will be telling a complete story but with a distinct emphasis on inter-connectivity and an overarching plot.
While the High Republic era promises to veer away from the traditional story elements that Star Wars fans have come to know over the past five decades, there is one point that the project seems to be tackling head-on. One of the most famous quotes from Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas' original Star Wars movie comes when he first tells Luke about his father and the Jedi. "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic." It seems as if Project Luminous/High Republic is returning Star Wars to that time, where Jedi roamed the galaxy dispensing justice and protecting the innocent. This was confirmed by Siglain, who said that this is a distinct "guiding star" of the High Republic initiative.
Over the course of the nine films in the main Skywalker saga, audiences have witnessed public opinion on the Jedi Order shift and change dozens of times. The original trilogy introduced the world to a galaxy of oppression and suffering, one in which most of the Jedi Order had been killed off, leaving the Empire to rule with an iron fist. The prequel trilogy, despite its many problems, approached the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order with nuance, making them flawed governing structures that, despite their good intentions, were too blinded by their antiquated traditions and teachings. And the sequel trilogy (and specifically Star Wars: The Last Jedi) carried on this idea, by re-introducing a Luke Skywalker who had become jaded and cynical towards the Jedi due to their culpability in the rise of the Empire.
These depictions are a far cry from the grandiose, regal, and altruistic legacy that the Jedi were known for in their prime. Lucasfilm seems to finally be giving fans this version of the ancient order, as the High Republic will feature what the creative team refers to as the "Jedi Knights of the Round Table." Indeed, it seems as if a big draw for this era of storytelling is the ability to showcase the Jedi as the classic heroes, peacekeepers, and intellectuals that they apparently were before they became docile and complacent. For years, Star Wars chose to show fans versions of the Jedi Order that were broken, flawed, and arrogant, so it will be a nice change of pace to finally get to see them at their best.