There is a lot of Star Wars content on the horizon for fans, but there is some great material to tide everyone over right now in The High Republic publishing initiative, which includes both comics and books. It's very likely that The High Republic era will come to live-action, either in movies or in a streaming series, and readers know there is a lot for fans to look forward to.

RELATED: Star Wars' 10 Best Comic Book Arcs

The High Republic spans a series of novels, both for adults and young adults, as well as a number of comic book series from Marvel and IDW, which cater to all ages. All of these books and comics combine to create a unique period in the history of the franchise, one that is ripe for exploration on screen, sooner or later.

The Zenith Of The Jedi

Jedi hold their lightsabers high in Star Wars The High Republic cover art.

The High Republic era takes place about 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, a time when the Jedi Order is arguably at its zenith. Many things about The Phantom Menace still hold up today, including seeing the Jedi in their prime.

And that's on full display in The High Republic, where the Jedi are shepherding a massive galactic expansion by the Republic into previously inaccessible regions. The Jedi in some cases are even more powerful than in the movies, with Jedi like Avar Kriss using The Force to combine the skills of others to save lives.

Some Prequel Jedi Are Involved

Anakin before the Jedi Council in Star Wars Phantom Menace.

Many characters on Star Wars have long lifespans, so it's no surprise to see some of them in cameos in The High Republic books and comics. Some of them were on screen in the prequel trilogy, and include some of the most powerful Jedi in the franchise.

Yoda is mentoring a group of padawans in the Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures comic book series. Yarael Poof and Oppo Rancisis, two Jedi Council members from The Phantom Menace, also make brief cameos in the first novel in the series. Light Of The Jedi.

The Jedi Are Much More Relaxed

Split image of a young Anakin Skywalker from The Phantom Menace and Zeena from The High Republic comics.

The general mood of the Jedi Order in this era is much more relaxed than it was in the prequel trilogy, where a bureaucratic rigidity had set in. That is most evident in the contrast between the Jedi Order's approach to Anakin Skywalker and Zeen Mrala.

In the prequels, Yoda and the Jedi Council initially decline to train Anakin Skywalker because he is too old. There is no such hesitation with Zeen, who is a teenage Force-adept who Yoda takes under his wing in the Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures series written by Daniel Jose Older and drawn by Harvey Tolibao.

No Sith... Yet

A blended image of Emperor Palpatine and Coruscant from Star Wars.

Star Wars fans know that the Sith don't emerge from hiding until the prequel trilogy, but they did exist. So far, they have yet to be seen in The High Republic. There have been references to them, most notably in Star Wars: The High Republic #7, where Jedi Keeve Trennis encounters the manifestation of a Sith.

This comes about while Trennis is battling the Drengir, a savage plant-like species that was once deeply connected to the Sith and the Dark Side. While much in earlier novels is no longer canon, Darth Tenebrous, a powerful Sith from Star Wars Legends, would have been active during this period.

The Drengir

Star Wars Drengir

These invasive and difficult to destroy creatures may maintain a connection to the Sith in hiding in this era. The Drengir are sentient plants that share a hive mind. They can also take over the minds of others, and they have shown how powerful they are by turning some Jedi against their own, including Jedi Master Sskeer.

RELATED: 10 Characters Confirmed & Most Likely To Appear In The Book Of Boba Fett

A lightsaber is of little use against them. When Jedi cut a Drengir in half, the two parts simply become two different Drengir. The Drengir begin advancing through the galaxy due to a cosmic disaster that imperils their food supply and strains the Jedi's ability to contain them.

The Great Disaster

A starship breaks up in Star Wars The High Republic comics.

Light Of The Jedi, written by Charles Soule, who is responsible for some of the most iconic Star Wars panels in comics, begins with The Great Disaster. This galaxy-wide event occurs when a Nihil ship accidentally crosses paths with a cargo ship in hyperspace. The cargo ship breaks up, scattering debris at faster than light speed across the galaxy.

The damage is horrific, with entire planets bombarded by fragments. The Jedi do everything they can to contain the disaster, but despite their best efforts, the toll is truly cosmic in scale.

The Nihil

Marchion Ro Nihil looks at the viewer in a Star Wars comic book.

The Nihil emerge as the central villains of The High Republic era. Unaffiliated with the Sith or any other existing power structure, the Nihil is a loose confederacy of essentially pirates that raid ships and planets in the remote regions of the galaxy. They have a strict hierarchy consisting of Tempests, which are led by Runners.

Beneath them are Storms, Clouds, and Strikes. Above them all is the Eye Of The Nihil. Marchion Ro rules the organization with an iron fist, and also a huge secret that allows the Nihil to circumvent normal rules of travel.

The Paths

A blended image of Lorna Dee from The High Republic and Hyperspace from Star Wars.

The Nihil caused The Great Disaster when one of their ships crossed an established hyperspace lane through something known as a 'Path.' These Paths are uncharted and to all but the Nihil, unknown routes through hyperspace. Ro learned of these Paths from Mari San Tekka, an ancestor of Lor San Tekka, from The Force Awakens.

RELATED: The 10 Biggest Reveals From The Book Of Boba Fett Trailer

With San Tekka's help, the Nihil developed the Path engine that allowed their ships to access and exploit these uncharted routes through the galaxy. Though the Nihil clearly don't survive The High Republic era, it's possible the Paths are still in existence in later eras of Star Wars.

The Jedi Work With The Hutts

Avar Kriss rides a Rancor in The High Republic comic book.

The Hutt Cartel is among the most dangerous criminals in Star Wars in any time period. The High Republic era is no exception, but circumstances forced the Jedi to form an alliance with them.

In the Marvel comic book series, Jedi Master Avar Kriss forged an impromptu alliance with the Hutts when the Drengir threatened to overrun an alien planet. This led to some serious anxiety among the Jedi Council, and one of the most iconic images in Star Wars comics, when Avar Kriss rode a Rancor into battle against the Drengir.

The Starlight Beacon

Star Wars Starlight Beacon

Avar Kriss is the Jedi Master in charge of the Starlight Beacon, one of the most ambitious projects in Republic history. The Starlight Beacon is a space station in the Outer Rim designed to project both the security of the Jedi and the promise of the Republic to regions of the galaxy that were previously disconnected from them.

The station resembles one of the spires of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant in appearance and has appeared in most of the books and comics to this point. Its ultimate fate is unknown, but it could possibly still be in existence in later eras of the franchise.

NEXT: Han Shot First & 9 Other Bad Revisions To The Star Wars Saga