The leaks were true and the rumours were correct.
The high republic era is coming to Star Wars Canon!
In a press release by Disney and Lucasfilm announcing the project, we learned a lot of
details about the timeline, characters and events that will shape Star Wars - The High
Republic.
So before we get into the details, remember to hit that subscribe button for more Star
Wars Lore, News and Theory - and also leave a comment down below tell me what you’re
hoping to see out of the High Republic Era.
A younger Yoda would definitely be incredible to see.
This project will be written and planned by a story group you may have heard the name
of in the past few months.
Project Luminous.
The project luminous team are a group of authors, writers and novelists who aim to tell a cohesive
story set in the High Republic era and detailing the height of the Jedi Order.
Lucasfilm says the group of writers that have been selected for the project have a deep
passion for star wars and its lore, but also hold a great variety of opinions on the direction
of the franchise.
The writing process was described as a “clean slate” for the writer to throw their ideas
onto the wall and see what stuck.
This will allow the writers to come up with a brand new storyline, that doesn’t rely
on nostalgia and callbacks to the already well established scenery and characters of
the skywalker saga.
On top of this, the writers will have the freedom to create stories for almost anything
within the era, guided by the general direction of the story group.
Set 200 years prior to the events of the Phantom Menace, The High Republic series will take
place during the height of the Jedi order.
The era was described as a “golden age”, where there was much more peace and calm in
the galaxy.
This is in stark contrast to the everlasting conflict taking place throughout the Skywalker
Saga.
The series will explore the peacekeeping role of the Jedi throughout the galaxy, and the
outside threat they face.
The story group described the Jedi Knights of this era as “The Jedi Knights of the
Roundtable” because of their dedication to protecting the peace and justice within
the galaxy, a call back to Obi Wan Kenobi’s line in A New Hope.
The line where he told Luke of the role that the Jedi served at their peak.
Just as the entire story of the Clone Wars was seeded by a throwaway line by Luke in
the first Star Wars movie, the HIgh Republic will fill in the story behind Obi Wan’s
iconic line.
The series will also cover new smuggler, bounty hunters and scoundrels in the same vein as
Cad Bane and others from the Clone Wars tv series.
According to the Story group, the main threat that the Jedi will face within this era, are
to come from the borders of Republic space.
As the republic does not have control over the entire galaxy, pockets of species that
do not align with or support the republic will pose a threat to peace and stability,
forcing the Jedi into their peacekeeping role.
The Jedi of this time were also described as a “wild west, new frontier” type of
Jedi, similar to that of a texas ranger who would patrol the borders of his territory.
The story group are basing their villains off of the question, “what scares the Jedi
'', so we’re sure to see some subtle references to order 66 and the Jedi purge in there somewhere.
We also learn that there will be a core group of heros that will be the primary focus of
the novels.
This group will expand upwards as the series continues, adding more interesting characters
to follow and develop.
The main villains that will come up against the Jedi in the High Republic Era are called
the “Nihil”, who were described as space vikings, looking to conquer new territory
and threaten the stability of the peaceful republic.
Their motto is “can’t take it with you, but we can take it from you.”
Not sure what that is supposed to mean, but it definitely tells that this group will be
made up of ruthless warriors, looking to expand their territory and grow their numbers.
The story will begin with the event known as the “Great Disaster”.
Not much is known about this event yet, but there will be a series of events following
it, which will spin the galaxy into a dangerous new direction, giving opportunities to have
new heroes rise up and protect the republic.
Concept art has also entered production for the series, with Ian McKay, the man behind
the design of Darth Maul from Episode 1, coming on board to assist in the work.
He produced many concepts and sketches for both villains and Jedi in the series, which
means we’re going to have some incredibly well designed characters on both sides of
the story.
The scale of the project was described as “expansive”, covering novels for teenagers,
children and adults alike.
Multiple publishers are involved in the project, including Marvel, Del Rey, DK and IDW.
Moreover, There will be a story for every star wars fan in this series.
Although they have not announced it, as many of you know there is a Star Wars film currently
under development for 2022, which is still reportedly going ahead.
This film will almost certainly tie into the high republic era, and continue the story
of a character or place from this new series.
On top of this, EA will also be releasing a game around the 2022 period which again
will almost certainly be set in the High Republic era, focusing on a brand new character that
we will be introduced to in these novels.
If you have any theories about the storylines or characters of the High Republic Era, please
let me know down below as I want to collect your theories and make a speculation video
on them in the near future.
Thanks so much for watching, remember to smash that like button and hit that subscribe button
for more awesome videos in the future!