One of the reasons behind The Mandalorian‘s success was that the series explored a part of Star Wars history that hadn’t really been explored before; at least not in the new Disney canon. The time period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens was a mystery, which gave The Mandalorian a blank canvas upon which to paint its Baby Yoda-filled masterpiece. Now, the Star Wars franchise is set to introduce another new era to explore, and we’re hoping it yields results that are just as exciting.
Star Wars has unveiled the High Republic as a new era to be explored in an upcoming series of books and comics. The era is set 200 years before the prequels, in a previously-unexplored period of Star Wars history. According to io9, the genesis of the era came about as the Lucasfilm creatives set out to answer two questions: What were the Jedi really like during their time as peacekeepers of the galaxy, and what scared them? We’ll begin to find out the answers in the High Republic, which begins with a Marvel-esque “Phase One” consisting of three novels and two comic book series:
- Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
- Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray
- Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland
- Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures by Daniel José Older
- Star Wars: The High Republic by Cavan Scott
The stories will feature, among other things, a Wookiee Jedi, a 16-year-old who’s the youngest Jedi Knight in history, a new set of bad guys in a group of “Space Vikings” known as the Nihil, and a horrific event known as the Great Disaster that kicks off the era. You can learn more details in the launch trailer below.
The High Republic will officially begin on August 25 when Light of the Jedi hits store shelves.
