The Skywalker Family Saga, the tale that has anchored the Star Wars franchise for over 40 years, has come to an end. It’s time for a new generation from the galaxy far, far away to have their stories told. But Lucasfilm isn’t looking to the future to find them; it’s turning back to a previous era when the Jedi were at the height of their power. Star Wars has announced a sweeping new publishing series set 200 years before The Phantom Menace, during a time known as The High Republic.
Star Wars has revealed the truth of its top secret Project Luminous: a massive endeavor featuring a series of new comic books and novels (adult, young adult, and kids). They will cover an era known as The High Republic. This is not The Old Republic era made famous by the video game, which is set 25,000 years prior. The High Republic takes place only a couple of centuries before the birth of Anakin Skywalker, “when the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their zenith.” Lucasfilm says by exploring this period, these stories “will not overlap any of the filmed features or series currently planned for production, giving creators and partners a vast amount of room to tell Star Wars stories with new adventures and original characters.” Plus Yoda should still be around.
The High Republic series will involve numerous publishing partners. The list includes Disney Lucasfilm Press, Del Rey, IDW Publishing, Marvel, Titan, Abrams, b&m books, Viz Media, DK, and Insight Editions.
Michael Siglain, Lucasfilm’s publishing creative director, explained what fans can expect from the project:
“Star Wars: The High Republic features the Jedi as we’ve always wanted to see them—as true guardians of peace and justice. This is a hopeful, optimistic time, when the Jedi and the Galactic Republic are at their height. But of course, into this glorious new era something wicked this way comes. This initiative will give readers young and old a new corner of the galaxy to explore through rich, meaningful stories. Plus, readers will learn what scares the Jedi.”
As clarified in the above trailer for the launch, the Republic will begin to expand into the untamed “Wild West” of the Outer Rims. That will result in many Jedi becoming Lone Rangers. And an evil group known as the Nihil will serve as the Jedi’s primary enemies.
“This was a golden age for the Jedi, and also a time of galactic expansion in the Outer Rim. So expect there to be rich tales of exploration; charting out the galaxy, meeting new cultures, and discovering what pioneer life in the Outer Rim was like. This is an incredible sandbox for our storytellers to play in, both within publishing and beyond, and we can’t wait to see the great fiction they build within it,” says James Waugh, Lucasfilm vice president of franchise content and strategy.
The first five books and comics will debut this August, at the 2020 Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. It will begin with Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, “a massive interconnected story that’s told across various formats by various publishers.”
Those five initial books and comics include:
Into the Dark
Into the Dark is a young adult novel by Claudia GrayYoung. It is available for pre-order now and already has an official synopsis.
“Padawan Reath Silas is being sent from the cosmopolitan galactic capital of Coruscant to the undeveloped frontier—and he couldn’t be less happy about it. He’d rather stay at the Jedi Temple, studying the archives. But when the ship he’s traveling on is knocked out of hyperspace in a galactic-wide disaster, Reath finds himself at the center of the action. The Jedi and their traveling companions find refuge on what appears to be an abandoned space station. But then strange things start happening, leading the Jedi to investigate the truth behind the mysterious station, a truth that could end in tragedy.”
A Test of Courage
A Test of Courage is a middle school-aged novel by Justina Ireland. It’s also available for pre-order.
“When a transport ship is abruptly kicked out of hyperspace as part of a galaxy-wide disaster, newly-minted teen Jedi Vernestra Rwoh, a young Padawan, an audacious tech-kid, and the son of an ambassador are stranded on a jungle moon where they must work together to survive both the dangerous terrain and a hidden danger lurking in the shadows.”
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures is an IDW Publishing comic book series by Daniel José Older.
Star Wars: The High Republic
Star Wars: The High Republic is a Marvel comic book series by Cavan Scott.
Light of the Jedi
Light of the Jedi is a novel by Charles Soule. You can also pre-order it now.
Del Rey “Two hundred years before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, in the era of the glorious High Republic, the noble and wise Jedi Knights must face a frightening threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself.”
And that’s just the beginning. More announcements will follow. Because the end of the Skywalker Family Saga is just the end of one tale. An even longer time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, other heroes faced the forces of evil. And their story is just beginning.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
