The High Republic will be based approximately 200 years prior to Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Given that we do not have any canon material based around this time, written or video, this will allow the creators’ “free reign” or as Pablo Hidalgo says “a blank slate” to tell the stories and develop the characters they so desire.
There appear to be no boundaries at this time to what the stories will be about and what and how many new characters are introduced to readers. We do know that they plan to center The High Republic around a group of Jedi know as the “Jedi of the Round Table” but there are rumors about various secondary characters that will be developed and involved in these main stories and side stories that will expand throughout the comics and novels.
We do know there will be the main group of villains known as The Nihil (pronounce like the Nile River) but there will be secondary villains that are Bounty Hunters, smugglers, and scavengers that are incorporated within the stories. At this point we are not sure how they will appear and when they will appear during these stories. Maybe they are introduced in one book but only mentioned in another story while the focus is on another villain entirely separate from this group. The options are endless and from my understanding Star Wars is going to leave that in the hands of the creators.
While this isn’t The Old Republic that many fans have wished and hoped for it does appear that Star Wars is giving us a little of what the fans want. With this open sandbox of the untouched universe, the stories could be endless and we will finally get to see the Jedi in their glory and what is being referred to as the “golden age” “as true guardians of peace and justice”. If this is successful then this opens the doors for more untold history of Star Wars. It does appear that to get the whole story you will need to ingest both the comics and the novels.
Authors Involved:
Claudia Gray
Justina Ireland
Daniel José Older
Cavan Scott
Charles Soule
What we can expect:
Comics:
IDW
Marvel
Adult/Young Adult Novels:
Del Rey
Disney Lucasfilm Press
When will this release:
August 25, 2020
Star Wars Celebration Anaheim
So far there are a handful of planned releases starting in August of 2020 at the Star Wars Celebration Anaheim event. Here is what we know as of now. Some of the novels are already available for pre-order through various sites. Its safe to assume that there will be event exclusives at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim that can be grabbed for lucky fans that are able to attend the event. Release dates are as follows: Charles Soule’s Light of the Jedi on August 25, 2020, followed by Justina Ireland’s A Test of Courage on September 8, and Claudia Gray’s Into the Dark on October 13.
