Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi First Chapter Released Online

The next era of Star Wars content will be The High Republic series, which will be launched as a series of novels, kids’ books, and comics set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga. While Star Wars fans originally expected to get Star Wars: The High Republic this summer, the coronavirus pandemic has unfortunately delayed its debut until January 2021. Well, IGN is here to help, as the site has gotten hold of the first chapter of Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi, the first novel in the series which is written by Charles Soule (Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren).

You can read a small excerpt from the book below. IGN also provided some quotes from Charles Soule, as the author teases why this story is a pivotal point in the peaceful era of the High Republic, a time when the Jedi Order is strong, and the Sith threat seemingly gone. However, in Light of the Jedi, things quickly take a turn. As Soule describes it:

“This excerpt is our first look at the moment that changes The High Republic forever. The destruction of the Legacy Run is the catalyst for a galaxy-wide disaster. Fragments of the destroyed cargo vessel begin flying out of hyperspace at super-accelerated speeds, meaning that deadly missiles of debris can appear anywhere at any time, from the Outer Rim to the Core. In this moment of crisis, the Republic turns to the guardians of peace and justice—the Jedi.

The opening beats of Light of the Jedi depict an epic disaster, and a heroic, thrilling response by both the Republic and the Jedi to save lives and end the crisis. It’s just the beginning, though. The Legacy Run disaster kicks off a much larger story; it really is just one piece of a much bigger saga.”

Since these aren’t Star Wars movies, there will be no opening crawl to watch – however, Charles Soule nonetheless provides a similar style intro, setting up the events of Light of the Jedi. Read that introduction below, and follow the link to read the full Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi Chapter 1 excerpt:

The Force is with the galaxy.

It is the time of The High Republic: a peaceful union of like-minded worlds where all voices are heard, and governance is achieved through consensus, not coercion or fear. It is a time of ambition, of culture, of inclusion, of Great Works. Visionary Chancellor Lina Soh leads the Republic from the elegant cityworld of Coruscant, located near the bright center of the Galactic Core.

But beyond the Core and its many peaceful Colonies, there is the Rim—Inner, Mid, and finally, at the border of what is known: The Outer Rim. These worlds are filled with opportunity for those brave enough to travel the few well-mapped hyperspace lanes leading to them, though there is danger as well. The Outer Rim is a haven for anyone seeking to escape the laws of the Republic, and is filled with predators of every type.

Chancellor Soh has pledged to bring the Outer Rim worlds into the embrace of the Republic through ambitious outreach programs such as the Starlight Beacon. Order and justice are maintained on the galactic frontier by Jedi Knights, guardians of peace who have mastered incredible abilities stemming from a mysterious energy field known as the Force. The Jedi work closely with the Republic, and have agreed to establish outposts in the Outer Rim to help any who might require aid.

The Jedi of the frontier can be the only resource for people with nowhere else to turn. Though the outposts operate independently and without direct assistance from the great Jedi temple on Coruscant, they act as an effective deterrent to those who would do evil in the dark.

Few can stand against the Knights of the Jedi Order.

But there are always those who will try….

CHAPTER ONE

HYPERSPACE. THE LEGACY RUN.

Read FULL Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi Chapter 1 HERE!

The exciting thing about this new series is that it will introduce a much bigger and diverse version of the Jedi Order, which was at its strongest. That means that fans will get to see more explorations of Jedi Force powers, politics, and great battles – with all the usual Star Wars fan-fav features like new lightsaber designs and new vehicles. Since the High Republic era is largely undefined in the official canon, Star Wars’ creative team has a lot more freedom than the franchise has offered in years.

Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi will be released on January 5, 2021 from Del Rey books.