Star Wars: The High Republic Excites With A Bigger Universe, And Dark New Threats

Star Wars: The High Republic will kick off 2021 offering fans the excitement of a much bigger Star Wars Universe, as well as the new threats that go along with it. In doing so, the Star Wars creators involved with this new line fulfill the promise to fans: offering them the potential of the Star Wars Universe, unencumbered by the canon of the Star Wars movies, and the mythology of the Skywalker Saga. It’s a wide landscape on which to paint a whole new world inside a familiar galaxy far, far, away – which is exactly the kind balance The High Republic seems to strike.

Set 200 years before the events of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, The High Republic is a time when the Jedi Order is plentiful and thriving. That offers a much deeper look at the order and the diverse collection of beings (personalities and beliefs) that make it up. Not only do we get an entire cast of new Jedi characters (several of whom weave into, or are connected by, events in different books), we also get new sides of the Jedi Order, Force powers, and practices that we’ve never seen before.

In that way, The High Republic uses its position in the Star Wars timeline effectively; in seeing this expanded vision of The Jedi, we also get first hints of just how far the Jedi Order fell, alongside Anakin Skywalker. The new Jedi characters range from familiar types (the unsure padawan) to heroic sword-swinging knights, but there are also great new kinds of Jedi we haven’t seen before, which offer novel new intrigue. Thankfully, the first three books offer deep enough character arcs for enough new Jedi to ensure that several of these characters will become standouts.

On the other side of the spectrum: The High Republic’s new setting also allows for some interesting new takes on the threats that lurk in the Star Wars Universe. Into The Dark‘s title is a pretty clear sign that the shining light of The Jedi won’t come without a shadow. Even though The Sith Empire has been destroyed in this era, the universe isn’t free of evildoers (or else what would The Jedi have to do?).

The High Republic is a shining beacon of civilization and order, but the larger span of the galaxy isn’t quite as mapped and settled in this earlier time. There’s a whole “frontier” of space the Jedi Order and/or Republic want to move into – but that “Wild West” already has its own system of (dis)order, including various guilds and clans of pirates, smugglers, (or worse). And since fans know where the stories of this era ultimately lead, it’s not too much of a surprise when the first embers of the dark side begin to reveal themselves, in ways that could profoundly alter the course of these Jedi’s lives.

The new era begins on January 5, 2021, when The High Republic line kicks off with the novels Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi and Star Wars: The High Republic – A Test of Courage, as well as Marvel Comics Star Wars The High Republic #1. February will also bring the novel Star Wars: Into the Dark. A tie-in TV series called The Acolyte has also been announced for Disney+.

Star Wars: The High Republic begins on January 5, 2021, with Light of the Jedi and A Test of Courage. Into the Darkness will follow in February. Pre-orders for the books are live on Amazon now.

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