Star Wars: The High Republic

Star Wars: The High Republic, initially promoted as Project Luminous, is a subseries of the Star Wars media franchise set during the "High Republic" sub-era of the Age of Republic, set 200 years before the events of the Skywalker saga and 800 years after the fall of the "Old Republic". In-universe, the initiating event of the subfranchise is "The Great Disaster" involving the antagonistic "space Vikings" known as the Nihil and the subsequent intervention of the Jedi that defeat the king.

This article is about the Star Wars media franchise's subfranchise series introduced in 2020. For the polity, see Galactic Republic.

Star Wars: The High Republic
Owned byLucasfilm
(The Walt Disney Company)
Print publications
Novel(s)Light of the Jedi
Into the Dark
A Test of Courage
ComicsThe High Republic Adventures (IDW)
Star Wars: The High Republic (Marvel)
Films and television
Television seriesStar Wars: Acolyte

History

"Project Luminous" was started in September 2018 with invitations to Star Wars authors including Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule to Skywalker Ranch, with Lucasfilm offering them a "blank slate" in determining the project.[1] Lucasfilm had teased "Project Luminous" in April 2019, prompting intense fan speculation.[2]

On February 24, 2020, Lucasfilm announced a new series of comics and novels called Star Wars: The High Republic, intended to be a publisher-only multimedia project, unrelated to any films in development. A trailer was released showing events taking place two centuries before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. It shows the Jedi at the height of their power and rise of the Nihil.[3][4]

The series was originally intended to debut with the Light of the Jedi novel in August 2020, a few days before Star Wars Celebration 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until January 2021.[5] The first chapter of the novel was released in June 2020 through IGN.[6] In November 2020, the second chapter of the novel was released on StarWars.com, followed by the next six through the Penguin Random House website.[7][8] In December 2020, Disney released a free digital sampler of early chapters of the first phase of High Republic books and comics, revealing the main characters for each series.[9]

On Disney Investor Day 2020, it was revealed that Leslye Headland's The Acolyte series for Disney+ would take place during the late High Republic era.[10] Shortly after, Tencent began releasing Star Wars: The Vow of Silver Dawn, an eBook created specifically for Chinese audiences in collaboration with Lucasfilm. The Vow of Silver Dawn also takes place near the end of the High Republic era, said to be approximately 50 years prior to The Phantom Menace. Lucasfilm has stated that they currently have no plans for an English translation and release.[11]

On January 4, 2021, a day prior to the release of the first novels, Lucasfilm hosted a launch event where they gave more information regarding the works released following the first batch of novels and comics. This included the fact that Star Wars Insider would have monthly short stories as part of the publishing initiative, written by Scott and Ireland, several newly announced books releasing in the Summer of 2021, and that the first phase of The High Republic would last into 2022. The second phase was given the name "Quest of the Jedi", and the third "Trials of the Jedi".[12][13]

Works

Short stories
  • "Starlight: Part 1 - Go Together" (December 15, 2020), written by Charles Soule, and published in Star Wars Insider #199 from Titan Magazines. It acts as a prequel to the event, and is the first in a serialized story.[14][15][16]
  • "Starlight: Part 2" (February 10, 2021), written by Soule, and published in Star Wars Insider #200. The final part of the "Starlight" story, acting as an epilogue to his novel Light of the Jedi.[12][13][17]
  • "First Duty" (March 17, 2021), written by Cavan Scott for Star Wars Insider #201. The story will feature the character Velko, the first aid to the head of Starlight Beacon, meant to act as a view into the High Republic outside of the Jedi.[12][13][18]
Adult novels
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi (January 5, 2021) by Charles Soule, published by Del Rey.[4][5] The novel features the Great Disaster, the inciting incident of the event, when a ship was destroyed while in hyperspace, resulting in pieces of it threatening to destroy an entire system.[19]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – The Rising Storm (July 6, 2021) by Cavan Scott, published by Del Rey.[20] The novel features the Republic Fair, a gathering to celebrate the great things and new inventions of the Republic, and involves the Jedi Stellan Gios as well as a monster hunter named Ty Yorrick.
Young adult novels
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Into the Dark (February 2, 2021) by Claudia Gray, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press.[4][5] The novel features Padawan Reath Silas, whose ship is knocked out of hyperspace, forcing him to take shelter in a mysterious abandoned space station.[21]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Out of the Shadows (July 27, 2021) by Justina Ireland, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press. It continues the story of Vernestra Rwoh from A Test of Courage.[12][22]
Middle-grade novels
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – A Test of Courage (January 5, 2021) by Justina Ireland, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press.[4][5] The novel shows young Jedi Vernestra Rwoh and Imri Cantaros, as well as several children, aboard a ship bombed by the Nihil, forcing them to survive on a hostile jungle moon.[23]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Race to Crashpoint Tower (June 29, 2021) by Daniel José Older, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press. Taking place at the same time as The Rising Storm, it features Padawans Ramjo Maram, a gifted mechanic from a small planet getting his first glimpse at the largest galaxy through the Republic Fair, and Lula Talisola from The High Republic Adventures.[12][13][24]
Young reader books
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – The Great Jedi Rescue (January 5, 2021) by Cavan Scott, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press. It serves as a young reader adaptation of Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.[25][26]
  • An untitled book to be released on July 6, 2021, published by Disney–Lucasfilm Press.[27]

Comics
  • Star Wars: The High Republic, an ongoing comic book by Cavan Scott with art by Ario Anindito published by Marvel Comics.[3] The series premiered on January 6, 2021, beginning with the arc "There is No Fear", taking place directly after the novel Light of the Jedi and featuring young Padawan Keeve Trennis.[28][29]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, an ongoing comic book by Daniel José Older and published by IDW Comics,[3] in which Yoda is set to appear.[30] The first issue is scheduled to release on February 21, 2021.[31]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – The Edge of Balance, an original manga written by Justina Ireland and Shima Shinya with art by Mizuki Sakakibara published by Viz Media. It will focus on Jedi posted on smaller planets, emphasising on their role as a protector of the people, and features original Jedi Lily Tora-Asi and Arkoff, as well as Stellan Gios, who appears in several stories in the event, combating the attacking Dregir. The first volume releases on June 6, 2021.[12][13][32]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – The Monster of Temple Peak, a graphic novel written by Cavan Scott with art by Rachel Stott. The novel expands on Ty Yorrick, a character introduced in The Rising Storm.[12][13]

Web series
  • Characters of Star Wars: The High Republic, a series of animated shorts that tells the stories of The High Republic's heroes and villains. The first short, highlighting A Test of Courage character Vernestra Rwoh, released on January 19, 2021 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel and website.[33]
  • Star Wars: The High Republic Show, a behind-the-scenes web series hosted by Krystina Arielle on the official Star Wars YouTube channel and website. The series will release on a bi-monthly basis, and feature guests from the initiative discussing the works and what went into making them. The first episode premiered on January 27, 2021.[12][13]
  • Temple of Darkness, an expansion for the virtual reality game Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge that takes place during the High Republic, developed by ILMxLab. The game features Jedi Padawan Ady Sun’Zee, the sole survivor of an encounter with an evil relic on Batuu, who works with Yoda to confront it.[34]
  • Star Wars: The Vow of Silver Dawn, a Chinese language eBook written by an author by the pen name "His Majesty the King". The Vow of Silver Dawn was created in collaboration between Lucasfilm and Tencent in an effort to create an interest in Star Wars among a Chinese audience, and was released chapter-by-chapter. The eBook takes place near the end of the High Republic era, 50 years before The Phantom Menace, and features a young Jedi named Sean with a secret past, patrolling the Outer Rim. Lucasfilm has stated there are no plans for an English translation and release.[11]
  • Star Wars: The Acolyte, a Disney+ original series written by Leslye Headland, who also serves as showrunner. The series is "mystery-thriller" featuring "emerging dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era".[10]

Reception

In the first week of its release, Light of the Jedi was ranked #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list of hardcover fiction,[35] as well as the #2 best selling book on Amazon.[36] A Test of Courage, which released on the same day, debuted at #2 on The New York Times list for children's middle grade hardcover. Marvel's The High Republic #1 had sold over 200,000 orders to comic book shops prior to release, forcing Marvel to create a second printing of the issue before its official release, as well as a third printing shortly after.[37] Digitally, the issue was at the top of Comixology's best-selling comics for the week of its release.[38]

References
  1. Scott, Ryan (February 25, 2020). "Star Wars: The High Republic's Trailer Launches a New Era for The Franchise". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  2. ABC News (February 25, 2020). "Everything you need to know about the super-secret Star Wars: 'Project Luminous'". Good Morning America. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  3. Scott, Ryan (February 25, 2020). "Star Wars: The High Republic Is Introducing The First Wookiee Jedi". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  4. Newby, Richard (February 25, 2020). "How High Republic Will Build a New Era of Star Wars". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  5. "Star Wars: The High Republic Sees Revised Release Dates". StarWars.com. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  6. Yehl, Joshua. "Read the First Chapter of Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule". IGN.com. Ziff Davis.
  7. Star Wars.com team (November 12, 2020). "Explore Light of the Jedi in Star Wars: The High Republic — Exclusive Excerpt". StarWars.com. Lucasfilm Ltd.
  8. Star Wars Books [@DelReyStarWars] (November 12, 2020). "We have a special #StarWarsTheHighRepublic #LightoftheJedi surprise for you. We're gifting you the first 8 chapters FREE. Read chapters 1-2 now, and new chapters are posting each day at the link below through the weekend. No need to wait till January. ow.ly/8Jpm50CiYt4" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. "The High Republic Digital Sampler". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  10. "Future Lucasfilm Projects Revealed". StarWars.com. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  11. Ankers, Adele. "China-Exclusive Star Wars Novel, The Vow of Silver Dawn Adds a New, Canon Sector of the Galaxy - IGN". IGN.
  12. "Star Wars: The High Republic: New Trailer Revealed and More". StarWars.com. January 4, 2021.
  13. Star Wars: The High Republic Live Stream Launch Event (YouTube video). Lucasfilm Ltd. January 4, 2021.
  14. "Star Wars Insider #199". titan-comics.com. Titan Magazines.
  15. LaSalata, Justin (October 8, 2020). "Original Fiction From Star Wars: The High Republic Coming to Star Wars Insider This December". Jedi News.
  16. Doug @ Radio D'Qa [@RadioDQar] (December 2, 2020). "This just arrived in the mail! @CharlesSoule #StarWarsTheHighRepublic" (Tweet). Retweeted by Charles Soule – via Twitter.
  17. "STAR WARS INSIDER #200 NEWSSTAND ED (NOV201567)". previewsworld.com. Previews World.
  18. "STAR WARS INSIDER #201 NEWSSTAND ED (JAN211584)". previewsworld.com. Previews World.
  19. "Light of the Jedi". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. "See the Cover Art for Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm - Exclusive Reveal". StarWars.com. December 4, 2020.
  21. "Into The Dark". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  22. "Star Wars The High Republic YA Novel #2". Hachette Business Portal. Hatchet Books.
  23. "A Test of Courage". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  24. "Star Wars The High Republic Middle Grade Novel #2". www.amazon.com.
  25. "Star Wars The High Republic: The Great Jedi Rescue". www.amazon.com.
  26. "The Great Jedi Rescue". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  27. "Star Wars The High Republic 8x8 #2". Hachette Business Portal. Hatchet Books.
  28. Newsarama Staff. "Marvel Comics January 2021 solicitations and covers revealed". GamesRadar+.
  29. "Star Wars: The High Republic #1". Disney Books | Disney Publishing Worldwide. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  30. Brooks, Dan (September 1, 2020). "Inside Star Wars: The High Republic: Meet Yoda". StarWars.com. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  31. "Every Star Wars: The High Republic Book and Comic Series (So Far)". StarWars.com. December 15, 2020.
  32. "A New Jedi Revealed and More from Star Wars: The High Republic Show". StarWars.com. January 27, 2021.
  33. "Learn More about the Characters of Star Wars: The High Republic in New Series of Digital Shorts". StarWars.com. January 19, 2021.
  34. "Enter 'Temple of Darkness' in Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge". ILMxLab. October 29, 2020.
  35. "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Jan. 24, 2021 - The New York Times". The New York Times.
  36. "Most Sold Fiction - Amazon Charts". www.amazon.com.
  37. Johnston, Rich (January 5, 2021). "100K? Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic #1 Has 200K Orders!". bleedingcool.com.
  38. "Comics Best Sellers - Comics by comiXology". comixology.com. January 14, 2021.
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