You may think there’s already a lot of Star Wars coming with Disney releasing 10 (11?) new shows in the near future, but that’s only part of the company’s new path forward with the franchise. Their new publishing effort, which spans comics, novels, and even magazines, is finally launching, bringing us tales set a centuries before the Skywalker saga with the Jedi at the height of their power. Star Wars: The High Republic now has a teaser trailer (yes, for books) focusing on the new interconnected “mega-story” that will unfold.
The High Republic books were supposed to launch last year but were delayed thanks to COVID-19. As the trailer indicates, The High Republic will focus on a variety of characters in the world, not just Jedi, as the universe deals with something called “the Great Disaster.” It’s not clear exactly what that is without reading a novel excerpt available online, but it gives rise to the Nihil, which are like “space Vikings.” The Jedi and Republic here are at their full power and function as a sort of Knights of the Round table with a dash of the Western influence that Star Wars is built on. As you can see, nearly all the characters are brand new, though the trailer does tease a young Yoda (not Baby Yoda) possibly appearing.
The first phase of the High Republic will begin with three books launching on Jan. 5: adult novel Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, middle-grade novel A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland, and children’s book The Great Jedi Rescue by Cavan Scott. Those will be followed on Jan. 6 by a Star Wars: The High Republic comic book written by Cavan Scott and on Feb. 2 by YA novel Into the Dark by Claudia Gray. Finally, on Feb. 24 a new comic series called Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures (notably with publisher IDW, as opposed to Marvel) will launch.
Of course, you can’t keep a good thing on the printed page. Disney will be tapping into this mega-story for Disney+ as well with the upcoming The Acolyte from the creator of Netflix’s Russian Doll.
