Star Wars: The High Republic will be the next step in expanding the narrative of a galaxy far, far away with a new line of novels and comic series, but which familiar names can we expect to see in the glorious days of the Galactic Republic?
Well, up to this point, we’ve learned that Lucasfilm intends to go back in time and explore the events that transpired 200 years before the Skywalker Saga. In this period, known as the High Republic era, the Jedi are at the height of their power and keep peace and justice in the galaxy. To oppose them, the new group of writers at the Skywalker Ranch came up with a group of elite bandits called the Nihil. With that name, your mind might quickly race to Darth Nihilus and the age of the Old Republic, but the answer as to who is ultimately pulling the strings is simpler than that.
First of all, these new Jedi are apparently the epitome of the Knights of the Round Table, so Lucasfilm must have come up with a formidable foe to go up against them. In addition, the Sith Empire is all but destroyed during the High Republic era, which begs the question; Who or what force is the source of conflict for this new phase of Star Wars stories?
As diehard fans might tell you, the Sith Empire may have been gone, but the Dark Side of the Force lived through Darth Bane, who conceived the Rule of Two (a Sith master and their apprentice).
This eventually led to Sheev Palpatine destroying the Jedi Order and establishing the Galactic Empire. But before Darth Sidious, his master Darth Plagueis was the one who inherited the legacy of the Sith. Star Wars has never really explained the timeline of Plagueis and Sidious’ affiliation, but this new era might be the perfect opportunity to detail the life of Darth Plagueis and how he unlocked the mystery of immortality.
At any rate, the big baddie of Star Wars: The High Republic might end up being a new character previously unheard of, but considering the popularity of Darth Plagueis in the fandom, Lucasfilm would be wise to explore his story in this new initiative.
