The people who work on Star Wars: The High Republic have been very tight-lipped about what the new story will be about, but some fans have formed a theory from the clues given so far.
The new publishing initiative at the Skywalker Ranch, under the supervision of Lucasfilm, promises to introduce us to a different side of that galaxy far, far away. Project Luminous will be a series of novels and comic books that expand on a fresh narrative taking place 200 years before the events of Episode I – The Phantom Menace, in an era known as the High Republic.
In this period of time, the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at the height of their power and glory. And from what we know so far, the story will take place sometime after the Great Disaster. We still don’t know what this catastrophe is exactly, but it would seem that an unknown force, presumably the Nihil, causes all starships in the galaxy to abruptly jump out of hyperspace.
As for what to expect, Lucasfilm has announced several novels and comic series that will kickstart the High Republic era, all featuring new and unique characters. However, according to the Dork Side of the Force, these stories will be bound together by a single place; the mysterious Starlight Beacon.
As the news outlet puts it, during Lucasfilm’s invite-only panel for Project Luminous, they described this enigmatic place as “quite literally a beacon of hope,” and announced that several stories will feature it as a centerpiece of their conflict. Namely, the first novel, titled Light of the Jedi, even depicts the Starlight Beacon on its cover, which you can see below:
In addition, the Starlight Beacon will be a prominent plot element of Cavan Scott’s upcoming comic series The High Republic, which features the Jedi Knights coming together after the Great Disaster. The tower is going be in Soule’s upcoming Star War No. 2 as well, where Rebellion commander Grek leads a mission codenamed “Operation Starlight.”
So, it looks like this beacon of “hope” will be integral to the story of Star Wars: The High Republic, but to know what it really is, we have to wait for the first novel, Light of the Jedi, which releases on August 25th.
