After the increasingly busy and intertwined events of the Skywalker Saga, I’m looking forward to Star Wars: The High Republic starting with a relatively clean slate. These will be a set of stories in various media taking place 200 years before The Phantom Menace, allowing it to be recognizable as Star Wars while having new characters and settings.
One of the big ideas behind it is that we’ll explore a period in galactic history where the Jedi were at the peak of their powers and influence. At this point, there’ll be what’s been billed as a Jedi Knights of the Round Table, and the primary antagonist will be the Nihil, described as “space Vikings.” The project was due to launch this fall but due to – you guessed it – COVID-19, Lucasfilm announced that The High Republic is delayed and will now kick off in early 2021.
But the hype fires continue to burn, and an interview with writers Cavan Scott and Mike Siglain over at StarWars.com has revealed some fresh details and even some new concept art of two important characters, which you can see below.
One of the characters, Avar Kriss, is described by Siglain as so:
“A wise and compassionate Jedi Master who plays a major role in the Great Disaster that opens the story…The answer to the question, who is the ‘Hero of Hetzal’, which we’d teased? It’s Avar Kriss. But the answer to why is she the ‘Hero of Hetzal’ can be found in Light of the Jedi this January.”
Meanwhile, Sskeer is set to play a big part in the Marvel Comics ongoing and here’s what Cavan Scott said about him:
“He’s a gruff, opinionated Trandoshan who has been around the block more times than he cares to remember. Loyal, but brutally honest, you can always be sure Sskeer will tell you exactly what’s on his mind…or so Avar Kriss and his fellow Jedi think. That’s all about to change. This is a Jedi Master with a secret that is tearing him apart.”
So, when exactly can we start enjoying their adventures? Sadly, other than ‘early 2021,’ an exact date in January is not available. The delays to The High Republic must be disappointing for Lucasfilm, too, as with theaters closed, fans are hungry for content to while away the hours in this difficult year. A brand new branch of Star Wars to pore over would have been just the ticket and I imagine would have seen high sales.
Still, Lucasfilm has requested that fans have patience, so I guess we’ll just have to twiddle our thumbs while Star Wars: The High Republic gets into gear.
