The new Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative takes us back 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace and engulfs the galaxy in yet another big disaster.
It seems that the world of that galaxy far, far away can’t possibly catch a break from all-out conflicts and catastrophes. Even within the Skywalker Saga, the people of the Core Worlds and Outer Rim have never been able to find a moment of peace. And if the first chapter of Light of the Jedi is any indication, the High Republic won’t prove to be an exception to the rule. Lucasfilm recently released the snippet as a teaser for the book and this era, and it already sets a grim tone for what’s to come.
Taking place 200 years before the start of the Clone Wars, this new narrative starts by showing the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Order at the height of their power. The story then shifts to the Legacy Run, a ship on its way to the Outer Rim with more than nine thousand people on board. When the enormous space vessel encounters an obstacle in hyperspace, Captain Hedda Casset manages to do a maneuver to avoid the object but ends up tearing the ship apart. This event sets in motion what ultimately becomes a galaxy-wide disaster since fragments of the starship are flying through hyperspace at an accelerated speed and could appear anywhere at any time.
It seems that the Jedi of old will have to deal with their own problems then, even if they’re essentially the Knights of the Round Table in that particular period of time. After all, the story wouldn’t be worth all the trouble for Lucasfilm if the stakes weren’t high enough.
The first novel in Star Wars: The High Republic, titled Light of the Jedi, will arrive on January 5th, 2021.