Star Wars: The High Republic has been a big success for Disney and Lucasarts. This multimedia project set a couple of hundred years before The Phantom Menace aimed to show us the Jedi at the height of their powers, reintroduce us to some familiar characters in new settings, and provide some historical context for the Skywalker Saga. Most would agree it has achieved that and the books and comics have sold well and been met with broadly positive reviews.
Now the story is pressing ahead, with what’s coming down the line being teased in a new trailer. This underlines that the era is generally a time of unity and peace, though is threatened by dual attacks from different factions:
“In an age of peace and unity, Jedi allies protect the Republic as worlds align in celebration. But they face a battle on two fronts: a monstrous terror that consumes all in its path, and vengeful marauders ready to strike back. The Knights of the High Republic must defend against these merciless enemies. The Jedi will be tested in this pivotal moment in the High Republic as the epic saga continues.”
The first of these two villains are the Nihil, who’re effectively space Vikings. At the start of The High Republic they caused “the great disaster”, a hyperspace collision that sent large amounts of debris traveling towards an inhabited system at tremendous speed. The other are the mysterious Drengir, all-consuming beasts that we saw in the Marvel Comics series, though we don’t know too much about them yet.
The initial installments in the second wave – Cavan Scott’s Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm and Daniel Jose Older’s Star Wars: The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower – are available to buy now. They’ll be followed by Justina Ireland’s Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows in July and Cavan Scott’s audio original Star Wars: The High Republic: Tempest Runner in August. Beyond that, upcoming Disney+ show The Acolyte will be set in this time period.
All this means it’s full steam ahead for Star Wars: The High Republic. Even better, now’s a great time to jump in as there’s a big sale on wave 1 ebooks through July 5, with most titles down to $4.99.