Formerly known as "Project Luminous", Star Wars: The
High Republic is a new era on the Star Wars timeline - a time when the
Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their zenith. These
stories are set around two centuries before the events of The Phantom
Menace and while they are separate from the
Skywalker Saga era, events that occur
during this era will affect the wider Star Wars galaxy.
Two
hundred years before the events of The Phantom Menace, in the
era of the glorious High Republic, the noble and wise Jedi Knights
must face a frightening threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the
Force itself. The
Force is with the galaxy. It is the time of the High Republic: a
peaceful union of like-minded worlds where all voices are heard, and
governance is achieved through consensus, not coercion or fear. It is
an era of ambition, of culture, of inclusion, of Great Works.
Visionary Chancellor Lina Soh leads the Republic from the elegant
city-world of Coruscant, located near the bright center of the
Galactic Core. But beyond the Core and its many peaceful
Colonies, there is the Rim: Inner, Mid, and finally, at the border of
what is known: the Outer Rim. These worlds are filled with opportunity
for those brave enough to travel the few well-mapped hyperspace lanes
leading to them, though there is danger as well. The Outer Rim is a
haven for anyone seeking to escape the laws of the Republic, and is
filled with predators of every type. Chancellor Soh has
pledged to bring the Outer Rim worlds into the embrace of the Republic
through ambitious outreach programs such as the Starlight Beacon.
But until it is brought online, order and justice are maintained on
the galactic frontier by Jedi Knights, guardians of peace who have
mastered incredible abilities stemming from a mysterious energy field
known as the Force. The Jedi work closely with the Republic, and have
agreed to establish outposts in the Outer Rim to help any who might
require aid. The Jedi of the frontier can be the only resource for
people with nowhere else to turn. Though the outposts operate
independently and without direct assistance from the great Jedi Temple
on Coruscant, they act as an effective deterrent to those who would do
evil in the dark. Few can stand against the Knights of the Jedi Order.
But there are always those who will try...
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode
I: The Phantom Menace:
Padawan Reath Silas is being sent from the cosmopolitan
galactic capital of Coruscant to the undeveloped
frontier-and he couldn't be less happy about it. He'd
rather stay at the Jedi Temple, studying the archives.
But when the ship he's traveling on is knocked out of
hyperspace in a galactic-wide disaster, Reath finds
himself at the center of the action. The Jedi and their
traveling companions find refuge on what appears to be
an abandoned space station. But then strange things
start happening, leading the Jedi to investigate the
truth behind the mysterious station, a truth that could
end in tragedy...
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode
I: The Phantom Menace:
Vernestra Rwoh is a new Jedi Knight at age sixteen, but
her first real assignment feels an awful lot like
babysitting. She's been charged with supervising
twelve-year old aspiring inventor Avon Starros on a
cruiser headed to the dedication of a wondrous new space
station called Starlight Beacon. But soon
into their journey, bombs go off aboard the cruiser.
While the adult Jedi try to save the ship, Vernestra,
Avon, Avon's droid J-6, a Jedi Padawan, and an
ambassador's son make it to an escape shuttle, but
communications are out and supplies are low. They decide
to land on a nearby moon, which offers shelter but not
much more. And unbeknownst to them, danger lurks in the
forest...more
NEWS . . .
Tuesday
16th February
StarWars.com: Character trailer: Sskeer
StarWars.com
has posted the next video in a series that introduces
us to the the characters of The High Republic
through a series of short animations. The latest character
to be featured is Trandoshan Jedi Master Sskeer who
features in Charles Soule's
Light of the
Jedi novel, and children's books
A Test of
Courage by Justina Ireland and
The Great
Jedi Rescue by Cavan Scott:
“A
Jedi Master of the High Republic, Sskeer is a gruff,
opinionated Trandoshan who has been around the block more
times than he cares to remember. Sskeer is loyal, but
brutally honest, and you can always be sure he will tell
you exactly what’s on his mind…or so his fellow Jedi
think; he hides a devastating secret that is tearing him
apart.” -
Star Wars Databank
StarWars.com
has posted the next video in a series that introduces
us to the the characters of The High Republic
through a series of short animations. The latest video
features one of the villians of The High Republic:
the Drengir:
“Chock full
of tentacles, teeth, and thorns, the Drengir are horrific,
sentient plant-like creatures that have once again been
released upon the galaxy. Carnivorous, amorphous, and
unsettling, the Drengir aim to reap a terrible harvest
across the galactic frontier.” -
Star Wars Databank
The High Republic #2: There Is No Fear (Part
2)
Comic Book & e-Comic Book by Cavan Scott, Ario Anindito et
al. Marvel (
&
)
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode I:
The Phantom Menace: • The Nihil strike! A ship found adrift in space,
the crew brutally slaughtered and cargo stolen. •
What terror awaits the the Jedi of Starlight Beacon
as they explore the wreck? • Newly knighted Keeve
Trennis must overcome her insecurity in the face of new
teammates, but can she trust her closest ally?
The High Republic Adventures #1
Comic Book by Daniel José Older, Harvey Tolibao et al. IDW Publishing (
)
A team of
inexperienced Padawans race to Trymant IV to aid its
citizens after an attack by the Nihil, a band of
dangerous marauders, leaves the city on fire. Padawans
Lula, Farzal, and Qort do their best to help as many
people as they can. Meanwhile, Zeen and Kriz, part of a
group that resents and fears the Jedi, must decide
whether they can accept their help or try to save the
day on their own.
NEWS . . .
Tuesday
2nd February
StarWars.com: Character trailer: Bell Zetifar
StarWars.com
has posted the next video in a series that introduces
us to the the characters of The High Republic
through a series of short animations. The fourth character
to be featured is Jedi Padawan Bell Zettifar who
features in Charles Soule's
Light of the
Jedi novel:
“Bell
Zettifar is a Padawan apprenticed to the legendary Loden
Greatstorm. Deep in the Outer Rim, Bell and his Master are
stationed at a Jedi Outpost on the oreworld of Elphrona.
Though conditions are harsh, Bell is guided by the light
and determined to keep the peace, and while he spends most
of his time training, the Jedi Knight-to-be finds
enjoyment wandering the iron hills of the planet with his
faithful charhound named Ember.” -
Star Wars Databank
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode
I: The Phantom Menace:
Padawan Reath Silas is being sent from the cosmopolitan
galactic capital of Coruscant to the undeveloped
frontier-and he couldn't be less happy about it. He'd
rather stay at the Jedi Temple, studying the archives.
But when the ship he's traveling on is knocked out of
hyperspace in a galactic-wide disaster, Reath finds
himself at the center of the action. The Jedi and their
traveling companions find refuge on what appears to be
an abandoned space station. But then strange things
start happening, leading the Jedi to investigate the
truth behind the mysterious station, a truth that could
end in tragedy...
NEWS . . .
Thursday
28th January
The High Republic Show: Episode 1
The first episode of The High Republic Show has been
released at
StarWars.com:
In the first episode of Star Wars: The High Republic
Show, Krystina brings you the latest and greatest news
from The High Republic, finds out what it took to bring
this new era into VR with ILMxLAB’s Star Wars: Tales from
the Galaxy’s Edge, and sits down with Justina Ireland,
Charles Soule, and Michael Siglain to talk new Jedi and
how Marchion Ro haunts our dreams. Plus, we get an
exclusive look at a brand new character from Claudia
Grey’s upcoming book, Into the Dark, a first look at the
cover of Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic issue #5,
and more!
Have questions about Star Wars: The High
Republic? Tweet them to us using the hashtag
#THRSQuestions and your question might get answered on the
next episode!
StarWars.com
has posted the third video in a new series that introduces
us to the the characters of The High Republic
through a series of short animations. The latest video
features one of the villians of The High Republic:
the Nihil:
“The Nihil are
brutal, savage marauders, based in the Outer Rim. They’re
the stuff of nightmares, able to appear anywhere almost at
will. They use bizarre, intimidating tactics — chemical
weapons, poison — anything that might kill you, they’ll
use.” - Charles Soule,
Light of the
Jedi
StarWars.com
has posted the second video in a new series that introduces
us to the the characters of The High Republic
through a series of short animations. The second character
to be featured is Jedi Master Avar Kriss who
features in Charles Soule's
Light of the
Jedi novel:
“Avar is
the brightest, most noble example of Jedi-hood. She always
tries to see the good in people and situations, and never
puts herself first. She is invigorated about life on the
frontier and the challenges it brings, and is an
inspiration for those who work with her. She is
compassionate, not dogmatic, and always ready to sacrifice
herself over others. Avar Kriss is the best of the best.” -
Star Wars Databank
StarWars.com
has posted the first video in a new series that introduces
us to the the characters of The High Republic
through a series of short animations. The first character
to be featured is Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh who
features in Justina Ireland's
A Test of
Courage book:
“Vernestra’s 16, so she's probably on the older end for
middle-grade — most of middle grade characters tend to be
between like 12, 13, 14. But Vernestra has a challenge, in
that she is a full Jedi. She’s very young: most
16-year-olds in the Jedi Order are padawans still. She
took her testing early, so she’s a bit of a prodigy. She
doesn’t know anybody else who is as young as she is so she
kind of sticks out, and that gives her her own set of of
sort of challenges to deal with. So how is she a Jedi
Knight in this order that is being led by amazing Jedi?”
- Justina Ireland
StarWars.com: Exclusive excerpt from Into the Dark
StarWars.com
has posted an exclusive excerpt from Claudia Gray's
upcoming The High Republic YA novel
Into the Dark:
"Jedi Orla Jareni, Cohmac Vitus, Reath Silas, and
Dez Rydan are about to start a new mission. First,
however, they must rendezvous with the ship and its crew
that will provide transport — and they’re not at all what
our heroes expect..."
The High Republic #1: There Is No Fear (Part
1)
Comic Book & e-Comic Book by Cavan Scott, Ario Anindito et
al. Marvel (
&
)
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode I:
The Phantom Menace: The Jedi are at their height, protecting the galaxy
as Republic pioneers push out into new territories. As
the Frontier prepares for the dedication of majestic
Starlight Beacon, Padawan Keeve Trennis faces the
ultimate choice — will she complete her Jedi Trials or
rescue the innocent from disaster?
This story occurs approximately 200 years before
Episode I: The Phantom Menace: It is a golden age. Intrepid hyperspace scouts
expand the reach of the Repubic to the farthest stars,
worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the
Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and
strength of the renowned order of Force users known as
the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power,
the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their
ability to weather any storm But even the brightest
light can cast a shadow, and some storms defy any
preparation. When a shocking catastrophe in
hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of
shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire
system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the
Jedi race to the scene...more
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode
I: The Phantom Menace:
Vernestra Rwoh is a new Jedi Knight at age sixteen, but
her first real assignment feels an awful lot like
babysitting. She's been charged with supervising
twelve-year old aspiring inventor Avon Starros on a
cruiser headed to the dedication of a wondrous new space
station called Starlight Beacon. But soon
into their journey, bombs go off aboard the cruiser.
While the adult Jedi try to save the ship, Vernestra,
Avon, Avon's droid J-6, a Jedi Padawan, and an
ambassador's son make it to an escape shuttle, but
communications are out and supplies are low. They decide
to land on a nearby moon, which offers shelter but not
much more. And unbeknownst to them, danger lurks in the
forest...more
This story occurs approximately 200 years before Episode
I: The Phantom Menace:
Meet the noble and wise Jedi of the High Republic!
When a disaster strikes in hyperspace, putting the
people of Hetzal Prime in grave danger, only the Jedi of
the High Republic can save the day!
NEWS . . .
Wednesday
23rd December
StarWars.com: The Makers of The High Republic:
Claudia Gray
StarWars.com
has posted an article "Inside The High Republic: Meet
the Makers: Claudia Gray on Into the Dark" where
they interview the author of this upcoming YA novel:
What can you talk about regarding how the book has evolved
since the announcement? "It’s not like there
was an idea of the book before there was the collaboration
or before there was the universe. It grew very organically
out of that, like what are the different stories we need
to tell in this universe? With this being a new cast of
characters, and all the different starter books, we get to
introduce our own people, their own situations, but it’s
all part of this one big puzzle. And so I got to have a
little side quest; I think the young adult novel could
kind of count as that. It’s separate from a lot of the
things that are going on, but there are also some setups
for a lot of things that you’re going to see later. Is
that vague enough?"
StarWars.com: Meet the ships and vehicles of The High Republic
StarWars.com
has posted an article "Inside The High Republic: Meet
the Ships and Vehicles" where
they have a preview of the starships and vehicles that
have been designed especially for this new era in Star Wars storytelling:
The High Republic offered creators the rare opportunity to
world build in the fashion of the Star Wars films. This
meant looking at what already exists in Star Wars, and
figuring out what would come before. "We all found a
lot of inspiration in how the prequels opened up a more
refined era of the galaxy, but by virtue of those films’
proximity to the originals, it had to start showing early
signs of corruption. By moving further in time, away from
that downfall, we’re able to see the Republic at its
height in this storytelling," says Pablo Hidalgo of
the Lucasfilm Story Group. "In the Core Worlds
especially, that’s reflected in fashion and technology. A
lot of the visual exploration in the High Republic is
taking what we know, but idealizing it."
StarWars.com: The Makers of The High Republic:
Justina Ireland
StarWars.com
has posted an article "Inside The High Republic: Meet
the Makers: Justina Ireland on A Test of Courage" where
they interview the author of this upcoming middle-grade
book:
The High Republic is a brand-new era, and your
middle-grade novel, A Test of Courage, will be one of the
first introductions to it. What was it like writing that
first novel and exploring and defining a whole new era of
Star Wars? "It was pretty amazing, honestly!
Imagine getting a chance to create the characters you want
to see and putting them in a galaxy full of space wizards
and the like? One that you’ve spent your entire life
dreaming about? Yeah, amazing is the perfect way to
describe it but also falls so far from the actual depth of
emotion involved. All I’m saying is that if there’s ever a
Vernestra Rwoh Funko Pop!, I’ll be unbearable to live
with."
Ink and lettering preview for The High Republic
Adventures #1
StarWars.com
has posted an exclusive ink and lettering preview from the
first issue of IDW Publishing's forthcoming The High
Republic Adventures #1:
"In Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, the
Jedi have long maintained galactic peace... but the coming
of a powerful new adversary called the Nihil threatens to
end it all. Beginning in February, you can experience
the new IDW comic series Star Wars: The High Republic
Adventures from writer Daniel José Older. The story that
unfolds will feature a group of Master Yoda’s young
Padawan trainees who must protect the Republic while
learning the lessons that will one day lead them to become
powerful Jedi in their own right. Chek out the first
few inked and lettered pages below then pick up a copy
when Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures #1 goes on
sale in February 2021 with two cover variants by Tolibao
and Yael Nathan."
Read first 8 chapters of The High Republic: Light of
the Jedi
The first 8 chapters of Charles Soules's upcoming novel
The High Republic:
Light of the Jedi will be posted online by publisher
Penguin Random House. Over the next 4 days two chapters
will be published daily, chapters 1 & 2 are available
now.
NEWS . . .
Thursday
29th October
StarWars.com: Meet the villains of The High Republic
StarWars.com
has posted an article "Inside The High Republic: Meet
the villains" where
they have a preview of the villains that will inhabit this
new era in Star Wars storytelling:
What could possibly send chills down the spine of the
galaxy’s protectors — during the peak of the Jedi Order —
in Star Wars: The High Republic? “One of the north
stars for this initiative is to answer the question, ‘What
scares the Jedi?’ Which is a really fun but
extraordinarily challenging question to answer,”
Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain
tells StarWars.com. “All five authors, as well as the
Story Group and Publishing teams, had thoughts on what
would scare them — and why — but everyone agreed that had
to be something new.” And that “something new”
would be frightening in any galaxy. Meet “the Drengir”:
unsettling, amorphous beings, chock full of tentacles and
teeth. In other words, pure Star Wars nightmare fuel...
Space.com: Exclusive excerpt from A Test of Courage
Space
has posted an exclusive excerpt from Justina Ireland's
upcoming The High Republic middle-grade book
A Test of
Courage:
"This excerpt features our local baddies, the Nihil,"
Ireland told Space.com. "These are ruthless space
pirates with no code of honor, their only belief is a sort
of hedonistic do what you will, which predictably will
lead them to run up against just about every bastion of
order that exists in the galaxy. Here we get to spend time
with a couple of Nihil, which is fun as long as you aren't
on the receiving end of their mayhem."
The High Republic is a huge story, multifaceted,
meticulously built to give anyone who experiences it that
real deal Star Wars we all love. We’ve had some of the
legends of the franchise contribute to its design and
visual storytelling — Iain McCaig, the Lucasfilm Art
Department and more — and the intricate details of the
world-building have been given the full support and power
of the mighty engine that is the Lucasfilm Story Group. A
lot of people who care very much about Star Wars have been
involved — and we’ve swung for the fences.
StarWars.com: Exclusive preview of Marvel's The High Republic
#1
StarWars.com
has posted an article "A Padawan faces the Jedi
Trials in Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic #1" where
they have an exclusive preview of initial pencil drawing's
from Marvel's upcoming first issue. There are also
insights from writer Cavan Scott:
There’s something at once novel and familiar about the new
era of Star Wars storytelling, a fact made immediately
clear by the initial pages of the upcoming Marvel Star
Wars: The High Republic comic series. “You’ll see
things you never expected in a Star Wars story,” says
writer Cavan Scott. Scott was part of the core team of
authors who gathered at Skywalker Ranch in 2018 to help
forge a path for the interwoven tales that the project
would encompass. “I came up with the character of
Keeve Trennis in our first Project Luminous summit,” Scott
says. “Now to see her coming to life through Ario
[Anindito] and Mark [Morales’] art is wonderful.”
StarWars.com
has an article "Inside Star Wars: The High Republic: Meet
Yoda" where we get a first look at a legendary Jedi Master
as we’ve never seen him before:
“For 800 years have I trained Jedi.” Yoda
lived a long, legendary life. But we’ve only known him
through his final act — in the last days of the Republic
and Jedi Order, and during the training of Luke Skywalker.
In Star Wars: The High Republic, we’ll encounter
the Jedi Master centuries prior, and StarWars.com is
thrilled to offer a first look...
StarWars.com: Exclusive excerpt from A Test of Courage
StarWars.com
has posted an exclusive excerpt from Justina Ireland's
upcoming middle grade novel Star Wars: The High
Republic: A Test of Courage:
Coming January 5, 2021, Ireland’s A Test of Courage
is one of the tentpole releases in the Star Wars: The
High Republic publishing epic, which will take
readers back to the peak of the Jedi Order, centuries
prior to the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
The novel follows a ragtag group of young adventurers —
newly-minted teen Jedi Vernestra Rwoh, a young Padawan,
audacious tech-kid Avon Starros, and the son of an
ambassador – after a galaxy-wide disaster leaves them
stranded on a jungle moon.
StarWars.com: Meet the characters of The High Republic
(Part 2)
StarWars.com
has posted an article "Inside Star Wars: The High
Republic: Meet the Jedi Knights and Masters (Part 2)" where we
are introduced to some of the key characters from this
forthcoming era:
Star Wars:
The High Republic, Lucasfilm’s multi-platform,
cross-publisher epic launching in January 2021, will
introduce the world to Sskeer: a tough Jedi Master that
doesn’t quite fit the mold. As such, he sounds very, very
fun. “Sskeer plays a major role in the Marvel
Comics ongoing and is an absolute joy to write,” says
Cavan Scott, one of the writers behind The High Republic.
“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.”
Still, The High Republic is set at a time when the Jedi
are at their peak. And none exemplify that more than Avar
Kriss.”
Launch of The High Republic moved to beginning of
2021
Michael Siglain, Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director,
has announced that due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the
launch of Star Wars: The High Republic publishing
program has been put back to the beginning of 2021.
This means that the US release dates for the first batch
of books have been moved thus:
5th January, 2021 (from 25th August, 2020) Light of the Jedi by Charles
Soule, hardback novel from Del Rey
5th January, 2021 (from 8th September, 2020) A Test of Courage by Justine
Ireland, children's book from Disney-Lucasfilm Press
2nd February, 2021 (from 6th October, 2020) Into the Dark by Claudia
Gray, YA novel from Disney-Lucasfilm Press
NEWS . . .
Thursday
2nd April
StarWars.com: Meet the characters of The High Republic
StarWars.com
has posted an article "Inside Star Wars: The High
Republic: Meet the Jedi Knights and Masters" where we
are introduced to some of the key characters from this
forthcoming era:
"Readers
will see a very wide variety of Jedi in this era,"
says Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael
Siglain. "This is a hopeful, optimistic time, when the
Jedi are good and noble, and we want to reflect that in
their characters while still giving them enough depth and
dimension so that their individual personalities and
idiosyncrasies shine through. The Jedi Knights of the High
Republic are both aspirational and inspirational. In
short, they’re the good guys."
StarWars.com: A Roundtable Discussion with the creators of The High Republic
StarWars.com
has posted an article "A Roundtable Discussion with
the creators of The High Republic":
"What we did at this first round at the Ranch was have
everyone — the authors, Story Group, the publishing team
–talk about stories. We spent a couple days just saying,
“What do we like about the franchise? What do we love
about the franchise? What do we want to see in
storytelling? What do we want to see in publishing? What
do we read, what do we like, what do we watch?” And then
everyone started to pitch different ideas and stories, and
we went around and around, and all of those pitches were
viewed internally. Everyone dug all of them, and it was
decided, “All right, we want to go with this one,” which
was one that Cav had come up with, but this is, no offense
to you, Cav, this is no longer your story." - Lucasfilm Creative Director of Publishing
Michael Siglain.
StarWars.com: 5 Things We Learned About The High Republic
StarWars.com
has posted an article "5 Things We Learned About The High
Republic" where the creative team behind this new
initiative discuss their reasoning in creating The High
Republic era:
During a special
retreat to the palatial grounds of Skywalker Ranch about
18 months ago, the five authors and members of Lucasfilm’s
publishing and story group met to hatch the idea that
would become Project Luminous, or Star Wars: The High
Republic. The team knew they wanted to explore a story
featuring the Jedi as we’d never seen them before, but it
was [Cavan] Scott who asked the question that sparked off
the original storytelling idea: “What scares the Jedi?” It
was the “Eureka!” moment that set the tone for what was to
come, says Lucasfilm Creative Director of Publishing
Michael Siglain.
Lucasfilm
has unveiled a new era in Star Wars storytelling: The High
Republic. Formerly known by the codename "Project
Luminous”, it will involve publishers Del Rey,
Disney-Lucasfilm Press, Marvel and IDW Publishing in
telling all new stories in a new era on the timeline that
will not conflict with any new planned films or TV series.
According to Lucasfilm this will give 'creators and
partners a vast amount of room to tell Star Wars stories
with new adventures and original characters.' The
High Republic is a period set about two hundred years
before The Phantom Menace when 'the Galactic
Republic and the Jedi Order are at their zenith' and will feature
original stories by Star Wars story-telling stalwarts
including Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José
Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule. The first books
will debut at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in August
2020. Lucasfilm also announced the first The High
Republic titles which should be available from August:
Into the Dark by Claudia Gray
(Young Adult novel, Disney Lucasfilm Press);
A Test of Courage by Justina
Ireland (Middle Grade novel, Disney Lucasfilm Press);
The High Republic Adventures by
Daniel José Older (IDW Publishing comic book series);
The High Republic by Cavan Scott
(Marvel comic book series);
Light of the Jedi by Charles
Soule (Adult novel, Del Rey).
There was also an announcement trailer video created by
Lucasfilm: