The Skywalker saga may be over but the future ofStar Warsis here. For months, Lucasfilm has been teasing the mysteriousProject Luminous. Now, they’ve revealed that it is a massive publishing initiative calledStar Wars: The High Republicthat will be telling interconnected stories in an era hundreds of years before the events of the original trilogy. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had this to say.
“We are so excited to be opening up such a rich, fertile era for our authors to explore. We’ll get to see theJediin their prime.”
A trailer has been released that previews what’s to come, and this could be what many fans have been waiting for. As we can see, this is a massive event that will see the galaxy at a time that hasn’t been explored on screen before. This is when theJedi were at the height of their power. There are tons of new characters, new villains, new weapons, new planets, new ships. New is the keyword. This looks like a breath of fresh air, far removed from the comfortable and familiar. Lucasfilm publishing creative director Michael Siglain had this to say. Set 200 years prior to the events ofStar Wars: the Phantom Menace, the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their height, serving and protecting the galaxy.
“Star Wars: The High Republicfeatures the Jedi as we’ve always wanted to see them, as trueguardians of peace and justice. This is a hopeful, optimistic time, when the Jedi and the Galactic Republic are at their height. But of course, into this glorious new era something wicked this way come. This initiative will give readers young and old a new corner of the galaxy to explore through rich, meaningful stories. Plus, readers will learn what scares the Jedi.”
SeasonedStar Warsauthors Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel Jose Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule have been enlisted to tell stories in The High Republic. The first books will launch at Star Wars Celebration in August in a storyline titledLight of the Jedi, a massive interconnected story that’s told across various formats by various publishers. Lucasfilm vice president, franchise content and strategy James Waugh.
“This was a golden age for the Jedi, and also a time of galactic expansion in the Outer Rim. So expect there to be rich tales of exploration;charting out the galaxy, meeting new cultures, and discovering what pioneerlife in the Outer Rimwas like. This is an incredible sandbox for our storytellers to play in, both within publishing and beyond, and we can’t wait to see the great fiction they build within it.”
The first wave of titles includesStar Wars: The High Republic: Into the Darkby Claudia Gray, which is a young adult novel;Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courageby Justina Ireland, a middle-grade novel; theStar Wars: The High Republic Adventurescomic by Daniel Jose Older; andStar Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jediby Charles Soule, an adult novel. These titles are available for pre-order now.
Disney Lucasfilm Press, Del Rey, IDW Publishing and Marvel will all be publishingStar Wars: The High Republicstories. While it’s not a movie or a TV show, this represents some of the first truly new storytelling we’ve had in the franchise in some time, and this could lead to big things down the line. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more details are made available. This news comes to us viaStarWars.com.
