Star Wars: The High Republic (A Primer)
There’s an awful lot of Star Wars out there. Eleven-ish movies, several high-budget TV shows (and a few more not-so-high-budget ones), two theme parks, plus who knows how many books, comics, and video games.
But if you’re still on board for more, The High Republic has you covered. And if you’ve got questions, I’ve got you covered.
What is it? The High Republic is a setting in the Star Wars Universe set a couple hundred years before Episode I. It’s the Golden Age of the galactic republic and Jedi, which starts to fracture in the face of new villains: the Nihil and the Drengir.
The what now? The Nihil are Mad Max Fury Road-esque space vikings using unstable teleport technology to raid to the galactic frontier. The Drengir are force-empowered plant monstrosities.
Will I have to learn a bunch of new names? Yeah, probably. There’s a large cast of new recurring Jedi, villains, thieves, politicians, and a cool dog that can breathe fire. Also, if you’re so into Star Wars you’re looking for more, you should probably change that to “will I get to learn a bunch of new names?”
Who are some of the most important names? For the Jedi: Avar Kriss, Bell Zettifar, Keeve Trennis, Reath Silas, and Vernestra Rwoh. For the Nihil: Marchion Roh and Lourna Dee. For the Republic: Linah Soh.
Is it easy to follow along with all this High Republic stuff? Not going to lie, could be easier. They went the “inter-connected media route” with this one, so there are adult novels, YA novels, comics, and children’s books, all set in the era, with overlapping character and story beats.
That sounds complicated. Can be. Also, that wasn’t a question.
And what is the point of all this? That’s a big question, but from a certain point of view, it’s all pretty clear. The High Republic offers what the Clone Wars media from my childhood offered: a new period of adventure for Star Wars fans and writers to explore. Unlike the Original and Sequel trilogy years, there are lots of Jedi adventuring around and wide-ranging conflicts that can kick off stories all across this era. The shared-universe multimedia structure is sprawling, but it also lets a greater number of people across all ages step into the story.
Assuming I’m still interested, where should I start? I’d recommend The Light of the Jedi, the first adult novel. It sets the stage for the era, the first Nihil conflict, and establishes many of the key players going forward. It’s also included with Spotify Premium, so if you’re already paying for that, you can read it for free.
Fine. And what’s the new cheesy slogan I’m going to hear a million times? So jaded. There are TWO cheesy slogans: “We are all the republic” and “For Light and Life.”
Yeah, never mind. No thanks. That wasn’t a question either.