What You Need To Know About the Star Wars High Republic Era

Star Wars: The High Republic is the newest Star Wars era that we have been diving into since Light of the Jedi was released in January 2021. If you haven’t read any of the High Republic novels but are curious about what this era corresponds to, this is the place for you.

Within the past two years, The High Republic has given us many great stories filled with fantastic characters you will love, hate, and enjoy. From novels like Light of the Jedi, Cataclysm, and Path of Deceit to comics such as There is No Fear, Heart of Drengir, and Jedi’s End to animation with Young Jedi Adventures. While the films have yet to show audiences this incredible moment in Star Wars history, Lucasfilm’s next new project, The Acolyte, will finally take us to this pivotal moment in Star Wars history. Here’s everything you need to know about Star Wars’ High Republic Era.

How Does ‘The Acolyte’ Connect to The High Republic Era?

The upcoming Disney+ series, The Acolyte, will show us the end of the High Republic and usher in the next era in the Star Wars timeline. The official synopsis of the show is as follows:

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.

While The Acolyte will show us the end of the High Rebpulic era, this period is one of the richest in all Star Wars lore.

Where Does The High Republic Fit Within the Star Wars Timeline?

Editor’s Note: The Battle of Yavin is when Luke Skywalker destroyed the first Death Star. “BBY” is Before the Battle of Yavin, and “ABY” is After the Battle of Yavin.

Star Wars has always been big on their timeline, which is good. It helps keep things organized. While the film and television entries in the Star Wars universe have stayed within the Skywalker Saga, the novels have expanded the world while keeping the story consistent with few timeline errors. It also helps that the High Republic storylines take place hundreds of years before the Prequel Trilogy, meaning the writers don’t have to worry about anything that has to do with any of the story arcs that we have gotten so far, like Fall of the Jedi (100 BBY – 19 BBY), Reign of the Empire (19 BBY – 5 BBY), Age of Rebellion (5 BBY – 4 ABY), The New Republic (5 ABY – 34 ABY), and Rise of the First Order. It is all new territory.

The age of the High Republic is broken up into phases. Phase one, also known as The Light of Jedi, is the closest to the prequel trilogy, with The High Republic:Out Of The Shadows placed at 231 BBY and set in the same year as The Rising Storm, The Fallen Star, and Midnight Horizon. Then we have Light of the Jedi, a year after Out of the Shadows and Rising of Storm, making it 232 BBY, along with Into the Dark. Phase 2 is more of the prequel to the High Republic story. Phase 2, also known as Quest of The Jedi, is 100 years before Light of the Jedi. The novels in Phase 2 are in the year 382 BBY, such as Path of Deceit, Convergence, The Battle of Jedha, Cataclysm, and Path of Vengeance. Phase three, Trails of the Jedi, is just around the corner, starting with The Eye of Darkness, which will be released on November 14th.

The Eye of Darkness takes place one year after the events of The Fallen Star. In the events of Fallen Stars, our heroes experience the destruction of the Starlight Beacon by the Nihil. Not only that, but more Force-eating Levelers have been appearing. Let’s take a step back and talk about some of the critical events that have been happening during The High Republic.

What Are the Main Events During The High Republic?

• The Construction of Starlight Beacon

The construction of the Starlight Beacon was the most crucial project for the Jedi order of its time; thanks to Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh, it was her idea to create the Starlight Beacon. It was also the most expensive project due to its size, not just the functionality of this station. It acted as a beacon to guide travelers. It also boosted communication signals in the outer rim. The Starlight worked as a hospital, research station, observatory, and cultural center. The Starlight was not just for the Jedi but for all people, to give hope to the galaxy.

• The Great Hyperspace Disaster

The Great Hyperspace Disaster happened during the construction of Starlight, and the disaster showed a good amount of weakness that the republic had before Starlight, like not having a strong enough signal to send out help or Jedi or other warriors were close enough to help during the disaster. The Hyperspace Disaster happened because the Legacy Run was destroyed in hyperspace due to an object in the same path lanes. The Hyperspace Disaster also teases us about a hidden threat that we will later know as the Nihil.

The Battle for No Space was between the Jedi and the Nihil for the great hall of No Space, home of the Nihil. The Jedi winning this battle crippled the Nihil for a little while with the capture of Lorna Dee, who was a tempest runner; for those that do not know what a tempest runner is, these are the leaders of their specific group in their organization, and there are only three tempest runners so they are essential. Thanks to Jedi Mater Avar Kriss, Jedi Knight Goonral Monshi, Jedi Knight Keeve Trennis, Jedi Master Sskeer, Jedi Knight Nooran, and Jedi Knight Orbalin,

• Destruction of Starlight Beacon

The Destruction of Starlight Beacon was the hugest revelation for the Jedi at the end of Phase One, especially after their massive success in the Battle for No-Space. To achieve the destruction of Starlight Beacon, Marchion Ro sent Cale, Leyel, Werrera, and many Nameless creatures to cut the Jedi from the force. For those who do not know the Nameless, they are also known as Shrii Ka Rai (Eaters of the Force). They were released by the Path of the Open Hand to destroy all force users; back then, the creatures were known as the Levelers. They had pale white skin with red eyes, and their homeworld was Planet X. The Levelers had numerous effects on force sensitives, such as hallucinations, losing the connection to the force, and sometimes death.

The Main Characters of The High Republic

Avar Kris

”
Whenever you feel alone…whenever darkness closes in…hear our signal and know that the Force is with you. This is our promise. This is our covenant. For light and life…
”

Avar Kriss was one of the most important characters during the High Republic era, so much so that all the Masters respected her, including Yoda. Avar Kriss was the character that connected all the Jedi to help prevent further destruction during the Great Hyperspace Disaster and many other crises like the Drengir Crisis and the Nihil Conflict.

Bell Zettifar

“That’s how we’re going to defeat the Nihil, Bury. By saving people, one at a time, if we have to. Just like we did on Phrill, every life we protect is another blow well struck. By ensuring their legacy lives on, even if the Nihil take everything from them, we show the Nihil that they can never truly win.”

Bell Zettifar is a human male whom Loden Greystorm trained. Bell is mainly known for having a hound named Ember by his side. Bell was known to be one of the most talented Jedi of his grade. He has also been in many significant battles, like The Great Disaster and the Destruction of the Starlight Beacon. It would be the golden era for Star Wars fans if we could get Dave Filioni and Kathleen Kennedy interested in making films in the High Republic Era. (Jahi Di’Allo Winston as Bell, that’s all I’m saying!)

Marchion Ro

“No, if that ship did have a path engine, it means someone has betrayed us. Uttersond may or may not be connected, but if he’s dead, we’ll never know. Keep him alive for now.”

Marchion Ro is one of the best villains that we have gotten in Star Wars! Yes, he is better than Kylo Ren, not better than Darth Vader or Maul, but he is getting there, and his design is brilliant. If Marchion had force ability, this guy would be an actual menace like Darth Vader. He likes to get down and dirty, but like Palpatine, he is a planner and does not rely too much on things like a planet’s destroyer. If we ever get a film, we need Marchion as the main villain or someone like him.

Many more characters in the High Republic era have gained popularity over the past few years, which will not only gardener more shows like The Acolyte but will eventually hit the silver screen. There is so much lore and beautiful character writing within this era Lucasfilm would lose out on adding more fans to the genre and more than likely bring back lost fans of Star Wars. That is how good the writing is in these stories right now. If you want to start reading the High Republic books, you can find the complete reading order by clicking here.