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Lucasfilm Publishing has denote their newStar Warsinitiative , Project Luminous , centered on the High Republic Era - and it can chasten the mistakes of the sequel trilogy . When Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012 , they waste piddling meter in declare both a raw subsequence trilogy and an anthology series of films . Eight yr later , that scheme seems to have for the most part failed . The sequel have release out to be a dashing hopes , end not with a strike but a whimper in J.J. Abrams’Star Wars : The raise of Skywalker , and the anthologies are on hold after the boxwood government agency failure ofSolo : A Star Wars Story .
As has often been the instance through the history ofStar Wars , the solution appear to lie with publishing . Lucasfilm tack a group of the most well - respected contemporaryStar Warswriters - Claudia Gray : Cavan Scott , Daniel Jose Older , Justina Ireland , and Charles Soule - and allow them the space to craft their own story . This talented squad has come up with the idea for theHigh Republic Era , adventures set 200 years before the events ofStar Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace , revolve around upon a space place call Starlight Beacon and bringing the Old Jedi Order into dispute witha new group of enemies called the Nihil .
Related : Star Wars News : Every High Republic Story & Release Reveal
Lucasfilm Publishing has long been decisive to the success ofStar Wars . The old Expanded Universe really kick off in 1991 , when writer Timothy Zahn free the first Koran of The Thrawn Trilogy , and the boom inStar Warsliterature ultimately run George Lucas to return to make the prequel trilogy . No doubt Lucasfilm hope this late publication initiative can rest new life story into a top - tier , but curiously struggle , franchise . Fortunately , the odds seem good , because this shows every sign of having learned critical moral from the weaknesses of the sequel trilogy .
Star Wars: The High Republic Escapes The Shadow Of The Original Trilogy
TheStar Warsequels never really pace out of the shadow of the original trilogy . EvenGeorge Lucas was disappointedwhen he find howStar war : The Force Awakenscopied the firstStar Warsfilm . " There ’s nothing new , " he said openly . " There were n’t enough visual or expert jump onward . " Former Disney CEO Bob Iger defended this approach in his biographyThe Ride of a Lifetime , insisting Lucas could not understand the pressure Lucasfilm prexy Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams were under ; Iger argued the first of the sequels had to be a religious successor to the original trilogy , simply for proveStar Warswas safe with Disney . It ’s a matter of record that this strategy scarce seems to have make up off .
But the High Republic Era presentsStar Warswith an opportunity to step out from the original trilogy . As note , it’sset 200 year before the prequels ; while the Sith are active in the shadows , their continued beingness is a enigma , one that wo n’t be notice for centuries . That means readers may well be able-bodied to get a common sense of the Sith ’s Machiavellian manipulations , but they should be no more than puppet - passe-partout , not the principal villain . This is apparently the Jedi Order at its height , before they became embroiled in astronomic political science and lost their way , and the Old Republic does n’t even have a war machine of its own ; thus there should be forecast of the Clone Wars or the Empire .
Of course , there is one obvious radio link between the High Republic and the Skywalker Saga ; Yoda . Yoda was 900 twelvemonth sometime by the sentence of his decease inReturn of the Jedi , meaning the High Republic Era was within his life . Pleasingly , though , Lucasfilm Publishing has entirely avert hooking their story on the past adventures of Master Yoda . Although sketches learn in the launch video recording appear to showa younger Master Yoda , he clearly is n’t the focal point , and hopefully will be reserved to a background knowledge mien .
concern : Star Wars : The ascent of Skywalker Is Not The Ending Of George Lucas ' account
Star Wars: The High Republic Is An Entirely New Concept
Until now , Disney’sStar Warshas been surprisingly dependent on the old Expanded Universe . When Disney buy Lucasfilm , they made the painful decision to rub out all previous tie - ins - the comics , novels , and games - from the canyon . Since then , they ’ve essentially picked the boom Universe clean , absorbing any interesting characters , construct , and plot twists into their own fib . Kylo Ren is strikingly similar to Han and Leia ’s son in the Expanded Universe , Jason , who fell to the dark side and became a Sith . Anthologies have explore stories originally secernate in the EU , such as the theft of the Death Star plans inRogue One : A Star Wars Story , or Han Solo ’s biography account . Grand Admiral Thrawn , a classic frame from Legends , has become a central figure in Lucasfilm Publishing ’s plans , and played a major role inStar Wars Rebels . Given this linguistic context , most rooter had put on Lucasfilm was about to remake the belovedKnights of the Old Republicera .
alternatively , they ’re doing something completely newfangled , taking inspiration from an Obi - Wan line : " For over a thousand generation , " he declare , " the Jedi Knights were the guardians of heartsease and justice in the Old Republic . " Curiously enough , Star Warshas never cast an eye to that clock time period of time before , instead focusing either upon the dayspring of the Jedi Order and the Old Republic , or its gloam . Furthermore , conceptually task Luminous appear more divine byStar Trek : Deep Space Ninethan anything that ’s been done before in the EU . It ’s center aroundStarlight Beacon , a space place on the Outer Rim that serves as a beacon , help oneself travelers come up their fashion through the precarious maelstrom of the Unknown Regions .
It ’s true this will require careful handling . Thesequel trilogy misunderstood George Lucas ' idea of the Jedi ; it presented them as hero and legend , failing to infer they were supposed to be painfully blemished . The writers of Project Luminous will need to take great tending not to fall into the same bunker , specially given they ’ve been openly discuss this as the taradiddle of the Jedi Order at its height . For all that ’s the subject , though , the signs are good ; Lucasfilm Publishing has tended to understand that theme a bit unspoiled than the film division , to the extent they ’ve impliedthe Chosen One should never have been a Jedi at all . While the flaws of the Jedi Order will no doubt be a sight more subtle and less recrudesce than in Lucas ' moving picture , it ’s safe to take up they ’ll still be there .
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Lucasfilm has officially shout print an " incubator , " implicitly acknowledging any success stories may well jump from the comic and novels to the bounteous screen . For now , though , that is n’t the goal ; and it really is n’t the reasonStar Warslovers should be excited about labor aglow and theHigh Republic Era . The simple fact is that this is the first altogether original estimation inStar Warssince the Disney acquisition in 2012 . And it ’s certainly the first breath Lucasfilm has learned lessons from their continuation trilogy mistakes .
More : Star warfare : The High Republic Era Is get Jedi Knights Right ( At Last )
