Hold on to your seats folks, we’re moving through hyperspace… to the past! The galaxy far far away has been achieving much success on the big screen and small screen lately – financially for the former, and critically for the latter. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker grossing over a billion dollars worldwide and The Mandalorian winning audiences’ hearts, it was time for the studio to get their gears going on other material.
While the Expanded Universe is now considered a Force ghost of the past, discarded from canon like Windu out a window, the Mouse House has definitely been hustling to establish their own expansion pack. This includes various forms of media in the form of television, comics, and so on.
Now, the next Star War phase, The High Republic, is set to arrive! In an announcement video posted via the Star Wars channel, we are given a behind the scenes look at their think tank and what potential projects are in development.
For the uninitiated, the High Republic Era was established as a period of time before the events of the Star Wars films. The official canon places it at around 232 years before the Battle of Yavin and it was noted to be an era where the Jedi flourished greatly.
The announcement video gives a little sneak peek at what’s next for the universe. While it was noted that there will indeed be more Jedi activity, the stories will not just focus on the lightsabers. There will be scoundrels. There will be bounty hunters. New smugglers will be introduced. Heck, there will even be a “Texas Ranger” Jedi inspired by the Wild West era. Imagine Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name, but instead of a revolver, he wields a saber. Besides, a mysterious new antagonistic group called the Nile will be introduced.
The High Republic Era surely is an exciting period to explore. After all, it gives Disney a new template for creativity after being stuck with the Skywalker feuds for half a century. I certainly believe these stories can help expand the universe as we know it, by going back to roads unknown.
What do you think about this new project? Will it sink deep into the Sarlacc Pit, or will the Force be strong with this one?
