Lucasfilm made a pretty big deal about Project Luminous, which was first announced almost a year ago and mysteriously teased a new interconnected series of Star Wars comics and books. Now, it's been revealed as The High Republic, a set of stories taking place 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace.
This was largely expected to be a publishing campaign and nothing more, though a rumor that it would lead in to the next trilogy of movies that begins in December 2022 didn't turn out to be the case. StarWars.com makes it clear that "this period on the Star Wars timeline will not overlap any of the filmed features or series currently planned for production." So, wherever those next movies are set, this is a different deal.
The initiative is a collaboration between Del Rey, IDW Publishing, Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm Press. The High Republic era is characterized as a time when the Jedi are at their peak. We'll also learn "what scares the Jedi", according to Lucasfilm's Michael Siglain.
The various announced High Republic projects include the book Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, The High Republic comic from Cavan Scott, the kids-focused High Republic Adventures by Daniel José Older, a YA book called A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland, and Into the Dark by Claudia Gray.
They'll all release at Star Wars: Celebration Anaheim in August, when we'll no doubt learn a lot about the future of Star Wars across every medium.
Why now?
Lucasfilm never pretended this was about TV shows or movies. Despite a very long build-up to the reveal of Project Luminous, the fact that it's not about films is a good thing – after The Rise of Skywalker, surely we'll all benefit from the Star Wars cinematic universe taking a rest.
These books simply keep the Star Wars stories coming for those who always want to enjoy more of the Star Wars lore. Meanwhile, The Mandalorian's return later this year on Disney Plus will keep the fires burning for the majority of fans.
You can also check out the final season of The Clone Wars if you're craving new Star Wars content, which is currently releasing weekly in countries that already have Disney Plus. Check out the list of essential Clone Wars episodes to watch if you want to enjoy this latest season.
