The official timeline of that galaxy far, far away has now changed thanks to Star Wars: The High Republic, the publishing initiative that will introduce fans to a canonical era before the events of Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Of course, other media has already tackled the extensive history of George Lucas’ fictional world before Disney’s acquisition of the franchise back in 2012, and what fans now recognize as the non-canon Legends timeline, formerly known as the Expanded Universe, features stories from the age of the Old Republic and even thousands of years before the events of the Skywalker Saga. Alas, in the favor of a cohesive narrative, the Mouse House opted for a more focused and linear approach, designating some of those works as canon and building their own timeline around it.
But now, thanks to The High Republic, Lucasfilm’s new immersive narrative taking place 200 years before the events of the Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars will finally introduce a canonical history that’s set prior the era of the Galactic Republic. While it’s highly unlikely that Darth Bane or even Revan will appear in the new stories, it’ll be interesting to see what the Jedi Order looked like at their prime.
As for the official Star Wars timeline, with the addition of this new publishing initiative, there’ll now be 6 different eras in the history of that galaxy far, far away. The High Republic, the Galactic Republic (the Prequel Trilogy up to the Jedi Purge), the Rise of the Empire (the events of the Dark Times), the Age of Rebellion (the Original Trilogy), the New Republic (prelude to the Sequel Trilogy) and last but not least, the Age of Resistance (the Sequel Trilogy up to The Rise of Skywalker).
Here’s how ComicBook.com breaks it down:
- The High Republic – The new official starting point of the Star Wars canon, set 200 years before the Prequel Trilogy. It will be explored in the new “High Republic” line of Star Wars books and comics coming in 2021. A tie-in series on Disney+ (The Acolyte) has also been announced.
- Fall of The Jedi – Covering the Jedi Order’s fall and Sith return, in The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Clone Wars, and Revenge of the Sith.
- Reign of The Empire – Exploring the initial rise of The Empire and the chaos of its shadow covering galaxy. Covering events depicted in the upcoming Bad Batch animated series, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.
- Age of Rebellion – The slow but sure rise of The Rebellion in the decades after the Empire’s rise. Covering events in Star Wars Rebels, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
- The New Republic – The chaos after Palpatine’s seeming demise, as the Empire struggled to survive, and a New Republic started to take form. The Mandalorian is set in this time period.
- Rise of the First Order – The Imperial remnants re-organize into The First Order, and attempt to reclaim the galaxy, as part of Palpatine’s resurrection. Covers events in Star Wars: Resistance, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
Tell us, though, are you excited about the upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic initiative? Let us know in the comments down below.