Star Wars Celebration 2023 just finished its second day of announcements and surprises. Fans of The High Republic will be very excited as the details of Phase 3 have been revealed!
Star Wars is known mainly for its legacy movies and series like Clone Wars or The Mandalorian. But Star Wars is a lot more than that, there are hundreds of stories happening in different media like games, books, and comics. There is a Star Wars story for everyone, sometimes you just have to look deeper.
Books are often overlooked by those who aren’t die-hard fans, which is something sad because they are great and the stories told can be as intriguing and emotionally charged as a series or movie. In fact, books can take risks or explore areas that bigger projects can’t for “x” or “y” reasons.
The High Republic is a big multimedia project that explores the golden age of the Jedi Order, from 500 BBY to 100 BBY. The High Republic consists of a series of books, comics, and upcoming series like The Acolyte.
This massive project is divided into three phases. Phase I introduced the Nihil, a group of marauders from the Outer Rim that wanted to prevent the ongoing expansion of the Galactic Republic.
They openly defied the Jedi and Republic and were able to cause death and destruction across multiple systems. These events happen 350 years BBY.
It is very hard to pick just a few books because everything is tied, and I really mean everything. But if you want to get into the High Republic I’d recommend Light of the Jedi, Into The Dark, The Rising Storm, Out of the Shadows, The Fallen Star, and Midnight Horizon.
Phase II is where we are currently at, 150 years before Phase I. We get to know more about the origins of the Path of the Open Hand and Marchion Ro’s ancestors.
Path of Deceit and Convergence are my favorite books of Phase II so far. I say so far because Phase II hasn’t ended and more releases were announced at the High Republic Panel.
Path of Vengeance will continue the story of Path of Deceit, according to its author (Cavan Scott) everything leads to Dalna, a small planet in the Outer Rim. Marda, Yana, and The Mother will be a central part of the story
The Edge of Balance: Precedent is going to be the last title of Phase II. One of the authors, Daniel José Older didn’t give any major details about the story but he did show a little of the art and its haunting.
Tales of Light and Life is a High Republic Anthology that covers all three Phases of the High Republic. This book is written by all of the High Republic authors and it also serves as the introduction to the High Republic’s select authors for Alyssa Wong. Wong is most known for writing the acclaimed Doctor Aphra Comics.
Phase III is officially called “Trials of the Jedi” and it’s aimed to be “big and epic”. It is set after the events of Phase I and more specifically one year after the destruction of the Starlight Beacon and the Jedi will return to Coruscant after being defeated by the Nihil.
Wave 1 of Phase III will begin on October 2023 and finish in March 2024. Here’s the list of every Phase III novel:
- The Eye of Darkness, November 2023
- Escape from Valo, January 2024
- Defy The Storm, Release date undisclosed
- Temptation of the Force, Summer 2024
- Trials of the Jedi, Spring 2025
- Into the Light, Release date undisclosed
- Beware the Nameless, Summer 2024
- A Valiant Vow, Spring 2025
Comics and magazines titles for Wave 1 of Phase III:
- Chronicles from the Occlusion Zone (Star Wars Insider) October 2023
- The High Republic 13+ Comics (Marvel) December 2023
- The High Republic Adventures (Dark Horse) December 2023
The timing between releases has increased a little bit to give a chance for people to catch up. As interesting as The High Republic is, it’s undeniable that it can be very overwhelming if you’re just getting into it. I think this is a positive thing for anyone who has fallen behind or wants to read The High Republic for the first time.
As you might have noticed, The High Republic is packed with content and if you haven’t started reading any of it, now it’s a very good time to do so! I have a number of reviews of The High Republic Novels already and will be diving into the upcoming ones, as well as The Acolyte series.
