It’s been announced that a major era in Star Wars is officially coming to an end. The High Republic line of novels, comics, a TV show (and more) launched back in 2021 with Phase I and will conclude this Summer with the final wave of Phase III releases. That list includes the final adult novel, Trials of the Jedi by writer Charles Soule; Alyssa Wong’s final young adult novel Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Phase III – The Battle of Eriadu, and a final comic miniseries from Cavan Scott, Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, which will also get an accompanying one-shot, The Beacon.
In full honesty, Star Wars: The High Republic has been something of a muted experiment. While the line was initially a popular talking point during its launch (no doubt aided by the COVID pandemic and fans looking at non-TV or movie content to fill the void), the numerous lanes of storytelling being done across comics and novels (not to mention varying degrees of quality) made it hard to keep up with. Phase II arguably committed a grave misstep in trying to ape the Star Wars storytelling tradition, taking fans back 100 years before the Phase I High Republic storyline, to introduce a much more politically and religiously convoluted prequel story about pivotal factions of both the Outer Rim planets and Force-based religions of the galaxy. It was a jarring switch that lost many fans, and the release dates for the corresponding books and comics became more sporadic.
Even though Phase III brought things back to the present action and some considerable tension (the Nihil pirates seizing control of a sector of the galaxy), it’s seemingly been too little, too late. The final fall of the HIgh Republic came with the release of the Disney+ series The Acolyte, which was set at the end of the High Republic era and even featured a major character from the books. The series became one of the lowest-rated and divisive pieces of Star Wars TV content in the last few years (and that’s saying something), and was canceled after just one season. It was clear that mainstream audiences weren’t responding to an era of Star Wars where the Jedi Order was stronger than it ever was, and no one ever heard the name “Skywalker.”
[RELATED: Star Wars: The High Republic Full Timeline Explained]
Star Wars Celebration 2025 is currently taking place in Japan, where a panel for Lucasfilm Publishing was held. The Star Wars brand is indeed thriving in its offscreen formats, including comics, novels, manga, audiobooks, and coffee table books of Star Wars artwork or the revered Star Wars reference books. That diverse line of content brought an equally diverse lineup of creators to Japan for the panel, including Adam Christopher (Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith), Tessa Gratton (Star Wars: The High Republic: Temptation of the Force), Marc Guggenheim (Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca), Lydia Kang (Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm), Ethan Sacks (Star Wars: Bounty Hunters), Phil Szostak (The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian), Alyssa Wong (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra), Dr. Chris Kempshall (The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire), and Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski.
In addition to detailing the end of the High Republic line, the group previewed other great works coming our way, like The Acolyte spinoff novel about Jecki Lon and Yord Fandar; new covers for the Legacy of Vader comic miniseries about Kylo Ren being challenged for leadership of the Knights of Ren, and artbooks for Star Wars: The Acolyte and Star Wars: Andor.
Star Wars: The High Republic is available to purchase online. Check out more preview materials HERE.
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