Lucasfilm has officially pushed back the colossal cross-publisher endeavor Star Wars: The High Republic to early 2021.
Originally slated for an August 2020 kick-off, the launch of the massive collaborative undertaking known as Star Wars: The High Republic has officially been delayed till January 2021.
The initiative’s original release date was meant to coincide with the annual Star Wars Celebration convention which is still on schedule. The organizers have made it clear, however, that the situation may change as the event draws near.
Lucasfilm cited the reason for the revised launch dates being “general marketplace delays.” This is likely in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain used the phrase “given these unprecedented times” in his announcement letter.
While having a project delayed is never good news to receive, it's totally understandable why the High Republic launch is getting pushed back.
Getting the news with a letter like this (and seeing some of the names dropped therein) has my interest piqued even more. pic.twitter.com/llp9AEKNvY
— Tom Chansky (@TomChansky) May 26, 2020
The golden age of the Jedi
The upcoming cross-media collaboration will take place approximately 200 years before Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, during a time where the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic were at the pinnacle of their power.
Siglain described the era as a “time of galactic renaissance, when the Jedi Knights were at their height.”
It’s worth noting that Star Wars: The High Republic’s time span won’t overlap with any movie, series, novel, or comic, past or planned. This is to allow the authors free rein when it comes to creativity and worldbuilding.
Five new Jedi have been revealed leading up to the launch of Star Wars: The High Republic. https://t.co/uIG54iZ676 pic.twitter.com/3lULTr6Tis
— IGN (@IGN) April 7, 2020
Upcoming The High Republic releases
Five new titles have been revealed so far, each from different authors and publishing companies.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi is set for release on January 5, 2021, and will be an adult novel from the mind of Charles Soule—renowned comic book writer who is best known for his work on Superman/Wonder Woman, Daredevil, and Death of Wolverine.
Avar Kriss, a Jedi who appeared in a flashback in 'The Rise of Kylo Ren 3,' will be the main protagonist in the Star Wars High Republic book 'The Light of the Jedi'
She Interprets her connection to the force musically pic.twitter.com/XWgci8KSws
— Star Wars Facts (@sw_tweets) February 26, 2020
Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark will also debut on January 5, but will be a Young Adult novel written by Claudia Grey—an established young adult fiction writer whose works include the Evernight series and Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan.
Reath Silas is a Jedi Padawan and one of the new characters introduced in 'The High Republic: Into the Dark'
While we don't know much about the character, we do know that he was inspired by Matthew McConaughey ➡️ https://t.co/8zZkUq9jij pic.twitter.com/rze4mMaGtj
— Fandom Wikis (@FandomWikis) February 25, 2020
Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage is poised for release on February 2 of next year, and will be a middle-grade novel that is geared towards younger kids.
The book is being written by established science-fiction author Justina Ireland—a veteran Star Wars writer who penned Star Wars: Lando’s Luck and Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spark of the Resistance.
The High Republic – Justina Ireland Talks 'A Test of Courage' with Polygon – #ProjectLuminous #StarWars #TheHighRepublic – https://t.co/pGrNJ9mQ3P pic.twitter.com/bDrglZANkw
— SWNN (@StarWarsNewsNet) March 12, 2020
The last two publications are planned to be comic books. The High Republic Adventures will be written by Daniel José Older and published by IDW—the company behind the Sonic The Hedgehog and Transformers comics.
Finally, Star Wars: The High Republic will be written by Cavan Scott and published by Marvel. Lucasfilm has yet to announce the release date of either comic.
Image courtesy of Star Wars: The High Republic/Star Wars