It has been a whirlwind of just over a year for Star Wars fans. Project Luminous was finally revealed and released at the start of last year in the form, of a completely new era, The High Republic. Books, ongoing comic series, young adult’s novels, audio dramas, the list never seemed to end with the sheer amount of content coming out by the five authors tasked with this effort: Charles Soule, Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Daniel Jose Older and Justine Ireland. Unanimously, fans have been rejoicing at the content since the first release of Soule’s Light of the Jedi book and the praise hasn’t waned all year. With wave one finally coming to an end, giving fans a chance to catch their collective breaths, it seems a good time to reflect on why this series is proving to be so popular.
The first, and most important, reason for the success of the project is the planning. The project has its original back in 2018. Yes, it should have been released in 2020 but even so, that’s two to three years’ worth of planning and formulating from discussions that we’re able to take place between the creators. They had the time to explore what they were doing, to think carefully about what would be happening in the galaxy and who would be involved. It shows in every aspect of every release. Everything, and I mean everything, has some mention to some other piece of media, all of it feeding on itself to really show the grand scope of what is happening. The fact that the releases, over multiple companies, over multiple mediums all line up perfectly is nothing short of miraculous considering all the sorts of delays and shortages that are present in the world at the moment. As someone who enjoyed the Legends era, it is very much like the Legends: New Jedi Order era crossed with the Shadows of the Empire project that has then been given a very heavy dose of steroids. And even then, this isn’t yearly releases but monthly releases. There is so much high-quality content that has been thought about that it is a dream for any fan. It shows just what some forethought and organisation can do for a project, particularly of this scale.
Setting the story in a previously unexplored era was a stroke of genius. Much like Star Wars: Legacy from Legends, because it was set in a fresh time, meant that as fans, we know next to nothing of the era. It means we get to explore a new time period, be introduced to new and exciting characters and see a completely different political side to the galaxy. But most importantly of all is the sense of danger for everyone involved. Yoda gets quickly taken out of the story and although fans (and me) want to see him, it also makes so much sense, because we know the fate of Yoda. Most other characters in this era we don’t know their fate. Reading through this turbulent time, you are genuinely worried for their fates (and with these authors I think we have every right to be!). It makes reading these stories so much more exciting, the tension so much higher than in stories set where you know the fate of the characters. It also, Evans there is a buzz talking to others about it, what will happen to your favourite character, will the Jedi actually be victorious.
I remember in Empire of Dreams (the Star Wars documentary, available to watch on Disney+) when someone said timing is everything. Light of the Jedi came out just when we all needed a bit more hope, to keep going even though it was tough. We were still living through lockdowns with an uncertain future. Much like the characters in the story, more and more pressures seemed to be getting heaped on top of us. Personally, it was a very tough time for me, my wife having just found out that she had cancer and was having to go through chemotherapy. To be able to pick up a book that could be resonant with you, with characters who were also going through such an ordeal, who (even though they wanted to) never gave up despite the odds, made these stories relatable and also inspiring. Although I think whenever the series was released it would have done well, I think its timing adds more to the impact it had on people’s impressions and how they could relate to it so much more. Because the message this series gives, that comes across again and again, is the truest Star Wars message of all: Hope.
Even if it is set in a new era, this series still feels like Star Wars through and through, perhaps even more so. Without been encumbered by every other piece of literature, movie or tv show out, the creators were able to really bring back the Star Wars to this series. New characters with familiar faces, locations that are slightly different, enemies like nothing we have seen before. And even though there are some very serious times in this era, there is also lots of fun and laughter. It brings back those feelings from when you first saw a Star Wars movie, the unknown, the tension, the excitement. It is all there in every single release that comes out. That high standard, and it is very high, has not wavered in over a year of releases. That is an achievement that few projects can state. There are a lot of lessons that have been learnt from previous releases in the Star Wars universe and it shows. Every single one of these creators is very clearly a fan, very clearly understands what parts make Star Wars great and very clearly wants to tell a great story.
The High Republic has certainly set the benchmark for how to make an incredible Star Wars project. It is not something that can be rushed, but given the time, care and skill of the creators, what can be created is something truly magical. For me, this series has got me through some of my darkest days that I’ve ever had to endure and has provided a refuge that helped me to deal with everything around me. For fans, this series has resonated with them like no other and I’m sure will continue to do so. The coordination that has been shown is outstanding, I still don’t know how they have managed it so well. With a brief reprieve, if you haven’t yet discovered The High Republic, now is the time to do so, as a fan you owe it to yourself to enjoy what might be the best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy.
