Get a First Look Inside the Latest Star Wars Saga 'The High Republic'
Star Wars might not be coming back to the big screen for a while, but its new book series is set to bring blockbuster-sized thrills.
The High Republic, set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga, kicks off with Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi, out on January 5, 2021. It's a peaceful era where the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic are in charge, but of course something has to go wrong.
We now know exactly what that something is, thanks to IGN's preview of Light of the Jedi's first chapter. But if you'd rather not know about the "galaxy-wide disaster", then look away now.
The opening crawl of the book sets out the High Republic era where the Republic is led by Chancellor Lina Soh from Coruscant, located near the center of the Galactic Core.
"But beyond the Core and its many peaceful Colonies, there is the Rim—Inner, Mid, and finally, at the border of what is known: The Outer Rim," it reads. Anyone can travel to these worlds via hyperspace lanes, but the Outer Rim is "filled with predators of every type".
To try and bring the Outer Rim into the Republic, Chancellor Soh has agreed with the Jedi Knights to set up outposts to anyone who might require aid because those worlds aren't just filled with predators.
The Outer Rim is also a place where anyone can get a fresh start and new opportunities, and a group of such settlers is on their way there on the Legacy Run when disaster strikes.
While the Legacy Run is on its way to the Outer Rim with "more than nine thousand souls aboard", Captain Hedda Casset is faced with an obstacle in the hyperspace lane—something that's not supposed to happen.
She manages to avoid the object, but the strain proves too much for the old ship and it begins "tearing itself apart". The first chapter ends with the bridge being ripped open and Casset "not knowing if she had saved anyone at all."
And as we know from the Holdo manuever in The Last Jedi, a ship being destroyed in hyperspace is a devastating thing.
According to Soule, this is the moment that the High Republic is changed forever and the impact sounds terrifying.
"The destruction of the Legacy Run is the catalyst for a galaxy-wide disaster. Fragments of the destroyed cargo vessel begin flying out of hyperspace at super-accelerated speeds, meaning that deadly missiles of debris can appear anywhere at any time," he teased.
"In this moment of crisis, the Republic turns to the guardians of peace and justice—the Jedi. The opening beats of Light of the Jedi depict an epic disaster, and a heroic, thrilling response by both the Republic and the Jedi to save lives and end the crisis.
"It's just the beginning, though. The Legacy Run disaster kicks off a much larger story; it really is just one piece of a much bigger saga."
Bring it on.
Star Wars: The High Republic – Light of the Jedi is released on January 5, 2021.
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