When the newest Disney+ War of the galaxies series, the acolyte, first announced in 2020, one of the big takeaways from the then-enigmatic project was that it would take place during “the waning days of the High Republic.” The promise of a live-action series brought new focus to the ambitious new multimedia literary endeavor set to debut in early 2021. It offered a host of new War of the galaxies stories set in a time older than the New Republic but newer than the Old Republic. This era is The High Republic.
Over the past few years, High Republic has gained a loyal cult following War of the galaxies fans on their pages. the acolyte it will be many fans' first real experience with the storytelling of this galactic era and some of the unique characters created for it. As such, we've decided to give you a history of the time, as far as we currently know. While each book and story within the High Republic has its share of twists and turns, consider this a broad overview of the overall main line of the High Republic as a collective in anticipation of the acolyte For more in-depth coverage, check out our video timeline.
The origins of the High Republic
The true origins of the High Republic began in 2018 under the name Avengers Initiative. Wait, sorry, the All-Star Initiative, and later, Light Project. The initial project included five authors: Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, Claudia Gray, Daniel José Older and Charles Soule. Each of them are fan-favorite authors, both within the War of the galaxies canon and its outside work. They would later add more authors to the mix, including George Mann, Alyssa Wong, Zoraida Córdova, and Tessa Gratton.
It begins about 500 years before the first War of the galaxies movie, or “500 Before the Battle of Yavin,” the era of the High Republic is one of exploration and expansion. The Galactic Republic has largely recovered from the Dark Ages after the fall of the Old Republic. Now the Republic is trying to expand back to the outer rim. This is especially true for the region known as the Galactic Frontier. This Frontier is popular with pirates, including familiar faces like Maz Kanata.
This is a golden age for the Jedi. Believing that the Sith threat was completely defeated generations before, the Jedi focus on their mission as “guardians of peace and justice,” as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say. These Jedi often rally around the cry “For light and life.” They are often dressed in resplendent gold-on-white temple robes, though Jedi in the field still wear the more familiar brown vibes.
In terms of history, The High Republic consists of three main phases. We will discuss them in chronological order rather than publication order. We'll start with Phase 2, which takes place in 382 BBY, 150 years before the rest of the series. War of the galaxies it was like, “we heard you like prequels, so here's a prequel to your prequel.”
The High Republic Phase 2 – 382 BBY
Phase 2 features a few different religious groups affiliated with the Force, including groups that have appeared in previous War of the galaxies media These groups include the Guardians of the Whills and the Church of the Force. We also know of a more fanatical cult known as the Way of the Open Hand. They believe that the Jedi and any other Force-sensitives who use powers are actively harming the Force. His belief is basically a hyperextended version of chaos theory. Using the Force, even innocuously, at one point could lead to catastrophes elsewhere in the universe. Their own slogan is “The Force Shall Be Free”, because any good cult should have a motto.
A good cult also needs a false prophet, and the Way has one in La Mare. Despite the cult's beliefs, Mother is secretly a Force user, with a bitter personal grudge against the Jedi. She becomes possessed by creatures that feed on Force users, causing them to have intense and terrifying hallucinations before the creatures devour her essence, leaving behind a lifeless shell. The Mother calls these creatures the Leveler, but the Jedi and later books call them the Nameless.
The Mother's powers allow her to pass most Charisma checks, causing followers to flock to her, often without knowing why they find her so attractive. The Mother manipulates the present and even tries to sabotage the peace talks of a great generational war between two worlds in order to destabilize the region and attract more followers to her flock.
One such follower is Marda Ro, a member of the refugee alien race the Evereni, whom the galaxy at large distrusts. A great storm destroyed the Evereni homeworld, and then a corrupt government left the survivors distrustful of everyone but themselves. Marda is a true believer in the way of the open hand. However, her love for Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink tests that faith.
Kevmo and his master are killed by the Nameless. Marda, in her fanaticism, interprets their deaths as an example of the destruction that follows from the use of the Force. This only strengthens Marda's devotion to the cause of the Way. He claims they are now the Way of the Clenched Fist, a more militant version of the cult. Soon, more Jedi arrive on the Path's homeworld of Dalna, after their sabotage of a peace treaty sparks a riot and full-scale battle on the pilgrim moon of Jedha. Jedha, of course, is where Jyn Erso later visits Rogue One.
The effects of the Nameless on the Jedi, as well as internal tensions within the cult, cause events to boil over into a massacre known as the Night of Sorrow. Marda swears revenge against the Jedi. The Way of the Closed Fist now becomes a gang of marauders called Nihil.
Fearing that public knowledge of the Nameless could harm the Jedi, Grand Master Yoda and other Jedi keep information about them out of the archives. Over the next few decades, the Nameless became a kind of Jedi folklore, a nursery rhyme to frighten the young in a time before Anakin Skywalker existed. And we come to the end of Phase 2.
The High Republic Phase 1 – 232 BBY
A cargo ship known as the Legacy Run travels through hyperspace when a strange shadowy object appears in front of him causing a collision. The impact of the crash sends huge chunks of starship hurtling through hyperspace. These pieces cause more accidents and destruction along many high-traffic routes. These force ships in the region to leave hyperspace lanes and become stranded. This event is known as the great hyperspace disaster.
Pieces of the ship emerging from the speed of light threaten to obliterate a system known as Hetzal, home to more than 40 billion people. Every Jedi within range of the system converges in an attempt to avert disaster. Their leader in this is Avar Kriss, a powerful Jedi who uses his impressive Force abilities to guide this task force to work as a collective unit.
The current Chancellor of the Republic, Lina Soh, participated in a series of major projects to present the Republic as a shining symbol of hope. One such project is Starlight Beacon. This Jedi space station located near the Galactic Frontier would serve as the Jedi's base of operations on the Galactic Frontier. It would allow them to respond to calls for help sooner than the Coruscant Temple could provide. As Hetzal's hero, Avar Kriss becomes station marshal.
Over the past 150 years, the Nihil have evolved, or become, a marauding group of Viking-like raiders with a prominent storm theme. They are led from the shadows by Marchion Ro, a descendant of Marda, who brings with him his mission of revenge. At first, the Nihil seem opportunistic, extorting worlds threatened by the remnants of emerging starships from the Great Disaster. We later learn that the Nihil caused the explosion to begin with. Marchion sacrifices a third of the Nihil during a space battle against the Jedi and the Republic, appearing to lose.
231 BC
A year after the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the Republic becomes complacent thinking that the threat of the Nihil is gone. Chancellor Soh is moving forward with her plans for another of her major works, The Republic Fair. This is like a World's Fair, but in War of the galaxies.
Probably not surprising to anyone except the characters in the book, Nihil's attack! A massive coordinated assault by the Nihil informs the Republic that they are indeed still there. The Jedi and the Republic begin Operation Counterstrike, an effort to seek out and destroy the Nihil. In an attack on a Nihil base, the Jedi learn that the Marauders have some of the Nameless. One of the creatures kills a Jedi named Loden Greatstorm, reducing him to a Force-drained shell.
The Jedi mistakenly believe that one of Marchion Ro's top lieutenants, a Twi'lek woman named Loorna Dee, is the leader of the entire organization. Avar Kriss and his Starlight Beacon Jedi defy the council and send the undercover Jedi into Nihil territory to capture Lourna.
230 BC
Once again, the Jedi and the Republic mistakenly believe they have defeated the Nihil. Marchion Ro begins the next phase of his plan. He launches a series of assaults on various worlds, creating a refugee crisis in Starlight Beacon. A Nihil sabotage team takes advantage of how overwhelmed the Beacon is and escapes, moving rapidly through the station causing systemic and structural failures. They also unleash a Nameless on the station to wreak havoc among the Jedi on board. Despite their best efforts, the Jedi are unable to save the station. Starlight crashes into a nearby world, killing many of the Jedi serving there. The Republic watches in horror as the crash rips the Jedi's symbol of light from the sky. It is at this point that Marchion Ro finally reveals himself to the galaxy.
The High Republic Phase 3 – 229 BBY
The Nihil have installed a massive barrier in space called the Stormwall. This series of disruptive buoys pull ships out of hyperspace preventing light speed travel beyond them. The Nihil have declared a region of the Galactic Frontier to be the Nihil Occlusion Zone. So far they have prevented the Jedi and the Republic from traveling beyond this border. Avar Kriss is trapped behind him in Nihil-controlled space. After months of isolation, Avar manages to break through the Stormwall and return to the Jedi Temple to report on his time behind enemy lines.
Phase 3 is still mid-release, so we don't fully know how events will play out beyond this point. We also don't know how they will feed off the story of the acolyte nearly a century later. How much the events of these stories continue to weigh on the Jedi will become clear when the series premieres on June 4.
