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Opinion: Star Wars is entering a new golden age, but not in onscreen media

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I’m very excited for Star Wars Visions this month, and I’m sure The Book of Boba Fett will be great, but I remember thinking at Disney’s Investor Day presentation that for the foreseeable future we’re mostly looking at a bunch of character-name-title shows or spinoff series from The Mandalorian. With Mando season 2 and The Bad Batch season 1, it seems to me that Lucasfilm are currently relying on special character appearances and fan-service to win back approval from the fandom after the sequels’ mostly negative reception. In fact, many speculate that we’re building up to some kind of adaption of the original Thrawn trilogy - like how many view the sequels, a rehash of a story we’ve had before. After the great ending of Rebels, I wanted a follow-up more surprising and creative than that. If this really is the direction Star Wars is going, I’m sure it will appeal to many and I don’t want to shame anyone for that or anything, but it’s not quite what I was hoping for.

Instead, I’ve found exactly what I’m after in the world of Star Wars publishing. Something I’ve always loved about being a fan of this franchise is that the movies are only the tip of the iceberg, and right now, the good stuff is in books and comics. On some level it’s always been that way, but what I’m really loving right now is how ambitious everything is.

From 'Inside the Magic’s article: ‘New Era of ‘Star Wars’ is “Untethered” and “Unchained”’ by Rebekah Barton
https://insidethemagic.net/2021/01/new-era-of-star-wars-rwb1/

The High Republic — which will last for years in Marvel Cinematic Universe-like phases — is said to be an “interconnected mega story.” During yesterday’s panel, Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain shared:

“Phase I runs through 2021 into 2022. I’m not going to tell you how far it goes into ’22, but I can say that there will be a steady stream of books, comics, and magazines coming your way on a monthly basis, which is really exciting. When we talk about this being a multi-year initiative, that is true. We are absolutely playing the long game here.”

I don’t think we’ve ever got this level of planning and author collaboration from Star Wars before, not even in the Shadows of the Empire project. The High Republic authors are acclaimed fan-favourites who are not only close colleagues but friends, and the meticulous planning of the High Republic story is exactly what so many people wanted out of the sequel trilogy. There are so many loveable characters already, and it’s a sometimes-optimistic sometimes-dark vision of the galaxy at this never-before-explored period.

Next up, Charles Soule - the writer who kicked off a new era with Light of the Jedi and who was already beloved for his comic runs such as Poe Dameron and Darth Vader (2017) - made a massive pitch to Lucasfilm last year and they let him run with it. Now we not only have Qi’ra - a character whose cliffhanger ending in Solo desperately needed a follow-up, in my view - making appearances in the War of the Bounty Hunters comics, we have a Qi’ra TRILOGY on the horizon!

I love unlikely teamups or characters from different eras being thrown into a story together - it’s why I love The Mandalorian chapter 15, and it’s why I love War of the Bounty Hunters now. We have classic characters like Luke, Leia, and Vader thrown in with new favourites like Doctor Aphra and Sana Starros, as well as Ochi of Bestoon whose development provides interesting expansion to The Rise of Skywalker. With Vader, Palpatine, Qi’ra, Luke, Leia, Aphra, Deathstick and the Knights of Ren, Crimson Reign looks to be no different.

From marvel.com article “Darth Vader, Qi’ra, and More Brace Themselves for a Galaxy-Shattering Saga in New ‘Star Wars: Crimson Reign’ Connecting Cover”

“While Qi’ra plays a huge part in WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, that event is really a Boba Fett story,” Soule told IGN. “I have a bigger story I’m going to tell with Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn, and it’s all connected to the reasons she kicked things off in WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS in the first place. You’ll learn more about that in the closing pages of WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS #5, out in October, and I think fans have no idea how exciting and new this story will feel.”

Star Wars publishing has always been great at expanding on or enhancing the films and series. I’m thinking of how I can watch the first act of Return of the Jedi with Steve Perry’s Shadows of the Empire novel in mind, or how the conversation in Empire between Vader and Palpatine has so much more subtext thanks to a moment in the 2015 Vader comic series, or how we even got great books like Bloodline and Resistance Reborn out of the sequel era. But like with the post-Endor and NJO era, or the Old Republic era, books and comics are once again coming into their own to map out fantastic new tales of their own making. If things continue in this way for the foreseeable future, we will be in a new golden age of creative visions for the Star Wars galaxy.

Of course this post is an invitation for discussion, but it’s also a plea to those who haven’t dived into the High Republic era yet, or to those who have never really bothered with comics or books. Perhaps you’ve been put off by the amount of noise out there from people searching for anything to latch onto and complain about, even if they haven’t read that thing themselves. Usually it’s complaints about diversity from those masking their intolerance as valid criticism, and the wonderful authors we now have writing stuff for us don’t deserve to have their work dragged down by that. Please, try out these new stories to see what you think and give your support to the initiatives which deserve it. Novels and comic books deserve no less respect as storytelling mediums than movies and TV shows. Now more than ever, they’re proving that.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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How many High Republic comics are there. I think i’d enjoy a comic more than a novel because Star Wars is so visual.

I’m also looking forward to purchasing the collected editions of some of the newer Post Rise of Skywalker published comics. Sometimes i enjoy the serialized nature of Star Wars comics and sometimes i just buy the trade and read an entire book.

Is there anything you recommend i’m a big original Marvel Star Wars and Dark Horse comics legends person. I’ve read the Darth Vader book and original aphra run. I’ve read all the main star wars books up to the pre empire strikes back. But only 1 of the post empire books.

I was going to read the Han Solo comics but i wasn’t sure if i’d like them. I liked Shattered Empire. Haven’t read the new boba fett stuff i’m kind of afraid to i loved the old stuff.

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JadedSkywalker said:

How many High Republic comics are there. I think i’d enjoy a comic more than a novel because Star Wars is so visual.

There are two series - the main ‘High Republic’ comics by Cavan Scott and the ‘High Republic Adventures’ comics by Daniel Jose Older. I do think that the HR project has done best in novels, but the comic runs are good as well. The main comic follow a master and padawan - Sskeer, a Trandoshan Jedi veering dangerously close to the dark side in grief, and Keeve, his devoted but self-doubtful apprentice - taking part in a joint Jedi and Hutt effort to combat the Drengir, plant-like monsters threatening worlds in the Galactic Frontier. The High Republic Adventures comics are about a force-sensitive girl from a Jedi-hating homeworld who joins a group of Jedi padawans under the mentorship of Yoda, while her best friend sides with the Nihil, the main antagonists of the era.

Although the HRA comics are perhaps targeted at a slightly younger age group, I think they’re my personal favourite of the two. But the main comic series ties in with the main novels more.

Is there anything you recommend i’m a big original Marvel Star Wars and Dark Horse comics legends person. I’ve read the Darth Vader book and original aphra run. I’ve read all the main star wars books up to the pre empire strikes back. But only 1 of the post empire books.

I was going to recommend Skywalker Strikes but it sounds like you’ve already read that! For all I ramble on about comics I haven’t actually read that many - I’ve read Skywalker Strikes and the first two volumes from the Vader series in 2015, as well as some Aphra comics, plus bits and pieces from other comic series. I can recommend what I know is popular - ‘Kanan: The Last Padawan’ and ‘Son of Dathomir’ tie in with Rebels and Clone Wars respectively and they’re meant to be very good. All three main Vader comic series are acclaimed - it sounds like you’ve read one, maybe the Kieron Gillen 2015 one (which is what I’ve read as well) but there’s also Charles Soule’s Vader series from 2017, which takes place after Revenge of the Sith and the current Greg Pak series which is post Empire.

Haven’t read the new boba fett stuff i’m kind of afraid to i loved the old stuff.

If you’re interested in more comics featuring the OT protagonists I think I would recommend War of the Bounty Hunters. I was expecting it to be a Shadows of the Empire reboot in some way but it does feel very different. That’s a whole other matter to get your head around though because it’s a crossover event with different comic series, but if you just wanted to get the one-shot comic (War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha #1) and the five issues of the miniseries which are still being released, I think you’d get away with knowing the essentials of the story.

Sorry for such a massive post! But I hope it helps.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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The comics sound interesting enough for me to check them out, thank you. It was helpful.

Probably just get both of the High Republic series, but i’m leaning toward the one with Yoda. Which interestingly enough isn’t Marvel it is IDW right?

Has pretty good art and the samples i’ve seen seem interesting enough.

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JadedSkywalker said:

Probably just get both of the High Republic series, but i’m leaning toward the one with Yoda. Which interestingly enough isn’t Marvel it is IDW right?

Yeah, that’s right. Pretty sure most of IDW’s Star Wars comics are one-issue stories so this is one of the rare occasions they’ve done a multi-issue story, and it’s worked really well. It being IDW means it’s harder for me to get here in the UK unfortunately, but it’s always worth the effort.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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I love and respect the positivity in this thread jedi_bendu. How well do you feel the High Republic project has done now we just over half way through with the main novels? Or anyone else who has read the novels so far?

And did you enjoy new Qi’ra stories?

I’m asking as they did get my initial interest, and I very nearly bought the first comic, so may come back to these comics in the near future.

The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

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There are certainly a great deal of new books and comics to grab the attention. Form someone who remembers the Dark Times, and also some of the lower quality releases in the EU, it is a pretty positive time to be a reader of Star Wars content.
 

On the Qi’ra stories. A brief overview, with some minor spoilers and characters who appear:

Some people did find the inclusion of the Knights Of Ren to have been a little contrived, but seems to be one of the few perceived negatives of these comics. Some have wished that Qi’ra was more involved, featured more, but we are given satisfying reasons for that. Also, despite a great ending, a numbers of reads now wish to her more of her in other stories.

Before diving in, it is worth noting that War Of The Bounty Hunters has 34 issues, with Crimson Reign and Hidden Empire both having 5 issues each.

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That is a lot of WotBH issues, and a big commitment. I think I’ll hold off for now, but thanks for the above information.

The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

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I think that is part of of the frustrations, or perhaps obstacle, to some fans getting into the High Republic?; the sheer amount of content out there.

A quick look here for anybody unfamiliar with the project: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_High_Republic

That is a LOT of content listed, almost overwhelming to anyone looking to get into it. Other than the what is going to be the 7 main novels, how would anybody identify what they may want o read, or need to read, to get the full enjoyment for stories and the characters?

The content listed above in the Wiki is only at Phase II, which they are around half way through? There’ll be a much more to come in Phase III as they warp up the project!

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Unless there’s a game or an animated series the whole High Republic thing is a non-starter for me. I guess there’s something coming down the line but it should have been first before books and comics… not 3 years later.

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Mocata said:

Unless there’s a game or an animated series the whole High Republic thing is a non-starter for me. I guess there’s something coming down the line but it should have been first before books and comics… not 3 years later.

Shit, yeah. A couple episodes of Visions, or even animation similar to Galaxy of Adventures or even Forces for Destiny would have made for an appealing visual introduction to the project. To “set the scene” and get more people interested?

I’m surprised they still haven’t done any High Republic era content for Visions, I thought it’d be ideal for this.

As you say, that Eclipse game and Acolyte series is likely just too late in the day for many. One of the many good points about the previous SOTE, 2003 Clone Wars, and TFU “multimedia projects” was that wide choice of media for each project to get fans into it.

Perhaps more will be interested in it when the whole publishing part of the High Republic has ended, and they know more of the content to pick and choose what they need, or want?

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I briefly considered checking out the High Republic comics, but at the end of the day said “fuck it.” I have absolute zero interest in 99% of anything the Disneyverse has to offer, and that goes quadruple for stories involving Jedi.

“The Anarchists are right in everything; in the negation of the existing order and in the assertion that, without Authority there could not be worse violence than that of Authority under existing conditions. They are mistaken only in thinking that anarchy can be instituted by a violent revolution… There can be only one permanent revolution — a moral one: the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself.”

― Leo Tolstoy

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Marooned Biker Scout said:

Mocata said:

Unless there’s a game or an animated series the whole High Republic thing is a non-starter for me. I guess there’s something coming down the line but it should have been first before books and comics… not 3 years later.

Shit, yeah. A couple episodes of Visions, or even animation similar to Galaxy of Adventures or even Forces for Destiny would have made for an appealing visual introduction to the project. To “set the scene” and get more people interested?

I’m surprised they still haven’t done any High Republic era content for Visions, I thought it’d be ideal for this.

As you say, that Eclipse game and Acolyte series is likely just too late in the day for many. One of the many good points about the previous SOTE, 2003 Clone Wars, and TFU “multimedia projects” was that wide choice of media for each project to get fans into it.

Even the popular introductory or “overview” books like The Art of High Republic, The High Republic Character Encyclopedia and The High Republic – An Illustrated Guide to the Galaxy’s Golden Age have only recently been released, or to be released later this year.

It is curious. Maybe something to do with possible delayed distribution due to the pandemic?
 

Perhaps more will be interested in it when the whole publishing part of the High Republic has ended, and they know more of the content to pick and choose what they need, or want?

I think and hope so. Some good talents are involved with these book and comics. Obviously much thought has been into them as well given the large amount of content and crossover stories and characters from in this setting. It will be interesting to see how The High Republic is looked back on in 3-5 years. And also perhaps more fans interested in it and rate it for the reasons you post above.

The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

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Emre1601 said:

I love and respect the positivity in this thread jedi_bendu. How well do you feel the High Republic project has done now we just over half way through with the main novels? Or anyone else who has read the novels so far?

And did you enjoy new Qi’ra stories?

Thanks! I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that not too long after making this thread, I dropped off books and comics a little. Partly due to being busy and partly due to the cost, I stopped reading a good few comic runs while Crimson Reign was coming out, and since that removed me a little from the world of comics and the comic fandom I haven’t actually finished the Qi’ra trilogy by reading the Hidden Empire miniseries yet. Similarly, I absolutely loved phase 1 of the High Republic initiative and it was one of my favourite times in the fandom, but there were so many delays with phase 2 and so little hype around it compared to phase 1 that I’ve struggled to get myself into it again when there are so many other things I want to read.

I would definitely recommend both the Qi’ra comic trilogy and the High Republic phase 1, though. To save yourself a lot of money, you could at least start with just getting the essentials - War of the Bounty Hunters IS a crossover event, but I think you can get buy with just reading the introductory War of the Bounty Hunters one-shot comic and the 5 issues of the miniseries. Likewise for the Crimson Reign and Hidden Empire miniseries. For the High Republic, the first two main novels - Light of the Jedi and The Rising Storm - can be understood without reading anything else, but the third main novel of phase 1 The Fallen Star includes a few characters from other sources (its one of my few, but major criticisms of that book). To totally understand it, I would read Into The Dark and the main High Republic comic series by Cavan Scott. Luckily, both are very good and well worth your time.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”