he High Republic publishing initiative has been a smashing success among Star Wars fans. Adult novels Light of the Jedi and The Rising Storm are both widely loved, and the YA novels, junior novels, and comics have also been fantastic. However, there is one publishing medium that you may be unaware of: the short story.
Titan Publishing has had a long history of publishing original, short fiction in Star Wars Insider magazine. They published the stories across both canon and Legends — which have been recently collected in hardcover — but they have been on a hiatus for a few years now. However, they came back in a big way with the High Republic era. In fact, it was technically the first published High Republic story before Light of the Jedi.
Which Star Wars authors write High Republic short stories?
Charles Soule wrote the first story in issue #199 titled Starlight: Go Together, which followed Joss and Pikka Adren in the events immediately preceding the Great Disaster. It was told in two parts across issues #199 and #200. And, so far, each subsequent story has been split across two issues.
Cavan Scott and Justina Ireland have alternated stories after Soule kicked things off. These stories have focused quite a bit on Velko Jahen and Ghal Tarpfen, who both have appeared in other higher profile High Republic stories. It is therefore worthwhile for the readers who love hunting down all of the connections between the different pieces of the High Republic.
The full list of High Republic short stories from Star Wars Insider so far includes:
- “Starlight: Go Together–Part 1” by Charles Soule (Issue 199)
- “Starlight: Go Together–Part 2” by Charles Soule (Issue 200)
- “Starlight: First Duty” by Cavan Scott (Issues 201/202)
- “Starlight: Hidden Danger” by Justina Ireland (Issues 203/204)
- “Starlight: Past Mistakes” by Cavan Scott (Issues 205/206)
Visit our High Republic Timeline and select the "Short Stories" filter for the best High Republic Short Stories reading order.
How to read The High Republic short stories
So, you may be left wondering how you can read these stories. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. Buying future issues is pretty simple. You can get a subscription from Amazon or even a local comic book store. It gets more complicated with hunting down the back issues.
Again, #199 is the earliest you need for the High Republic stories. You can buy some back issues direct from Titan Publishing, but they don’t have everything available. You can also get them digitally from pocketmags. They do appear to be the only seller that offers digital back issues.
You may also check with your local library to see if they offer them digitally. For some, your best bet may be to hope that they collect them in a hardcover volume just like they did for the older stories.
These stories are a great way to further flesh out the galaxy in the era, specifically on the Starlight Beacon. It manages to focus on some of the smaller characters, and takes the spotlight away from the Jedi and Nihil. For the completionist High Republic fans, they are a must read. And with Fallen Star coming soon, who knows where these stories will go next.
Want to start reading The High Republic? Our High Republic Reading Order Guide can help you catch up on the stories bringing this new era of Star Wars to life.
For a complete list of recent and upcoming Star Wars book and comic releases, visit our regularly updated Release Schedule.
