he High Republic panel was hosted by Krystina Arielle, who hosts The High Republic Show on Star Wars' YouTube channel. She was joined on stage by many High Republic creators: Claudia Gray, Dr. Lydia Kang, George Mann, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, Michael Siglain (Creative Director at Lucasfilm Publishing), and James Waugh (Senior Vice President of Content & Strategy at Lucasfilm). In addition to these established mainstays of the creation of The High Republic, the panel introduced a newcomer to the creative team: Alyssa Wong, who is best known in the Star Wars community for writing the 2020 run of the Doctor Aphra comic series.
Phase II
The panel began by teasing what remains in Phase II - specifically Quest of the Jedi, the one-shot comic by Claudia Gray; The Nameless Terror, a comic miniseries by George Mann; Path of Vengeance, a YA novel by Cavan Scott; The Edge of Balance Vol. 3, a manga by Daniel José Older and Tomio Ogata; and The High Republic Adventures, a comic series also by Daniel José Older. They revealed that Phase II is going to culminate into something called "The Night of Sorrow," which definitely doesn't sound ominous. And there certainly won't be any heartbreak judging by the artwork for it...
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To bridge the discussion between Phase II and III, details on the YA anthology book Tales of Light and Life were discussed. "The Queen's Bloom" by Zoraida Córdova will take place before Phase II and focus on Axel and The Mother. "A Closed Fist Has No Claws" by Tessa Gratton will focus on Marda Ro, and while there weren't any specifics on when it takes place, we can assume it will take place during or prior to Phase II.
"The Call of Coruscant" by Dr. Lydia Kang will take place at the end of Phase I, just after the fall of Starlight Beacon, and will feature two new characters. "Shield of the Jedi" by George Mann will take place several years after Phase II. "The Lonely Traveler is Home" by Daniel José Older will take place during Phase I and focus on Ram Jomaram and Zeen Mrala.
"After the Fall" by Claudia Gray will take place one day, one week, and one month after The Fallen Star. "The Force Provides" by Justina Ireland will also take place after the fall of Starlight Beacon, and will center on Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh struggling with the aftermath of this event. "Light in the Darkness" by Cavan Scott will take place prior to Phase III and focus on Jedi Master Keeve Trennis.
"All Jedi Walk Their Own Path" by Charles Soule occurs prior to Phase I and will be split into two parts: one prior to Phase I focusing on Bell Zettifar and Loden Greatstorm, and the other part focusing on Bell's response to Burryaga's disappearance. And lastly, "Rogue Element" by Alyssa Wong, which will take place directly after Midnight Horizon and focus on Crash Ongwa (who is named after Wong) and brand new Jedi (this story will be exclusive to the Barnes & Noble edition).
Phase III
Some of the panelists had teased on their social media that the amount of news to come out of this panel would be immense. Luckily, they weren't bluffing by any stretch of the imagination.
To set up the era, Phase III will be called "Trials of the Jedi". It takes place one year after the fall of Starlight Beacon. During this time, the Jedi have been recalled to Coruscant, meaning that the Nihil have effectively "won."
Wave I
The Phase will be kickstarted by an adult novel from George Mann on November 14, 2023 called The Eye of Darkness. It will focus on Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann, as well as the triumph of Marchion Ro. Next will be a middle grade novel called Escape from Valo by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong on January 30, 2024. Last in Wave I will be the YA novel called Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland on March 12, 2024.
The serialized fiction from Star Wars Insider magazine isn't going anywhere, either: "Chronicles from the Occlusion Zone" by Dr. Lydia Kang will begin in October 2023. Another mainstay will be the comics, both Marvel's The High Republic by Cavan Scott (which will be 13+ issues), and Dark Horse's The High Republic Adventures by Daniel José Older. Both series will return in December 2023.
Wave II
Wave II's adult novel will be called Temptation of the Force by Tessa Gratton and will be released in Summer 2024. Also releasing in Summer 2024 is a middle grade novel called Beware the Nameless by Zoraida Córdova. Last in Wave II will be a YA novel called Tears of the Nameless by George Mann in Fall 2024.
Wave III
All books in Wave III will release in Spring 2025: an adult novel called Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule, a YA novel called Into the Light by Claudia Gray, and a middle grade novel called A Valiant Vow by Justina Ireland.
The panelists explained that they're purposefully spreading out the Waves more in this Phase to give fans more time to read everything. Of note, they mentioned that the announced titles don't include comic miniseries or audiodramas, which is a potential hint towards more announcements in the future. Cavan Scott teased that the creators are dropping, and have dropped, hints towards content post Phase III.
The Acolyte
Given that the upcoming TV show The Acolyte takes place during The High Republic era, it makes sense that they showed the audience an exclusive teaser for it. Leslye Headland, creator of the show, joined the panelists. She talked about her appreciation for the source material, and how all of the aesthetics of the show, costume designs, and lightsabers were all influenced by the works in The High Republic publishing initiative. The Acolyte will bridge the gap between the ideologies held by the Jedi of The High Republic and those held the Jedi of the Prequel Trilogy.
After showing the teaser, they had one last surprise for the audience: actress Rebecca Henderson, present at the Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase Panel the day prior, was revealed to be portraying Vernestra Rwoh, a Jedi Knight featured in several High Republic books. Rwoh will be the first High Republic character to take the leap from the page into live action. We see the Mirialan, now a Jedi Master over 100 years old, in classic brown Jedi robes with a gold tunic. Notably, she has a bald head with Mirialan tattoos present.
What an exciting way to close out the panel! High Republic fans have much to look forward to in the next couple of years.
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