"This is just the tip of the iceberg."
On Monday January 4, Lucasfilm Publishing took fans on their first steps into a larger world by kicking off Phase I of Star Wars: The High Republic with an official livestream event hosted by StarWars.com's Kristin Baver.
The panel included authors Claudia Gray, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older, Cavan Scott, and Charles Soule as well as Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director Michael Siglain. Together, they looked back the development process of the High Republic and discussed the first wave of stories launching in January and February.
Towards the end of the stream, we got a glimpse at the next wave of projects along with an official structure to the High Republic, which will be divided into three phases: Phase I: The Light of the Jedi, Phase II: Quest of the Jedi, and Phase III: Trials of the Jedi.
Considering the High Republic has been in development since 2018, this type of organization shows Lucasfilm Publishing's commitment to providing fans with a rich, multi-format universe that will keep us invested for years to come.
"We are absolutely playing the long game here," Siglain said.
Friends of the Force is here to recap all of the newest projects that were revealed during today's livestream.
Cavan Scott
Jumping off from his Star Wars: The High Republic comic series, Cavan Scott will pen Del Rey Publishing's next adult novel, The Rising Storm, which hits bookshelves June 29, 2021. The Rising Storm will focus on Jedi Master Stellan Gios as he visits the Republic Fair, an event that will showcase many of the Republic's exciting new technologies, or as they're known in-universe: "Great Works."
Readers will also be introduced to Ty Yorrick, a Tholothian Force-sensitive monster hunter who is described as a murky "saber-for-hire." Yorrick will also have her backstory explored in Cavan's newly announced graphic novel "The Monster of Temple Peak," illustrated by artist Rachael Stott.
Justina Ireland
Following her middle-grade novel A Test of Courage, author Justina Ireland will delve into Star Wars's young adult genre for the first time with Out of the Shadows, releasing July 27, 2021.
Out of the Shadows will take us on another adventure with Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, who is the youngest Jedi to hold such a rank at the age of fifteen in quite some time, as well as Jedi Master Yoda. Justina's next book is another example of how certain High Republic characters will crossover between different mediums and create an even more inter-connected story within the era.
Justina will be co-writing The Edge of Balance, the first installment in a new manga series, alongside Japanese writer Shima Shinya and art by Mizuki Sakakibara. The Edge of Balance will explore the Republic's increased presence on frontier planets through the installation of Jedi Outposts.
This is a bit of a departure from previous mangas, which have solely been adaptations of past prose such as The Legends of Luke Skywalker or Lost Stars, so an original manga story is a much-needed and fresh addition to the Star Wars lineup.
Daniel José Older
Daniel José Older's middle-grade novel Race to Crashpoint Tower will be out June 29, 2021 and gives readers an interior look at Jedi Padawan Lula Talisola, who appears in Older's The High Republic Adventures comic series.
We'll also be introduced to Ram Jamoram, a mechanically-minded Jedi that "just wants to hide in his garage and repair things." In typical Star Wars fashion, we'll meet a new set of creatures called Bonbraks, who are best described as mechanical tricksters that help Ram in his DIY workshop. One of those DIY projects appears to include V-18, the droid on the book's cover, who has been upgraded with some helpful modifications and is painted purple so he will stop being mistaken for soon-to-be-exported cargo.
Claudia Gray
When asked what her next project is after her young-adult novel Into the Dark, author Claudia Gray was sworn to secrecy.
"I am working on something, which I am not allowed to tell you anything about except that it exists and I am working on it."
The possibilities are endless, but my best guess is Claudia will publish the next adult novel from Del Rey after Cavan Scott's The Rising Storm. Cavan referred to his book as the "next in a series," which leads me to believe that Del Rey's larger goal is to publish an epic multi-part adult-novel series that will rival the likes of Game of Thrones.
Claudia's project could close out Phase I or kickoff Phase II, or it could be entirely separate from the High Republic, such as a sequel to Lost Stars or Master & Apprentice. Only time will tell, and I would expect some sort of announcement later in 2021.
Krystina Arielle
Last but certainly not least, the Star Wars YouTube channel will premiere Star Wars: The High Republic Show on January 27, which will be hosted by Krystina Arielle on a bi-monthly basis and take viewers "on a deep dive behind the scenes with creators, artists, and authors."
Stay tuned to Friends of the Force for more coverage on Star Wars: The High Republic, including our next podcast episode on January 11 that will dive deep into Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi.
You can find the full livestream below.