For the first time in years, Star Wars may finally bring back a major era that has long been ignored in the official canon, and the comics could play a major role. With recent publishing initiatives wrapping up, the time feels right to open back up one of the most dynamic periods in the Star Wars timeline.
With recent Jedi-centric Star Wars stories wrapping up, it’s possible that Lucasfilm and Marvel now have an opportunity to revisit one of the galaxy’s most popular eras: The Old Republic.
Marvel Just Wrapped Up Its Most Recent Jedi Series
Marvel Comics’ Jedi Knights series officially concluded last week with its tenth and final issue, bringing Marc Guggenheim and Madibek Musabekov’s prequel-era ensemble series to a close.
While the series’ overarching focus was on Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi prior to the events of The Phantom Menace, the series featured a healthy rotation of other popular Jedi Knights including Yoda, Dooku, Mace Windu, Aayla Secura, and more familiar faces from the Jedi Order.
The series was consistently entertaining, especially for prequel trilogy fans craving new character-driven Jedi stories. That said, it felt like Marvel’s Jedi Knights had just found its footing, only for the series to end after only 10 issues.
Now, there isn’t really an ongoing Star Wars series from Marvel, aside from Luke Skywalker’s involvement in the New Republic-set Star Wars flagship series, which has been more focused on the brand-new New Republic government struggling to maintain peace in the wake of the Empire’s fall.
Star Wars’ High Republic Comics Have Concluded, Too
The Jedi of the High Republic Era charging into battle with their lightsabers in Star Wars.
A new period that was created within the Disney canon, The High Republic Era explored a golden age for the Jedi Order a few hundred years before the events of The Phantom Menace. As a result, Star Wars fans were introduced to several brand-new Jedi Knights like Stellan Gios, Elzar Mann, Avar Kriss, Keeve Trennis, and more.
With the Jedi Order facing major threats like the Nihil marauders and their growing ability to counter their Force powers, The High Republic comics helped connect the various novels that were being released, acting as dynamic bridges across the multiphase trans-media initiative.
However, the bulk of that initiative has recently concluded, particularly when it comes to comics and books. Combined with Jedi Knights recently ending, there’s now a void in Marvel’s diminished Star Wars publishing line-up which could and should be filled.
With that in mind, some new Star Wars announcements beyond the comics do have me excited about what might be in the cards for the future.
Theory: The Time Is Right To Revive Old Republic Comics
With The High Republic comics concluded and Jedi Knights both wrapped, it does seem like there’s some solid space for Marvel and Lucasfilm to reintroduce The Old Republic in the official canon.
After all, the upcoming Fate of The Old Republic video game was just announced at The Game Awards, the first major (and canonical) Old Republic project in the Disney era, suggesting Lucasfilm might finally be ready to go big with the beloved time period.
Set thousands of years before the Star Wars films, the Old Republic Era was a period when the Dark Lords of the Sith openly rivaled the Jedi Order. There were also just as many Sith and wielders of the dark side as there were Jedi, as the era predates Darth Bane’s Rule of the Two.
One would hope that Star Wars will re-explore the Old Republic Era in more ways than one, and the comics could be a truly great medium to help test the waters before potential shows or movies.
Characters like Darth Revan and the narratives from the beloved Knights of the Old Republic games could be a major cornerstone. While Revan does still exist in the Star Wars canon via a few light references, question marks remain about whether his Legends story is still the same in the official timeline. This is something Star Wars comics could help clarify, perhaps by adapting his original story with brand-new series.
We could even see limited comics runs starring individual characters like the Dark Lords of the Sith Triumvirate (Darth Traya, Nihilus, and Sion) or even have comics that tie in to the upcoming Fate of the Old Republic game. Marvel could also publish series covering the Mandalorian Wars (because who wouldn’t want Jedi vs Mandalorian stories?).
With Fate of the Old Republic hopefully opening the door for the entire era in the official canon, comics should be the next step, reestablishing this era as a living, evolving cornerstone of Star Wars canon rather than a nostalgic footnote that primarily only exists as non-canon Legends.
With the right execution, new Old Republic stories could welcome new readers to the Star Wars fandom while rewarding longtime fans at the same time, giving the Star Wars franchise a bold and fleshed out mythic past across its various mediums.
Cast
Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s)
The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s)
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren