The High Republic Authors Preview Phase III on The SWU Podcast
By: Dominic Jones
It has been a long, winding road to Phase III of Star Wars: The High Republic.
There have been acts of great heroism, star-crossed lovers, Force-fearing cults, fallen stars, and nameless terrors that would haunt the dreams of any would-be Jedi. And it’s all been building to this, the final act in the ongoing initiative from Lucasfilm Publishing that brings together many different publishers and print mediums to tell one, massive story.
Phase III kicks off in earnest tomorrow (November 14th) with the novel Star Wars: The Eye of Darkness by George Mann hitting bookstores everywhere. Eye of Darkness brings together the story threads that began in the first two phases and sets them on a course to the High Republic’s thrilling finale.
Back at San Diego Comic-Con, I sat down with George Mann (The Eye of Darkness), as well as three of his fellow authors who contribute to The High Republic, Charles Soule (Light of the Jedi), Cavan Scott (Path of Deceit), and Justina Ireland (Out of the Shadows), to preview what’s to come in Phase III. Check it out below,
Note: This interview was recorded back in July, however, it was not released then due to The SWU Podcast’s hiatus in support of the Writers and Actors strikes. Now that the strikes are over and deals have been struck, we are thrilled to present it to you all!
The High Republic kicked off in 2021 with the release of Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, the first novel in Phase I. The first phase tells the story of a golden age of the Jedi and the Republic, approximately 200 years before The Phantom Menace. However, a new enemy known as the Nihil emerges and threatens to destroy all that the Jedi and the Republic have worked so hard to build.
Phase II took the story back 150 years to explore the origins of the Nihil and their animosity toward the Jedi. The story centered around the warring planets of Eiram and E’ronoh, as well as the activities of “The Path of the Open Hand,” a cult with the mantra “the Force will be free.”
The third and final phase, which kicks off with The Eye of Darkness, takes place one year following the events of Phase I and begins with the Jedi and the Republic grappling with the consequences of their failure to stop the Nihil. Novels, comics, and more in Phase III are slated to be released through spring 2025, concluding with the novel Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule.
The High Republic era, however, continues to expand beyond the world of publishing. Already there are two TV shows set in the era: Young Jedi Adventures, an animated series aimed at preschoolers with episodes currently being released in bunches on Disney+, and The Acolyte, an upcoming live-action series from Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland coming to Disney+ in 2024. Both series have already confirmed that characters from the publishing initiative will appear. Headland announced back at Celebration that Rebecca Henderson would be playing Vernestra Rwoh in The Acolyte, and Bell Zetifar and Loden Greatstorm have already appeared on Young Jedi Adventures.
The Eye of Darkness hits shelves on November 14th, 2023
The SWU Podcast is recorded live on Thursdays at 9pm ET/6pm PT on YouTube. Episodes are released on podcast apps like Spotify and Apple Podcasts on Friday mornings.