Disney's Three New Star Wars Eras Explained

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Star Wars is expanding into three new time periods - the High Republic, the Dark Times, and a period between the original trilogy and the sequels. The story of Star Wars is traditionally centered upon the Skywalkers, the powerful Jedi destined to bring balance to the Force. Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One of the prequel trilogy, his son Luke inspired him to redeem himself in the original trilogy, and Rey chose to serve the function of a Skywalker in the sequels.

But the Skywalker saga came to an end in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and now the franchise is expanding into new territories. In some cases that's literally true; Timothy Zahn is penning a series of novels set in the Chiss Ascendancy in the Unknown Regions, apparently disconnected from the main franchise, with only the most cursory references to Jedi and Sith. But, as exciting as Zahn's novels may be, they are essentially standalone. Lucasfilm's attention is increasingly focused on transmedia plans in three different time periods, some of which were not even alluded to in the old (now non-canon) Expanded Universe.

That means this is an exciting time to follow Star Wars because the franchise is changing its shape dramatically. A range of novels, comics, and even a Disney+ TV series, set in Star Wars' High Republic era, promise to redefine the Force itself and shine a light upon the history of the Jedi. The Dark Times of the Empire's reign are set to be explored in other mediums, with a continuing focus on Darth Vader and the rise of the Rebellion. And, finally, The Mandalorian has proven to be just the first Disney+ show set between the original trilogy and the sequels. Here's everything you need to know about these three new time periods.

The High Republic

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In the first Star Wars film, Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker the lightsaber was "an elegant weapon for a more civilized time." That time is the High Republic era, which was at its height roughly 200 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. This was an age where the Republic was strong and confident, and where the trusted light of the Jedi shone brightly across the galaxy. This was long before the shroud of the dark side veiled the Force, and as a result, the Jedi of the High Republic are far more powerful than any of the prequel era. The story of the High Republic will principally be told in Lucasfilm Publishing transmedia initiative Star Wars: The High Republic, which kicked off in Charles Soule's superb novel Light of the Jedi.

The High Republic era appears to run to just decades before the prequel trilogy, with Lucasfilm Publishing releasing a High Republic Chinese web-comic called The Vow of Silver Dawn by "His Majesty the King" set around 82 years before the Battle of Yavin. Lucasfilm has announced a High Republic Disney+ TV series called The Acolyte, apparently set toward the tail-end of the era as well.

The Dark Times

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The Dark Times is a period when the galaxy was without hope, when the light of the Jedi was believed to have been snuffed out forever. The era runs from the final scenes of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith through to the opening moments of the first Star Wars film, when Luke Skywalker was drawn into the Rebel Alliance. Tie-ins have gradually established the scale of the Empire's power and cruelty during the Dark Times, and attention has been particularly focused on Darth Vader's quest to kill the last survivors of Order 66, a story told in Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Rebels. There's also been interest in the rise of the Rebellion, a theme explored in both Solo: A Star Wars Story and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Lucasfilm has announced three new Star Wars Disney+ TV shows that will be set during the Dark Times. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a spinoff from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, starring a group of defective Clone Troopers who are cut loose from the nascent Empire. According to Disney, the Bad Batch will be forced to make their way in the galaxy as a team of mercenaries, a promising idea given a number of criminal groups - such as the Hutts and Crimson Dawn - are known to rise to power in the Dark Times. Even more excitingly, a live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi series will apparently be set ten years after the fateful battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar, during the Jedi Master's self-imposed exile to Tatooine; it will feature both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, suggesting it may show a previously-untold encounter between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. And, finally, there's Andor, with Diego Luna returning in a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

The Mandalorian Era

 

Lastly, there's another significant time jump between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, one now being filled by a range of Disney+ TV shows. The Mandalorian is set just five years after Return of the Jedi, a time when the galaxy was in a fragile state of peace. The Mandalorian has revealed the war with the Empire never truly ended, with figures such as Moff Gideon building up their forces in the Outer Rim. It appears the main villain is Grand Admiral Thrawn, a Chiss military strategist who was the only alien to attain such a high rank in the Empire due to his strategic genius.

The Mandalorian season 2 set up two spin-off TV shows, Ahsoka and The Rangers of the New Republic. The first of these will presumably focus upon Ahsoka Tano's continuing quest to find out what happened to her long-missing friend Ezra Bridger after the events of Star Wars Rebels, while the second looks to feature a group of X-Wing pilots sent to police the Outer Rim. According to Disney, all three shows set in this time period will ultimately come together in an epic finale, an approach likely inspired by Marvel Studios and the MCU.

Finally, The Mandalorian season 2 finale's post-credits revealed another upcoming project, The Book of Boba Fett. Little is known about that project to date, but it will presumably be predominantly set on Tatooine, focusing on Boba Fett's establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Outer Rim. It's unclear whether this will be a full-length series with multiple seasons, tying in with the other shows set during this period, or whether it will simply be a sort of bonus miniseries.

Rogue Squadron (2023)
Release Date: Dec 22, 2023