After Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it will be impossible for Star Wars fans to ignore The High Republic era. Once limited to books, Disney is starting to make the fictional time period matter a lot more to the overarching narrative of Star Wars. If upcoming shows like The Acolyte weren’t already an indication of that to you, then The High Republic’s presence and relevance in Survivor will be. Although the game isn’t set during The High Republic — it takes place in the Reign of the Empire time period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope — characters and locations heavily tied to that era play a major role in the game’s narrative. 

For a significant chunk of Cal Kestis’ latest adventure, he’s going toe-to-toe with Dagan Gera, a Jedi from The High Republic era that was sustained in a Bacta Tank for hundreds of years after betraying the Jedi Order. Especially on Koboh and the Shattered Moon, players will explore a lot of High Republic facilities and learn more about how the Jedi Order functioned and trained new Jedi at its height, and be able to contrast that with Cal’s current situation. 

So, what exactly is The High Repbulic, and why does it matter? This is what you need to know as the franchise looks to a new era.

The High Republic is the third of nine Star Wars eras designated by Disney. It’s snuggled between The Old Republic, which we see in the aptly named Knights of the Old Republic, and the Fall of the Jedi era seen throughout the Star Wars prequel film saga. Disney first unveiled it in 2020, and Lucasfilm described it as “an era when the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order are at their zenith, about 200 years before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” in a blog post.

For several years, Disney-canon Star Wars only ever focused on Jedi at their weakest. This era, while not devoid of conflicts and problems, is supposed to serve as a Renaissance of sorts for the Jedi Order, where ornate dresses and structures reflect the Jedi’s feeling of relative optimism and safety. Referencing it in something like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor chillingly contrasts with the oppressive nature of the Empire while still showing that Jedi from that era like Dagan still suffered with similar internal strife to Order 66 survivors like Cal.

The High Republic is a unique era that stands out from anything we have received from Star Wars before. For the past couple of years, though, it hasn’t been that relevant to fans who engage with the more notable movie, TV show, and video game releases. Instead, it has been the focus of several novels and comic books that tend to appeal to the most hardcore devotees.

When Lucasfilm unveiled The High Republic in 2020, it said: “This period on the Star Wars timeline will not overlap any of the filmed features or series currently planned for production, giving creators and partners a vast amount of room to tell Star Wars stories with new adventures and original characters.” That is starting to change.

The High Republic will take center stage in several more mainstream Star Wars projects over the next year. First, there’s the significant role that this period plays in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Even though it’s not set during this time period, Respawn Entertainment’s game will likely be the first time a lot of people are introduced to the era and learn more about it from the game’s characters as well as all the lore scattered throughout the game. Certain teases from the Ahsoka trailer also indicate that characters from The High Republic will pop up in that The New Republic-era show.

More importantly, we are getting two TV shows set during The High Republic. First is Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, which is a children-focused animated series for Disney+ and Disney Junior about Yoda mentoring a group of younglings that begins on May 4. This, like Star Wars: The Clone Wars in the 2000s, should introduce a less explored era of Star Wars to a whole new generation of Star Wars fans, and it will do so during The High Republic period. Because it’s meant to appeal to children, this show will likely provide the most positive glimpse at that time. 

Older fans, meanwhile, will get a hefty dose of The High Republic when The Acolyte drops on Disney+. The Acolyte, a TV series by one of Russian Doll’s co-creators that stars Amandla Stenberg, is described by Lucasfilm as “a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” The show will be the biggest stage The High Republic will get, but it also seems like it challenges the status quo of that era.

If you don’t want to be a bit confused about what kind of Star Wars time period is being disrupted, you’ll definitely want to learn more about it through not only its books but other media like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor beforehand. If how relevant The High Republic will be in Star Wars universe over the next year is any indication, EA and Respawn Entertainment’s latest may be the start of a High Republic renaissance for Disney and Lucasfilm.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.