Lit Books The Next Publishing Initiative

So, The High Republic is ending this year, after three phases of books, comics, audio dramas, and a TV show.

What do we think is the next big thing? There's Reign of the Empire, but that's only a trilogy. Do we think we'll get another initiative on the scale of NJO or THR anytime soon? Maybe something smaller like the Journey To TFA/TLJ/tRoS initiatives?

Personally I think we might be in for a new New Jedi Order, as post-TRoS is still almost entirely unexplored. And if we get a movie to launch it, they could continue with the mixed-media.

What do you all think?

 

I'd be very surprised if they don't do something similar to High Republic again here within the next few years as it did have a significant fan base.

Not sure what Lucasfilm's plans are for the Old Republic in movies and TV shows but there would be a ton of room in that time period where they could do anything they wanted to. Set something around 10,000 BBY.

 

I think they'll take a year or two off and bounce around the timeline a bit - we've seen manga and comics recently announced for the ST era, so maybe we'll get a book in there soon, maybe an Acolyte sequel since the show was cancelled to tie up some of those stories, the pre-Rebellion era has a lot of stories to be told, and the 45-22 BBY era is still rife for filling up.

2027 or thereabouts will be when we get back to live action (non-Filoni) movies, so I'm sure we'll get supporting fiction lined up for 2028.

If there is another big initiative in the next few years, I would guess it'll be for the pre-ST era - Snoke, the First Order, Kylo's fall and something to make the Knights of Ren interesting, more Luke and Lando stuff, Project: Necromancer, stuff like that.

 

2027 is also the 50th anniversary of the franchise, so I imagine they might have something big lined up especially if movie plans fall through like they tend to.

 

I think we don’t see anything like it again until 2030 if that. We are much more likely to see something on the scale of journey to TFA

 

My guess is there would be a break before the next initiative. They will probably wait to see which movies actually end up happening, and then carve their own space again in a time period or place the movies/shows aren't likely to go.

 

KOTOR

 

I predict lots of Prequel Era stuff and lots of Dark Times era stuff, with the occasional High Republic straggler tossed in.

 

I predict the next large scale MMP would probably be Old Republic, but not Kotor or even SWTOR. Stuff focusing on the Nightmare Conjunction, Mulita, Darth Krall, Darth Momin, Exim Panshard, the Ascendants, maybe some characters from the Dark Legends anthology.

The kotor era itself would be somewhat redundant and invites people to constantly compare it to an era people remember fondly and which is no longer canon nor can it be canonized wholesale considering the implications of Revan winding up on Exegol and the complete reinterpretation of Malachor (yes you could say it's another planet in the same system but that still would feel somewhat like backpedaling).

 

Rogue Squadron, to tie in with the movie. Remember, folks, you heard it here first!

 

Well, if THR was the newcanon's NJO, I'm eager for the LOTF of this generation, slicker and concise. Presumably in the "Sith Era", as LOTF was originally envisioned.

 

I want the time between RoTJ and TFA fleshed out.

 

It won't be any material that would be covered by films/shows, at least not until they've pioneered it first, as happened with THR.

That already has like 4 TV shows, 6 comics, novels, at least 2 upcoming movies, etc.

 

Much of that is limited in scope focusing more on the individual stories. I am looking for more of a broader view.

 

Yes but you can't do a broad overarching story and have any creative control in such a busy part of the timeline. Besides, if anyone is owning this time period more broadly, it's Filoni.

 

I am thinking more big picture..how does the NR work? How does the NR fleet work? What about the PSFs? How do the Fleet and PSF interact? How does the NR deal with member worlds and their disputes? How does the NR interact with non aligned worlds or larger non aligned governments? What does the NR do if one of there member worlds has a dispute with a non-aligned world?

While putting it that way can make it sound boring...I think it could be approached in a way to make it interesting.

 

Some of that is in Bloodline, and the visual dictionaries.

But it sounds like you want a reference guide. And they don't want to make one yet because they want the creative freedom so the answers to those questions can be whatever best serves the plot in these shows/movies, with a reference guide to compile it all later.

 

I think they’ll do a true multimedia project

Show/video game/novels/comics

 

Good question.

Honestly the High Republic itself wasn't something I would have guessed ahead of time, so I am kind of expecting something surprising. But that doesn't make for fun conversation, so my next guess are....*drum rool*


1 Old Republic - and for two main reasons. First, it is utterly gigantic era bigger than the rest of the eras put together by an order of magnitude, so you can fit a lot in under that umbrella. Honestly feels like cheating.

The second, more concrete reason is that I feel there has been a lot of references to the Sith War (what was the New Sith Wars in legends) recently, especially in High Republic stuff, just like there were some references to the High Republic era before the initiative was announced.

And the appeal is obvious. Best era for lightsaber fights, large scale battles, plenty of established names you can bring back for people to get excited about, so on and etc.

In fact, the biggest problem is, well, it is too good and tempting and sensical - ie that is something they might want to save for a movie and show and their various tie in materials rather than a purely literary publishing initiative.

Though, even then the sheer size of the era means there is plenty of room. Like even sticking to the sith war alone you could easily have a show or movie about the end and publishing initiative about its beginning.

2 Something not focused on a time, but a place. Maybe something about the Far Galaxy or the Unknown Regions or something like that.

3 Between Sith War and High Republic - there have been a few references to this era as well, about the struggle to rebuild in the face of calamity which can make for some interesting stories. Also there is young Yoda!

On the down side, young Yoda might be something authors would want to avoid, so as to not demystify him or whatever. And feels like kind of High Republic + if they choose it for the next one...

 

I think it would be really cool if Disney would consider continuing the "Legends" timeline as an alternate timeline.
We already see stuff like this for Marvel and DC..
I think it would make many fans (like myself) happy
Like for example, I know of the Sword of the Jedi books, maybe continue those? idk
Unlikely to ever happen, but I can wish.

 

They do seem to be going backwards in time, which is both a safe and interesting bet.

 

Can’t see them touching the Far Galaxy for a while until Filoni’s had his fill with it. Unknown Regions is probably in the same boat, with all the First Order set up in the Mandoverse.

Though they might split the difference and have something set in Companion Besh, seeing as how the Nagai are canon again.

 

Well, there's the "Dawn of the Jedi" movie in the works, i'm thinking the next big publishing era might be related to that far-off time of 25.000 BBY, the earliest days of the Jedi serving the Republic, to see what kind of ancient threats they faced in this time before the Sith existed.

There's also the Sith War as a good alternative, we've been getting plenty of hints to that era in canon, the Malachor temples, Tarre Viszla the Jedi Mandalorian from 2000 BBY, Darth Momin, etc.

So the pre-Bane era is ripe for exploring, even in Legends this era was unexplored, so doing this time period is kind of like what they did with the High Republic, where they went to a time period that wasn't previously covered by Legends.

 

Maybe the next era will be immediately after Darth Bane's era about the first days of the Galactic Republic