7 Years After The Rise Of Skywalker, Disney Has Quietly Killed Star Wars' New Era

Though Star Wars has finally relaunched its theatrical slate seven years after The Rise of Skywalker's divisive release, Disney has sadly killed the development of one of the franchise's most interesting new eras. Between Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's premiere in 2019 and the arrival of The Mandalorian and Grogu last month, Star Wars essentially became a streaming franchise, introducing a huge collection of new shows exclusive to Disney+ with hits like Andor, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and more.

Disney+ changed the game for Star Wars. Suddenly, it could explore new eras and characters on a smaller scale without direct ties to the Skywalker saga. The Mandalorian and its spinoffs expanded the audience's understanding of the New Republic era while introducing heroes like Din Djarin and Grogu. Andor and The Bad Batch explored the Empire's tyranny on a more intimate level, highlighting the horrors of Palpatine's dictatorial rule. One Disney+ show moved even further away from the Skywalker saga, however.

Set during the High Republic era, 2024's The Acolyte was a mysterious, dark original series that redefined the Sith, the Force, and the Jedi, after a string of murders leads the Order to an incredibly powerful adversary. Set roughly 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte explores an era of the Star Wars timeline that had previously only been seen on-screen in Disney's animated kids' show, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures.

The High Republic wasn't created for Young Jedi Adventures, however. It launched as a publishing initiative in 2021 with Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi, the start of an epic, centuries-spanning multimedia saga that chronicles the Jedi Order's struggle to defend the galaxy from a band of powerful, vicious marauders known as the Nihil. Unfortunately, because of The Acolyte's painfully negative reception and subsequent cancellation — it was the first Star Wars show to be officially axed on Disney+ — the High Republic is unlikely to get the on-screen expansion it deserves.

The High Republic Is One Of The Star Wars Timeline's Most Intriguing Eras

The High Republic is one of Star Wars' most intriguing and complex eras. The Star Wars: The High Republic books and comics, which span between 350 and 200 years before the start of the Skywalker saga, offer a much more nuanced look at the Jedi Order and their relationship with the Force. Rather than the strict rigidity of the prequel-era Jedi, these Jedi are more fluid, equally powerful yet less manipulable than their successors.

They're more in touch with their emotions, despite, or perhaps because of, the immense trauma and losses they endure at the hands of the Nihil (and their predecessors), one of the most terrifying and effective Star Wars factions the franchise has ever introduced. Still, there are hints of what the Jedi will become sprinkled throughout the saga, as the Republic and the Order become ever more dependent on each other during the conflict.

The series' political turmoil, new planets, and compelling characters — both on the Jedi's side and on the Nihil's side — make the High Republic books well worth a read. The final installment, Charles Soule's Trials of the Jedi, was published in 2025.

Will The High Republic Continue After The Acolyte's Cancellation?

While the era's expansion in shows like Young Jedi Adventures, The Acolyte, and even games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor have been welcome additions to the High Republic's canon, The Acolyte's poor reception and ratings make it much less likely that Star Wars will be interested in continuing to explore this era on screen, especially now that the publishing initiative has come to its official end. The High Republic books no longer need additional marketing; Lucasfilm and Disney might deem new small or big-screen projects in this era too risky.

That would be a shame, though. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, a year before The Acolyte was set to premiere, the franchise was excited about exploring new eras of the timeline. The Acolyte, the tentatively titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order (set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker), and James Mangold's Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi (set 25,000 years before Star Wars' main storyline), were all a promise of a new future for Star Wars, moving away from the familiar and into the unknown.

Now, however, Star Wars' previously announced movie slate has changed dramatically. The Mandalorian and Grogu was a safe bet, nestled firmly within the comfort of the New Republic era. While next year's Star Wars: Starfighter will technically launch a new period of Star Wars history, as it's set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, it still feels uncomfortably close to the franchise's biggest overarching saga.

The High Republic already has an established fan base. Seeing the Nihil on the big screen, watching the Jedi face off against the terrifying, Force-eating creatures known as the Nameless in a TV adventure, and experiencing the height of the Jedi's power would be incredibly satisfying. With Lucasfilm's new leadership and The Mandalorian and Grogu's underwhelming box office performance, though, it feels like The Acolyte's failure has killed any hope for the High Republic to develop further in Star Wars.

Release Date 2024 - 2024-00-00

Showrunner Leslye Headland

Directors Leslye Headland, Alex Garcia Lopez

Writers Leslye Headland, Charmaine De Grate, Kor Adana