Quick Links
Before the Galactic Empire, we had the Galactic Republic. The republic went through many iterations inStar Warsand was even reformulated throughout the years. That said, recent graphic novels and comics introduced the fanbase to a time period known as the High Republic, whose live-action debut is the seriesThe Acolyte.
But what does the High Republic entail? How is it different from the republic seen in the prequels or other time periods, such as the Old Republic era? As the name implies, we’ll talk about how the republic and the Jedi order acted during its peak, how they used to act, and what sort of issues they faced during ‘peaceful’ times.
Updated on June 05, 2025, by Lucas Olah:As the years go by, more information comes out. While there are still quite a few mysteries surrounding this era - which is ideal for them to write more stories in the period - we know a lot more now, thanks to all the novels and comics already released, and with the aforementioned debut of this era in live action through the Acolyte. Thus, we can talk more about the ‘perfect’ era of the Jedi and the republic as a whole.
Basic Information
The Best Period In The Galaxy
The High Republic is a time period that goes from 500 BBY to 100 BBY(BBY stands for Before the Battle of Yavin, which is the battle that destroys the first Death Star), and since the concept of the High Republic is relatively new, it’s still unknown what happened during those years to classify them as the beginning and end point of such eras.
What is safe to say is that the High Republic comes from a period wherethe republic finally managed to stabilize itself after an intense war against the Sith,who were considered extinct after said conflict. Because of that, the republic had space to grow, becoming extremely influential, and even spreading to the Outer Rim (the worlds that stay near the edge of the galaxy).
The Jedi
What They’re Supposed To Be
Without their religious and philosophical enemies - though they’ll be around during The Acolyte - the Jedi finally had room to breathe and become what they set out to be. They could study and practice their philosophy and help others as a mix of police, firefighters, and essentially superheroes. And despite being part of the republic,they were independent of the government,so they could interfere wherever necessary. Imagine an army of Qui-Gon Jinns, and you get the picture.
Each Jedi also had the autonomy to follow the Force however they wanted to - as long as you don’t fall to the dark side, you’re good to go. That’s how many Jedi could be easily found among the population, and you even had some Jedi known asWayseekers, who basically operated by themselves without council intervention.Overall, the rules were far more flexible.
Don’t expect all Jedi from this period to be the pure essence of goodness, though. This freedom to act as they please is the perfect opportunity to abuse their authority, and many Jedi end up turning proud and arrogant.
It’s even worth noting that theJedi were more forgiving in terms of transgressions, helping the Jedi who made a mistake rather than expelling them. Jedi who tapped into the dark side would receive help, guidance, and even counsel - essentially therapy - so they wouldn’t completely fall into the dark side.
For reasons still unclear, the Jedi order becomes far stricter with its rules after the High Republic, which ironically leads to Darth Vader and their fall. Since the Acolyte happens closer to the end of the High Republic Era, the series might answer some of these questions.
An interesting detail about this period is that since the Jedi were free to do as they pleased and work on themselves, many of them had unique abilities with the Force. For instance,Vernestra Rwoh could navigate ships using the Force, and visions would trigger during hyperspace travel, whileAvar Kriss could connect so efficiently to the Force and other beings that she could communicate with many other Jedi from afar with ease.
This period is also wherethe Barash Vow,shown in The Acolyte, was created. It was created by Barash Silvain, andit consists of cutting yourself off from everything except the Forceto achieve the ultimate connection to it. Many Jedi who lost their way would use this vow as a way to understand their errors and atone.
The Republic
The republic itself was also doing a far better job at helping out its citizensacross the galaxy, with less corruption happening inside. Its biggest achievements were expanding toward a section of the Outer Rim known as the Galactic Frontier and aiding many worlds there to thrive.
Many hyperspace routes were established during this period and aspace station known as the Starlight Beacon was put on the Galactic Frontier,which boosted communications between the area with the Core Worlds (where the republic is). Because of that, these areas could communicate with ease, and thus, the republic could get there and help them at any time.
The Threats They Faced
Peace Is A Lie
Just because this is a time of peace without any Sith lying around (allegedly) doesn’t mean everything is fine and good. The Outer Rim still had its problems, and increased navigation between these sections was a perfect opportunity for piracy to thrive.
One of the first big issues we are introduced is the Path of the Open Hand(chronologically speaking, as these issues were released afterward),a religious cult that defended the idea of cutting everyone from the Force completelyand that communing with the Force caused it harm. The situation is a lot shadier than this, but we won’t spoil stuff for you.
This period also had one of the greatest threats to all Force users in the form ofviolent creatures known as the Namelessor the Levelers.These creatures can feed on the Force itself,so they prey on Force users and suck the life out of them. They could cause hallucinations in their prey and even make them lose connection to the Force.
This period also had to deal with theNihil, a group of raiders who vowed to a more anarchic civilization and cut territories off from the republic.They had their own way of navigating in hyperspace, allowing them to attack other ships during hyperspace travel, which led to events such as the Great Hyperspace Disaster, where a big ship was destroyed during hyperspace, and its chunks began hitting a lot of things at great speed.They were the biggest threat to the republic during this period.
The High Republic In Other Media
Experience The High Republic
While The High Republic primarily consists of novels and comic books, there areother forms of media that focus on the period.
The most significant non-book or comic book exploration of The High Republic thus far is in the video game,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
In it,Cal Kestis and his friends search for a mysterious planetthat could potentially become a haven away from the approaching Galactic Civil War. They do thiswith the assistance of a droid from The High Republic, ZN-A4, aka Zee.
A rogue Jedi from The High Republic,Dagan Gera, is also seeking this planetand will stop at nothing to get there before Cal, or anyone else.
His encounters with The Nihil twisted and corrupted his viewsand made him more intent on finding what he believed was a place of peace. In the process, Dagan turned on the Jedi.
