Star Wars: The High Republic, the upcoming multimedia publishing initiative from Lucasfilm, has been delayed until 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"Given these unprecedented times, we have made the decision to move the launch of Star Wars: The High Republic to January 2021 to ensure that the launch is as grand and epic as it deserves to be," Lucasfilm Publishing Creative Director Michael Siglain said in a statement to StarWars.com.
Charles Soule's Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi and Justina Ireland’s Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage will now both go on sale Jan. 5, 2021. Meanwhile, Claudia Gray's Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark will now arrive on Feb. 2, 2021. Soule's novel was originally supposed to coincide with Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in August to kick off The High Republic. As for Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic series and IDW Publishing’s Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures series, new release dates have yet to be announced.
The High Republic takes place 200 years before the Skywalker Saga, in the golden age of the Republic. The major selling point is this era will not tie into any planned films or television series, allowing the creators an opportunity to tell all-new adventures.
Star Wars: The High Republic kicks off on Jan. 5, 2021 with Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, by Charles Soule, and Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage, a middle-grade novel by Justina Ireland. Other books and comics include Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, a young adult novel by Claudia Gray; Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, an IDW series by Daniel José Older; and a Marvel comics series titled Star Wars: The High Republic, by Cavan Scott.