At the end of January, Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars webseries The High Republic Show debuted on the company’s official YouTube channel with interviews, news, and more about the exciting new multi-platform publishing initiative Star Wars: The High Republic.
Today, the second episode of Star Wars: The High Republic Show dropped on YouTube, and with it comes more fascinating interviews and discussion of the interwoven story being told about the period two hundred years prior to the events of the Skywalker Saga. In the bullet-point list below, I’ve enumerated some of the more fascinating tidbits and factoids to come out of the latest episode of this informative Star Wars webseries.
Watch Star Wars: The High Republic Show – Episode 2:
- Host Krystina Arielle introduces “the first-ever second episode of the Star Wars: The High Republic Show.”
- She recaps recent events in the Star Wars: The High Republic novels and comic books.
- I found it interesting that they used an image from the Charles Soule-penned Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren comic book to depict the ancient abandoned space station in Claudia Gray’s novel Star Wars: The High Republic – Into the Dark, a connection I pointed out in a post back when that book was released.
- In interview footage, Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain, art director Troy Alders, and senior illustration manager Jeffrey Thomas discuss the art of The High Republic.
- Comic book artist Phil Noto was instrumental in establishing the early look of the series based on character archetypes he was provided by the authors involved.
- Alders says it was exciting to “start from ground zero” with this project, something he didn’t get to do a lot of previously.
- Artist Ian McCaig was also helpful in coming up with the initial character looks, bringing with him his extensive Star Wars experience.
- Thomas says they went back to the original source material as inspiration for these new designs. Part of the idea was to have threads in the costume and lightsabers that connect to the look of the prequels.
- Siglain says he is particularly proud of the diversity behind Star Wars: The High Republic, both behind the scenes and in the stories.
- Arielle was then joined by Into the Dark author Claudia Gray, Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures writer Daniel José Older, and Disney Lucasfilm Publishing executive editor Jennifer Heddle to discuss how their specific stories fit into the High Republic tales we’d seen previously.
- Into the Dark takes place to the side of The Great Disaster, but it influences the greater world of The High Republic.
- The High Republic Adventures one of the smaller “emergences” that take place after the Great Disaster and stars Master Yoda as he guides some Jedi Padawan on their quest to help the survivors.
- Jennifer Heddle says it’s a big thrill to be able to create a new “family” of characters for the project.
- The villainous Drengir are sentient plants that are connected to the dark side. “It’s like Little Shop of Horrors with less singing,” says Claudia Gray.
- They showed more footage of the creative retreat the High Republic authors had at Lucasfilm while they were coming up with the concept for the publishing initiative.
- Older really wants there to be dinosaur gladiators in Star Wars, and he spent some time explaining the origin of the character “Buckets of Blood” AKA Jedi Master Torban Buck.
- Gray explains some of the time-hopping flashbacks in her novel and how they fit into the main story.
- The authors discuss the role of the Jedi during a time when their Order is at their peak. “The dark side never goes away. It’s always there. There is always darkness for the Jedi to combat.”
- “It’s so much fun” to create some backstory for Master Yoda, says Older. “This is a different Yoda than we’ve ever met.”
- Gray and Older are both excited that the authors are creating their own mythology for this project and can refer to the events of the other authors’ stories and characters as they go along.
- An animated segment informs us of the history of the San Teka clan, from the High Republic era all the way through Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the sequel trilogy.
- Lucasfilm Story Group member Jason D. Stein then takes some questions from readers using the hashtag #THRSQuestions.
- Stein insists that though the Nihil from The High Republic and the Cloud Riders from Solo: A Star Wars Story may have similar design elements, as groups they have very different ideologies.
- As The High Republic continues, we will learn how more Jedi perceive the Force.
- Before the end of the show, Arielle revealed the main character from Justina Ireland’s upcoming young-adult novel Star Wars: The High Republic – Out of the Shadows.
- A new audiobook entitled Star Wars: The High Republic – Tempest Runner by Cavan Scott was also announced for release this fall.
- A High Republic character connectivity chart, story timeline, and character posters from Into the Dark have been released at www.StarWars.com/TheHighRepublic.
Star Wars: The High Republic Show is released semi-monthly on the official Star Wars YouTube channel.