Star Wars: What’s The Difference Between Old Republic And High Republic?
Star Wars, much like the real world, has a history that often gets broken down by time periods. Two of the most prominent periods in Star Wars history are the Old Republic Era and the High Republic Era, both of which take place long before the prequels.
That’s pretty much where their similarities end, however, given that the Old Republic predates the High Republic by a few thousand years. That’s just one of several of differences that include different bad guys, different settings, and perhaps most importantly, canonicity.
First, an explanation of how Star Wars history works. The galaxy uses letter designations—BBY and ABY—to denote when historical events take place in relation to each other. The letters stand for Before the Battle of Yavin, the official name for the climax of A New Hope, and After the Battle of Yavin. For example, The Empire Strikes Back takes place 3ABY.
In Star Wars, the Old Republic Era takes place from 25,053 BBY, when the Republic was founded, until 1000 BBY, when the Sith were thought to be vanquished forever. The High Republic, on the other hand, starts around 500 BBY and ends at 100 BBY just a few short decades before the Fall of the Jedi, AKA the prequel era.
The Old Republic era exists at a time in Star Wars lore before Darth Bane instituted the Rule of Two—only two Sith Lords shall ever exist at one time, one master and one apprentice—meaning that the evil Force users were everywhere.
When most people hear the words “Star Wars” and “Old Republic,” they immediately think of the video game Knights of the Old Republic or KOTOR, as fans affectionately know it. The KOTOR games were most people’s introduction to an even longer time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but the Old Republic era was actually first introduced in the Tales of the Jedi comic books. Both pieces of media take place roughly 4000 BBY, and when most fans say Old Republic, they’re talking about that period of time.
(Dark Horse Comics, 1993)
One of the things that sets the Old Republic era of Star Wars apart from every other era is the number of Sith running around. The Old Republic era exists at a time in Star Wars lore before Darth Bane instituted the Rule of Two—only two Sith Lords shall ever exist at one time, one master and one apprentice—meaning that the evil Force users were everywhere.
Sith lords, Sith troopers, Sith droids… once upon a time, the Jedi had to put up with a lot of stupid Sith.
Not so much during the relatively peaceful High Republic era. The Jedi that existed during Star Wars’ High Republic era, quite frankly, didn’t know Sith. That’s because the era is smack dab during the 1,000 or so years when the decimated order of Darksiders was hiding out and planning its revenge on the Jedi and the galaxy as a whole. That’s not to say that there was no conflict whatsoever.
set during the High Republic Era.
The Jedi still had to deal with problems like The Great Hyperspace Disaster, a race of carnivorous plant monsters called the Drengir getting loose in the Outer Rim, and the return of a group of marauders called the Nihil.
Despite still having certain headaches to deal with, the High Republic Era was a prosperous time for the Jedi. The order was at the height of its influence and spread all throughout the galaxy.
Other previously established characters like Pirate Queen Maz Kanata and prospector/future ’50s-inspired diner owner Dexter Jettster were also around during the High Republic era, giving the time period a connection to the Star Wars movies that the Old Republic doesn’t have.
For Star Wars, the High Republic Era is a mixture of the European Renaissance period and the Western expansion of the United States during the 19th century. A time of enlightenment, exploration, and colonization.
Another difference between the Old and High Republic Eras is Yoda. Content set in the Old Republic had to rely on certain familiar tech like lightsabers and already established races like Hutts and Twi-Leks in order to make sure it still felt like Star Wars to fans. The High Republic, on the other hand, has Yoda, the lovable tiny green Jedi Master, to tie it to the later eras of the films.
To Disney‘s credit, the use of Yoda in the High Republic books has been very minimal, allowing new characters like Jedi Barash Silvain to take center stage. Other previously established characters like Pirate Queen Maz Kanata and prospector/future ’50s-inspired diner owner Dexter Jettster were also around during the High Republic era, giving the time period a connection to the Star Wars movies that the Old Republic doesn’t have.
The biggest difference between the Old Republic and the High Republic is what is and isn’t canon. For the High Republic, it’s simple: everything is canon.
Basically, Disney created its own era of Star Wars history in the High Republic, where they could do anything they wanted and not worry about angering fans by contradicting already established lore.
Phases Of The High Republic
The High Republic is split into three phases, Phase I: Light of the Jedi, Phase II: Quest of the Jedi, and Phase III: Trials of the Jedi. So far both Phase I and II have been completed, with Phase III starting in October of this year.
So far, this new Era of Star Wars has only been explored through books like Light of the Jedi and a comic book series titled High Republic, but an upcoming Disney+ series, The Acolyte, is reported to be set during the end of the High Republic and will be the first time fans have seen the Era represented in live action.
The Old Republic, on the other hand, exists in a weird kind of limbo between Legends and Canon. Technically every piece of media concerning the Old Republic, the KOTOR games, The Old Republic MMO, and novels like Revan is non-canon.
However, Disney themselves have yet to set anything during the Old Republic Era, and everything they have canonized by other means, such as Darth Revan—whose statue was visible in The Rise of Skywalker— hasn’t contradicted anything previously established in the Legends material.
What little Disney has changed, such as the name of the Sith homeworld from Korriban to Moraband, pales next to what they’ve kept in current canon, like Darth Bane and his Rule of Two. So far, it seems as though fans can consider most things from the Old Republic canon until Disney says otherwise.
The upcoming KOTOR remake could also go a long way toward legitimizing Old Republic content depending on whether Disney considers the game canon or not.
The bottom line is that Star Wars is a fun galaxy to explore outside of the movies and TV shows, and both the Old Republic and the High Republic are excellent jumping-on points for casual fans looking to broaden their horizons when it comes to Star Wars lore.
