Era III: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – overview

[00:00:00] OK, David, this is where we are supposed to choose a side. Green or black? John, my soul is as black as night. Your turn. I am black for life. So we're not fighting? I thought this is where HBO wanted us to pick sides and fight and stuff.

[00:00:24] Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find plenty to disagree about on the pod. But we seem to agree on one thing. We both really like the show. The politics, the drama, the lore! It was made for the Lorehounds.

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[00:00:50] plus our custom show guide with all the characters and connections. See you in the Lorehounds podcast feed each week for our dragonfire hot, but probably positive, takes. The Lorehounds house of the dragon coverage is also safe for team green consumption.

[00:01:03] Side effects may include a deeper understanding of dragon lore, a hardened conflict with itself, and an inescapable urge to read the book fire and blood by George R.R. Martin. Dragon seeds may experience burning. Hi, quick editorial note.

[00:01:14] We had a technical difficulty with the recording of this episode. And while I spent a lot of time fixing as many of the issues as I can, I regret to say that this episode is of a lower technical quality than you're used to.

[00:01:26] So apologies for that, but I promise it didn't affect the quality of our conversation. So I hope you still enjoy our overview of the High Republic era, basically the backdrop for the upcoming show, The Acolyte. Welcome to a new era of Star Wars.

[00:01:58] We'll be spending a little more time in era four, the High Republic, though not as much as we will in later eras. So in this episode, we're going to lay the foundation with a general overview of what differentiates the High Republic from, you know,

[00:02:13] the old republic that came before, but especially with what comes later, as you will see unfold and basically the biggest events you need to know going into the Acolyte TV show, which starts on June 4th or June 5th for most of us outside the US.

[00:02:28] I'm your host, Alicia, once again joined by Dead Eye Jedi Bob. Hi, Bob. How are you? Oh, very well. How are you? Are you excited to talk about the old republic? Yes, very much so. Slight editorial notes. We're recording this episode on May 21st, 2024.

[00:02:45] The content of this podcast was accurate and up to date when recorded, but that might change as more content is released. So we'll issue updates from time to time to cover anything that's been added or changed to the timeline.

[00:02:57] And if this is your first episode and you want to hear more, I recommend starting with the Quickie Intro app to learn how this podcast works and the key worldbuilding elements like how the dating system works and what canon and legends mean.

[00:03:09] You'll find a link in the show notes also to a blog post that will give you more insight into what's covered in each episode so far and what's coming soon. So era three, the High Republic. Now, how does this rank for?

[00:03:24] You said the old republic was a favorite. Is High Republic growing on you as you read through the books and all that? Oh, yeah, it really is. I'm reading the phases out of order. Actually, I went from one to three and phase two is actually a prequel.

[00:03:43] So I can't wait to go back and see what I've missed. But it's certainly growing on me. I feel like I'm getting more excited about it as I read about the characters and the events and the battles and all that.

[00:03:56] Yeah, we'll talk about the order of the phases in a minute. But this episode is going to be a high level overview. So we're going to be covering in this episode the years of Star Wars history between 1000 BBY,

[00:04:08] which is where we ended our old republic overview up to 132 BBY when the TV show The Acolyte is set. So which that's toward the end of this era. And again, John from the lower hounds and I will be covering that show with weekly scene by scene breakdowns.

[00:04:23] But do note that the official dates of the High Republic itself in Star Wars history are 500 BBY to 100 BBY. So we'll talk about that pale end period after the Acolyte's over. And in this episode, we will be spoiling large macro events that occur during the High Republic,

[00:04:41] but we're not going to get into key character arcs so much or book plots. Though we will mention a few key characters you might have seen bandied about on the interwebs or that might get referenced in the Acolyte.

[00:04:55] We will come back to this part of the timeline later to go through the book and you know, associated multimedia phases, the three different phases one at a time. And we'll be doing that sometime after the Acolyte

[00:05:09] and next spring 2025, which is when Phase Three will be finished publishing. Before that, though, next week, we will publish a separate episode where we talk about characters like Vanessa Rowe, the lady with the light whip in the Acolyte trailers, who also plays a key role in these books

[00:05:26] and we'll also be talking about everything else we know about the story and world building of the Acolyte going in, including new characters and who and what from the history we've already discussed, we think might show up. This High Republic era was first mentioned

[00:05:39] in the 2019 audio drama, Dooku, Jedi Lost by Kevin Scott, which features my favorite character in all of Star Wars. So we're definitely going to be talking about that during the fourth era. But this third era, there's no legends content. It's a fresh new era to explore.

[00:05:55] What do you think of that, Bob? That it's everything they write now is original. I love the concept of uncharted territory. And I think it's been a blast for me to learn about new characters and new planets all over again.

[00:06:10] It feels like, in a way, being that 90s kid that stepped into Star Wars so many years ago when it comes to reading about the High Republic now. Yeah. And I think that that's why it's an exciting era. That's why I wanted to start this podcast

[00:06:26] tied to the release of the Acolyte, because a lot of new people are going to be discovering this era now. And it's definitely one of the most exciting eras because we have whole new iconic villains and heroes and technology and species

[00:06:41] and just really rich fertile grounds for mining. So first, just to define some things, when we talk about the three phases, we're talking about a multimedia project called the High Republic, not to be confused with the overall era.

[00:06:57] Although of course the entire project is set within the High Republic era and the project was first called before it was detailed what it would be. It was first announced as Project Luminous. So that gives you kind of the vibe

[00:07:10] and it's a combination of novels for different age groups, comics, audio dramas, broken down into three phases, which we'll get into generally quite well loved. Of course, you know, in something like this, there's going to be some books and things that hit harder than others

[00:07:28] that are more beloved than others. You do not have to read them all. It's there's a lot and it's not really intended for you to read every single thing unless you're the biggest Star Wars fan. A lot of people skip, for example, the younger novels,

[00:07:42] of course, maybe the comics, just pick up whatever appeals to you and we'll be back to break down what you need to know, even if you decide you don't have any time to read at all. But before we get into the three phases, Bob,

[00:07:54] what are your some of your favorite things or characters from the High Republic? What you've experienced so far? I think one of my favorite groups to explore during this time period are certainly the Jedi because they seem like a more open,

[00:08:11] a more inclusive group than they ever have before. They are going out of their way to help just about everyone they can in this time period. And it's something I have had to step back for a couple of seconds

[00:08:30] and get used to. I mean, I love what I'm reading, but at the same time, I'm like, wow, I can't wait to see how we get from point A all the way to point B. Yeah. Any favorite characters or groups?

[00:08:41] I would say Vernestra is one of my favorite characters from the High Republic, but I also like Geode. He's a really interesting, chill character, very laid back character, I would say. We're going to talk about the day today.

[00:08:57] And then I'll definitely the Nile are one of my favorite groups from this time period as well. So yeah, the Nile are the biggest baddies of this era and we'll definitely get into them in this episode. So the High Republic project was announced in 2020

[00:09:13] but delayed by the pandemic. So it started being released in 2021 and it's still ongoing. Like I said, the third phase won't be finished until spring 2025. And Bob said he's reading out of order, but also the phases were released out of chronological order.

[00:09:28] So we're going to run through them right now in publishing order, but then we'll be talking about them in the history section in the order of in universe events. So basically the difference between publishing ordering and timeline order is that phases one and two swap places.

[00:09:45] Phase one is called Light of the Jedi, and this is stories that cover between 232 and 229 BBY. And apparently the premise in the writer's room was what scares the Jedi? But Bob, what do you think scares the Jedi? But to me, it seems like I feel like they're

[00:10:06] they're a bit more uneasy when they're stretched too thin when they because Jedi are all about saving people. I think especially in this time period, going out of their way, being as selfless as they can is important to them.

[00:10:22] And this is a period in which I'm no spoilers for me, but there are things that happen and it's like they're supposed to be everywhere at once. And it's it's a bit difficult for them to do that.

[00:10:36] And it's very taxing on them as the events start to unfold. Yes. And of course, particularly some enemies that they come up against. We'll talk a little later about the nameless set for me is the most horrific thing to come out of this era.

[00:10:51] And I forgot to mention them in terms of interesting creatures that I that I liked when they popped up. I was captivated. Yes, absolutely. I mean, because that is just a little preview. We'll get into them a little more later, but they are

[00:11:05] they can suck the life force, the force from the Jedi, basically. They can nullify them and that just is horrifying. And they look like a hounds of eldritch horrors. But so the first phase, it was published between January twenty twenty one in February twenty twenty two.

[00:11:23] And I'm going to quickly run through the titles for each phase. But don't worry. There's a lot in the show notes. I'll provide a link where you can look up the titles by both chronological order, you know, timeline order and also release order.

[00:11:36] So the first phase titles are five short stories go together. First duty, hidden danger, past mistakes, shadows remain three novels for adults, light of the Jedi, the rising storm, the fallen star, three young adult novels into the dark out of the shadows, midnight horizon, three middle grade novels,

[00:11:59] a test of courage, race to crash point tower, mission to disaster, two young reader books, the Great Jedi Rescue Showdown at the Fair, six comic series, Star Wars, the High Republic, Star Wars, the High Republic Adventures, The Edge of Balance,

[00:12:15] Star Wars, the High Republic Adventures, the Monsters of Temple Peak, Trail of Shadows, Star Wars, the High Republic Eye of the Storm, two reference books, the art of Star Wars, the High Republic and Star Wars, the High Republic and Illustrated Archive

[00:12:30] and one audio drama, Tempest Runner and two web series characters of Star Wars, the High Republic and Star Wars, the High Republic Show. So that's I mean, I think even people who say I've read all of Phase One have definitely not consumed everything

[00:12:49] that I just said on that list. Would you agree, Bob? I would definitely agree. I mean, it's a given that I can't get into the comic. So that's one big part of it that I haven't really been able to consume. But I'm looking forward to the audio drama.

[00:13:04] I've actually not listened to that yet, but it's something that I've certainly got queued up in my audiobook library, so can't wait for that one. Yeah, me too. I haven't either. Most people start their overall high republican adventure,

[00:13:20] not to be confused with the comic books with the Light of the Jedi book, which is a really good place to start, not just because it kicks off the phase, but because it's considered one of the best out of this project overall by a lot of people.

[00:13:36] So then Phase Two is called so Phase One again was Light of the Jedi, Phase Two's quest of the Jedi. And that is set 150 years earlier in the timeline during the age of exploration. So this is when they're going out and exploring the outer rim

[00:13:52] and finding new planets and mapping hyper paths and things like that. So these stories cover three ninety six to three eighty two BBY. Why do you think they decided to publish these first two phases out of order? That is a really good question.

[00:14:08] I wonder if they did it to appeal to prequel fans in some of us. I have no idea. That was my first thought anyway. I really would like to ask one of the writers that question. I mean, I'm not opposed to it.

[00:14:25] But I remember when Phase One was over and I was like, oh, we're not moving to what happened next. We're going back way back. OK. That's that's OK. I guess I'll take it. Yeah. And I've heard from people that it's harder to get into Phase Two

[00:14:39] for them because you have to fall in love with new characters all over again. So there is a big debate about reading order in the fandom. You know, there's always going to be the people who are like

[00:14:49] if they wanted you to read it in a different order, they would have published it in that order. But I am you know, I'm sure this is going to make people yell at me. I'm sure there will be listeners yelling at me for saying this.

[00:15:01] But I am reading Phase Two first. I'm reading in chronological order because first of all, I just I just my brain works that way, you know, then I can better connect the events and I just want to be able to do as you're doing, Bob,

[00:15:17] but you're just doing it a different way. You're moving directly from Phase Two into Phase Three because Phase Three picked up right where Phase Two, you know, ends. Yeah, wish I could have started where you are actually with all of the

[00:15:28] prequel stuff because I think for me doing it in chronological order is a lot of fun. I would say that's how my brain works sometimes. I can do either or I'm pretty flexible with with time lot events.

[00:15:41] But I would have been so awesome to start where you are. Oh, yeah, I would say. Yeah, no, I mean, I like that because then, you know, I get invested, but you see how you see the payoff of events then coming in the later phases. Of course, yeah.

[00:16:00] So Phase Two, they started racing in October of 2022, but they kind of muddled the releases at the end of Phase Two and going into Phase Three. So the titles included in Phase Two are there are six short stories.

[00:16:14] This time they're all written by the same author, George Mann, under the title Tales of Enlightenment, but they have the subtitles. New prospects, a different perspective, the unusual suspect. No such thing as a bad customer. Last orders, missing pieces. And there's two novels for adults, Convergence and Cataclysm.

[00:16:32] Two young adult series, Path of Deceit, Path of Vengeance. Two middle grade novels, Quest for the Hidden City, Quest for Planet X. Three comic series, Star Wars of the Republic. Keeps going. The Blade, The Edge of Balance, Precedent and one audio drama, The Battle of Jeddah.

[00:16:51] We're going to talk about some of the main events again from these, but we're not going to dive into like we'll tell you what the Battle of Jeddah is, but it won't dive into the characters and what the individual consequences are, etc., etc.

[00:17:06] We'll save that for when we break down the phases for those people who don't want to be spoiled and because there's going to be a lot of information thrown your way here. So we don't need to get that granular this time.

[00:17:17] And so that brings us to phase three trials of the Jedi. And this again follows right after the events of phase one. We've got three novels for adults, The Eye of Darkness, Temptation of the Force, Trials of the Jedi.

[00:17:31] Three young adult novels, Defy the Storm, Tears of the Nameless, Into the Light. And again, not all of these have been released yet. Three middle grade novels, Escape from Valo, Beware the Nameless, A Valiant Vow, Two comic series, The High Republic on Scowing

[00:17:48] and The High Republic, Shadows of Starlight and one audio drama, Tempest Breaker. And also I have to mention that there is another anthology collection of short stories connected to all three phases called Tales of Light and Life and a reference book called Jedi Artifacts.

[00:18:05] It has a lot of information about this era too. So yeah, a lot of people catching up, a lot to catch up on, including us and. Yeah. But we're going to tell you what you need to know to put this era

[00:18:20] and the Accu-Lite TV show in context right after a quick break. All right, let's dive into the High Republic history itself. Well, actually, Edder said we're going to pick up where we left off 1000 BBY. So this is a little bit before the High Republic.

[00:18:59] So we've got the emblem for this era. It's one of the few that's not a circle, sort of an even more stylized version of the long necked bird spreading its wings. We talked about last era, but this time it's in a semi circle

[00:19:12] shape and the head and neck are now a spear. So I guess we're seeing a slightly more militaristic edge to the Jedi than no longer just space monks. And this is still representing the Jedi order. And but it's now also being used by the Galactic Republic.

[00:19:28] So it's golden color, which is a color you see coming back a lot in this era because it's the golden era. Get it? Yeah. So we see just the fact that Galactic Republic is using it. It's it's how the Jedi, if you're used to the later era

[00:19:42] storytelling like the original series are actually more so the prequel series than it seems like the Jedi and the Galactic Republic are almost one in the same. But during this era, it doesn't start out that way, but we can see that they're getting closer and closer and closer.

[00:19:58] Do you have any favorite outer rim territories or space exploration stories, Bob? In the higher public era? Yeah, or in general? Well, I'm probably going to get you know that too. But I really like stuff that has taken place on tattooing quite a bit

[00:20:17] because that was one of the first planets that I think a lot of people are introduced to. And we actually get to see just a hint of it, just a little bit of it in a certain animated series that takes place during the high republic.

[00:20:30] I don't know, Tatooine just makes me feel at home when it comes to Star Wars. And that's that's certainly a key location in the outer rim. Yeah, I mean, it's one of the main locations in the original trilogy.

[00:20:44] So people are like, why are you always going back to this desert planet in the outer rim? Like, well, because, you know, sometimes the most out of the way places play a key role in galactic history. OK. There you go.

[00:20:59] But yeah, we have hyperspace prospectors mapping more and more far flung routes. But there is unreliable communication at this point because they're not properly set up at the beginning of the high republic. And, you know, there's tales of monsters and other unbelievable things coming back.

[00:21:13] And of course, pirates, pirates stick around for quite a while, but they are especially active during this era. We also have at the end of this era, we have a shift in the way that Padawans and younglings are trained.

[00:21:28] So younglings are what Jedi are called when they're first, you know, introduced as children. And then Padawans, you know, those are kind of the teenagers who are learning to become full Jedi. And because of events that happen in this era, by the end of the era,

[00:21:46] a new rules implemented where they're trained younger and they're trained to fight the Nile that Bob mentioned. And things get a little bit more. Rules oriented, you know, if they can't if they go to get a Kyber crystal one doesn't sing to them, they're sent home.

[00:22:06] There and this is also when the no romantic relationships rule is introduced. So I kind of want stories of Jedi, legal Jedi romances. I need to know what went wrong. Yeah, I agree. I would love to get into that too.

[00:22:24] I mean, maybe we could get what if they did? So there's a character that's in legends that's going to be we'll talk about her later in the timeline. Her name is Marjade and she might not be able to be brought into canon

[00:22:38] when she takes when her story takes place in the legends timeline because the character she's linked to has such a different story in canon. What if they introduced her in this era instead? Right, yeah, I would really shake things up. Give her a love story with somebody else.

[00:22:56] Yeah. Anyway. It's also around this time, the Royal Palace on the Diplomatic Planet of Alderaan is built and there's also a sect called the Angkorite sect that was active during this time. And this is a religious organization that believed that suffering was the basis of life

[00:23:16] and operated on the planet Jakku, which is a planet we'll be visiting later in the timeline. And although they say suffering is a basis of life, that might sound like Sith, this is actually a light side order. So we're going to learn more about them

[00:23:30] when we talk about the aftermath novels in the sixth era, but they were active during this time. It's also around this time that the Jedi Temple on Illum is established. So Illum again is a planet with most kyber crystals, which are the crystals of power or the lightsabers.

[00:23:46] And the temple there was constructed in 1014 BBY in 896 BBY. A little green guy named Yoda is born. And he begins training Jedi a century later in 796 BBY. We're going to talk about him more and our young Jedi adventures discussion because 500 years after he begins training Jedi,

[00:24:08] he's training young Jedi in these adventures, which and that's his earliest on screen appearance so far. Do were you did you know Yoda was going to be in this show? Are you surprised to see him in young Jedi adventures?

[00:24:20] I feel like I started following the news of the show when it first came out. I was certainly surprised to see him because I mean, I hadn't really seen a lot of him in the High Republic as of, you know, prior to the animated show.

[00:24:37] So whenever Yoda shows up, I'm always captivated by him. I have been since he since I was introduced to him in the early 90s as a character. Just such a warm, wise, calm character. That's interesting. He's he's still he's hundreds of years old.

[00:24:54] Like what is it like a 600 or so years old in the times young Jedi adventures? But yeah, he's comparatively a whipper snapper to later in the timeline. So later in the timeline, he's completely bald. And at this point, he actually has a full head of white hair.

[00:25:10] I want that action figure has, bro. I also have to point out so we don't know the name of Yoda's species, but there's a female member of his species named Yaddle, who is born in 509 BBY. So we'll meet her later.

[00:25:26] Another important note is that Naboo joins the Galactic Republic in eight sixty seven. And Naboo mentioned briefly before is an important diplomatic location where humans and Gungans live. So in the Gungans are the Jar Jar Binks characters. And around this time, there are civil wars resolved

[00:25:46] and the planet begins to thrive as a political center. And the following centuries are known as the Great Time of Peace. And this will play an important role in the story beginning at the end of this era. And also around 600 BBY, the large slug like Jabba

[00:26:02] disillegiate, the eventual crime lord more commonly referred to as Jabba, the hut is born on the planet now Hutta. So we're going to be talking a lot more about him and other huts as we go. And in this era, the huts form a temporary alliance with the Republic

[00:26:18] to fight a monster plant species called the Drengeer. Are you a fan of the huts? I've always been a fan of the huts when you tell me stories of the city underworld and its characters in terms of Star Wars.

[00:26:35] I am definitely listening and you have my full attention. And then also in 522 BBY, the Citadel, also known as Citadel Station, is constructed and this is a prison on the planet Lola Sayu made by the Galactic Republic to hold rogue Jedi.

[00:26:54] And you can bet we'll be visiting there later. Yep. Just to make a point about Mandalorians, in 500 BBY, a suit of armor is forged from their beskar that will eventually be handed down to a character named Sabine Ren hundreds of years later.

[00:27:14] So it just gives you a sense of like the sense of Mandalorian tradition and just the durability of their armor. If there were a fight between the huts and the Mandalorians, I mean, I guess huts never fight their own battles, do they?

[00:27:34] Yeah, they they try to hire a lot of help including Mandalorians sometimes. But these two groups are active during this point in the timeline. Oh, then around 500 BBY after 500 years of this rebuilding and growth, we officially enter the peak of Republic history, the High Republic.

[00:27:55] And this is the golden age for both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi who again continue to grow closer and closer. But during this era, the Jedi, they're more diverse and transparent. As Bob says, they're more earnest, I would say. Yeah, I would agree. Yeah.

[00:28:12] And they have their main temple on the capital city planet of Coruscant. But at this time, they also have many secondary temples scattered throughout the galaxy, even out in the outer rim, which is where we will meet the young Jedi adventures.

[00:28:25] And they wore white and gold and did more fantastical things at the Force. So this is a really fun era. And also the architecture is like kind of a mix of classical meets art deco design.

[00:28:38] So that gives you an idea of they see themselves as grand and but, you know, refined little flourishes. And I also notice, have you noticed, Bob, that this era has more of those like droids that sit on your shoulders like a parrot?

[00:28:54] I wish they would go about describing all of that in terms of audio description and things like that. I've that's the first I've heard of those types of droids in terms of where they sit. That's really interesting. OK, yeah, we'll talk about one, at least one

[00:29:12] in the young Jedi adventures episode. Then other than like in later eras, the only really prominent one comes from the Jedi games, which again, link back to the High Republic. So there you go. Yeah. So the High Republic, again, the earliest phase

[00:29:29] in the timeline is phase two, which starts around 390 BBY. And we get an opening crawl on the website for this phase. It says it is a time of great exploration in an effort to unite the galaxy, the chancellors of the Republic working

[00:29:44] alongside the courageous Jedi Knights have dispatched dozens of Pathfinder teams into the farthest reaches of the outer rim. But it is also a time of great uncertainty. Communication is unreliable and tall tales of mysterious planets and monstrous creatures about.

[00:30:00] Prospectors and pirates roam the frontier and the worlds of Hiram and Aronoh are locked in a forever war. And on the far off planet of Dalna, a new threat is beginning to emerge. So I guess that's set in 382 BBY,

[00:30:20] which is where we meet Yong Greylark and Orlin Molo, who were co-chancellors of the Galactic Republic. So they had a teamed up to end disputes and Greylark became the more politically active and was mostly on curisans dealing with like everyday operations.

[00:30:40] And Molo was the one who is traveling to the outer reaches to oversee affairs there. And they also they had a Republic outer rim exploration teams that they discharged to find new hyperspace roots, make contact with new planets, establish communication networks, all of that fun stuff.

[00:31:01] But one group that they come across is the path of the open hand who end up finding this these beasts that we alluded to before called the Nameless. But actually, we're going to talk about them in the next phase when we talk about the Nile,

[00:31:18] because these groups actually evolve into the Nile. We have in this era, Jedda. Are you a Jedda fan? I am actually. I know very little about her at this moment outside of Rogue One, because I've yet to read or listen to the Battle of Jedda,

[00:31:36] but I cannot wait to delve into more of its history. I loved it when we got to see it for the first time in a certain 2016 film that I'm sure we'll be talking about at some point on this podcast. Absolutely. That's getting its own episode. Yeah.

[00:31:53] And that that will be in phase, I guess. I'm not sure if that counts as the end of phase five or the start of phase six, but either way, yeah, we'll be talking about it. Yeah. So Jedda was a small, cold desert moon

[00:32:06] which orbited the planet, Najeda, in mid room. And we will see it on screen later. But it's seen as a beacon of balance during this time, a balanced cooperation and light. It was home to a bunch of different force religions that largely coexisted peacefully.

[00:32:24] And it was also another source of kyber crystals. So you can see the Jai interest despite the kind of crappy climate. They're formed there, something called the Convocation of the Force, which is an advisory body and council designed to promote understanding between the various force religions.

[00:32:42] Although the decisions they made sometimes led to backlash like this Battle of Jedda, which was between the warring factions of those planets, the Eurim and the Eurona, they tried to basically forge a peace between them. And it ended up breaking out into a war between like them

[00:33:00] and the Jedi order and the forces of the Galactic Republic, just a big mess. The members of the Convocation of the Force's advisory body were, of course, the Jedi were on it. There's also two groups that have similar names. One is the Disciples of the Wills.

[00:33:17] And Wills is spelled W-H-I-L-L-S. So this is an old faith and they wear red robes and they believed that both the light and the dark side of the force were valuable and that for light to exist, there must also be dark. So the force must remain in balance.

[00:33:36] And they preferred to listen and try to understand the will of the force. They were a quieter sect than the similarly named and younger guardians of the wills, AKA the guardians of the Khyber Temple. And these guardians preferred to sense the force and its presence.

[00:33:54] And they were more like warrior monks. They're founded in 483 BBY. Are you familiar with their light bow weapons? Yeah, I wasn't aware that a certain blind monk wielded one of those until I got the action figure. Oh, OK. Surprise. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:34:19] So light bows are a they're basically like crossbows with but instead of arrows, you have lasers. And they're a type of bowcaster and the species that's best known for wielding bowcasters are the Wookies, who we will not attempt to impersonate again. Don't worry.

[00:34:37] What's your favorite weapon in the Star Wars universe? I would have to say it would be a tie between lightsaber and dark saber. I'm just a big fan of laser swords. What can I say? Laser swords are cool.

[00:34:57] I think, I don't know, is it cheating if I say something like force lightning? No, that means that's another awesome weapon. I've always been fascinated by the concept of that and just the way that it looks since they have done that in plastic form on several occasions.

[00:35:15] Yeah, that's cool to see what these these other types of ways to use the force to. So another force group was the Falunassi and they were a religious order that they they view the force as a sea.

[00:35:30] So they refer to the light side of the force as the white currents and the dark side is the dark tide and they could use the force to create illusions or a projection of themselves that could appear anywhere in the galaxy. So very convenient skill to have.

[00:35:45] That takes me back to my expanded universe, Black Fleet Crisis days where I first heard of those guys. Wow. See, brought into Canon. Yeah, fantastic. We also have during this period a group known as the Lonto. This is a species of plant and nature focused people.

[00:36:05] They're light side force users, but you know, they the way they use the force is often to use plants as tools and weapons. And we have the Matukai, a religious self-proclaimed defenders of the light that we don't know that much about yet.

[00:36:21] And sorcerers of Tund or light side users with cool masks. And there were dark side users amongst the sorcerers of Tund, but they were expelled and they left behind some cool artifacts to be found later. We also have mentioned during this period, which this group will play

[00:36:39] a larger role later, but there's a church of the force, which is a loose affiliation of force users, kind of like Unitarian churches and Christianity. Yeah, we'll talk about them more later. And in 382 BBY, a delegate of another group called the Yakom

[00:36:57] attempted to join the convocation, but they were blocked because they are dark side users and they were actually attacked by some supposed light side users. So they left. What do you I mean? That's that's a bit questionable, right?

[00:37:10] Do you think being a light side user makes it your like the Matukai? They say because they are defenders of the light, it's their duty to attack dark side users. Do you think that that makes sense? I feel like that's just a little bit harsh.

[00:37:29] It probably goes back to my fixation on villains. I probably shouldn't try to defend them as much as I do. I mean, I think that that's interesting, though. I like when we think about like, why are the villains doing what they're doing?

[00:37:44] Because if we applied that sort of thinking more in real life, we might develop more empathy and have fewer fights and wars. Right. If you focused on asking why more, asking more questions, trying to get to the root of. You know, your quandary.

[00:37:59] Yeah, I feel like there would be a lot less conflict. Exactly. In 350 BBY, we get the trade federation. And this is founded by a species known as the Nimoydians. How would you summarize the trade federation? They obviously become more important in the next era, but.

[00:38:19] Yeah, I honestly don't know what they're up to during this time period. I feel like they would have to be featured in more of the books. No, yeah, that. I would very much like to know what in the world they're up to around this time.

[00:38:35] Because when you know, when we're introduced to them, they're they're quite sneaky and underhanded. Yes. Do you have you had described to you or do you have any action figures for the Nimoydians? I do. I have, of course, the very well known new gunray and.

[00:38:55] We'll meet him later in the timeline. Yeah. But they're so small in terms of the the texture of their their faces. They just looked rather like rather like they have a flat face, I would say. Yeah, no, it was less. Yeah. Yeah, no, it was less.

[00:39:10] That was that was quite a shock when I opened him back in 1999. Wow, dude. Interesting. And they also have gray skin that looks kind of rough. I don't know if that's just my interpretation or if that's like on the action figure.

[00:39:24] But oh, yeah, they actually give it a rough texture too. So that's awesome that they actually went into that much detail for texture. Yeah, OK, cool. Well, yeah, we are going to talk about them a lot more. And meanwhile, less we forget over in space,

[00:39:40] which is still completely separate from what's going on in the main galaxy around three 18, the modern chess syndicure is formed ending an era where armed conflicts between rival chess families was common. So even in the completely separate chess space, it's a time of coming together and forging alliances.

[00:39:59] Have you ever been to one of the Disney parks? Oh, I would very much like to go. I hear stories about how exciting they are and what all they put into the backgrounds and all of the character interactions. That's certainly something I put on the bucket list.

[00:40:19] Yeah, I used to go to Disney World when I was a kid. But the last time I went was when I was 18, which was right years ago. So definitely before before Disney took over Star Wars. But now in the parks, they have a Star Wars section

[00:40:35] and it's called Galaxy's Edge. And we're going to talk about that a lot more later in the timeline because most of the action of that is set in 34 ABY, so in the eighth era. And there's also a virtual reality game called Star Wars Tales from the Galaxy's Edge.

[00:40:54] This is set on the planet of Batu, which we're going to talk about actually in the Young Jedi episode. It's the main part of the plot is set in 34 ABY. But there's also an expansion for the VR game

[00:41:07] that was released called Temple of Darkness, and that sets between 233 and 232 BBY. I haven't been able to play this yet because it's only available for Oculus Quest and for PSVR 2, and I only have a PlayStation VR 1.

[00:41:23] So I'm going to see by the time we get to the eighth era if I can't play these games. And then maybe we can talk a little bit more about the Temple of Darkness too. But if anyone has played it, I definitely want to hear your thoughts.

[00:41:35] Please email us at SW Timeline podcast at gmail.com and we'll include it in one of our feedback episodes. We're going to have some mailbag episodes coming up in the future. And that brings us to Young Jedi Adventures, which we're going to pretty much skip right over

[00:41:50] because it's covered in a separate episode, but it is set for the start of the phase of phase one and three two 32 BBY. So Bob, you started with phase one, right? Did you start with Light of the Jedi as well? Yeah, I had it in my pre-orders.

[00:42:06] So I started reading it the day it came out. Do you have any favorites of what you've read so far in terms of the books? I would say Light of the Jedi because it really got the high republic ball rolling. And it was such an insane differentiation

[00:42:26] between the Jedi that we know in terms of prequel era, which we'll definitely get into and the way that they are in the high republic era. I think the more Nile centric novels are probably my favorites because there are some novels that focus on events

[00:42:47] from the Jedi's perspective. But when you have an author who climbs inside the head of one of the antagonists and you find out why they're doing what they're doing, or you get to see them scheming against other Nile that might be out

[00:43:01] to take their position. I just love that stuff. Yeah, yeah, definitely. OK, so the opening crawl of phase one, which is again the second phase in timeline order, it says the galaxy is at peace, ruled by the glorious republic

[00:43:17] and protected by the noble and wise Jedi Knights as a symbol of all that is good. The republic is about to launch Starlight Beacon and into the far reaches of the outer rim. This new space station will serve as a ray of hope for all to see,

[00:43:31] but just as a magnificent renaissance spreads through the republic, so does a frightening new adversary. Now the guardians of peace and justice must face a threat to themselves, the galaxy and the force itself. I have to end every crawl with that sound.

[00:43:50] It's just an elation choice, not a starlight. So I have to shout out a couple more short stories that are set during this time that aren't officially part of the hyper public project and that's A Bitter Harvest,

[00:44:02] which is a short story published in the Target Exclusive Edition of Dark Legends. So no, I haven't read this. The story was authored by George Mann, who wrote a lot of the short stories in Sarah and illustrated by Grant Griffin.

[00:44:15] And it's an origin story of those Drangir plant monsters that I mentioned, which are a big adversary in this part of the timeline. There's also a short story called The Coruscant Solstice, which is was published in the Life Day Treasury short story

[00:44:30] collection and authored by Kevin Scott, another repeat Star Wars writer. And this tale revolves around the Jedi master, Stellan Geos patrolling Coruscant during Solstice Tide. So we'll talk about Stellan Geos when we talk more about Vanessa Roe in the Acolyte preview episode.

[00:44:46] OK, there's also a short story called Deck the Halls, which is a story in the Canon one shot comic called Life Day One. And the story was written by Justina Ireland and illustrated by George Gentry. And this is about the Wukia holiday known as Life Day,

[00:45:01] which is the biggest, which is one that like the Star Wars fans, the biggest Star Wars fans celebrate every year. We're going to talk about that more in young Jedi adventures as well. And finally, there's Tales of Villainy, the Gaze Electric,

[00:45:15] which is a comic story that was published as a secondary story of Star Wars Adventures 2020 issue number six written by Daniel Jose Older and illustrated by Nick Brokenshire. And that one is about the imprisonment of hyperspace of Aunt Marie Senteca by the Nihil. So who are the Nihil?

[00:45:33] Are you ready to talk about the Nihil? Oh, yes. What do you like about them? You were they do pop up kind of in young Jedi adventures and you're making fun of the young Jedi adventure ones. Well, what do I like about the Nihil?

[00:45:50] I like that they feel like they're right in doing what they're doing, even though their actions are horrific. They always try to explain themselves heroically before they do something horrific or after they do something horrific. And it's like, guys, you're not fooling me.

[00:46:09] I know exactly who you are and what you're about. But yeah, keep going with that, I guess. Would you call them anarchists? That is, I would say a very apt description of them. Yeah, I do feel like they're pretty big into the anarchy thing, I would say.

[00:46:26] I mean, I guess they're kind of like super pirates in a way. Yeah. Super pirates is another fantastic description of this group, I would say, because they do take quite a few substances to to make them, I guess, more super in their minds, super anyway. Mm hmm. Yeah.

[00:46:46] No, very interesting group. Well, I think what I like about them is that it's it's something new and different in Star Wars. You know, it's not just the Sith again. I love the Sith. You know, I mean, I don't love that.

[00:46:58] You know, I love to hate the Sith, but this is different. Another flavor. Yeah, and they're not your typical Harry and Marv from Home Alone bad guys either. These guys have a strategy that got a battle plan

[00:47:13] and they're able to keep the Jedi on their toes in ways that, you know, your regular galactic riff raff really don't do, I would say. Yeah, that's fair. One of the things that makes them very dangerous is that they have access to mysterious hyperspace routes known as paths.

[00:47:33] And so these paths, they defy conventional hyperspace logic so they can travel through hyperspace in ways that no one else can and they can take seemingly impossible routes and just like pop up unexpectedly in the worst possible places when you least want them to. Yeah.

[00:47:53] This is not to be confused with these paths are not to be confused with something called the hidden path, which is something used in era five to smuggle for sensitive children. Although could there be a relation? Because I'm wondering like when we talk about the hidden path later

[00:48:10] in the timeline, they do say something about, you know, it is it's basically an underground railroad system. But I wonder if they use these hidden, you know, these paths that the Nile were using because we do see this technology resurface again around that time.

[00:48:27] Although it's not linked to the hidden path. Why couldn't it be? That's what I was thinking too, just a few short months ago when and I was rewatching a certain Disney Plus show and reading high republic stuff at the same time.

[00:48:42] Yeah, we're going to talk about the hidden path more in starting around the Clone Wars. So the Nile they can be anywhere. They're like the Boogeyman, the space Boogeyman. Their headquarters are the Great Hall of the Nile, a space station

[00:48:58] in something called No Space that's only accessible through these path engines that they use. Now, do you think No Space is a pocket dimension, a different galaxy like Peridia where the Night Sisters came from or something else?

[00:49:13] I wonder if it is related to Peridia or some interesting pocket dimension that we don't know about yet. I like that they're keeping all of that close to their chests, all the writers. I mean, they just use the term.

[00:49:30] And I mean, we really don't know too much about it unless, you know, they've gone into it in certain comic books or whatever that I haven't been able to read. I mean, not that I know of, like not that I've been able to read

[00:49:41] everything yet, but there are there's like definitely a is a difference in thinking where some fans in Star Wars like when they add scientific explanations like the Midichlorians. And I now have to admit, I am one of them.

[00:49:56] But there's also it seems like it's a huge group that's like, I don't Star Wars is space fantasy. Get your science away from my space fantasy. Where do you fall? I do love it when they go into the scientific side of things too, I have to say.

[00:50:11] And I feel like, you know, George for one, he was able to do that. And it's just my opinion. He was able to do that without making it sound too, too goofy. I agree. So the Niall, they were formed by a family

[00:50:25] known as the Everett and Ero family. They were the ones who had access to this path technology and but they actually evolved from the remnants of another Jedi hating extremist order, a missionary order called the Path of the Open Hand.

[00:50:42] And the Path of the Open Hand, they were led by someone called Alicia Zeveron spelled completely different than my name, by the way, not that different, actually, E-L-E-C-I-A. She was known to most as the mother and not to be confused with Abarth. We talked about previously.

[00:51:01] And the mother claimed to be a prophet and led this group that believed that no one should use the force, especially the Jedi order. They thought that using the force was abusing it and that it would only cause death and disaster throughout the galaxy.

[00:51:17] So it was their mission to just get everyone to leave the force alone. And in 382 BBY, the path and the mother came into possession of a living weapon that hatched from an egg. And she named this weapon the leveler and this preyed on force sensitives.

[00:51:34] And she had something called the rod of seasons that could control it. Now, this leveler turned out to be nameless. One of the nameless that we talked about before, also known as the Shri Kaurai or the Eaters of the Force.

[00:51:47] And they were creatures that they were natural predators for force sensitive individuals and who looked like Lovecraftian hound dogs. Very cool, very creepy. Yeah, when they were first brought up in one of the High Republic books, I was just instantly drawn to that species.

[00:52:06] And my mind certainly went to H.P. Lovecraft when they started describing their facial tendrils and all that kind of stuff. And I immediately wanted an action figure creature assortment. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, they don't have any do they they should.

[00:52:23] I mean, I hope I hope with like people getting into the accolade. I'm wondering if these if any of these might show up in the accolade. That would be cool. But I'm hoping that people just start getting more into this era

[00:52:33] and they start merchandising because one thing Star Wars does well is merchandising. Definitely. So I eventually remember of the Roe family named Marta, formed a splinter group called The Path of the Closed Fist. And then after the defeat of the after the Jedi defeated the path

[00:52:50] of the open hand, Marta discovered that the mother was lying about this whole like being psychic thing. And so I used the leveler to kill her and left and founded the Nile. So that's where the Nile originally came from.

[00:53:06] And the title I of the Nile was passed down within the family, eventually landing on the head of Marcian Roe. And Marcian Roe is a major antagonist of this era who used his position to take complete authoritative control of the Nile organization and expand it.

[00:53:26] Now on the Jedi side of things, it's Starlight Beacon, which is isn't that just the best name? That doesn't it just like back into you? Yeah, I'd say so. So Starlight Beacon is a major space station shared by the Jedi

[00:53:40] and something called the Republic Defense Coalition or the Republic Defense Corps. And it's this is one of the two times I have to mention the book slash TV show Beacon 23 in this episode, which is all about space lighthouses. That's what we're covering on the Willshift podcast right now.

[00:53:57] But it's just funny. There's like two overlaps in this era. Yeah. You can 23 is published before these books, just pointing it out. But the RDC is a Galactic Republic organization that basically they didn't have the Galactic Republic did not have a standing army.

[00:54:15] So they had a series of treaties where they all agreed that if there's an emergency, then the Galactic Republic could take control of the planetary militaries of various planets so that they could use them to combat the emergency.

[00:54:34] And then when the emergency was over, the RDC would be devolved, would be dissolved and they could go back to their homeworld. So obviously Starlight Beacon is a Jedi space station, but it was set in the depths of space as a point

[00:54:52] through which people could pass to get to all these, you know, still why don't want to say unknown regions because that's somewhere else. That's where the Chissar, but all of these we can call it wild space before.

[00:55:03] At this point, the places where they don't yet have established spaces. But of course, have you read already in the books about the fall of Starlight Beacon? Oh, yeah, that's that's pretty rough reading in terms of emotionally.

[00:55:25] Wow. Yeah, I mean, I hate to spoil it for you guys, but that's what we're doing here. We're giving the overview of the era and this this falls well before the time of the Acolyte.

[00:55:34] So there's a good chance, I think, that they'll have make at least a reference to Starlight Beacon, which was destroyed by the Nihil eventually. And then the Nihil. So there are several times where the Jedi think like,

[00:55:49] and this is this is something that happened with the Sith, too. They never learned their lesson. But the Jedi think, oh, we've destroyed the Nihil, but they've only scattered them and then they gather back up and come back stronger than ever or Marci and Roe at one point.

[00:56:03] He kind of sacrifices one large force to the Jedi. I think they're all gone, but actually he's kept back the majority of them. And then after they take down Starlight Beacon. Now, so the Jedi order, they decide to exit the outer rim

[00:56:20] and some disobey and stay behind and they get caught behind what's becomes known as the storm wall. And Marci and Roe, he has developed a technology called Stormseeds that have the power to destroy starships traveling in hyperspace through certain designated areas.

[00:56:38] And this is how he sets up a wall that people can't pass, that starships can't pass. And this is how he claims the majority of the outer rim during this time. This is why these guardian protocols, which now, which, you know,

[00:56:54] mean that the younglings are trained younger and the Padawans are made Padawans younger and all of that. This is to fight the Nihil. So why do you think that they didn't? I mean, we don't really know about the end of the Nihil.

[00:57:10] We'll talk about that a little bit. We know that they're gone at a certain point later in the time. But why do you think that they kept the guardian protocols in place once the Nihil were gone? I wonder if there were some unfortunate losses during

[00:57:28] the time of the Nihil, things that were probably too horrific to to write about. Although I wonder if we'll see that at some point because even worse than even worse than Starlight Beacon. Yeah, I think I think to the Nihil all Jedi are, you know,

[00:57:46] they're there to be hunted down and row. I can see him going after kids. He sees that kind of a scumbag, I think. Yeah, where he would do that. And that's kind of got me a bit worried in terms of young Jedi adventure characters.

[00:58:04] Yeah, no, but because, I mean, we're not going to like spoil who's all on Starlight Beacon or a round or whatever. But yeah, super worried about the young Jedi adventures characters. You're such adorable kids, you know, you get to know them.

[00:58:21] And yeah, that was my thought is, oh, boy, I hope they're all OK. Yeah. And by the way, we have to point out that so we've talked about Vanessa Roe, who we're going with the one with the light whip.

[00:58:33] And there's also this Roe family that runs Nihil and just have to point out that they are spelled differently just so you don't think that Vanessa Roe comes from this family. So the Roe family with the Nihil is R-O. And Vanessa's last name is spelled R-W-O-H.

[00:58:51] She's not evil. I think she good. So a few other major hyper public plot points from this phase is one is the great hyperspace disaster of two thirty two, which destroyed multiple moons. And this is this happened when a Nihil ship

[00:59:08] it just popped up in hyperspace where they shouldn't be able to get to. But, you know, they have those paths and a republic ship crashed into it and it ended up sending debris, like humongous debris suddenly popping

[00:59:22] out of hyperspace in random parts all over this sector known as the Hurtzel system and the Hurtzel system was a major food system in the galaxy. So this caused lots of trouble to jeopardize the lives of the billion people living in that sector.

[00:59:39] And there's a character we'll talk more about when we get into the breakdowns of the different phases. But one of the major characters is called Avar Kriss, who becomes known as the hero of Hurtzel for her efforts in leading

[00:59:52] a group of Jedi to rescue civilians during this hyperspace disaster. Meanwhile, the Nihil just to show you who they are, they were attempting to extort planets that they knew would be hit by the debris. They said, well, we will stop the debris in exchange for some money.

[01:00:07] So no pirate behavior, real. Yeah, mafia behavior. Yeah, I wasn't surprised at all when they started pulling that in in the early books. Yeah, we also have during that this time, a Jedi named Barash Sylvain who started what became known as Barash Vow in which Jedi were allowed

[01:00:28] to become isolated hermits that spend all of their time trying to listen to and reconnect with the force, which is totally a vibe. And I kind of would be into it when I think about it at this point in my life. Yeah, that would be fun, actually.

[01:00:40] I'd be up for that too. Would you rather live on Coruscant or would you rather live on like? OK, would you rather live on Coruscant, Jeddah or one of the towns in Tatooine? As much as I like Tatooine, I would have to say Coruscant.

[01:01:01] I fell for that city planet when I first read about it in Shadows of the Empire in late, late 1996. I mean, Coruscant is definitely where I'd want to hang my head. Yeah, no, that makes sense. I definitely want to visit Coruscant.

[01:01:17] I think I would love to live on Sheddah just because I I love midsize city type places that where that are a convergence of different cultures, things I love about where I live, which is Amsterdam. Yeah, so I think average Sheddah.

[01:01:34] Yeah, it certainly seems like a fantastic place to visit. Yeah. So speaking of Jeddah, somewhere between two thirty two and two hundred BBY, there's a short story called What a Jedi Makes It Takes Place. And this is from a collection of stories called Stories of Jedi and Sith.

[01:01:52] And this is about low force users. So during the Republic, most non-force users who wanted to play Jedi joined the Church of the Force, which we already talked about. But not everybody was happy about that.

[01:02:05] And what a Jedi makes is about a kid who tries to fake his way into the Jedi Academy with falsified blood tests because they needed to show that they had a certain level of midichlorians to get into the Jedi Academy at this point.

[01:02:20] So but the Jedi aren't fooled for a second. But when he helps the Jedi stop a kidnapping and he fesses up to faking, Yoda's like, you think midichlorians make the Jedi? The force is not what a Jedi makes.

[01:02:33] And Yoda tells the kid to study the writings of Lin Farrseeker, who was weak in the Force, but wrote some of the most influential books in Jedi history, including one that pops up later in the timeline. Bob, what would you do if you were lived in this world

[01:02:48] and you were you lived on Jeddah specifically, let's say for this and you were low in the force? Would you try to become a guardian of the wills? Would you join the Church of the Force? Would you what would you how would you want to?

[01:03:03] Or would you just be like, no, I'm just going to go about my day and write stories or whatever. I really like the idea of trying to help people make a difference. So either church of the force or guardians of the wills.

[01:03:17] That sounds like it would be right up my alley. Yeah, probably the guardians more so because that's, you know, where one of my favorite Star Wars characters is from. So yeah, I look forward to talking about him. Yeah, me too. Yeah, I guess if I was low force,

[01:03:38] I would probably become a diplomat, maybe. That would probably draw me in working with the Jedi. Yeah, I would. I've always wanted like if I ever got to pick what kind of character I'd be in Star Wars, I'd certainly want to have really good relations with the Jedi.

[01:03:59] Yeah, yeah, that's fair. Well, speaking of favorite characters, once upon a time there was a navigator named Geode. How would you describe Geode, Bob? Geode is a rock in the midst of a galaxy of uncertainty and turmoil. If there was ever a still relaxed character,

[01:04:26] you need no look further. You need to look no further than than Geode, I would say. Well, one person does call him the party animal of his species. So his species, they're known as the Vintians and they are indeed rock like with flinty kind of flaky surfaces.

[01:04:48] They mostly are still, but they can move. And they also have they mate and every few years they have something called a mating smelt. And it can decide apparently whether or not they're magnetically sealed, giving them protection from wounds and making them capable of deflecting blaster fire.

[01:05:07] I'm not sure what the there must be downsides to that. But I don't know what they are, because obviously otherwise I'd be like, yes, give me the super skin. But it was this extreme dirtiness, which includes them being able to survive

[01:05:22] in the void of space for up to two hours without any harm coming to them. This makes them. Interesting to to those when they do rarely leave their own planet. And they say they have a complex language, but it can only be spoken by those with their mouth.

[01:05:39] Geode, he is partners with a human woman named Afi Hallow. And so yeah, we have to mention Geode because his existence delights people, not because he's more important than the other characters. And we could get a nod to this species in Acolytes as fanservice.

[01:05:59] But we could also get an Easter egg calling out Afi Hallow for her heroism, too. So I have to say to those of you who enjoy sentient rocks just a lot of people very delighted by the existence of Geodes.

[01:06:13] But there's also this is the second time I have to bring up Beacon 23. It's a non-Star Wars book by Hugh Howie, the author of Silo. But there's also a talking rock character, sentient rock character named Rocky. And Rocky is also in the TV show adaptation,

[01:06:29] but he's funnier in the book. So I recommend reading the book if you want more rock action. It's only 180 pages. You have to add it to your ever growing list of reading. Yeah, I certainly will. Where in the Silo series, you've read the first one so far, right?

[01:06:46] Yeah. It's always think about other things like, you know, I talked with Marchion about fallouts. I think about like the Howie verse, you know, that sort of post-apocalyptic earth. Everything can be set in the Star Wars universe. That's one thing I like about the Star Wars universe.

[01:07:04] It's so expensive. You could, you know, anything, any sci-fi thing basically could be a planet in this wider universe. Yeah, that's how it definitely feels to me, too. What other sci-fi would you would you enjoy seeing Star Wars crossover with?

[01:07:20] Well, I'm going to have to think about that. That's I wonder if that would make an interesting episode in itself to think about the concept of Star Wars crossover. I'm sure in Legends comics, there must have been. Star Trek did a lot of crossovers in the comics.

[01:07:38] Wow, yeah. I know they crossed over with the X-Men at one point. I think Star Trek did. It might have been an awful. Yeah, and Planet of the Apes. Wow, now that's a new one on me.

[01:07:50] And there was even a reference to Star Trek as a real place in this last this week's episode of Doctor Who. Fantastic. Wow. I don't know. I don't know, there's so many. Well, I said the Howie Burris already. But OK, if anyone at home has any thoughts,

[01:08:07] what would you like to see Star Wars crossover with? Or does that just sound like the worst jumping the shark idea in the world? You know, let us know. Send us a mail. The Jedi Order also during this time allowed Jedi to become something called Wayseekers.

[01:08:21] And Wayseekers were Jedi who did not follow the Jedi Council and only nomadically followed the will of the Force, but they would get permission of the Jedi Council to do so. So they asked permission or allowed to be independent. Good for them.

[01:08:38] So by the way, one thing I forgot to mention about the Barash vow of, you know, we sit and think is that if you take the Barash vow, you will not take on a Padawan learner. So we talked a little bit about what Padawans are.

[01:08:51] Padawans are what the Jedi called their learners on the Sith side. Their youngest learner is called and you guess, Bob? No, it's Acolytes. Oh, geez, I should have known that. So younglings become Padawan, become Jedi and Acolytes become apprentices, which become eventually the master

[01:09:16] when they kill their master in the rule of two, just going on in the background during this time. We're not going to talk about the Sith right now because they seem to be quiet on the surface, but we do know there's an iconic master Acolytes duo

[01:09:33] that is living around the time of the Acolytes. So we're going to talk about that in the preview episode. But yeah, it's interesting that the Sith they never they never really become their own person until they kill their master.

[01:09:47] Do you think the Jedi ever become their own person? Even the way seekers get permission. Yeah, I feel like the Jedi have more. I would say possibly more freedom to come into their own than the Sith. I mean, Sith are just so busy watching their back

[01:10:08] the whole time from, you know, apprenticeship, even through mastery. I'm sure they feel like they're free to become their own people. But I feel like Jedi are, you know, certainly a more peaceful sect, a much more peaceful sect, actually.

[01:10:26] So I would say for Jedi, it's probably a surface. Yeah, at least on the surface. Absolutely right. So sorry, you think it's easier for Jedi to claim their own identity? I think so. I mean, I don't know if that's how the Jedi would see it.

[01:10:43] I mean, I guess because they are just more collectivist in culture, whereas the Sith are more individualistic. But then in the Sith case, individualism, it's just about controlling, you know, one person in charge, controlling someone else, right? Actually multiple. Someone else is secretly.

[01:11:00] All right, so this brings us to phase three, which starts in 229 BBY and the opening crawl goes. It is a time of great turmoil. A year has passed since the destruction of the Starlight Beacon Station by the nefarious Markian Roe and his Nile marauders.

[01:11:18] The Nile have established an occlusion zone in the outer rim, stranding hundreds of worlds behind their storm wall. Communications are blocked and ships that enter are lost to the void or destroyed by the Nile. The Republic is helpless against this sinister threat,

[01:11:33] and the brave and wise Jedi Knights remain fearful of Roe's fabled nameless creatures, which the Jedi have learned are very real and very deadly. So the Nile continue to plague the High Republic in phase three.

[01:11:49] So I think we're going to have to wait for the conclusion of that to get the end of their tale. We know they are thought to no longer exist by 200 BBY. Do you hope there's a resurgence of the Nile later in the timeline?

[01:12:02] Yeah, I wonder if we might see something along the lines of them later on. I wouldn't I wouldn't oppose that at all. Yeah, I mean, if they're setting all this up and the Nile have been scattered so many times only to not really be gone.

[01:12:18] I do wonder if they might still be around somewhere out there in their no space. And you never know as to whether or not one might make a fousty and deal with a with a Sith at some point, or who knows? I mean, maybe they already have.

[01:12:31] There's just so much that we don't know. Yeah, that's the thing, because this galaxy is so large, so many things could be going on like like everything that's going on into space, no one in the rest of the galaxy is going to find out about that for centuries.

[01:12:47] And it's so interesting that this podcast is being recorded while events of phase three are going on because and it's probably not bound to happen at all. But I feel like I feel like somewhere out there, there's probably a Sith sitting around and watching events

[01:13:05] surrounding the Nile and, you know, either taking great pleasure in it or possibly pulling a few strings that we might not know about. That's just my personal opinion. That's kind of what I'm speculating on. But, you know, they're definitely out there.

[01:13:20] You think we'll get some because the Nile are allegedly gone before the acolyte, but you think that they might rear their ugly head again in the show at some point? I would I would like to at least see them in flashback, perhaps holler recording or something.

[01:13:34] I don't although I don't know who would who they could get to play a an interesting Martian Martian row or Marcian row during a flashback scene. I wonder who could do. Oh, I mean, I'm I'm better at judging fan castings and fan casting myself.

[01:13:52] I don't know who would be. Oh, I feel like there's some good. Oh, it's going to say Jude Law, but he's actually going to pop up in a different project that takes place much further down the timeline.

[01:14:01] It's going to be in the skeleton key set during the time of the Mandalorian and an Asoka TV series. And do you have any fancasts for Marcian row? I I wish I did. I think that's more of a visual thing when it comes to the voice.

[01:14:16] If he's just going to be behind a mask, I feel like you have voice and personality doesn't matter what he looks like. It's got such a charismatic voice. He can go from sounding like he's your best friend to railing at you within 10 seconds. I think narrator Mark Thompson.

[01:14:36] I'm not sure what voice he's based row on, but he's just a mesmerizing as I feel row should be, as since he is a very charismatic leader. Yeah, he can also be terrifying at the same time. Yeah, absolutely. I think we have some.

[01:14:55] What about someone with like a really iconic voice like Javier Bardem? Oh, yeah, he's got a great voice. Yeah. And so also set around 200 BBY is and somewhat unusual project. It's a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Tencent, which is a Chinese company that production studio that does it

[01:15:22] like they did the Chinese version of Three Body Problem. They're involved in the Monsterverse movies, huge production studio, but they decided to make a team targeted for the ebook created specifically for Chinese audiences. And they have currently no plans for an English translation and release.

[01:15:42] So I've not read it myself. If there's any Chinese readers, please tell me more. But the wookiepedia summary of the plots is a web novel follows teenage Jedi Padawan, Sean, as he journeys through the Akash system located far from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

[01:15:59] He was familiar with adapting to the local culture, such as chopsticks in the native tongue. Sean realizes that the state owned corporation, which rules Akash system, is corrupt to the core, separated from his Jedi master Mos Tima by the authorities.

[01:16:15] Sean works with local businessman Lee Yu and his group of mercenaries to bring freedom to those whose individual rights were oppressed by the state's supported corporate system and defined his master. So yeah, I wish they would translate that one.

[01:16:31] Yeah, I would certainly love to listen to the audiobook if I could. They did do an English translation. I would be up for it. Yeah, I would love to see, you know, a nice Chinese influenced Star Wars culture. I think that would be cool. Certainly would.

[01:16:48] And then we also have in set in 146 BBY, another short story called A Recipe for Death. And this is by Landry K Walker. And it was part of the anthology tales from a galaxy far, far away. Aliens, Volume One published in 2016.

[01:17:07] And this story recounts the disappearance of a sous chef working at Takodana Castle, which is also known as Maz Kanata's castle. And so in the story, when a sous chef turns up dead, a cook at Takodana Castle holds an unusual competition to find the culprit

[01:17:23] in a recipe for death. So are you Maz Kanata fan? I love that character so much indeed, I am. She feels like a crazy aunt mixed with just a very wise teacher. You know, like a crazy aunt mixed with your favorite grade school teacher.

[01:17:49] She just really knows how to have a lot of fun. But at the same time, she's just a very wise, very chill character. I I really would love to know more about her. I know she does actually feature a bit in the High Republic era.

[01:18:04] Yeah, I'm looking forward to maybe getting into her a little bit, seeing what she was up to around this time. She hasn't been in any of the books that I've read. So it would be fun to see her pop up, though.

[01:18:15] Yeah, well, I'm definitely going to break down the comics when we do our phase by phase breakdown of the High Republic era. Basically, for anyone who doesn't know, she is a very long lived, very successful pirate queen, and she was actually born in 973 BBY.

[01:18:35] So that makes her like 100 years older than Yoda. I don't think I realized that before. So by the time of this short story that I'm talking about, she's already over 800 years old. Her species isn't named yet, but she looks basically like a humanoid turtle

[01:18:55] without a shell kind of. Wow. It kind of looks like a gnome old lady, which I guess she really is an old lady. And she she gained a reputation as a pirate queen by allowing traveling smugglers to reside in her home.

[01:19:12] As long as they honor her prohibitions on politics and war, and she basically spent centuries traveling the galaxy, collecting antiques and trinkets, and she keeps them inside storehouses and vaults in her castle. And we're we'll talk about her, as we said, more during our

[01:19:30] the High Republic era's deep dives and maybe also for many eras to come. Yes. And yeah, that brings us to one 32 BBY the year of the acolytes, which is where we will stop for now. But we're not done talking about this batch of years before that June 5th

[01:19:52] there in our next episode, we're going to have actually a mini episode where I talked to both Bob and Marchion about Star Wars Eclipse, which is a game that's not even out yet, but we're excited about and it fits into this part of the timeline.

[01:20:06] So we're going to tell you why we're excited and what we know about the ongoing development of that game. And then Bob and I will be back with two more High Republic episodes leading up to the acolytes is going to be our recap

[01:20:18] and discussion of Young Jedi Adventures Season One, where I will also talk to a new guest, Kyoche, who is a professional animator and the father of a young child because Young Jedi Adventures is actually a preschool series.

[01:20:34] Now, you don't have to have watched it before listening to our episode on it. We will let you know what you need to know. It is kind of like a the most part of repetitive adventure of the week thing.

[01:20:46] But they do visit a lot of iconic places and some key characters show up in places like Starlight Beacon. So we will take you through what you need to know about that show. But if you want a taste of it at least,

[01:20:58] then I recommend starting with the Young Jedi Adventures Shorts, which are in Disney Plus separately from the main TV series. And the Shorts, there's just six of them, I think, and you can watch them all

[01:21:09] in less than half an hour and they just give you a little introduction to the characters and overview of the setting. So you have an idea of what that looks like. Have you watched the Shorts yet, Bob?

[01:21:18] I haven't, but I'm definitely watching the actual show on Disney Plus. I'm going to have to go back and watch those Shorts, too. I think they're actually on Plus, so I'll be able to experience those with the audio description. I'm pretty sure.

[01:21:32] Yeah, no, I'm pretty sure they're with audio description. They're on Plus. They're just in a different they're not with the main episodes. They're like as a separate show. I got you. Cool. And then finally, we'll be back with that preview of everything

[01:21:47] we know going into the Acolyte, including a deeper dive into Vanessa Rowe and her light whip. But speaking of the light whip, which we've now seen show up in the trailer for the Acolyte, Bob, you brought up Lumia,

[01:21:59] a dark lady of the Sith who used a light whip in Legends as well. Yeah. You made you made the point it's not new this this weapon is not new. And it does.

[01:22:12] It has been known to lob off quite a few body parts that good old light whip. So. Yeah, this is another one where people can get mad of the science is applied, but there is science behind it, where they say basically

[01:22:26] a force around it that usually holds the lightsaber in short sword shape. The light whips, it's a bit weaker. And that's why it's why the light can elongate into this whip shape and be more flexible. So it's not as sturdy and, you know,

[01:22:44] slicey as a as a lightsaber is on its own. But it's like it's like a whip if you bring it in with a lot of force. Yeah, it's going to do some serious damage. I guess. Have you ever tried a whip?

[01:22:58] Never, I've never even held never even held one actually. But it does sound interesting. I've tried it. It's harder than you might think to to like get it. Yeah, you have to get the right movement, you know, the right snap to it

[01:23:13] or it's just like flinging a wet, wet noodle. Yes, of course, we'll also be revisiting this part of the timeline in the coming year with coverage of the High Republic books phase by phase, as we said. Thank you, Bob, for another fun dive into Star Wars history.

[01:23:30] Is there anything about the High Republic that we didn't mention that you want to shout out? Well, I feel like the audio dramas are something really special. Since I'm a really big fan of full cast audio productions,

[01:23:45] I think if you have some time and you're able to track those down, at least check those out because I really think they they put a lot into every audio book that they produce at Random House.

[01:23:57] But boy, those audio dramas really took me back to being a 90s kid and getting into a lot of the EU audio dramas for the first time. Yeah, good production values and yeah, the audio books are more reading

[01:24:12] but reading, you know, reading with with emotion and things like that. But the audio dramas are just full on plays. Like they're basically audio movies. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I love that that Star Wars is there are some key audio dramas will be visiting throughout the timeline.

[01:24:31] And I'm glad that more of those are popping up. Oh, definitely me too. And what are you up to over in your YouTube channel these days? Doing a lot of video game play. You know, that's kind of interesting since we'll be going into that

[01:24:48] in the in the next episode, experimenting with a lot of accessibility features and things like that and hoping that eventually, you know, we do get to see a lot more of those pop up in future games, especially Star Wars. As Star Wars get on the ball.

[01:25:06] Definitely get on the ball. If you want to see Bob play, are you playing a lot of Mortal Kombat still? Right. Mortal Kombat as well as The Last of Us Part One. And you're going to get back to the recaps of X-Men and the Spider-Man series

[01:25:21] from the 90s. Most definitely. I have three new episode reviews from the original X-Men animated series ready to go. They'll be popping up starting May 25th, 2024. And then I've got some Spider-Man 90s animated series reviews, recaps ready to go too.

[01:25:44] If you want to check out Bob's YouTube channel, you'll find that link in the show notes as well as where you can find us both on Twitter. This episode has been produced by me, published by The Lorhounds,

[01:25:54] and you can visit The Lorhounds main feed for more content, including you'll find me on weekly coverage of Doctor Who, the new season one going on now. Recent episode about X-Men 97, you'll find Bob popping up on that as well.

[01:26:10] And there'll be upcoming coverage of Furiosa, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and other stuff. And the guys in Marilyn and other hosts are covering other things as well, like House of the Dragon and Rings of Power.

[01:26:27] There's other affiliates on the network, including this one such as Radioactive Ramblings, now covering Invincible Season Two and Fallout Lore and Rings and Rituals from our favorite Tolkien scholar, Marilyn R. Pequila and Dr. Sara Brown is her co-host, who's another top Tolkien scholar.

[01:26:46] And they are recapping Season One of Rings of Power now with a focus on the world building, basically. And then there's Properly Howard, where you get funny movie reviews. They recently did Gros Point Blank. I think they're going to end this season of Fellinies and Fagazies with Rocky.

[01:27:05] You'll find a Lorhown's link in the show notes, where you'll find links to all of the podcasts and where you can subscribe on your platform of choice. And for those of you listening live, see you next with a look at the upcoming Star Wars Eclipse game. Bye. Bye.

[01:27:46] OK, David, this is where we're supposed to choose a side, green or black? John, my soul is as black as night. Your turn. I am black for life. So we're not fighting? I thought this is where HBO wanted us to, like, pick sides and fight and stuff.

[01:28:05] Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find plenty to disagree about on the pod, but we seem to agree on one thing. We both really like this show. The politics, the drama, the lore. It was made for the Lorhowns. And since we just finished recapping Season One,

[01:28:19] we couldn't be more ready to defend our Black Queen in the Dance of the Dragons. And with the Season Pass option in Supercast, listeners can get early, ad-free access to each weekly scene by scene deep dive, plus our custom show guide with all the characters and connections.

[01:28:34] See you in the Lorhowns podcast feed each week for our Dragonfire Hot, but probably positive takes. The Lorhowns House of the Dragon Coverage is also safe for team green consumption. Side effects may include a deeper understanding of Dragon Lore,

[01:28:46] a hardened conflict with itself and an inescapable urge to read the book fire in Blood by George R.R. Martin. Dragon seeds may experience burning.