‘Star Wars’ History Explained: The Old Republic vs the High Republic

LORE DUMP TIME. The Old Republic? The High Republic? What’s the difference? Ever since Star Wars started rolling out new canon stories, peeps have been more confused than a Perfect Match contestant wondering why their relationships ain’t working out.

So what’s the deal?

You can think of the Old Republic and the High Republic like the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. Basically, they have the same name, but they are two totally different things. In fact, they were centuries apart. The Old Republic is the first Republic that the galaxy saw before its eventual downfall. The High Republic was rebuilt by the Republic and the Jedi centuries later, a few hundred years before the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Do you want more detail? You got it.

The Old Republic

The Old Republic occurred thousands of years before the Galactic Empire and Palpatine assumed power, just after the Dawn of the Jedi era. Before the Republic became a galaxy-spanning political power, the Old Republic was an alliance of the planets of the Core Worlds. The Jedi Order emerged during this era to serve as the protectors of the Old Republic.

One of the major events (perhaps the most significant of all) that occurred during this era was a schism in the Jedi ranks. An unknown rogue Jedi discovered the power of the dark side of the Force, leading to conflict in the Jedi Order. This schism caused the creation of the Sith—former Jedi and other Force-wielders dedicated to the dark side—and plunged the galaxy into a conflict known as the Hundred Year Darkness.

After the conflict was resolved, things were hunky dory in the galaxy! Until the Mandalorians got involved, anyway. The Old Republic came to an end after a Mandalorian faction invaded Coruscant and ransacked the Jedi Temple to reclaim a lost artifact—The Mandalorian Tarre Vizsla’s lightsaber, otherwise known as the Darksaber. While the Jedi were eventually able to fend off the Mandalorians, this altercation allowed the nascent forces of the Sith to gain power and assault the Jedi once more, and the Sith took Coruscant. The Jedi then rallied and took it back. All but one of the Sith were defeated (a dude named Darth Bane), and peace was restored to the galaxy. The Republic built itself back bigger and better from the ashes of the war, which eventually led to the creation of …

The High Republic

Many years after the fall of the Old Republic, the newly formed Galactic Republic began expanding rapidly into the furthest reaches of the galaxy. The Jedi were at the height of their power and influence, and the galaxy enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity. This era was known as the High Republic era, as the newly formed Galactic Republic had reached its pinnacle. Governed by the Republic and guided by the Jedi Order, explorers ventured out to the furthest reaches of the galaxy—the Outer Rim—to bring new worlds into the Republic’s fold. Their exploration led them to discover new species, civilizations, and powerful artifacts. The High Republic was basically the British Empire of the 18th century … but like … a nice one?

While justice, order, and freedom reigned, the High Republic was not without its struggles. While the galaxy was expanding rapidly, technology struggled to keep up with the changes. Intergalactic communication was still rudimentary (as rudimentary as space communication can be), and it was nearly impossible for information to be relayed across the vast distances of the High Republic’s bounds. As a result, the galaxy remained a dangerous and mysterious place. Tales of giant interstellar monsters, hostile space pirates, and dangerous unexplored planets burrowed their way into the galactic consciousness. And many of these dangers were real!

At the time, the galaxy was plagued by a group of interstellar marauders called the Nihil, who raided vessels and disrupted the High Republic’s hard-won peace. The Nihil were basically space Vikings, and the Jedi did not take kindly to them. A Nihil attack was the cause of two of the greatest tragedies to occur during the High Republic era: the Great Hyperspace Disaster, which destroyed multiple moons in a star system and caused the debris to rain down upon its highly populated planets, and the destruction of Starlight Beacon, a space station constructed in the Outer Rim.

What happened to the Nihil? Let’s just say that by the time the Star Wars prequel films came out, the once mighty marauders were space dust in the solar wind. The first rule of the High Republic era: don’t f*ck with Jedi.

If you want to know more about the High Republic, you can check out our reading guide. The upcoming Star Wars Disney+ show The Acolyte is set to take place at the tail end of the High Republic era, around 100 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

(featured image: Del Rey/Lucasfilm)