Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most beloved eras in the extended universe, but it has been left largely untouched by Disney’s movies and television shows. That may be about to change, though, if a timeline shown during Star Wars Celebration is anything to go by.
Shortly before announcing several new Star Wars movies, LucasFilm studio head Kathleen Kennedy took the stage to share her vision for what Star Wars will look like in theaters. That means “broadening the timeline,” Kennedy says, as an image appeared highlighting seven major eras. They include:
Kathleen Kennedy outlines the vision for the future of Star Wars Films. #StarWarsCelebration pic.twitter.com/36qGtiIKKc
— IGN (@IGN) April 7, 2023
The Old Republic: The era first depicted in BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic series. It remains a fan-favorite era, but it has been rarely acknowledged by Disney until now.
The High Republic: The golden age period that has been the focus of many of the books. The first show set in the High Republic will be Star Wars Acolyte, which was fully revealed during Celebration.
Fall of the Jedi: This would be the Prequel era.
Rise of the Empire: This is the era depicted in Star Wars Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, covering the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
The Age of Rebellion: This is the period covered by the original Star Wars trilogy.
The New Republic: The era following Return of the Jedi, which is currently being covered by The Mandalorian.
Rise of the First Order: The sequel trilogy period starting with The Force Awakens.
Kennedy went on to announce several new movies, including one led by Dave Filoni that will be set roughly during the New Republic era, and a Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy starring Daisy Ridley. Then there’s the movie by Logan and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold, a “Biblical epic” that will tell a story about “the dawning of the Force” set before The Old Republic.
Disney’s explicit nod toward the The Old Republic and promises to “broaden the timeline” would seem to indicate that more projects set in the era are on the way. The fans are certainly excited.
STAR WARS FINALLY DOING THE OLD REPUBLIC! GIVE ME REVAN #StarWars pic.twitter.com/hqdjfGwmpj
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) April 7, 2023
They really making movies set in the old republic and movies set after the sequels with actual GOOD directors helming them pic.twitter.com/OQknpSoQaC
— JT• (@JayTaylor009) April 7, 2023
THE OLD REPUBLIC IS CANON AGAIN OH MY GOD WE STAY WINNING pic.twitter.com/ExOgyZPkqS
— wheelie (@wheeliethebin) April 7, 2023
Fan appreciation for the Old Republic era extends back to KOTOR, which was first released back in 2003 for Xbox. Coming during a period in which the prequels were widely disliked, it was seen as a glimmer of light for disaffected Star Wars fans. A sequel would soon follow, then an MMORPG, the latter of which still continues to enjoy a solid following to this day. A remake is also currently in development, though it has experienced dramatic development troubles.
Despite that, Disney has mostly shied away from the KOTOR era, preferring instead to focus on more familiar ground such as the Galactic Civil War. Despite that, the Old Republic has remained broadly popular with Star Wars fans, who have held out hope that Disney might one day explore this era in a live-action setting.
Now, those hopes are starting to be realized. Here’s hoping we’ll see Darth Revan on the big screen soon enough. In the meantime, check out everything that was announced during Star Wars Celebration.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
