The age of the High Republic is finally coming to Star Wars live-action with the premiere of The Acolyte on June 4.
This canon era of the Star Wars timeline, set roughly between 500 BBY (before the Battle of Yavin) and 100 BBY, has been explored in over 30 comics and novels for readers of all ages, but it has never actually appeared in a Star Wars live-action film or series before. For more timeline context, The Phantom Menace is set in 32 BBY, while A New Hope is 0 BBY — the Battle of Yavin is set during that film and all subsequent films are set in ABY years.
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Anyway, the High Republic is a golden age for the Galactic Republic and a time of widespread growth in the Jedi Order — and we’ve never seen it brought to life before. That all changes with The Acolyte, which is set during the tail end of the era (about 100 years before The Phantom Menace), and in addition to bringing new characters into the galaxy, a well-established character from the novels will be making her live-action debut.
How to Watch The Acolyte:
The Acolyte is streaming exclusively on Disney+. Disney+ starts at $7.99/month with ads, but you can upgrade to the ad-free plan for $13.99/month. On either of these plans, you can stream all things Star Wars, including The Acolyte.
Disney also offers a few bundle options to stream more for less. For $9.99/month, you can get Disney+ and Hulu both with ads and for just $1 more than ad-free Disney+ on its own, you’ll also get access to ad-free Hulu. There’s also a trio option with ESPN+ — with ads, it’s $14.99/month while going ad-free will cost $24.99/month total.
Get ready to meet Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) and her lightwhip. Vernestra has starred in a number of High Republic novels, so if you want to catch up on her journey before the events of The Acolyte, we’ve broken down her main appearances in reading order (along with where to buy them), plus some more books where she plays a more minor role.
Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland
Vernestra’s first major appearance came in this middle-grade (MG) novel from Phase I of the High Republic series. Readers will meet her as a 16-year-old Jedi Knight on her first assignment, which goes awry and leaves her stranded in an escape pod with a young inventor, his droid, a Jedi Padawan, and an ambassador’s son.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows by Justina Ireland
The next major book in Vernestra’s journey takes her to Coruscant in a story that follows a land dispute between two of the Republic’s most powerful families and the secrets that come to light as a result. Out of the Shadows is the first Young Adult (YA) novel starring Vernestra.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland
Disaster is looming in Vernestra’s third main appearance in a High Republic MG novel. The Nihil marauders have abducted a friend of Vernestra’s padawan after attacking a peaceful outpost, so Vernestra and Imri have to find where the Nihil took their friend.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm by Justina Ireland, Tessa Graton
Vernestra and the Nihil both return in the newest High Republic YA novel Defy the Storm. The Nihil have taken over a section of space, so the Jedi Knight must team up with scientist Avon Starros to save the people on the other side of the Nihil’s occupation — among them, Vernestra’s padawan Imri.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life
Tales of Light and Life is a collection of short stories by all of the authors who write High Republic novels. Vernestra appears in “The Force Provides” as the main character, and also features in “The Lonely Traveler is Home.”
Minor Appearances:
- Race to Crashpoint Tower by Daniel José Older (MG)
- The Temptation of the Force by Tessa Graton (Adult)
- Star Wars: The High Republic by Cavan Scott #2-5 (Comics)
Cameo Appearances:
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