Star Wars games don't need to be in the High Republic because they can explore these eras instead

The release of new Star Wars video games is always an exciting time for fans of the franchise. Not only do we get new stories to follow, but we get to see other parts from a galaxy far, far away in different time periods that help build out a continuously expanding universe. However, a lot of time and energy from Lucasfilm was devoted to exploring the new High Republic era, which wasn't received as well as they hoped. Some games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor injected aspects of The High Republic into their narrative, but it was met with a shallow reception. Despite this, it hasn't turned Star Wars fans away from the idea of new video game releases exploring different time periods.

The official Star Wars timeline consists of different eras that encapsulate many of the stories we know from the movies and other media. This includes comics, TV shows, books, and video games. As more games are developed and try to tell new stories set in the Star Wars galaxy, they should take players to time periods that haven't been explored as much as others. Much of that requires getting away from Disney and Lucasfilm's High Republic, but the potential for better stories with more interesting characters is great enough to attract Star Wars fans curious about where things can go next for the franchise. Here are a few eras that new Star Wars video games can explore, because they don't need to go back to The High Republic when they can go to other time periods instead.

Returning to The Old Republic

Going back to the KOTOR days

One of the biggest and most popular eras in all of Star Wars storytelling is The Old Republic era. This is the timeframe where games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic take place, over 4000 years before the beginning of the movie saga. This period is beloved by most Star Wars fans because of how much breathing room it has to explore new concepts with the Force, different planets, and the ongoing battles between the Jedi and the Sith. It's also a period where games like Knights of the Old Republic can manage to include many familiar things from throughout the franchise, while still remaining wholly original and new.

While eras like The High Republic tried to say that the Jedi Order was at the height of its power and influence, the Old Republic manages to show it in ways that include their skirmishes with the Sith and other factions. Much of this is seen in games like The Old Republic online role-playing game on PC, which lets players create their own character and go on an adventure in the midst of these great conflicts. As other Star Wars stories get closer to the movies we know, they become more restricted about how creative and interesting they can get, mostly to fit within the continuity (or canon) of the entire franchise. The Old Republic era has more than enough space between it and everything else to go crazy with various ideas, while not affecting the stability of the canon in any way. The High Republic is so close to the start of the Star Wars prequels that any little detail about it can be scrutinized for violating something in the main canon. That problem simply doesn't exist with the majority of stories and characters within The Old Republic.

What's disappointing is how Lucasfilm has not pushed to explore The Old Republic more due to the interest from the fandom. Although games like Knights of the Old Republic are held in high regard, it doesn't prevent Lucasfilm or any game developer from exploring other stories in newer titles around the same time period. People want to see more from it, but Lucasfilm needs to be willing to go back to it.

New Republic era

Right after Return of the Jedi

For Disney Plus, The Mandalorian was a popular show that took place right after the events of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. It had just enough of the classic characteristics of the original tilogy, but gave fans new characters to follow with original adventures to go on. But this wasn't the first time a post-Return of the Jedi era was explored. Not only did various books from the Expanded Universe (Star Wars Legends as it's known now) take place in this time, but video games did so as well. The Jedi Knight series of games follows mercenary Kyle Katarn during a time when Luke Skywalker is building up the new Jedi Order, and the new Republic is fighting off remnants of The Empire still lingering around.

Although the stories of these games are not considered canon to the franchise, they were interesting enough for people who wanted to see what happened after the final movie of the original trilogy. They built upon what everyone knew from the movies, and introduced new characters and concepts that could take things from there. The games still had all the lightsaber combat, force powers, and plot twists that make Star Wars stories interesting, but took things far in creative directions that fans remember fondly. Although the Jedi Knight games did include some iconic characters, they aren't necessary to put together a great game set within this era, nor do they need to be the focal point of anything whatsoever.

But this era of the franchise doesn't need to be restricted to what the Jedi Knight games did or what comes from The Mandalorian series, because there are many ideas to utilize from Star Wars Legends that can work in this time period. Many of the books and comics that were based on this part of the franchise had characters and locations that fans really liked, which could be great material to mine for new video game releases that can implement them. The stories don't have to be the same, but the ideas can still be used within this timeframe and fit within the current canon if needed.

The future of the galaxy

Far beyond the sequels

The Star Wars sequel trilogy is very divisive among fans for many different reasons. But one thing that most people can agree upon is telling stories in the far future, well after the events of the sequel trilogy. Various Star Wars books and comics have done something similar, taking things far off into other regions of the galaxy and following characters many years after the life of Luke Skywalker. They tried to evolve and iterate on parts of Star Wars that were loved by fans, yet still could provide something that felt fresh. Some went very far into the future, while others only so far.

There haven't been many games that did something like this, despite a few original Star Wars game releases going crazy with original ideas. Games like Star Wars Hunters tried to get away from anything too familiar, but questions about when it took place and other aspects related to the universe prevented people from truly enjoying it. Other titles like Star Wars Battlefront 2 from EA moved forward into the sequel era from the aftermath of Return of the Jedi, but didn't go further beyond that. Much like The High Republic is too close to the era of the prequel trilogy, these stories suffered from being too closely tied to the events of the recent movies.

If some people want to see Star Wars stories that get away from anything resembling the Skywalker Saga, or anything related, then going further into the future might be the right call. That doesn't have to include avoiding ideas from comics and books that were part of Star Wars Legends, such as the Yuuzhan Vong or other threats to the galaxy that could become important. It's a part of Star Wars that Lucasfilm has not really broached in the current canon of the franchise, often preferring to keep things looking familiar as opposed to new and different. Just what would the Star Wars galaxy look like in its far off future? That's a question that is worth exploring, especially if there's a lot of time that passes.

Exploring Star Wars in different eras

The Star Wars universe is a vast place, with so many aspects of it that have yet to be covered in meaningful ways. Part of that is seeing what other time periods can be explored and how the overall galaxy can change as years within the universe go by. As much as Disney and Lucasfilm have wanted The High Republic to be something that fans love in video games and other media, it's not a period that most people would prefer to go to within the franchise. There are different eras that are much more interesting and worth exploring in depth within new game releases, especially if fans get to engage with them for a long time. Whether it's The Old Republic era or the far off future of the galaxy, there are plenty of options for the franchise to take fans into unknown areas within a galaxy far, far away.