Credit: EA/LucasArtsA key announcement at this year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe might’ve quietly hinted at some big news for fans of the Old Republic era.
The recent Star Wars Celebration Europe provided fans with exciting new announcements and updates, from an exclusive first look at Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka show for Disney+ to the confirmation of a Rey spinoff movie centered around rebuilding the Jedi Order.
Lucasfilm’s Studio Showcase certainly stole the spotlight at the event. During the panel, various Star Wars filmmakers stepped onto the stage to discuss upcoming projects coming to the big screen, including Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie, Filoni’s “Mando-Verse” crossover, and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, all slated to premiere in either 2025 or 2026—for now.
Lucasfilm released an updated version of the official Star Wars timeline to accompany their ever-expanding cinematic universe, showing each of the different eras in the franchise’s history. In this, Disney/Lucasfilm might be hiding a top-secret project in plain sight: one set in the Old Republic.
On the timeline, fans can see each of the different eras and their positions on the timeline: the Dawn of the Jedi being the oldest (circa Mangold’s upcoming film) and the New Jedi Order being the newest (Rey’s solo movie). We can also see the Prequel era—the High Republic and the Fall of the Jedi—as well as the Original Trilogy, which takes place over the Reign of the Empire and Age of Rebellion eras.
The New Republic era mainly applies to Filoni’s “Mando-Verse,” comprised of Disney+ shows, including The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew. Meanwhile, the Rise of the First Order closely follows and acts as the backdrop of the Sequel Trilogy.
Nudged in between the Dawn of the Jedi and the High Republic is a yet-unexplored era: the Old Republic. While this period has been further fleshed out in Legends, from the Star Wars: The Old Republic novel series to the Knights of the Old Republic video games, it hasn’t been considered “canon” until now.
This period in Star Wars lore refers to a time in the galaxy prior to the Jedi-Sith War, taking place roughly four-thousand years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). Creatives have barely scratched the surface of this unique era in canon, presenting seemingly endless opportunities for new characters, stories, and world-building.
So while this may seem like old news, after years of speculation, fans were ecstatic to see Lucasfilm confirm The Old Republic as a canon era in the official timeline at Celebration. But what does this mean for the future of Star Wars?
For some, two words: Darth Revan. First introduced in 2003, Revan, a fallen Jedi Knight-turned-Sith, was the player character of the role-playing video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Easily the most prominent figure of this era, Revan is synonymous with the Old Republic, and it would be hard to imagine Lucasfilm going forward on a project set in this era without him.
Revan has a long and convoluted history in the franchise and was even supposed to appear in a Season 3 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. His appearance in the show was ultimately scrapped at George Lucas’s request, though fans’ desire to see him make the leap to canon movies or TV shows has only increased over time. Check out the deleted scene below:
The character himself was technically made canon with a mention in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, meaning his live-action debut could be coming soon; perhaps even in the upcoming Amandla Stenberg-led Acolyte series. A popular fan cast for Revan is Keanu Reeves, but any official casting has yet to be confirmed.
As of now, we are still waiting to receive confirmation on whether or not an Old Republic era truly is in the works behind the scenes. But with Lucasfilm having unveiled projects from all other points on the official Star Wars timeline, a movie set in this still-unexplored era is imminent.
Would you be interested to see future Star Wars projects set in the Old Republic era? Let us know in the comments below.