It's Lit: Will The Acolyte Directly Reference The High Republic Books?
The Acolyte is less than two weeks away, and High Republic fans are ready.
New Star Wars season is my favorite season, and there’s a lot of good stuff coming up in June 2024. Star Wars: Hunters is finally coming to our phones and tablets! There are new Essential Legends Collection books on the horizon. AND we’re getting a new book! That’s not even all of it.
The brand-new Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte is also dropping its first two episodes on June 4 (yay Tuesday evening release schedule!). I’m not ready. You’re not ready. But the question running through many minds is this: If I haven’t read The High Republic yet, can I still enjoy the show?
The short answer—expanded upon in more detail if you scroll down a bit—is yes. Absolutely. 100%.
The First Temptation of the Force Excerpt Has Arrived
Tessa Gratton’s next High Republic novel, Temptation of the Force, is a little over two weeks away. Star Wars has released the first official preview of the book, and it’s even better than you likely expected.
The first excerpt released in the lead-up to the novel is from Chapter 1—which doesn’t always happen. But there’s a reason the first chapter is the highlight of this initial preview: It’s good. Better than good. Possibly one of the greatest first chapters of a Star Wars book … ever?
The embargo for the book hasn’t lifted yet, so I quite literally can’t say anything more about it. But I will soon enough, don’t you worry.
You can read the excerpt on StarWars.com.
Now Wave of Essential Legends Collection Books Announced
A new wave of Essential Legends Collection books is upon us — and this one really snuck up on us this time, didn’t it?
On June 4, three new Star Wars Legends re-releases will appear on physical and digital shelves, including:
The Lando Calrissian Adventures by L. Neil Smith (art by William Schmidt)
501st: An Imperial Commando Novel by Karen Traviss (art by Deena So’Oteh)
Iron Fist (Wraith Squadron #2) by Aaron Allston (art by Doaly)
I’m purchasing these right along with the rest of you, and I actually haven’t read two of the three yet — so that’s more Legends books off my TBR almost by default. Keep them coming!
Do You Have to Read The High Republic Before Watching The Acolyte?
With The Acolyte premiere event behind us (we mere mortals still have to wait until June 4 to watch the first two episodes), many Star Wars fans are probably questioning how much The High Republic books will influence the show. While I can’t say for sure, I do have two predictions: One, the books will certainly have a heavy influence on the events of the new TV series. Two: It’s highly unlikely that we’ll get more than indirect references to the events we already know happened.
One major reason for this is that The High Republic is not a complete story yet. We don’t actually know how or where it ends. If The Acolyte were to directly reference events from the books, it would either have to do it without spoiling the ending of the publishing initiative or somehow hint at book events yet revealed in a seamless, effective way.
The show would serve itself quite well if it honored the legacy the books have already left without demanding that audiences have read them. Everyone SHOULD read The High Republic — it’s wonderful and keeps getting better with each new wave of books. And I do hope that the show encourages people to read them who may have been on the fence about it. But no one should absolutely have to. That would alienate a lot of people who may otherwise really enjoy the show.
I can’t provide a list of recommended books to read before the show because I obviously haven’t watched it yet. But I do think starting from the beginning (Light of the Jedi) wouldn’t be the worst idea. There’s a High Republic reading guide linked below if you haven’t read the series yet but want to start.
I’ve heard only good things about the show, and I can’t wait to see this amazing era of storytelling on the small screen.
Now This Is Lit is a podcast (and newsletter!) about Star Wars books, the people who make them, and the readers who just can’t get enough of them. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Substack for more deep dives, guides, interview transcripts, and book love.