What From Legends Could Work For The Canon Old Republic

Star Wars

Oct 17

Cacon characters — Image Source: The Gamer

Aside from The High Republic era, which lasted from around 500 - 100 years before the Battle of Yavin, current Star Wars lore has mostly shied away from telling stories set during the time of the Old Republic. Though certain events from that long-lasting period have been mentioned in films, TV series, books, and comics, there is no canon work of fiction taking place millennia before the fall of the Republic.

This was different in the former Expanded Universe.

Starting in the early 1990s with the Tales of the Jedi comics, right until the EU was declared Legends, there were countless books, comics, and video games that were set between 25,000 and 1,000 BBY.

Since then, Lucasfilm has been known to incorporate (and usually adapt them to some extent) characters, species, and events from Legengs into the current Star Wars canon, and there is no reason that they could not do the same with the treasure trove that is the Old Republic.

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Prehistoric Civilizations

Mon Calamari — Image Source: Wookieepedia

Even before the creation of the Republic, there were species and civilizations possessing and using technology that was far ahead of its time. One of these species was the Rakata, a mysterious, cruel, amphibian-like civilization that used the Force to power their technology and to create massive space stations like the Star Forge to conquer new worlds and enslave their populations. Although they were ultimately defeated by the predecessors of the Jedi, their influence on the galaxy was felt long after they had vanished from the galaxy.

The Rakata were brought back into canon in season 1 of Andor via a throwaway line by Luthen Rael, so their prehistoric battles, inventions, and defeat could easily be told in books, comics, or TV shows without simply rehashing the existing stories. Star Wars has always been about mysteries. And big superweapons

The Formation Of The Republic And The Exploration Of The Galaxy

Republic Seante — Image Source: Aminoapps

The formation of the "new" Galactic Republic happened around 1000 years before the events of the Star Wars films when the Sith were seemingly defeated, but according to Legends, the roots of the Republic date back around 25,000 years, when a few worlds in the galactic core like Coruscant, Alderaan, and Corellia joined forces to better protect themselves. Using the captured technology of the Rekata, they created the first hyperdrives, began exploring the galaxy, and mapped the first hyperdrive routes. Like the High Republic was about exploring )(and bringing order to) the Outer Rim regions, stories about the expansion of the just-founded Republic would work well in the current canon.

The Republic And The Jedi

Since 1977, we know that the Jedi were the guardians of peace and Justice in the Old Republic, but the way these two factions got in contact with each other and how the Light Force Users decided to serve and guard the Republic is yet to be told. In Legends, this happened just a short time after the foundation of the Republic when the first ships of the new government got in contact with the Jedi, who had dealt with the Rakata themselves, and a giant Force storm had them flee from their homeworld of Tython. Telling a story of how the Republic and the Jedi met and agreed to cooperate for millennia to come would bring their downfall at the end of the Clone Wars full circle.

The First Sith

The foundation and the establishment of the Sith in Legends and the current canon are somewhat similar, though described in much more detail in the former EU. It started with the Hundred Years of Darkness, which took place between 7,000 and 6,900 BBY in the EU and around 5,000 in canon when a group of Jedi began studying the teachings of the Dark Side. The exile of these Jedi led to a war between the two factions, which ended with the defeat of the Dark Siders. They fled to the planet Korriban, where they subdued the natives, a red-skinned species called Sith.

The EU told various stories about the different tribes and factions of these Sith and their relationships with the Fallen Jedi, which some regarded as gods and others as intruders.

Over time, the fallen Jedi merged with the aliens but soon weakened themselves by constant infights over power and domination, which ultimately led to their downfall and the creation of Darth Bane's Rule of Two.

At one time, the Sith Empire was ruled by a single, centuries-old Emperor who sucked the life Force out of others to achieve immorality, while at other times, the Sith even established a triumvirate to get rid of the constant infights.

Many of these concepts and stories could be integrated into or adapted for the current canon.

Jedi Vs. Sith

Jedi v Sith — Image Source: Wookieepedia

At the heart of many of the Legends stories of the Old Republic led the countless battles between the Jedi and Sith, as this was the only time in Star Wars history when the numbers of both factions were countless. At times, the Jedi were the underdogs, retreating from the Sith, who even captured Coruscant, or being stuck behind enemy lines as Knight Errands, hoping to stay undetected among the Dark Siders.

Current Star Wars lore has yet to embrace these battles and incorporate them into new stories.

Plus, the EU created many iconic and often terrifying Sith and their powers, which could be brought back into canon, like Darth Nihil, Darth Sion, Darth Traya, and, of course, Darth Revan and Darth Malak, the two "poster boys" of the EU's Old Republic.

Plusplus: As the Sith always messed with the Dark Side, they created monstrous beings like zombies, behemoths, or mutated Rancors. to defeat their enemies.

And there can never be enough monsters in Star Wars, right?

Jedi Vs. Mandalorians

Shows like the Clone Wars and Rebels have hinted at the big battles between the Jedi and the Mandalorians of the past. Like the wars against the Sith, these battles were numerous and massive in the EU, like Revan's defeat of Mandalor the Ultimate or the Sith working with the Mandalorians to defeat the Jedi and/or the Republic.

Bringing these stories into the current canon would need to incorporate the story of the Dark Saber, but lightsabers against Beskar armor or a massive Republic fleet against the fast and agile ships of the Mandalorians would surely be a sight to behold.

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