he High Republic publishing initiative has been a smashing success among Star Wars fans. Adult novels Light of the Jedi and The Rising Storm are both widely loved, and the YA novels, junior novels, and comics have also been fantastic. However, there is one publishing medium that you may be unaware of: the short story.
Titan Publishing has had a long history of publishing original short fiction in Star Wars Insider magazine. They published the stories across both canon and Legends — many recently collected in hardcover — but they have been on a hiatus until recently. With the High Republic era, Titan and Star Wars Insider returned triumphantly to short fiction. In fact, the first High Republic story appeared in Insider, even before Light of the Jedi hit the shelves.
The High Republic Phase 1 Short Stories
Charles Soule wrote the first story in issue #199, titled “Starlight: Go Together,” which followed Joss and Pikka Adren in the events immediately preceding the Great Disaster. The story is in two parts, across issues #199 and #200. And, so far, each subsequent story has been split across two issues.
Cavan Scott and Justina Ireland alternated stories after Soule kicked things off. These stories focused on Velko Jahen and Ghal Tarpfen, each appearing in other higher-profile High Republic stories, such as the Marvel comics. It is, therefore, worthwhile for the readers who love hunting down the connections between the different pieces of the High Republic to find these stories.
The full list of High Republic short stories from Phase 1 includes:
- “Starlight: Go Together” by Charles Soule (Issues 199/200)
- “Starlight: First Duty” by Cavan Scott (Issues 201/202)
- “Starlight: Hidden Danger” by Justina Ireland (Issues 203/204)
- “Starlight: Past Mistakes” by Cavan Scott (Issues 205/206)
- “Starlight: Shadows Remain” by Justina Ireland (Issues 207/208)
The High Republic Phase 2 Short Stories
Whereas Phase 1 features a variety of authors, Phase 2 was entirely written by one: George Mann. Tales of Enlightenment is a set of stories set in Enlightenment, a bar located in Jedha's Holy City.
Readers of Cavan Scott’s Marvel comic run from Phase 2 will find many familiar characters. There is also a fair bit of crossover with George Mann’s Battle of Jedha audiodrama. For fans of Keth Cerapath, this is a great place to learn more about his character.
The full list of High Republic short stories from Phase 2 includes:
- “Tales of Enlightenment: New Prospects” by George Mann (Issues 213/214)
- “Tales of Enlightenment: A Different Perspective” by George Mann (Issue 215)
- “Tales of Enlightenment: The Unusual Suspect” by George Mann (Issue 216)
- “Tales of Enlightenment: No Such Thing as a Bad Customer” by George Mann (Issue 217/218)
- “Tales of Enlightenment: Last Orders” by George Mann (Issue 219)
- TBA “Tales of Enlightenment Story” by George Mann (HC Exclusive)
The High Republic Phase 3 Short Stories
Spoilers for the end of Phase 1
As we transition into Phase 3 of The High Republic, Lydia Kang will take the short fiction reins with Chronicles from the Occlusion Zone. At the end of Phase 1, Marchion Ro deployed his swarm of storm seeds, effectively shutting down hyperspace access to the Outer Rim. This next set of short stories will give readers an inside look at life in territories now beyond the reach of the Republic.
How to Read The High Republic Short Stories
So, you may be left wondering how you can read these stories. You can get a subscription from Amazon or even a local comic book store. This can be a bit of a hurdle for some, though. Luckily, these stories have become even easier to read over time.
For many, the application Libby will allow you to read Insider for free. Libby requires a local library card to sign up but gives you access to a large digital library system. The exact titles available will depend on your location, though. Not all libraries within Libby will have Insider, but it is worth a check.
Outside of accessing the individual magazine issues (either digitally or physically), Titan Publishing has also collected each Phase in a nicely bound hardcover format.
Timeline
The timeline team at Youtini has included each short story in the timeline. In order to see them, be sure to go up to the Filters and enable “Short Story” as they are turned off with the default filters.
Reading Order
Youtini’s High Republic experts have factored in the individual short stories when crafting our Reading Order. The Reading Order balances release order, timeline order, story considerations, and reader experience.
These stories are a great way to further flesh out this era in the galaxy. They spotlight less prominent characters while adding valuable context to this time in galactic history. For the completionist High Republic fans, they are a must-read.
Want to start reading The High Republic? Our High Republic Reading Order Guide can help you catch up on the stories bringing this new Star Wars era to life.
For a complete list of recent and upcoming Star Wars book and comic releases, visit our regularly updated Release Schedule.
