Lucasfilm has released the opening crawl text for Star Wars: The High Republic. This is arguably the biggest project in the works within the franchise right now, even when taking The Mandalorian into account. Especially since we aren't getting any new movies until at least December 2023. The huge publishing initiative, which is set to launch early next year, will span multiple books and across from multiple publishers, telling a whole new story in an unexplored part of the timeline. This new crawl text helps to set up what's to come, which teases a calm before the storm.

The High Republic is an era that takes place 200 years before the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. At this time, the Jedi Knights ruled the galaxy and it was a time of relative peace. However, as the opening crawl teases, that peace is about to be interrupted. The crawl reads as follows.

"The galaxy is at peace, ruled by the glorious Republic and protected by the noble and wise Jedi Knights. As a symbol of all that is good, the Republic is about to launch Starlight Beacon into the far reaches of the Outer Rim. This new space station will serve as a ray of hope for all to see. But just as a magnificent renaissance spreads throughout the Republic, so does a frightened new adversary. Now the guardians of peace and justice must face a threat to themselves, the galaxy, and the Force itself...."

The threat, based on what has been revealed previously, seems to be the Nihil. Not much is known about this band of villains just yet but they have been described as "space vikings." Beyond that, much remains mysterious. What is clear is that they will be interrupting a time of peace and prosperity in the galaxy when the Jedi were at the height of their power. It had previously been teased that something called "the Great Disaster" will be kicking off the event. This crawl text appears to be teeing that up.

Star Wars: The High Republic is not just a series of books and comics. Lucasfilm is treating this very seriously, with a group of A-list authors breaking the story together at Skywalker Ranch. Concept art was cooked up and storyboards were made, much in the same way that the studio would handle a new Star Wars movie. This is going to be a major story set within the franchise told across multiple entries. And, if it goes well, that could open the door for movies and TV shows based in this era.

The first title will be Charles Soule's Light of the Jedi, which arrives in January. Other titles coming down the pipeline include Claudia Grey's Into the Dark and Justin Ireland's A Test of Courage, as well as Daniel Jose Older's IDW comic Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures and Marvel's Star Wars: The High Republic comic from Cavan Scott. You can check out the opening crawl text for yourself, which was originally shared by StarWars.com.