It seems that the catalyst for wave two of The High Republic will be the Republic Fair

Wave one of The High Republic era of Star Wars storytelling began earlier this year, and the catalyst for these stories was the Great Hyperspace Disaster.

So with wave two coming soon, what’s going to be the main storytelling impetus? I figured that the entirety of phase one (which stretches into next year) would mainly be about the Great Disaster, but it looks like that’s not the case.

StarWars.com recently released a number of brand new plot summaries for upcoming projects in wave two, and there’s one common link: the Republic Fair.

The descriptions for The Rising Storm, Race to Crashpoint Tower, The High Republic Adventures, The Edge of Balance, and Showdown at the Fair all directly mention the events of the Republic Fair, and thus it seems likely that other projects will as well. In all of this, I think we can piece together quite a bit about what happens from the descriptions, so here’s my own attempt at doing so:

As Chancellor Lina Soh continues to unify the Republic in the wake of the Great Disaster, she plans The Republic Fair, which is “a showcase of the possibility and peace of the expanding Republic – a precept that the Jedi hope to foster.” What ensues is “a massive, awe-inspiring festival celebrating the Republic” that brings people from all over the galaxy to Valo for this huge fair. However, native Valoran and Jedi Padawan Ram Jomaram discovers that Valo’s communications tower was knocked out, signaling that there’s an active threat – which comes to pass, as the Nihil, under the leadership of Marchion Ro, launches a surprise attack on the Fair. Ro’s purpose in doing this is because he is “intent on destroying this spirit and unity” displayed by the Republic. Many Jedi are involved with the Fair, including Stellan Gios, Bell Zettifar, Elzar Mann, Burryaga, and others – and they must spring into action to try to save the day, as the Nihil are “sowing chaos and enacting revenge.” But in the midst of all of this, “as the Jedi struggle to curb the carnage of the rampaging Nihil, they come face to face with the true fear their enemy plans to unleash across the galaxy. The kind of fear that even the Force cannot shield them from.”

In other words, it sounds like the Republic Fair is going to attract all the significant members of the Republic, attract the Jedi, and attract the Nihil – leading to a massive encounter that will leave the Jedi afraid. I’m extremely curious to find out what this could be, and I’m wondering if this could perhaps be what starts the Jedi toward the version of the Order seen in the prequel trilogy.

Nonetheless, what seems certain is that the Republic Fair will prove to be the pivotal storytelling focus for this new wave, much like the Great Disaster was for the first one. And I can’t wait!