“Centuries before the rise of the Empire, prosperity, pioneering, & adventure marked the era of The High Republic.”
In early 2020, Lucasfilm announced a new publishing initiative called Star Wars the High Republic.
Set 500 years before the Star Wars prequels, The High Republic kicked off a series of novels and comic books. To support the upcoming releases, Joshua directed a series of 27 featurettes introducing audiences to various new characters, places, and events. In partnership with Lucasfilm, a visual language was established to showcase this new golden era.
In the spirit of exploring new frontiers, 1950’s American Western film posters became a major inspiration. The warm desert tones fit the golden age of exploration as did the rugged new frontier feel of the Wild West. While the primary color palette consisted of warm tones, a darker blue hue was reserved for uncharted and dangerous settings.
Though the animation was limited, each scene told a story and created multiple opportunities for dynamic camera moves and special effects to maximize visual interest.
Hyperspace Lanes
Recurring visual devices were used in each phase of The High Republic featurettes. Arcing lines draw across the stars from one scene to the next.
These were affectionately called “Hyperspace Lanes.”
The lines not only lead the viewers’ eyes, but symbolized the exploration undertaken by starships across the galaxy far, far away.
“One hundred & fifty years before the Great Disaster, The High Republic embodied the ideals of exploration, technology, & peace.”
For The High Republic’s second phase, Lucasfilm explored many new heroes as well as villains, including force cults and truly alien horrors. This shift toward an overall darker tone enabled the team to explore cooler hues including eerie purples and greens.
Conceptual Art
With so many new characters and worlds, this series provided several opportunities to design new brand new characters in the Star Wars universe.
Geode, a fan favorite, a sentient rock and comic relief. First mentioned in The High Republic: Into the Dark. Since his debut, Geode has appeared in several Star Wars books including The Art of Star Wars The High Republic: Vol. 1.
During the second season, I had the opportunity to design an infant version of a creature known as the Nameless. These aliens grow inside a gem-like egg and have the innate ability to destroy individuals who wield the force, such as Jedi.
