Summary
While most multi-decade-long franchises are densely packed with characters, interwoven plots, and tons of world-building, few are quite as busy asStar Wars. From the get-go, theStar Warsuniverse has been a vast one, with even the first 1977 movie hinting at events like the Clone Wars, an everlasting battle between the Jedi and the Sith, and an Empire that stretches across the entire known galaxy. Over the course of the last 46 years,theStar Warsuniversehas only continued to grow, with countless novels, comics, movies, TV shows, and video games all continuing to add and expand to the franchise’s lore.
While George Lucas laid out a rudimentary timeline for theStar Warsgalaxy in the original trilogy, it was the subsequent novels and comics that would really flesh out what came before the events ofA New Hope, and then eventually Lucas' own prequel trilogy, with Disney’s trilogy showing what happens after. But theStar Warstimeline stretches far beyond the Clone Wars and the time of the First Order, andRespawn and Bit Reactor’s upcomingStar Warsstrategy gamehas no shortage of eras to choose from.
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The Clone Wars
Probably the best pick for a newStar Warsstrategy game, The Clone Wars is seeing a bit of a resurgence inStar Warsmedia right now. While the prequel trilogy wasn’t much of a hit with critics, many fans have started to come around on them all these years later, and with great supplementary material like theanimatedClone Warsshowreadily available, and a ton of references and callbacks in shows likeThe MandalorianandAhsoka, this era ofStar Warsis becoming more popular than ever before. Along with its newfound popularity, the Clone Wars is also an era that suits strategy gameplay perfectly, with both the Galactic Republic and Separatists having a ton of ground and space units that Respawn and Bit Reactor could work with.
The Galactic Civil War
By far the safest option, Respawn and Bit Reactor can’t really go wrong with setting theirStar Warsstrategy game during the Galactic Civil War, when the Rebellion was really starting to fight back against the Empire. It might be a bit of a dull choice as long-time fans have already likely played a ton ofStar Warsstrategy games based around this era, but that’s because this era is the series' most iconic one, with some of the most recognizable ships, heroes, planets, and events.
The Old Republic
An era that Disney still hasn’t really done anything with, the Old Republic is best known for its portrayal inBioWare’sKnights of the Old Republicseriesand its MMOThe Old Republic, though it has appeared a good few times in novels, comics, and more recently as subtle references in shows likeAndor. Though Disney likely wants to save the Old Republic era for some big project later down the line, a strategy game centered around this period could be amazing, with the Sith Empire and Jedi being at the height of their power, along with the Mandalorians and a handful of other factions.
The High Republic
The High Republic era starts around 500 years before the events of the originalStar Warstrilogy, whereas the Old Republic era begins 25,000 years beforeA New Hope, and ends 1,000 years before it. Though it’s still a relatively niche era, with it only really appearing in comics and novels so far, the High Republic is about to take the spotlight in a few different ways, withStar Wars Eclipseand theDisney+ showStar Wars: The Acolyteboth focusing on the era.
The First Order-Resistance War
Perhaps one of the most divisive options,Star Wars' First Order-Resistance War era covers the events oftheStar Warssequel trilogy. AnotherStar Warstrilogy fraught with issues, the canon story of this era is quite muddy, though comics, novels, and shows likeThe Mandalorianare slowly starting to fill in huge gaps left by the movies. A strategy game from Bit Reactor and Respawn could also fill in these gaps quite well.
