Is It Possible For Plagueis To Appear In ‘Star Wars Eclipse’?
Right off the bat, this isn't news. This isn't a rumor. I personally wouldn't call this a theory either. This is more like guesswork, seeing that we only have the prequels and the High Republic to work with along with some "How's?" and "Why's?" I don't want this to be seen as "Star Wars Eclipse COULD Feature Darth Plagueis" by flinging mud at the wall with a red arrow pointing to the figure rising out of the black tar that's been circled in red, screaming the question is that Snoke?...I mean...Plagueis?
Do you remember all those videos and articles after the Rogue One trailer speculating whether it could be Snoke in the bacta tank? I do, and I don't want this article to be like that, baiting you. Those articles annoyed me. So let's take a look at what we have to work with. When you pull all these BBY dates (Before the Battle of Yavin), you can see how it fits together. I went a little bit mad, but it worked.
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Now, the High Republic was a period of time that lasted a little over 200 years from 300 BBY to 82 BBY. The events of The Phantom Menace took place in 32 BBY. The upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte will take place during what is said to be the final days of the High Republic, so we can assume that's around 82 BBY. Star Wars Eclipse, on the other hand, does not have a set date nor time to pinpoint it, just that it is set within the High Republic era. However, it does state that the game will take place in an uncharted section of the Outer Rim. Now if that's the case, it would have to be after the launch of the Starlight Beacon.
This space station was set up to help travelers explore the Outer Rim, which at this point in time was still pretty much uncharted. The Starlight Beacon was essentially like a lighthouse. The Outer Rim was a frontier. It was even described as much in the trailers for The High Republic. The Starlight Beacon was constructed in 232 BBY, sixty-eight years after the start of the High Republic era. In the trailer for Star Wars Eclipse, it looked more established. It seemed as if more exploration had taken place, and more worlds were being discovered. There was more travel.
So I'm guessing Star Wars Eclipse takes place after 232 BBY, in the two hundred years between the events of High Republic: Light of the Jedi and Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Now, let's throw Darth Plagueis into the mix. We know he was dead by the time of the prequels. According to Legends, he was killed by his apprentice, Sidious aka. Palpatine (spoiler alert!) on the eve of being elected Supreme Chancellor, which would have been during Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It should also be noted that Plagueis was well aware of Maul and that he was trained from childhood by Sidious.
In canon, Sidious acquired his own apprentice (Maul), who was still a child, after Plagueis' demise. Maul's birth was in 54 BBY. So at some point when Maul was still a child, Sidious killed his master around say between 50 BBY and 46 or 45 BBY. So, roughly 185 years, give or take, after the construction of the Starlight Beacon.
Jumping back to Legends, Plagueis could have been born anywhere between 147 BBY and 120 BBY. Currently there is no canon birth date for Plagueis, so let's use what we have so far. If Plagueis in canon were to have a similar "range" for his birth year, both 147 BBY and 120 BBY are still well within the High Republic era.
Note: It can't be a coincidence that Sidious/Palpatine's birth is 82 BBY which is the end of the High Republic.
If we were to put Star Wars Eclipse in the 100 BBY timeframe (give or take a decade), and we use Plagueis’ birth year from Legends, then he would be a “young” Sith during this time nearer the end of the High Republic era.
That brings us to the Trade Federation. Again, this is just me doing guesswork, going from what we know and what we've seen. The Lucrehulks, those doughnut-looking spaceships, along with the Neimodians, appeared to be back. Interesting. You may have noticed there are eight fins coming off the sides of the hull. All the Lucrehulks we see in the Eclipse trailer looked a lot like Droid Control Ships, not battleships. Strange that.
Anywho, from the trailer we see some "aggressive negotiations" between the Trade Federation and what looked like another corporation. Not just a battle either. These fellas were going to war with soldiers, tanks, fighters, and warships. They meant business. Now I am getting some Zygerrian vibes from them. Might be right, might be wrong. But we do know the Zygerrians wanted to reclaim their glory and their empire during the Clone Wars.
Furthermore, at the 1:21 mark in the Star Wars Eclipse trailer you can catch a glimpse of Naboo Starfighter having a very wet, crash landing. Thus, the game could be set closer towards the end of the High Republic given that we now have the appearance of two very familiar Episode I ships.
Now it made sense that the Sith were pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Causing a little war for their own gain was something they would do. It was all part of the Sith plan and they played the long game. Who were the Sith (Sidious) allying themselves with later? The Trade Federation.
Who did they use for the blockade/invasion of Naboo and then later for their droid armies in the Clone Wars? Would it be that much of a stretch that the Sith had been "involved" with the Trade Federation since the High Republic era? The Sith of that time could have been pulling the strings to cause this conflict, which "could" have been Plagueis, his Master, or both. Perhaps that was how and why Sidious was using the Trade Federation during the prequels, because his Master already had dealings with them, shaping them to be a tool for the Sith.
It just seems odd that out of all the things in Star Wars, it is the Trade Federation that is familiar to us in the Star Wars Eclipse trailer, bridging the High Republic and the prequel trilogy.
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Source(s): Screen Rant