The new Star Wars: The High Republic series can explain a strange Palpatine error in the prequel trilogy. The recently-announced multi-media storytelling project, is set in the past of the Star Wars universe. Specifically, it's taking place about 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, showing the Jedi at their peak. They were still independent of the politics of the Republic, acting on their own as peacekeepers and explorers at the far edge of the galaxy.
While the majority of stories in The High Republic are set to focus on the new Jedi and the incursion of the Nihil, they can also fill in some gaps in the history of Star Wars. Most of what we know about the past are brief references, which can be referenced or fleshed out by this new line of stories. This gives an opportunity to fix some contradictions or clarify some of the more confusing aspects of the past, even something as basic as "How long have the Jedi been peacekeepers in the galaxy far, far away?"
According to Obi-Wan in the original Star Wars, “For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” This seems straightforward enough, minus a little uncertainty about just how long a generation is. In Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, however, there’s a line by Palpatine that throws that off. In an argument with Mace Windu, he says “I will not let this Republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two.” Setting aside the fact that Palpatine clearly wants to (and does) end the Republic by creating the Empire, how do these two lines match up with each other?
In Star Wars Legends, it was taken that Obi-Wan was referring to the Jedi as an Order, whereas Palpatine was speaking of the Galactic Republic as an institution. While that explanation can also hold for the new Star Wars canon, it remains a rather strange quirk.
There have been a number of fan theories to try and explain that contradiction. Some fans see an explanation in there being two separate Old and High Republics, but that doesn't explain this situation. Obi-Wan is talking about the Republic that fell with the rise of the Empire, as seen in the prequels. That's the same Republic that Palpatine says has stood for a thousand years. There needs to be something to explain that contradiction, and there's currently nothing in canon that can adequately do so.
Being the time of the Jedi at their peak and an earlier era of the Galactic Republic in the prequels, Star Wars: The High Republic is in the perfect place to explain things like this. While it should focus on telling its own stories and especially not get bogged down in the politics of the era, an exploration of how the history of the galaxy went would be welcomed. It shouldn't get too bogged down in continuity or fanservice, but adding more context to the movies later in the timeline can help it be a great addition to the Star Wars franchise.
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