One of the most interesting chapters in Leia Organa’s life has, until now, lasted roughly as long as it takes a stormtrooper to miss a doorway. In The Rise of Skywalker, we briefly saw Luke training Leia as a Jedi on Ajan Kloss. She had a lightsaber, she clearly knew how to use it, and then the flashback ended before anyone could ask the obvious question: what was that entire period actually like? A new Star Wars novel is finally going to answer it. Star Wars: Twin Crossroads, written by Beth Revis, will follow Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa after Return of the Jedi. The novel is scheduled for April 2027 and will explore Luke training his first student, who also happens to be his twin sister. Luke Is Still Learning Too The story takes place while the New Republic is hunting down the remains of the Empire. During a…
books
When The Old Republic Became a Comic Omnibus, SWTOR’s Backstory Got a Second Life
There is a very specific kind of Star Wars fan who hears “Old Republic” and immediately starts behaving like someone opened a Sith holocron in the room. Reasonable, honestly. The Old Republic era has always had that effect. It is ancient Jedi, Mandalorian wars, Sith empires, lost students, bad masters, worse councils, and enough moral collapse to make the Skywalker saga look like a family argument at dinner. On July 20, 2021, Marvel released Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic Omnibus Vol. 1, a massive hardcover collection that brought together the full Dark Horse Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series, Knights of the Old Republic: War, the Knights of the Old Republic Handbook, and material from Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion #0. And for fans of KOTOR, SWTOR, and that wonderfully messy slice of Star Wars history, it was more than just another shelf-destroying omnibus. It was…
TIE Fighter Strategy Guide: When Star Wars PC Games Needed Manuals Like Sacred Texts
There was a time when playing a Star Wars game did not begin with a tutorial popup, a glowing objective marker, and a cheerful reminder that your spacebar can make things happen. Sometimes it began with a manual. A real one. The kind you actually had to read. Star Wars: TIE Fighter launched in 1994, and it was not built for players who wanted to casually drift through the galaxy while the game quietly solved itself in the background. It was a space combat sim from LucasArts, and it expected you to learn how to fly, manage shields, cycle targets, redirect power, understand mission briefings, and survive long enough to make the Empire proud. Or at least slightly less disappointed. That is why TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide still feels like a perfect artifact from the golden age of Star Wars PC gaming. Published by Prima in July 1994…
Star Wars Publishing Is Bringing Comics and Books to SDCC, and the 2026 Roadmap Could Get Interesting
Star Wars is not only showing up at San Diego Comic-Con with lightsabers, toys, and whatever mystery panel makes the internet start stress-refreshing. Publishing is getting its own moment too. Two Star Wars publishing panels are listed for July 24 at SDCC 2026: A Galaxy of Star Wars Comics from Mad Cave Studios and Lucasfilm Publishing at 12:00 PM PDT, followed by Star Wars Books from Random House Worlds at 2:00 PM PDT. The comics panel is listed on the official Comic-Con 2026 schedule, while Penguin Random House’s Book World presence includes signings, giveaways, exclusives, and a Star Wars: Legacy bonus jacket at Booth #1514 and #1515. That may not sound as loud as a movie reveal. Good. Sometimes the publishing panels are where the more interesting long-term Star Wars clues hide. Mad Cave Makes This Worth Watching The comics panel is the obvious curiosity. Mad Cave Studios is still…
Before YouTube Guides, Star Wars: Episode I Racer Needed a Book
On June 16, 1999, Star Wars: Episode I Racer got the most 1999 thing imaginable. A strategy guide. Not a YouTube walkthrough. Not a Discord build thread. Not a 12-minute video called “BEST PODRACER SETUP, YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG.” A book. Star Wars: Episode I Racer: Prima’s Official Strategy Guide arrived for players who needed help surviving the galaxy’s most irresponsible motorsport, and honestly, that little paperback says a lot about how different Star Wars gaming used to feel. Podracing Was Fast, Weird, and Mean Episode I Racer was not just a quick movie tie-in. It was one of the great Star Wars gaming memories of the Nintendo 64 era: fast, dangerous, slightly chaotic, and somehow much better than a game about tiny space engines had any right to be. The pitch was simple. Take the podracing scene from The Phantom Menace, crank the speed until the controller starts sweating,…
Mara Jade Represents the Star Wars Future Fans Lost
There is a reason the Mara Jade story blew up harder than a lot of bigger Star Wars headlines this week. On paper, it was simple: Claudia Gray said Lucasfilm had told her no when she asked about using Mara Jade in canon, and Timothy Zahn said he had asked too and gotten the same answer. That is not a trailer. It is not a casting leak. It is not even an official Lucasfilm statement. But the reaction online made one thing very clear: for a lot of fans, Mara Jade is no longer just a character they miss. She has become a symbol for the version of Star Wars they feel slipped away. That is why the Reddit discussion got interesting so fast. It did not stay focused on whether Mara Jade is “cool” or whether Lucasfilm should bring back more Legends characters. The argument turned almost immediately into…
Mara Jade Still Has No Path Back Into Star Wars Canon
For years, Star Wars fans have treated Mara Jade’s canon return like one of those rumors that never fully dies. This week, that hope took another hit. According to Popverse’s coverage of a MegaCon 2026 panel, Star Wars author Claudia Gray said she had asked Lucasfilm about bringing Mara Jade into canon and got a firm no. Right next to her, Timothy Zahn reportedly added that he had asked too. Same answer. That is a pretty blunt update for a character who has spent decades near the top of the Star Wars wish list. Mara Jade keeps running into the same wall If this sounds familiar, that is because it is. Popverse also reported back in September 2024 that Zahn said he kept nudging Lucasfilm about writing Mara Jade into the current canon, and that the responses landed somewhere between “no” and “heck no.” The new Claudia Gray quote makes…
Want to Hear the Star Wars Outlaws Prequel for Free? Here’s the Easy Way In
If Star Wars Outlaws left you wanting more of ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax, there is a pretty painless way to keep the underworld train rolling. Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon is the official prequel novel by Mike Chen, and the audiobook version is performed by Jay Rincon and Eric Johnson — the voices of ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax in the game itself. Audible lists it as part of the Star Wars line, and Penguin Random House confirms the book released on February 3, 2026. That is the real hook here. This is not just some random tie-in read with a generic narration pass. The audiobook leans directly into the game connection, with the same actors helping tell what Audible describes as an essential prequel story set in the galaxy’s underworld. It also is not a tiny side snack either: Audible lists the runtime at 14 hours and 18 minutes,…
Claudia Gray Wants a KOTOR Novel — and Honestly, Lucasfilm Should Let Her Cook
There are good Star Wars book ideas, and then there are the ones that feel so obvious it is almost rude they do not exist yet. Claudia Gray writing a Knights of the Old Republic novel is firmly in that second category. And now she has said it out loud. Speaking at MegaCon 2026, Gray said she wants to write KOTOR books and joked that if a Mission and Zaalbar backstory novel happens without her, “there will be blood.” That is the sort of quote that immediately lights up the ancient Jedi temple in the brains of old-school Star Wars readers. Not just because KOTOR still has a huge fan following, but because Gray is not some random person tossing out wishlist ideas from the cheap seats. On the official StarWars.com author page, she is listed as the writer of Bloodline, Lost Stars, Leia, Princess of Alderaan, and Master &…
What Carrie Fisher Revealed About Her Affair With Harrison Ford in The Princess Diarist
Few behind-the-scenes Star Wars stories have lingered quite like the Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford affair. Part of that is obvious: it involves two of the most iconic faces in the franchise, and it stayed out of public view for decades. But the reason people still search terms like “Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford affair” or “did Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford have an affair” is not just gossip. It is because Fisher eventually told the story herself, in her 2016 memoir The Princess Diarist, using journals she kept during the making of the first Star Wars. The book was published by Blue Rider Press in November 2016 and is explicitly framed around her younger self’s diaries from that period. Yes, Carrie Fisher said the affair happened The short version is yes: Carrie Fisher said she and Harrison Ford had a three-month affair during the filming of the original Star…
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Manga Vol. 2 Drops Next Month
Cal Kestis is heading back to bookshelves The Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order manga adaptation is getting its second volume next month, with Vol. 2 scheduled for May 5, 2026. The book is published by Panini Books, runs 192 pages, and continues the manga retelling of Cal Kestis’ post-Order 66 journey. You can preorder it here. The story moves deeper into Fallen Order territory According to the official book listing, Vol. 2 picks up as Cal, Cere, and Greez push further into their search for a Jedi Holocron while dealing with “even more deadly enemies” across new worlds. So this is not a side-story situation or a loose tie-in. It is the next chunk of the actual Fallen Order adaptation, which makes it a pretty easy sell for anyone who still has a soft spot for Respawn’s first Jedi game. That also gives the release a nice little crossover appeal….
Timothy Zahn Thinks Thrawn Would’ve Won Star Wars at Yavin in About 30 Seconds
A single TIE fighter, one better question, and the Rebel victory might never have happened Timothy Zahn has a brutally simple answer to one of Star Wars’ oldest “what if” debates: if Grand Admiral Thrawn had been in charge of the Death Star at Yavin, the Empire probably would have won. Speaking during a MegaCon 2026 panel, Zahn said the key difference is not just that Thrawn is smart. It is that he listens. According to Zahn, where Tarkin dismissed the threat during the Rebel trench run, Thrawn would have asked for specifics — and then acted on them. His example was almost hilariously efficient: park a TIE fighter on the exhaust port, and that famous last-minute shot never happens. Why Zahn’s quote works so well What makes the quote land is how little it needs to rewrite. This is not one of those fan theories that requires ten alternate…
William Shakespeare’s Ahsoka’s Tale Gets a September Release Date
Star Wars publishing is going full Bard again. William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Ahsoka’s Tale is set to release on September 8, 2026, with Ian Doescher returning to turn another corner of the galaxy into faux-Elizabethan drama. The official listing says the book will retell the events of season one of Ahsoka in Shakespearean meter and style, continuing the long-running parody line that already tackled the saga films and other Star Wars stories. Ahsoka Is a Pretty Great Fit for This Gimmick Honestly, this one makes a weird amount of sense. Ahsoka already has ancient prophecy energy, solemn standoffs, ghostly mentors, grand villains, and characters constantly speaking like destiny is sitting in the room with them. Pushing that through Ian Doescher’s Shakespeare filter feels less random than it might sound. According to the official book description, this version follows Ahsoka Tano and her allies as they try to stop Grand Admiral…
The High Republic Returns to Comics With a Brand-New Mystery
The High Republic is not done yet. A new Dark Horse miniseries, Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – Pathfinders, launches this week and sends a fresh team of Republic Pathfinders into the far edges of the galaxy to investigate the death of a Jedi Master. Lucasfilm first revealed the project at New York Comic Con last year, confirming that writer George Mann is leading the series alongside artists Partha Pratim, Jagdish Kumar, Michael Atiyeh, and Comicraft. A New High Republic Story, Set After Phase II What makes Pathfinders interesting is where it sits in the timeline. Lucasfilm says the story takes place about 20 years after Phase II, which gives it room to explore a different corner of the era instead of just replaying familiar beats. The official setup follows a brand-new Pathfinder team dispatched to a distant region to investigate the strange death of a Jedi Master, with…
Star Wars: Dark Forces Trilogy Author William C. Dietz Has Died
William C. Dietz, the science fiction author best known in Star Wars circles for writing the Dark Forces novella trilogy, has died at the age of 80. A memorial published this week states that Dietz passed away on March 15, 2026. For a lot of Star Wars readers, Dietz was not just another tie-in writer. He was the author who helped give Kyle Katarn a life on the page through Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire, Dark Forces: Rebel Agent, and Dark Forces: Jedi Knight—three books that adapted and expanded the story of one of the most beloved Legends-era characters. Wookieepedia’s record of his Star Wars bibliography lists those three Dark Forces books as his core contributions to the franchise. A Name Star Wars Readers Remember Dietz built a much bigger career beyond Star Wars. His official biography says he published more than sixty novels, with work translated into multiple…
The Essential Legends Collection Is Bringing Back James Luceno and Finishing the X-Wing Run in 2026
The Essential Legends Collection is adding four more titles in 2026, and this is actually a pretty strong wave. Two books arrive on August 11, with two more following on November 10, and the lineup is split between James Luceno prequel-era heavy hitters and the final stretch of the classic X-Wing run. That means this is not just another “old Star Wars books get new covers” situation. This wave has a point. And if you want to get ahead of the rush, you can already check Amazon preorder availability here. August Belongs to James Luceno The first two books in the wave are Cloak of Deception and Labyrinth of Evil, both by James Luceno. That alone is enough to get a certain kind of Star Wars reader to sit up straight. Luceno has always been one of the safest pairs of hands in Star Wars publishing when the material gets…
Cover Reveal: New Andor Prequel Novel Edge of the Abyss Confirms Ghorman Plotline — and Yes, Leia’s in the Mix
A new Andor prequel novel is officially on the way, and the cover reveal is packed with details that should get Star Wars readers paying attention. Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss is set one year before Andor Season 1, and it brings together a cast that makes this feel like a major story for the early rebellion era. This is the second book in Rebecca Roanhorse’s Reign of the Empire trilogy, and it already looks like one of the more important Star Wars novels on the 2026 calendar. Set One Year Before Andor Edge of the Abyss takes place in 6 BBY, placing it directly in the volatile period leading into Andor. That means the story lands at a point where the rebellion is still fractured, fragile, and full of competing agendas. The novel is currently scheduled for release on September 15, 2026, with an…
Mace Windu Is Getting a New Star Wars Graphic Novel — And It Goes Back to His Earliest Jedi Days
Mace Windu is heading back into the spotlight, and this time the story is going way back. Dark Horse’s next original graphic novel in the Hyperspace Stories line is Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories—Mace, a new paperback by Justina Ireland with art by Georges Duarte and PH Gomes. Publisher listings peg it at 88 pages, priced at $19.99, with a September 1, 2026 release date. That alone would be enough to get some attention. But the more interesting angle is where this story sits in the timeline. This One Takes Mace Back Before The Phantom Menace Early details on the book say the story takes place before The Phantom Menace and follows Mace Windu shortly after becoming a Jedi Knight. The setup sends him on what begins as a diplomatic mission, which, in classic Star Wars fashion, does not stay simple for very long. That is a smart lane for a…
Star Wars: Star Pilots Is Coming This October — And Wedge Antilles Is the Perfect Guide
There are flashier Star Wars names than Wedge Antilles. That is exactly why he works so well here. A new book titled Star Wars: Star Pilots is on the way this October from DK Books, written by Chris Kempshall, and it sounds like a very targeted love letter to one of the best parts of the galaxy: the pilots, the dogfights, and the legends built in a cockpit. Even better, Wedge Antilles is positioned as the guide through it all, which is about as close to a “this was made for longtime fans” signal as you can get without putting Rogue Squadron on the cover in giant letters. If you already know this is your kind of Star Wars book, you can pre-order Star Wars: Star Pilots on Amazon right here. Wedge Antilles Is Doing What Wedge Antilles Does Best If this book had gone with Luke Skywalker as its…
Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon Gets a Behind-the-Scenes Spotlight From Mike Chen and the Game’s Own Voice Cast
Not every Star Wars tie-in gets to feel this connected to the thing it is spinning out from. Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon was already an interesting release because it digs into the past of Jaylen Vrax and ND-5, two characters who left a real impression in Star Wars Outlaws. Now the book is getting a fresh round of attention thanks to a new feature spotlighting author Mike Chen along with Jay Rincon and Eric Johnson, the voices behind ND-5 and Jaylen in the game itself. That alone makes this more than just another “expanded universe” side story. It makes it feel like a proper extension of the Outlaws world. Why Low Red Moon Feels Different There is no shortage of Star Wars books, comics, and side stories floating around the galaxy, but Low Red Moon has something a little more specific going for it. Instead of circling the…
The Art of The Mandalorian & Grogu Cover May Confirm a Visit to Nal Hutta
The swamp looks familiar. The newly revealed cover for The Art of The Mandalorian & Grogu appears to feature what looks very much like Nal Hutta — the homeworld of the Hutt species. If that’s accurate, it could quietly confirm that part of The Mandalorian & Grogu takes place on one of the galaxy’s most infamous crime-ridden planets. And that would be a big deal. That Landscape Looks… Hutt-Like The right side of the cover features: That aesthetic lines up almost perfectly with how Nal Hutta has been depicted in previous canon and Legends material. Nal Hutta isn’t just any world. It’s the political and criminal heart of the Hutt Cartel. Why Nal Hutta Would Make Sense If Din Djarin and Grogu are stepping into theatrical territory, upping the scale makes sense. And Nal Hutta offers: It fits Din’s roots as a bounty hunter far more than polished Core World…
The Official Mandalorian Cookbook Announced – 70 Recipes from the Outer Rim
This is the way… to dinner. The Official Mandalorian Cookbook has officially been announced — and it’s bringing 70 recipes inspired by Din Djarin’s adventures across the galaxy. Release date? October 27. And yes — it includes food inspired by Din, Grogu, Bo-Katan, Greef Karga, Ahsoka, Peli Motto, and more. From Pog Soup to Krayt Dragon Sliders This isn’t just blue milk and vague sci-fi desserts. The cookbook dives deep into fully themed dishes like: And yes — dessert is absolutely covered. Beskar Bark.Jawa Chews.Darksaber Chocolate Cake. You can even wash it down with drinks like: This is full Outer Rim immersion. Tied to The Mandalorian & Grogu The book also includes exclusive tie-in recipes inspired by dishes seen in The Mandalorian & Grogu. That’s a subtle but interesting move. Lucasfilm Publishing continues the cross-media expansion strategy — blending film, Disney+, and lifestyle products into one cohesive ecosystem. This isn’t…
A Horror-Themed Star Wars Novel for Young Readers Is Coming This Fall
tar Wars is officially leaning into the shadows. A new horror-themed middle grade novel set in the galaxy far, far away is on the way from Kiersten White, and it’s bringing haunted mystery energy to younger readers this fall. The book is scheduled to release September 1, 2026, published by Random House Worlds, and runs approximately 240 pages — marking one of the clearest pushes yet into horror storytelling for the middle grade Star Wars audience. The Official Synopsis The tone is unmistakably spooky: “Venture beyond the dark side in this chilling horror-themed middle grade novel based on the Star Wars galaxy. Haunted by an evil presence, a young girl tries to solve a nightmarish mystery. Is her bogeyman a Sith…or something darker? Horror readers and Star Wars fans of all ages will thrill to this fright-filled middle grade novel.” That’s not just “creepy corridor on a ship” atmosphere. This…
Darth Plagueis Was Meant to Be the Bigger Threat in The Acolyte
A fascinating piece of behind-the-scenes insight reveals that Darth Plagueis was intended to grow into the “larger threat” in future seasons of The Acolyte. The detail comes from The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte, which explores early creative direction and long-term narrative thinking for the series. Rather than being a background name-drop or mythological reference, Plagueis was positioned as a looming presence — a figure meant to expand into something much more central over time. A Villain Introduced Like Gollum The book also notes that Plagueis’ introduction was conceptually inspired by how Gollum is introduced in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. That comparison says a lot. Gollum isn’t introduced as the main antagonist at first. Instead, he’s: Applying that model to Plagueis suggests the creative team saw him not just as Sith backstory, but as a slow-burning, long-game threat designed to unfold gradually. What…