New York Comic-Con may not have seen any major Star Wars movie or TV announcements but it delivered the goods when it comes to books and comics. Lucasfilm Publishing hosted a panel dedicated to the ongoing The High Republic project, and there was a discussion on upcoming stories led by writers and artists working in a galaxy far, far away.
These included a comic series centered on Sana Sarros, further information on the Star Wars: Revelations one-shots, the reveal of the in-universe legendarium Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi, and the intriguing Star Wars Timelines book that lays out the entire galactic saga in exhaustive chronological order.
‘Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade’ debuts a new and fearsome-looking Dark Jedi
The period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope is clearly fertile storytelling territory, though anyone working in it has the problem that there aren’t many Jedi about. Order 66 wiped them out, and Lucasfilm has been careful not to overload the canon with new Jedi who miraculously survived yet didn’t do anything to help during the original trilogy.
Fortunately, the Imperial Inquisitors give them a great way to introduce more Force users without breaking the canon. Obi-Wan Kenobi saw Reva struggling to capture the Jedi General, but the lead of new book Rise of the Red Blade may eclipse her in every way. Iskat is the newest member of the Inquisitors and looks like a fearsome warrior, though as she’s the protagonist, we suspect she’ll soon begin to have second thoughts about a life of evil.
Ever wondered about the backstory of Yoda’s panpipe? This book has your back.
Star Wars is notorious for almost every character and object having a detailed backstory, and many fans will have spent some time browsing through Wookieepedia to learn about the most bizarre corners of the universe. Well, if that does it for you the upcoming book Star Wars: 100 Objects could be a must-buy. This was detailed at the NYCC, along with a page being released explaining what’s going on with Yoda’s Blissl.
Don’t worry, we didn’t know what that was either. This is the panpipe around his neck, with the entry explaining that Yoda built it to help keep himself sane on Dagobah and to feel some connection to the surrounding ecosystem. The rest of the book will be full of similar entries detailing objects like Darth Vader’s mask, a Clone Trooper helmet, a Tusken gaffi stick, and so on. Many will consider this pointless information, but we can’t deny we don’t want to check it out when it lands in Apr. 2023.
‘Andor’ fans say it’s the only ‘Star Wars’ show that respects the audience’s intelligence
Andor’s sixth episode lands on Wednesday and all signs are pointing to it being a banger. We’ve been building up to the heist on the Imperial base for two whole episodes, and the action is going to kick off in style. We just hope the Rebels all make it to the credits in one piece.
Now fans have identified its slow pace, focus on character building, and trust that the audience can infer details rather than need them explicitly explained as one of its finest qualities. Whatever your opinion on the slow burn show, you can’t deny its confident pace and smart writing. The only problem is that when compared with Obi-Wan Kenobi, it makes the return of everyone’s favorite bearded Jedi look lackluster.
Star Wars needs to cater to a wide range of audiences, including young children, but we’re just glad that Andor has been unapologetically aimed at fans demanding a little more depth and complexity from their space fantasy adventures.
Should ‘Star Wars’ stop wallowing in nostalgia?
A common complaint throughout the Disney era of Star Wars has been that it rests far too hard on nostalgia for the original trilogy. Rey in The Force Awakens was essentially an in-universe Star Wars fan, and The Rise of Skywalker made the disastrous decision to bring back Emperor Palpatine. The Disney Plus shows have also been accused of this, particularly in the deep-faked Luke Skywalker’s appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Some fans are craving something new, saying that repeatedly crowbarring new stories into the Skywalker Saga risks ruining it. Others are more sanguine, pointing out that this is just what Star Wars is. Fortunately, we do have part of the franchise that’s not riddled with nostalgia in The High Republic and Taika Waititi’s movie is said to take place outside the Saga with new characters and settings.
This question isn’t going to be answered anytime soon, though let’s face it, Disney can’t keep stripmining the original trilogy forever.
Looking into tomorrow we can expect a preview of the new Andor. This will be the conclusion of the second three-episode arc of the show so expect the story to move forward as Cassian establishes himself as a talent to watch in the Rebellion.
