Here’s How Star Wars Plans To Link Return Of The Jedi To The Force Awakens

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Star WarsWe all knew that since Disney bought Lucasfilm and now owns Star Wars we were going to see that universe grow and expand like never before. There are already books, comics, and an animated series, as well as half-a-dozen movies in the works, but holy crap they are not messing around. Even though the Expanded Universe of novels and other properties that have existed for years has been scrapped, deemed non-canon, that doesn’t mean that Lucasfilm is abandoning that expansive approach, and they have plans to release an avalanche of new, officially canon material.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Disney, along with Worldwide Publishing and Lucasfilm Press, plans to release “at least 20” Star Wars books this year, a series titled Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This is all designed to capitalize on the hype surrounding the impending release of J.J. Abrams’ film, which opens December 18, and much of the ground covered falls between the original trilogy and the new films, serving as a link between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. After all, a lot can happen in 30 plus years.

Now, don’t worry, you’re not going to have to run out and read 20 full length novels in a few months in order to know what the hell is going on in The Force Awakens. These titles will run the gamut from more adult centric works and young adult titles, to storybooks and sticker books aimed at toddlers and little kids. Though each will contain Easter eggs and hints about the upcoming blockbuster.

Del Rey, DK, and Marvel are all among the participating publishers, and Disney Publishing Worldwide’s Andrew Sugerman says, “The partnership with the story group and the editorial team always had to be true to the sanctity of the film, while making sure that we find these moments to introduce hints, clues, and puzzle pieces. Without revealing what those pieces are, it will just allow readers to speculate about the new film: What could a location mean, or what could a character mean?”

There’s not a ton of details, but some of the titles are Moving Target, a Princess Leia adventure written by Cecil Castellucci; Jason Fry’s The Weapon of a Jedi about Luke Skywalker; Lost Stars by Claudia Gray; and a Han Solo saga called Smuggler’s Run, penned by comic book badass Greg Rucka. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The YA titles will also reportedly focus more on characters from the original trilogy, the idea being to introduce younger audiences to what came before.