The Star Wars sequel trilogy — the first trilogy under The Walt Disney Company’s leadership instead of George Lucas’s — largely divided the Star Wars fan community.
Many fans felt that all of these issues could have remedied — at least to a certain degree — by more backstory surrounding what had happened to various Star Wars characters between the end of the original trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), and the start of the sequels approximately 25 years later.
Now, Star Wars has confirmed details of a project that is meant to fill in some of the gaps. “Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith” is a new novel that takes place 17 years after Return of the Jedi, the same year young Rey winds up on Jakku.
One notable plot hole that could be filled in in “Shadow of the Sith” is the connection that Star Wars legend Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) potentially has to Jannah (Naomi Ackie). While it is well-known that Lando had a wife and a daughter who was kidnapped, the child’s identity has never been revealed.
However, following the release of The Rise of Skywalker, many Star Wars fans began speculating that Jannah was the lost Calrissian. “Shadow of the Sith” will delve into this storyline.
Although the book doesn’t officially drop until Summer 2022, Star Wars.com has released a lengthy first excerpt to get fans excited for the new sequel trilogy era project. The official description of “Shadow of the Sith” reads:
The Empire is dead. Nearly two decades after the Battle of Endor, the tattered remnants of Palpatine’s forces have fled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. But for the heroes of the New Republic, danger and loss are ever-present companions, even in this newly forged era of peace.
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker is haunted by visions of the dark side, foretelling an ominous secret growing somewhere in the depths of space, on a dead world called Exegol. The disturbance in the Force is undeniable . . . and Luke’s worst fears are confirmed when his old friend Lando Calrissian comes to him with reports of a new Sith menace.
After Lando’s daughter was stolen from his arms, he searched the stars for any trace of his lost child. But every new rumor leads only to dead ends and fading hopes—until he crosses paths with Ochi of Bestoon, a Sith assassin tasked with kidnapping a young girl.
Ochi’s true motives remain shrouded to Luke and Lando. For on a junkyard moon, a mysterious envoy of the Sith Eternal has bequeathed a sacred blade to the assassin, promising that it will answer the questions that have haunted him since the Empire fell. In exchange, he must complete a final mission: Return to Exegol with the key to the Sith’s glorious rebirth—Rey, the granddaughter of Darth Sidious himself.
As Ochi hunts Rey and her parents to the edge of the galaxy, Luke and Lando race into the mystery of the Sith’s lingering shadow and aid a young family running for their lives.
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Credit: Lucasfilm
