“Pass on what you have learned. Strength. Mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is. Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.” -Yoda, The Last Jedi
pisodes VII through IX have some of the most intriguing events in the Skywalker saga. From political drama to galaxy-spanning romance to intense action, this era truly has something for every Star Wars fan. This collection gathers the best in publishing that the era has to offer from the Rise of the First Order.
We’re introduced to Rey at the beginning of The Force Awakens as our main protagonist of the trilogy. From the isolated planet of Jakku, we follow her across the galaxy where she meets a daring pilot and a defected stormtrooper. Rey, Poe and Finn all have unique relationships with the First Order and the roles they play in the Resistance’s fight against it. Growing up on the outer rim, Rey starts the trilogy unaware of the galaxy-wide oppression the First Order has inflicted. Poe started serving the Resistance after his dissatisfaction with the New Republic’s response to the ever-growing threat. Finn, formerly known as FN-2187, was a stormtrooper for the First Order from early childhood until he deserted in the first act of The Force Awakens. The three form the most unlikely trio to take down Supreme Leader Snoke’s empire.
The military dictatorship of the First Order was the fruit of seeds planted by Darth Sidious himself. After years of a Cold War with the New Republic, violence breaks out with an attack on the capital planet of Hosnian Prime. The war lays the ground for villainous characters to emerge. They are truly menacing, with backstories rivaling our heroes. The books and comics from this era provide insight into Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren and even the inner workings of Starkiller Base.
Alongside new characters, we see the original trilogy characters return both on the screen and page. In the expanded universe, we’re introduced to a Resistance spy handpicked by General Leia Organa herself. We learn more about Leia and Han’s son, who becomes one of the greatest terrors the galaxy has ever seen. These characters' legacies shape the galaxy's state and its victory over facism.
Like much of the expanded universe, stories from this era bridge gaps between each film, only enriching subsequent viewings. Characters, locations and plot points are given more context and brought even more to life. If you find yourself looking for answers about the Rise of the First Order, you can almost certainly find them in the novels and comics published in this era.
Coming Soon
Our team is hard at work building out this collection. Stay tuned!
Books in this Collection
Resistance Reborn
Resistance Reborn is a striking initial entry from author Rebecca Roanhorse that is a crucial prequel to Episode IX and a beautiful love letter to the Canon. Featuring the main protagonists from the Sequel Trilogy alongside some of our favorites from the latest books and comics, Roanhorse follows the broken Resistance as they attempt to regroup after their decimation during the Battle of Crait.
General Leia Organa knows that the Resistance needs leaders and strategists if they have any chance of winning the war, and it's time for everyone to call in some favors. Leia enlists the help of allies new and old from every corner of the Star Wars Canon in an attempt to create the fearsome fighting force that will finally burn the First Order down.
Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate
Decades apart can alter friendships forever, but sometimes, that absence makes the reunion all the sweeter. A Crash of Fate brings us into the minds and lives of Izzy and Jules as they rekindle their relationship on the streets of Batuu years after the childhood their shared together.
Love, adventure, fear, and excitement swirl effortlessly through this novel as the pair tries to stay one step ahead of those who would wish them harm, and the sanctuary that they seek may be right in each other's harms. A spiritual successor to Lost Stars, A Crash of Fate shows us how the fire of passion can burn just as hot as the engine of a pod racer.
Izzy and Jules were childhood friends, climbing the spires of Batuu, inventing silly games, and dreaming of adventures they would share one day. Then, Izzy’s family left abruptly, without even a chance to say goodbye. Izzy’s life became one of constant motion, traveling from one world to the next, until her parents were killed and she became a low-level smuggler to make ends meet. Jules remained on Batuu, eventually becoming a farmer like his father, but always yearning for something more.
Now, thirteen years after she left, Izzy is returning to Batuu. She’s been hired to deliver a mysterious parcel, and she just wants to finish the job and get gone. But upon arrival at Black Spire Outpost she runs smack into the one person who still means something to her after all this time: Jules.
The attraction between them is immediate, yet despite Jules seeming to be everything she’s ever needed, Izzy hesitates. How can she drag this good-hearted man into the perilous life she’s chosen?
Jules has been trying to figure out his future, but now all he knows for certain is that he wants to be with Izzy. How can he convince her to take a chance on someone who’s never left the safety of his homeworld?
When Izzy’s job goes wrong, the two childhood friends find themselves on the run. And all their secrets will be revealed as they fight to stay alive…
Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire
In this prequel to the Disney Parks experience, General Leia Organa dispatches her top spy to Batuu in a desperate search for Resistance allies.
Phasma
The Force Awakens introduced Star Wars fans to a new kind of villain -- a female stormstrooper commanding her troops behind reflective chrome armor. Through the end of the film, Captain Phasma remained mostly a mystery. Who was she? Where did she come from? And why did she look different than all the other stormtroopers?
Delilah S. Dawson managed to answer all of our burning questions about this antagonist in her adult novel, Phasma. Throughout the book, readers learn the ruthless extremes the character takes in order to survive, and how she finds herself among the high ranks of the First Order, despite never having heard of them before.
One of the most cunning and merciless officers of the First Order, Captain Phasma commands the favor of her superiors, the respect of her peers, and the terror of her enemies. But for all her renown, Phasma remains as virtually unknown as the impassive expression on her gleaming chrome helmet. Now, an adversary is bent on unearthing her mysterious origins—and exposing a secret she guards as zealously and ruthlessly as she serves her masters.
Deep inside the Battlecruiser Absolution, a captured Resistance spy endures brutal interrogation at the hands of a crimson-armored stormtrooper—Cardinal. But the information he desires has nothing to do with the Resistance or its covert operations against the First Order.
What the mysterious stormtrooper wants is Phasma’s past—and with it whatever long-buried scandal, treachery, or private demons he can wield against the hated rival who threatens his own power and privilege in the ranks of the First Order. His prisoner has what Cardinal so desperately seeks, but she won’t surrender it easily. As she wages a painstaking war of wills with her captor, bargaining for her life in exchange for every precious revelation, the spellbinding chronicle of the inscrutable Phasma unfolds. But this knowledge may prove more than just dangerous once Cardinal possesses it—and once his adversary unleashes the full measure of her fury.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker - Expanded Edition
Poe Dameron Vol. 1: Black Squadron (Trade Paperback)
Captain Phasma (Trade Paperback)
What happened to Captain Phasma after Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens? Writer Kelly Thompson (HAWKEYE) and artist Marco Checchetto (AVENGERS WORLD, PUNISHER, GAMORA) expand Captain Phasma's story and reveal how she escaped the destruction of Starkiller Base. It's the stunning lead-in to this winter's blockbuster big-screen Star Wars film, and everything you need to know is right here!
Collecting: JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI - CAPTAIN PHASMA 1-4
