The Star Wars Canon Dispatch
January 2017
Welcome to The Star Wars Canon Dispatch, an unofficial monthly contextual look at the recent and upcoming releases in Star Wars storytelling.
Recent Releases (December 16 – January 15)
“Voices of the Empire”
Merle Lafferty
Short Story in Star Wars Insider #170
December 20, 2016
Time Frame: Between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope.
Canon Influence: This short story shows us some of the ways people inside the Empire communicated secret information to the opposing side. We see the discovery of the kyber crystals on Jedha.
Companion Stories: This story ties in to the narrative of both Catalyst and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Alexander Freed, author
Novel by Del Ray
December 20, 2016
Time Frame: Between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope.
Canon Influence: This novelization of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story adapts the story of the film. I have not yet flipped through it myself to determine if there are any additional canon nuggets in the narrative, but if you enjoy film novelizations, check it out.
Companion Stories: Just like the film, some familiarity with Saw Gerrera’s past (Onderon arc from The Clone Wars) and the story of Catalyst can really enhance this story, but nothing is considered necessary reading.
Rebels Magazine #8
“A Day’s Duty”
“No Sympathy”
Original Star Wars Rebels Shorts
Comic Stories by Titan Comics
December 20, 2016
Time Frame: Between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, around the time frame of Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels.
Canon Influence: One of the comics gives us a look at how far Agent Kallus will go to put down a rebel threat within the Empire, while the other shows how Ezra has the ability to give others confidence when they do not have confidence in themselves.
Companion Stories: There are no apparent tie-ins to existing canon material.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Issue #002
Kieron Gillen, writer / Kev Walker, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
December 21, 2016
Time Frame: Between Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, after the events of Doctor Aphra, Issue #001.
Canon Influence: Just when we thought Dr. Aphra was going to stand alone from the rest of the saga, this particular issue ends up on Yavin IV. While we do not know if there will be any connection to previous stories, there is a strong Imperial presence in the area after the Rebels evacuated the base after A New Hope.
Companion Stories: Doctor Aphra, Issue #001 should be considered an essential read.
Star Wars, Issue #026
Jason Aaron, writer / Salvador Larroca, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
December 28, 2016
Time Frame: Prior to Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Canon Influence: We finally get a story prior to the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It will be interesting to watch this story as it unfolds to see if further connections are made.
Companion Stories: While this is the first in a new arc, the opening pages do die in to where the previous arc left off, making Star Wars, Issues #021-025 a key read leading into this issue.
Adventures in Wild Space #1: The Snare
Cavan Scott, author
Adventures in Wild Space #2: The Nest
Tom Huddleston, author
January 3, 2017
Time Frame: Between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, around the era of Season 1 of Star Wars Rebels.
Canon Influence: There is not a lot here that can be found in these first two books of this series, however towards the end of book two, a key event from Star Wars Rebels comes into play which brings this narrative into that narrative space.
Companion Stories: Knowing the events of Season 1 of Star Wars Rebels will allow you to identify the connections that can be found to the larger narrative in these books.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Issue #010
Charles Soule, writer / Phil Noto, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
January 11, 2017
Time Frame: Between Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, after the events of Poe Dameron, Issue #009.
Canon Influence: We are continuing to follow Poe Dameron as he and C-3P0 finish up their undercover mission.
Companion Stories: This story is the continuation of an arc that started in Issue #008, and as such Issues #008 and #009 should be considered essential reading.
Upcoming Releases (January 16 – February 15)
Star Wars: Dr. Aphra, Issue #003
Kieron Gillen, writer / Kev Walker, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
January 18, 2017
Know Before You Read: This story continues from the previous issues of Doctor Aphra. Given the point at which the previous issue ended, there are some potential references to things that happened on Yavin IV in Rogue One or A New Hope.
Star Wars, Issue #027
Jason Aaron, writer / Salvador Larroca, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
January 25, 2017
Know Before You Read: Continuing to follow Yoda has he explores a strange planet full of children. A story that takes place prior to the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, from the Journals of Obi-wan Kenobi.
Star Wars, Issue #028
Jason Aaron, writer / Salvador Larroca, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
February 1, 2017
Know Before You Read: Continuing to follow Yoda has he explores a strange planet full of children. A story that takes place prior to the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, from the Journals of Obi-wan Kenobi.
Star Wars: Darth Maul, Issue #001
Cullen Bunn, writer / Luke Ross, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
February 1, 2017
Know Before You Read: A story about Darth Maul prior to the events of Episode I: The Phantom Menace. According to the preview, Darth Maul has been told not to engage the Jedi, but when he finds that a crime lord has acquired a padawan, he takes this as an opportunity to actually face a Jedi for the first time.
“Blade Squadron: Jakku”
David J. Williams and Mark S. Williams
Short Story in Star Wars Insider #171
February 7, 2017
Know Before You Read: There have been various Blade Squadron short stories. The first two covered the Battle of Endor, then Zero Hour, Kuat, and now Jakku. This squadron of B-Wings has been a great read thus far. I would recommend brushing up on the previous short stories as the characters are likely to be the same.
Star Wars: Dr. Aphra, Issue #004
Kieron Gillen, writer / Kev Walker, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
February 8, 2017
Know Before You Read: Aphra explores what she needs to on Yavin IV before heading on to the next part of her quest. Definitely check out the other issues in this series before reading this one to see how we got here.
Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Issue #011
Charles Soule, writer / Phil Noto, artist
Comic Book by Marvel Comics
February 15, 2017
Know Before You Read: The time is ticking down for Poe and C-3P0 as the First Order is on their tail. It also seems that the First Order informant may soon be discovered.
On The Horizon
In case you missed any news, here are the Star Wars canon titles we are expecting beyond February 16, 2017 (dates subject to change):
2/21/17 – Aftermath: Empire’s End (Novel – Del Rey) (Pre-order here)
4/11/17 – Thrawn (Novel – Del Rey) (Pre-order here)
Star Wars, ongoing (Comic – Marvel)
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, ongoing (Comic – Marvel)
Star Wars: Poe Dameron, ongoing (Comic – Marvel)
Star Wars: Darth Maul, mini-series (Comic – Marvel)
Star Wars: Rogue One Adaptation, mini-series (Comic – Marvel)
Let me know your thoughts by posting in the comments below. You can find my coverage of #starwarscanon stories at my YouTube channel Star Wars: The Canon Explained. I can be found on Twitter (@starwarstce) and Instagram (@starwarstce), and you can also reach me at jbrame@coffeewithkenobi.com.
There are stories about what happened… It’s true… all of it…
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