SWBC: New 'Ahsoka' trailer and 'The Eye of Darkness' cover revealed
Plus: Burryaga lives!
All the best details from the new Ahsoka trailer
ICYMI, Star Wars shared another trailer for Ahsoka yesterday. This one’s a doozy.
Here’s Thrawn!
Perhaps the biggest reveal in the trailer — which Star Wars Celebration attendees got to see a few months ago — was the first look at Lars Mikkelsen’s live-action Thrawn.
And he’s perfect. I cannot wait to hear his voice — the same one that gave life to animated Thrawn in Rebels.
The last time we saw Thrawn, he and Ezra Bridger were being carried into hyperspace by purrgil — basically space whales. It’s unclear how long Thrawn and Ezra were stuck in hyperspace, but in Ahsoka, both characters appear alive and well.
A big ol’ Rebels reunion
Set around the same time as The Mandalorian (about five years after Return of the Jedi), it’s heavily implied that Ahsoka is basically a continuation of Rebels.
And the most recent trailer all but confirms the new Disney Plus series leans into filling in the gaps of what our favorite Rebels characters have been up to since the end of season 4.
Specifically, the series looks to focus on Ahsoka and Sabine, and their current uneasy relationship. The trailer teases Sabine possibly being Force-sensitive and trained under Ahsoka as her master. Something clearly happened between these two, as Ahsoka balks at Hera’s suggestion to enlist Sabine’s help.
Speaking of Hera, she seems to be struggling to convince the New Republic to keep fighting to eradicate all traces of the Empire. We know the Imperial Remnants after the Battle of Endor eventually evolve into the First Order, and Ahsoka likely will show how the New Republic let that happen.
Ahsoka and the Rebels epilogue
Rebels is famous for many reasons, including having one of the best series finales in Star Wars. In the epilogue of “Family Reunion…and Farewell,” a short-haired Sabine greets Ahsoka as they embark on a journey to find Ezra. But up until now, we didn’t know when on the timeline this epilogue took place.
Thanks to the new Ahsoka trailer, we finally know that the Rebels epilogue takes place years after the fall of the Empire. The trailer shows the recreation of the epilogue, including Sabine looking over the mural she created of the Ghost crew.
What was your favorite part of the new Ahsoka trailer? What or who are you hoping to see in the new series? Let me know in the comments!
The High Republic updates: The Eye of Darkness cover reveal
Phase 3 of The High Republic is coming up quickly, and last week we finally got a cover reveal for the first book in the phase — The Eye of Darkness.
The George Mann-penned adult novel is set to arrive on Nov. 14. The book picks up where The Fallen Star left off — in the tragic aftermath of Starlight Beacon’s fall and the reveal of Marchion Ron as the Eye of the Nihil.
Check out the official description from StarWars.com:
The galaxy is divided. Following the shocking destruction of Starlight Beacon, the Nihil establish an impenetrable barrier called the Stormwall around part of the Outer Rim, where Marchion Ro rules and his followers wreak havoc at his every whim. Jedi trapped behind enemy lines, including Avar Kriss, must fight to help the worlds being pillaged by the Nihil while staying one step ahead of the marauders and their Nameless terrors.
Outside of the Nihil’s so-called Occlusion Zone, Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar, and the other Jedi work alongside the Republic to reach the worlds that have been cut off from the rest of the galaxy. But every attempt to breach the Stormwall has failed, and even communication across the barrier is impossible. For both Elzar and Bell, their failures and losses weigh heavily upon them as they search desperately for a solution.
But even if the Republic and Jedi forces manage to breach the Stormwall, how can the Jedi ever fight back against the Nameless creatures that prey on the Jedi’s connection to the Force? And what other horrors does Marchion Ro have in store? As desperation for both the Jedi and the Republic grows, any hope of reuniting the galaxy could be all but extinguished….
MORE: All The High Republic Phase 3 reveals from Star Wars Celebration
Burryaga lives!
With the devastation of the fall of Starlight Beacon in The Fallen Star, we’ve had the accept the loss and grieve far too many High Republic Jedi.
But there was one Jedi whose fate we weren’t so sure about — Burryaga. The last time we saw the beloved Wookiee Padawan, he was battling a Rathtar as the lower half of the space station plummeted into Eiram’s ocean. The survivors on Eiram thought Burry lost, but the Wookiee’s best friend Bell Zettifar was convinced otherwise.
During The High Republic Show last week, host Krystina Arielle finally revealed that Burry does, in fact, live. And he will return in Tales of Light and Life, a new young adult anthology collection due out later this month.
Tales of Light and Life release date confusion
During The High Republic Show, it was revealed that Tales of Light and Life will be first-to-market at San Diego Comic-Con July 20-23. This brought on some confusion for Star Wars book readers and reviewers like myself.
The print release date for Tales of Light and Life remains Sept. 5. According to Amazon, the ebook release date is July 25. Then those who can get to SDCC can get the hardcover copy even earlier.
This isn’t the first time Disney Books (publisher of the YA and middle-grade Star Wars books) has released books early at conventions. It happened with last year’s Padawan release as well as Path of Vengeance back in May.
But it can be frustrating for professional reviewers like me, who spend time planning out reviews and content calendars ahead of release dates. We don’t get paid by publishers to do this; we’re essentially marketing tools in exchange for getting books early.
I have some messages out to Disney Books regarding Tales of Light and Life, and I will, of course, keep you posted. I do have the ebook preordered to drop on July 25, so my current plan is to read it and review it then if I don’t get a review copy from Disney Books.
Star Wars books and comics out this week
July 11
July 12
Bounty Hunters #36
Darth Vader #36
That book cover goes hard!
I can totally see how’s that’s frustrating for you guys! It’s frustrating for me to, as someone who looks to your reviews for recommendations!