Rogue One: Catalyst by James Luceno is set to hit bookshelves on November 15th, a solid month before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story enters theaters. We’ve known for a while now that the book would serve as a prequel to the events in the movie, giving us more insight to the new characters and their place in the galaxy. While many of us assumed this meant the book would take place immediately preceding the film’s events, the official synopsis from Del Rey (via Stitch Kingdom) reveals it takes place further back.
Quick word of warning. If you’re avoiding any and all details regarding Rogue One the movie, you may not want to go further…Still here? Okay:
War is tearing the galaxy apart. For years the Republic and the Separatists have battled across the stars, each building more and more deadly technology in an attempt to win the war. As a member of Chancellor Palpatine’s top secret Death Star project, Orson Krennic is determined to develop a superweapon before their enemies can. And an old friend of Krennic’s, the brilliant scientist Galen Erso, could be the key.
Galen’s energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic’s debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor’s tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic’s web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself.
There’s a surprising amount of juciy information contained in these two little paragraphs. One, we learn the name of Jyn Erso’s mother (though we learned a while back that an actress is listed for the film as playing Lyra), and we learn that Krennic, the film’s primary villain, is a close friend of the Erso family! That makes for some interesting drama that could pop up in the movie.
Frankly, I’m really glad to see how this connects to the Prequle Trilogy in such a strong way. Tying in the Seperatists and the Clone Wars in general to the story/characters is a great way to connect everything together, especially for those fans who genuinely like the Prequels and have been wanting to see its inclusion more. If you’re a fan of the Clone Wars/Prequels or just looking forward to seeing Rogue One, it sounds like Catalyst is a must-read.
Rogue One: Catalyst is currently available for pre-order now.
-Jordan
