Novels released since 2014 are a part of this new timeline. When Disney adopted the rights to Lucasfilm and relaunched the Star Wars franchise, they initiated a new era of publishing and a new canon. Books explored the wars between thousands of ancient Jedi Knights and Sith Lords, and introduced Han Solo and Princess Leias’ children Jaina and Jacen, as well as Luke’s son Ben Skywalker. In the next several decades, authors explored events ranging from thousands of years before The Phantom Menace to decades after Return of the Jedi. Characters such as Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Thrawn would have recurring roles in later novels.
Many authors continued to expand upon the events of the film saga, including the popular trilogy Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command from Timothy Zahn in the early 1990s.
The first spinoff novel Splinters of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster came a year later, and explored the further adventures of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia as they faced off against Darth Vader. The first piece of Star Wars media ever released was the official novelization Star Wars: From The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, released in November 1976, a year ahead of the release of the film. Star Wars has always had an exciting history within novels.
