I’m a relatively new Star Wars fan. I saw the movies for the first time three years ago, when I was 19. It’s sad, I know. But as soon as I saw the Star Wars movies, I was hooked, and I wanted to know more. I got online and researched all the questions I had about the characters, the worlds, and the story of the Star Wars. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the amazing universe George Lucas created. I wanted to read every book, to play every game, to subscribe to every comic. But there was just too much. The Expanded Universe was too big, and I knew I could never take it all in.

And then the Lucas Story Group made the announcement that they were resetting the canon. Now, the canon includes only the six movies, the Clone Wars TV series, and all future books, movies, shows, etc. I was ecstatic because now I have an opportunity to experience the whole story with no ambiguity or conflicting plot lines. And I fully intend to experience all of it. The first book to officially fit into the Star Wars canon came out last month. It’s called A New Dawn, and it’s the subject of my Stuff Devon Likes post today.

A New Dawn actually serves a prequel to the brand new animated Star Wars TV series, Star Wars Rebels. The book acts as an introduction to two of the main characters in the show: Kanan, a wandering loner who has forsaken his Jedi past, and Hera, a young pilot seeking to start a resistance movement against the Empire. A New Dawn tells the story of how these two characters meet and sets up the show. Seeing as the show (which takes place between the two movie trilogies) is considered the origin story of the Rebel Alliance, A New Dawn could be considered the very beginning (or dawn, rather) of the rebellion.

A New Dawn takes place on a planet called Gorse and its moon Cynda. Kanan, who is working as a miner on Cynda while living on Gorse, meets Hera, and they discover a plot by the evil Empire mogul Count Vidian to destroy the moon (and subsequently Gorse) for his own gain and that of the Empire. Along with their friends Skelly and Zaluna, Kanan and Hera attempt to stop Vidian’s evil plan and save the people of Gorse.

One thing I like about A New Dawn is that it really establishes the feel of the galaxy under the Empire. By the time this book takes place, the Empire has been running for a while. It seems to permeate the lives of its citizens, and resistance isn’t even an option for most of them. That’s what makes characters like Kanan and Hera so special. In their own small ways, they work to combat the oppressive system of the Empire and ultimately, we know that this will turn into a full-fledged rebellion in the form of the Rebel Alliance. But for now, this is just a story of a couple of brave souls who are willing to stand up in their daily lives against the evil Empire while also trying to avoid going too far and getting into trouble.

There are also some references to other aspects of the Star Wars universe that really establish the fact that this story is a part of the great arc of the Star Wars. While Darth Vader himself doesn’t appear, he is mentioned. Stormtroopers are all over this book. And the technology and terminology used in the book are borrowed from other Star Wars sources.

While Star Wars Rebels is geared towards kids, A New Dawn is definitely for adults. This isn’t a children’s chapter book. It’s intense, honest, and subtle at points. The themes of resistance, rebellion, oppression, and loss are clear throughout the story. And they make for a very interesting and compelling story.

If you’re into Star Wars and want to know more about the story between Episodes III and IV, I would highly suggest checking out A New Dawn. It’s very cool to be able to experience the Star Wars universe in written form as well as in movie form. Star Wars is a huge undertaking, and it has a lot of stories to tell. A New Dawn is one of those stories, and it’s worth a read. Thanks for checking out my blog post, friends! Have a great Saturday, and I’ll see you next week.