'Star Wars: Bloodline' Spoilers, Release Date: New Novel Follows Leia Between Episodes VI And VII
This year, a new "Star Wars" novel from author Claudia Gray will detail the events in the life of Leia Organa - former princess, current general - between "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (1983) and the new sequel trilogy, which began with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015).
The main conflict in "Star Wars: Bloodline," which follows last year's "Star Wars: Aftermath" by Chuck Wendig, occurs several years before the events in the hugely successful "Episode VII" and will explain how the First Order ascended to power under the New Republic's watch.
In the novel, which takes place decades after the death of Darth Vader and the collapse of the Empire, Leia (Carrie Fisher in the "Star Wars" films) is in a position of power in the New Republic. Everything seems to be going well; however, Leia will begin to see that a new generation, unaware of the evils of the now-defunct Empire, could bring the galaxy back into turmoil.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"This novel isn't fundamentally about Leia as a wife, sister or mom; this is about the role she's created for herself since the fall of the Empire, and the one she takes up by the time of [The Force Awakens]," Gray told USA Today. But family is an important theme in the novel, as in the "Star Wars" films, and it will play "a key role" in a major scene, "one that has pretty far-reaching repercussions for several characters."
Fans of the "The Force Awakens" will be glad to know that some characters from the film are also in "Bloodline," though Gray also revealed that she has introduced plenty of new characters in the novel. One of them is "an ambitious young senator" called Ransolm Casterfo, who is "Leia's political opposite." According to Gray, "He even collects artifacts from the Empire, like pro-Palpatine banners, pieces of armor, and so on."
"Star Wars: Bloodline" will be released on May 3.
