New Star Wars Book Dives Deep Into History Of The Force

04/30/2017 04:58 pm EDT

Lucasfilm and Disney appear to be delving deep into some of George Lucas' discarded lore from the original Star Wars movie as evidenced by an impending book release.


Greg Rucka's forthcoming middle-grade novel Guardians of the Whills focuses on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story characters Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus will explore a different aspect of the Force not previously seen on film, but has been heavily hinted at in the new movies.

The new book will include excerpts from a collection curated by a new character Kozem Pel, referred to as a "Disciple of the Whills," hinting that a greater balance between the Light and Dark Sides of the Force could be explored in future films as we previously theorized.

Reddit user DreamJacket managed to get a copy of the book ahead of its release this Tuesday and took photos of the included excerpts, which is a part of an in-story work called "Collected Poems, Prayers, and Meditations On The Force."

Guardians of the Whills will show Baze and Chirrut's time before the events of Rouge One when they protect the ancient temple located on Jedha, where the Empire is seen harvesting Kyber crystals to power their Death Star.

The title itself is proof that the Lucasfilm Storygroup is using the once-discarded concept from Lucas himself, in which the Whills were an ancient race who conveyed the now-ancient story of Star Wars to Lucas, effectively making it a storytelling device.

But recent uses of it hint that the Whills had a different knowledge of the Force than what we see from the Jedi or the Sith; it tends to emphasize a balance between the two.

This was further hinted at in the first teaser for Star Wars: The Last Jedi in which Rey examines some ancient text with a logo of the old Jedi Order. Coupled with Luke Skywalker's declaration that the time of the Jedi "must end," we might be seeing the roots of begin to take hold of a whole new aspect of Force wielders in the Star Wars Universe.

Check out the synopsis for Guardians of the Whills below.

Baze and Chirrut used to be Guardians of the Whills, who looked after the Kyber Temple on Jedha and all those who worshipped there. Then the Empire came and took over the planet. The temple was destroyed and the people scattered. Now Baze and Chirrut do what they can to resist the Empire and protect the people of Jedha, but it never seems to be enough. When a man named Saw Gerrera arrives with grand plans to take down the Empire, it seems like the perfect way for Baze and Chirrut to make a real difference and help the people of Jedha. But will it come at too great a cost?

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi, from writer/director Rian Johnson, is in post-production now for a December 15, 2017 release. The film follows-up and continues the story of the next generation of the saga as Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren find their place in the galaxy and follow the legacy of Luke Skywalker, Leia, and Han Solo. Daisy Ridley returns to star as Rey, with other returning stars John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, Peter Mayhew, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Lupita Nyong'o Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa. Benicio Del Toro and Laura Dern join the cast in as-yet-unrevealed roles.

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