Star Wars Officially Announces the Most Exciting New Prequel In 27 Years

Star Wars has never exactly bothered to tell the story in timeline order. George Lucas himself started off that habit when he decided to title the first Star Wars film “Episode IV,” only returning to tell the story of Anakin Skywalker’s downfall in 1999. The Clone Wars timeline is so confused Lucasfilm had to publish an official chronology to make sense of it. But now, Lucasfilm has officially announced the most exciting prequel yet, one to Star Wars’ best TV show.

Last year, Lucasfilm launched a new trilogy called “Reign of the Empire” set during the Dark Times when the Empire dominated the galaxy. Gizmodo has officially revealed the cover for the second book, Rebecca Roanhorse’s Edge of the Abyss. The novel is set just a year before Andor and features several key returning characters:

The returning characters include (but are not limited to)

• Anto Kreegyr
• Luthen Rael
• Kleya Marki
• Nisus Osar (one of the members of the Ministry of Enlightenment we see making plans for anti-Ghorman propaganda in Andor season 2)
• Perrin Fertha
• Leida Mothma
• Mon Mothma
• Bail Organa
• Saw Gerrera

Roanhorse is no stranger to Star Wars (she penned the excellent Resistance Reborn ahead of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). This will apparently feature setup for Andor Season 2’s Ghorman Massacre – including a trip to Ghorman itself – as well as a moment that will thrill fans. On social media, one editor associated with the franchise has uttered three exciting words: “Leia, meet Leida.” That’s a reference to Mon Mothma’s daughter, and the tease is for an encounter viewers were eager to see.

This is the Andor Prequel We’ve Been Waiting For

Star Wars has always been a transmedia franchise, and Lucasfilm Publishing’s novels offer a delightful window into the souls of some of the best characters of all. The first book in “Reign of the Empire,” Alexander Freed’s The Mask of Fear, was genuinely one of the best in the entire range. Roanhorse is a skilled writer who will surely give us a delightful fresh glimpse into the minds of Andor‘s heroes and villains, and it’s particularly exciting to see her handle Luthen Rael and Kleya Marki. It’s possible we’ll finally see how the Axis network was formed.

Still, the glimpse of Leia on the cover is probably the most exciting part of this announcement. We’ve already seen a young Princess Leia in Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by the wonderful Vivien Lyra Blair), and it will be fascinating to see how her adopted father Bail tried to keep her out of the spotlight for as long as possible. There will be a certain tragic irony in bringing Leia face-to-face with Leida Mothma, given Leia would eventually become more of a daughter to Mon than Leida ever was, after the destruction of Alderaan.

Star Wars: Reign of the Empire – Edge of the Abyss releases on September 15, 2026, and is available for preorder from Amazon now.

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