Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans had their eyes glued to their screens on Star Wars day to watch the Season Seven finale that wrapped up the popular television show that emphasized our love for the Star Wars universe. But Star Wars isn’t done with The Clone Wars just yet.
While the show gave us a deeper look into the war that raged on between “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” a series of short stories in the latest novel installment will go even deeper than that.
In 2019, Star Wars announced “The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark” will be a book consisting of 11 stories by 11 authors that give a new perspective about significant episodes from the show itself with hopes of being a perfect tribute.
The book will also be loaded with watercolor recreations of memorable Clone Wars characters by freelance comic book illustrator Ksenia Zelentsova (seriously, her art is beautiful).
The book will be released on August 25, 2020.
The stories compiled are inspired by popular story arcs from The Clone Wars, like the pirates of Florrum, the siege of Umbara, and the reintroduction of Darth Maul. Some of the short stories are retellings of episode favorites, while others take a deeper look at characters introduced by the series.
“It expands Star Wars in such a fascinating way, building on what the movies had to offer,” author Zoraida Cordova said. “I hope new readers who are being introduced to the Clone Wars for the first time get to see what an incredible show it is.”
Preeti Chhibber, a youth and young adult science fiction writer, chose to write her short story “Hostage Crisis” inspired by the Season one finale episode with the same name. She said her favorite part about The Clone Wars was how it told viewers more about the relationship between Anakin and Padme to compliment the romance in the films.
“It had more time to explore the depth of their connection with each other, and ‘Hostage Crisis’ really exemplified that to me,” she said in an email.
Chhibber’s story is told through Anakin’s perspective when bounty hunter Cad Bane and his crew take over the Senate building, holding a group of senators, including Padme, hostage.
“In the episode itself as it aired, we see what Padme’s going through, and the Chancellor, as well as Bane and his crew- but I really wanted to narrow it down to just Anakin’s perspective on the entire event,” she said. “So it’s telling that story, but through someone who only gets pieces of information. That to me ups the stakes as a reader and really puts you in the middle of the action in the most anxiety-inducing way.”
Fiction author Jason Fry also jumped at the chance to write through the perspective of a Star Wars favorite character. His contributed story, “Sharing the Same Face” follows the very first episode of The Clone Wars series “Ambush,” where Yoda and three clone troopers travel to a neutral moon for secret negotiations.
“I’ve written a lot of Star Wars books and short stories, but I’d never had the chance to get into Yoda’s head, and it was on my authorial bucket list,” he said. “I also thought it would be fun to explore his relationship with the Force — what does it feel like for a character who’s basically a creaky old frog (sorry, master) to channel this energy field so he can spring over battle droids and fight with blinding speed?”
The episode sums up the entire story of the Clone Wars: The strange bargain that the Jedi are now military officers that lead clone soldiers that were created for the purpose to follow orders and fight in a war. Fry’s story is a quiet character moment where Yoda insists to these clones that they are real people and that their lives matter. The story is also one of the few times where the reader
“He treats (the clones) like real people, when the clones themselves aren’t sure they are, and it’s warm and beautiful and human,” he said. “But beneath that is something unsettling” We already know the story ends tragically.”
Other stories retell an episode of the show with a more detailed narrative about a specific character. Greg van Eekhout’s story “Kenobi’s Shadow” shows readers one of the rare instances where Obi-Wan struggles to control his hate and resist the temptation to the dark side of the Force.
The story is inspired by the 16th episode of season five “The Lawless,” one of the few episodes where Obi-Wan goes against the Jedi Council and the last episode of the story arc that introduces Darth Maul’s siege of Mandalore.
“It all comes together in one of the most eventful moments in the entire Star Wars saga, and with so much rich material there, the real challenge was choosing which elements to explore and expand upon,” Eekhout said.
Eekhout said that while the saga sees a lot of Obi-Wan, there aren’t any significant moments where he acts on his emotions or really struggles to hold it together.
“There’re a lot of blasters and running and speeder chases in the story, but the key moment is very quiet, with Obi-Wan on his knees, in binders, fighting the darkness in himself,” he said. “I wanted to show his victory, which comes very soon before Anakin’s failure, and to illustrate the ultimate contrast between the two of them.”
“Stories of Light and Dark” isn’t just highlighting the stories of the Republic or the Jedi. Favorite characters like Hondo Ohnaka, Darth Maul, and Mother Talzin.
Cordova loves villains of all kinds and wanted to focus on Ventress’s thoughts and actions after the trauma she’s experienced. Her story is inspired by the episode “Bounty” from season four when Asajj Ventress witnesses the deaths of the Nightsisters and joins Boba Fett on a Bounty mission.
Being one of her favorite episodes, she really wanted to capture Ventress’s thought pattern after this massacre she just witnessed.
“It shows Ventress’s vulnerability in a different way,” Cordova said. “She goes from an asset to a liability. She’s used and then she’s discarded. But when Ventress returns to her sisters, she’s home. Then that’s all taken away from her rather violently. In my mind, ‘Bounty’ is the moment she finds herself and remembers that all she needs is to believe in herself again.”
The tribute will also be released in audiobook form as part of the release and listeners will hear some familiar voices in the story.
Clone Wars voice actors like Matt Lanter, (Anakin Skywalker), Catherine Taber (Padmé Amidala), and James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) will be reprising their roles from the show as narrators for the audiobook.
See the full narrator list for “Stories of Light and Dark” below.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars- Stories of Light and Dark is currently available for pre-order and will be released on August 25.
The Stories
1. “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General” from Season 1, Episodes 11 and 12 of the same name by Lou Anders. Read by Corey Burton.
2. Bane’s Story” by Tom Angleberger, based on Season 4, Episodes 15–18 “Deception,” “Friends and Enemies,” “The Box,” and “Crisis on Naboo.” Read by Corey Burton.
3. “Hostage Crisis” by Preeti Chhibber, based on Season 1, Episode 22 of the same name. Read by Matt Lanter
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“Bug” an original story by Ann Convery, based on Season 4, Episode 19 “Massacre.” Read by Catherine Taber.
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“The Lost Nightsister” by Zoraida Cordova based on Season 4, Episode 20 “Bounty.” Read by Nika Futterman.
6. Almost a Jedi” by Sarah Beth Durst, based on Season 5, Episode 9 “A Necessary Bond.” Read by Olivia Hack.
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“Kenobi’s Shadow” by Greg van Eekhout, based on Season 5, Episode 16 “The Lawless.” Read by James Arnold Taylor.
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“Sharing the Same Face” by Jason Fry, based on Season 1, Episode 1 “Ambush.” Read by James Arnold Taylor.
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“The Shadow of Umbara” by Yoon Ha Lee, based on Season 4, Episodes 7–10 “Darkness on Umbara,” “The General,” “Plan of Dissent,” and “Carnage of Krell.” Read by James Arnold Taylor.
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“Dark Vengeance” by Rebecca Roanhorse, based on Season 4, Episode 21 “Brothers.” Read by Sam Witwer.
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“Pursuit of Peace” by Anne Ursu, based on Season 3, Episode 10 “Heroes on Both Sides.” Read by Catherine Taber.
Sara Edwards is a columnist for Boardwalk Times
