Star Wars fans are still feeling some kind of way over the news that they could’ve had a Kylo Ren spinoff film with Adam Driver – if Disney hadn’t killed it. However, fans of a galaxy far, far, away should know better than anybody that in the darkest of moments, new hope always emerges. Such is the case today, as the Star Wars franchise officially pushes ahead with its first piece of franchise content set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: The Last Order is the new YA novel by New York Times bestselling author Kwame Mbalia, and it continues the story of Finn (John Boyega) and Jannah (Naomi Ackie), the Resistance fighter he met and fell for in TROS. It will be the first release that fans have been anticipating, ever since Lucasfilm pitched a new slate of projects that included a Jedi Order origin film being worked on by Logan director James Mangold, as well as a ‘New Jedi Order’ project being spearheaded by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, which will feature the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey.
But, as always with Star Wars these days, there’s a catch to what Lucasfilm is doing with the continuity of the franchise.
The Last Order will push the Star Wars franchise timeline forward as advertised, but just barely. The book’s events took place immediately following the events of The Rise of Skywalker: Finn and Jannah, having both been children enslaved by the First Order, are still out there fighting to liberate other kids. “The Resistance rescues a ship full of young passengers who had been kidnapped by the First Order. As Finn and Jannah set out to find the First Order officer responsible before he can endanger any more children, the two former stormtroopers must wrestle with their own complicated pasts as soldiers of the oppressive regime,” is how the synopsis frames the tale.
For fans of the Star Wars sequel trilogy – especially those who were critical of Finn’s (and by extension John Boyega’s) muted arc, this is going to be some much-needed backfilling for both Finn’s character, and Jannah, who was all but a bit character in TROS’ overstuffed storyline. Hopefully, the book being a YA project means that it will deal with the kind of angst and mental/emotional issues that could lead to a very pivotal outcome: Finn getting better in tune with Force abilities that he demonstrated in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, before Disney reversed course on making the character a prominent franchise figure. Fans have been saying for over half a decade now that Finn deserved better – hopefully The Last Order and its acclaimed author are the first step toward him getting it.
Star Wars: The Last Order is now on sale and can be ordered HERE.
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