It’s been far too long – 9 years – since John Jackson Miller delved into the Star Wars story, but he’s back with The Living Force, a pre-The Phantom Menace tale that sees the galaxy on the brink of change.
In the year before The Phantom Menace, Yoda, Mace Windu, and the entire Jedi Council confront a galaxy on the brink of change.
The Jedi have always traveled the stars, defending peace and justice across the galaxy. But, the galaxy is changing, and along with it, the Jedi Order. More and more, the Order finds itself focused on the future of the Republic, secluded on Coruscant, where the twelve members of the Jedi Council weigh crises on a galactic scale.
As yet another Jedi Outpost leftover from the Republic’s golden age is set to be decommissioned on the planet Kwenn, Qui-Gon Jinn challenges the Council about the increasing isolation of the Order. Mace Windu suggests a bold response: all twelve Jedi Masters will embark on a goodwill mission to help the planet, and remind the people of the galaxy that the Jedi remain as stalwart and present as they have been across the ages.
But the arrival of the Jedi leadership is not seen by all as a cause for celebration. Warring pirate factions have infested the sector in the increasing absence of the Jedi. To maintain their dominance, the pirates unite, intent on assassinating the Council. And they are willing to destroy countless innocent lives to secure their power.
Cut off from Coruscant, the Jedi Masters must reckon with an unwelcome truth: that while no one thinks more about the future than the Jedi Council, nobody needs their help more than those living in the present.
io9 were provided thoughts from Miller, who seems excited to be returning to the Star Wars galaxy for the first time since A New Dawn back in 2014.
Author: John Jackson Miller
Release Date: April 9, 2024
Page Count: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0593597958
ISBN-13: 978-0593597958
“Many of my Star Wars works have explored what it meant to be a Jedi alone, cut off from the Jedi Order. The organization came in for criticism in those books, and I found myself sympathizing with Qui-Gon Jinn, who felt they’d lost touch. So when [Random House Worlds] editor Tom Hoeler invited me to develop a story for the Jedi Council in their last year before The Phantom Menace, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”
“With some Councilors trying to see the future while others are reeling under the bureaucratic demands of an increasingly corrupt Republic, Qui-Gon challenges them to get out of the Council Chamber and rediscover the Jedi they used to be. Their response is a ‘road trip’ for all 12 Councilors, giving us our first in-depth adventures with many of them—and a look into a side of the galaxy that can’t be seen from their Temple on Coruscant. We also learn what it’s like to live in the immediate pre-Prequel era, whether you’re a civilian, a member of the nascent Republic military, or in the underworld.”
“I’m delighted to return to the Star Wars universe for a story that’s jam-packed with adventures for the Councilors—and for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan Kenobi, to boot. As the former later says to the latter in The Phantom Menace: be mindful of The Living Force!”
The Living Force arrives 9th April 2024 from Random House Worlds, and fingers crossed we’ll be chatting with John on a future episode of Canon Fodder.
- Hardcover Book
- Miller, John Jackson (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 432 Pages - 04/09/2024 (Publication Date) - Random House Worlds (Publisher)
