Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon
ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax embark on their descent into the galaxy’s underworld in search of answers and opportunity, in this essential prequel to Star Wars Outlaws.
Jaylen Barsha, heir to his family’s immense power and wealth, had his life charted out for him neatly and meticulously by his parents, even though he suspected his neglected half-brother Sliro would be a better fit for the bright corporate future his parents envisioned. Then the Empire stripped it all away on trumped-up charges of conspiracy against his family. Before he can reach Sliro for help redeeming the Barsha name, a battle droid arrives at the family compound with a mission to kill every last member of the Barsha clan. Jaylen manages to fend off the attack as the sole survivor, but realizes the droid, who he reprograms, is his only chance to stay alive. But he can no longer be Jaylen Barsha—he’ll have to live now as Jaylen Vrax.
Former Separatist battle droid ND-5 knows he should be scrap metal, all things considered. He was a proficient contributor to the Separatist cause, but what is a soldier without a war? A trigger without aim? Loyalty is in his programming, and Jaylen, who treats him as more than just a weapon, has earned it. Perhaps, the droid thinks, with a partner he can be more. ND-5 just has to earn Jaylen’s trust.
With the threat against the Barsha clan still shrouded in mystery, the pair has no choice but to leverage the chaos and disappear. They find sanctuary in the anonymity of the underworld, building their reputation among scoundrels, bounty hunters, and crime syndicates. But when their latest score gives the first real clue in years to who sent ND-5 after Jaylen’s family, their biggest opportunity presents a new kind of risk. Do they give up this chance at the wealth and power Jaylen was denied to pursue answers? Or will ambition and the weight of the past shatter their unlikely partnership?
Author: Mike Chen
Cover Artist: Matt Taylor
Release date: February 3, 2026
Page Count: 384 pages
There’s a long history of video game adaptations and spin-offs in the world of Star Wars literature. From the days of the Expanded Universe and Shadows of the Empire (1996) by Steve Perry, Karen Traviss Republic Commando series (2004 – 2008), Sean Williams duo of The Force Unleashed novels (2008 & 2010), and the Old Republic series (Fatal Alliance (2010) by Sean Williams, Deceived (2011) by Paul S. Kemp, Revan (2011) and Annihilation (2012) both by Drew Karpyshyn) to the canon era of Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad (2017) by Christie Golden and Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars (2023) by Sam Maggs, not to mention Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine (2004) by Voronica Whitney-Robinson and W. Haden Blackman. That’s a surprisingly long lineage of books (and there’s more than are listed here, including comics spin-offs from Marvel and Dark Horse), which means you could look at Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon in two ways; yet another spin-off, or the chance for Mike Chen to add his own unique flair, so deftly shown in his 2022 novel, Brotherhood.
While an admirer of the world of Star Wars video games, I’m far from an expert, on playing or the stories within, especially during the modern plot-focused era where a storyline can go in multiple directions, but here we have a prequel focused on two characters – former Separatist droid ND-5 and Jaylen, the son of a wealthy businessman and the target ND-5 was ordered to assassinate, along with his corrupt family – as they are thrown together and hurled into the underworld to survive. Thankfully, while a knowledge of the game would of course be helpful, it’s not essential, allowing us to enjoy the story for exactly what it is; a tale of mismatched partners, the worlds around them and the weight of trauma.
There are plenty of great places to visit. Corellia, Nar Shadaa, Jaylen’s family homeworld of Blutopia, and there’s also the very welcome presense of a number of very familiar characters, foremost amongst them Fennec Shand, Qi’ra and Outlaws stars Kay Vess and Nix in the epilogue, but while they certainly are welcome additions to the adventure, the focus is always ND-5 (from who’s position the story is told) and Jaylen. It also hits hard – ND-5 carries out a hit that wipes out a significant number of familial opponents, while Jaylens relationship with Sliro is never anything but interesting (not to mention the secret of their connection). There’s also a very welcome returning character for readers of Brotherhood – the Zabrak Mill Alibeth, the Jedi initiate last seen alongside Anakin Skywalker, who post-Order 66 is now a bounty hunter and scoundrel. It was a very welcome appearance, linking to Chen’s previous Star Wars novel in a very organic way.
It’s also fascinating to see the relationship between ND-5 and Jaylen develop, ending as it does with the former Separatist droid realising he’ll only ever be a sentient gun to Jaylen. Also, knowing that by the time we get to the epilogue (set years later) and by the time of the Outlaws game that ND-5 will be with Kay and Nix rather than Jaylen makes sense. It’s fascinating to see the story skip through time, told from ND-5’s POV (shades of I, Jedi and the first-person narrative of Corran Horn), as well as from Jaydens’, with the two viewpoints different in style (Jaylen’s full of analogies, ND-5 far more to the point), and with Chen’s easy, bouncy, pacey style it’s an enjoyable read, giving us hope that he returns for future books and stories.
So, it turns out the video spin-off novels are perfectly valid in their own right, and with new games on the way (Galactic Racer and Eclipse to name just two) there’s every reason to hope for more pixelated adventures. Now I really need to go and play Outlaws to see what becomes of these characters, and as for future books, fingers crossed Chen is among the authors involved.
Many thanks to Penguin Random House for the review copy.
