Good Morning Youtinians. Last week, we finally got to see all of the different badge art for Star Wars Celebration Japan, and it’s amazing! We asked you which one was your favorite, and the big winner was Obi-Wan vs. Anakin, with almost 48% of the vote. The design featuring Princess Leia came in second, with just under 17%.

— JG Carse, Emmi Conner, and Doc B

March Star Wars Book Releases

2025 holds many new Star Wars publishing releases that we cannot wait for! Here are a few that we’ve got coming up in March:

• Hyperspace Stories: Qui-Gon by George Mann and Andrea Mutti: This is the trade paperback edition of Qui-Gon’s Hyperspace Stories run.

  • It should be no surprise that with George Mann as the author of this story, we’re going to be getting some great High Republic-era insights! This story follows Qui-Gon and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as they try to unlock the secrets of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door.

  • George Mann also dove into the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door in his young adult novel, The High Republic: Tears of the Nameless, which we highly recommend!

  • This trade paperback will be released on March 4th!

• Jedi Knights #1 by Marc Guggenheim and Madibek Musabekov: Even more Qui-Gon content in this upcoming issue!

  • This new series focuses on the protectors of peace in the galaxy far, far away, and will bring us a story about each of our favorite Jedi Knights.

  • This first issue is set in the Prequel era and features a new villain moving in against the Jedi.

  • You can be on the lookout for this issue on March 5th!

• Inquisitors by Rodney Barnes and Ramon Rosanas: This trade paperback collects all four issues of the Inquisitors miniseries.

  • The Inquisitors have been explored in so many formats of Star Wars media, and this story perfectly illustrates why they are to be feared and avoided.

  • Tensu Run, a Jedi who escaped the horrors of Order 66, is constantly on the run from the Inquisitors, but they will stop at nothing to find him and uncover his secrets about the Jedi Order.

  • This trade paperback will hit comic store shelves on March 25th!

We're all fine here now — how are you? These are just a few Star Wars reads we can’t wait to check out next month. Check out what the guys on The Cosmic Force have to say about these comics once you finish reading them!

The Mask Has Been Freed!

As this edition of Dispatch drops, so does the new novel Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed, the first in a new trilogy of books. Youtini's own Eric sat down recently for an interview with Alexander. Eric asked the big questions, and boy, oh boy, did we get the answers!

Highlights from the interview include:

• While connected to the other two, each book in the trilogy will stand alone as a functional, interesting, and self-contained story. The hooks and seeds that Freed sets up will be used by Rebecca Roanhorse in the second book.

• Part of the original pitch for the trilogy from Lucasfilm emphasized the three main characters of Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera. These characters each have an amazing arc, but at the same time, they have different takes on establishing the Rebellion for readers to explore.

• Mon Mothma’s character story was the one that sat with Freed the best. He had little to do with Organa before this novel, and in the case of Gerrera, he says, “I need a Separatist. Right. And then you flesh it out from there”.

• The new novel will have moments and themes connected and linked to the fantastic Andor TV series and, by extension, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Freed confirms this by stating, “Rather than find someone who can imitate Andor, it’s like who do we have in the stable who’s broadly going in the same direction and then let (them do) their thing”. And oh, how Freed has!

• Freed describes the early Star Wars as iconic black and white. His work fleshes out stories only implied so far in the saga and explores some less clearly delineated themes.

• Although created for our favorite galaxy, far, far away, Freed teases that, like his new book, we live in a world of considerable political divisiveness and upheaval today. He encourages us to jump on and enjoy the ride, stating, “Fiction deals with these issues… (this is) part of how we as a society come to terms with these things”.

Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed arrives in stores today, Tuesday 25th, and is available wherever Star Wars stories are sold!

We’re all fine here now — how are you? Be sure to check out the entire conversation in audio on The Youtini Show, or read through the transcription on Youtini.com — the BEST source for all your Star Wars news!

Yes, Mann Is Audible Underwater!

In an exciting announcement from Audible, The High Republic: Haunted Starlight, a new original story by George Mann, arrives on March 6th, 2025.

What we know about this awesome-sounding new Star Wars journey from the amazing time of The High Republic:

The story is a ripper: The full synopsis discloses two key points:

• Days after the Jedi stationed on the oceanic world of Eiram have seemingly neutralized any threats to the local people, mysterious growths begin to overtake the city. 

• After the Jedi make a connection to the sunken wreckage of Starlight Beacon, they’re forced to embark on a thrilling underwater adventure where the gloomy depths hide horrors at every turn.

The narrator is familiar:

• The project has a singular narrator, Todd Haberkorn, who has dubbed voices for anime, films, video games and novels.

• He has also voiced a character in Star Wars: Squadrons. If you listen carefully, you’ll connect his voice to that of an Imperial Pilot.

The Jedi does return:

• Jedi Padawan Cam Lindon will once again lead the mission. Creators introduced the new character at a 2024 convention.

• The earlier Audible story, The High Republic: Seeds of Starlight, revealed that Lindon lost the ability to speak after a hovercar crash on Coruscant. You can just make out the vocoder he uses to speak in the initial images released by Lucasfilm.

The links are key:

• The story takes place in Phase III of The High Republic, which began with George Mann’s awesome thriller, The Eye of Darkness. 

• For more, check out our article about Seeds of Starlight and the Youtini Canon Book Club roundtable, as well as our review of The Eye of Darkness.

We’re all fine here now — how are you? Haunted Starlight promises to be another Mann classic!

🛰️ In the Youtiniverse

• Anthony brings us his review of Star Wars Bestiary, Volume 1: Creatures of the Galaxy, Insight Editions’ latest in-universe Star Wars reference book.

• In our latest personal reflection from the Youtini staff, Steven looks back at his Star Wars journey and names the three books that have had the biggest impact on him.

• In a new, comprehensive guide, Eric examines The Complete Story of Grogu.

🚀 Ready for Dispatch

• The first trailer for Andor Season 2 is out! Lucasfilm has also confirmed the release schedule.

• Hayden Christensen and Vanessa Marshall are the latest celebrity guests announced for Star Wars Celebration Japan.

• The Celebration excitement continues with the Art Show reveal!

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