Who’s writing The Rise of Skywalker novelization, Zahn has a new Thrawn trilogy and more Star Wars book and comic news out of NYCC

A number of notable fiction announcements came out of today’s Lucasfilm Publishing panel at New York Comic-Con: An author you’ll probably recognize has nabbed the next novelization, Timothy Zahn is writing a new trilogy that will feature Thrawn, and Marvel is indeed relaunching their main Star Wars title to pick up after ESB.

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B&N’s edition of Resistance Reborn will have exclusive bookmarks; Del Rey at NYCC

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Resistance Reborn isn’t coming out next week – at least for most of us – but when it does, fans who get it from Barnes & Noble will also get these double-sided bookmarks.

The book is Del Rey’s entry in the Journey to the Rise of Skywalker series, and is out on November 5 – but Del Rey is going to New York Comic Con next week (October 3-6), which will have a whole panel on Journey. There’s no con edition or early release for this round, but Roanhorse will be signing posters.

Del Rey lists three Star Wars centric panels – an audiobook one on Thursday, Lucasfilm Publishing on Friday, and the Journey panel, “Join the Resistance!” on Saturday, immediately followed by a Roanhorse signing. Other Star Wars authors signing include Delilah S. Dawson, Cavan Scott and Christian Blauvelt, and all the relevant details are in this PDF.

If you’re not attending NYCC, don’t worry – there are Journey novels coming out on Force Friday, but we’ll get to that in a day or so. (Or you can just check out the schedule, which is jam-packed.)

Disney publicity onslaughts continue, but not for anything actually new (yet)

The Rise of Skywalker (D23 sizzle)

If you haven’t heard enough about Disney+ or Galaxy’s Edge, boy are you in for a treat… Anyone who didn’t sign up for the streaming service during D23 can get in on the action now. At least one commercial was aired during the Emmys last night (where Star Wars alum Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her show Fleabag took home 3 awards – comedy actress, directing, and best comedy series).

As for Galaxy’s Edge, it’s full court press time now that it’s open on both coasts (though the second ride is still months out) and it’s getting an ABC “takeover” and a two-hour primetime TV special on Freeform. (If you can stand the chipperness, there’s a sneak peek at EW.)

As for that other big event coming up in December – remember movies?!? – things are slowly progressing. A spot for The Rise of Skywalker (the new D23 footage, sans flashback intro) was shown during Sunday night’s NFL game, and there’s apparently a spot based on the first trailer in circulation as well. An Empire cover with Kylo Ren has been spotted, not to mention a ton of toy leaks I won’t even get into. With Force Friday coming on October 4 we don’t have long now… No matter how long it feels.

How Disney World will let you take a Star Wars “space cruise”

Some questions about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser “experience” were revealed today at D23, but not the one everyone is most curious about: The prices. That’s just not very Disney magic, you know.

But Disney did reveal more about the cruise-like Halcyon. It really is being treated more like an actual cruise than your standard Disney hotel: Fans get a two day, two night stay, and everyone boards at the same time. From there, you’re in “space” – though there is a “a planet-side excursion to Black Spire Outpost on Batuu” and your visit becomes “a multi-day story that interweaves with members of the crew, other passengers, familiar Star Wars characters.” You get to visit the bridge, play with lightsabers and “discover hidden spaces deep in the mechanics of the ship.”

So as for how much it’ll cost you, we still only have those rumors. And will non-guests be allowed on-board at all? The “maybe we’ll just get dining reservations” approach seems less likely than ever…

Seeing red: Sith troopers reign over Star Wars at SDCC

The Rise of Skywalker’s new Sith trooper is on display at San Diego Comic-Con, and you can get a closer look at StarWars.com. There’s also a video playing at the booth, where J.J. Abrams talks about them:

Here’s the quote:

“The materials, the color, the lines, there was something about the aesthetic of it that just felt absolutely right,” said J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker co-writer/director, in the exhibit’s video. “I cannot wait for people to see the work that everyone’s done.” Indeed, the mini-documentary offers a tantalizing glimpse behind the scenes at the making of the armor, and the results are striking.

The trooper display is at the Lucasfilm pavilion (#2913) at SDCC.

The First Order comes to Kashyyyk in October’s Star Wars Adventures

The Lucasfilm publishing panel – our best hope for fresh Star Wars news – is Friday afternoon at SDCC, but there’s already one publishing announcement related to The Rise of Skywalker. IDW will begin a three-part post-The Last Jedi Chewbacca storyline beginning in October’s Star Wars Adventures #27.

The storyline, written by John Barber with art from Derek Charm, has Chewbacca and his fellow Wookiees fighting the First Order on Kashyyyk. The backup take, from writer Michael Moreci and artist Tony Fleecs, has Threepio, Artoo and BB-8 recruiting for the Resistance.

As for what’s coming, all we know is that the Lucasfilm Publishing panel features Lou Anders (Pirate’s Price), Katie Cook (Creatures Big & Small), Zorida Córdova (A Crash of Fate), Delilah Dawson (Black Spire), E. K. Johnston (Queen’s Shadow), George Mann (Myths & Fables), Brian Rood (The Skywalker Saga), Cavan Scott (Dooku: Jedi Lost), Kevin Shinick (Force Collector), Charles Soule (Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith), Timothy Zahn (Thrawn: Treason), and Rebecca Roanhorse (Resistance Reborn), plus Lucasfilm’s Michael Siglain and Jennifer Heddle.

It seems likely we might get some additional information on the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker program, the bulk of which was announced in May. There’s also the movie novelization author – Jason Fry (The Last Jedi) was announced at SDCC in 2017 and that he wasn’t actually there, which means the list of possible contenders isn’t restricted to the panelists.