Star Wars: The Last Jedi novelization gets a March 2018 release date

The novelization of Star Wars: The Last Jedi has an odd release date…

Author Jason Fry’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi novelization has a surprising release date according to Penguin Random House. The publisher posted on its website the release date for the film’s adaptation is March 6, nearly three months after the theatrical release.

How do past film novelization releases line up with their respective eight Star Wars live-action theatrical films?

• A New Hope: November 12, 1976. Film release date: May 25, 1977.
• The Empire Strikes Back: April 12, 1980. Film release date: May 21, 1980.
• Return of the Jedi: May 12, 1983. Film release date: May 25, 1983.
• The Phantom Menace: March 21, 1999. Film release date: May 19, 1999.
• Attack of the Clones: April 23, 2002. Film release date: May 16, 2002.
• Revenge of the Sith: April 2, 2005. Film release date:  May 19, 2005.
• The Force Awakens: December 15, 2015. Film release date: December 15, 2015.
• Rogue One: December 16th, 2016. Film release date: December 16, 2016.

As you can see from the results above, the release date for The Last Jedi book version is much later than previous releases. In fact, it’s the only film whose novel will not be available on the same day as its theatrical release, at the very latest.

What reasons could Lucasfilm and Disney have for establishing such a huge gap in between access to the film and book?

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The powers that be haven’t given Star Wars fans a specific reason, but we have a few ideas. In previous novelizations, there are some minor differences in details than the film, due to the novel being written and completed well before the final version of the film is fully edited. With the new canon fully established — which if you’re late to the party on that you can catch up on the timeline here — Lucasfilm may want to have as few discrepancies and limit confusion as much as possible, hence giving the author time to match up things with the final product of the film.

An exciting possibility could be in getting more details on past events revealed in the novel, such as Luke Skywalker’s thirty-year history gap between Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi.

In the film, it’s hard to express and fit in all those aspects, so why not do it within the novelization? Plus, it offers a pay-back and gives incentive for fans to buy the novel as well. I love this idea and I hope it comes to fruition.

Next: 50 Most Memorable Moments from Star Wars: The Clone Wars

The Last Jedi hits theaters December 15th, 2017 and there is an even longer wait for those itching to get their hands on the hard back version.

In the meantime, pick up other Star Wars books from author Jason Fry here to get your fix in the meantime.