Star Wars: 5 projects we still have to look forward to this year

Even though the year is half over, we still have plenty of Star Wars projects to look forward to

With the confirmation that Star Wars Celebration 2020 has been canceled, it may look like there is little material from that galaxy far, far away to look forward to. But this is far from the truth! There’s a wealth of books, comics, and big events to look forward to – here are my top 5.

Star Wars Item No. 1: Books!   

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There are plenty of Star Wars books coming out this year, but the two that deserve special mention are Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising (releasing Sept 1, 2020), which will see Timothy Zahn telling us the origin of everyone’s favorite Imperial in the Chiss Ascendancy, and Shadow Fall (releasing 25 June, 2020), which will see the continuing adventures of the fantastic Alphabet Squadron.

This means we get a story of political intrigue in a mysterious new setting in Chaos Rising and a familiar, character-driven adventure tale in Shadow Fall! What’s more, both books are part of trilogies of books, so promise further stories down the line.

And these are just some of the books we have headed our way!

Star Wars Item No. 2: The return of comics  

Whilst we’ve had a few comics since the global pandemic started, their releases have understandably stagnated as shops close. But they shall be returning to regular release soon enough, and there’s much to look forward to on that front.

The stories being told in the Star Wars and Darth Vader main lines were truly fantastic, and we had some great spin-offs like Bounty Hunters. What’s more, we’ve got the continuing adventures of Doctor Aphra coming our way, which started off with a bang with issue No. 1.

The stories are all still there, and we’ll be able to revisit them sooner or later but, whilst we’re waiting, why not re-read those old issues?

Star Wars Item No. 3: The Mandalorian Season 2 Trailer and show 

The Mandalorian Season 2 is one of the few Star Wars things that hasn’t been impacted significantly by the pandemic (as far as we know, at least) and with the continuing casting rumors increasing in intensity, now is the perfect time to drop a trailer.

I suspect the trailer was originally intended for Celebration, so that means it will come in the next few months ahead of the series’ release in October.

The trailer will surely whet our appetites for the main event later this year and perhaps we’ll even get confirmation of whether the big names like Ahsoka will be in the show. Or maybe we’ll just get some more shots of Baby Yoda, and that’ll be good enough.

Star Wars Item No. 4: Star Wars: Squadrons  

The recently announced new first-person fighter-pilot game, Star Wars: Squadrons, is coming our way sooner than we expected on October 2 of this year (that means a new video game and show in one month!).

The game will give us a single-player story campaign (featuring some familiar faces!) set just after Endor as well as an epic multiplayer setting, which will be the main event.

It’s yet another way that the Star Wars galaxy is expanding and I for one cannot wait to see it.

Star Wars Item No. 5: From A Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back  

The fantastic short-story anthology that tells the tales of the movies from the perspectives of minor background characters is giving The Empire Strikes Back its treatment.

The first anthology, covering A New Hope, was truly fantastic and gives so must trivia-knowledge for any Star Wars fan, and the second one, released November 10, will no doubt be just as great.

We’ve already been teased with tales of IG-88 and Dengar teaming up, and an exploration into the enigmatic Dagobah cave in this tome.

One only needs to look at the list of authors to see what great talent is on display, such as that of E.K. Johnston, Delilah Dawson, and Cavan Scott.

So, whilst Celebration may not be going ahead, this year still promises a wealth of new material for all us fans, something to look forward to in these trying times. Whether you’re a fan of the books, video games, or TV shows, there’s something for everyone.

Which release are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know below!