It’s been almost 20 years since Attack of the Clones first debuted in theaters in May 2002. The film was the first to pair Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) together with Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala) and the rest of the iconic cast.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Insider will release a total of four new short stories featuring familiar characters from the prequel films.
According to StarWars.com:
"“Kicking off with issue 209, which hits US newsstands on March 15, Star Wars Insider will mark the milestone 20th anniversary of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones with “Galactic Tales”: four original works of short fiction featuring some of the film’s most memorable heroes and villains.”"
In the first tale, Zam Wesell and Jango Fett team up to complete a dangerous job in a thrilling story by writer S.T. Bende. Next, Richard Dinnick will chronicle General Grievous’s journey across the galaxy to retrieve a Jedi artifact.
Additionally, Dexter Jettster is the star of Goerge Mann’s contribution to these “Galactic Tales.” Mann has previously written and contributed to several Star Wars short story collections, including Myths & Fables and Dark Legends. Most recently, he teamed up with author Cavan Scott for Life Day: Treasury.
Rodney Barnes will pen the final story featuring Mace Windu and his squad of clone troopers as they pursue a dangerous target.
Further exploring these characters in canon for the first time is no accident. While Star Wars legends dedicated plenty of stories to further develop Windu, Wesell, and others, canon hasn’t had the chance to spend as much time in the prequel era of storytelling yet, with the exception of books such as E.K. Johnston’s Padmé novels and several other stories.
The Force is strong with the prequels, and there’s no better way to honor their legacy by giving their greatest characters even more room to grow.
Star Wars Insider #209 releases March 15, 2022.