Where Queen’s Hope lands in E.K. Johnston’s Star Wars trilogy timeline

It’s a big year for Star Wars books, and the end of yet another novel trilogy (Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy concluded in November 2021 with Lesser Evil). This month, E.K. Johnston’s “Padmé trilogy,” which began in 2019, ends with the long-awaited Queen’s Hope. When does each of these books take place in the larger Star Wars timeline?

The third novel in the trilogy follows Padmé Amidala as she navigates her new life — balancing everything she’s grown used to as a Galactic Senator on top of the uncharted territory of being the secret wife of a Jedi. The story also follows Padmé’s handmaidens, similar to the past several books, as they navigate life truly apart from her for the very first time.

The first book in the series, Queen’s Shadow, took place between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Several years after Padmé’s term as the Queen of Naboo comes to an end, she leaves the planet to serve on the Galactic Senate upon invitation from Chancellor Palpatine. This is a new way of doing things for her and her handmaidens, and the group must begin to figure out who they want to be now that they’re not spending their days shadowing the Queen.

Though the second book in the series, Queen’s Peril actually takes place before Queen’s Shadow, prior to and then coinciding with TPM. It chronicles how each individual handmaiden was selected to serve Amidala and how the group was able to help Padmé escape the Trade Federation blockade.

Queen’s Hope, however, takes place between AOTC and ROTS (after Queen’s Shadow in the timeline) but at the very start of the Clone Wars. so almost directly after AOTC ends (with a little bit of overlap, but only in the beginning). An early excerpt of the novel revealed that its beginning chapters revolve around Anakin and Padmé’s wedding.

If you’re planning on reading Queen’s Hope, you should start with Queen’s Shadow first, followed by Peril and Hope to appreciate the full emotional weight and character growth built up throughout the trilogy.

Queen’s Hope, the third and final installment of E.K. Johnston’s “Padmé trilogy,” will be available April 5, 2022 wherever Star Wars books are sold.

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