Happy Star Wars Day!
Star Wars Day is coming up on May the Fourth. Enjoy May the Fourth by watching the films, reading some books set in the Star Wars universe, impressing your friends with movie trivia, or learning more about space.
It is an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan! The Mandalorian is an amazing show and I can’t wait to see what fate has in store for Din Djarin and Grogu (and I love all the Baby Yoda memes), but we have to wait until at least 2022. In the meantime, we can enjoy these books! By the way, Ahsoka, who appeared in Season 2 of The Mandalorian is getting her own show. If you’d like to learn more about her character, check out the first title on the list!
Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston
Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance.
Free Fall by Alex Segura
Poe Dameron has always wanted to fly. His mother was an A-wing pilot for the Rebellion, and showed him everything she knew about flying. After her death, Poe wants to leave Yavin 5 but his father wants him to stay put. Poe is hired as a pilot by a gang of smugglers, only to discover they are part of a criminal enterprise called the Spice Runners of Kijimi. With danger closing in, Poe will have to find out where he stands-- and what he stand for.
The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
Long before the First Order, before the Empire, Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic. Intrepid hyperspace scouts expand the reach of the Republic to the furthest stars, worlds flourish under the benevolent leadership of the Senate, and peace reigns, enforced by the wisdom and strength of the renowned order of Force users known as the Jedi. With the Jedi at the height of their power, the free citizens of the galaxy are confident in their ability to weather any storm. When a shocking catastrophe in hyperspace tears a ship to pieces, the flurry of shrapnel emerging from the disaster threatens an entire system. No sooner does the call for help go out than the Jedi race to the scene. The scope of the emergence, however, is enough to push even Jedi to their limit. As the sky breaks open and destruction rains down upon the peaceful alliance they helped to build, the Jedi must trust in the Force to see them through a day in which a single mistake could cost billions of lives. Even as the Jedi battle valiantly against calamity, something truly deadly grows beyond the boundary of the Republic. The hyperspace disaster is far more sinister than the Jedi could ever suspect. A threat hides in the darkness, far from the light of the age, and harbors a secret that could strike fear into even a Jedi’s heart.
Rebel Rising by Beth Revis
Follows the adventures of Jyn Erso as she trains under Saw Gerrera and learns how to become a proper rebel, preparations that come in handy when she is asked by the Rebellion to find out about the weapon that her father is helping the Empire construct. When Jyn Erso was five years old, her mother was murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. She was taken in by Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary in order to resist Imperial tyranny. Jyn dedicates herself to the rebel cause, and to Saw. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in-- and who she can really trust.
Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
The story of how Leia Organa comes to join the Rebellion. Sixteen-year-old Princess Leia has been taking rigorous survival courses, practicing politics, and spearheading relief missions to world under Imperial control so that she becomes formally named heir to the throne of Alderaan. When her parents begin acting strange, sixteen-year-old Princes Leia sets out to uncover their secrets, putting her in the path of the watchful Empire. She finds herself facing the choice of dedicating herself to the people of Alderaan, including the man she loves, or to the galaxy at large which in desperate need of a rebel hero.
Behind the Scenes
The Mandalorian by Phil Szostak
This official behind-the-scenes companion to the Disney+ series takes fans behind the scenes of the first ever live-action Star Wars television series. Filled with concept art, sketches, and interviews with key cast, crew, creatives, early visual and conceptual ideas for the new characters and unexplored frontiers, filled with crime syndicates, bounty hunters, and smugglers.
Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know by Adam Bray, Kerrie Dougherty, Cole Horton, and Michael Kogge
Win at Star Wars trivia! Provides fans of the Star Wars movies and television programs with lists, facts, and trivia about the characters and settings in the films and includes behind the scenes information about how the films were made.
Ultimate Star Wars by Patricia Barr, Adam Bray, Daniel Wallace, Ryder Windham
A guide to everything Star Wars, including characters, creatures, locations, technology, and vehicles
Space Science
Startalk: Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond with Neil deGrasse Tyson
A companion to the celebrated scientist's popular podcast and National Geographic Channel series combines the subjects of his favorite talks with comprehensive facts, sidebars, and imagery.
Beyond: Our Future in Space by Chris Impey
A report on humanity's imminent potential for living in space covers topics ranging from China's 2020 spacestation and the colonization of Mars to space-elevator innovations and the mapping of Earth-like exo-planets.
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