For the Star Wars fans who like to explore a galaxy far, far away beyond what the movies and TV shows provide (all of which you can watch with a Disney+ subscription), books are one of their main ways to do so. Even better, like with comics and video games, unless otherwise noted, every Star Wars book that’s been published after April 2014 is considered officially canon (as opposed to existing in the Legends continuity). This includes Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, which was written by Adam Christopher and is now available to buy.
Taking place 13 years before the events of The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith serves as a prequel to The Rise of Skywalker, fleshing out certain plot points that were only briefly touched upon in the 2019 movie. That, along with a handful of other captivating aspects of the story, make this Star Wars book a must-read for hardcore fans of the space opera franchise, which I’m here to go over.
Fair warning, I will bring up MINOR SPOILERS for Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith in this piece, but there won’t be any beans spilled on major plot twists and turns. You’ll need to read the book for yourself to get those!
It Features A Great Luke Skywalker And Lando Calrissian Team-Up
Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian were allies at the end of The Empire Strikes Back and into Return of the Jedi, but outside of the skirmish with Jabba the Hutt’s forces at the Great Pit of Carkoon, we never really saw them team up on screen. While Marvel Comics’ relaunched 2020 Star Wars comic book series paired them up for a bit in the opening arc, Shadow of the Sith delivers a proper team-up for the two men. At this stage of their lives, Luke is still putting training a new generation of Jedi (including his nephew Ben Solo, a.k.a. the future Kylo Ren) and looking across the galaxy for ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts, documents, etc. Meanwhile Lando Calrissian is still searching for his daughter who was kidnapped six years prior. It’s through that exhaustive mission that Lando learns about some people in danger enlists Luke’s help with trying to find them, which brings us to our next section.
We Learn More About Rey’s Parents
Contrary to what Kylo Ren told Rey in The Last Jedi, the young woman’s parents were not nobodies who sold her for drinking money. In The Rise of Skywalker, it was revealed that Rey’s father was actually the son of Emperor Palpatine, with the final Skywalker Saga chapter’s novelization further clarifying that this man was a failed clone of the man who once ruled the galaxy with an iron fist. Shadow of the Sith reveals that Rey’s father is named Dathan and her mother is named Miramir, and the book not only goes into how these two met, but follows them on the run with their young daughter. These are the people that Luke and Lando are trying to help in Shadow of the Sith (although they never learn young Rey’s name), and the book shows how far Dathan and Miramir are willing to go to protect their daughter.
Ochi Of Bestoon’s Downfall Is Explored
For folks who only watch the Star Wars movies and TV shows, they know Ochi of Bestoon as a corpse Rey and The Rise of Skywalker’s other starring heroes found on Pasaana, with a dagger inscribed with Sith text by his side. Marvel’s current Darth Vader comic book series has followed the younger Ochi serving the title Sith Lord in the time period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but Shadow of the Sith shows how this assassin’s downfall unfolded. If Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian are the main heroes of this story, then Ochi is unquestionably its main antagonist, having been tasked hunt down Rey and her parents, and bring the girl to Palpatine on Exegol, a location Ochi desperate to reach. You’ll have to read for yourself how the mission becomes a lot more complicated than he anticipated.
A Familiar Force Ghost Returns
Fresh off Liam Neeson cameoing at the end of the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale as Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force ghost, Shadow of the Sith delivers its Force Ghost appearance. However, because I fed revealing the identity of this individual would tread too far into major spoiler territory, I won’t say who it is. Just know that it’s a familiar face and that they appear at a key moment during Luke Skywalker tumultuous journey in this book. With Luke experiencing visions of Exegol that make it feel like he’s on that hellscape of a planet, any helping hand he can get is most appreciated.
An Ancient Sith Threat Reemerges
Palpatine lurks behind the proverbial curtain during Shadow of the Sith, but he doesn’t fill the role of the book’s main Sith threat. That position belongs to a different character, although once again, I’m not delving too deeply into this aspect of Shadow of the Sith since this is another aspect of the story that should be enjoyed as freshly as possible. Here’s a clue though: fans of the Darth Vader comic book series written by Charles Soule that’s set after the events of Revenge of the Sith will remember Darth Momin (as seen above), a Sith Lord from many years ago who was able to transfer his spirit inside of a mask before his physical body died. Think along those lines.
We Meet Younger Versions Of Beaumont Kin And Enric Pryde
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker introduced Dominic Monaghan’s Beaumont Kin and Richard E. Grant’s Allegiant General Pryde, the former being a Resistance trooper and the latter being one of the First Order’s highest-ranking officers. During Shadow of the Sith, Pryde is serving the First Order as a high colonel with an equally high opinion of himself. He’s forced to help Ochi of Bestoon despite his contempt for the hunter. As for Beaumont Kin, at this point in the Star Wars timeline, he’s an archaeologist with the Lerct Historical Institute, and it’s through a discovery made by one of his team members on the planet Yoturba that leads him to meet Luke Skywalker.
We Learn How Rey Ended Up On Jakku
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, if you’re reading this, you know things don’t end well for Rey’s parents in the Star Wars universe. When we met Rey in The Force Awakens, she was waiting for her family to take her off Jakku, but they never came because, as we learned in The Rise of Skywalker, Dathan and Miramir were killed by Ochi of Bestoon. You’d be correct in assuming that Shadow of the Sith expands upon how the couple died, but more importantly, we also find out the circumstances behind how Rey was left on Jakku, as well as why she was never found on the desert planet by Palpatine and the First Order. Yes, she lived a hard life due to the environment and being forced to work for Unkar Plutt, but it was better than the alternative.
There are plenty of other goodies left to be discovered in Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, so pick up your copy now! And as always, keep visiting CinemaBlend for all the latest and greatest news concerning the Star Wars franchise.
