Starfighter Prequel Comic, New Leia Novel and 50th-Anniversary Books Revealed
Lucasfilm's New York Comic Con publishing panel unveiled new Starfighter tie-ins, a Claudia Gray Leia novel, and a broad 2027 program celebrating 50 years of Star Wars.
Quick read: At NYCC on October 9, Lucasfilm detailed a Starfighter prequel comic, visual dictionary, expanded novelization, new Leia and Reign of the Empire novels, and numerous 50th-anniversary books planned for 2027.
A large publishing program for the 50th-anniversary year
Lucasfilm used its October 9, 2026 New York Comic Con publishing panel to identify a substantial slate of novels, comics and illustrated reference works for 2027. The announcements mark the 50th anniversary of the original 1977 Star Wars film but are not all retellings of that movie. The program includes new fiction in several periods of the fictional chronology as well as works documenting how the franchise was produced and received.
Among the newly named fiction titles is Star Wars: Princess of the Rebellion, a young-adult Leia Organa novel by Claudia Gray scheduled for May 4, 2027. Fran Wilde will continue the Reign of the Empire novel series with From the Ashes. Lucasfilm announced these as separate publishing projects: one centered on Leia, and the other extending a series about the Empire's ascent. The panel did not provide enough information to infer every event or character connection within either plot.
Starfighter will extend beyond the cinema
Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter is due in theaters May 28, 2027. The publishing program includes several works that will let readers encounter its setting before or alongside the film. Marvel announced Star Wars: Starfighter: The Rock Pirate of Kaneen, a prequel miniseries written by Marc Guggenheim. A prequel is a new storytelling installment, not a reproduction of the film's screenplay; precise character appearances and plot outcomes should be checked against the eventual issues.
Random House Worlds will publish an expanded novelization by Delilah Dawson. Abrams is preparing The Art of Star Wars: Starfighter by Phil Szostak, and DK has announced a Starfighter Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo for May 28, 2027. The art book and visual dictionary serve different purposes. The former documents production design and development; the latter presents in-universe reference information about characters, places and vehicles. Several books for younger readers were also announced, ranging from a Little Golden Book to middle-grade and young-adult titles.
The original 1977 film also receives a publishing retrospective
The anniversary selection includes Star Wars: Celebrating 50 Years of A New Hope, assembled by author Kristin Baver to examine the original film's impact through contributions from people in different fields. Abrams will also release a 50th-anniversary edition of original-trilogy storyboards, preserving a visual record of cinematic planning rather than adding newly canonical events to the galaxy's fictional history.
Other announced volumes include a collector's edition of the A New Hope shooting script, a new A New Hope visual archive, a reissue of the original-film manga and further illustrated material. Some titles reproduce or revisit existing material. Collectors should distinguish an actual new narrative from a new printing, new format or retrospective edition. Publication dates and formats for individual titles may change as publishers update their catalogs.
How these announcements connect to existing IDS reporting
The panel also discussed Ahsoka: Escape from Thrawn, the Marvel five-issue project about Ezra Bridger's escape that IDS covered on October 7. That comic should remain a separate news entry because its central development, creators and January 20, 2027 opening issue have already been reported. The new story here is the wider 2027 publishing slate, especially the new Starfighter material and anniversary documentation.
More details, including final covers, individual release dates, page counts and retailer-specific editions, should be checked against official publisher listings rather than assumed from a convention presentation. As the books appear, the IDS books and comics hubs can connect production histories, original fiction and retrospective editions without presenting every release as equivalent.
Source trail
What this report is based on
- StarWars.com: NYCC 2026 Lucasfilm Publishing reveals ↗Primary Lucasfilm report dated October 9, 2026; titles, authors and planned formats.
- StarWars.com: NYCC 2026 overall recap ↗Lucasfilm's October 11 recap cross-checking the publishing announcements.
IDS labels unconfirmed information explicitly and updates stories when official information materially changes the status.