The galaxy far, far away has faced its fair share of challenges since Disney took over Star Wars. Following the divisive conclusion of the Skywalker saga in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, the franchise entered a theatrical hiatus, leaving fans to rely primarily on Disney+ series to keep the Star Wars story alive. Shows came and went, some great, some less so, and fans were left asking, when does Star Wars feel like a cultural event again?
The wait is over as The Mandalorian and Grogu is just days away from becoming the first Star Wars movie in nearly seven years. Also, Maul – Shadow Lord is already streaming and earning some of the best reviews the franchise has seen in years.
Lucasfilm is stacking one major release on top of another, and it doesn’t stop there. A new video game is on the way, Ahsoka Season 2 is waiting in the wings, alongside numerous novels and comics.
Star Wars is heating up again at the perfect time, as 2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the franchise, a milestone Lucasfilm is already building toward with Starfighter set for release on May 28, 2027, and Star Wars Celebration returning to Los Angeles in April of that year. A franchise entering its 50th year can’t afford to slow down, so the massive amount of content coming in 2026 makes perfect sense.
All Star Wars Content Releasing in the Rest of 2026
Ahsoka Season 2
Ahsoka Season 2 is arriving on Disney+ this year, and it's one of the most anticipated Star Wars projects of 2026, which isn’t a surprise given how popular Ahsoka Tano, the lead character, is among fans. Filming wrapped in the UK in October 2025, and Dave Filoni's buddy, Jon Favreau, says he's seen all eight episodes. Rosario Dawson, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Hayden Christensen, and Lars Mikkelsen all return, picking up with Ahsoka and Sabine stranded on Peridea as Thrawn moves against the New Republic.
Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi
The Ninth Jedi is the first full series under the new Star Wars Visions Presents banner, arriving on Disney+ this year. Writer-director Kenji Kamiyama and Production IG are expanding their acclaimed Visions short, which followed the daughter of a sabersmith as she delivered weapons to a new generation of Force users, into a full serialized anime.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer
Lucasfilm Games is also making a return trip to an old well. At The Game Awards in December, Fuse Games and Secret Mode revealed Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a high-speed arcade racing adventure. The game is set in the lawless Outer Rim after the fall of the Empire, inside an unsanctioned circuit called the Galactic League.
Players take on the role of Shade, a lone racer with a grudge, and square off against a rival named Kestar across speeder bikes, landspeeders, and other craft. A gameplay trailer showed up on Sony’s State of Play in February. Galactic Racer launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC this year.
Prequel Novelization Reprints
On the publishing side, 2026 is one of the busiest years Lucasfilm Publishing has put together in a while. The franchise will release reprints of three of Star Wars' most important books. Random House Worlds is putting all three prequel novelizations back into paperback on June 2.
That means Terry Brooks’ The Phantom Menace, R.A. Salvatore’s Attack of the Clones, and Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith are all returning. The Stover book, widely regarded as one of the finest film novelizations ever written in any genre, is the quiet crown jewel of the batch.
Eyes Like Stars by Ashley Poston
Eyes Like Stars by Ashley Poston, the first book in Lucasfilm Publishing’s new genre-focused initiative, arriving on July 21, is billed as the first official Star Wars romance novel. It follows eighteen-year-old Ardent Quay, a mysterious stowaway, and a dangerous secret on a tour ship about a year and a half before The Force Awakens.
Legacy
Legacy by Madeleine Roux is set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The novel, which releases on July 28, follows Rey Skywalker and Leia Organa on a journey to an ancient Jedi temple on Tython as Leia tries to step into the role of master for the Resistance’s last remaining Jedi.
Hiding from the Dark
Hiding from the Dark by Kiersten White, which will become available on September 1, is the second entry in the new genre initiative, this one a horror-tinged middle-grade novel. The book follows a young girl named Bia, who is pursued by Imperial forces and Darth Vader after her mother, who is secretly helping the Rebellion, stops checking in from a job with the Empire.
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Ahsoka’s Tale
William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Ahsoka’s Tale is the 11th book in Ian Doescher’s series. It retells the first season of Ahsoka as a classic stage play, reimagining the story with Shakespearean dialogue and woodcut-style illustrations by Dennis Przygodda. The book is expected to be released on September 8.
Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss
Reign of the Empire: Edge of the Abyss by Rebecca Roanhorse arrives on September 15 and is the sequel to Alexander Freed’s The Mask of Fear, set one year before the events of Andor Season 1. Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera return, with appearances from Luthen Rael and Kleya Marki, pushing the trilogy closer to the Rebellion proper.
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul
Star Wars: Shadow of Maul, a five-issue Marvel prequel to Shadow Lord, written by Benjamin Percy with art from Madibek Musabekov. Issue #1 arrived on March 4, and the series sets up Janix, Captain Brander Lawson, and his droid partner Two-Boots before Maul's Disney+ arrival. Despite being a prequel, a large chunk of it will arrive after the Shadow Lord series. Issues 3 and 4 are set to release in May and June.
Rogue One Comics
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Rogue One, Marvel is releasing a series of special comic books. A major highlight is Rogue One: Cassian Andor #1, written by Benjamin Percy. This story serves as a prequel, following Cassian during his early days as a spy and assassin for the Rebellion. The anniversary run will also feature variant covers and stories that bridge the gap between the film and the Andor series.
The High Republic Adventures - Pathfinders Comics
Dark Horse is returning to the High Republic era with a new miniseries by writer George Mann. The story follows a team of Republic Pathfinders, the galaxy's elite explorers, as they investigate the mysterious death of a Jedi Master. It takes place about 20 years after Phase II.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire is a five-issue series from Marvel that expands the story of Black Spire Outpost. These new tales dive into the lore of the theme park’s setting, featuring icons like Luke Skywalker, Leia, and Darth Vader. The series is designed to explain the park's new timeline expansion, which officially brings Original Trilogy characters to Batuu starting April 29
The Art of Star Wars: Andor
The Art of Star Wars: Andor, written by Phil Szostak and published by Abrams Books, covers the entire 24-episode run of the Andor series. It features a massive collection of concept art, costume designs, and behind-the-scenes interviews from both seasons. It’s the definitive look at how Tony Gilroy’s grounded, gritty vision of the galaxy was brought to life.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
