Annlyel James 
Annlyel reveals the five characters who deserve to be explored further in future Star Wars fiction.
When Disney bought Star Wars they created a new canon of stories, leaving every other Star Wars novel that had ever been written for scraps and naming those books the Legends canon. Since the new canon’s inception, there have been dozens of fascinating novels that have tied into the movies and the television shows thus weaving a complex system of storytelling that is hard to keep up with at times.
The novels that I have enjoyed the most in this new canon was Bloodline, a prequel to The Force Awakens and a delightful insight into Leia’s journey after the fall of the Empire, The Last Jedi novelization which turned out to be an absolutely fantastic read that only enhanced my viewing experience of the actual film, and Catalyst, the prequel to Rogue One whose focus centered on Galen and Lyra Erso’s story in a increasingly turbulent time with the Empire.
These stories wowed me in ways that most books often can’t and I’m excited to read the upcoming novels this year which are both set in the prequel-era and will focus on characters who need more of their story to be told; Jedi Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan Kenobi in his Padawan years, and Senator Padme Amidala. But, while there have been many enticing characters of this franchise who have received their own novels there are still many who haven’t and that’s where this post comes in. Here are the five characters that need their own book.
1. Qi’ra
While Qi’ra had a large role in Solo: A Star Wars Story the film was, of course, focused mainly on Han Solo, leaving her on the sideline of the story. Qi’ra’s story, however, is more complex than it may seem and she needs a novel to reveal that blatant fact.
I would love to see a novel focus on her journey after the events of Solo. Darth Maul could make several appearances in the story like Governor Tarkin in Thrawn and she could finally get the recognition that she deserves with a story that centers on her role as a crime boss of Crimson Dawn. Not only would that be very interesting but it could also show yet another angle to a female character in this franchise.
2. Boba Fett
Boba Fett is one of Star Wars‘ most beloved characters and while he won’t be getting his own standalone film anytime soon doesn’t he deserve his own novel? It could be a fascinating adventure that finds him traveling to new worlds, meeting new people–preferably bounty hunters–and learning to overcome personal obstacles that could bring more meaning to his character.
3. Snoke
Snoke just may be the most mysterious character in this franchise. He made his first appearance in The Force Awakens. Two years later, he made his final appearance in The Last Jedi. During those two years and even afterwards nothing has been released about his character’s origin or how he became Supreme Leader of the First Order or even why his motives were so similar to the Empire’s.
All of this can be explained in a novel and that’s what we desperately need.
4. Enfys Nest
Enfys Nest was one of the fascinating surprises from Solo and after Disney halted production on the Star Wars stories it seems that we may not get to see her story continue. One way to avoid that from happening is by providing her with a novel that can focus on her story.
I would love to see it center on her journey through the early days of the Rebellion and watch as it illustrates her incredible contribution to the Rebellion in their fight against the Empire. And maybe we can get a little bit more information about her backstory and discover how she became such an awe-inspiring warrior.
5. Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren is easily one of my favorite–if not my favorite–characters in this franchise and for so many reasons. One; he’s the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. Two; he’s awesome. Three; he’s played by Adam Driver who I think is PERFECT for the role. And four; did I say he was awesome? There are, of course, many other reasons why I love him but if I listed them all we’d be here all day so…
Anyway, Kylo Ren is an amazing character with a very intriguing storyline and the more I get to know Kylo Ren the more I want to learn about him. A novel could help fill in the blanks and provide an even deeper insight into his character that the films wouldn’t be able to. Like a novel that focuses on his years as a student under Luke Skywalker. That story could elaborate on his childhood and his teen years in tantalizing flashbacks so we can get a better understanding of the reason why he turned to the dark side. We can get a detailed look at his growing relationship with Snoke and see how the Supreme-Leader-to-be converted Ben Solo to the Dark Side. And we can truly discover Ben’s relationship with Luke Skywalker before everything went to hell.
That’s, however, not the only direction a Kylo Ren story can take us. It can also focus on his days–much like the Darth Vader comics–shortly after he became a Knight of Ren and the dark journeys he took as an agent of the First Order. That could be just as fascinating. All in all, Kylo Ren needs a novel, pronto.
Final Thoughts:
I love Star Wars. I love reading. I love reading Star Wars books. I especially love reading Star Wars books about characters that I am interested in. So Lucasfilm, as I’m sure there are many others who would love to see novels for these characters as well, I hope you’re listening. 🙂
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Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
