Feature: What to Read After Watching The Mandalorian

Crushed on by Christy Jane, on January 2, 2021, in Book Recommendations, Feature, TV Thoughts & Movie Musings / 0 Comments

Feature: What to Read After Watching The Mandalorian

So. The Mandalorian has ended yet another incredible season and the next time he (and The Child) are going to grace our screens is at least a year from now. In fact, there’s a Tatooine desert level lack of visual media after a bountiful few years.

All is not lost, though, because there’s a plethora of books and comics available now and coming this year and for years to come. As a person who has read 72 and counting Star Wars books and comics this year, I feel ready to talk about what you should read next. Note: I am only speaking to current canon and I encourage fans to seek Legends material because it clearly influenced The Mandalorian!

SPOILERS FOR S1-2 BELOW

What to Read After Watching The Mandalorian

If you loved Cobb Vanth: Timothy Olyphant brought Cobb Vanth to life after having been introduced in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath Trilogy. Set between ep VI and The Mandalorian, the Aftermath series explores how a universe heals itself after being ruled by an evil dictator. When an empire is as spread out as it is in Star Wars, how do you take down the remaining enemy while also gaining trust in a fledgling rebellion?

If you are interested in the political side of Star Wars: Aftermath showcases the early stages but Bloodline by Claudia Gray dives into the New Republic senate and Leia’s role. In The Mandalorian, we get hints of how whole worlds have been impacted through Bo-Katan and the scenes on Tatooine. How does a galactic senate bring them together and isn’t Leia the daughter of the enemy?! Bloodline explores this and how we go from New Republic to First Order in 30 years.

If you’re wondering what a certain Jedi has been up to after episode VI and before picking up the baby: We see Luke, a Jedi like his father (kind of), in episodes IV-VI and then we see Luke, a Jedi in exile, in episodes VII-IX. Luckily there is a ton of other material about Luke’s adventures out there, including The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Liu (there’s also a manga adaptation!). I also recommend checking out The Storms of Crait one shot and The Screaming Citadel TPB (set between IV and V but still a look at Luke seeking Jedi artifacts) to see what adventures Luke has had around the galaxy.

Oh, and you get to see Luke dressed up like this.

If you’re worried about the baby in light of the Jedi academy going up in flames: Well, I can’t change Star Wars history but I do encourage you to read Charles Soule’s and Will Sliney’s The Rise of Kylo Ren to get more than 10 seconds of what it was like being a padawan under Luke.

If you’re wondering what the heck is going on with the characters from the Original Trilogy: Personally, I like seeing what’s happening outside of the Skywalker family but it never hurts to check in on them. Last Shot by Daniel Jose Older features three time periods of Han and Lando adventures, including some post-RTOJ action! If you like old school Boba Fett, try the ongoing Bounty Hunters series. Not necessarily Boba Fett but other bounty hunters!

If you’re like, “who the heck is THAT” to certain referenced characters: If you’re not deep in the Star Wars universe, you might not know who certain characters referenced were. Thrawn was name dropped at the beginning of the second season. Thrawn has a long history in the Legends stories and now in canon. I recommend starting with Thrawn (the book) or Thrawn (the comic). They are the same story told through different mediums.

If you’re ready for something totally new: You’re in luck – the new era of Star Wars begins the week of January 4th with Charles Soule writing Light of the Jedi and Cavan Scott and Ario Anindito sending The High Republic #1 out into the world. Set 200 years before the Prequel Trilogy, we see Jedi at peace. No wars here – just everyday problems for the Jedi to solve. I can’t wait!