Review: Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen

Mike Chen has this talent for making massive sci-fi concepts feel almost unfairly intimate. He can take a universe filled with war droids and crime syndicates and make the whole thing feel painfully human. With Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon, he’s back in the galaxy far, far away, proving once again that the spectacle matters way less than the people caught up in it. Check out our thoughts below, and pick up Low Red Moon, out now!

Low Red Moon (Star Wars: Outlaws)

by Mike Chen
on February 3, 2026
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Goodreads

ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax embark on their descent into the galaxy’s underworld in search of answers and opportunity, in this essential prequel to Star Wars Outlaws.
Jaylen Barsha, heir to his family’s immense power and wealth, had his life charted out for him neatly and meticulously by his parents, even though he suspected his neglected half-brother Sliro would be a better fit for the bright corporate future his parents envisioned. Then the Empire stripped it all away on trumped-up charges of conspiracy against his family. Before he can reach Sliro for help redeeming the Barsha name, a battle droid arrives at the family compound with a mission to kill every last member of the Barsha clan. Jaylen manages to fend off the attack as the sole survivor, but realizes the droid, who he reprograms, is his only chance to stay alive. But he can no longer be Jaylen Barsha—he’ll have to live now as Jaylen Vrax.
Former Separatist battle droid ND-5 knows he should be scrap metal, all things considered. He was a proficient contributor to the Separatist cause, but what is a soldier without a war? A trigger without aim? Loyalty is in his programming, and Jaylen, who treats him as more than just a weapon, has earned it. Perhaps, the droid thinks, with a partner he can be more. ND-5 just has to earn Jaylen’s trust.
With the threat against the Barsha clan still shrouded in mystery, the pair has no choice but to leverage the chaos and disappear. They find sanctuary in the anonymity of the underworld, building their reputation among scoundrels, bounty hunters, and crime syndicates. But when their latest score gives the first real clue in years to who sent ND-5 after Jaylen’s family, their biggest opportunity presents a new kind of risk. Do they give up this chance at the wealth and power Jaylen was denied to pursue answers? Or will ambition and the weight of the past shatter their unlikely partnership?

Review

This story is a prequel to the Star Wars Outlaws game, focusing on Jaylen Barsha (later Jaylen Vrax) and the droid ND-5. If you haven’t played the game, don’t sweat it. I haven’t either (I know, I know. I am waiting for my library hold to come in, ok!), and I never felt out of the loop. Mike writes this as a standalone novel first and a tie-in second; it really holds its own. He is great at making these stories accessible. You don’t need a PhD in Star Wars lore to care about what’s happening. The stakes are clear, and while there are cameos for the die-hard fans, they never choke out the plot.

What stayed with me was how grounded the story feels. Sure, there are Imperial run-ins and shifting allegiances, but it’s really a story about grief and the messiness of brotherhood. Jaylen isn’t written as a cartoon villain. His descent is layered and uncomfortable in a way that feels very real.

Then you have ND-5. Writing from a first-person droid perspective is a huge risk that could easily feel like a gimmick, but Mike makes him the emotional heart of the book (hmm…where have we seen that before?!). Watching a droid navigate memory fragmentation and “coded” loyalty while trying to understand trauma is fascinating. In a lot of ways, ND-5 feels more honest than any of the humans around him. No surprise, if you are a Mike Chen fan like I am.

The book hits that sweet spot between underworld grit and quiet introspection. The action is there, but the scenes that actually stick are the ones where resentment is simmering just under the surface, or where ND-5 is trying to process his own existence.

Low Red Moon is a great reminder that Star Wars is at its best when it stops worrying about the fate of the Empire and starts asking what betrayal does to a family. Whether you’re a gamer looking for lore or just someone who loves a solid character study, this works.