Or even the tracking technology we see in the sequel trilogy. So I’ve always wondered what the baby steps were that the Empire took to get to things like the Death Star or gravity well projectors. And then eventually we got to cell phones. It’s not like someone one day was like, “Y’know what’d be great? A way to talk in your pocket!” And then - cell phones! We had old-school phones, rotary phones, and then we went to digital phones and it was really exciting when people did call forwarding, and you could do two-line calling. Cell phones didn’t just start with a cell phone. You have to assume that anything the Empire did in the original trilogy had to have been in research for years.

I’ve always been fascinated with this idea of gravity well projectors that can kick a ship out of hyperspace.

There’s nothing more jarring than being two-thirds through a book and someone’s like, “New character!” So, let’s just start with our regular ol’ human pilot. Justina Ireland: I always know that if you’re going to introduce a new character in Star Wars, you do it up front. Right out of the gate, the book opens with Sylvestri Yarrow and her crew of the Switchback being pulled out of hyperspace and having to abandon ship. : Let’s get into the spoilers of Out of the Shadows. (If you've yet to read Out of the Shadows, feel free to check out 's spoiler-free kickoff interview with Ireland.) Now that we’ve had some time to read and think about Out of the Shadows, spoke with Justina Ireland for a spoiler-filled dive into all the mischief and deceit in her new book. After Sylvestri and her crew of the Switchback are yanked out of hyperspace and forced to abandon ship, Syl inadvertently uncovers that the Nihil are creating a superweapon and worse, her thought-to-be-dead mother is the lead scientist on the project. Before the Republic can even catch a break following the tragedy at the Republic Fair, the Nihil are once again up to no good - this time with a gravity well projector. This young adult novel brings back some familiar faces like master-Padawan duo Vernestra Rwoh and Imri Cantaros, but also introduces new characters into the era like protagonist Sylvestri Yarrow. Justina Ireland’s Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows debuted last month, marking the second release in a new wave of High Republic stories. Spoiler warning: This article discusses details and plot points from Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows.

The author goes deep with about her new book and continuation of the High Republic series.

Justina ireland