Star Warsis continuing the story of Finn and Jannah in the first new novel set afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It’s been six years sinceThe Rise of Skywalker, and the galaxy’s future - and the fate of its heroes - remains a mystery. We know Daisy Ridley is returning as Rey inSharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’sNew Jedi Ordermovie, but what about characters such as John Boyega’s Finn and Naomi Ackie’s Jannah?
According toPenguin / Random House, this story will finally be told in an upcoming novel byNew York Timesbest-selling author Kwame Mbalia -Star Wars: The Last Order. Releasing on October 21, the synopsis promises an exciting adventure set after the fall of the First Order:
Following the end ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance rescues a ship full of young passengers who had been kidnapped by the First Order. As Finn and Jannah set out to find the First Order officer responsible before he can endanger any more children, the two former stormtroopers must wrestle with their own complicated pasts as soldiers of the oppressive regime.
Take a deep dive into the pasts of popular characters Finn and Jannah in this richly-drawn, action-packed story that fans have been asking for.
We’re Finally Going To Learn What Happened To The Galaxy After Rise Of Skywalker
This upcoming young-adult novel reveals the First Order isn’t truly gone afterRise of Skywalker. Palpatine’sXyston-class Star Destroyersmay have been destroyed, but First Order forces are still out there. One is clearly aiming to rebuild the stormtrooper army by kidnapping children and brainwashing them into serving the First Order - andit makes sense for Finn and Jannah, former stormtroopers who were brainwashed, to oppose this.
It’s interesting to note that the ship of children is rescued by “the Resistance.” This seems to suggest these events will be set shortly afterRise of Skywalker, given you’d assume the Resistance would merge with whatever galactic government emerges after the Battle of Exegol. Alternatively, it’s possible there won’t be a centralized galactic government anymore, with the Resistance remaining active as a power in its own right.
Our Take On Finn & Jannah’s Future
The most important question, of course, is whetherFinn will be a Jedi.Rise of Skywalkercertainly set him up to be a Force-sensitive, and suggested he has something resembling a Padawan bond with Rey; it’s safe to assume we’ll see him develop that inThe Last Order. There’s been a lot of speculation that Jannah, too, may possess some degree of sensitivity to the Force, given she was one of a group of stormtroopers who resisted First Order brainwashing.
The Last Orderdoes have significant implications for upcomingStar Warsmovies, though. It suggests Lucasfilm has decided on the next steps for Finn and Jannah - otherwise Mbalia wouldn’t have been commissioned to tell the story. That means this entire narrative may be important setup for adventures afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
