This past year was a huge one for Star Wars, and 2023 looks to be much the same.
There’s a ton of new Star Wars content that will be coming this year, from shows to books to comics to games to everything in-between – and that’s just of the stuff we know about! There’s always a number of projects that show up throughout the year that weren’t previously announced, but of the stuff we know about, what am I looking forward to the most?
Here’s my list! What’s yours?
10. Visions
The second season of Star Wars Visions, an anthology series, is coming sometime this spring. We don’t know much about it, but from the sounds of it the series will follow a similar format as the previous season, giving a number of different shorts that give different takes (‘visions’) of the Star Wars universe. There will be expanded styles and studios this time around, so we’ll see how it all plays out. I expect to love some and not all, just like before, but I’m really glad there’s a second season of it coming.
9. Hidden Empire
This five-issue comic mini-series debuted in 2022, but most of the story will be told in the early months of 2023. Written by Charles Soule, this marks the conclusion to a trilogy of stories set in-between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that focuses on Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn. The first two installments in the trilogy, War of the Bounty Hunters and Crimson Reign, were enjoyable reads, and this one figures to tie it all together as the story wraps up.
8. The Battle of Jedha
Releasing this week is The High Republic audio drama The Battle of Jedha, written by George Mann. It marks a significant story point in the second phase of the High Republic era and will likely tie together the books that have released already, and it tells an important story on a planet we’re already familiar with, as we saw Jedha in Rogue One.
7. Rise of the Red Blade
Coming on July 18 is a new novel by Delilah S. Dawson, Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, about an Inquisitor named Iskat. It’s set at some point following Order 66 as Iskat searches for the truth about her past, but I’m sure it will also include a significant look at the Inquisitorious and include other members of the squad. With such a focus on Inquisitors recently, I’m excited to read more about them in this novel.
6. Battle Scars
We’ll get to Jedi: Survivor in a bit (spoiler alert), but there’s also a new novel about the characters that’s releasing shortly before the game does. Written by Sam Maggs, the book will tell. an original story set between the two games and help fill in the details about what’s been going on with them. They meet a stormtrooper who wants to defect and, in exchange for that, offers information on a valuable artifact that they must get despite the fact that it’ll bring them in conflict with the Fifth Brother. I love the Star Wars Jedi story, love the characters, and love the sound of an Indiana Jones-style quest. This is my most anticipated book of 2023 that’s been announced so far. It’s set to release on March 7.
5. Skeleton Crew
This is the biggest wild card of the year in my mind because we simply know almost nothing about it. We know that it stars Jude Law, and we know that it’s about a group of kids who get lost in the galaxy and need to find their way home, and we know that it’s set in the Mandoverse… but that’s it. It’s likely coming late in the year, and it’ll be the third different live-action series of 2023.
4. The Bad Batch
The second season of The Bad Batch finally arrives this week, after a long wait. The season one finale was in August 2021, and the season two premiere has been pushed back a few different times before it’s release on January 4. It continues following the exploits of this enhanced group of clones in the post-Order 66 galaxy, and if it’s anything like season one, we’re in for a treat. Lucasfilm Animation continues to do incredible work, and I’m pumped for this show.
3. Jedi: Survivor
Jedi: Fallen Order is my favorite Star Wars game ever, so naturally, I’m super excited about the sequel, Jedi: Survivor, which releases on March 17. Set five years after the previous story, the game follows Cal Kestis as he fights to survive in a galaxy where Jedi are increasingly rare and the path for them is increasingly dangerous. The game will take us to new new planets and introduce new characters alongside the now-familiar ones, and from the looks of the trailer, there will be plenty of excitement and intrigue ahead.
2. The Mandalorian
Season three of The Mandalorian will explore the further adventures of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu. It will lead them to many other Mandalorians, including Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), and will presumably explore what happened on Mandalore and the state of things in the current timeline. This show remains Disney+’s flagship series and is the pillar of a whole inter-connected Star Wars storytelling initiative, but it’s been a while since we last saw it, in December of 2020. It’s returning on March 1, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store this season.
1. Ahsoka
This series is not just a continuation of the Mandoverse but also the long-awaited sequel to Star Wars Rebels. It sees the return of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) as they continue their search for the lost Jedi Ezra Bridger, who disappeared alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn. The series will presumably introduce both Bridger and Thrawn, two major characters, and it was confirmed at Celebration that Hera Syndulla and Chopper will be in it as well. It’s a pretty bold move to lean so heavily into a live-action sequel to an animated series, but it’s a story I’ve long been waiting for.
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