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‘Star Wars: Catalyst’: New Excerpt From ‘Rogue One’ Prequel Released

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 13:23 PST, Nov 12, 2016

The arrival of the first Star Wars spinoff film, Rogue One, looms large on the horizon for fans, yet they have the opportunity to get a first look at the future of the saga in the form of a new novel, Star Wars: Catalyst, set to be released on November 15.

Catalyst details the events that lead up to the story of Rogue One, focusing on Galen and Jyn Erso, along with their relationship to the director of the Empire’s special weapons division, Orson Krennic, as Entertainment Weekly points out. Though unrevealed in the saga up to this point, both Krennic and Galen Erso were key to the development of the Death Star, though each was apparently brought to the project under very different circumstances.

Several excerpts from Catalyst have already been released, with the latest appearing online earlier this week. The newest passage details a conversation between Galen and his daughter, Jyn, who is set to be the main protagonist in Rogue One, which takes place years after the events of the novel. Galen is not only responsible for helping to develop the Death Star’s ultimate weapon, but also for sending the message that alerts the Rebellion to the battle station’s existence, a fact revealed by the recent international trailer for the film, as the Inquisitr previously noted.

Ever since Galen and his role in the construction of the Death Star was revealed, fans have speculated that the station’s ultimate weakness, a simple exhaust port leading directly to its reactor core, may not have been created by accident. Some fans have observed that Galen clearly appears to be going with Krennic and his stormtroopers against his will in the previews for Rogue One, thus suggesting that he is anything but a willing participant in the Death Star’s creation.

It is almost certain that Galen is working to protect his family, yet given the fact that his abilities are key to the development of the Empire’s superweapon, he could also be laboring away with a subtle strategic advantage. As CinemaBlend notes, a scientist with Galen’s ability could conceivably design a weakness like the exhaust port intentionally into the Death Star, even under the close scrutiny of Imperial forces. For a man willing to send a covert message to the Rebellion to stop the development of the battle station, this would be a logical act.

The newest excerpt from Catalyst also gives fans a bit more insight into the nature of Galen Erso’s work. While some may have at first thought that the scientist was responsible for the direct structural design of the Death Star itself, it appears that instead he is adept at working with Kyber crystals, refining them for their ultimate utilization in the station’s superlaser. Originally used by the Jedi and Sith to focus the beams of their lightsabers, these crystals are set to play a major role in Rogue One, as Jyn wears one around her neck, apparently symbolizing her connection with her father. Meanwhile, the planet Jedha, which appears to be the target of an attack by the Death Star in Rogue One, has been reported as a major source of the crystals, and is thought to be a key location in the film.

Whatever the true nature of Galen, Jyn, and Krennic’s relationship turns out to be, fans will see it for themselves on December 16, when Rogue One hits theaters. In the meantime, they can head to Entertainment Weekly to check out an excerpt from Star Wars: Catalyst, which will be released next week.

[Featured Image by KAMiKAZOW/ Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Resized | Public Domain]

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