‘Star Wars Inferno Squad’ Is The ‘Rogue One’ Sequel We Joked Wouldn’t Happen

Remember when Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came out and everyone joked about how the sequel had already leaked back in 1977 You know, because the sequel is obviously Star Wars: A New Hope. There’s no wiggle room there. The end of Rogue One feeds directly into the beginning of A New Hope. But leave it to Lucasfilm to prove us all wrong. This summer, the actual sequel of Rogue One will arrive, albeit in book form.

Star Wars: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden will hit bookstore shelves on July 25, 2017. A veteran Star Wars author (she also penned Star Wars: Dark Disciple) picks up right after the events of Rogue One, but with a twist. Inferno Squad is part of the Imperial Navy. From the official press release:

The Rebellion may have heroes like Jyn Erso and Luke Skywalker. But the Empire has Inferno Squad. After the humiliating theft of the Death Star plans and the resulting destruction of the battle station, the Empire is on the defensive. In response to this stunning defeat, the Imperial Navy has authorized the formation of an elite team of soldiers, known as Inferno Squad. Their mission: infiltrate and eliminate the remnants of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans. Following the death of their leader, the Partisans have carried on his extremist legacy, determined to thwart the Empire — no matter what the cost. Now, Inferno Squad must prove their status as the best of the best and take down the Partisans from within. But as the danger intensifies and the threat of discovery grows, how far will Inferno Squad go to ensure the safety of the Empire

So much happens during the Jyn Erso’s escape from Jedha, it would be easy to overlook that quite a few of Saw Gerrera’s extremists made it off-planet. So while the Rebellion is busy looking for Princess Leia and analyzing the Death Star plans, the Partisans appear to have gone on the offensive. Being tasked by the Empire to infiltrate the group would be no easy task. Star Wars Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide gives background on some of Gerrara’s people. From Moroff and Leevan Tenza to Magva Yarro and the Two Tubes brothers, these hardened, cynical warriors are slow to trust and quick to kill. But should Inferno Squad succeed, what could their mission specifics be Does the Empire believe the Partisans know the location of the Death Star plans Or is the extremist group have other plans that would cause the Emperor pause Guess we’ll find out this summer!