Understanding The Future Of 'Star Wars' Publishing: 2026
Image Source: CultureSlate
It has been several weeks since New York Comic Con 2025, and this writer was left conflicted about the slate revealed at the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel. There were a lot of surprises, which are always welcome, but some were not, and have left us with questions on what we’re getting in the future. After a good deal of thought and further time, we’re going to take a moment to break down different elements of the Panel’s reveals (or lack thereof), and what they could hint at about the future of publishing.
The Mandoverse: Still At Arms Length
One of the most disappointing elements of the Publishing Panel was the void of substantial Mandalorian tie-in material to the upcoming film. While a Visual Guide will release shortly before the film to break down The Mandalorian’s 3 seasons of TV (at long last) alongside some details of the upcoming film, the remaining announcements were a series of children’s storybooks, other junior-focused stories, and products that feature a focus on Din Djarin and Grogu without original stories to either character. While we are still several months out from the film’s release date, the lack of even teases at the Panel about more in the future would appear to shut down any hope of proper tie-in material for this key area of the franchise.
RELATED:
Image Source: StarWars.com
This continues to be frustrating, especially because it sits in opposition to how so much of Star Wars has been created over the decades, where films have led to authors and writers creating material expanding on details of the galaxy far, far away. While some people may dislike this process or feel the material created from these initiatives is worth less than wholly original Star Wars created without strong links to major media, they should recall that a number of key elements of Star Wars lore and beloved characters, both in canon and Legends, emerged as a result of tie-ins, particularly around the Prequel Trilogy. Take Asajj Ventress and Durge, two villains from the Clone Wars Volume 1 microseries who were big names at Dark Horse Comics back in the day and who remain quite popular, Ventress especially. We can only hope that either Lucasfilm is keeping announcements back for a time closer to the release of the upcoming film, or that when tie-in material is allowed, it will wow everyone who engages with it.
Marvel Comics: A Mystery In An Enigma
Marvel Comics continues to suffer problems, and its Star Wars titles are no exception. As was suggested months ago, and seems to be the case with the shocking and sudden conclusion to Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agents after just five issues, Marvel has taken a more conservative stance on their series. Gone are the days of dozens-of-issue long runs; instead, miniseries and, at best, maxiseries, are the way they are going for the future. Evidence remains substantial that Alex Segura’s 2025 Star Wars comic run is ending after Issue 10, and recently, rumors suggest the same with Marc Guggenheim’s Jedi Knights. Charles Soule’s Legacy of Vader seems likely to end after 12 issues, but we’ll have to see if Marvel pushes for more, given it has likely (hopefully) been selling well.
Image Source: StarWars.com
The Publishing Panel spoke to this uncertainty and unwillingness to engage in open discussions about their upcoming projects due to their considerable uncertainty about the future. Only one new project, a one-shot focused on Jar Jar Binks, was revealed, while artwork of covers and page previews were provided for their existing series. Considering Aphra’s 2025 run just kicked the bucket, and there was no warning of this at NYCC, we shouldn’t expect much communication in the future from Marvel about what is coming. Given all of these series are on track to finish shortly before The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theatres, perhaps there are some announcements hidden away for a reveal sometime next year, but as it stands, there is little information on what 2026 holds for Marvel Comics and no easy way of guessing.
Variety And Diversity
So, what is left for the rest of publishing? Well, a lot. As opposed to something like The High Republic, which dominated the release schedule for books and comics given how many of them got made, there is no large initiative seemingly on the horizon beyond the sort hidden away in boardrooms and marketing team meetings. Star Wars instead looks to be continuing with a plan that roughly began in 2025’s comic runs, which is to offer a variety of stories set across the franchise’s timeline.
Image Source: StarWars.com
For example, for Sequel Trilogy fans, we have the upcoming Legacy novel focused on Leia and Rey making a voyage to Tython. For Original Trilogy and Andor fans, we have the next installment of the Reign of the Empire Trilogy, which, even though it was pushed back from the originally announced date, is still releasing in 2026. Then, at Dark Horse, we have more Bad Batch comics releasing, as well as a brand new High Republic series set between Phases 2 and 1, a surprisingly quick return to that era of the galaxy. Lastly, there was the last-minute reveal at the Panel of the first official Star Wars romance novel, Eyes Like Stars, which is set in the Sequel Trilogy. Part of a new plan to hopefully explore specific genres within Star Wars, Eyes Like Stars is certainly fascinating as an experiment that we here at CultureSlate hope sees success whenever it releases next year.
Conclusion
So, what is the future of Star Wars publishing in 2026? There is still a whole lot of mystery on some fronts, while others certainly have exciting announcements. It is ultimately a mix of material, with no one guiding light beyond the principle of diversity of offerings for the Star Wars fandom, with projects from across the current span of the Star Wars timeline. Maybe that will change with further announcements that will reveal more, but as it currently stands, there’ll be something for everyone next year, from tie-ins with video games to a continuation of The High Republic, to brand new vectors for Star Wars engagement.
READ NEXT:
Latest News
Featured
