Star Wars: Aftermath excerpt teases outcome of Return of the Jedi

The first chapter of upcoming novel Star Wars: Aftermath has been revealed, showing the consequences of the rebel victory in Return of the Jedi.

At the conclusion of the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi showed us the final defeat of the Empire with the rebel alliance victory at the Battle of Endor causing celebration across the galaxy. But a new excerpt from Star Wars: Aftermath shows that this celebration may have been a little premature.

Aftermath is the latest novel in the new Lucasfilm Story Group approved canon, and is written by science-fiction and fantasy author Chuck Wendig and is part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens series that will fill in the 30-year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Entertainment Weekly have revealed the first chapter of Aftermath, which details what happened following the rebel victory, including the reaction of the Imperial authorities to the celebrations on Coruscant briefly seen on screen in the revised version of Return of the Jedi, and a rousing speech by Admiral Ackbar urging the citizens of the galaxy not be complacent now that the Emperor is dead.

Today is a day of celebration. We have triumphed over villainy and oppression and have given our Alliance--and the galaxy beyond it--a chance to breathe and cheer for the progress in reclaiming our freedom from an Empire that robbed us of it. We have reports from Commander Skywalker that Emperor Palpatine is dead, and his enforcer, Darth Vader, with him.

But though we may celebrate, we should not consider this our time to rest. We struck a major blow against the Empire, and now will be the time to seize on the opening we have created. The Empire’s weapon may be destroyed, but the Empire itself lives on. Its oppressive hand closes around the throats of good, free-thinking people across the galaxy, from the Coruscant Core to the farthest systems in the Outer Rim. We must remember that our fight continues. Our rebellion is over. But the war … the war is just beginning.

-- Admiral Ackbar

Star Wars: Aftermath is available from 4 September 2015.