Good news for The Bad Batch fans, who love to read, Lucasfilm has a new Vice President, new comic releases, and everything else that happened in the week of February 1-7, 2025.
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Lucasfilm has a new VP
Derek Hoffman fills the role of Vice President of Development at Lucasfilm, which was empty after Rayne Roberts left the company in 2024. Hoffman has been in the film, comic books, and video game industry for 24 years.
He is most known for his involvement in every X-Men film. According to Lucasfilm’s site, his role will be to lead the team that adapts stories into live-action projects.
Usually, novels and comics receive way less attention than movies, series, or games but they have some incredible stories that deserve to make it to the screens.
War of the Bounty Hunters, Son of Dathomir, and the Darth Vader comics series by Charles Soule are just a few examples of things that I’d love to see in live-action.
We will probably have to wait a couple of years before seeing anything that he’s worked on but hopefully, this is a positive change for the franchise.
Clone Force 99 gets their own novel
The final season of The Bad Batch left me wanting for more. The Bad Batch is one of my favorite things that Lucasfilm has released in recent years.
As with every other series, there are things that I’d like to be different.
My biggest criticism is that there are so many characters and storylines that could have been explored more thoroughly and not spent so many episodes on stories that feel inconsequential to the main plot.
Thankfully, we are actually going to be able to get more of Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair. Sanctuary is a new novel based around the events of Season 2.
While Echo is on a different mission with Captain Rex, Clone Force 99 will go on a quest to help rebuild Pabu with the help of Phee, their “treasure hunter” friend.
Sanctuary is written by Lamar Giles and it’s coming out on August 5th, 2025. I’m really hoping that Dee Bradley Baker is involved in the audiobook!
The Bad Batch wins Best Animated Television Series
The final season of The Bad Batch won a Saturn Award for Best Animated Television Series or Special at the 52nd Annual Saturn Awards. Saturn Awards are dedicated to Sci-Fi, horror, fantasy, and home media.
The ceremony might not be as well-known as others but with names like John Williams, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Patrick Stewart being among the most awarded people you can tell that the competition is very tough.
The following picture shows the Bad Batch team holding their Saturn Award, shared on Twitter by Jennifer Corbett, Executive Producer and Head Writer for The Bad Batch. A deserved award to be sure!
Oscar Isaac heads to SWC 2025
Star Wars Celebration 2025 is the most anticipated event of the year by Star Wars fans and the hype continues to increase. A new person has been announced every week for the last few weeks and this one is no exception.
Oscar Isaac joins the list of guests for this SWC Japan. It’s crazy to think that 10 years have passed since we met Poe Dameron for the first time.
Some guests attend just to interact with the fans while others announce a new project they are working on. I doubt that Oscar Isaac is involved in anything new, but it’ll definitely be fun to have him.
The list of confirmed guests includes Rosario Dawson, Diego Luna, Temuera Morrison, Ashley Eckstein, Anthony Daniels, Manny Jacinto, and more! Check the updated list of guests for Star Wars Celebration 2025.
A small look into The Mandalorian and Grogu
Sigourney Weaver is going to be part of the upcoming movie featuring Din Djarin and Grogu. The details of this film have been kept secret by almost everyone but the actress just gave us a small tease of the movie’s plot.
In an interview with gamesradar, Weaver revealed that she’s going to play a high-ranking officer. Most likely a New Republic council member. “I play a wonderful character who is, you know, in a position of authority.”
“I have to send the Mandalorian out on a mission on the Outer Rim where all the bad stuff happens.” Normally, I’d expect Mon Mothma to be the one giving out these orders but with Season 2 of Ahsoka, there is a good chance that something bad happens to her.
As expected with pretty much every Star Wars media, there is going to be a time jump. Apparently, Grogu is going to be older and more capable compared to when we last saw him. “It’s going to be wonderful for people to see what Grogu is up to now because he’s grown up a little bit and is capable of much more than maybe we think just watching the series.”
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be the point where many storylines and characters connect with each other. I’m really hoping that more information will be revealed at SWC 2025.
Legacy of Vader: new comic book series launches
Legacy of Vader #1: Kylo Ren starts his reign as Supreme Leader of the First Order. His obsession with power leads him to a place full of darkness and old secrets, Vader’s fortress on Mustafar.
3 more books join The Essential Legends Collection
It has become a tradition for a trio of old Star Wars novels to be re-released into The Essential Legends Collection every so often. These are stories from before the Disney era and are not part of the current canon of Star Wars.
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader: This story brings us to the Outer Rim world of Murkhana. Two Jedi Masters and a Padawan become Darth Sidious’ new apprentice, who is tasked with hunting down any remaining Jedi.
The Force Unleashed II: After being presumed dead, Starkiller returns without his memories and ready to kill anyone who stands in his way. Starkiller and Vader’s rematch will determine the future of the Galactic Empire. This story is not part of the current canon.
Scoundrels: With Jabba putting a price on his head, Han Solo is forced to look for a job that can pay his debt to the Hutt. He stumbles upon a stranger who offers enough money for Solo to be finally free.
The objective? To infiltrate the stronghold of a Black Sun underboss. This type of job requires an entire crew so he brings a small group of capable people including the always-reliable Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. This story is not part of the current canon.
