Lucasfilm has used New York Comic Con 2026 to showcase much of what it is preparing for 2027, a year shaping up to be one of the most significant for Star Wars in a long time. The company has confirmed comics, books, and collectibles that will connect directly with the second season of Ahsoka, the premiere of Star Wars: Starfighter, and the 50th anniversary of A New Hope, the film that launched the saga in 1977.
The announcement is significant because, for the first time in a while, Lucasfilm has offered a concrete and interconnected calendar across series, film, and publishing material, rather than isolated news. The Lucasfilm Publishing panel held in New York served to connect pieces that were previously known separately, from the fate of Ezra Bridger to the universe surrounding the new film starring Ryan Gosling.
Ahsoka Season 2 will arrive with a comic about Ezra Bridger
One of the most striking novelties is directly linked to the Ahsoka series. Lucasfilm has confirmed Star Wars: Ahsoka — Escape From Thrawn, a five-issue miniseries published by Marvel Comics that will narrate a part of Ezra Bridger's story that the first season left untold.
The plot begins at the point where Ezra manages to escape from Peridea, hidden on Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship. Until now, the final destination of his journey was known, but not the details of how he survived inside the Chimaera, surrounded by some of the most dangerous characters from that expedition.
Dave Filoni has developed the story alongside Rodney Barnes, with Andrea Di Vito in charge of interior art and Phil Noto providing the cover. In the plot, Ezra must avoid Captain Enoch, face the magic of the Nightsisters, and attempt to deceive Thrawn himself on his own turf.
The first issue will be published on January 20, 2027, the same date scheduled for the premiere of the second season of Ahsoka. The coincidence aims to turn the comic into a narrative bridge between both seasons, as the first ended with Ahsoka and Sabine trapped on Peridea while Thrawn returned to the known galaxy.
Star Wars: Starfighter builds its own universe before the premiere
The second major block of announcements revolved around Star Wars: Starfighter, the film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, whose theatrical release is set for May 28, 2027.
Lucasfilm has not waited for the release to begin expanding its universe. The publishing program presented at NYCC is extensive and confirms that Starfighter is being treated as one of the franchise's major events for the coming year.
Among the projects, The Art of Star Wars: Starfighter stands out, written by Phil Szostak, focusing on the film's design process and the creative vision of Shawn Levy and his team. An expanded novelization written by Delilah Dawson, a visual dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo, and several books aimed at young readers have also been confirmed.
Among the announced material, the prequel comic Star Wars: Starfighter: The Rock Pirate of Kaneen, written by Marc Guggenheim, stands out, intended for those who want to arrive at the premiere with prior context.
The publishing program itself also revealed that the character played by Ryan Gosling is named Kade Auberon. Titles such as Outer Rim Outcasts, Risk and Reward, or Rock Pirate Adventures suggest that the fringes of the galaxy, space piracy, and characters far from the major centers of power will have a significant weight in the plot.
The new visual dictionary will expand on that terrain with information about heroes, villains, species, ships, vehicles, and never-before-seen locations—a world-building effort that is especially relevant as it is a new story without a direct link to the Skywalkers.
Lucasfilm prepares for the 50th anniversary of A New Hope
2027 will also mark the half-century of Star Wars, and Lucasfilm is preparing a considerable publishing celebration around A New Hope.
One of the central titles will be Star Wars: Celebrating 50 Years of A New Hope, a book written by Kristin Baver that will gather testimonies from actors, astronauts, athletes, and innovators to analyze the cultural impact of George Lucas's film over the last five decades.
Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy will also return in a special anniversary edition that gathers material from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Added to this is a collector's edition of the shooting script for the first film and a new volume titled A New Hope Visual Archive, written by Clayton Sandell.
The manga of A New Hope will be republished, while other projects will reinterpret the film from different perspectives, in a publishing effort that seeks to revisit how that original film was built.
Leia Organa will have a new story focused on her
Included in this celebration is Star Wars: Princess of the Rebellion, a new young adult novel written by Claudia Gray and focused on Leia Organa, scheduled for release on May 4, 2027, coinciding with Star Wars Day.
Claudia Gray has previously worked with different characters and periods of the saga, so her return to the figure of Leia is especially striking within the context of the anniversary.
Also announced is From the Ashes, a new novel written by Fran Wilde within the Reign of the Empire line, which expands the narrative period situated around the rise and consolidation of the Galactic Empire.
Star Wars also grows outside of film and series
The NYCC panel also left room for projects that show how Lucasfilm continues to expand the franchise beyond film and Disney+.
Wizards of the Coast has shown new material related to Star Wars: Season of Rebellion, its tabletop role-playing project, while Hasbro has taken advantage of the anniversary to bring back one of the most recognizable elements of Tatooine: the dewback.
The company will launch a Dewback and Sandtrooper pack for its The Black Series line in the spring of 2027, bringing back these creatures already present in the original 1977 film and linking them directly to the celebration of the saga's half-century.
A calendar that points to 2027 as a decisive year
The presentation at New York Comic Con leaves a fairly defined calendar. January 2027 will bring the second season of Ahsoka along with the comic focused on Ezra Bridger; May will be marked by the 50th anniversary of the saga and the premiere of Star Wars: Starfighter, while books, comics, collectibles, and games will accompany each of these milestones throughout the year.
Several of these publications do not function as simple spin-off products. Escape From Thrawn seeks to complete a pending part of Ahsoka's story, while the Starfighter publishing program is already beginning to define characters, places, and conflicts for a film that aims to open a new space within the saga.
After several years in which much of the conversation around Star Wars revolved around which projects were moving forward and which were being canceled, NYCC 2026 has offered a much more concrete outlook on a 2027 in which Lucasfilm seeks to celebrate its first fifty years while building the stories that will define the next ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the second season of Ahsoka premiere?
The second season of Ahsoka is scheduled for January 2027, coinciding with the release of the first issue of the comic Escape From Thrawn on January 20 of that year.
What is the comic Star Wars: Ahsoka — Escape From Thrawn about?
It narrates how Ezra Bridger survived hidden on Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship, the Chimaera, after escaping from Peridea at the end of the first season of Ahsoka.
When does Star Wars: Starfighter premiere in theaters?
Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, will hit theaters on May 28, 2027.
Who plays the protagonist of Starfighter and what is his character’s name?
Ryan Gosling is the star of the film and his character is named Kade Auberon, as confirmed by the publishing material presented at NYCC.
What is being celebrated in 2027 related to Star Wars?
2027 marks 50 years since the premiere of Star Wars: A New Hope, released in 1977, and Lucasfilm is preparing books, special editions, and collectibles to commemorate the date.
What new Leia Organa novel has been announced?
Star Wars: Princess of the Rebellion, written by Claudia Gray, is a young adult novel focused on Leia Organa scheduled for May 4, 2027, coinciding with Star Wars Day.
