{"id":512728,"date":"2026-07-06T17:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/512728\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T17:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:38:08","slug":"star-wars-legacy-gives-rey-and-leia-the-story-that-rise-of-skywalker-never-could","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/512728\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Wars Legacy gives Rey and Leia the story that Rise of Skywalker never could"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regardless of how certain Star Wars<\/a> fans may feel about the controversial Star Wars sequel trilogy<\/a> by directors J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, it’s undeniable that there are still plenty of gaps within the timeline for Star Wars spin-off material to expand on. It’s these gaps that Lucasfilm has honed in on, with novels and comics following the likes of Kylo Ren<\/a>, Poe Dameron<\/a>, Rey<\/a>, and Finn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Madeleine Roux’s<\/a> Star Wars: Legacy<\/a> is no exception. Set between The Last Jedi<\/a> and The Rise of Skywalker<\/a>, Roux \u2014 a writer of sci-fi, gothic fantasy, and paranormal stories \u2014 takes us on a journey following a master and apprentice duo that never got the chance to shine as much as they deserved to in The Rise of Skywalker. We are, of course, talking about the relationship between Leia Organa and her unofficial Jedi Padawan, Rey.<\/p>\n

Seeking answers on how to repair her lightsaber after the loss of her previous master, Luke Skywalker, in The Last Jedi, Rey’s research leads her to the planet Tython. To her own surprise, Leia Organa, leader of the Resistance, joins her on her mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Leia is a special character for you, if Rey is a special character for you, then this book was written for you,” Roux shares in a statement to Polygon. “Maybe the greatest pitch I can give for this novel is that both of these women are important to me \u2014 Leia since I was a child, and Rey since she sparked a lightsaber to life in The Force Awakens<\/a>. It\u2019s not often that you get to experience a story like this, one that stands as a bridge between films and as a deep interrogation of (and retrospective on) a beautiful and complex relationship.”<\/p>\n

In this excerpt from Star Wars: Legacy, which is published by Random House Worlds, we see how the bond between Rey and Leia is at the heart of their journey to fix Rey’s lightsaber on Tython \u2014 and what gives them the courage to press on in a mysterious yet terrifying abandoned temple alongside a skeptical Church of the Force member, a human named Gavrin. Read below to find out more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you see in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her own twisted self. Kylo Ren. Destruction. Death.<\/p>\n

She avoided everyone\u2019s searching gazes, wandering to the edge of the platform. It hung precariously over the cistern. There had to be supports and pillars somewhere, but it seemed suspended as if by magic. Her eyes swept down to the floor and the pool, across the bridge to the rotunda, then back. \u201cThings from my past. A sandstorm that trapped me in my house on Jakku. A… battle I had not long<\/p>\n

ago with the First Order.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBad memories,\u201d Leia agreed. \u201cBut they were different. They were changed, or I was changing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I was in control,\u201d Rey added, walking the perimeter of the platform. Something wasn\u2019t right. How was the ritual supposed to<\/p>\n

go? She didn\u2019t feel lighter; if anything, she felt worse. \u201cWhat are we missing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say try again, but that doesn\u2019t seem like a great idea,\u201d Gav said, blowing out a tense breath.<\/p>\n

Rey stopped at the far end of the area, where it trailed off into nothingness. There had to be a way across. Why else was there a riddle just there and a door on the other side? It was a test of some kind. From what she\u2019d been able to piece together from the texts and Master Luke\u2019s journals, the Jedi loved their tests. She pulled off her own cowl and started to squeeze out the extra moisture, annoyed at how heavy and droopy it had become. Leia came to join her, placing a hand on the center of her back. Her arms twitched, then raised and opened, and Rey accepted the embrace, hugging her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re alive,\u201d Leia said softly. She touched Rey\u2019s hair in a few places, as if checking for injuries. Her own mother used to do<\/p>\n

that, after Rey would slump into their shelter, covered in rough and tumble bruises, giving her daughter a once-over before having her<\/p>\n

turn around so she could comb the sand out of her hair.<\/p>\n

Relief trembled through her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for coming in after me, even if it…\u201d Rey let go of Leia, then turned and took out her frustration on the wet cowl drooping from her<\/p>\n

grasp, twisting it. The water droplets gathered at the edge of the platform but also slapped quietly against the darkness.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it almost killed us both?\u201d Leia prompted, but Rey wasn\u2019t really listening.<\/p>\n

\u201cHang on,\u201d she whispered, eyes widening. \u201cDid you see that?\u201d She wrung out her scarf again, gasping as the same soft music twinkled<\/p>\n

up from where the droplets hit a path she hadn\u2019t been able to see before. Rey dropped to one knee, smoothing her hand across<\/p>\n

perfect, smooth glass. \u201cThere\u2019s a path here.\u201d She twisted to look up at the lamps swinging from the distant ceiling. Wetting her hand on her clothes, she stuck her right forefinger into the air. The wind passing persistently through the cistern blew a few strands of loosened hair across Leia\u2019s face and tickled Rey\u2019s finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe darkness keeps the transparisteel practically invisible,\u201d Rey explained, running her palm across the invisible bridge just to be sure. \u201cAnd the air flow blows any dust away, to keep it hidden. It was a test.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone have a light?\u201d Gav asked, hurrying over.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow clever,\u201d C-3PO said. He kept a safe distance from the edge but more or less joined the group. \u201cThe ancient Jedi were masters of architecture, but I have never seen such a device.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rey pulled her scavenging goggles out of her hip bag and switched on the small glow rod on the top corner. She shined it back and forth, showing the way forward. It was a bridge, sparkling in the new, bright glow, perhaps wide enough for two humans to pass side by<\/p>\n

side.<\/p>\n

\u201cCleaning this place must have been a nightmare,\u201d Gav muttered. \u201cImagine sweeping that.\u201d He audibly shuddered. Rey put one foot on<\/p>\n

the transparisteel, testing it. It vibrated softly under her feet.<\/p>\n

She took a few more steps forward, always zipping the light back and forth to illuminate the bridge. When she took a deep breath and jumped, the others gasped in unison. C-3PO cried out, but Rey landed without incident. It felt sturdy. Solid.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollow me,\u201d Rey told them. \u201cIt looks like it runs straight across.\u201d They went cautiously, in a single-file line, Leia holding the back of<\/p>\n

Rey\u2019s jacket, Gavrin right behind her, and C-3PO bringing up the rear. She could hear the nervousness in the droid\u2019s teetering steps. Rey wasn\u2019t sure she breathed the entire time, and by the time they reached the other side, she was lightheaded. The door that had seemed so far away was now right in front of them. Rey recognized the raised button on it; it matched the one on the antechamber doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay close,\u201d she said. Her lips pressed together in concentration as she withdrew into her mind, envisioning the moment as she needed it to be, seeing the energy that would bloom around them\u2014protective, trapping them safely inside. Carefully, eyes closed, she reached out for the button and pressed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould I remind you what happened last time?\u201d Gavrin hissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be safe,\u201d Rey said. The door lifted gradually, and once it locked into place, it seemed to trigger another mechanism, a light above<\/p>\n

them blasting on and brightening the path back across the chasm. A twin aperture to the lights blinked before playing a blue holorecording of the Jedi Master they had seen before. He seemed less urgent in this one, calm and at ease, noticeably younger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough careful reflection or sheer determination, you have survived the Chamber of Quenching,\u201d he said. \u201cI tell my students of a gold-smith of renown, one who uses their tools and furnace with immense skill; they do not allow the flames to grow too hot, nor do they tamper overmuch lest the gold never refine. This smith knows the nature of the metal, applies heat and cold at suitable times. So, too, must a Jedi know when to turn their focus, determination, and restraint inward. Prepare yourself \u2014 the Way of the Reforged is arduous, and your journey has just begun. Beyond lies the Simulacris.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c’Way of the Reforged,’\u201d C-3PO repeated. \u201cWhy does that sound like some manner of trial?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re the translator,\u201d Rey reminded him. The energy surrounding them sputtered out as she refocused her attention on what the Jedi projection had said. Goldsmiths and forges. It couldn\u2019t be a coincidence. \u201cThere must be a forge here somewhere. Why else<\/p>\n

would he mention one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorta sounded like a metaphor to me,\u201d Gav offered quietly, avoiding Rey\u2019s subsequent stare.<\/p>\n

Leia let go of the back of Rey\u2019s coat, placing a careful hand on her forearm. \u201cWhatever a Simulacris is, I don\u2019t know that we should attempt it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rey nodded. She wanted to press on, but she couldn\u2019t deny that something had gone wrong in that pool. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind drying off,<\/p>\n

and I should check through my books to see if the Simulacris is mentioned in any of them. I don\u2019t… want to rush into anything like that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

At that, Leia gave her a warm smile, a proud one. \u201cBooks are best with tea.\u201d She turned to face Gavrin, and Rey knew he would be<\/p>\n

helpless against whatever came next, because Leia extended her arm, suggesting he take it to help her back across the bridge. \u201cIs there tea at your camp? If not, we can share some of our supply from the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Star Wars: Legacy<\/a> by Madeleine Roux will be released on July 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Regardless of how certain Star Wars fans may feel about the controversial Star Wars sequel trilogy by directors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512729,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-512728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}