Star Wars: Legacy

The second iteration of Star Wars: Legacy stars Ania Solo, a descendant of Han and Leia. It takes place in the aftermath of Star Wars: Legacy – War,[4] a comic miniseries which was set in the year 138 ABY.[6] As the series begins, Solo is running a junkyard on a backwater Outer Rim planet and living a life far removed from Emperors and royalty.[2] However, the first issue sees her come into possession of a lightsaber and an Imperial communications droid; she discovers that she has been targeted for death,[4] and is launched into an adventure unlike any she has seen before. The backwater world serves as a microcosm for greater galactic affairs, and the story expands outward, showing the reader what is happening in the highest levels of galactic government.[2]

The first issue opened with a "giant lightsaber duel,"[7] and it additionally features the Imperial Knight, Yalta Val—an agent of the Galactic Federation Triumvirate—running into trouble in the Outer Rim. The Mon Calamari refugee Sauk, a friend of Solo's who works at an ice mining facility and gets pulled into the adventure by Solo.[2] In the second issue, Solo is pursued both by local police and by an Imperial Knight determined to kill in order to get the lightsaber back. She is aided by formidable friends she has made as a black market salvage dealer.[8] The series also features Sith, and the Princess Marasiah Fel of the previous Star Wars: Legacy. It may eventually include an appearance by Cade, the earlier protagonist.[2]

In August 2010, the fiftieth and final issue of the comic series Star Wars: Legacy was published by Dark Horse Comics.[9] The six-issue miniseries Star Wars: Legacy – War followed; published from December 2010 to May 2011, it allowed authors John Ostrander and Jan Duursema an opportunity to wrap up the story.[6][10] On December 3, 2012, Comic Book Resources announced that a new incarnation of Legacy was coming in 2013, written by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, and additionally penciled by Hardman.[3] Dark Horse's Vice President of Publishing Randy Stradley soon after indicated that the project had been in the works for a number of months.[11]

Bechko and Hardman indicated via their Twitter feeds how excited they were to be working on the project.[12][13][14] They have both been Star Wars fans since the release of the original Star Wars film in 1977, which they cited as a major influence.[2] Dark Horse letterer Michael Heisler praised their work and asserted that they "know what they're doing."[15] Hardman stated that he and Bechko will be "honoring and building on" the work done by Ostrander and Duursema in the original Legacy,[16] but that the series will be accessible to fans unfamiliar with Ostrander and Duursema's work.[2]

The idea of a female protagonist did not originate with Hardman and Bechko, but after it was pitched to them, it played a significant role in drawing them to the project. Bechko has described Ania Solo as a character who "doesn't take a lot of guff," but who is nevertheless not a traditional badass female. Hardman asserts that she has the potential to be "an inspiring but very down-to-Earth human sort of character, as well." Rather than write a genealogy textbook, the two aim to tell a big adventure story that will eventually answer fans' questions about Solo's lineage.[2]

Rachelle Rosenberg was the colorist and Dave Wilkins was the cover artist. The first issue, Prisoner of the Floating World, Part 1, was scheduled for release on March 20, 2013,[4] to continue as a monthly, ongoing series,[5] with the second issue to be released on April 24.[8] Neither Bechko nor Hardman were worried about the implications the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens would have on the Expanded Universe. Their goal was to tell an exciting story that would work "no matter what", and they were reassured by the likelihood of the film taking place decades before Legacy.[2]