Christmas has come early in the form of a surprise new Star Wars book announcement. According to an updated listing from Penguin Random House UK, the Bad Batch will be getting their own novel titled Star Wars: Sanctuary. Authored by Lamar Giles (From a Certain Point of View), the book will be released on August 5, 2025.
What makes this particular listing interesting is that it appears to be the only such one, at the time of writing, that has been updated past its codename placeholder of “Tanner” or “Untitled Star Wars August Novel.” Therefore, while this is an official listing, we recommend keeping expectations relatively in check until more is revealed. Typically, once these listings appear online, an announcement is imminent so expect it by the end of the year or in early January. In fact, Random House Worlds senior editor Tom Hoeler implied as much when he was taking questions from people Friday on X.
While we encourage caution for the time being, that’s not going to stop some speculation. The most logical place to start is in the title. By the end of the series, the team was able to make a home for themselves on Pabu. A story set after the show feels like a safe bet for now, since Dark Horse’s upcoming Ghost Agents comic miniseries will take place during the Clone Wars. Could “sanctuary” be referring to something larger? Something for all clones? A lot of people expected season 3 to be about a larger clone rebellion against the Empire. While there were hints of such an event, it never completely took off.
If Lucasfilm wants to keep the post-Bad Batch era open for a future animated product, we could see them go further back. How about a story about their extremely early days? One where we see them come to terms with being radically different from the rest of the clones. If Lucasfilm doesn’t plan to keep that era secretive, it could feature the further adventures of Omega. Maybe she crosses paths with Asajj Ventress and that’s where we get those answers? (Please Lucasfilm, no. Even if it would be hilarious to shove Asajj right back into publishing after a one-off animated return.)
Drop your hopes and theories in the comments below!
Star Wars: Sanctuary – A Bad Batch Novel is currently set for release on August 5, 2025. Clone Force 99 will return sooner though in Dark Horse’s Hyperspace Stories: Bad Batch – Ghost Agents. Issue #1 is slated for February 12. Read more about the series here.
Nate uses his love for Star Wars and movies in general as a way to cope with the pain of being a Minnesota sports fan. When he’s not at the theater, you can usually find Nate reading a comic, listening to an audiobook, or playing a Mario video game for the 1,000th time.
source: www.starwarsnewsnet.com