Published Mar 7, 2026, 7:00 AM EST
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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The return of a hero from the original Star Wars movie fixes a sequel trilogy mistake. 38 years after the franchise's first film was released in 1977, the story continued in 2015 with the release of The Force Awakens. The first installment of the sequel trilogy introduces older versions of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) around 30 years after Return of the Jedi in the Star Wars canon timeline.
Most reviews for The Force Awakens were overwhelmingly positive, with the film managing to please both longtime and newer audiences. The two sequels, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, proved to be far more divisive, though. This has created a complicated legacy for the sequel trilogy and there is still discussion of missed story opportunities. Fortunately, one such opportunity is now being amended.
Wedge Antilles Is Returning In Star Wars: Star Pilots
One of the all-time best Star Wars pilots, Wedge Antilles, is confirmed to be returning in an upcoming book. Played by Denis Lawson, Wedge is a Rebel Alliance X-Wing pilot who first appears during the original Star Wars film and is one of the few who survives the attack against the first Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.
He returns to fly in the Battle of Hoth during The Empire Strikes Back and the Battle of Endor during Return of the Jedi. Wedge also has a brief cameo during the Battle of Exegol in The Rise of Skywalker, where he mans a gun turret in the Millennium Falcon instead of flying an X-Wing.
While speaking with Alex Damon on the YouTube channel Star Wars Explained, author Chris Kempshall shared that he is writing Star Wars: Star Pilots, a book which features Wedge as the main point of view character. Set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, Wedge will be looking back at the history of Rebel Alliance and Imperial pilots during the Galactic Civil War, including Biggs Darklighter (Garrick Hagon).
Kempshall previously wrote Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, which was written as an in-universe history from the perspective of Beaumont Kin (Dominic Monaghan). Star Pilots will follow a similar format, this time from Wedge's point of view, essentially making him the main character of the book.
The Sequel Trilogy Failed To Do Wedge Justice
Wedge's prominent role in Star Pilots can make up for how the sequel trilogy failed to do him justice. As a Rebel Alliance hero who survived the original trilogy, Wedge should have had a bigger role in the sequels instead of being relegated to a fleeting cameo in The Rise of Skywalker. It's understandable that he wouldn't get as much focus as the iconic trio of Han, Leia, and Luke, but he could have been an active presence in the Resistance as Admiral Ackbar (Tim Rose) has in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
It didn't help that the 2019 novel Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse, which is set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, reveals where Wedge is in the sequel trilogy. Wedge plays a major part in the book and is a point of view character who helps the Resistance rebuild following Luke's sacrifice during the Battle of Crait. After seeing Wedge work alongside Leia, Poe Dameron, and other key sequel trilogy characters, it felt as though he was being set up for a substantial return instead of just a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker.
Since he is the only pilot to survive the attack runs against both Death Stars, and having lived and fought through the Galactic Civil War and the war between the Resistance and First Order, Wedge is the perfect Star Wars character to guide readers through Star Pilots. As someone who bravely defected from the Empire and joined the Rebel Alliance, he also has a unique understanding of both sides, which the book is taking advantage of in a way the sequel trilogy movies did not.
Star Wars: Star Pilots releases on October 6, 2026.
Created by George Lucas
First Film Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Cast Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s) The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
Movie(s) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Character(s) Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
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