As exclusively announced by Polygon, a YA novel focusing on the Star Wars sequel trilogy’s favorite Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron, is on the way. Star Wars: Poe Dameron: Free Fall, written by Alex Segura, will explore Poe’s days as a spice runner.
In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, new information about Poe’s past was abruptly introduced when a pit stop was made on the planet Kijimi. He was revealed to have been a spice runner, which — for those less familiar with Star Wars terms — means that he smuggled illicit substances. Though his friends Rey and Finn initially reacted with shock upon learning about Poe’s unsavory past occupation, he was quick to put them both in their places with a reminder that they all had questionable past lives.
The spice runner reveal was an interesting and unexpected twist for Poe Dameron’s character. The previously known bits of his back story have confirmed him as the son of the Rebel Alliance’s late Lieutenant Shara Bey and Sergeant Kes Dameron. Poe’s mother inspired his love for flying, as she had begun to teach him how to fly her old RZ-1 A-wing interceptor when he was six years old, before she unexpectedly died when he was eight. Poe’s life as a pilot then began with the New Republic Defense Fleet, until he eventually defected to the Resistance in the interest of taking real action against the First Order.
So where exactly does a brief stint as a smuggler fit in all of this?
The premise of the novel is as follows:
It’s been a few years since Poe’s mother, who was a pilot for the Rebellion, passed away, and Poe and his father have had more and more trouble connecting. Not sure what he wants to do with his life, teenage Poe runs away from home to find adventure, and to figure out what kind of man he is meant to be.
In Polygon’s interview with Alex Segura, the author explained, “The book will spend a lot of time with Poe during his formative teen years, where we see him grow into the man we meet at the beginning of The Force Awakens.” The story will also touch on his connection to The Rise of Skywalker‘s Zorii Bliss.
Stars Wars: Poe Dameron: Free Fall is set to release on August 4, and will be available for pre-order soon.
