Every saga has a beginning. Especially Grand Admiral Thrawn‘s.

The Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, written by Timothy Zahn and kicking off with Chaos Rising, will go back to the early days of the Imperial strategic mastermind within the Chiss Ascendancy. In this exclusive excerpt from Chaos Rising, an unknown enemy launches a sneek attack on Csilla, the homeworld of the Chiss…

Look for Chaos Rising to arrive in our galaxy in hardcover and audiobook formats on September 1; in addition to the excerpt, enjoy a clip from the audiobook edition and a first look at a new poster included with the exclusive Barnes & Noble edition below.

PROLOGUE

The attack on the Chiss Ascendancy homeworld of Csilla was sudden, unexpected, and—despite its limited scope—impressively efficient.

The three large warships came out of hyperspace on widely

Growing up, Chad Dime was so inspired by the wise words of Jedi Master Yoda, he scrawled one of the teacher’s memorable quotes on the underside of his skateboards and surfboards. The handwritten message — “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” — served as a constant reminder for the ambitious kid.

Flash forward to 2014, when Dime co-founded and created DIFF Eyewear, inspired to fill a void in the monopolized eyewear industry with affordable, beautifully crafted frames constructed with luxury grade materials, such as handcrafted acetate and stainless steel metal, that also helped fund vision testing and eyewear for those in need. More recently, Dime got the chance to merge his love of Star Wars and eyewear design in the new Star Wars | DIFF collection celebrating the

Looking for an activity that’s fun, engaging, and educational? Each week, Teaching with Star Wars will offer unique lessons for you and your younglings that promise to foster opportunities for discovery and learning, all through the lens of a galaxy far, far away. And it sounds like the bell just rang, so let’s head to the classroom now. Punch it, Chewie!

Leadership is not as easy as Princess Leia Organa makes it look. The senator from Alderaan frequently finds herself in situations that would overwhelm just about anyone, but Leia has an uncanny blend of inner strength, tenacity, and compassion that make her someone you want on your side. Whether she’s escaping from the Death Star, encouraging a reluctant hero, or helping to get the plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, Princess

On May 21, 1980, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back made its theatrical debut. To celebrate the classic film’s landmark 40th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Empire at 40,” a special series of interviews, editorial features, and listicles.

Inside Ben Burtt’s home office, he’s flipping through a notebook from his time working on Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in search of the name of the farm where he recorded the sea otter behind the bleating vocals of Hoth’s tauntauns and a bathtub full of raccoons for Dagobah’s unseen wildlife. Among the copious notes and audio tapes from his more than four-decade career is a detailed record of the nine months Burtt, the sound designer on the film, and his team spent on road trips across the United States where they recorded everything from a squeaky dumpster

Breathe. Just breathe. Reach out with your feelings. What do you see?

Mindfulness is as much a part of the fabric of Star Wars as the Force itself, guiding characters to pause, reflect, and get in touch with their feelings as well as their surroundings. So it seemed like a natural fit as Amy Ratcliffe was exploring the topic for her new book, The Jedi Mind. Part self-guided mindfulness primer and part appreciation of the practice of mindfulness woven throughout the Jedi teachings, the book is paired with beautiful illustrations from artist Christina Chung to give readers bite-sized meditations on everything from letting go to looking inward.

StarWars.com is pleased to give you your first look at the cover as well as pages and passages on gratitude and more! Plus,