'Star Wars: Ronin' Novel Will Follow A Wandering Samurai Sith From 'Star Wars: Visions'

This fall, Star Wars: Visions will bring a galaxy far, far away to life in a new way with a collection of anime short films offering new interpretations and remixes of Star Wars mythology. Expanding on that storytelling style will also be a new book called Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel. Inspired by Kamikaze Douga's The Duel short directed by Takanobu Mizuno, the book will expand upon the story within the short, following a former, unnamed Sith known only as Ronin, who has become a wandering samurai traveling across the galaxy. Find out more about the Star Wars: Visions book below.

Here's the official synopsis for the book by Emma Mieko Candon, arriving on October 12, 2021, from StarWars.com:

A mysterious former Sith wanders the galaxy in this stunning Star Wars tale. An original novel inspired by the world of The Duel from the Star Wars Visions animated anthology.

The Jedi are the most loyal servants of the Empire.

Two decades ago, Jedi clans clashed in service to feuding lords. Sickened by this endless cycle, a sect of Jedi rebelled, seeking to control their own destiny and claim power in service of no master. They called themselves Sith.

The Sith rebellion failed, succumbing to infighting and betrayal, and the once rival lords unified to create an Empire...but even an Empire at peace is not free from violence.

Far on the edge of the Outer Rim, one former Sith wanders, accompanied only by a faithful droid and the ghost of a less civilized age. He carries a lightsaber, but claims lineage to no Jedi clan, and pledges allegiance to no lord. Little is known about him, including his name, for he never speaks of his past, nor his regrets. His history is as guarded as the red blade of destruction he carries sheathed at his side.

As the galaxy's perpetual cycle of violence continues to interrupt his self-imposed exile, and he is forced to duel an enigmatic bandit claiming the title of Sith, it becomes clear that no amount of wandering will ever let him outpace the specters of his former life.

James Waugh of the Lucasfilm Story Group and executive producer of Star Wars: Visions talked about how this latest Star Wars book came to be. Waugh said:

"Out of all the shorts, The Duel felt most rife for an ongoing story in a novel. Another one of Ronin's adventures. One of the things I always loved about the short was that it was clear there was a larger history at play. That this wasn't the first adventure this warrior had been through and it certainly won't be their last. The team at Kamikaze Douga were very generous in obliging our interest in continuing the storytelling and had a ton of ideas to lend in the creative process. Visions allows us to explore Star Wars expressed in new ways. And this book is unlike anything we've done before."

When George Lucas created Star Wars, it was very much influenced by the classic films of Akira Kurosawa. Now that influence will come full circle with Star Wars: Visions, and this new book will expand on that inspiration even more. Candon explained the influences behind Star Wars: Ronin:

"In brief, jidaigeki [period dramas], Japanese monsters and folklore, and war trauma. The Duel is very much in conversation with period dramas a la Kurosawa, while the latter two felt like natural Japanese extensions of the 'Star' and 'Wars' parts of Star Wars. Jidaigeki love samurai as protagonists because they're suspicious of samurai as a class, and our Ronin falls right into that trope. I had to ask how this man rejected (or was rejected by) his social role, and why he continues to cleave to it. Why does he still carry that tell-tale red blade? And why does he hunt his own?"

A wandering samurai Sith who is hunting down other Sith? Why is this not a full fledged Star Wars series or movie? Star Wars: Ronin should probably be turned into a comic or manga too, right? If Star Wars: Visions is a successful debut on Disney+, perhaps we'll get more variations on Star Wars mythology like this. There's great potential to expand the scope and style of Star Wars in interesting ways, so hopefully this is just the beginning of a new kind of galactic sandbox for storytellers to play in.