“Master,” Anakin said, standing up so fast that his knees banged the table, the soup in his bowl sloshing in reaction. Yet now they were peers rather than Master and apprentice, a war severing that protective tether and letting Anakin drift free among his instincts and his passion. He cared about so many things-including podracing-that Obi-Wan felt like he was often the safety lock on Anakin’s throttle, making sure Anakin kept from going so fast that he’d spiral out of control. He’d screamed it at Anakin as wind whipped into their eyes, their gunship soaring over Geonosis. Not that long ago, it was far more drastic, and a single memory flashed, summing up Obi-Wan’s worries in a few words: “You will be expelled from the Jedi Order!” In return, Obi-Wan used the time to consider the scene in front of him: Anakin trying to bend rules to serve his personal desires. He waited until Anakin finished and settled into his seat, a simple vegetable soup on the tray in front of him, and gave his former apprentice several seconds to enjoy his setup before barging in.

The Jedi refectory was nearly empty, so much so that Anakin must have figured no one would notice if he changed the configuration of the holodisplays from a rolling list of schedules and menus to a podrace from some remote world. Right before he spoke, he’d spotted Anakin by himself but stayed quiet. Set in the early years of the war, Obi-Wan is about to investigate a disaster on the planet Cato Neimoidia, but not before telling Anakin of a surprising task he has been called to perform. To celebrate the book’s release this next week, Del Rey offered Polygon an exclusive excerpt from Brotherhood. “So to document the transition between Anakin and Obi-Wan as prickly master/apprentice to the brotherly team you see in the Clone Wars movie, it makes Brotherhood a true dream project.” “The prequel era is my favorite time period in Star Wars and the Clone Wars series may be my favorite piece of Star Wars media,” Chen told Polygon. The latest Star Wars novel from Del Rey was written by Mike Chen and will hit shelves on May 10. While we wait on the May 27 premiere on Disney Plus, Star Wars: Brotherhood will give fans another tale exploring the complicated relationship between the former master and his infamous apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the upcoming limited miniseries in Disney’s recent slate of live-action Star Wars television spinoffs, will premiere next month, and with it, Ewan McGregor will reprise the role of the legendary Jedi Master turned Tatooine hermit.

Mike chen star wars brotherhood