Catalyst is the latest novel to join the Star Wars continuity, tying directly into Rogue One. Here’s what we learned about the upcoming Star Wars spinoff from it.
For those of use still seeking out and devouring every last morsel of information about Rogue One, Star Wars: Catalyst was like an oasis on Tatooine.
From establishing relationships between key players in Rogue One, to the Empire’s plans for the Death Star, to the Jedi culture after their fall, Catalyst served to make the Star Wars universe that little bit richer.
If you need a refresher on some of the key moments, or just a spark notes version on the novel, you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s everything Star Wars: Catalyst taught us about Rogue One.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for events leading directly to Rogue One.
A complicated history
Orson Krennic and Galen Erso have a long and complicated history throughout Catalyst.
Both Krennic and Erso studied in the Futures Program, a Republic-run school for young talent, though the former dropped out to pursue a career in the Republic.
When Erso found himself caught up in the middle of the Clone Wars conflict, Krennic saved Erso and his family, leaving them indebted to him.
Krennic capitalized on this debt by orchestrating a position for Erso on Project Celestial Power, a research facility examining Kyber crystals, with the aim of creating renewable energy for the galaxy.
Only, Project Celestial Power wasn’t quite as altruistic as Erso had been led to believe. Krennic was using the research to develop a superweapon for the Empire’s mobile battle station — the Death Star.
Needless to say, when Erso discovers the truth, he’s more than a little horrified.
What is a Legacy?
Kyber crystals feature heavily in Catalyst, not least because they’re the key to powering the Death Star. But there are far more implications that come with mining them than just the physical end product.
In order to gather enough resources to build the Death Star, the Empire turns to “Legacy” planets for the raw materials. As the sheer volume of what they need increases, so too do their efforts to mine the material on the protected planets.
The Empire’s lack of respect for the environmentally protected Legacy planets becomes more apparent, as does their true plan — which Lyra Erso soon becomes aware of.
Belief, the Force and the Jedi
Lyra Erso has incredibly strong ties to the Force and the Jedi throughout Catalyst — though she doesn’t follow their teachings or identify as one.
The public gardens at the Jedi Temple are a place where Lyra exercises regularly. She also communes with the Force in the wilderness. The Force is a huge part of Lyra’s life — which leads us to speculate whether or not her daughter has inherited it, in some degree.
A bitter rivalry
Orson Krennic and Galen Erso aren’t the only ones with a deeply complicated relationship. Krennic also has a rivalry with someone that Star Wars fans will instantly recognize — Grand Moff Tarkin.
Tarkin is responsible for the structure of the Death Star, and continuously clashes with Krennic over his delays in the development of the superweapon. There’s also some friction between them over Krennic’s political maneuverings and obsession with ascending the ranks within the Empire.
This is likely something that won’t have disappeared, heading into Rogue One.
Saw Gerrera
Saw Gerrera has a particular connection with the Erso family in Catalyst, which we wrote about in more detail in an earlier article.
If you’re interested to learn about the relationship he has with Jyn Erso, and how the two met, we highly recommend checking that out.
The origins of the Death Star plans
As we learned back in Episode II, Poggle the Lesser was the first individual we ever saw in possession of the Death Star plans.
Catalyst digs even deeper into that brief scene. Poggle was reluctantly convinced to offer up the Geonosians as labor to build the Death Star by Krennic. The construction work commenced even before the rise of the Empire.
Knowing that the structure was built prior to the Kyber crystal powered laser, and the conflict between Tarkin and Krennic on the weapon’s development, we imagine we might see a little desperation on Krennic’s part in Rogue One.
Other points of note
- The Emperor never revealed that he was a Sith to the public, and discredited the Jedi after coming to power. He led the public to believe they were corrupt and working only in their own interests and against the Republic. This could explain the attitude toward the Jedi, post-Episode III.
- The first glimmers of the rebellion appear in Catalyst, after Jedi-sympathetic smuggler Has Obitt joins forces with Saw Gerrera to oppose the Empire.
- The Empire’s mining operations largely took place in the Western Reaches — the same area where Jakku can be found. We know from Aftermath that Palpatine discovered some kind of ancient artifact on Jakku, but we won’t learn the full extent of its importance until the final Aftermath installment.
Want to pick up ‘Catalyst’ for yourself?
You can purchase Catalyst for $17.39 on Amazon or sign up for a 30-day free trial to Audible.
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