Brotherhood (novel)

For other uses, see Brotherhood.

Brotherhood is a canon adult novel by Mike Chen. Published by Del Rey on May 10, 2022, it focuses on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars. An unabridged audiobook version of the novel was released simultaneously.

Publisher's summary

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker must stem the tide of the raging Clone Wars and forge a new bond as Jedi Knights.

The Clone Wars have begun. Battle lines are being drawn throughout the galaxy. With every world that joins the Separatists, the peace guarded by the Jedi Order is slipping through their fingers.

After an explosion devastates Cato Neimoidia, the jewel of the Trade Federation, the Republic is blamed and the fragile neutrality of the planet is threatened. The Jedi dispatch Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Order's most gifted diplomatic minds, to investigate the crime and maintain the balance that has begun to dangerously shift. As Obi-Wan investigates with the help of a heroic Neimoidian guard, he finds himself working against the Separatists who hope to draw the planet into their conspiracy—and senses the sinister hand of Asajj Ventress in the mists that cloak the planet.

Amid the brewing chaos, Anakin Skywalker rises to the rank of Jedi Knight. Despite the mandate that Obi-Wan travel alone–and his former master's insistence that he listen this time—Anakin's headstrong determination means nothing can stop him from crashing the party, and bringing along a promising but conflicted youngling.

Once a Padawan to Obi-Wan, Anakin now finds himself on equal—but uncertain—footing with the man who raised him. The lingering friction between them increases the danger for everyone around them. The two knights must learn a new way to work together—and they must learn quickly, to save Cato Neimoidia and its people from the fires of war. To overcome the threat they face they must grow beyond master and apprentice. They must stand together as brothers.[1]

Opening crawl

BROTHERHOOD 
The CLONE WARS have erupted. Caught off guard by the quickly expanding conflict, the overwhelmed Jedi Order has rushed the advancement of Padawans to better integrate into the Grand Army of the Republic and assist the war effort.

Newly promoted Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is increasingly torn between his growing duties to the Republic and his secret marriage to Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. With his Knighting, his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi has been elevated to the Jedi Council under the rank of Jedi Master.

As dark forces push the Jedi further toward their transformation from guardians to soldiers, Anakin and Obi-Wan find themselves on equal footing yet opposing paths, each pondering the meaning of peace and justice during a time of war…

Plot summary

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Development

Brotherhood was known as "Playground Fight" during production.[3] It was announced by StarWars.com on October 7, 2021, along with other upcoming titles.[4] During its development, Chen worked closely with fellow Star Wars author E. K. Johnston, whose novel Queen's Hope is set slightly prior to Brotherhood. They decided to focus specifically on 2 clone battalions, the 555th and the 302nd. The two authors ensured their stories synced together and created ties between them.[5] Chen wanted the novel to feel like an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.[6]

Chen based the mannerisms, voice, and outfit of the character Ruug Quarnom on Kira Nerys from Star Trek.[7] The Korgee beast got its name from the corgi.[8] Whenever a battle droid in the text is identified simply as a "battle droid" without any further context, Chen intended for the unit to be a B1-series battle droid.[9][10][11][12] For that reason, B2-series super battle droids are outright identified as "super" battle droids.[11] The training droids that Ketar Nor spares with are B1 units equipped with training ammunition, with Chen later reasoning they were using ion-based weaponry.[12]

Continuity

Relation to previous stories

"So, if you want to treat Labyrinth of Evil as 'that business,' nothing that happens in my book will negate that. They take place at two different points in the timeline, so they can totally co-exist. It's totally cool."
―Mike Chen[13]

The mission to Cato Neimoidia featured in the novel is the same incident first mentioned in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.[14] "Anakin Skywalker," a 2021 issue of De Agostini's Star Wars Encyclopedia series, had previously stated that Kenobi and Skywalker undertook an operation on Cato Neimoidia shortly before the Battle of Yerbana, which it claimed to be the event referenced in Revenge of the Sith.[15] The encyclopedia's account roughly corresponds to the Star Wars Legends continuity's depiction of the event from the 2005 novel Labyrinth of Evil, written by James Luceno.[16] Due to his love of Labyrinth of Evil and because his book takes place much earlier in the timeline, author Mike Chen has stated fans are free to continue to view the events seen in Labyrinth as "that business," even stating the two stories can co-exist.[13]

Another connection with a Legends novel comes with a tie to the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover: while that novelization sees a mission to an unidentified dead star system from Anakin Skywalker's point of view, Chen included a re-canonization of the scene, but now from Kenobi's perspective.[17] The image of Anakin and Obi-Wan running together on the inside cover of the book is sourced from the cover of the 2002 Legends comic book Practice Makes Perfect.[18]

A portion of the Clone Wars duel between Skywalker and Ventress in which the rain hammers against both opponents, a key part of Mike Chen's assumption of how the duel could occur in canon.

A portion of the Clone Wars duel between Skywalker and Ventress in which the rain hammers against both opponents, a key part of Mike Chen's assumption of how the duel could occur in canon.

With the personal mission to reference it as much as possible,[19] Chen also included a number of references to the Star Wars: Clone Wars microseries.[20] Chen considered that the microseries could be seen as representing a HoloNet-dramatized versions of actual events—meaning that while liberties were taken for audiences, the bones of what had occurred were still accurate. He felt this was partially due to the stylized way action is portrayed in the Clone Wars series feeling disconnected to the films. The author also noted that his personal approach helped him consolidate what had happened in the films to what had happened in the series effectively during the novel's planning process.[21]

The phrase "Like fire across the galaxy" is from Clone Wars. Windu's role in the fighting on Dantooine and Grievous's battle with Ki-Adi-Mundi were also referenced in the novel.[20] Chen purposely alluded to the duel on Yavin 4 between Skywalker and Ventress shown in Clone Wars,[22] with, in his words, "some caveats."[20] The mention he included that agents of Count Dooku had been sent after Skywalker previously referenced the duel.[23] Assuming that[22] the Clone Wars duel occurred in a dark, rainy environment, Chen posited that Skywalker could have fought Ventress previously without realizing who she was or getting a good look at her.[23] Skywalker also presumed he had bested the enemy.[24] Still, he recognizes her Ginivex-class fanblade starfighter, while Ventress is more than aware of who the Jedi is.[25] The book did not go into more detail because it would have taken too much exposition.[24]

Contradictions and connections

Anakin Skywalker's hair on the cover of Brotherhood is shorter than what is described in the novel.

Anakin Skywalker's hair on the cover of Brotherhood is shorter than what is described in the novel.

The cover of Brotherhood depicts Kenobi and Skywalker in appearances[26] derived from Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,[27] with Skywalker's design updated to reflect his gloved right hand. However, the novel itself also describes "his once-short hair" as having started to grow out, implying a bridge[26] between his Attack of the Clones hair[27] and his Star Wars: The Clone Wars style[28] and meaning his hair would be longer than what is seen on the cover. In the novel, after Padmé Amidala makes note of his growing hair, Skywalker muses that he will allow it to grow out even more,[26] foreshadowing the yet longer hair to come by the time of The Clone Wars.[28] Kenobi's hair in the novel is also noted to have grown out since Attack of the Clones despite its appearance on the cover.[26]

The end of Brotherhood see Kenobi and Skywalker adopt appearances[26] that match their Star Wars: The Clone Wars designs,[28] including Kenobi cutting his hair and parting it[26] to match his The Clone Wars appearance[28] and both looking over pieces of body armor,[26] which both have donned by the events of The Clone Wars.[28] Such suggests that all appearances that stray closer to their Attack of the Clones designs are before Brotherhood, while The Clone Wars-inspired designs come after the novel. However, the novel also claims itself as the first time Kenobi and Amidala have seen each other since the Battle of Geonosis.[26] Such would suggest that the events of Hyperspace Stories 1—in which Kenobi and Skywalker, who is a Jedi Knight judging by his lack of Padawan braid, are closer to their Attack of the Clones designs—must occur after the events of Brotherhood due to Kenobi and Amidala's interactions.[29]

Additionally, Hyperspace Stories 5 depicts Skywalker as familiar with Ventress, thereby placing it after Brotherhood despite using the Attack of the Clones inspired design.[30] "Practice Makes Perfect" depicts Kenobi with his longer hair and Skywalker with a shorter haircut than normal during Ahsoka Tano's apprenticeship to Skywalker.[31] As such, Kenobi and Skywalker must adjust their clothing and hairstyles several times over the course of the Clone Wars. Indeed, the end of the book sees Skywalker remark that he only wants to try the armor as a trial period instead of committing to it full time[26] as he has by the time of The Clone Wars.[28] The claim that Kenobi and Amidala had not seen each other since the Battle of Geonosis[26] would later be contradicted by Star Wars: My First Comic Reader 1, which, judging by Skywalker's Padawan braid, is set during his apprenticeship to Kenobi.[32] As the events of Brotherhood pick up sometime after Skywalker's apprenticeship is over, Kenobi and Amidala cannot meet for the first time since Geonosis during the novel.

Media

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Editions

Cover gallery

Appearances

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Characters

Organisms

Droid models

Events

Locations

Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea


Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 PenguinRandomHouse-Logo Star Wars: Brotherhood on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link)
  2. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Brotherhood to 22 BBY.
  3. ↑ PenguinRandomHouse-Logo Playground Fight on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link)
  4. ↑ StarWars.com New Books Starring Luke and Lando, Obi-Wan and Anakin, and More Revealed – Exclusive on StarWars.com (backup link)
  5. ↑ TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post): "I'm just saying, Queen's Hope has some ties to Brotherhood and takes place immediately before my book (@ek_johnston and I did some homework to sync things up) so you'll definitely want to preorder!" (original link is obsolete)
  6. ↑ BlueskyLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter.bsky.social) on Bluesky (post on April 8, 2025): "I thought there were some during the part when Anakin and Obi-Wan escape to the rooftops but I could have just blended my "write a book that feels like Clone Wars" with actual Clone Wars episodes. (In response to: "Alright! Thank you once again, sir! This is a big help I will say, I’m not sure I can find any mention of droidekas/destroyer droids in the text, so maybe you need to write a sequel to ensure you have your chance to write them :P")" (screenshot)
  7. ↑ TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post on July 26, 2023): "A very happy birthday to Nana! For those that read STAR WARS: BROTHERHOOD, Ruug Quarnom was 100% based on @NanaVisitor's Kira Nerys in voice and mannerisms, just Neimoidian. That's why Ruug wears maroon-colored armor." (original link is obsolete)
  8. ↑ TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post on July 15, 2023): "This is why corgi fur (erm, "korgee beast" fur) is used as a tracking item on DS9 and Cato Neimoidia. It gets more places than sand!" (original link is obsolete)
  9. ↑ BlueskyLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter.bsky.social) on Bluesky (post on April 8, 2025): "The intention for generic "battle droids" is B1s. I believe (IIRC) super battle droids and droidekas are referenced as such. (In response to: "Hey @mikechenwriter.bsky.social , I have perhaps a particular question about Star Wars Brotherhood, about your intention of what battle droids appear where. This might get a little involved, lol. Upfront, this is for Wook as I need to see if I can narrow down some appearances lol", "For some context, your average B1 Battle Droid is often called the “Battle Droid” in text. So, it can be a coin toss if a book mentioning “a battle droid” means a B1 or just generally means “a combat droid.” Like could be solely B1s, or could be any model of battle unit", and "Mind if I ask you for clarification as to where your intention was that B1s appear and where you just generally meant battle droids generically?")" (screenshot)
  10. ↑ BlueskyLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter.bsky.social) on Bluesky (post on April 8, 2025): "Yeah, unfurling battle droids refers to them being deployed like when power up on Naboo in TPM. (Unrelated, the auto alt-text description for the gif below was "a group of people are riding a roller coaster that has a clock on the side") (In response to: "Yep! What I mean is, sometimes in the text there are mentions of “battle droids” generically. For example, when Kenobi is facing down execution, we get mentions of “unfurling battle droids.” Was your intention them to all be B1s? Or is it a more casual use, maybe mixed group of droids, etc" and "Ooooh, wait! I get what you’re saying. So, when the text generically uses the phrase “battle droid,” you mean B1s?")" (screenshot)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 BlueskyLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter.bsky.social) on Bluesky (post on April 8, 2025): "Yep! The super battle droids and droidekas are as seen in AOTC. There's no usage in Brotherhood for BX commando droids. (In response to: "Okay, so, use of the phrase “battle droid” in the text correlates to it being a B1! If you wanted an included battle droid to be depicted as a non-B1, you put in a descriptor like “super” (to represent a B2 for example, such as below). That’s accurate to say?")" (screenshot)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 BlueskyLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter.bsky.social) on Bluesky (post on April 8, 2025): "Yeah, B1s with training ammunition. I forget the type but it's some sort of stun charge that I believe already existed in Wook, possibly ion. (In response to: "Alright! Thank you, sir! This makes wook work with battle droids a lot easier lol! I do have 1 last question on this front, then I’ll leave you be. The training battle droids Ketar fights are shortened to “battle droids” too, fair to assume they’re B1s? We do see on Kamino B1s used as training")" (screenshot)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Premium-Era-real Mike Chen: Author of Star Wars - BROTHERHOOD on Talking Bay 94 (backup link archived on May 11, 2022)
  14. ↑ StarWars.com Anakin and Obi-Wan Are Ready for Battle on the Cover of Star Wars: Brotherhood – Exclusive Reveal on StarWars.com (backup link)
  15. ↑ "Anakin Skywalker" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
  16. ↑ Labyrinth of Evil
  17. ↑ TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post): "#10: 'even stars burned out' -- that whole flashback with Anakin and Obi-Wan fleshes out a moment from Matthew Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization of a 'minor mission' where Anakin witnessed the death of a star." (original link is obsolete)
  18. ↑ Practice Makes Perfect
  19. ↑ TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post): "I love Genndy as much as you, so I wanted to sneak in as much as possible!" (original link is obsolete)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post): "Things I brought over from Genndy into BROTHERHOOD: "Like fire across the galaxy" Mace Windu on Dantooine General Grievous vs Ki-Adi-Mundi Anakin vs Ventress (it's very subtle and comes with some caveats but it's there: "I've seen that ship before." "It's you, isn't it?)"" (original link is obsolete)
  21. ↑ Email from Mike Chen (author) on December 14, 2023 — Used with permission
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post on June 28, 2023): "Note that my Anakin/Ventress encounter at the end of the book is written to work with Genddy! Anakin says he's seen her ship before and Ventress knows who he is. This assumes that Yavin was dark, fast, and rainy, so Anakin knows he was attacked on Yavin but not by who." (original link is obsolete)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Premium-Era-real Star Wars writer reveals a new Anakin canon twist by Britt, Ryan on www.inverse.com (May 11, 2022) (backup link archived on May 12, 2022)
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post on November 7, 2023): "Re: Anakin v Ventress, the idea is that Yavin 4 was rainy, dark, and quick, so he doesn't get a good look at her. He figures he defeated "one of Dooku's minions" and doesn't put together that she survived and is back. We decided not being explicit bc it's a LOT of exposition." (original link is obsolete)
  25. ↑ TwitterLogo Mike Chen (@mikechenwriter) on Twitter (post on June 28, 2023): "Anakin says he recognizes her ship and he's dealt with Dooku's agents before. Ventress just laughs at him and clearly knows who he is. We didn't want too much more expo to bog the story down but those are the clues." (original link is obsolete)
  26. ↑ 26.00 26.01 26.02 26.03 26.04 26.05 26.06 26.07 26.08 26.09 Brotherhood
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cat and Mouse"
  29. ↑ Hyperspace Stories 1
  30. ↑ Hyperspace Stories 5
  31. ↑ Tales of the Jedi logo Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi — "Practice Makes Perfect"
  32. ↑ Star Wars: My First Comic Reader 1
  33. ↑ Penguin Random House International Sales USA logo Star Wars: Brotherhood on Penguin Random House's international sales website (backup link) (export edition)
  34. ↑ PenguinRandomHouse-Logo Star Wars: Brotherhood on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link)

External links

The Star Wars Novels Timeline by Del Rey & Random House Worlds
The High Republic · Convergence · The Battle of Jedha · Cataclysm
· Light of the Jedi · The Rising Storm · Tempest Runner · The Fallen Star
· The Eye of Darkness · Temptation of the Force · Tempest Breaker · Trials of the Jedi
· Wayseeker: An Acolyte Novel
· Dooku: Jedi Lost · Master & Apprentice · The Living Force
I The Phantom Menace · Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss
II Attack of the Clones · Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade · Brotherhood · The Thrawn Ascendancy Trilogy · Dark Disciple: A Clone Wars Novel
III Revenge of the Sith · Master of Evil · Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear · Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel · Sanctuary: A Bad Batch Novel · Lords of the Sith · Tarkin
· Jedi: Battle Scars
Solo · Thrawn · A New Dawn: A Rebels Novel · Thrawn: Alliances · Thrawn: Treason
Rogue One
IV A New Hope · Battlefront II: Inferno Squad · Heir to the Jedi · Doctor Aphra · Battlefront: Twilight Company
V The Empire Strikes Back
VI Return of the Jedi · The Princess and the Scoundrel · The Alphabet Squadron Trilogy · The Aftermath Trilogy · Last Shot
· Shadow of the Sith · Bloodline · Phasma · Canto Bight
VII The Force Awakens
VIII The Last Jedi · Resistance Reborn · Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire · Legacy
IX The Rise of Skywalker
[edit]