Dark Disciple

"Ventress had become one of the most interesting characters&hellip; we had all this material, we had all these designs&hellip; This is based on scripts we had written with George Lucas&hellip; I'm super excited about this book."

- Dave Filoni

Dark Disciple is an upcoming novel starring Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos, written by Christie Golden for release by Del Rey on July 7, 2015. The novel is part of The Clone Wars Legacy multimedia initiative, since it will be based on an eight-part story arc that was scripted for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series; the scripts were not produced as episodes prior to the show's cancellation. The novel will include a foreword by Katie Lucas, the writer for the episodes that the novel adapted, and will skew toward adult readers.

Publisher's summary
Based on unproduced scripts from the blockbuster TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars! The only way to bring down the dark side's most dangerous warrior may be for Jedi and Sith to join forces. In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself.

But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force's power to bear&mdash;pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku's side still runs deep, Ventress's hatred for her former master runs deeper. She's more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter&mdash;and assassin&mdash;to Vos's quest.

Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku&mdash;as long as the emerging feelings between them don't compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior's spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts&mdash;a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy. . . and her own doubt.

Development
"We were particularly interested because [the unproduced episodes] center on Asajj Ventress, who to me is extraordinarily interesting as a character, because she's one of the few who aren't just light or dark, but straddle both. It's an interesting balance to explore: how can you use the dark side but not be completely, truly dark? What's the difference between being an actual Sith and utilizing the dark side of the Force when you need it? How did she become what she became after her training by Dooku? That makes her really, really interesting."

- Shelly Shapiro

The novel was first announced on July 25, 2014 at San Diego Comic-Con, in Del Rey's Star Wars panel that prominently featured the novel A New Dawn. The author was announced as Christie Golden, who will adapt scripts that were written by Katie Lucas, in conjunction with Series Producer George Lucas, for what would have been the seventh season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series prior to its cancellation. According to Jennifer Heddle, the novel will skew toward adult audiences, with Pablo Hidalgo noting that the novel can explore the characters in deeper ways than the television series was able to. The first illustration for the novel was developed as conceptual art for the animated series.

On September 25, 2014, StarWars.com launched a new section dedicated to what was termed The Clone Wars Legacy, a multimedia project to release other unproduced The Clone Wars scripts in various mediums. The site revealed the title of Golden's novel as Dark Disciple and also contained a gallery featuring concept art from the episodes. Although the gallery listed the story as being a four-part arc, Del Rey editor Shelly Shapiro later stated that the novel was based on eight episodes in total. Golden reaffirmed the number via Twitter, stating that the eight episodes had comprised a single, lengthy story arc.

Del Rey editor Erich Schoeneweiss was the first to announce a July 2015 release for the novel. Amazon.com listed the novel's release date as July 7, while the British release date is July 9. StarWars.com unveiled Matt Taylor's cover art for the novel on December 9, 2014. On January 16, 2015, Golden reported that she had finished the novel and passed it on to her editor, and was finishing the second draft as of February 24. In an interview released on March 11, Shelly Shapiro revealed she had just finished working on the novel. The novel will include a foreword by Katie Lucas, who wrote the original episodes for the television series.

Editions

 * ISBN 0345511530; Del Rey, July 7, 2015, 336-page hardcover
 * ISBN 1780893744; Century, July 9, 2015, 320-page hardcover