A New Dawn

"This is the first novel integrating input from the Lucasfilm Story Group, which manages story concepts across all media, and so in addition to working with Random House's team I both got inspiration and feedback from the series' executive producers, Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman, as well as Pablo Hidalgo, Jennifer Heddle, and Leland Chee."

- John Jackson Miller

A New Dawn is a novel that was written by John Jackson Miller and was released on September 2, 2014. It serves as a prequel for the television series Star Wars Rebels and is set six years prior to the events of the show. The title was released in paperback on March 31, 2015 and was included as part of the compilation The Rise of the Empire on October 6, 2015.

Back cover
'''"The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning." &mdash;EMPEROR PALPATINE'''

Internal flap
''Ever since the Jedi were marked for death and forced to flee Coruscant, Kanan Jarrus has devoted himself to staying alive rather than serving the Force. Wandering the galaxy alone, from one anonymous job to another, he avoids trouble&mdash;especially with the Empire&mdash;at all costs. So when he discovers a deadly conflict brewing between ruthless Imperial forces and desperate revolutionaries, he's not about to get caught in the crossfire. Then the brutal death of a friend at the Empire's hands forces the ex-Jedi to make a choice: bow down to fear, or stand up and fight.''

''But Jarrus won't be fighting alone. Unlikely allies, including a bomb-throwing radical, a former Imperial surveillance agent, a vengeful security officer, and the mysterious Hera Syndulla&mdash;an agent provocateur with motives of her own&mdash;team up with Jarrus to challenge the Empire. As a crisis of apocalyptic proportions unfolds on the planet Gorse, they must stand together against one of the Empire's most fearsome enforcers&mdash;for the sake of a world and its people.''

Development
"I like to keep my characters in motion as a writer&mdash;but sometimes, the writers are the ones in motion. So it was in March, while I was finishing Star Wars: A New Dawn, my new novel for Random House."

- John Jackson Miller

John Jackson Miller finished writing the novel in March 2014, though it was not publicly announced until April 25. A New Dawn is said to be the first narrative product of Lucasfilm Ltd.'s Story Group collaborative process. The jacket proof for the novel was finalized by July 8, with the novel itself set to enter press and printing the following week.

Prior to its wide release, an Exclusive Advance Reader's Edition of A New Dawn was given away for free during the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con. The giveaways were at select times, and Miller was on-hand to autograph the exclusive editions. The edition also includes excerpts for the upcoming novels Tarkin, Heir to the Jedi, and Lords of the Sith.