Star Wars: Catalyst Novel Synopsis Reveals Rogue One Backstory

With a galaxy as big and far, far away as the one in Star Wars, a few secrets get spilled now and then.

Although Lucasfilm has been selective about which details are revealed about the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the synopsis of an upcoming novel tied to the storyline might have given us some juicy tidbits about the film's plot.

Potential spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Stitch Kingdom got their hands on the summary for Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, which will be released a month before the movie. It's a prequel to Rogue One, set in the middle of the Clone Wars that precede the events of the original trilogy.

We already know some things about Rogue One's central character Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), and the international trailer revealed that her father Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen) is the one who warns the Rebels about the Empire's Death Star. But the Catalyst summary tells us that Galen is an old friend of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), a member of the top secret Death Star project.

Here's the novel's official synopsis:

"Galen's energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic's debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor's tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic's web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself."

But as ScreenRant points out, it's not clear how much of the backstory will be included in Rogue One, and Catalyst could "primarily look to give interested parties more information on the characters."

Either way, we'll know more when Catalyst hits shelves on Nov. 15 and Rogue One premieres Dec. 16. Meanwhile, here are some obscure Star Wars backstories you probably don't know.