Star Wars Just Dropped a New Anakin and Obi-Wan Story Out of Nowhere

Padawan’s Pride gives us a rare bit of insight into Obi-Wan and Anakin’s time as master and apprentice after Phantom Menace, and even throws in podracing, to boot.

There is just so much Star Wars these days that even when we might not exactly know it’s coming, we at the least know (the majority of it) actually is. But even if you’re saturated in the galaxy far, far away, when something completely unexpected drops out of nowhere, it’s always a surprise, to be sure–and definitely a welcome one. With zero fanfare this morning Disney Books dropped a new, audible-exclusive audiobook called Star Wars: Padawan’s Pride, seemingly as part of the ongoing celebrations this year of The Phantom Menace‘s 25th anniversary. Written by Bryan Q. Miller and narrated by Kevin Kemp, Padawan’s Pride is set just three years after the events of the first prequel movie, early on into Obi-Wan and Anakin’s surprise teacher-student relationship after fate and a lightsaber to the gut took Qui-Gon Jinn out of the picture on Naboo. Debuted through a new clip released by Collider, the story follows the two Jedi as they’re dispatched by the Council to moons of Varl, in search of a missing Republic spy. Tasked with infiltrating a crime lord’s underground podracing circuit–flaring tensions between the headstrong padawan and his master when they have to lean on Anakin’s racing skill for their cover story–Anakin and Obi-Wan soon find themselves split up, forcing both of the young Jedi to rise up to the challenge of standing alone and discovering what it means for their relationship as master and apprentice and for Anakin to get a few more lethal race wins under his tunic belt, of course. The novelty of the sudden surprise aside, Padawan’s Pride is also giving us something we’ve not really had all that much of in contemporary Star Wars continuity: more time in that period between Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and especially with Anakin and Obi-Wan largely as they were by the end of the former movie, still uneasy in some manner about how they’d been forced together by their promises to Qui-Gon. Plus, actual podracing! Star Wars has given us plenty of other kinds of high-thrills sports racing in the last 25 years, but it’s wild how little podracing we’ve actually got as a focus in stories given what an iconic element of Phantom Menace it was. Maybe this is just the first step on the road to a six episode podracing limited series on Disney+ that we’ll definitely maybe get by Phantom Menace‘s 35th anniversary. Or at least its 45th. Star Wars: Padawan’s Pride is available to listen for free on Audible for subscribers, or for $16 standalone. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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