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Star Wars Lost Stars: The Novel, Timeline and Manga

Star Wars Lost Stars is Claudia Gray's 2015 young adult novel about childhood friends Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, whose relationship is tested when they take opposing sides in the war between the Empire and Rebellion. This guide explains its original trilogy timeline, development and manga adaptation by Yusaku Komiyama.

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What Is Star Wars Lost Stars?

Star Wars: Lost Stars is Claudia Gray's young adult novel about childhood friends whose relationship is tested when they take opposing sides in a war. Disney Books lists its release date as September 4, 2015, and places it in Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The story unfolds against the original trilogy backdrop and continues beyond Return of the Jedi.

Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree enter the Imperial Academy, but their paths later diverge. Disney describes an Imperial officer and a Rebel pilot, while Yen Press identifies Thane as the friend who defects to the Rebellion after discovering the Empire's darker side. Their shared history makes the division central to the premise, and the description leaves the outcome of their relationship open.

The title also belongs to an illustrated adaptation. Gray wrote the original novel, while Yusaku Komiyama adapted and illustrated the manga. Disney lists its prose edition at 560 pages and offers it in print and ebook formats. Those details identify one edition, rather than every publication carrying the title.

For broader franchise coverage, visit the Star Wars movies hub. For this book, check the creator and format alongside the title: the novel and manga share a story, but they have separate publication histories.

Who Are Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree?

Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree are childhood friends who share a passion for flying and enroll in the Imperial Academy. Their backgrounds differ: StarWars.com introduces Thane as an aristocrat and Ciena as a rural villager. The contrast gives readers a starting point for understanding the pair before their allegiances divide them.

Planeta Cómic identifies flying as their shared passion. The Academy therefore connects two parts of the premise: the friends have an interest in common, and both enter the same Imperial institution. Their later positions in the war are easier to understand when read against that shared beginning, rather than as the starting point of their relationship.

Disney describes the friends becoming an Imperial officer and a Rebel pilot. Yen Press specifies that Thane is the friend who defects to the Rebellion after discovering the Empire's darker side. Ciena remains on the Imperial side, setting their individual paths against a relationship that began in childhood.

Readers who want an introduction without the ending can focus on those established elements: different backgrounds, a shared love of flying, Academy enrollment and a later division. The publisher's premise raises a question about the relationship without resolving it, so knowing which side each friend takes need not settle what happens between them.

How Does the War Divide the Friends?Spoilers

The war divides the friends when Thane defects to the Rebellion and Ciena remains on the Imperial side. Yen Press identifies Thane as the character who leaves after discovering the Empire's darker side. Both had enrolled in the Imperial Academy, so their opposing allegiances emerge after a period in which their ambitions brought them to the same institution.

Claudia Gray has described a development decision behind that division. In a StarWars.com interview with Cecil Castellucci, Gray explained that Lucasfilm originally proposed the characters' allegiances the other way around. She reversed the proposed directions to increase the dramatic tension for both characters. The account concerns a choice made in developing the story; it does not establish that a different version was published.

The distinction also clarifies Disney's description of an Imperial officer and a Rebel pilot. Yen Press supplies the names behind those roles, while the Academy background explains what Thane and Ciena shared before their paths diverged. Their childhood friendship and common passion for flying make the political split a question about a personal relationship as well.

For a spoiler conscious reading, the opposing sides are part of the published premise. The fate of the relationship remains a separate question, and the premise does not require an answer to it.

When Does Star Wars Lost Stars Take Place?Spoilers

Star Wars: Lost Stars takes place against the original trilogy backdrop and continues beyond Return of the Jedi. StarWars.com establishes the trilogy setting, and Disney Books explicitly describes the story as continuing after that film. Those sources support a broad placement without assigning an exact fictional starting year.

The novel also has a documented connection to Jakku. In an August 15, 2017, StarWars.com interview, Daniel Wallace named Lost Stars among the sources he used for Jakku in Titan Books' Star Wars: On the Front Lines. He also named the Aftermath novels and Battlefront, and explained that the entry changed as new sources appeared.

That interview is useful evidence of the novel's place in a wider account of the period. It should still be read alongside the book's own premise: Lost Stars follows Thane and Ciena, while Wallace discussed a reference entry drawing on several sources. The interview does not by itself establish every detail of the novel's chronology.

Keep the fictional setting separate from publication dates when comparing listings. September 4, 2015, is Disney's release date for Gray's novel; October 4, 2016, is the date Planeta Cómic lists for its Spanish edition. Neither date is a year in the story.

When Was Lost Stars Published?

Claudia Gray's Lost Stars was published on September 4, 2015, according to Disney Books. Disney classifies the novel as young adult fiction and places it in Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. That publishing label describes the release program, while the original trilogy backdrop describes the period in which the story takes place.

Disney lists its edition at 560 pages and offers print and ebook formats. Another edition in the publishing record has different details: Planeta Cómic lists its Spanish novel at 416 pages, dated October 4, 2016, with translation credited to Albert Agut Iglesias. The two page counts belong to specific editions and should be checked against the copy being considered.

The illustrated adaptation has a separate publication history. It originally appeared digitally in Japan on the LINE app, and Yen Press later announced its translated manga at Anime NYC on November 18, 2017. The Yen Press post carrying that announcement is dated November 19, so the date of the announcement and the date of the post are distinct.

When identifying a copy, check language, format, publisher and creator together. A different page count alone does not establish that a listing is for the manga: the Spanish prose edition provides an example of a novel edition with its own length.

What Is the Star Wars Lost Stars Manga?

The Star Wars: Lost Stars manga is Yusaku Komiyama's illustrated adaptation of Claudia Gray's novel. StarWars.com credits Komiyama with adaptation and illustration and records the manga's original digital publication in Japan through the LINE app. Yen Press subsequently announced a translation of that existing adaptation.

At Anime NYC on November 18, 2017, Yen Press described Volume 1 as the first officially licensed Star Wars manga in nearly a decade. Its announcement placed the release under the JY imprint and scheduled publication for May 1. The website post containing the announcement is dated November 19, one day after the event date given for the announcement.

The scheduled date and evidence of availability serve different purposes. On May 8, 2018, Yen Press published a preview celebrating the book's arrival in stores. That later post establishes that the translated volume had reached stores by the time of the preview, while the earlier announcement records the publisher's plan.

These dates describe stages in the manga's history, not new dates for Gray's original novel. Readers looking for the illustrated version can check Komiyama's credit, the language and the volume number. Disney's 560 page specification belongs to its listed prose edition and should not be assumed to describe a manga volume.

What Changed Between the Novel and Manga?Spoilers

The manga gives some familiar characters greater prominence and uses illustrations to present events from particular viewpoints. In a StarWars.com interview, Yusaku Komiyama discussed those choices while describing his adaptation of Claudia Gray's novel. His account provides specific points of comparison without establishing that the entire plot was rewritten.

Komiyama described giving familiar characters greater prominence in the illustrated version. That is a distinction of emphasis readers can look for when comparing the manga with the novel. Both carry the Lost Stars title, but the credits distinguish Gray's prose story from Komiyama's work adapting and illustrating it.

A second example concerns Alderaan's destruction. Komiyama described depicting the event from the planet's viewpoint, a specific choice about perspective within the manga. For a comparison, readers can consider the viewpoint of that illustration alongside the presentation of events in the prose, rather than assuming every difference between the formats changes the underlying story.

The artist also said he first watched the films about a year before beginning the manga. That detail places his introduction to the films close to the start of the adaptation work. Readers choosing a version can use the credits and format to identify the book, then use Komiyama's comments to notice the visual choices he discussed.

Should You Read the Novel or the Manga?

Choose the novel for Claudia Gray's prose or the manga for Yusaku Komiyama's illustrated adaptation. The creator credits are a practical starting point when search results combine publications under the same Lost Stars title. Disney lists the novel in print and ebook formats, while StarWars.com records the manga's original digital publication in Japan.

The English manga also has a publisher preview. Yen Press posted it on May 8, 2018, while celebrating the book's arrival in stores, giving prospective readers a way to examine the illustrated presentation. Its earlier announcement identified the release as Volume 1 and placed it under the JY imprint, details that can help distinguish a volume from a prose edition.

Yen Press later offered Academy completion certificates in a July 16, 2018, promotion for San Diego Comic Con. The archived post records that the download subsequently ended. The certificates were part of a promotion, so that date should be kept separate from the translation announcement and the preview marking the book's arrival in stores.

For library records or used copies, compare language, format, volume designation and creator credit. Planeta Cómic's 416 page Spanish novel and Disney's listed 560 page edition show why a page count should be attached to the particular edition rather than treated as a universal length.

Is Star Wars Lost Stars Canon?

Star Wars: Lost Stars is canon: Planeta Cómic explicitly labels its Spanish edition of Claudia Gray's novel a new canon novel. That publisher description answers the continuity question for the prose book. The original trilogy backdrop and continuation beyond Return of the Jedi provide a broad timeline, which is a separate question from its canon designation.

The novel also appears in the source history of another book. Daniel Wallace named Lost Stars, the Aftermath novels and Battlefront as sources for his account of Jakku in Titan Books' Star Wars: On the Front Lines. In his August 15, 2017, interview, he explained that the entry changed as new sources appeared. His statement identifies a specific use of the novel alongside other material.

That reference does not require readers to treat every edition as interchangeable. Gray wrote the novel, and Yusaku Komiyama adapted and illustrated the manga. Komiyama discussed visual choices including a depiction of Alderaan's destruction from the planet's viewpoint, providing a specific example of how the adaptation presents an event.

For wider context, the Star Wars movies parent guide covers the franchise's films. To identify the Lost Stars publication relevant to a particular question, check the creator credit as well as its language and format.

Facts

  • Disney Books lists Claudia Gray's young adult novel Lost Stars as a September 4, 2015, release in print and ebook formats, with its listed edition containing 560 pages. Disney Books, checked 2026-11-10
  • Disney places Lost Stars in Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and describes childhood friends Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell becoming an Imperial officer and a Rebel pilot in a story continuing beyond Return of the Jedi. Disney Books, checked 2026-11-10
  • StarWars.com introduces Thane as an aristocrat and Ciena as a rural villager who both enroll in the Imperial Academy against the original trilogy backdrop. StarWars.com, checked 2026-11-10
  • Claudia Gray told StarWars.com that she reversed Lucasfilm's originally proposed allegiances for the central characters to increase their dramatic tension. StarWars.com, checked 2026-11-10
  • Planeta Cómic labels Lost Stars a new canon novel, describes flying as the friends' shared passion, and lists its 416 page Spanish edition for October 4, 2016, translated by Albert Agut Iglesias. Planeta Cómic, checked 2026-11-10
  • Yusaku Komiyama adapted and illustrated the Lost Stars manga, originally published digitally in Japan on the LINE app. StarWars.com, checked 2026-11-10
  • Komiyama described giving familiar characters greater prominence, depicting Alderaan's destruction from the planet's viewpoint, and first watching the films about a year before beginning the manga. StarWars.com, checked 2026-11-10
  • Yen Press's announcement identifies Thane as the friend who defects to the Rebellion after discovering the Empire's darker side. Yen Press, checked 2026-11-10
  • Yen Press announced the translated manga at Anime NYC on November 18, 2017, in a post dated November 19, describing Volume 1 as the first officially licensed Star Wars manga in nearly a decade and scheduling May 1 publication under JY. Yen Press, checked 2026-11-10
  • Yen Press published a Lost Stars manga preview on May 8, 2018, celebrating the book's arrival in stores. Yen Press, checked 2026-11-10
  • Yen Press's July 16, 2018, promotion offered Academy completion certificates for San Diego Comic Con and later recorded that the download had ended. Yen Press, checked 2026-11-10
  • In an August 15, 2017, interview, Daniel Wallace identified Lost Stars, the Aftermath novels and Battlefront as sources for Jakku in Titan Books' On the Front Lines, explaining that the entry changed as new sources appeared. StarWars.com, checked 2026-11-10

FAQs

Is Star Wars: Lost Stars canon?

Yes. Publisher Planeta Cómic explicitly identifies its Spanish edition of Claudia Gray's novel as a new canon novel.

When does Star Wars: Lost Stars take place?

Lost Stars follows its central characters during the original trilogy era and includes events after Return of the Jedi.

What is Star Wars: Lost Stars about?

Lost Stars follows childhood friends Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, whose romance is tested when they end up on opposing sides of the war.

Who are Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree?

Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree are childhood friends who both enroll in the Imperial Academy. Thane later defects to the Rebellion.

Is there a Star Wars: Lost Stars manga?

Yes. Yusaku Komiyama adapted and illustrated the novel as a manga, originally published digitally in Japan through LINE and subsequently translated by Yen Press.

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