Star Wars movies have always had complicated, nuanced villains, and it looks like the latest outing in the franchise will be no different. Star Wars: Catalyst hits bookshelves in November, a month before the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and, according to a new excerpt, will provide some unexpected backstory for a few very important characters.

The excerpt, which appears in USA Today, reveals that Director Krennic (played by Ben Mendelsohn in the movie) and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) have met before, although Jyn might not remember. As it turns out, Krennic and Jyn’s father, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen) are buddies — Krennic actually rescued Galen and his family from prison when Jyn was still just a baby. Krennic needed someone to realize his Death Star dreams, and Galen Erso was the man for the job. Speaking with USA Today, Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group explains that the two apparently had a close working relationship: Krennic has the imagination, but Galen has the genius to pull it off.

It’s hard to wrap your head around this weapon that’s so powerful. But this is the idea of understanding who were some of its architects and what were they thinking? We jokingly refer to it as like Mozart and Salieri or even Jobs and Wozniak. It’s these opposites that come together.

The timeline of Catalyst corresponds with the Clone Wars, so Grand Moff Tarkin is featured as the big villain of the novel. Catalyst provides even more strands to tie Rogue One in with the Star Wars universe, even if it doesn’t correspond chronologically with the timeline of the films.

Star Wars: Catalyst will be on shelves November 15, and Rogue One hits theaters December 16.

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