As is the case with most of the Star Wars movies, opinions differ on Revenge of the Sith’s quality. Some may think it’s one of the more middling (perhaps even frustrating) entries in the franchise, while others may deem it to be one of the best stories set in a galaxy far, far away. However, if you ask a hardcore Star Wars fan what they think of the Revenge of the Sith novelization, I imagine most, if not all of them will only have positive things to say about it. Matthew Stover authored the book, though before he started writing it, he had a “panic attack” about how he was going to handle the project.
The 20th anniversary “Deluxe Edition” of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’s novelization is being released later this month, and among the contents in this hardcover is a new author’s note, which EW shared. Matthew Stover recalled how he’d gone to meet with George Lucas and other powers-that-be at Skywalker Ranch about his plan for the novelization in January 2004. He described it as “the biggest thing that had ever happened in my professional career” because he had a “tricky idea” he wanted to implement for his adaptation of Episode III. Stover continued:
It had come to me during the panic attack I’d suffered after signing the contract to write this novelization, which had ignited because I’d foolishly committed to write the keystone in the arch of the Skywalker saga for the biggest audience of my career — and the entire Star Wars – loving universe would be hoping for a thrilling space opera, despite the plain fact that every main plot point had been spoiled for decades.
Disney+ subscription, and its re-release in theaters earlier this year opened to $43.2 million worldwide. The next Star Wars movie on the way is The Mandalorian & Grogu, which hits theaters May 22 on the 2026 movies schedule.