The novel titled Millennium Falcon, penned by James Luceno, delves into the detailed backstory of the iconic Millennium Falcon. Initially slated for release on December 30, 2008, its debut was expedited to October 21, 2008. Included at the book's conclusion is an introductory excerpt from Fate of the Jedi: Outcast, which marks the beginning of the Fate of the Jedi series. Furthermore, a segment of Millennium Falcon is featured within the paperback edition of Darth Bane: Rule of Two. This paperback version saw its release on November 24, 2009.
It's been two years since Jacen Solo, seduced and transformed by the dark side into the cruel Sith Lord Darth Caedus, met his end at the hand of his twin sister Jaina, the Jedi's Sword. Han and Leia still grieve, the tragedy of their son's fall casting a long shadow. Yet, Jacen's own daughter, Allana, bright and full of love, brings a spark of hope as she grows under her grandparents' care. Inquisitive and strong with the Force, she makes a surprising discovery on her grandfather's cherished ship—the heavily modified but always reliable Millennium Falcon. The Solo family stands at a turning point, ready to embark on a journey into uncharted lands, filled with adventure and unexpected rewards.
For Han, who knows every part of the Falcon as intimately as his own body, the device Allana shows him is completely foreign. But its puzzling presence—and Allana's eager desire to understand its mystery—cannot be ignored. The only solution is to delve into the past, retracing the history of the ship that famously "made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs" and helped bring down an evil Empire.
From its first moments on the Corellian assembly line, the Falcon seemed to possess a wild spirit, destined for trouble. The spirited YT-1300 light freighter quickly transitioned from hauling cargo to smuggling contraband. However, a crucial meeting on Coruscant, during the height of the Republic/Separatist conflict, initiates a galaxy-spanning game of chase with Han, Leia, Allana, and C-3PO as the newest players. They are not alone; crime bosses, galactic pirates, corrupt politicians, and fortune seekers all appear at every turn, each with their own high stakes in the Millennium Falcon's most important mission.
Through the years, across the stars, from the Rim Worlds and beyond, the race will lead them to a final showdown for a prize that some will risk everything to find—and pay any price to possess.
The story begins a few years before the Battle of Yavin, depicting Han Solo's winning of the celebrated Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc, as he marvels at the ship's elegance and effectiveness. Despite his immediate affection for the Falcon, he remains unaware of its extensive history for years to come.
Subsequently, the narrative shifts to 60 BBY, illustrating the Millennium Falcon's unconventional departure from the assembly line, behaving almost like a wild animal escaping, much to the surprise and shock of the factory supervisor, Soly Kantt. Decades later, in 19 BBY, during the final year of the Clone Wars, the Falcon's new owners, Captain Tobb Jadak and his co-pilot Reeze Duurmun, navigate their ship, renamed the Stellar Envoy, directly into the midst of the Battle of Coruscant. Overcoming the battlefield's chaos, they arrive on the planet and connect with members of the Republic Group. The Group tasks Jadak and Duurmun with traveling to Toprawa to meet Folee, who will assist them in locating a treasure intended to restore the Republic's power against Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's dominance. However, Director Armand Isard of the Republic, a staunch Palpatine supporter, discovers Jadak and Duurmun's mission and dispatches a clone trooper squad to intercept them. Despite this, Jadak and Duurmun pilot the Stellar Envoy away from Coruscant towards Toprawa, though they are compelled to make an unplanned jump to Nal Hutta to evade their pursuers, resulting in a collision with another vessel. A month later, technician Bammy Decree sells the Stellar Envoy, recovered barely intact from the crash site with Jadak and Duurmun presumed dead, to crime lord Rej Taunt. Taunt purchases and repairs the ship, utilizing it for a trade deal with the insectoid Colicoids, which fails due to their aggressive nature.
The story then jumps forward several decades to 43 ABY, following the Galactic Civil War and various other conflicts involving the Millennium Falcon under Han Solo's command. His granddaughter, Allana, discovers an unfamiliar device on the ship's exterior, unnoticed by Han throughout his years of piloting and maintenance. Intrigued, the Solos embark on a quest to uncover the identities of the Millennium Falcon's previous pilots, starting with Lando Calrissian and tracing back to Quip Fargil, who originally named the Falcon. During this journey, they encounter Jedi Knight Seff Hellin, exhibiting erratic and violent behavior; Allana also senses the presence of her deceased father in the Force.
Simultaneously, Captain Jadak awakens from a sixty-two-year coma on Obroa-skai, having survived the crash on Nal Hutta, while Reeze Duurmun perished. Jadak is briefed on the galactic events of the past six decades and resolves to locate the Stellar Envoy. Returning to Nal Hutta, he enlists Flitcher Poste to aid in his search. Meanwhile, Lestra Oxic, who funded Jadak's coma maintenance, dispatches agents to monitor him, hoping he will lead them to the Republic treasure's location.
Eventually, Jadak and Poste cross paths with the Solos on Vaced, and they agree to return Allana's mysterious device to its origin planet. The device was placed there by Jedi Master J'oopi Shé, a member of the Republic Group, leading them to Tandun III. They discover the treasure Oxic sought, a mere Old Republic artifact intended to inspire Palpatine's opposition. Oxic realizes the artifact is a fake as the planet faces ecological collapse due to the Yuuzhan Vong invasion years prior. Oxic hires Jadak and Poste to find the real artifact as they escape the doomed planet, while the Solos leave the device behind, their mission to uncover the Falcon's past owners fulfilled.
The novel concludes with the Solos learning of Grand Master Luke Skywalker's arrest by Galactic Alliance Chief of State Natasi Daala for neglecting his duties during the Second Galactic Civil War. Daala holds Luke responsible for Jacen Solo's descent to the dark side of the Force three years prior. The Solos set course for Coruscant to aid Luke, embarking on yet another journey for the legendary ship, a vessel of both great age and storied history.
The novel erroneously places chapter five, which occurs a month after the Battle of Coruscant, in 18 BBY, despite all other sources indicating that this year begins several months after the events of Episode III.
The introduction of Seff Hellin and Allana's sensing of her late father serves as a precursor to the Force psychosis storyline prominent in Fate of the Jedi.
- ISBN 9780345510051 ; November 24 , 2009 ; Del Rey ; US paperback [3]
- ISBN 9780345507006 ; October 21 , 2008 ; Del Rey; US hardcover, Science Fiction Book Club edition (1265494) [6]