A few years ago Star Wars fans got to see the story of Han Solo and Leia Organa’s wedding—in the current canon, at least—unfold in the pages of Beth Revis’ The Princess and the Scoundrel. But now readers young and old will get to see Star Wars’ fairy tale wedding in a new light, with a gorgeous new picture book about the galaxy’s most iconic power couple.
Illustrated by Sophie Li and written by Revis, Someone Who Loves You will re-tell the moments of Han and Leia’s wedding ceremony on Endor after the Rebel’s victory over the Empire—taking moments already told in Revis’ earlier novel and rendering them in beautiful, painterly new scenes, as the doting newlyweds-to-be explain to curious Ewok children just what love is, and what Han and Leia mean to each other.
“Star Wars has ‘war’ right in the title, and the foundation of this epic, multi-generational story in a galaxy far, far away has always been about the struggle of good vs. evil, Empire vs. Rebels, Jedi vs. Sith. But even if the base of the story is war, the columns holding it up are hope,” Revis exclusively told io9 over email discussing the new picture book. “There is always a spark of hope in even the darkest, grimmest galactic tale. As Rose Tico said, ‘That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.’ Yes, Star Wars is fun when it’s lightsaber battles and TIE fighters. But all of that means nothing without love.”
The picture book will highlight specific moments already covered in The Princess and the Scoundrel as well as provide new context, but the real draw will be being able to finally see the ceremony itself—artwork released to accompany the novel in 2022 already gave us a few details, like Leia’s wonderful wedding dress, but as you can see, Li’s gorgeous stylization gives the whole thing a fairytale feel that Han and Leia’s love truly deserve.
Star Wars: Someone Who Loves You is set to release on December 3, 2024. Check out our full chat with Revis below, as well as Li’s full cover!
James Whitbrook, io9: What were the biggest challenges of translating these moments you’d written about in Princess and the Scoundrel into a picture book format?
Beth Revis: Narrowing down which scenes to highlight! In the novel, I had a chance to really revel in the joy and love of Han and Leia’s romance, and even though the wedding itself was a bit of a whirlwind, I had the room to expand Star Wars lore by including more culture from the Ewoks, exploring new settings, and digging into the emotions. With a picture book, I have a much more limited space. How can you fit a love story as big as Han and Leia’s into just a handful of images and words? I’m so grateful Sophie Li, the illustrator, was able to capture such dynamic emotion in her brush strokes!
io9: Why was it important for you to revisit Han and Leia’s wedding in this format?
Beth Revis: Star Wars has “war” right in the title, and the foundation of this epic, multi-generational story in a galaxy far, far away has always been about the struggle of good vs. evil, Empire vs. Rebels, Jedi vs. Sith. But even if the base of the story is war, the columns holding it up are hope. There is always a spark of hope in even the darkest, grimmest galactic tale. As Rose Tico said, “That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.” Yes, Star Wars is fun when it’s lightsaber battles and TIE fighters. But all of that means nothing without love.
So often, Star Wars stories revolve around the battle. It’s important to remember what we’re fighting for, though. It’s important to embrace the joy we have and to promise ourselves more, even in the darkest times.
Han and Leia’s wedding is the perfect symbol of this. Their romance is the heart of Star Wars, and this moment—when they’re all together, when the battle is held at bay, when they actively choose to allow themselves the freedom to celebrate… that’s something we all need. Every one of us—from the adults who watch the horrors of news today to the children who watch the adults react to it—we all need to be reminded that every battle has hope, every dark time has love. And it’s worth pausing the struggle to feel the joy.
io9: Obviously Princess had some visual elements to accompany its launch like the art of Leia’s dress and so on, but what was it like working with Sophie to craft the look and feel of these moments from the book here?
Beth Revis: So much fun! I was so incredibly fortunate to be able to provide some details about what the art on each page should portray to match the words. When crafting the text, I even spread out blank sheets of paper and hand-sketched ideas to get an idea of the flow and how it would all work, but all that did was highlight how poor of an illustrator I am! For one particular scene, I wanted to show what the Ewok children (adorably called woklings) did with an abandoned AT-ST in the forest. I had such a clear image in my head, but no skill whatsoever to make it happen, so I actually took out my son’s Legos and started posing it so I could wrap my head around how it could work. I compiled all my notes and ideas, and I’m still in awe of how Sophie was able to take these ideas and perfectly capture the emotions, movement, and the vivacity of the characters.
The premise of this book is Han and Leia explaining the definition of love to some curious young Ewoks, all while preparing for their wedding. But we’ve all seen the movie! We know the Ewoks don’t just stand around, listening politely—much like children. The brilliance of Sophie’s illustrations shine in the way she’s able to make a single, flat image feel like it’s moving. This book reads like an experience, like you’re walking around with Han, Leia, and the Ewoks, and that’s all thanks to Sophie’s illustrations. It’s magic, the way motionless ink comes alive.
io9: Was there anything that changed in your mind’s eye interpretation of Han and Leia’s wedding between what you wrote in Princess and re-imagining it for Someone Who Loves You?
Beth Revis: There’s a scene in The Princess and the Scoundrel where Leia, bedecked in her gorgeous gown and clutching wildflowers, steps into the tree temple, but no one’s noticed yet. No one but Han. While every single person is watching him, at the front of the crowd, he’s only got eyes for her.
Of course, in the novel, I had to expand the ceremony. Where are Chewie, Luke, Mon Mothma? What are they doing and seeing? What threat is happening in the background that will propel the story, and how might they face it?
But in this book, I was able to pull it back in. Yes, there are woklings running around, causing chaos. But it’s so clear—Han and Leia have eyes only for each other. In every image, no matter what’s happening, their love is at the center. We are back in that private moment, that personal time, where there’s nothing more important than their love.
It’s just a few sentences in The Princess and the Scoundrel. But that concept and emotion is the whole book of Someone Who Loves You. Turning a brief, barely there line into an entire story, basking in it—it really reminds me of how big love can be.
io9: How does it feel removed from the release of Princess and the Scoundrel, to have been part of such a definitive “unseen” moment of Star Wars?
Beth Revis: I honestly still cannot comprehend the enormity of this. I feel so amazingly blessed to get to work with not only my favorite characters, but also one of my very favorite moments ever. I can’t even say it’s a dream come true, because this whole experience was so far above and beyond what I thought was possible that I didn’t even dare dream it.
What makes it even more incomprehensibly awesome is that my son is now at the perfect age to share this with. He was too little to appreciate what I was doing when I wrote Rebel Rising, and he was just starting to get into Star Wars when The Princess and the Scoundrel came out. But since then, he discovered Galaxy’s Edge, lightsabers, and Young Jedi Adventures, and he’s the biggest Star Wars fan ever! For me to be able to write a picture book—nearly every page of which he sat on my lap while I wrote—turned this into the most precious experience. He helped me use his Lego bricks to stage scenes; he helped me pick moments to highlight in a flashback sequence showcasing their love; we talked about what chaos the woklings would make.
There’s all of Star Wars storytelling in the galaxy, but for a brief moment between idea and publication, this part of Star Wars was just ours, something I shared with my son, something about love that our love helped shape. And that has become the definitive unseen moment for us.
Star Wars: Someone Who Loves You is out December 3, 2024; you can pre-order a copy here.
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.