Last year was an exciting year for nerds. Out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we were treated to Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Infinity War (though that last one wasn’t so much of a treat as it was an emotional punch to the face). At the end of 2018, Worlds of DC’s Aquaman released, which has done well in the box office. With its stunning use of color, and with the great chemistry between Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, Aquaman was exactly what Worlds of DC needed. A lot of our favorite franchises have been steadily gaining momentum, including Star Wars.

Solo: A Star Wars Story released in 2018, which told the story of a young Han Solo before meeting any of the Skywalkers. Even with Solo and the new animated series, Star Wars Resistance, that premiered in October 2018, fans are still eager for more Star Wars content. And it looks like 2019 will be a year that won’t disappoint Star Wars fans. News of what’s going to land on the Disney streaming service regarding Star Wars and Marvel have been very exciting. News about what’s coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland makes us hyped to go, despite the surge in ticket prices. Indeed, there’s so much to keep track of what’s coming out of the Force in 2019, that we put it all together for you in this list of 20 things in 2019 Star Wars fans should be excited for. May the hype be with you.

20 MORE AGE OF REPUBLIC COMICS

Age of Republic Darth Maul

The Star Wars: Age of Republic comics began in December 2018 and will continue on through 2019. Written by Jody Houser, Age of Republic centers around the heroes and villains of the prequels, with each issue focusing on one of the characters. The release schedule is interesting, as a hero and villain story is released each month.

The first ones released in December 2018 were Qui-Gon Jinn #1, in the time before we met him in Episode I, and Darth Maul #1. Upcoming issues in the Age of Republic series are Anakin Skywalker #1, Count Dooku #1, Padme Amidala #1 and General Grievous #1. The Anakin comic will also guest star Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose issue released on January 2nd.

19 EXPLORE THE PLANET BATUU

The Star Wars Galaxy's Edge location Batuu in the Outer Rim

If you’ve been to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim recently, you may have noticed some construction going on in both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. One of the reasons for this is the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to Disneyland. The announcements and videos released in 2018 show us just how immersive of an experience this will be.

One of the ways Galaxy’s Edge will immerse you is you’ll be able to explore the planet Batuu. The Star Wars website describes Batuu as a place that “has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space.” In Batuu, parkgoers will be able to visit the Black Spire Outpost, the main village of the planet.

18 ALPHABET SQUADRON BY ALEXANDER FREED

Alphabet Squadron Alexander Freed

Alexander Freed is not a new author to the Star Wars Universe. He wrote the webcomics series Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blood of the Empire, as well as Star Wars: The Old Republic—The Lost Suns. Alphabet Squadron is an upcoming novel that’s set after Star Wars: Episode IV -- Return of the Jedi.

Alphabet Squadron centers around a band of Rebel fighters whose goal is to seek out and destroy the remaining Imperials. This will be an interesting twist since it is usually the Rebels who are the hunted. Alphabet Squadron is set to release on June 4, 2019.

17 WARWICK DAVIS AS STAGE HOST AT STAR WARS CELEBRATION

Warwick Davis

The annual Star Wars Celebration convention will be held in Chicago this year from April 11-15, 2019. Not many details have been released about the events and guests so far, but we do know that Warwick Davis will once again be the host of the Celebration Stage.

Star Wars fans, of course, know Warwick Davis for his portrayal of Wicket, the lovable Ewok. Since then, he has appeared in many Star Wars films, such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: Episode VIII -- The Last Jedi and Solo: A Star Wars Story. With his previous experience as a host for Celebration, as well as his current hosting gig for Tenable, the Celebration Stage is definitely in good hands!

16 VADER IMMORTAL

Vader Immortal is a VR project by ILMxLAB that will allow its viewers to experience Vader’s castle on Mustafar and even interact with Vader himself. Written and executive produced by David S. Goyer, Vader Immortal takes place in that sweet storytelling spot between Episodes III and IV. The Star Wars website claims that this three-part series will also connect to Secrets of the Empire somehow.

That’s about it as far as specific details go regarding this project. We’re excited about what we can potentially find inside Vader’s castle. With the Oculus Quest headset, which is wireless, it should be a truly immersive and epic experience. We haven’t been given a specific release date yet, but we know it’ll be sometime in 2019.

15 MILLENNIUM FALCON: SMUGGLER’S RUN

Millennium Falcon_ Smuggler’s Run

We’ve all wanted to be the pilot of the Millennium Falcon -- some of us would even settle to be the co-pilot. However, our dreams are about to come true when Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios open Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, a new attraction that will be at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

In Smuggler’s Run, riders will be placed in the cockpit of the Falcon, each with a specific job to do in the mission. This means you may not be sitting in the captain’s seat, but you’ll still have plenty to do! The ride will combine your mission with high-resolution video, meaning it’ll be just like riding in the real thing.

14 MASTER & APPRENTICE BY CLAUDIA GRAY

Master & Apprentice Claudia Gray

Not much is known about this upcoming canon novel by Claudia Gray. However, we trust Claudia Gray with Star Wars characters, as she has also written Star Wars: Lost Stars and Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan, among others.

Master & Apprentice will feature Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi before the events of Star Wars: Episode I. As we know, there’s plenty of storytelling to be done around that time, which the Star Wars comics have also delved into. The novel is set to be released on April 16, 2019 by Del Rey. For now, you can check out the beautiful cover art by Alice X. Zhang.

13 STAR WARS: RISE OF THE RESISTANCE

Star Wars_ Rise of the Resistance

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will also debut Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, where riders will be in the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order. Disney released a video that was filmed in the actual attraction, which you can watch here.

The Disney site also shows a picture of guests in a transport staring up at some AT-ATs. According to the cast member magazine, the 8-seat vehicle riders will be in is trackless and will have a droid at the helm to guide you. It is also reported that guests will see Kylo Ren on the ride as well! It’s unconfirmed whether he’ll be in the midst of tantrum or not.

12 STAR WARS ICONS: HAN SOLO BY GINA MCINTYRE

Star Wars Icons_ Han Solo Gina McIntyre

Han Solo is one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars Universe and indeed pop culture at large. This scruffy looking nerfherder deserves a book that takes a deep dive into the character with photos and concept sketches that even the most ardent Star Wars fan may have never seen before.

The book also features interviews with George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver and, of course, the actors who have played the character: Alden Ehrenreich and Harrison Ford. Star Wars Icons: Han Solo will hit the bookshelves on April 2, 2019. Until then, you can check out an interview with author Gina McIntyre and a sneak peek at the book on the Star Wars website.

11 STAR WARS RESISTANCE ACTORS’ FIRST STAR WARS CELEBRATION

Star Wars Resistance

It’s always fun to welcome a new cast to the Star Wars family. Star Wars Resistance premiered on the Disney Channel and Disney XD in October last year, so this year will be the Resistance actors’ first Star Wars Celebration where fans have actually seen their work!

Confirmed as guests at Star Wars Celebration are: Christopher Sean (Kazuda Xiono), Scott Lawrence (Jarek Yeager) and Suzie McGrath (Tam Ryvora). The show was just renewed for a second season this month. While we don’t know when that second season will air, perhaps there may be more news about this at Star Wars Celebration.

10 CUSTOMIZE A DROID

When it comes to customizing droids at Disneyland, our options have previously been toy only. These make for a great activity for kids and a fun gift, but it isn’t the same as having a functioning robot friend scooting around your house.

Disneyland is taking it to the next level at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. According to /Film, at the Galaxy’s Edge shops, you will be able to customize your own droid. We hope this also means that we can take them home after. However, this will probably cost many credits -- as it is, a full-size R2D2 figure online can cost thousands of dollars.

9 STAR WARS: VADER -- DARK VISIONS

Star Wars_ Vader -- Dark Visions

From being the Chosen One to brutally ruling the Galactic Empire, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader has always been one of the most intriguing characters in the Star Wars Universe. Consequently, there is no shortage of Anakin/Vader content out there. However, we’re getting even more in 2019.

Star Wars: Vader -- Dark Visions is a new comic book series by writer Dennis Hopeless and artist Paolo Villanelli. According to the announcement on the Star Wars website, this limited series will “will shed a new light on the many sides of the galaxy’s greatest villain.” You have our attention, Dark Visions.

8 THRAWN: TREASON BY TIMOTHY ZAHN

Thrawn Treason Timothy Zahn

Thrawn: Treason is the third Thrawn book by Timothy Zahn in the new Star Wars continuity that was established in 2014. Despite some of the stories about him being considered non-canon now, Grand Admiral Thrawn has remained a popular character among Star Wars fans because of his keen intellect and military prowess.

Thrawn: Treason follows Thrawn: Alliances, where the timeline shifted back and forth to include scenes with Thrawn and Anakin Skywalker in the past with Thrawn and Darth Vader in the present. According to the Star Wars website, the new novel will put Thrawn in an undesirable position of having to choose between his people, the Chiss, or the Empire. The novel is set to be released on July 23rd, 2019 and is already available to preorder.

7 QUEEN’S SHADOW BY E.K. JOHNSTON

Queen's Shadow E.K. Johnston

Queen’s Shadow is an upcoming novel about Padme Amidala’s transition from queen to senator. The book is also going to feature her handmaidens, who definitely are deserving of more attention, and will give more readers insight into this period of her life that wasn’t delved into in the movies.

There aren’t any Padme focused novels in the canon books, so this book will begin to give Padme fans the content that they’ve wanted for a long time. E.K. Johnston has previously written Star Wars: Ahsoka for the new canon continuity. Queen’s Shadow is already available for pre-ordering and will be released on March 5, 2019.

6 EPISODE IX TRAILER POTENTIALLY AT STAR WARS CELEBRATION

If the past is any indication, we may be getting a Star Wars: Episode IX trailer at Star Wars Celebration this year. The first trailer for The Last Jedi was not released in the holiday season but was instead saved for Star Wars Celebration that year. This holiday season, we got a number of new trailers, including one for Avengers: Endgame, but not for Star Wars.

If the Episode IX trailer is being saved for Star Wars Celebration, that means we only have to wait until April for our first peek into Rey’s future. Thankfully, we’ve got Star Wars content coming out before then to pass the time.

5 STAR WARS: JEDI -- FALLEN ORDER

Star Wars: Jedi -- Fallen Order is a game that will take place after the events of Episode III. According to the Star Wars website, it will be an original story, so it will center on characters we are unfamiliar with.

The details for the game are scarce as of now, but we do know that it will be single-player, and it will be debuting in the holiday season of 2019. Stories that take place a post-Revenge of the Sith time have typically been successful (like Rogue One, for example), so this game has a lot of potential. We expect more information to come out about the game at Star Wars Celebration this year.

4 THE MANDALORIAN

Disney’s upcoming streaming service will not only offer new Marvel television shows, but Star Wars ones as well! Starring Pedro Pascal as the lone Mandalorian gunman, and with writer Jon Favreau at the helm, the show will take place in a post-Return of the Jedi time. Not many details beyond that are known, as Pedro Pascal’s character name hasn’t even been revealed yet.

However, the cast is stacked. In addition to Pedro Pascal of Game of Thrones fame, the cast also includes Gina Carano (Deadpool) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) who both have no trouble commanding presence onscreen. The show is currently in production and will be releasing in late 2019.

3 CLONE WARS SEASON 7?

The prequel films get a lot of criticism, but the Clone Wars television show made many fans care about the prequel era and its characters. The show originally had ended with Season 6 in 2014. Then, at a San Diego Comic-Con panel last year to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, we got the massive announcement: Star Wars: The Clone Wars was returning for Season 7.

The rumors so far are that Clone Wars Season 7 could release in late 2019 or early 2020. We’re hoping for late 2019 to make this year a totally epic Star Wars year for all the different eras.

2 ORDER BLUE MILK

blue-milk-a-new-hope-star-wars

As kids, the blue milk Aunt Beru serves her family in Star Wars: A New Hope was something we all wanted to try. Forget the “got milk” marketing campaigns: parents should’ve been dying our milk blue to get us to drink more calcium. But alas, most of us did not grow up on a moisture farm.

Now, our time has finally come. According to /Film, at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we will be able to order blue milk from a vendor. Details about other Star Wars treats and vendors have been scarce, but there’s got to be porg on the menu somewhere, right? Chewbacca may have some objections though.

1 STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

Star Wars Episode IX

The pièce de résistance (emphasis on Resistance) for Star Wars fans in 2019 is unarguably Star Wars: Episode IX. JJ Abrams is back to finish the story that he started with The Force Awakens in 2015. 2017’s The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, left viewers with a lot of questions regarding the future of the Resistance and The First Order.

Perhaps the most pressing question is how the creative team has dealt with Carrie Fisher’s passing in 2016. General Organa was not killed off in The Last Jedi, so the film needs to account for Leia’s absence somehow.