Never tell her the odds

It may appear that “The Force” has always been with Lydia Kang, MD. After all, the assistant professor in the UNMC Division of General Internal Medicine and Nebraska Medicine internist already had an accomplished career as a doctor and an impressive and diverse bibliography as an author. But even with 10 books already to her name, writing that 11th seemed incredibly daunting. That’s because No. 11 would be a Star Wars story. And it would be canon – meaning for the millions, maybe billions, of Star Wars fans worldwide, it would be gospel, a 100% real thing that happened in the wildly popular fictional universe.

“It was very intimidating,” Dr. Kang said. “I saw ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ when I was six and still remember it. I’ve always loved Star Wars. So, when Lucasfilm Ltd. reached out and said, ‘Do you want to write a novel for The High Republic?’ I was a bit stunned. But my husband said, ‘You have to do it!’”

And so she did.

Dr. Kang had some experience writing in the Star Wars universe after penning a short story for a Star Wars anthology in 2020. That story, “Right Hand Man,” added context to a scene from “The Empire Strikes Back” in which Luke Skywalker had a robotic hand attached after having his amputated in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. It tells the story from the point of view of 2-1B, the surgical droid entrusted with giving Skywalker his new hand.

“I felt comfortable writing ‘Right Hand Man’ because it was familiar territory for me, due to the medical aspect of the story,” Dr. Kang said. “It was a great way to dip my toe in the water and get used to that environment.”

Dr. Kang practiced medicine for 10 years before trying her hand at writing. After moving to Omaha in 2015, she started to get serious about it. She initially wrote a lot of poems and essays from the perspective of a health care provider. Then, she turned to fiction, undeterred when her first few books didn’t sell.

“’Control’ was really the book that opened the door,” Dr. Kang said.

Set in a future where genetically altered people are shunned by society, Dr. Kang says it was that book that was the launchpad for her career as an author.

“It sold well, and I got a literary agent and started writing young adult science fiction, adult nonfiction – I was all over the place with my writing. Today, I feel like I can’t stay in one lane.”

Her new Star Wars novel, entitled “Cataclysm,” will be a sequel to “Convergence,” another story from The High Republic era, written by Zoraida Córdova. “Convergence,” released on Nov. 22. “Cataclysm” follows on April 6, 2023.

As far as the plot goes, Dr. Kang has to be pretty tight-lipped.

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy on that. I can say the main character’s name is Axel Greylark,” she says. “It’s set hundreds of years before the events of ‘The Phantom Menace,’ and you will recognize some of the characters.”

It also turns out that Greylark is Asian – something Dr. Kang felt was important.

“I grew up not seeing people like me in Star Wars movies or in any movies,” Dr. Kang said. “It really feels wonderful. I never would’ve thought when I was a kid that I would’ve done something like this. I get to write about a character that people will hopefully find interesting and complicated and resemble people I know. It makes me really, really happy.”

What’s next for Dr. Kang? More writing. A lot more – including more Star Wars content.

“I have a contract to write another nonfiction book about pseudoscience, and I think I have four deadlines I’m currently working under for various projects,” Dr. Kang said. “I have a huge amount of love for everything I write. Some books are more special than others, but ‘Cataclysm’ holds a very special place in my heart. It’s epic and in a universe I’ve been a fan of since I was a little girl.”