Author Sam Maggs answered a few questions via email for this interview. Check out all of her recent work (Star Wars and otherwise) on her website.
What is your first memory of Star Wars?
I know I watched the original trilogy with my parents when I was young many, many times; but my earliest real Star Wars memory is from when I was ten years old. My parents pulled me out of Grade 5 that day to go see the premiere of The Phantom Menace at a matinee. They always knew what the real important education was.
Who are some of your favorite Star Wars characters and why are they your favorites?
Leia, and especially as a General, will always be close to my heart because she was my first Star Wars love and Carrie Fisher was such a powerhouse. But Rey in The Force Awakens spoke to me the way no character in the Star Wars universe ever had. Seeing a girl as a Jedi? C’mon. I still cry every time I watch the scene where she activates the lightsaber for the first time. I must have seen TFA in theatres ten times.
You have authored books, comics, and video games during your career. Can you walk us through how you became a writer and which of these projects came first and how they led to the next?
Sure! I have been writing stories since I was really young; I’ve always been a big reader and a huge fan of all kinds of genre media, so I just knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I did Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English before I started writing for local geek culture websites around Toronto (where I was based.) Those articles were seen on Twitter by the folks at the site that would become The Mary Sue, and my work for TMS was seen online by a literary agent, and the rest is history!
Many of your books are focused on women and female characters. What are some of your favorite profiles you’ve done of women or characters? Or meaningful moments from those projects?
The very first comic I ever wrote was for Star Trek: Waypoint, and it created a backstory for the only woman red shirt ever to appear in Star Trek: The Original Series. I think it’s still my favorite comic I’ve ever written! I felt honored to get to contribute something that felt like reclaiming history (which is, as you mention, a theme in much of my work, including my nonfiction historical books).
Your first Star Wars project was “Follow and Lead” from Star Wars Adventures #2 (2020) Did you pitch writing a Kylo Ren focused story? Did IDW approach you?
I was asked by IDW to pitch a Kylo Ren-focused story for Star Wars Adventures, and I immediately knew I wanted to set it right after The Last Jedi. Kylo’s journey takes a huge turn at the end of that film, and I wanted to explore what that might be like for him internally.
What can you tell us about your story from Star Wars Adventures 7 & 8?
Luke and Leia are searching for a new rebel base (before they settle on Hoth, of course) and come across a planet called Bogano—which some of you may recognize from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a video game my husband worked on. In the game, that planet is home to a species of adorable creatures called Boglings, and I was dying to put them into a comic. Luke and Leia must save them before Stormtroopers sell the Boglings on the black market!
What Star Wars character have you not written yet, but you hope to soon?
I’m obsessed with Merrin, the Dathomir Nightsister from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Desperate to write a YA novel starring Merrin.
I sometimes get notes from parents about how they showed their daughters 365 Star Wars Women posts. For any of those girls reading this interview who are interested in writing games, comics, or books – what advice do you have for them?
We need you! We need your voice! And these industries are exploding! Put your work out there so I can hire you! Please!
What Star Wars projects are you looking forward to the most in the upcoming years?
The Ahsoka TV show, for sure. So stoked.
Can you share any projects you have coming up?
Yes! Mighty Nein Origins: Critical Role—Jester, my original graphic novel for the CR team, comes out with Dark Horse in October. And Call of Duty: Vanguard, which is about marginalized people killing Nazis, drops November 5th!
