The rumors of Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus getting a bit of backstory post- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have turned out to be true. In a new middle-grade novel called Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills from writer Greg Rucka, we'll learn about what happened when the Kyber Temple on Jedha was taken over by the Empire, and let fans know more about just what these Guardians are - or were. The official description of the book reads:

"Baze and Chirrut used to be Guardians of the Whills, who looked after the Kyber Temple on Jedha and all those who worshipped there. Then the Empire came and took over the planet. The temple was destroyed and the people scattered. Now Baze and Chirrut do what they can to resist the Empire and protect the people of Jedha, but it never seems to be enough. When a man named Saw Gerrera arrives with grand plans to take down the Empire, it seems like the perfect way for Baze and Chirrut to make a real difference and help the people of Jedha. But will it come at too great a cost?"

This is only Greg Rucka's most recent foray into the world of Star Wars. He wrote several young adult novels as part of the pre-and-post Star Wars: The Force Awakens release, and wrote the comic book for Marvel that told the story of the post-Return of the Jedi moments, Star Wars: Shattered Empire.

Rucka's Guardians of the Whills joins the Jyn Erso-centric novel Rebel Rising by writer Beth Revis as announcements this week. Both will be released on May 2, 2017 and can be pre-ordered now.