UNMC doctor authors official Star Wars novel set for release April 4

By Josh Kristianto

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    OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — The Force is strong in Omaha, but it may be strongest with one UNMC doctor and assistant professor who is getting the galactic chance to write an official Star Wars novel.

It is especially meaningful to her because one of the main characters is Asian.

From the burning sands of the Dune Sea to the murky wetlands of Dagobah, Dr. Lydia Kang has never stopped lightspeed skipping to different worlds ever since she saw the very first Star Wars movie as a kid in theaters in 1977.

“I don’t remember a whole lot, I was about 6 years old. My dad took us all to see it. And I have a really vivid memory of the yellow goggles that Luke was wearing during that sort of last scene,” said Kang.

That love for rip-roaring plots and unexpected heroes never went away, even as Kang went off to medical school.

Despite being a doctor and a UNMC professor, Kang is an avid novelist with nearly a dozen books published already. But for a long time, there was not much of a trade negotiation between writing and medicine. Penning storylines and crafting landscapes seemed a more daunting task than blowing up the Death Star.

“I would read these books like A Wrinkle in Time and would be like, how does she do it? It was so inconceivable to me, so I didn’t try for a long time,” said Kang.

She found creativity, however, while writing medical essays; that nudged her into penning poetry. Soon enough, Kang joined an Omaha writers group and began writing young adult and science fiction. She finally had the literary high ground.

“I didn’t really challenge myself to try until I was almost 40 years old, and that’s when I said, you know what, what are you waiting for?” said Kang.

While some would say there is no try, Kang’s decision to “do” paid off years later when none other than Lucasfilm, the company behind the Star Wars franchise, called her agent one day.

“He said, hey Lydia, they want you to write a book in The High Republic,” said Kang. “And I think my eyes sort of like left my skull for a second and I was like, did I hear you, did I read this correctly, are you sure?”

It was an opportunity unlike any other. Kang would be writing a Star Wars book and it would be canon, or an official part of the storyline. But first, she had to let go of her fear.

“It was really challenging and I was really nervous about doing a good job, but it’s been quite a journey,” said Kang.

Kang’s finished work, titled Cataclysm, is the second book in Phase 2 of The High Republic series. Set long before the events of Episode 1, it narrates the ongoing conflict between two neighboring planets and is chock full of galactic intrigue, Jedi swashbuckling and features one debonair playboy named Axel Greylark, who happens to be an Asian character.

“It’s I think really meaningful to me personally to see Axel Greylark on the cover and look at him and be like this guy looks like somebody I could be related to and I love seeing more representation in Star Wars. I think it makes for richer stories,” said Kang.

For Kang, medicine might have been the first order, but by throwing her resistance to writing down the Sarlacc Pit, you could say the Force was awakened at last.

“It’s an honor, really, you feel like you’re adding something so special to this really special universe that means so much to so many people,” said Kang. “With it comes a lot of, I feel, like, responsibility to do a good job, but it’s also just great fun, just so much fun.”

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