I have some trepidation about
returning to the new Star Wars Expanded
Universe. When Bantam began the original EU back in 1991, Heir to the Empire was only the second Star Wars novel set outside the
original trilogy. The first, of course, was 1978’s Splinter in the Mind’s Eye, which was –more or less- story ideas
cobbled together from George Lucas’ notes on a potential sequel to his original
movie (and compensation, I guess, for writer Alan Dean Foster whom ghostwrote the
novelization of Star Wars). And a
lot of things that happened in that book, certain ideas and what not, would be
eventually be contradicted by both The
Empire Strikes Back and Return of
the Jedi. So in many ways, Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy could be considered the first real novel in what
would eventually be called the Expanded
Universe.
I began reading these Star War novels, enjoying some, and disliking others. And as much
as I like Star Wars, much like the Star Trek novels, so many came out so fast
and furious, I was quickly falling behind in other books I wanted to read. And
while I know some people who just read exclusively every Star Wars novel that came out between 1991 and 2012, I could not
devote my time to just one genre, to just one series. So I gave up. Not sure
when exactly, but it was probably around 1995-96 that I finally came to the
conclusion that I needed to part ways with the EU. And that restriction
continued, even as the prequel trilogy began.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in
2012 and began work on this newest trilogy of films, they also made the decision
to abandon the twenty-one year old EU book line. Though the books would remain
in print, they would be labeled “Legend”, and none of the stories, characters,
and other aspects would be considered canon in this new universe (but they never were to begin with). Then again, no novel in the Star Trek universe was ever considered
canon, either. Still, with Disney tossing those novels aside, many long-time
fans felt this was a bad idea. Yes, there were certain books that could be
forgotten, but the EU did have some cohesiveness to them, that they appeared
well planned out and that all the books were connected by some massive continuity.
But like the rebooted Star Trek franchise, it was this
continuity that was holding the new Star
Wars movie series back. To re-launch with the The
Force Awakens meant throwing away hundreds of novels and comic books
released (really) since 1983 and create a new one, what they call a “unified
canon”, specifically set NOT to contradict anything that would come up in this
new film series and anything that will come after Episode IX in 2019.
So now we get this New Expand
Universe, which will lead to The Force
Awakens. Currently (in 2016), it begins with The Clone War TV series, which became the first canon based
animated show. The novel Dark Disciple
is next followed by Revenge of the Sith (I will note that there may yet be novels in
the future set between Episode II and III, but this is the current list) and then the novels Lords of the Sith, Tarkin, A New Dawn, and Rebels animated TV series. All of which
then leads into A New Hope, then the
novels Heir to the Jedi and Battlefront: Twilight Company. As of
now, there is no new novels set between The
Empire Strikes Back and Return of
the Jedi, though I expect we’ll see some in the next few years. Also note
that there are some Young Adult titles, like Lost Stars, that is part of this new unified canon, but while they
should be counted, most will not be read by me or (even) casual readers. Maybe
the hardcore fans will?
This, of course, leads us to
Chuck Wendig’s Star Wars: Aftermath,
the first novel in the NEU that is set months after the events of ROJ. Much
like Zahn’s Thrawn series, while the
Emperor and Darth Vader, along with the second Death Star are gone, the galaxy
is not as free from the grip of the Empire as some would believe. A vacuum has
been created and many, both Empire loyalist and criminals, are seeking to fill
that void:
“As the Empire reels from its
critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance- now a fledging New
Republic- presses its advantage by hunting down the enemy's scattered forces
before they can regroup and retaliate. But above the remote planet Akiva, an
ominous show of the enemy's strength is unfolding. Out on a lone reconnaissance
mission, Wedge Antilles watches Imperial Star Destroyers gather like birds of
prey circling for a kill, but is taken captive before he can report back to the
New Republic leaders. Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, former Rebel fighter Norra
Wexely has returned to her native world—war weary, ready to reunite with her
estranged son, and eager to build a new life in some distant place. But when
Norra intercepts Wedge Antilles's urgent distress call, she realizes her time
as a freedom fighter is not yet over. What she doesn't know is just how close
the enemy is—or how decisive and dangerous her new mission will be. Determined
to preserve the Empire's power, the surviving Imperial elite are converging on
Akiva for a top-secret emergency summit—to consolidate their forces and rally
for a counterstrike. But they haven't reckoned on Norra and her newfound
allies—her technical genius son, a bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial
defector—who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire's
oppressive reign once and for all.”
Much like Stars Lost, this book is also subtitled with “Journey to Star Wars:
The Force Awakens,” and because its “canon” everything revealed here is
essentially background information on the new film series. We get glimpses of
Han Solo and Chewbacca, whom seem still unable to take orders, and decides to
divert their ordered trip to Dasoor when contacted by an old friend who claims
the Chewie’s home planet of Kashyyyk is about to fall after the Empire’s rule
and she could use his help. I’m guessing this is a set up for a novel down the
line and another reason why Han and Leia go their separate ways (beyond other
reasons) we see in the new film. We also get glimpses into the idea that most
people, especially those in the Outer Rim, think both the Sith and the Jedi are myths
–hell, even most of the commanders in the Empire believe this as well. This
idea, as we saw, was continued in The Force Awakens. And, of course, we visit
Jakku, which appears to be the ass end of the Outer Rim and makes Tattoine seem
like busy Coruscant. Reading this here, explains a lot.
But while we get all of this, the
book itself is a bit of a let-down, somewhat. There has been much criticism
thrown at him for his writing style, and it is something that can be
distracting –it is very different and will not be every ones cup of tea. Good
or bad, though, Wendig is given a lot of story to set up here, and maybe his urgency
style is perfect for this new trilogy. Much like the old EU, these new ones
will not always focus on our main characters, and beyond Han and Cheiwe, the
only other known character to appear in this book is Wedge, yet he’s regulated
to merely a side role. What disappoints me is that none of the main roles in
the book are that interesting, except maybe the villainous Sloane (who was
introduced in Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller), Sinjir, the
former Loyalty Officer of the Empire (and one of two gay characters in the
book), and the bounty hunter Jas. Norra and her son teen son Temmin, who
appears to grow up and be played by Greg Grunberg in The Force Awakens, are tropes. Yes, Temmin takes one of the
silliest and easiest to defeat droids from the prequel series, the B1 Battle
Droid, and turns it into a lethal bodyguard, but beyond that, they’re stock
figures, with stock problems that will eventually be tied up by novels end. So
no surprises there.
Perhaps I should not look at this
book as novel, per se, but more of a bunch of new ideas that will be filled out
in other novels and, perhaps, just added background information for the
hardcore fans of Star Wars movies. This
new unified canon may have irked the fan of the original Expanded Universe, but
it’s very clear that at least this time, most of the novels will be forthcoming
will all be connected –however tenuously- to The Force Awakens, Episode
VIII, and Episode IX.
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