Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
I cannot talk about Heir to the Jedi without revealing spoilers. I’m too emotionally invested in Luke Skywalker’s life. If you’d like to read a non-spoiler opinion, let me direct you to Bria’s review over here. However, if you’ve already read the book, or just don’t care about being spoiled for the end, proceed at your own caution.
(I’m serious.
Major spoilers abound after the cut.
You’ve been warned.)
Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi. It’s the first novel written in first person since I, Jedi and stars the one and only Luke Skywalker. To mission control for the verdict!
With less than a week until the book’s release, Del Rey posted a mini-excerpt of the upcoming novel Heir to the Jedi on their Star Wars Books Facebook page earlier today. Read the excerpt here and check out Bria’s spoiler-free review of the book here.
Heir to the Jedi, written by Kevin Hearne, will be released in hardback, ebook, and audio formats next Tuesday, March 3.
Yesterday the official Star Wars site posted an exclusive three-and-a-half minute excerpt of the audio version of Kevin Hearne’s upcoming novel Heir to the Jedi. Listen to the excerpt, read by Marc Thompson, here and read Bria’s spoiler-free review of the book here.
Heir to the Jedi will be released in hardback, ebook, and audio formats next Tuesday, March 3.
We start our tale, as we always do, on an Imperial Star Destroyer. Pellaeon, in command of the Chimaera under Grand Admiral Thrawn, is preparing to coordinate an assault on Myrkr. Specifically, coordinating an assault on Talon Karrde’s former base. Thrawn is certain Karrde crossed them by not handing over Luke Skywalker, and he isn’t having any of that.
Because Karrde is smart, he’s already abandoned his base, and Thrawn, of course, knows that. Because he knows everything, apparently. But he still wants to attack Karrde’s base, both to give the ground crews much-needed combat practice, but also to see if any of Karrde’s contacts in Hyllyard City attempt to get ahold of Karrde and, in turn, lead the Empire to his new base of operations.
The newest Star Wars book, Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne, comes out on March 3rd and lets Luke take the spotlight for the first time in a few years. It’s also in a very unique position of being the only previously announce project to make it through to the new canon. It may no longer be a part of the Empire and Rebellion series but it’s still very definitely the Luke book.
Luke Skywalker’s the pilot who blew up the Death Star but that doesn’t make him a Jedi yet or any less that farmboy from Tatooine. To the Rebellion, he’s mostly valued for his piloting skills which makes him the perfect choice to retrieve an Imperial cryptographer who wants to defect to the Rebellion. The Alliance pairs him and Artoo with Nakari Kelen, the daughter of a biotech mogul, who comes with her beautiful ship the Desert Jewel on this mission that quickly becomes far more than just a simple retrieval.
For the most part, the book is enjoyable enough. It’s the second Star Wars book to ever be written in first person but that’s definitely where the comparisons to I, Jedi should stop as these are two totally different books that approach the point of view style from different angles. Heir to the Jedi feels a bit more like you’re reading Luke’s diary than being inside of his head. That’s not necessarily a problem though as it gives readers more insight to how Luke goes from being the naïve farmboy hero to the squadron commander that we see on Hoth. It’s fun to read about the Luke who can’t quite figure out telekinesis although he thinks it’s something he can probably do. (We could’ve used a little less focus on this particular trick though.) Hearne does a good job of capturing Luke’s sense of humor; something that far too many authors have neglected in the past. Given that this is the Luke book? It’s always a good sign when the author gets the character.
Nakari Kelen is a fun addition to the Star Wars universe and it’d be great to see more of her. It’s always fantastic to see another person of color take center stage and doubly fantastic when that’s a character of color. She’s well rounded and interesting with her own motivations for being a part of the Rebellion and she works great opposite Luke. Her relationship with her father reminded me of Booster and Mirax Terrik and I’d love to see a short story where we get to see the four of them interact.
On the writing front, whether or not someone enjoys the book will definitely depend on how they feel about first person. That’s the one hurdle that probably can’t be avoided. Pacing-wise, the book does start a bit slow (although it’s something I didn’t realize until my second read through when I took a bit more time to read it.) This is yet another story that follows in the recent trend of focusing on a much smaller scale. Luke and Nakari’s work is relatively important but the FATE OF THE GALAXY doesn’t rest upon their success. It was also nice to see the Givin worked into the book and to see their love for math used throughout especially in the chapter titles. (I’m assuming those equations made sense mathematically.) A smaller scale plot paired with a diverse and interesting core cast is generally a win in my book. My biggest complaint about the writing is that things often felt a little too convenient for our heroes. For example, a brief mission Luke’s sent on at the start of the book comes into play later on. If nothing else, you can definitely tell that Kevin Hearne had fun writing this book.
Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this book is also its biggest spoiler. If you’re curious enough, the spoiler is just an easy Google search away. I find it regrettable that Hearne chose this particular route and it’s enough to significantly bring down my overall enjoyment of the book. Hopefully, this will not be the status quo for the new canon and that’s all I will say for fear of spoiler territory.
At the end of the day, I give Heir to the Jedi a 3/5.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing us with an advanced copy of the book for review purposes.
Dark Force Rising was published in June 1992, an entire year after Heir to the Empire and a mere month before I first saw the Star Wars Trilogy in its entirety. As soon as I finished HttE I rushed to the bookstore and purchased my very own copy of the new Star Wars books. I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to wait a year to find out what happened next. (I wasn’t so lucky when it came to The Last Command, but that’s another story.) DFR might even have been the first piece of Star Wars merchandise I purchased all by myself, even before getting VHS copies of the films. (While HttE originally belonged to my father, it soon “magically” made its way onto my bookshelf.) And thus my status as a SWEU follower first and foremost was solidified early on in my fandom.
DFR is my least favorite book of the series, and the installment I’m least familiar with. I’ve read HttE more times, and I’ve skimmed TLC more times than I can count because of all the Luke and Mara stuff. But there are parts of DFR I really, really love. Garm bel Iblis is a great character, and while 11-year-old Nanci didn’t go quite so far as to ship him with Mon Mothma, 34-year-old Nanci totally picks up on that implication (and kind of wants to write a tragic fanfiction about them). I love that Mara Jade is willing to drop everything and ask for help from Luke kriffing Skywalker, the man she’s sworn to kill, in order to rescue Talon Karrde. I love Leia Organa Solo being the badass Lady Vader on Honoghr. And I love that by the end of this book, Luke is absolutely despondent at the idea of losing Mara, so much so that Han picks up on it. (Like I said before, Han Solo was the first L/M shipper.)
There’s not much else I can tell you about the book. I remember the basic plot beats, and being really interested in the Katana fleet mystery, but I can’t recall much more than that. Other than I liked it a lot and waiting several months to read TLC was absolute torture.
I’m really looking forward to revisiting DFR and seeing what I remember and the parts I’d completely forgotten. I hope you’ll enjoy the ride!
Knights of the Old Republic: The best Star Wars game that was ever released and that ever will be released. Yes, I know. You’re all tired of hearing me talk about how much I love KOTOR but that doesn’t stop it from being a great story and taking another look at it would give Lucasfilm a chance to help fix a few of the problems currently facing them. I won’t repeat myself and go into how very Star Wars the story is and how great the characters are. Instead, I’m here to pitch you an idea for the new canon. Ready? Here’s the pitch: Revamp both Knights of the Old Republic games for modern consoles and take advantage of the chance to update the graphics and to properly finish the second one, finally make that third KOTOR game, tell the lead up story as a television series on a major network (or even cable), and canonize both Revan and the Exile as women.
Let’s start from the top. Knights of the Old Republic was fun. Regardless of what you think of the second game, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Star Wars fan who didn’t enjoy playing the first game. It’s a well-liked and familiar property set in an era that’s almost definitely unaffected by the Story Group’s new overarching canon. Bringing the games out of Legend and into official canon could quite possibly go a long way towards making some of those still upset about the canon change happier. Also, imagine getting to play the games except created with modern technology. The original games continue to have their charm but modern graphics paired with an awesome story? (Just think about it, we’ll wait.) This is also a great opportunity for Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords to be properly finished so we can finally play the droid factory planet without having to mod beyond belief. A third game to round out the trilogy is a no brainer really. It’s been ten years and portion of the fan base is still clamoring for KOTOR3. It’s a license to print money.
A prequel (don’t look at me like that’s a dirty word) would be the best plot line for a tie-in show that would let the games stand alone and it would give the writers plenty to work with. To tell the story, I’d imagine that perhaps three to four seasons of 10-13 episodes each would be ideal. They could chronicle the attack of the Mandalorians, the refusal of the Jedi to answer, Revan and Malak going off and becoming heroes as they lead the fight back, their descent into darkness, and then rise of their Sith army. It would ultimately culminate in Bastila’s mission that results in Revan’s capture and amnesia. Is it ambitious for a television show? Sure but we now live in a world where Game of Thrones is wildly successful and has a huge budget. I could see Disney green-lighting it.
One of KOTOR’s greatest strengths was its characters and Lucasfilm would be wise to take advantage of them. The supporting crew were all well-rounded with their own backgrounds and motivations and the protagonist was, well, entirely dependent on you. The best thing though was how diverse the cast was in terms of race, gender, and species. It’s something more properties should take a note of. That said, it wasn’t perfect and this is where the game should take a hint from Saints Row IV. Yes, that Saints Row IV. In Saints Row, you play as the Boss who is a character you customize completely and your crew treats you the same way regardless of gender including romancing. During a recent replay of KOTOR, I got frustrated that the game prevented me from being able to romance Bastila as female Revan. I’d love to see a version of the game that isn’t quite so tied to turn of the century social rules especially since we’ve now seen what Bioware can do.
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Star Wars continues to have a gender problem though. We’ve discussed it ad nauseum here at Tosche Station from the lack of representation in merchandise to the painfully unequal casting announcements. While I will always adore that KOTOR lets YOU decide what gender Revan is and even what they look like, I do thinking officially canonizing it would be a good thing but this time as a woman. Same goes for the Exile. John Jackson Miller’s Knights of the Old Republic comics did a pretty good job of skirting the issue of Revan’s gender but if Disney wanted to capitalize on this property and make a live action television show, they’d have to make a definitive call. By making Revan and the Exile female in what would undoubtedly be a very popular storyline in the franchise, Disney would essentially be forced into giving them the respect that they (and the other female characters) deserve when it comes to merchandizing. Even in this unfortunate Natasha-less, Gamora-less, and Hera-less world that we live in, I have a hard time seeing them be able to justify NOT making toys of the two main characters. (Just imagine if they even canonized Revan as a woman of color…)
Three video games (revamped and finished for the modern world) and a TV show are really just the bare bones of the KOTOR initiative. There’s an opportunity for tie-in novels and comics and toys galore but most importantly, it’s an opportunity to please Star Wars fans both new and existing, make strides towards putting more women in the leading roles, and play around in a part of the timeline that won’t interfere with the films at all.
Also I just really want more KOTOR. And a TV show about Revan-the-Jedi-Master-Strategist as she defeats the Mandalorians.
Say it with me now: three video games and a TV show!
The bad part about having finished the Hyllyard City scenes is that the Hyllyard City scenes are finished. No more Luke and Mara. Sad face.
Time for another confession. I really don’t care for the end of Heir to the Empire. The battle of Sluis Van, even though it features Wedge being awesome, seems very tacked on. And it’s very convenient that Luke, Han, Lando, and Wedge all manage to wind up there. Maybe that’s just my bias coming through, because I’ve been so focused on Luke and Mara and Karrde over the past several chapters. I know that Thrawn’s been preoccupied with Sluis Van and there’s still a lot of mystery over what the plan entails. Still, it does seems like a bit of a letdown after the book moves off Myrkr.
Which is exactly where Chapter 00 begins. Karrde is amazed that one man, without the Force, managed to defeat so many stormtroopers. Get used to it, Karrde my dear. We learn that Lando needs medical attention, and that Aves was close to shooting him for his supposed betrayal, but he’ll be okay.
We’re nearing the end of the retrospective with only 6 chapters and 2 posts to go. In our last installment Leia left Kashyyyk and Luke learned about Mara’s past as the Emperor’s Hand. They’re running out of forest–what happens next? Onward!
Chapter 27 begins with the Chimaera testing cloaking shields, and by golly, they work. Pellaeon is worried about sending ships into enemy territory without communications. Thrawn says that’s how cloaking shields work–nothing gets in, nothing gets out. I like this bit of scientific world-building, as it keeps the Empire from getting overpowered. Pellaeon thinks they should use C’baoth for this operation, but Thrawn says all they need is careful timing. They can’t risk using C’baoth too much or too often, as they might grow dependent on him. Once C’baoth has Leia and her twins, his jaunts out with the fleet will just be momentary distractions for him. The test of the cloaking shield works…I guess? Nothing happens to it, but Thrawn is pleased and says the Sluis Van shipyards are theirs. Okay then.