Star Wars, Geek Culture, and Power Converters
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!
Even Baymax came to Katsucon!
Another February and therefore another Katsucon have come and gone. Two weekends ago, geeks from around the country descended on National Harbor, Maryland for a very frozen convention weekend. The convention didn’t play host to the US’s round of the World Cosplay Summit this year but that certainly didn’t seem to put a dent in attendance numbers. In fact, the convention seemed bigger this year both in terms of attendance numbers and the scale of the con itself. There was a nice variety of programming that ran through a good 2/3 of the day if not more. One of the best programming selections were the various cosplay construction lectures that covered everything from basic cosplay advice to how to build armor. There’s always something for everyone.
The dealer room was especially good this year and much larger than in years past both in terms of the number of vendors (or so it seemed) and there being enough aisle space to move comfortably. One of the best additions though was definitely the space set aside for the Men at Arms: Reforged folks. They have a YouTube show in which they recreate fictional weapons, often with a twist. One of their latest was the scissor blade from Kill la Kill which they decided to make out of actual melted down scissors. How cool is that? They even brought the blade with them and let con-goers pose with it.
Unfortunately, registration continues to be an issue. The lines to get badges seemed to be an eternal fixtures on the lower level with the line usually going to the other end of the corridor. Wait times were measured not in minutes but rather in hours. It is my hope that for the sake of the con goers that Katsucon sits down and reevaluates their badge system.
On the cosplay front, the costumes worn by so many attendees were amazing as always. The best costume of the con was, without question, this gorgeous La Muerte from The Book of Life. The pictures don’t even do her work justice.
Picture by Rich and Strange Photography
Kanan’s captured, the Ghost crew is trying to track him down, and Ezra takes the lead on the penultimate episode of Rebels season one.
It is with great sadness that we tell you the news that Leonard Nimoy, the great Spock, died earlier today from the end stages of COPD.
We can only say this: lines from Spock’s funeral from The Wrath of Khan:
We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted, in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most… human.
Major League Baseball gets into celebrating Star Wars each year with Star Wars nights at selected ballparks. This year, Cincinnati Reds fans can get this R2-D2 bobblehead with a view level ticket for $25. The night also features Star Wars music and firework show, character visits, and (usually) an appearance from the Ohio Garrison of the 501st.
Star Wars nights at MLB ballparks also help support the charity StandUp2Cancer. Other teams hosting Star Wars night during the 2015 season include the Mets, Dodgers, and Cardinals. Keep an eye on your team’s schedule to see if they’ll be hosting a similar Star Wars night (and ticket deal).
How do you follow up a solidly good first issue that teased at plenty of future plot points? By focusing the second issue on just one of them. Darth Vader #2 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca is out today in which the creative team does precisely that. After the disaster of the Death Star’s destruction, Vader is in disgrace and now must follow the commands of Grand General Tagge as a part of the grand plan to strike back against the Rebellion… one corvette at a time. (Spoiler Alert: Vader does NOT win Coruscant’s Next Top Model in this issue. Sorry.)
Surprisingly, this series is turning out to be very character driven which is something I wouldn’t necessarily expect from a book about Darth Vader. As proven with the previous issue, Gillen definitely knows what he’s doing with Vader but the character that really stood out to me in this issue was Tagge. (That’s Grand General, by the way, not just General.) With the exception of Palpatine, it floors me that anyone in the Empire would have the balls to speak to someone as imposing as Darth Vader like Tagge did. If you thought how Tarkin acted in A New Hope was impressive… just read issue #2. This is a characterization that seems like it will pay off further down the line along perhaps before Vader discovers more about the Rebel pilot’s identity…
On the art front, Larroca continues to draw a pretty darn good Vader. He’s got a great eye for detail that translates to not just the iconic costume but also to things like holograms or distant ships through a viewport. Also, I’m not sure who’s having more fun with all these explosions: Gillen writing them or Larroca drawing and Edgar Delgado coloring them. Artistically speaking, having Larroca on interior art and Adi Granov on covers is a winning combination for this book.
Can we start spelling poor Kieron Gillen’s name right in the opening credits though? This is two issues in a row now where they’ve gotten it wrong.
Darth Vader #2 is another solid showing from the creative team and I’m definitely excited for the next issue.
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.