In Defense of Things That Don’t Make Sense

Posted on September 30, 2015by

Hilarious Abeloth IllustrationI’m going to shout it from the hills: I love the Bantam era. I love warlord and superweapon of the week. I love silly, disjointed things that years later, make us wonder what exactly we were thinking when we first read this. I love the things that don’t neatly fit into the greater Star Wars puzzle, and there is much to be said in defense of embracing the weird. We’re in a new era of Star Wars now, and with that comes all the unexplored territory. We don’t have to avoid the mistakes of Legends; in fact, I could happily argue that many of those mistakes are better in the long term.

One of the things that Star Wars fandom had run into, in the twilight of the Legends years, was quality issues. Ask a group of Star Wars fans about Fate of the Jedi and Crucible, and you’ll get a wide variety of (frequently negative) reactions. Sometimes people ask me about how I feel about Fate of the Jedi, and my response is usually along the lines of “I remember the hilarious Abeloth illustration that’s on Wookieepedia, that Daala is the worst politician alive, and that Luke and Ben went on a father-son trip that proved that Ben’s taste in women is no better than Luke’s had been.” That is possibly one of the sillier sentences I’ve written in a while, but let’s deconstruct that. What if we didn’t worry so much about things being silly or not making sense? What if wild plots could be the basis for a good story? Because there was a time when we really were thinking that way.

Many of the earliest Star Wars books are from a time when we had no idea about longer-term galactic history. Big chunks of galactic history were a complete blank, and the authors really couldn’t do much filling-in. We didn’t know exactly how the Old Republic fell until the Dark Nest trilogy was released, and of course now that we knew galactic history out-of-universe, it worked its way into Legacy of the Force. But we did fill in about twenty years of galactic history with no good references about what came before. And that led to things that just didn’t make sense in the longer run. Read More

Starkiller: Superweapons and the Sequel Trilogy

Posted on September 28, 2015by , , , , and Not A Committee

starkillerbase

Buried in the Force Friday blitz at the beginning of this month was the first The Force Awakens-related update to StarWars.com’s Databank section. Naturally, very little new information actually came out of the new entries; many didn’t include pictures, and some of the character entries were nothing but the same one-sentence bios from the back of their action figure cards.

One big new piece of info did show up, though—or rather, if you follow the spoiler reporting, a confirmation of one of the oldest rumors: there’s a superweapon on the table.

I actually stopped reading spoilers a long time ago, but even I had heard bits and pieces to this effect; and sure enough, the exceedingly minimal entry for the First Order’s Starkiller Base nevertheless deigns to include the apparent in-universe reasoning for its name:

“An ice planet converted into a stronghold of the First Order and armed with a fiercely destructive new weapon capable of destroying entire star systems.”

While certain reporting (and certain memes) has tended to paint the First Order as an upstart group of ne’er-do-wells rather than a serious galactic power, the ability to destroy an entire star system? Well, that changes the equation. Superweapons have a mixed reputation among Star Wars fans, though; the Expanded Universe is known for adding a whole bunch of ’em to the lineup (including the Sun Crusher, which did exactly what the Starkiller is alleged to do and was totally invulnerable besides), and even many movie purists will tell you that concluding the original trilogy with a second Death Star wasn’t exactly George’s Lucas’s most creative idea. So I put the question to the staff: is this a mistake? A ham-fisted attempt to replicate the feel of the OT? Or are superweapons a crucial part of Star Wars’s magic formula? Read More

Gray Matters I: LOST STARS and the Seductive Evil of the Galactic Empire

Posted on September 25, 2015by Imperial Court Circular

51gF3dYpeTL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_[1]As it happens, we were long planning a series of pieces called “Gray Matters” on how the various sides in Star Wars are and ought to be portrayed in the new canon. Our first piece was either going to be about the Empire or the Rebellion, where we would discuss the comparative pitfalls of black and white morality vs moral grays and try to come up with a solution that was morally nuanced but still fit the morality tale that is the Star Wars saga. And lo – here came a novel called Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, featuring of all things a narrative about just how decent people serve as Imperial Loyalists. The coincidence (and the now doubly punny title) was impossible to ignore, so here we are!

We’ll try to avoid spoiling the book, especially as we hope this article convinces some folks to read Lost Stars! Don’t let the YA label dissuade you: YA novels are emphatically not less mature than adult novels (at least not simply because they’re YA!). This is the first Star Wars YA book, as the books EU fans typically call “YA” are middle grade books, which also should not be judged on their age rating because the six canon middle grade books out as of last week are amazing — particularly Servants of the Empire — and this week’s brilliant ANH adaptation brings that to seven!)

Lost Stars is the closest we’ve ever really gotten to an Imperial POV novel – the title characters basically start up as Imperial subjects and join the Imperial service. One of them – Thane Kyrell – drifts away from the Empire while the other – Ciena Ree – stays loyal. Gray crafted a unique and interesting societal background for them on their Rim world of Jelucan which explains their different world views and consequently divergent takes on Imperial policy. These differences are not unique to Thane and Ciena – a good amount of the cast is in the service of the Emperor, and they are all very different people with different motivations and ethical codes. This is what makes the novel a perfect case study: more than just portraying Imperial Loyalists with authenticity or even sympathy, Gray shows the wide variety of people who serve the Empire and how their service to the Empire changes them in turn.

The thing about the Galactic Empire is that it is not a monolith. It is complex and nuanced. It is, obviously, ruled by evil Sith Lords. It is supported by fascists in COMPNOR and ISB. It is driven by raw material exploitation and upheld by stormtroopers and a military that can range from the ruthless but honorable to the downright brutal. So at the first instance, let’s not pretend the Empire is daisies and roses (those of you familiar with our “Imperial Colbert” routine may be surprised by this turn in the discussion, but we don’t playact in our ETE articles). Beyond that though – the Empire is a galactic government, and one that is accepted by the majority of the galactic populace. This is either through an ignorance of its evils, an unwillingness to do anything about it, or acceptance of it. Imperials of the Core Worlds live cushy, sheltered lives – the cries of the Outer Rim go unheard. As seen in Edge of the Galaxy, Core World Imperials may well assume that the brutalities going on in the Rim are just part of the barbarity of the Rim – conducted by lawless Rimward officers to boot!

As we learn in Lost Stars, however, the distinction is not between active agent of Imperial oppression and passive beneficiary. The lines blur and cross. This makes the Empire interesting. George Lucas always said that the Empire was a seductive form of evil: it would not be so threatening if it were the repository of all the bad things, because it’s evil that persuades people to serve it that is the most threatening.

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Alexandra Bracken on the Symbol, the Skeptic, and the Sponge

Posted on September 23, 2015by

starwars-450x556[1]On Monday, I presented Part One of my interview with Alexandra Bracken, where we discussed her relationship with Star Wars, her approach to writing, and her literary interests. Today brings part two of this interview, where we discuss her adaptation of Star Wars A New Hope — released yesterday — called The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy. The title of the novel signals its focus on the “Big Three” of Leia, Han, and Luke, so naturally I wanted to ask her about her approaches to characterizing the most iconic figures in Star Wars.

Not only has the novel itself come out since the publication of Part One of the interview, but StarWars.com posted a beautiful, heartfelt essay that Alex wrote about her late father. She discusses her experiences growing up with Star Wars and how she associates it with her loving family, and how the Star Wars fandom, too, is a family. It’s a very moving piece, and I highly encourage everyone to read it if you haven’t already… The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy itself reads like a love letter to family and fandom. Scenes where Leia confides that she copes with trying times by remembering the fun and hope she associates with her parents or where Luke imagines his departed loved ones as beams of sunlight have this emotional heft to them, especially read in context of where Alex was writing from. This book is something special — from the mythic grandeur to the funny little additions and observations (ever thought about who put down the Falcon‘s landing gear on the Death Star? She did!), a lot of love and thought went into this book and it shows.

But that’s enough from me! Let’s hear from Alex and get her insights on Leia, Han, and Luke! As before, my questions are in bold and Alex’s answers are in plaintext.

X. Okay so on to The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy at last. You were brought in to the project to adapt A New Hope–what are your thoughts on ANH and its place in the OT?

Oooh, this is an interesting question. I’m not sure I’ve ever really thought about this before…

You know, for the longest time, ANH was actually my least favorite film of the original trilogy. I love endings for whatever reason—I guess the sense of resolution and watching all of these disparate threads get tied together, so ROTJ was my favorite for many years. The scene in which we see Luke lighting Vader’s funeral pyre is one of my favorites in the whole saga—visually, it’s so striking, and emotionally, it’s a catharsis.

I see ANH as having so much more innocence than the other films; it inspires a kind of wonder in you, because, like Luke, you’re being thrust into a much larger world that’s so very unlike anything you’ve known. Truths are much more simple in this part of the story: a found family of friends comes together, heroes are heroic (and if they’re not initially, they make the right choice by the end) and good does triumph over evil, despite crippling odds. And then, much like Luke going into the cave on Dagobah, ESB draws you into the story’s heart of darkness. The other side of the coin flips up, and we see heroes fail, friends separate, and we question the very themes and ideas that ANH established. It makes for some intense drama and twists, but I’ve always wondered if they’d be so impactful without the shining light and triumph of ANH.

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Alexandra Bracken on A New Hope, the Expanded Universe, and the Fit of Han’s Pants

Posted on September 21, 2015by Interviews

SW_Jackets-ANHTomorrow sees the release of another three Star Wars novels, to add to the five released earlier this month on Force Friday. These three novels are special, written by three different authors with three wholly different adaptations of the Original Trilogy for a middle-grade (ages 8-12) audience. If you’ve read any of my reviews of middle-grade books on this site, you’ll know by now that I think that the Star Wars middle-grade novels are basically the best of the new canon and should be read by adults just as well as kids. A few months ago, I wrote a rave review of a three chapter sample of the A New Hope adaptation by Alexandra Bracken, The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy. I can’t wait to dig into the final book. The other two books in the series, which I hope to review in the near future, are So You Want to be a Jedi? by Adam Gidwitz and Beware the Power of the Dark Side! by Tom Angleburger, adapting Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi respectively.

Alex was kind enough to take the time to answer a bevy of questions about her love of Star Wars, her writing, and her stellar adaptation of A New Hope. Her book brought me back to a lot of what I really loved about Star Wars, so I had a lot to ask her! I’ll be running this interview in two parts: today’s piece is about Alex and her writing and Wednesday’s piece is about The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy itself. The book releases tomorrow, September 22. Please look into the book, I promise you won’t regret it — especially if you have kids or if you want to feel like a kid again (and don’t we all, when we watch Star Wars?).

My questions below are in bold, Alex’s responses are in plaintext.

I. What do you love about Star Wars? What drew you in initially, and what draws you back?

Honestly? The characters, forever and always. It’s why, when given the opportunity to retell ANH any way I’d like, I knew I wanted to play a bit with the characters themselves and really peel back their layers. I pitched this retelling to my editor as the “Star Wars Breakfast Club,” and the title is a little nod to that.

I also really appreciate how grand the scale of the story is while still maintaining that intimacy with the central characters. It carries you through the full range of emotions—it’s thrilling, heartbreaking, uplifting, romantic, funny. I guess the better question is, what’s not to love about Star Wars?
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