What I’m looking forward to in Star Wars in 2024

Now that I’ve talked about what I loved in 2023, let’s talk about what’s coming up in 2024.

The Bad Batch S3. Again, no surprises here if you know me. The Batch’s third and final season still has no release date, but at some point I heard maybe April, so we’ll see. It can’t come fast enough! How will Crosshair and Omega escape Tantiss? Who will the rest of the Batch recruit to help find them? Phee? Rex? Fennec Shand? Benny? How will the story of the clones in general wrap up? And of course–is our favorite goggled clone still alive?

The Acolyte. I’m pretty psyched about this one. It takes place near the end of the High Republic, perhaps fifty years before the prequel era. Here’s a plot blurb from The Nerdist:

“The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”

Oh my word, I am so there, lol. I’m guessing it’s going to hint at the Sith planning their return, which of course leads to Palpatine and his devastating coup d’etat. One of my favorite High Republic characters, Vernestra Rwoh, is presumably going to make an appearance, and will be near one hundred years old (which is prime for a Mirialan). I’m eager to see what kind of role she’ll play in the series. As far as I know, there is no release date as of yet.

Tales of the Jedi S2. I really enjoyed Season One of this little animated series, which focused on Ahsoka and Count Dooku in three 10-15 minute shorts for each character. I’m looking forward to seeing which Jedi Season Two will focus on, and when it will drop (all the episodes of Season One dropped at once, and I assume this one will do the same).

Phase Three High Republic books. I’m including books in this list as well as streaming content, since I’m a huge Star Wars book reader. Phase Three (Trials of the Jedi) began in late 2023 with George Mann’s Adult Novel The Eye of Darkness in November. The Phase continues this year with the Middle Grade book Escape from Valo at the end of January and the Young Adult book Defy the Storm in March. That’s Wave One of this Phase, and waves two and three will continue throughout the rest of the year, wrapping up the Phase, as well as the entire series, in early 2025. The High Republic has really been a highlight of my Star Wars love since it began three years ago with the release of Light of the Jedi.

Other Canon Books: The Living Force, by John Jackson Miller, and The Glass Abyss, by Steve Barnes. There seems to be a pattern to Star Wars publishing lately, namely that early in the year we get the latest High Republic, then in the spring a standalone canon novel, another standalone at the end of the summer, and then the High Republic again in the fall and winter. The Living Force, about the Jedi High Council on a mission in the Outer Rim, will release in April, while The Glass Abyss, about Mace Windu, will be out in August. I’m looking forward to both books.

Skeleton Crew. This show has been talked about for a long time now, but because of the writer’s strike (which I absolutely supported), it looks like this one won’t be out until the end of the year. I’m okay with that, as it’s the thing this year that I’m the least excited about, but I will certainly be happy to watch it. It’s about a bunch of kids going on adventures in the galaxy, to put it very basically. It stars Jude Law as a Force-sensitive who looks after these lost children; the show is being billed as a fun family adventure. Perfect for Christmastime.

As of this writing, Andor Season Two is not on the roster for 2024 and seems to be slated for release in 2025.

What about you? What Star Wars projects are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Entertainment Update For September

Hello friends! Here’s my now-monthly check in with all the things that have been entertaining me.

Ahsoka. I’m going to wait until the end of the series to give my thoughts on this as a whole, but here at the midpoint, all I can say is WOW! It took its time to get going, bring us up to speed on characters and where they are now, and introducing new villains (and can I add that I NEED MORE BAYLAN SKOLL RIGHT NOW, lol). But each successive episode just got better and better, until we got the truly epic Episode 5. It was just so wonderful to see Hayden Christensen back as Anakin Skywalker in a truly satisfying way, and in a way that further develops Ahsoka’s character. Now we’re off to a distant galaxy via Purgill (awesome!) to hopefully find Ezra. And oh, yeah, Thrawn, whatever, lol. Jumping out of my seat in anticipation!

Last of the Jedi Book 4 (Death on Naboo) and 5 (A Tangled Web), by Jude Watson. I’ve finished Book 4 and am working on Book 5. Four had Ferus Olin following Inquisitor Malorum to Naboo, who is investigating Padme’s death. Ferus, at the behest of Obi-Wan, must keep Malorum from finding out Padme’s secret, without knowing himself just what the secret is. Five has Ferus summoned to Coruscant by Palpatine himself to figure out a systems breakdown on the planet Sath; if he doesn’t comply, his friends Roan and Dona will suffer the consequences. These little books are always fun to read; I really like the character of Ferus Olin, who had left the Jedi Order as a Padawan (and I believe that story is told in the junior novel series Jedi Quest, also by Jude Watson, which I’ll probably read after this series).

Tales of Light and Life, by various High Republic authors. In the lead-up to Phase 3 of the High Republic, this short story collection was recently released on September 5th. There are several stories with characters from Phase 2, but most are from Phase 1, with some serving to set us up for Phase 3. I enjoyed most of these stories; the one I was least impressed with was the one by Daniel Jose Older, whose writing I don’t particularly enjoy. It was a sweet story about Padawan Ram Jamoram, but its sin was being extremely boring. The best out of the bunch was the Phase 2 story about Marda Ro by Tessa Gratton (A Closed Fist Has No Claws). It shows what happens to her after the events of Phase 2, how she has changed, and how she plants the seeds of the Nihil, the villains of Phase 1. If you like the High Republic, I highly recommend reading this collection.

Out of the Shadows, by Justina Ireland. Also in preparation for Phase 3 (coming in November), I’m rereading a few Phase 1 novels. The first reread was The Fallen Star, the adult novel by Claudia Gray; and now I’m rereading this YA installment by Justina Ireland. When I first read it, I wasn’t too impressed and thought it was a little boring. But on this reread, I’ve done a total 180 and think it’s not only interesting, but super important for going into Phase 3. From what I understand, in Phase 3 the Nihil have separated a whole sector of the galaxy for themselves called The Occlusion Zone, like a big wall they put up in space. Part of how they did that, I presume, is through a contraption called the Gravity’s Heart, which is the brainchild of and built by Chancey Yarrow in this book. It’s got a lot of Vernestra Rwoh in it, too, a favorite Jedi of mine in this period (I’ve got a lot of favorite High Republic Jedi, though, lol). Anyway, I’m enjoying this second reading.

So as always I’ve been busy reading and watching Star Wars, but I’ve also been working on something else I’d like to tell you about. I’ve been creating a new blog that will have some fiction by me, including original fiction and some Star Wars fan fiction. I’m actually quite terrified of sharing my stories, which simply means that I have to do it, lol. (Do what terrifies you, all the self-help books say). I’m maybe a week or two away from launching it, but I’ll mention it here when I do in case any of you are interested.

That’s about it this time around. What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Entertainment Update For August

Hello friends! I’ve been busy with reading, as usual, and looking forward to a few upcoming shows. Here’s the deets:

Rise of the Red Blade. This is the latest Star Wars canon novel, by Delilah S. Dawson, and it is a great read. It chronicles Jedi Padawan Iskat Akaris during her time at the Jedi Temple, and the events that influenced her turn to the dark side and led to her becoming an Inquisitor. Iskat is the only one of her species in the Temple, and she feels out of place most of the time. She had caused an accident that injured another Padawan; she’s not very good at meditating, and she discovers at the Battle of Geonosis what she’s truly good at: killing. When she tries to discover more about her species and/or family, she gets the distinct feeling that the Masters are hiding something (they are). We spend about two thirds of the book with Iskat as a Jedi, and only the last third as an Inquisitor; this is the story of her lead-up to turning, voluntarily, to the dark side. And Dawson does a fantastic job of it, making Iskat a sympathetic character, while not shying away from her violent, dark side tendencies and her misguided choices.

Last of the Jedi book 2: Dark Warning. My continuation of the junior novel series that features Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ferus Olin. Obi-Wan discovers that an Inquisitor (and I find the Inquisitors in Legends rather lame, lol) is investigating something at Polis Massa, where Padme gave birth to Luke and Leia, so he goes there to protect that secret. Ferus must go to Ilum to find a surviving Jedi and while he’s at it, find a crystal for a new lightsaber. They also discover a livable asteroid in a cosmic storm that Ferus wants to turn into a refuge for any surviving Jedi. This idea of a safe haven for Jedi survivors reminds me of Tanalorr in the Jedi: Survivor game, which is a haven for the Hidden Path. I love how Star Wars canon is frequently borrowing ideas from Legends.

The Fallen Star Reread. With Phase 3 beginning in the fall, I thought I’d reread the last adult book of Phase 1, as Phase 3 will return to these characters after a trip back in time in Phase 2 with new characters. The Fallen Star tells how the Nihil, specifically its leader, Marchion Ro, orchestrated the destruction of the Jedi space station, Starlight Beacon, ending the phase at a very low point for the Jedi. I’m eager to see where these characters are and how they’ll respond to the Eye of the Nihil in this last phase. (There will be a book of High Republic short stories, Tales of Light and Life, coming out on September 5th, that will be a sort of preview of Phase 3, and I’ll be reading that, as well).

The Echo of Old Books. This is the latest book we’re reading in the book club I’m part of. It begins with Ashlyn in 1984, who has psychometry, the ability to sense emotions from objects, primarily books (I only knew the word from Star Wars as a rare Force ability, lol–like Quinlan Vos, Cal Kestis, and Karr from the book Force Collector). She owns a used book shop, and finds a self-published book from which she feels intense emotions. She begins to read it, and finds it’s a memoir-like tragic love story between a Brit and a New York socialite in 1941,written by the Brit, Hemi. She’s intrigued, but it gets more interesting as she find another self-published book written by the socialite, Belle, as a written answer to his book. Ashlyn becomes determined (and perhaps a bit obsessed) to find out who these people actually were and how their story ends. A kind of tragic love story literary mystery sort of thing, with psychometry thrown in. An interesting and absorbing read.

Countdown to Ahsoka. Of course, I’m hyped about Ahsoka, which premieres next week on August 23rd. I haven’t done a lot of prep, as in rewatching Rebels in its entirety (I’ve already watched it through 2 or 3 times in the last few years), but I have cherry-picked a few episodes and arcs the past few weeks. Namely, the finales of the four seasons, as well as the Twilight of the Apprentice arc and the Lost Commanders arc. It’s all great, though. Can’t wait to see these characters in live action! Seeing Thrawn will be cool, but I’m most interested in Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, the two dark force users with orange lightsabers. Bring it on!

Loki Season 2 Trailer. I am soooo excited for this! I’ve been waiting two long years for season two of Loki, and it will finally be here on October 6th. I’ll admit, I haven’t been as faithful to Marvel lately, just catching the movies that interest me (Dr. Strange 2, Thor 4, and Guardians of the Galaxy 3) and skipping a lot of the shows (Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion). But I will ALWAYS be here for Loki, lol. Can’t wait to see what shenanigans Loki gets into with Mobius and Sylvie in this multiverse madness.

Are you looking forward to Ahsoka and Loki? What’s been entertaining you? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Latest Entertainment Update

Hello, friends! I haven’t posted for a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading and viewing. There’s a lot here, so I’m going to be brief. Here’s the latest:

Rebel Force: Trapped (Book 5), by Alex Wheeler. I’ve been enjoying this junior novel series, and I think Trapped is my favorite. It deals with X-7 trying to figure out who he used to be before he was brainwashed to become an Imperial assassin. We never find out who he really was, which is a disappointment, but over all this one was good.

Star Wars Rebel Force: Uprising (Book 6), by Alex Wheeler. This is the final book in the Rebel Force series, bringing the story to a fairly satisfying conclusion. Luke is drawn to a cold desert moon by the Imperial who brainwashed X-7 (under a project that is called Project Omega, btw). Luke is caught, of course, and begins to undergo the same sort of brainwashing X-7 did (in other words, torture), but because he has the Force or something, it didn’t quite work. His friends hatch a plan to rescue him, and it works, but we lose Ferus Olin and Lune Divinian, which made me sad.

The Last of the Jedi Book One: The Desperate Mission, by Jude Watson. After reading the Rebel Force series, I wanted to learn more about Ferus Olin, Lune Divinian, and Trever Flume, characters that I first met in that series; turns out these characters are also in The Last of the Jedi series, by Jude Watson, which takes place twenty years beforehand. I also get the feeling Ferus is also in the Jedi Quest series that comes before that series, so the character has a long history in Legends. This first book has us meet him as a young man, who has been taken prisoner by the Imperials on the planet Bellarasus for leading a rebel group called The Eleven. Obi-Wan Kenobi gets wind of this, and decides he must go help Ferus, who he remembers as a feisty young Padawan who left the Order. A young Boba Fett makes an appearance here, hired by the Imperials to find Obi-Wan and Ferus.

The Six, by Anni Taylor. Off and on, I’m part of a book club that includes me, my sister, her husband, and their daughter. We decided to start back up again, and picked this book to read. It’s a thriller, and a fairly gruesome one, at that. Evie, who has a gambling problem and has racked up a ton of debt, is desperate and agrees to go to a monastery on a Greek island for a chance to compete in six challenges, the winner of which will win money–enough to pay off her debt. But she can’t tell her husband or two small children where she’s going, and Evie has no idea that what she’s signed up for is a game of horror. Not my usual fare, but it did draw me into its mystery, and had plenty of surprising twists at the end.

Disney Gallery: Mandalorian S3. I’m going to say it: Season 3 of Mando is not my favorite. I really liked the dynamic and relationship between Din and Grogu in the first two seasons, and maybe I wanted more of that. But the first two seasons obviously were building up to something more, something broader than just these two characters. Mainly, the Mandalorians, and Bo-Katan’s role in uniting them to retake Mandalore. Fine. But I’ve only watched it once through, and haven’t had any desire to rewatch, which is a big indicator of how much I love a show. At any rate, it’s still interesting to watch these making-of specials, and they never fail to make me appreciate the story more. After watching this one, I thought, eh, it wasn’t so bad.

Emily. I’ve seen plenty of movies about the Bronte sisters, or about Charlotte alone, but I’ve never seen one about Emily specifically, and this one was pretty entertaining. Since we can’t possibly know everything about her personal life, there’s quite a bit of creative license taken here, but it’s not completely outside the bounds of belief. Things like Emily partaking in opium with her beloved brother Branwell; and more particularly, having an affair with the local curate, William. These things are suggested as having an influence on Emily’s outlook and personality, and how she came to write such a strange, passionate tale like Wuthering Heights. Emily has always been characterized as the “strange” Bronte sister, content to spend time alone and not go out into the world; but still, how could a “proper” Victorian lady, the daughter of a clergyman, sheltered and shy, write such a thing? By taking drugs and falling in love and having sex, of course! Oh, and getting a tattoo on her arm that says, “Freedom of Thought.” Who knows? Maybe it’s true, but at any rate, I enjoyed the movie.

That’s what I’ve been up to lately, in between writing some fan fiction, which I’m having a blast with. Feels good to get the pen moving and making characters speak again.

What have you been up to, Star Wars or otherwise? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Star Wars Update: Some Reading, Some Writing

As always, the Star Wars reading continues. Here are the books I’ve been diving into:

Star Wars Rebel Force Book 4: Firefight, by Alex Wheeler. This is a continuation of the junior novel series I started a while ago and which has been surprisingly entertaining. This outing takes us to Kamino, which I thought was really neat, considering all the Bad Batch I’ve been rewatching. So we know what happens to Kamino in Canon, but this is a Legends series, and here Kamino hasn’t been destroyed by the Empire, but simply abandoned. Luke, Han, Chewie and Artoo are sent there to investigate why the Empire abandoned it and any weapons that may have been created there; but are ambushed in orbit by a group of assassins hired by X-7 to kill Luke. Han, Luke and Chewie crash land, as well as a few of the assassins, but only one named Div survives. They end up having to help each other to get out of the creepy, abandoned city that is overrun by mutant sea creatures the Kaminoans created. A lone Kaminoan scientist, who has gone insane by this time, still runs his “experiments” and calls in the Imperials to take care of the intruders. Turns out Div is a former Jedi, but after Order 66 turned to mercenary work. After working together to escape Kamino, Luke and Han consider him a friend, but want him to tell them who hired him to kill Luke (although they already suspect it’s X-7) and where to find him, but Div refuses to divulge that information, presumably because it’s “bad for business.” I can’t decide if I like Div or not, lol. They reluctantly keep him prisoner on Yavin 4 at the end of the story, hoping he’ll spill the beans. This was a fun read, with sea monsters that can swallow you whole and then regurgitate you back up to eat later; and flying dinosaur birds that our characters get to ride over the stormy Kaminoan ocean. Cool!

Star Wars Rebel Forces Book 5: Trapped, by Alex Wheeler. The fifth installment of the series that I just started and am currently reading. Div escapes Yavin 4, and our characters set out after him. Stay tuned.

Force Collector, by Kevin Shinick. This is a reread between the latest canon releases (waiting for Rise of the Red Blade in July). I really enjoyed it when I read it a couple of years ago, and thought it would be fun to read again. It takes place in the sequel era, just before The Force Awakens, and is about a teenage boy named Karr who has a strange ability: psychometry, which is a Force ability wherein you touch an object and get flashes of things and people and events that object has “seen.” This is an ability that the Jedi Quinlan Voss and Cal Kestis possess. At this point in history, not much is known about the Jedi, and most people don’t even believe they existed. But Karr’s grandmother insists that Karr has the Force, and though she doesn’t possess the Force herself, she takes it upon herself to teach Karr what she knows, which admittedly is very little. But Karr is determined to use his ability to find out more about the Jedi and how to become one himself. With the help of his new friend, Maize (the daughter of a First Order officer), they traverse the galaxy in her father’s shuttle, following clues and piecing together the story of the Jedi. It’s not a real deep story, but it’s super fun seeing the Jedi through the eyes of a young person who knows very little about them but wants to penetrate the myth.

Shatterpoint, by Mathew Stover. This is a Legends book about Mace Windu that I was hoping to get into and see Mace in a new light. I never really liked him in the films, but in books you get a chance to see more of a character’s personality, and I wanted to give him another chance, lol. But I only got about 40 pages in and got bored. It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good story, I just don’t think I was in the right frame of mind to read it. I put it on my “Hopefully I’ll get back to reading this one day” pile, which includes Tarkin, Thrawn, Ronin, and Revan.

Other than reading, I’ve been writing some Star Wars fan fiction, this time about The Bad Batch. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit obsessed with this show and these characters, and I wasn’t ready to let them go yet. So it’s been really fun spending more time with them in my own story. Not sure if I’m going to share it, either here or on a fan fiction site; I might just be writing it for myself. But if you see fewer blog posts from me, it’s because I’m spending more time with Clone Force 99, lol.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. What Star Warsy things have you been doing? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Upcoming Star Wars Content I’m Looking Forward To

It’s been a pretty busy first half of 2023 for Star Wars fans, what with The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch episodes, the Jedi: Survivor game, and the High Republic book releases, all the way up through May. June is a quiet month (unless you’re a comics reader), but starting in July, we’ll have at least one Star Wars project I’m looking forward to each month to the end of the year.

July: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, by Delilah S. Dawson. July 18. Inquisitors are compelling characters–fallen Jedi, often younglings or Padawans who were captured and turned to the dark side rather than killed during Order 66. The young ones are easier to influence, obviously. Iskat Akaris is one such Jedi, and this is her story. There’s something both fascinating and horrifying about watching a formerly innocent young Jedi turn from a good-hearted soul to an evil one. For Reva, from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, her motivation was revenge. I’m interested to see how Iskat’s story unfolds. I’ve really enjoyed Dawson’s Star Wars books, like Phasma and Black Spire, so I’m guessing this is going to be a great read. Here’s an excerpt:

https://www.starwars.com/news/inquisitor-rise-of-the-red-blade-excerpt

August: Ahsoka series. Woo-hoo! This is the series we’re all looking forward to right now, and I can’t wait to see it. Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano is pretty awesome, and based on the teaser trailer we got from Celebration this year, I have so many questions! Are Ahsoka and Sabine already looking for Ezra, or will that come to be in the show? Will we see Ezra this season (apart from a hologram)? Who are the dark Force-users with the orange lightsabers (and I’m so sad to hear of Ray Stevenson’s death; watching his performance will be bittersweet)? And will Thrawn be a big part of it? There’s no specific release date, only that it will premier in August. Here’s a link to the teaser trailer:

September: Tales of Light and Life, by various authors. I’ve seen release dates of July 25th and Sept. 5th, and I’m not sure which one is right, so I’ll just put it in September for now. Four High Republic authors–Zoraida Cordova, Justina Ireland, Lydia Kang and Tessa Gratton–offer some High Republic short fiction that adds to the already ambitious storyline. I’ve been loving the High Republic books and I can’t wait to see what this collection brings to the table.

October: Crimson Climb, by E.K. Johnston. Oct. 10. This is the story of Qi’ra that we don’t get to see in Solo: A Star Wars Story: when Han escapes Corellia and she doesn’t. Dragged back to the White Worm Gang, she is eventually bought by Dryden Vos of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. This book will go into detail of what she had to do to earn Vos’ trust and rise in the ranks to become who we see in the movie. Johnston wrote the Padme trilogy of books, as well as the Ahsoka book, all of which I enjoyed, so I’m guessing I’ll like this one, too.

November: High Republic Phase 3 The Eye of Darkness. Nov. 14. There’s not much information on Phase 3 of the High Republic yet, or even a cover for its first book, but we do know that it will be returning to the era and characters of Phase 1. Phase 2 was great, but I’m eager to get back to Avar Kriss, Elzar Mann, Bell Zettifar, and the many others that I came to know and love. I don’t know if this will be the adult or YA novel of Wave 1, but no matter. They’re all good! George Mann wrote a middle grade book in Phase 2, so this could be either/or. Excited for this!

December: Skeleton Crew series? This is a guesser for me, because we still don’t have a release date for Skeleton Crew besides “sometime in 2023,” and late 2023 seems logical. And it could perhaps be pushed back further due to the writer’s strike still going on (which I very much support, btw). But this story of a group of kids who rattle around the galaxy with a Force-sensitive pilot played by Jude Law sounds like it could be fun. I really don’t know much else about it, but I do hope we see it sooner rather than later.

So mostly books, and a couple of shows, and that makes me really happy. What are you looking forward to in Star Wars for the rest of the year? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Book Update

Path of Vengeance, by Cavan Scott (Canon). This YA novel is the final book in Phase 2 of the High Republic, and at 500 pages, it was a whopper of a good book. It continues the story of Marda and Yana Ro, of the Wave 1 YA book Path of Deceit. It spans the events of the Battle of Jedha (as told in the Battle of Jedha audiobook) and the Battle of Dalna (as told in Cataclysm), and follows the doings of the two Evereni cousins, Marda and Yana, from the Path of the Open Hand. We hadn’t seen them since the Wave 1 YA novel, Path of Deceit. Marda is still naively following the Mother, the self-proclaimed prophet of the group, and Yana, disillusioned with the Mother after the death of her girlfriend on a mission from the Mother, is trying to distance herself; she keeps getting pulled back in with concern for her younger cousin. She also forms an uneasy alliance with her deceased girlfriend’s father, the Herald, who the Mother threw under the bus during the Battle of Jedha. They return to Dalna together, he to wrest power from the Mother, and Yana to try to convince her cousin to leave the Path. But Marda is already gone when she arrives: she’s on another mission from the Mother, this time to Planet X to retrieve more eggs of the Nameless, the Force-feeding monsters that kill Jedi. I find it interesting that both the Ro’s talk to and have visions of their dead loved ones: Marda sees Kevmo, a Jedi Padawan she loved and who was killed in Path of Deceit; and Yana sees her dead girfriend, Kor. They’re not really actual ghosts, but extensions of their conscience and their own inner dialogue. It’s also the story of Matty Cathely, a Jedi Padawan who is sent to Jedha, and Jedi Master Olivia Zeveron, who has a surprising connection to the Mother. This book is a very satisfying end to Phase 2, even though I still have some questions–I’m hoping Phase 3 will somehow answer them, perhaps through flashbacks.

Star Wars: Rebel Force Book 3–Renegade, by Alex Wheeler. (Legends).

Book three in the Rebel Force series, this one focuses on Han Solo (the first focused on Luke, the second on Leia). The Imperial assassin X-7 attempts to kill Luke (and fails) and frames Han for the crime. Leia, investigating the crime and trying to be objective, comes off as doubting Han’s innocence. This angers Han, naturally, so Chewie busts him out of jail and they flee Yavin 4. While Han tries to get back into his old life of smuggling, Leia and Luke go to Tatooine to hide Luke from any other attempts on his life, reuniting with his old friends, though they end up arguing. It’s clear Luke still has a lot to learn about being a Jedi, as he’s quick to anger, eager to impress his old friends, and acts reckless, to Leia’s disappointment. Jabba gets wind of Luke’s presence on the planet, and because Luke is Han’s friend (and Han owes him money), sends the bounty hunter Bossk after him to lure Han to him. Meanwhile, Han ends up on an Imperial station on a job to steal various supplies, gets betrayed by his partner, and while trying to escape the Imperials, finds out that Tobin Elad, the man who became a friend and part of their group, is actually X-7 and is the one trying to kill Luke. This whole scheme of Han going to the Imperial base is apparently orchestrated by the ghost of Ben Kenobi, which is a tad weird, to say the least. Anyway, Han and Chewie end up on Tatooine to save Luke just before X-7 attempts to kill Luke again. X-7 gets away, but you know he’ll be back at some point to finish the job. I do feel bad for X-7; he’s been tortured into who he is, forgetting his former life and living only to please the Commander. We get flashbacks of his “training,” and for a junior novel, it’s difficult to read. No gory details, but it’s clear what the guy went through. Sometimes it’s obvious these books are junior novels, taking us back to familiar faces and places, and elicits the occasional eye roll, but they’ve grown on me, and I’ll keep going on the series.

The next Star Wars book in my queue is Shatterpoint, by Matthew Stover. It’s a Legends book that focuses on Mace Windu. I’ve never really liked Mace (I thought he was mean, lol) but I’ve been softening my stance a little bit lately, mostly because of his character in the Clone Wars animated series. I thought I’d give him another chance in this book; I’m curious to see how I feel about him, and this book written by Stover, who wrote the brilliant novelization of Revenge of the Sith. Eager to dive in.

Have you read these books? What did you think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

SW Reading Update: Young Readers Edition

As ever, the Star Wars reading continues. These are the books that have been entertaining me lately:

So You Want To Be A Jedi? by Adam Gidwitz. On the heels of my last Kindle read, The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, I continued with the next in the series, which retells The Empire Strikes Back. As with the first book, it’s told in a rather unorthodox way. This one has the author writing in second person point of view (which usually annoys me–You walk into the room, you smell the food, you sit down at the table, etc. Ugh, lol). But in this way, the author addresses the young reader, who fancies him or herself wanting to be a Jedi, and so he tells the story of Luke Skywalker, the most famous Jedi, and how he became one, inserting the reader into Luke’s shoes. In the author’s note at the beginning, he makes a point that I never thought about before: that Luke, as a character, is rather bland. Compared to the characters around him, he doesn’t have much of a personality, at least in ANH, and I realized it’s kind of true, lol. But he’s supposed to be that way, the author insists, so that the viewer (or reader) can insert him or herself into his shoes easily, as the protagonist of the story. It makes a lot of sense (He makes the point that Harry Potter is another such bland character, but I can’t really speak to that). Each chapter also alternates with a short lesson on how to train to be a Jedi: how to meditate, focus, concentrate, be compassionate, doing the right thing, etc. It was fairly entertaining, mostly because it was so different. I could have done without the pee jokes, lol, but the target audience is NOT me.

Beware the Power of the Dark Side, by Tom Angleberger. The last in the series, this one retells the story of Return of the Jedi. This one tells the story in a rather straightforward manner, but it’s told in a very casual, conversational way. I did like getting into Vader’s head during the last third of the book, how he slams his mind shut whenever he’s reminded of Anakin (and Luke, of course, constantly reminds of him of Padme, and that other life he lived). The author makes references to characters that none of us knew back in 1983, like Ahsoka. It’s great reading this story with a perspective of having all the content from the intervening years, like the prequels and the Clone Wars.

Rebel Force: Hostage, by Alex Wheeler. Casting around for an e-book to read, I went with the second installment in this junior novel series that takes place between ANH and ESB. The first book, Target, was fairly entertaining, so I thought I’d continue with the story. In this installment, the group (Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie and the droids) continue to travel with the treacherous X-7, who’s masquerading as ally Tobin Elad. X-7 is tasked by his Imperial commander to find out who is responsible for blowing up the first Death Star and to eliminate him (for some reason, it’s a big secret here, but wasn’t Luke and Han celebrated as heroes for the act? Doesn’t everybody know? Idk.) He continues to earn their trust while trying to ferret out the culprit. Meanwhile, they head to the planet Delaya, a planet that has taken in Alderaanian refugees. Leia wants to help the refugees there, and enlist whoever she can for the Rebellion’s cause. But not all the Alderaanian refugees see her as a hero–some blame her for the destruction of their planet. One particular refugee, Halle, is insufferable in her blaming and hatred of Leia. God, I hated her, lol. But Leia herself, both in flashbacks to when she was a girl, and in the present, is presented as, respectively, a brat, and a b**tch. Ugh, I couldn’t stand her in this book. I understand that when it comes to Alderaan, it’s a painful subject, but come on. Particularly in her treatment of Ferus Olin, a friend of her father’s, a secret former Jedi who has made it his mission to protect Leia. Yet she views him with nothing but contempt. I have no idea why he’s so devoted to her. There’s a lot going on in this small book, and it wasn’t bad, but I did not enjoy Leia’s portrayal at all. Yes, she is headstrong and stubborn, but never cruel.

And browsing the Barnes and Noble store one day, I left with this gem:

Because you could do worse than be more Obi-Wan.

In the middle of this awesome High Republic novel. I’ll do a review once I’m done.

Star Wars Books: Youtini Academy

If you love Star Wars books like I do, you may have heard of Youtini, a website that makes it a little easier to understand the world of Star Wars books, both Legends and Canon. It has timelines for both, descriptions of books, articles, podcasts–everything you might need if you want to explore the world of Star Wars books, which can be, let’s face it, a little confusing sometimes. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

Recently, I learned that Youtini was going to start an online course about the books, both Legends and Canon, starting on May the 4th (for a fee of $57, which I eagerly forked over, lol). This course would talk about Star Wars publishing, the difference between Legends and Canon and the best books of each to start with, best stand-alones and series, and a special unit on The High Republic. Excuse me, what kind of bliss is this???

While I feel fairly confident in the world of Canon (and prefer it, for the most part), I don’t want to exclude Legends and would like to learn more about it. Legends seems like this huge beast that I can’t quite wrap my mind around, lol. That doesn’t mean I haven’t read some Legends books: Kenobi, in particular, is a favorite; Razor’s Edge, Rogue Planet, and some Clone Wars-era books. Everything up to Return of the Jedi seems “safe” to me; but it’s after ROTJ that the two timelines diverge greatly, and I’m afraid of getting the two timelines tangled in my mind, lol.

I’ve read the quintessential book Heir to the Empire, which is a classic and kicked off the golden age of Legends; it introduces Thrawn as the new villain after the defeat of the Empire. I read it way back when it first came out in 1991, and probably its two sequels, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command. There was no other Star Wars out there, and I was thirsty! And the books were fine, but they didn’t really snare me like they did a lot of people, I don’t know why. Dozens of other Star Wars books came out after that over the years, and maybe I read a few, I really can’t remember, but I lost interest. Maybe I had other things going on in my life, maybe I was obsessed with other things at the time, who knows.

Thrawn is a common thread between Legends and Canon.

Anyway, I recently re-read Heir to the Empire, and it was rather fun, but found it difficult to get into the second book. Or maybe I was just distracted by Canon books coming out at the time. But I do want to re-read them all, and possibly more Legends books that take place after ROTJ. With Thrawn making his live-action debut in Ahsoka, I’d like to get to know “Book Thrawn” a bit better. That includes the Legends books and the new Canon Thrawn books. I tried to get through the first Canon book, titled simply “Thrawn,” but couldn’t finish it. It’s weird, because I love the character in Rebels!

But I want to give all these books another chance. As we’ve seen with Thrawn, and plenty of other examples, characters and ideas in Legends haven’t simply been thrown away–they’ve been making their way into Canon in many ways. The Legends books are important. For me, I tend to view the Legends books as an alternate universe of Star Wars–kind of like the Marvel alternate universes in “What If…” It’s not that it didn’t happen that way, it just happened on a different timeline, a different parallel universe. That’s how it makes sense to me. Han and Leia had three kids named Jacen, Jaina and Anakin; Luke married Mara Jade and had a son named Ben. Just in an alternate universe.

Anyway, that’s my Legends story, and I’m very excited to learn more about it in this course. I’m about halfway done with the lessons (little 5-10 minute videos) and am enjoying it immensely. You can also chat with other members about the course or the books or just all things Star Wars. If you’re a big Star Wars book fan, you may not want to miss it! Click the link at the beginning of this post and you’ll see it at the top of their website.

Are you a Star Wars reader? Are you a Legends fan or a Canon fan? Or love both? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Why I Love the High Republic

Light of the Jedi kicks of the High Republic.

If you follow this blog, you’ll know that I love the High Republic, the publishing initiative about the Jedi and the Republic at their height that’s been going on for the past couple of years. Besides the fact that there are many talented writers telling this massive story, there are many reasons why I love it, and I thought I’d talk about them here.

It’s Jedi-centered. I love pretty much everything about Star Wars, but my favorite thing about it is the Jedi. The Jedi and the Force are what define Star Wars for me. And the High Republic books are very Jedi-centric, telling the story of them at their very best, at a time when the Republic, too, is at its height. The Jedi in the prequels, while still very cool, had fallen down a slippery slope away from their ideals, and allowed themselves to be deceived by Darth Sidious. But what were they like when the Sith were still in hiding, when the Republic was expanding its reach, when they were sure of their place in the galaxy? When they stood for defending the innocent, serving the citizens of the galaxy, and helping those in need? How did they get from these ideal Jedi to the flawed ones we see in the prequels? This is that story.
The Jedi aren’t so rigid with their beliefs and are more forgiving. The prequel Jedi are presented as celibate monks that forbid attachments. And while this true in a sense for the High Republic Jedi as well, they aren’t so rigid about such things. Or rather, they’re more forgiving in these areas. For example, it’s a known and accepted thing for Padawans to often experiment with sex and relationships before they take the Jedi vow. Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann from Phase 1 had done this as Padawans. The reasoning for this, I believe, is for the Padawans to truly understand what they would be giving up once they take the vow–and decide if that’s what they want to do. Once they are Jedi Knights, they are expected to choose the Force over relationships, to commit to the Jedi Path. (And Elzar, even years later, is still having trouble with his feelings for Avar). If they cannot truly commit, however, they are free to leave the Order for a time to figure it all out. And then come back when they’re ready. Master Kantam Sy did this, leaving for a year, taking on a lover, and travelling with a circus (!). He came back when he decided to choose the Force over anything else. Attachments aren’t forbidden–it’s only natural, as a living being, to form attachments; but as a Jedi, you can’t let such attachments take hold over you. It’s a form of not letting your emotions control you, obviously. When someone–your Master or Padawan, or another Jedi, or anyone you care for–dies, you’re expected to grieve, but you can’t live there. You have to let them go, as they are now a part of the Force. Wayseekers are another interesting aspect of this time. If you feel you need to leave the Order and study the Force on your own, you are allowed to do that, with the Order’s approval. Other things, like fancier robes (and more sober mission robes), more personalized lightsabers (Vernestra Rwoh even has a light-whip, and Master Silandra Sho has a lightsaber and a shield) are characteristics of this time. Flexibility and understanding are hallmarks of the Jedi in the High Republic.

Silandra Sho with her shield on her back.

It’s a different time-frame. The first Phase of the High Republic takes place 150 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. Phase 2 takes place another 100 or so years before that. So we see a galaxy that’s a bit different from what we’re familiar with. The Republic is still trying to expand its reach to the Outer Rim, to bring in new worlds and create more hyperspace lanes. We see more of the San Tekkas and Grafs, rival families who are hyperspace prospectors paving new routes throughout the galaxy. Communication lines aren’t perfect; it’s often difficult to contact those in the Outer Rim, due to lack of or malfunctioning communication buoys. Republic Pathfinder teams, made up of a Jedi and their Padawan, a pilot, a medic, and a communications droid, explore the Outer Rim to set up communications with new worlds or help those in need. It feels more Wild West, lol.
New and interesting villains. With the Sith still in hiding, the creators had to come up with a new and interesting villain. In Phase 1, it is the Nihil, a sort of space-Viking group that is violent and who take what they want without regard to anyone else. Most of the group are uninteresting thugs, but it is headed by a character named Marchion Ro, who is much more complex. He is very mysterious and raises a lot of questions in Phase 1, especially as to his past and his family’s history with the Jedi. It becomes more clear in Phase 2, with The Path of the Open Hand, a Force-cult (who believe the Force should not be manipulated by the Jedi or anyone else) that is the precursor to the Nihil. The Path is led by the Mother, another mysterious figure who discovers the Leveller, a creature that can strike incredible fear into the Jedi and turn them into husks. The Path, I think, will eventually come under the control of Marda Ro, an ancestor of Marchion. I’m curious to see how things will turn out in Phase 3 and how the Jedi will overcome this formidable foe. Oh, also in Phase 1, the Jedi encounter the Drengir, a meat-eating plant monster, lol.
Some familiar characters. The High Republic has some familiar characters who are long-lived, like Yoda and Yaddle. Yoda, especially, plays a small role in the books, although he is there at some key moments and is a rather comforting presence. He is much more present in the High Republic comics, only a few of which I have read (I can’t keep up with it all, lol). Yaddle plays a larger role in Cataclysm, and I really enjoyed getting to know her better, especially after her appearance in Tales of the Jedi. It’s nice to have familiar characters show up, to anchor you in the world, which states, “Yes, you are in the world of Star Wars.”

These are some of the main reasons I love The High Republic and why it’s been such a satisfying journey so far. There have been books I loved and some I didn’t like as much, but the overall story arc is something I’m totally invested in. Path of Vengeance, the last book of Phase 2 is out now, and then Phase 3 will begin in the fall. I can’t wait!

“We are all the Republic.”

“For Light and Life!”

Have you enjoyed The High Republic? What’s your favorite aspect of it? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!