Although they certainly worked within a strict set of guidelines laid down by Lucas Licensing, they were free to forge their own narratives. The authors of the early EU novels never had these restrictions. He is also under a lot of pressure from anxious fans such as myself to give as wide a view of the galaxy as possible, whilst still maintaining a character-driven plot. It explains why Wendig shies away from telling the further adventures of Luke, Han, and Leia, to focus on his own group of misfits. I imagine Disney/Lucasfilm’s list of taboo subjects must’ve been quite long. His book is the first bridge between two trilogies, one of which hasn’t even hit cinemas yet. ![]() However, it has to be acknowledged that Chuck Wendig is writing under difficult circumstances. It’s also quite vague on the details: there’s a mention that New Republic forces captured Imperial prisoners on Coruscant – does this mean that Coruscant has joined the New Republic? It’s an inauspicious start for the franchise’s “Journey to The Force Awakens.” It feels like most of the action in Aftermath is taking place in the background, off the page. A series of short interludes throughout the novel show scenes from across the galaxy, as families are split apart, societies protest against the change in government, and the fledgling New Republic comes together. And the few clues that we’ve gleaned don’t add up to much. The plot seems too insignificant to warrant a novel. Sadly, I get the impression that once I’ve seen The Force Awakens, the events of Aftermath will mean very little for the wider galaxy. Like many readers, I picked up Aftermath because I wanted a glimpse into the post- Return of the Jedi political situation that would eventually lead into The Force Awakens. The plot follows a group of Rebels who discover that Imperial leaders are gathering for a secret summit on an Outer Rim world. It proved to be something of a disappointment. I recently finished Star Wars: Aftermath, by Chuck Wendig, which is the first novel I’ve read from the rebooted Star Wars canon. But I also recognised that it made sense for Disney: they had just inherited an enormous franchise and didn’t want to be weighed down by its back catalogue of stories, especially a back catalogue that was full of contradictory material.īut how is the new canon shaping up in comparison to the old EU, and what has survived the transition? These stories were Star Wars! Although they are still being reprinted, now under the “Legends” banner, it is inevitable that they would be replaced (perhaps usurped) by material from the new canon. ![]() Many of the things in the EU had come to define Star Wars for me – Thrawn, Mara Jade, the Knights of the Old Republic, the New Jedi Order, the Jedi Academy, and the Rogue Squadron novels. When Disney announced on April 25, 2014 that they were abolishing the old Expanded Universe canon in preparation for the new films, part of my childhood died, even as my rational mind agreed with the decision. The Courtship of Princess Leia, like so many other Star Wars novels and comics, has been brushed aside in favour of a new canon. ![]() It was two friends being reunited, it was the Millennium Falcon unleashing a salvo on the bad guys, and it was the chilling moment as Han realized the true extent of Luke’s power. It saddens me to think that this brilliant scene, the highlight of an otherwise messy narrative, is no longer part of the official Star Wars canon. When Han climbs aboard, he discovers that Luke is both piloting the ship and firing the turrets through the use of the Force. The scene has stuck with me, even though I read the novel almost twenty years ago. All of which is accomplished through unnaturally brilliant piloting. The Falcon fires its missiles, takes out the witches with pinpoint accuracy, and rescues Han. As she snaps his bones, one by one, Han spies the running lights of the Millennium Falcon hurtling towards them over the desert, only metres off the ground. It’s at the end of The Courtship of Princess Leia, the novel by Dave Wolverton, when Han Solo is being slowly tortured by the witch Gethzerion. One of my favourite moments from Star Wars isn’t even in the movies.
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