Book Review: Star Wars: the Last Jedi Expanded Edition by Jason Fry

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Star Wars has lasted over 40 years and has brought together fans world-wide to book stores, conventions, toy stores, and theaters. When the latest episode arrived in theaters it was met with mixed reviews. It seemed that fans were divided as to whether director Rian Johnson's vision had either made the franchise better or had destroyed it. This was met with concern by many. But when Disney-Lucasfilm decided that they would leave the novelization release until March 2018 fans wondered if they had heard their concerns. They have.

  Spoilers ahead.

  

 Star Wars: the Last Jedi is written by Jason Fry and is published by Penguin Random House under their Del Rey Books imprint. It is written with insight from director Rian Johnson, and it features information that was left out of the theatrical release. It ties together many aspects of Disney-Lucasfilm's new canon material from the animated series, books, comics, film, and video games. Even though it is not important for the casual fan to experience all of the new Star Wars material, as someone who enjoys all of Star Wars right down to the technical manuals I loved this. 

  The Last Jedi continues the Star Wars saga last seen in the Force Awakens. After the Battle at Starkiller Base, Leia Organa and her Resistance forces are preparing to evacuate D'Qar after they realize that the First Order has found their base. As the evacuation proceeds, Leia must keep her soldiers on target to get everyone out alive. But a daring plan gone wrong loses hundreds of troops and personnel before they can flee into hyperspace. Meanwhile the First Order, having done research of past Imperial projects, has perfected hyperspace tracking and the band of Rebels cannot shake their pursuers. It is only with the help of a master code-breaker that the Resistance can break through the shields surrounding the ship carrying the tracker and destroy the technology. But the ship in question is Supreme Leader Snoke's flagship, the Supremacy. While mutiny ensues on during Leia's absence, two heroes embark on a mission to Cantonica to find the Master Codebreaker needed for the job.

  Across the galaxy on Ahch-To Rey has found Leia's brother, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. The hero of the Galactic Civil War is older, wiser, and has closed himself off from the Force. He now lives a sparse life on the watery world with the Lanais, caretakers of the first Jedi structures and the Jedi texts that are housed within an ancient uneti tree. He wants nothing to do with Rey and the Resistance, and wishes to end his years in peace. But Rey is adamant that he return to the fight against the First Order. With some coaxing from Chewbacca and R2-D2 Luke hears Rey out. His past failures and his newly found understanding of the Force have Luke Skywalker walking a different path than he did thirty years ago. He wishes only for the girl to understand this and to forge her own path that is not based on the legends of the Jedi.

  The battle for the galaxy rages on, and within it a new understanding as the tides of war shift. The reality of past legends presents itself, as the true understanding of the Force is discovered by the last Jedi. Will the First Order succeed? Can Rey convince Luke that there is a need for the Jedi again? And what will the future hold for a galaxy far, far away? This novel answers those questions and more.

 

  Jason Fry's novelization includes many expanded bits of knowledge curated from all across canon material, including script drafts. Here are some that caught my attention in no particular order (and again, spoilers may be ahead):

•   Han and fallen heroes of Starkiller Base are remembered: Leia holds a short ceremony honoring Han Solo and all soldiers killed on Starkiller Base. This is suggested by Admiral Ackbar as a way to boost morale and give the soldiers some mourning time.
• The Rebellion's contingency plan: Before the formation of what would be known as the New Republic, Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar formed a contingency plan should the Empire be reformed or replaced. This plan involved keeping the locations of old Rebel bases and locations of weapon and starship holdings a secret from Mon Mothma’s newly formed government. This is how the Resistance was able to form without the New Republic's help. This plan was transferred to Inferno Squad and members of Black Squadron, who were sent to the outer reaches of space to establish a new base before the evacuation of D'Qar.
• Leia and the Force: Leia Organa has had many years to work with the Force. As she grew wiser in its use she had realized that many aspects of her day-to-day life were shaped by her using the Force unwittingly. She uses the Force to reach out to her troops and read their feelings to judge her future commands. And the ability to float back to the Raddus' battered bridge was achieved by reaching out to what life remained around her and using their life signatures to pull her back.
• Luke and his wife: In a deleted scene from the 1977 film, A New Hope, Luke visited Toche Station. There he met up with other teenagers, one of which was Camie, played by Koo Stark. Pulling from this deleted scene we are introduced to an alternative life of Luke. Many nights on Ahch-To he dreams of what his life would have been if he had not left Tatooine. Camie is his wife in these dreams.
• Rey's connection to the Force: Rey is revealed to be of no particular line of Jedi, but the daughter of junkers from Jakku. Though she knows this, Rey is also aware that her link to the Force is great. This is revealed to be true, as she is linked to the cosmic aspect of the Force's will. It also is revealed that during her interrogation by Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base their mind probes of one another gave Rey access to not only Ren's memories and feelings, but certain aspects of his Force training.
• Luke was going to leave Ahch-To: After some coaxing and opening himself back up to the Force, Luke decided that he was going to return to aid the Resistance. But after seeing Kylo and Rey touching hands in Rey's hut Luke was troubled by her connection to Ren, and decided to not leave with her on the Millennium Falcon. 
• Luke's knowledge of the Force has grown: Luke is older and wiser with thirty years more knowledge of the Force and the history of the Jedi Order. He is hesitant to train Rey, due to her romanticized view of the Jedi's history. He wishes for her to know all aspects beyond the living Force. When Luke reaches out with his mind he sees that Rey's energy is blinding and incredibly strong, like the Cosmic Force manifested. He tells Rey that the Force does not belong to the Jedi. That it is an energy that has no keeper.  
• The Jedi Texts: Luke seems to have read the texts, quoting passages to Rey on occasion. He has wanted to burn the texts and the uneti tree before, but has been stopped by one reason or another. His latest attempt happened before Rey arrived, which is why he was in his Jedi robes when she approached him. It is only when Yoda arrives and destroys the tree that we see Luke's reaction to their loss. But Yoda seemed to know that Rey had already removed the texts, that is why he burned the tree.
• The fate of the Imperial Remnant and the rise of the First Order: Pulling from such resources as the Aftermath trilogy, the Battlefront II in-canon campaign, and several comics, Jason Fry gives a short roll-out of the First Order's rise. This story includes the fact that Snoke watched from a far as the Imperial Remnant regrouped in the Unknown Regions. The remnant used the Empire's stores of war weapons, starships, and laboratories that were part of Emperor Palpatine's contingency plan should he die. This would also include of Operation: Cinder as told in the Marvel comics and Battlefront II game, which is referred to, but not by name. Many Imperial officers were integral in the formation of the First Order. Among them were Rae Sloane, Gallius Rax, and Brendol Hux, all of whom were removed from the equation as Snoke began to overtake the Empire's heir. Their fates are left to our imagination. Only Brendol Hux's son, Armitage, remained to serve in Snoke's vision of an empire.
• Luke and Leia's last meeting on Crait: It is revealed that Leia knew that Luke was projecting himself to Crait from Ahch-To. A knowledge that left her knowing that he may not survive after doing this. But the meeting is just as touching in the novel as it was in the film. 
• Luke hears a voice before he becomes one with the Force: This voice is said to sound familiar to him. This is left to speculation, but I believe it was Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice.  

  Jason Fry has done exceptional work on past projects such as the Luke Skywalker novel, Weapon of a Jedi. With this in mind I knew that he would do a great job retelling this storyI enjoy his in-the-moment descriptions, which elevate each character's sense of urgency. He has done an excellent job piecing together several years' worth of information from many new canon sources to present the Last Jedi in a different light.

  I read this novel in part with the audio book narration by Marc Thompson. An accomplished voice actor, Thompson brings the book alive with voice impersonations so real that you will think that the stars of the film had joined him to read this novel.  He is always a delight to listen to, and I look forward to all of his Star Wars narrations from Del Rey. 

 As a whole this novel featured many things about the story that I did not know. I had a great time reading this novelization, and I gave Star Wars the Last Jedi Expanded Edition four out of five stars.

 Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

 

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