Star Wars
The Skywalker Saga ended in 2019. Episode IX of the sequel trilogy, "The Rise of Skywalker," opened in December and closed out the series, for. better or for worse. We will get to that eventually. I have always been intrigued by the minutiae and ancillary material of the Star Wars universe and before Lucasfilm was bought out by Disney, I was very involved in the Expanded Universe or EU. It became super convoluted and the quality was dipping so I eventually lost interest. When Disney made the acquisition, they made the decision to reboot the EU and since "The Force Awakens" there has been a ton of new books and comic books fleshing out this new era.
So, with the saga ending, I decided it was time to check out these new EU materials from the beginning of the timeline. I am sticking with books and comics/graphic novels. I'll include the novelizations of the films and treat them separately from the movies themselves. I'm also going to include the animated series that popped up. We've got a lot of material to cover so let's start with the stuff that covers the time prior to Episode I.
"Star Wars: Dooku - Jedi Lost" by Cavan Scott
We start with a story about one of the most interesting villains to come from the prequel trilogy, Count Dooku. Dooku was one of the best Jedi but ended up one of their greatest enemies. This story attempts to flesh out Dooku's backstory. Through a framing device that sees his apprentice, Asajj Ventress, going after someone very important from his past, we found out how Dooku went from Jedi to Separtist leading Sith Count.
This is an interesting "novel", in that it was originally an audio play that was released through Audible. So, this is a screenplay, rather than a traditional book. If reading plays isn't your thing, then you probably aren't going to love this. I was an English major, so it didn't really bother me. It does a great job of using stage directions and asides to let you know what action is taking place. The story itself is solid. When Dooku is a Jedi learner, pre-Padawan, a chance encounter with his birth family on his home planet of Serenno, puts Dooku on a path that he can't get off. Because of the format of the book, it's a pretty quick read and I did miss the more in-depth explorations a book could provide. And even though this is Dooku's backstory being told, we get more about Ventress than we do him, since she is learning all this through journals that she found while on this mission. There is a lot of information packed in here so it can also feel rushed and the time jumps can sometimes give you whiplash. Dooku has always been a mysterious character and this book leaves a lot of him still shrouded, but hopefully we will see more stories focused on him in this new canon.
Grade: B
"Star Wars: Master & Apprentice" by Claudia Gray
The bond between one of the most famous Jedi Master/Padawan duos, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, is tested in this book. As he ponders an invitation to join the Jedi Council, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent to the planet Pijal. They have been requested specifically by troubled Jedi Master, Rael Aveross. After the death of his Padawan, Aveross was sent to Pijal to advise the young ruler before she fully took over as queen. A hyperspace corridor is being threatened by a group of dissenters who's actions have turned surprisingly violent. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan attempt to navigate all this and friction in their relationship caused by the Council's offer and catastrophic visions that Qui-Gon believes are prophecies.
This book is billed as the first novel to explore the time prior to "The Phantom Menace" in this new canon and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Obi-Wan Kenobi has always been one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe so I'm always down to spend more time with him, and it's nice to learn more about Qui-Gon outside of his time in Episode I. In "The Phantom Menace," Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan seem like a well-oiled machine until Anakin shows up, but this takes place during a much more contentious time in their partnership. Qui-Gon worries that he is not a good fit for Obi-Wan and the chasm between them grows wider when Obi-Wan finds out about Qui-Gon's offer to join the Council from someone other than his Master. Aveross appeared in the Dooku novel and was one of the more interesting characters so it's nice to see him appear here again and his relationship with Qui-Gon is fraught. They were both Dooku's apprentices but they seem to be fundamentally different.
In Episode I, Qui-Gon pushes for Anakin to become a Jedi due to a prophecy and prophecy plays a big part in this novel. It was nice to see that thread picked up and connect to that movie. Slavery has been a big part of the Star Wars universe since Episode I and this novel really explores how slavery, which has been outlawed by the Republic, can still flourish within its borders. The Czerka Corporation is built on the backs of slaves thinly disguised as indentured servants. These people are caught in an endless cycle that not only affects them but their children. Aside from Aveross, a new character, Rahara Wick, is introduced. A former Czerka slave who puts herself in danger of being re-enslaved in order to assist the Jedi and possibly put an end to Czerka's "business practices."
Claudia Gray weaves all of this together to present a really compelling, page turner. I know she's written other books for the new canon, and I'm really excited to dig in to them. Also, here's hoping that we get more novels focusing on Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan pre-Phantom and more books pre-Phantom in general.
Grade: A
"Star Wars: Darth Maul" Written by Cullen Bunn, Art by Luke Ross
Darth Maul is getting impatient. He's ready to take down the accursed Jedi and is running out of things to take his aggression out on. When he learns that a Jedi Padawan has been captured and is getting ready to be auctioned off, he defies his master, Darth Sidious, hires a gang of bounty hunters and decides to have her for himself.
It's not a huge surprise that Darth Maul was one of the breakout characters of the prequel trilogies despite being cleaved in half at the end of "The Phantom Menace." He was resurrected during "The Clone Wars" and his story continued in "Rebels."
This five issue mini-series finds Maul in a very different place. He's going after deadly creatures like Rathtars, what Han and Chewie are transporting when we meet back up with them in "The Force Awakens." He's frustrated that he can't go murder the Jedi. He feels he's ready. His master, Darth Sidious, disagrees. If there is a problem with this series, it's that it doesn't really tell us anything new about Darth Maul. It doesn't shed any new and interesting light on his character. Bunn is a talented writer and he has Maul's voice down, which is great, but the bounty hunters that Maul hooks up with, Cad Bane and Aurra Sing from "The Clone Wars", are more interesting than the main character of the mini.
That's not to say there was nothing new here. Maul's teaming up with and final confrontation with Padawan, Eldra Kaitis, is the high point of the mini. Maul has spent his life since becoming a Sith believing that Jedi were pushovers. That he was superior. He's formed these opinions having no real interaction with Jedi so his duel with Kaitis, teaches him things. I won't spoil how it ends, but though we don't spend a ton of time with her, Kaitis is a strong character befitting a Jedi.
The art by Luke Ross is strong. His darker lines and vivid face work lends itself well to this series. The fight scenes are clear and choreographed well. Great stuff all around.
This mini is great for Darth Maul fans, but if you're looking for deeper explorations of the character, I'd look to the animated series.
Grade: B
This is a good start to the new canon. No duds so far. Next up we'll take a look at the novelization of "The Phantom Menace," an early adventure with Obi-Wan and Anakin and a character study of Padmé Amidala.
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