5 Revelations that Make The Force Awakens Novelization a Must-Read for Star Wars Fans
It’s probably easier to calculate the number of hours since Dec. 18 during which we were not watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the movie that, despite the odds (never tell me the odds!), the heightened anticipation, and the high bar for success, manages to recapture the magic of the galaxy far, far away and make us feel like we’re kids again.
Alas, we aren’t kids, and once the Force buzz wore off, we were left with a few lingering questions about the story (not that we minded returning to seek answers with an additional screening or four). Luckily, there’s help: though many of the larger mysteries won’t be solved until Episode VIII or beyond, a few puzzling plot developments are further elaborated upon in Alan Dean Foster’s novelization, a fast read that ably reveals the author’s skill at bringing the screen to the page (as it should—after all, this is the guy who literally wrote the book on the very first Star Wars film). Give it a read before you head off to your next matinee—here are just five of the added scenes and bits of background that will enhance the experience.
(It probably goes without saying, but severe spoilers follow…)
The Force Awakens (Star Wars) (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Hardcover $28.00
The Force Awakens (Star Wars) (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Hardcover $28.00
Rebellion? Resistance? First Order? Huh?
In an effort to distance Episode VII from the heady politics of the prequels, J.J. Abrams took the risk of basically totally eliminating the question of galactic governance from the finished film. And make no mistake, we’re happy to stay out of the Senate chambers this time around. But the lack of exposition did leave us scratching our heads. What, exactly, is the balance of power in the post Return of the Jedi-universe? If the Republic is in charge, why does Leia work for the Resistance? Is the First Order as large and powerful as the once-feared Empire? A few key sequences, including more action for General Organa-Solo, spell things out more clearly: basically, the Resistance is funded under-the-table by a Republic reluctant to put significant military force behind combatting the upstart First Order, a threat no one wanted to take seriously. Whoops.
Why does Supreme Leader Snoke care so much about Luke Skywalker?
Someone didn’t learn his lessons about fear at Yoda’s knee (though, to be fair, Yoda is tiny, and for all we know, Snoke is 50 feet tall): it seems the Supreme Commander is terrified of Master Skywalker, which explains why he expends all of the resources at his command—from Kylo Ren to the Starkiller Base—in order to keep him from ever being discovered. Hux might want to strike a blow for galactic order and showy speeches, but Snoke’s final scene with Kylo Ren reveals that his main motivation for deploying the planet-killing weapon is keeping Luke from coming out of hiding. Now why Luke is so terrifying remains to be seen…
How does the Starkiller Base work again?
The film plays fast and loose with the technical details of how a planet can harvest the energy of the sun and splort it across the galaxy into a wave of planet-killing destruction. With no pretty visuals to fall back on, Foster is forced to spell it out for us, including the fact that it functions via something called “sub-hyperspace.” It still doesn’t make a great deal of sense, but as superweapons go, it remains undeniably cool.
What happened between Han and Leia?
The aged, broken couple we encounter in The Force Awakens is a far cry from the one we left cavorting and yub-yubbing in an Ewok village all those years ago. And though we can piece together what probably happened to destroy their relationship—we need to talk about Kylo Ren—Foster gives us more meat to chew on, revealing that Leia kept her knowledge of Ben Solo’s potential for darkness from her husband for as long as possible, believing his suspicions about the Force would make it impossible for Han to comprehend their son’s internal struggle. Unfortunately, we’ll never get to see the pair hash out their failings as spouses and parents onscreen (SOB!), so we’ll take what we can get.
The power of the dark side
It’s a small character detail, but the final lightsaber duel between Kylo Ren and Rey receives some fascinating shading in the novelization. Just as she gains the upper hand against the man she’s watched murder her idol and grievously wound her new friend, Rey feels a dark voice calling out to her through the Force, telling her to make her victory a rather more decisive one (and make up for the fact that this is the only Star Wars film without a significant amputation or decapitation). The audiobook goes one step further, with the narrator employing the same threatening intonation for the mystery voice as he does for Supreme Leader Snoke. Intrigued yet?
Order the B&N edition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, featuring exclusive color photos.
Rebellion? Resistance? First Order? Huh?
In an effort to distance Episode VII from the heady politics of the prequels, J.J. Abrams took the risk of basically totally eliminating the question of galactic governance from the finished film. And make no mistake, we’re happy to stay out of the Senate chambers this time around. But the lack of exposition did leave us scratching our heads. What, exactly, is the balance of power in the post Return of the Jedi-universe? If the Republic is in charge, why does Leia work for the Resistance? Is the First Order as large and powerful as the once-feared Empire? A few key sequences, including more action for General Organa-Solo, spell things out more clearly: basically, the Resistance is funded under-the-table by a Republic reluctant to put significant military force behind combatting the upstart First Order, a threat no one wanted to take seriously. Whoops.
Why does Supreme Leader Snoke care so much about Luke Skywalker?
Someone didn’t learn his lessons about fear at Yoda’s knee (though, to be fair, Yoda is tiny, and for all we know, Snoke is 50 feet tall): it seems the Supreme Commander is terrified of Master Skywalker, which explains why he expends all of the resources at his command—from Kylo Ren to the Starkiller Base—in order to keep him from ever being discovered. Hux might want to strike a blow for galactic order and showy speeches, but Snoke’s final scene with Kylo Ren reveals that his main motivation for deploying the planet-killing weapon is keeping Luke from coming out of hiding. Now why Luke is so terrifying remains to be seen…
How does the Starkiller Base work again?
The film plays fast and loose with the technical details of how a planet can harvest the energy of the sun and splort it across the galaxy into a wave of planet-killing destruction. With no pretty visuals to fall back on, Foster is forced to spell it out for us, including the fact that it functions via something called “sub-hyperspace.” It still doesn’t make a great deal of sense, but as superweapons go, it remains undeniably cool.
What happened between Han and Leia?
The aged, broken couple we encounter in The Force Awakens is a far cry from the one we left cavorting and yub-yubbing in an Ewok village all those years ago. And though we can piece together what probably happened to destroy their relationship—we need to talk about Kylo Ren—Foster gives us more meat to chew on, revealing that Leia kept her knowledge of Ben Solo’s potential for darkness from her husband for as long as possible, believing his suspicions about the Force would make it impossible for Han to comprehend their son’s internal struggle. Unfortunately, we’ll never get to see the pair hash out their failings as spouses and parents onscreen (SOB!), so we’ll take what we can get.
The power of the dark side
It’s a small character detail, but the final lightsaber duel between Kylo Ren and Rey receives some fascinating shading in the novelization. Just as she gains the upper hand against the man she’s watched murder her idol and grievously wound her new friend, Rey feels a dark voice calling out to her through the Force, telling her to make her victory a rather more decisive one (and make up for the fact that this is the only Star Wars film without a significant amputation or decapitation). The audiobook goes one step further, with the narrator employing the same threatening intonation for the mystery voice as he does for Supreme Leader Snoke. Intrigued yet?
Order the B&N edition of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, featuring exclusive color photos.