MTFBWY #5: Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi Reviewed, Your Favorite Star Wars Movie

Sometimes, I ask a question and have very clear expectations for the answer. When I asked what your favorite Star Wars vehicle was, I expected lots of Millennium Falcons, and while I did get that one a few times, the answers were much more varied than I thought they’d be.

When I ask what the #BestStarWarsMovie is, again, I have an expectation that I’m going to see Empire Strikes Back ad nauseum. In fact, that was the expectation of some others this time around, making it a bit difficult to get the conversation rolling. Once it did, or perhaps once people got over their shyness about having a choice other than what is wildly regarded as the best, however, I saw several named.

But before we get to your responses from twitter and facebook, a quick shout out for this week’s episode of Star Wars Rebels. Stephen Stanton and the writers of the episode deserve special commendation for part one of the two-part season finale, as in 22 minutes of an animated series (in fact, in just a few minutes of actual screen time!), they made Grand Moff Tarkin even scarier and more evil than any films, TV shows, or any other piece of Star Wars before it. A remarkable performance, and man, what a character to love to hate. Stanton has been playing him since The Clone Wars, and has even cosplayed the character – if anyone needs Tarkin for a future live action role, you have your man.

And now, your tweets and facebook posts. Yes, as expected, there were those who went straight to Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Though some did qualify it, saying while they recognize Empire as the best, they have other favorites in their hearts.

Of course, the original flavor, now looked back upon as “A New Hope” but back then simply called “Star Wars” gets its due.

And so does the third part of the original trilogy.

The prequel trilogy gets love, especially Revenge of the Sith, but one fan stands tall for a somewhat surprising choice, Episode II.

Moving over to facebook, we got fairly similar results, with some surprises (at least to me).

Brandon Thomas says, “Empire, the realization that the “bad guys sometimes win” was deeply disturbing to me as a child…”

Eric Kwun agrees, adding, “Empire Strikes Back. Cinematically, the most beautiful. There is no weak point in Empire.”

Forrest Helvie has easily the most surprising of the bunch (though with good reasoning), saying, “Okay. I’m going to break from the given Empire for a minute (cause … it is the best silver screen film). Instead, I’m going to say the Clone Wars: Animated Movie. It opened the door to the critically-acclaimed and fan-praised series, which delivered the sort of backstory to Darth Vader, Obi Wan, and Yoda that fans had hoped for from Lucas’ prequels with its balance between fun action adventure and its thoughtful and character-driven stories.”

And there were two more votes for Revenge of the Sith, from Rachel Rossilli who says, “3! Because it’s when everything you loved from the original and all the new come together-w vaders first breath. Still gives me chills every time!!” and from Mario Candelaria who concurs, “Episode Three because we got the see the fall of what could’ve been a great man if he wasn’t so disillusioned by fear. He became what he sought to prevent.”

But Bryan Young says it best for Star Wars fans of all stripes: “Whichever one I’m watching is the best. Always. 1 through 6.” Well said, Bryan.

Of course, you’re wrong, and Empire is best, he says with a smile.

For part two today, we look at Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi, the next novel in the Star Wars universe. Taking place between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, the book is written by Kevin Hearne in the first person, from the point of view of Luke Skywalker. Coming off the victory at Yavin (“A couple of years ago,” he says). It’s a unique read from the beginning because of this, and frankly, starts out a little difficult to get into, as Luke Skywalker is so well established in my head, it was hard to get into his.

Sticking it out, however, proved well worth it, as the story of a secret mission, a daring rescue, and some traversing around the galaxy that would be fun “if the Empire wasn’t out trying to kill us,” of course.

The book teams Luke with an heiress named Nakari Kelen, who leaves her father’s lucrative business to work as an agent of the alliance, in their quest to rescue and establish a cryptographer as a new hacker for the Rebels. The story loops around the galaxy, as new worlds are explored, romance blooms, and math jokes are told.

Yes, math jokes – and they are awesome. Like, for instance, (p + l)(a+n) = pa + pn + la + ln. Hilarious!

The math aspect was incredibly interesting. A species most Star Wars fans are likely fairly unfamiliar with, the agent is a Givin named Drusil. She’s remarkable, from her species affectation and talent for mathematics, to the constant worrisome question that Hearne so effectively instills in the reader as to her loyalties.

And that is really the crux of what makes this a must-read for fans, especially those who want to know more about Luke Skywalker. As he works to strengthen his connection to the Force, Luke experiences the same kinds of self-doubt, triumphs and tragedies in his daily life that we all do. Perhaps that’s more of what made it a difficult to get used to read in the beginning, this aspect that Luke, the hero of Star Wars, could be set back even after the victory at Yavin. Hearne goes the extra step, not merely describing events happening to Luke, but instead giving thought to them. it’s easy to see when and where Luke goes right and wrong, as you can “hear” his thoughts. What starts out as disconcerting becomes one of the strongest aspects of the book, and ultimately, I left with a much closer understanding of who Luke Skywalker is, and an even deeper admiration for the character. All things are connected in the Force, and I feel more connected to Luke after reading Heir to the Jedi.

The pacing follows a fairly familiar three act structure that should make it relatively easy to follow for film fans (as this is one of the new “official canon” books, not a “Legends” series novel). The first third of the book, or really a bit more, is used largely as an establishing piece, interestingly with its own beginning, middle, and end in a series of adventures. As the main mission described above kicks into high gear, the last two-thirds of the book fly by. There’s quite a bit of action, a brief pause for some spygames and intrigue, and quite a bit more action to top things off. There is romance and humor, and deep character exploration. In other words, this is very clearly Star Wars, in a way that some previous novels haven’t quite grasped. Rather than just an adventure set in that general backdrop, Hearne tries (and largely succeeds) to capture the feeling and flavor of the films, giving us a group of characters that are easy to understand, but take time to get to know. While one character’s backstory is a little cheesy and convenient, the later development still makes them interesting and worthwhile in the overall tale.

Without getting into spoiler territory, I was pleasantly surprised by two things in particular. First, there was the development of Luke as a Force-user, as a leader, and as a person. The second was a little bit toward the end that explains away something I’ve long had trouble with – the celebration scene at the end of the first movie. It was a nice touch, and showcased Hearne’s love of the source material quite nicely.

Overall, as the Star Wars novels, now in canon, roll on, Heir to the Jedi will be a worthy addition to your bookshelf, and tells an essential chapter in Luke Skywalker’s story. The growth seen in this book helps to enrich his journey in the following two movies (and likely the upcoming Episode VII), and that’s the best thing you can hope for out of such a tale.

Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi hits stores Tuesday, March 3, 2015. You can pre-order it at your favorite retailer by clicking here.