Whether you liked Star Wars 8 – The Last Jedi or not, the film will have left no one indifferent. And despite the quality of this film as well as its originality, it suffered from an obvious flaw: its lack of contextualization (already very problematic in The Force Awakens). But here, like all the films in the franchise, The Last Jedi will have the right to its novelization which, once again, must teach us more about the details of the film. And revelation level, we should be served! Focus.
(Editor's note: all people wishing not to be spoiled are asked to leave the article immediately, otherwise we decline all responsibility… Big kisses).
Snoke's past and rise
A character who disappeared in a brutal and unexpected way, Supreme Leader Snoke has left a big void in this postlogy. It must be said that we know almost nothing about this follower of the dark side, who seems to have appeared from nowhere to put the galaxy at his feet. Obviously, these criticisms have been heard and the novelization should teach us a lot about him. Among the revelations, we note that:
- Snoke was an unexpected leader for the First Order. In other words, he is not the founder and would have no legitimacy other than his great mastery of the Force to lead its troops. In addition, he would be at the origin of the disappearance of former great leaders of the empire, among which Brendol Hux, the father of General Hux whom we know. The latter would have been kept by Snoke as puppet to his orders (which we can see in the film by the way).
- Just before he died, Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) would have felt Snoke through the Force, without really knowing what or who it was… Enough to silence the speculators who considered that Snoke was neither more nor less than the reincarnation of the Emperor.
- Snoke allegedly led his apprentice to believe that Han Solo's murder had allowed him to redeem himself. But it seems that he actually planned to get rid of him as soon as Rey was put out of harm's way.
- The Supreme Leader and Luke Skywalker would have been connected through the Force. Snoke would even be very admiring of Luke Skywalker, despite the fact that he is absolutely not in his camp.
Luke's Jedi journey and a possible marriage
If not knowing Snoke's past was already annoying, not knowing Luke's past after Return of the Jedi is one of the biggest frustrations caused by the Saga! But obviously, the novel to be published on The Last Jedi would teach us a lot about this character that we were finally able to find in the cinema:
- Luke's journey would indeed be described in more detail, especially concerning his research vis-à-vis the Force. Thus, it seems that Luke and his companion R2-D2 have spent 20 years (big) researching Jedi origins and traditions throughout the galaxy. Basically, Luke spent 20 years researching how to refound the Jedi Order… to then spend 10 years as a hermit and consider that this Order should disappear. Like what, his failure with Kylo Ren will have seriously damaged him.
- Through his connection with Snoke, he would have learned a lot about the Force and its secrets. We don't know if through this connection, Luke felt the darkness that inhabited this Force user.
- Just before Rey arrived on Ach-To, he was about to burn the Jedi tree and the sacred texts (as he wishes to do in the film by the way).
- Luke would have gotten married or at least thought about getting married. Let's be honest: if the Jedi we love so much had been married, it's hard to believe that wasn't mentioned in the movie. However, the fact that he thought about it and denied it out of integrity to the Jedi Order is not inconceivable. Especially since Luke carried on his shoulders a heavy task: to rebuild the Order. It should be noted that this echoes a very important event that takes place in the "Legends" universe: Luke's wedding to Mara Jade. Yes! Young Skywalker did not remain single in the old expanded universe and even had a child named Ben! A fate less solitary than the one that awaited him in the universe currently canon.
Rey and Kylo Ren full of inner torment
Crossfire on the new heroes of the saga. Rey and Kylo Ren became more complex in this episode and their struggles with themselves were particularly violent. An aspect that the book seems to exploit wonderfully, deepening the psychology of the two characters.
- Kylo Ren catches a glimpse of Rey's past when they touch hands. It's not a big revelation because he himself had told Rey in the movie. But knowing that followers of the dark side have a penchant for manipulation, doubt was allowed about his remarks. Obviously, the young Ben Solo did not lie and really knows part of the past of his Nemesis.
- Kylo Ren reportedly smiled at Rey when she landed on Snoke's ship. But why this smile? Was he happy to find her? Or was he satisfied that he could use her as an instrument to eliminate Snoke? To see…
- Rey was reportedly completely mesmerized by Snoke's gaze. This would have had the same effect on her as she felt in the cave on Ash-To. Obviously, the Supreme Leader has an even more violent mental grip than imagined.
- Moreover, Rey would have been tempted to know more about her past thanks to Snoke's knowledge. But as a good Jedi, she resisted the call of the dark side. In the end, it is Kylo Ren who will reveal a part of his past a few minutes later (if he did not lie to him).
The revelation of all these novelties leaves a bittersweet sensation across the throat. In itself, it is a great thing that all this information is revealed, because we have been looking forward to this background. However… It is not in a book that this should have been revealed! A lot of information (especially about Luke and Snoke) was far too important not to be given in the film. J.J Abrams has his work cut out for him to make up for this big gap with Episode 9 (a lack of which he is partly at the origin, since he managed Episode 7 …).
Let us still be right about all this, because these are only comments reported by people who had this novelization in advance. We will therefore have the right to more details when it is officially released. Let's hope that a good part of these explanations are given in Episode 9, because they are essential to understanding the anemic context of this postlogy… While waiting for the book, you can find Star Wars 8 – The Last Jedi on DVD and Blu-Ray next April. May the Force be with you!
