Alright, guys. Welcome back. Just like we've talked about the supplemental material that occurred between Revenge of the Sith and Rebels, that which came between Rebels and A New Hope, and most recently the material that occurred between A New Hope and Empire, we return once more to discuss the myriad of material that covers the year between the end of The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, which is...oh, just one 230 page YA novel, it turns out. Hopefully in the future we can explore this tumultuous period for the rebellion in more detail, but for now let's take a quick mostly-spoiler free peek at the third and final "Journey to The Force Awakens" YA novel, Moving Target.
Moving Target
Co-authored by Jason Fry, who avid readers will note this blog has tended to fawn over, Moving Target may seem initially like the weakest novel of the three (indeed, Nestle apparently thought so, as there's no animated version of this work to accompany the ones created for Smuggler's Run and Weapon of a Jedi), however it's merely because action takes a back seat in favor of a character study of the iconic princess without a kingdom. It's the most heavily referential of the works so far, reaching back into the canon not just in reference to the films but also the events of Smuggler's Run (the rescue of Ematt by Han and Chewie is mentioned) and Leia's history thus far with Nien Nunb (explicitly referencing their adventures in the Mark Waid Princess Leia comic). Bookended by a framing device of Force Awakens era Leia dictating her memoirs to PZ-4CO and discussing the recklessness of Po Dameron with Ematt, the meat of Moving Target involves Leia bringing an unknowing crew on a dangerous decoy mission and wrestling with sacrificing unknowing innocents for the sake of a grander goal. Ultimately, the novel satisfies, even if it doesn't thrill and excite the way Weapon of a Jedi did, and one does questions how much of the novel will actually echo in Force Awakens the way we already know elements of the other two works will. However, especially as it's the only bridging material between the final two OT films, Moving Target is definitely worth a look.
Well, I realize that was fairly brief, even for a mid-week column, but I couldn't ignore the work and still feel right as a completionist. Come back Friday as we discuss the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, and our final Friday column before the big debut (though I'll tweak our schedule and discuss the bridging material on Friday December 18th, since I'll have enough people calling for my head after my Empire opinion without being "the spoiler guy", and discuss Force Awakens the following week), Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi.
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