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This episode might sound a wee bit tinny – it was recorded on the road in Dingle, Ireland under less than ideal conditions. Thanks in advance for bearing with it!
It’s a big week in the Star Wars galaxy this week, what with Celebration Europe coming up this weekend.
But first, the new novel Aftermath: Life Debt hit shelves tomorrow, and with it comes more insight to the time period between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
Here’s the “crawl” of the book, if you will, as reported by Entertainment Weekly:
The galaxy is changing, and with peace now a possibility, some dare to imagine new beginnings and new destinies. For Han Solo, that means settling his last outstanding debt, by helping Chewbacca liberate the Wookiee’s home world of Kashyyyk.
Meanwhile, Norra Wexley and her band of rebels pursue Admiral Rae Sloane and the remaining Imperial leadership across the galaxy. Sloane, increasingly wary of the mysterious fleet admiral, desperately searches for a means to save the crumbling Empire from oblivion. Even as Imperial forces fight to regain lost ground, Princess Leia and the New Republic seek to broker a lasting peace.
But the rebel’s hunt for Admiral Sloane is cut short after the disappearance of Han Solo and Chewbacca. Desperate to save them, Leia conscripts Norra, Sinjir, Jas, and the rest of their team to find the missing smugglers and help them in their fight for freedom.
That link has the first excerpt from the book that’s been published so far, and this link at USA Today has the most recent one, featuring the rules of Maz Kanata’s castle and a brief quote from author Chuck Wendig.
But possibly the most interesting excerpt of the three is this one from Mashable, in which Leia connects via the Force to her unborn child. The most intriguing passage:
Her hands fly in front of her mouth as she both laughs and cries at the same time. This, she thinks, is the light side that Luke always goes on about—the promise of light, the promise of a new life…
And then, the black edging of the dark side encircles her bliss like a noose. Because what rides swift on the heels of hope but fear — a fear that stretches out far and wide like a growing shadow. Fear of having a child in an unstable galaxy. Fear of whether or not Han is alive — or Luke, too. Will the child grow up with a father? An uncle? A mentor? What is her legacy and what will her boy’s legacy be?
This raises a nature vs. nurture question. If a baby’s growth and development can be influenced while s/he is in the womb, does that apply to their Force nature, too? In other words, if the pregnant Leia spends too much time focused on emotions correlated with the dark side of the Force (fear, anger, hatred, jealousy, suffering, etc.), will that have an effect on whether her baby will be more susceptible to falling to the dark side?
Share your thoughts in the comments on that one!
Trivia Time!
Test your knowledge of the Star Wars universe!Yesterday’s answer: Twice
Today’s question: How many bloody fingerprint smears are made on Finn’s stormtrooper helmet?