5 Post-‘ROTJ’ Revelations from the ‘Star Wars: Aftermath’ Excerpt

The War with the Empire Changed Wedge

War changes people, sometime in subtle ways, sometimes not. We saw the effects of the Clone Wars on its participants and the galaxy as a whole.

But this period is different, and I think the fallout of the end of the war with the Empire will be a lot more understated yet deep-rooted. At the end of the Clone Wars, the Emperor shored up his power with authoritarian rule and had no qualms about using force to unite the galaxy. But the Rebel Alliance are the good guys, and they may be forced into moral gray areas if they wish to finally exterminate the Empire and install a new republic.

That kind of uncertainty can have an effect on people, and it almost certainly seems to be taking a toll on Wedge at the beginning of Aftermath:

"“No TIE fighters. No blasts across the bow of his X-wing. No X-wing, in fact, and though he loves flying one, it’s nice to be out. No Death Star—and here, Wedge shudders, because he helped take down two of those things. Some days that fills him with pride. Other days it’s something else, something worse. Like he’s drawn back to it. The fight still going on all around him. But that isn’t today. Today, it’s quiet. Wedge likes the quiet.”"

As one of only two pilots to survive both Death Star assaults, Wedge has been in some intense situations and may even be suffering from some post-traumatic stress disorder, or perhaps survivor’s guilt. His plight may offer a window into what many of the rebels are feeling as they struggle to find their place in the universe after only being involved in a constant skirmish for the past few years.

Overall, the post-ROTJ Star Wars universe is one of uncertainty, paranoia and dread, and promises to deliver a style of storytelling we haven’t yet seen from the franchise.

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