The many authors, artists and contributors to the new Star Wars canon have been slowly mapping and exploring previously unknown territory throughout the universe. Already, we’ve gotten five novels, five comic series and a TV show, along with plenty more properties in the works.
But except for the brief snippets we get in The Force Awakens trailers, we’ve seen precious little of an uncharted era in the Star Wars timeline: the post-Return of the Jedi period.
That’s where Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath trilogy comes in. The series, with a first installment, Star Wars: Aftermath, due in stores Sept. 4, will be set in the period between Jedi and The Force Awakens, as the Rebel Alliance grapples with the remnants of the Empire it supposedly destroyed.
But just because the galaxy is now free doesn’t mean it’s safe. There are still plenty of individuals and factions loyal to the Empire of old, forcing the leaders of the Rebel Alliance to realize that the battle is not yet over.
This week, a brief excerpt of Wendig’s novel surfaced, marking our first official look at the state of the galaxy following the destruction of the Second Death Star. Although it only comprised a short prologue and the first chapter, it offered some clues as to what this period is like our heroes. Let’s take a look at five important things we learned from the preview.
Next: The State of the Rebel Alliance
The Rebel Alliance is Disorganized and Weak
They may have been able to stage daring assaults on two impregnable Imperial superweapons, but it seems that the Rebel Alliance isn’t quite as adept at the long-term war games that come with fighting a galaxywide threat.
The novel’s prologue on Coruscant establishes this theme with a startling series of events: While demonstrators celebrate the Emperor’s death by toppling a statue of him, Imperial police show up and mow down the protesters, proving that the Empire is just as deadly as before, if not moreso.
We then shift to Wedge Antilles flying through space on a reconnaissance mission, and we learn that the Rebel Alliance’s military may not be as organized as we thought:
"“The pilot, Wedge Antilles, once Red Leader and now—well, now something else, a role without a formal title, as yet, because things are so new, so different, so wildly up in the air…”"
Wendig makes it sound like the galaxy is changing so fast that the Rebel Alliance is struggling to keep up with maintaining order and law.
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If that wasn’t enough, we get a clue that the resistance fighters aren’t well-equipped when it comes to tangible resources either:
"“He pulls up his datapad. Scrolls through the list with a tap of the button on the side. (He has to hit it a few extra times just to get it to go—if there’s one thing he looks forward to when all this is over, it’s that maybe they’ll start to get new tech. Somehow, this datapad had actual sand in it, and that’s why the buttons stick.)”"
It’s a nice juxtaposition. The rebels’ guerilla tactics and widespread network allowed them to counteract the Empire’s cutting-edge technology and rigid hierarchy, and yet those Imperial traits are exactly what they need to effectively govern the galaxy.
Of course, the rebels aren’t the only ones on the ropes…
Next: The State of the Empire
The Empire is in Tatters
The Empire hasn’t been faring well, either. This is one of the more interesting themes I’m looking forward to in the Aftermath trilogy, which was also explored in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy from the old Expanded Universe. We’ve seen the Empire in its early stages, when it’s consolidating power and wiping out resistance, and we’ve watched it in its prime, ruling the galaxy with an iron fist.
Now, we’ll get to see it in its last throes of life, as its last, most desperate loyalist fight to keep it alive.
This battle seems like it will fall on the high-ranking Imperial officers left behind, and they’ve got their work cut out for them. In the Aftermath excerpt, we’re reunited with Admiral Rae Sloan, who appeared in A New Dawn but is now disgusted with the state of the Imperial forces after Jedi‘s events:
"“Tothwin is an emblem of what’s wrong with the Imperial forces now: Many of their best are gone. What’s left is, in part, the dregs. The leaves and twigs at the bottom of a cup of spice tea. Still, he does what he’s told, which is something—Sloane wonders when the Empire will truly begin to fracture. Forces doing what they want, when they want it. Chaos and anarchy. The moment that happens, the moment someone of some prominence breaks from the fold to go his own way, they are all truly doomed.”"
The full impact of the rebels’ strike on the Second Death Star is reiterated a bit later, as Sloane notes that many of the troops left behind are incompetent and inexperienced compared to their comrades.
"“This lot, like Nils, are imperfect. Those who received top marks at the Academy went on to serve on the Death Star, or on Vader’s command ship, the Executor. Half of them didn’t even complete the Academy—they were pulled out of training early.”"
I’m looking forward to more insight into the consequences and results of the Empire’s downfall, such as this other revelation…
Next: The Imperials' Strategy
The Empire is Operating in the Outer Rim
This development makes plenty of sense while offering plenty of storytelling opportunities. Palpatine concentrated his scope of influence mainly on Coruscant and the Core planets while mostly neglecting the Outer Rim worlds. It may still take a while for the rebels to expel the Imperials from the inner systems, but once they do, it will be tougher for them to exert control over the more distant territories, allowing Imperial sympathizers to hide out there.
This is the reason that Wedge is visiting these outer worlds in an effort to sniff out Imperial bases that are operating under the radar:
"“Somehow, the remaining factions of the Empire are still fueling their war effort even months after the destruction of their second battle station. Wedge had the notion that they must’ve moved out to the Outer Rim—study your history and it’s easy to see that the seeds of the Empire grew first out here, away from the Core systems, away from the prying eyes of the Republic.”"
Although Palpatine likely ignored any of the peoples located in the Outer Rim, it’s possible that he didn’t totally neglect it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were elements of a back-up or failsafe plan located on one of the planets, hidden from the view of Capital officials. This could range from anything to a secret army, a devastating superweapon, a powerful technology, or some other kind of threat.
Meanwhile, we’re also learning about who’s still sticking around with the resistance…
Next: An Old Friend is Back
Lando Calrissian is Still Part of the Rebel Alliance
It’s a small detail, and not entirely unexpected, but it appears that Lando Calrissian is still involved with the Rebel Alliance and actively supporting their missions.
About midway through the excerpt, Wedge encounters two Imperial Star Destroyers and is asked to identify himself. Luckily, he’s not flying in an X-Wing but rather a disguised ship, and he has a backstory supplied by the former Cloud City chief:
"“This isn’t his realm. Talking. Lying. A scoundrel like Solo could convince a Jawa to buy a bag of sand. Wedge is a pilot. But it’s not like they didn’t plan for this. Calrissian worked on the story… … ‘Gev Hassan. Pilot number 45236. Devaronian. Yes?’ That checks out. Calrissian knows Hassan. The smuggler—sorry, ‘legitimate pilot and businessman’ did work smuggling goods to help Lando build Cloud City. And he is indeed Devaronian.”"
I wouldn’t expect Lando to leave the Alliance after playing a key role in its victory against the Empire, like Han kinda sorta did after A New Hope. It seems like he’s sticking around and lending his skills and knowledge to the effort, which definitely seems like the Lando we got to see after his betrayal on Cloud City.
But that doesn’t mean the war hasn’t changed people, as we can see in another character…
Next: The War's Effect on Wedge
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.