Star Wars: Aftermath attempts to answer that nagging question ahead of The Force Awakens: What happened to the Empire following the destruction of the second Death Star and deaths of Emperor Palpetine and Darth Vader? Wendig stepped into an existing world with a big hole in it. The Empire is divided and on its heels, scrambling to gather its forces all the while combating the rampant rumours that their leaders have perished. Some second-tier officers and allies gather on the Outer Rim planet of Akiva to discuss the future of the Empire as the Rebel Alliance has formed the New Republic in the wake of their major victory. Captain Wedge Antilles, a fan favourite pilot from the days of Yavin IV, Hoth and Endor, is scanning worlds in search of such Imperial meetings, falling right into the hands of Admiral Rae Sloane who takes him prisoner. Rebel Y-Wing pilot Norra Wexley is making her way home to Akiva where her son Temmin, a crafty and stubborn kid, has been under the care of his two Aunts. Sinjir, an ex-Imperial loyalty officer gone rogue on Endor (oh, the irony) is planet-side, drinking himself into trouble. The Zabrak bounty hunter Jas Emari has her sights set on Arsin Crassus, ally of the Empire and slaver, when she finds him amongst some heavy hitting Imperials during their panicked meeting. They cross paths, get each other in trouble, then out of trouble and have to fight their way through the occupied city of Myrra in order to stop the Imperial meeting from making any progress. It has hints of "space-opera" when you look at it that way.
I'm all for a good crossing-of-paths story where interesting characters have their personal narratives and encounter the others as a result of events and circumstances bigger than themselves. It is interesting to watch a character develop on their own and clash with the others in dire situations that have an impact on all of them. Some characters are more likeable than others, such as Norra who suffers internal turmoil over leaving the Rebel Alliance to return to Akiva where she had left her son years before. Sloane is a cold Imperial who proves capable of controlling even the most difficult individuals associated with the Empire, and the epilogue points to her becoming an important leader in the resurgent Imperial fleet. Sinjir Rath Velus, on the other hand, is very difficult to relate to despite being an indecisive and lost wanderer of the galaxy, unsure of his future and what he should do with himself now that he has abandoned his post as an Imperial Loyalty Officer. It seems like we should pity him, but his personality is bitter, unlikeable and shut off from outsiders. He sulks around, gets himself into trouble and needs help at every turn. There are some gleams of hope in redeeming his character, but ultimately it falls short. Jas is your typical bounty hunter, hard not to like. But Temmin is a frustrating teenager with a temper and poor judgement; his character arch is disappointing to me, and he makes decisions that he should not have come back from but does through unconditional love. Now if only there weren't so many death fake-outs. I counted over five, some repeat occurrences for the same characters. Don't mess with my heart like that, Wendig!
It is important to note that Chuck Wendig has introduced the first openly gay characters in Star Wars with Temmin's Aunts, Admiral Sloane's assistant and Sinjir Rath Velus. This is a progressive move for the series and opens up the franchise for more opportunities to focus on diversity. Some have argued that Wendig was trying to make a statement about homosexual characters, and I for one think that their point is ridiculous. That argument has as much ground as the uproar from narrow minded people who opposed John Boyega's role as a stormtrooper. Just because you haven't seen it before doesn't mean it shouldn't exist or has never been possible. Wendig inserts these characters without making a significant point about their preferences because it is not a statement. It is a reality. In a way, Wendig has made up for past oversights in Star Wars writing. So get used to it.
Aftermath makes a point of nodding to original trilogy characters like Wedge Antilles, Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma but Wendig is sure to shine the spotlight on the new emerging characters in order to widen the galaxy's lens. This allows Aftermath to act as its own story rather than use a crutch to get by on nostalgia. In turn, the atmosphere of the original trilogy is ever present. However, it feels more like Star Wars: Rebels than a feature film; the galaxy may hang in the balance but I just don't see these people making the difference. The references are there, familiar places, people and ships, but it remains a side story with minor consequence overall. The direction of the franchise requires a cohesive universe, but before this reinvigoration of the series, I often disassociated the two trilogies because of their differences. Now Wendig has successfully made me identify prequel era content within a larger narrative. I would have preferred to see the B1 Battle Droid "Bones" be an IG assassin droid, but to each their own. The old, defunct Expanded Universe thrived on interesting new characters and I'm sure Aftermath would have at a different time, but right now the hype train is driven by the original characters, the new ones that appear alongside their relevant story paths and the return to a grand scale in the core Skywalker narrative. As a result, I must commend Wendig for delivering a solid side story, and in doing so he has begun to establish what happened the the Empire and the New Republic in the thirty years before The Force Awakens.
Wendig took an interesting approach in developing a changing galaxy following Return of the Jedi by providing interlude chapters throughout Aftermath. In some cases they are teases about Han and Chewie, others are vague references to seemingly inconsequential characters who want to buy Vader's lightsaber. Overall, these interludes can be distracting from the primary narrative, but they do serve their purpose well. It was nice to see what was going on in other corners of the galaxy.
Star Wars: Aftermath isn't the best canon novel ever written, but it sure does succeed in kickstarting a dark period in our knowledge of the Star Wars universe. It is far more important to the sequel trilogy than an off-hand story about the Old Republic or the Rise of the Empire because we want to know how we got from Endor to Jakku. Wendig's abrupt, raw and choppy writing style suits the frantic narrative, which made me feel like I was entering a world with a more creative interpretation than a core film would have allowed. I look forward to reading what Wendig has in store next for these new characters in a familiar, yet unexplored era.
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