Ricky Church reviews Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller…
Of all the time gaps between the Star Wars trilogies, one of the most intriguing is the time before The Phantom Menace, showing us what the Jedi Order was like before becoming embroiled in galactic crises like Naboo’s occupation and the Clone Wars. Author John Jackson Miller returns to the galaxy far, far away to explore the year before Phantom Menace with an issue central to the Jedi’s future downfall: the Jedi Council’s lack of empathy and their insolation from the rest of the galaxy. Miller crafts a captivating and insightful book balancing the large number of Council members that highlight their own viewpoints and how they utilize the Force in their own ways.
The Living Force focuses on the Jedi Council after Qui-Gon Jinn comes to them with problems he has witnessed from a crime-ridden sector of the galaxy, a problem that has largely been caused by the Jedi’s withdrawal from their outposts as they isolate themselves on Coruscant. The Council collectively decide to travel to the planet Kwenn that was once a prominent planet with a significant Jedi presence as both a sign of their commitment to protect the galaxy and honour Kwenn’s Jedi Temple’s 200th anniversary. Meanwhile, Council member Depa Billaba has gone undercover with a gang led by an ambitious pirate who has her own plans for the sector without a Jedi presence.
Miller is no stranger to Star Wars, having previously written Kenobi, A New Dawn and other stories set in the massive franchise, and he captures the pre-Palpatine era of the Republic quite well. It’s especially interesting coming off most of the High Republic novels where the Republic was expanding throughout the galaxy, the Jedi had outposts on several worlds, connecting with its inhabitants and looked upon as heroes. In The Living Force, however, the Jedi are increasingly becoming more isolated by shutting down their outposts and temples while the Republic is quickly being consumed by the will of corporations and greedy bureaucrats. The opening of the book certainly sets the stage for an introspective look at the Order’s leadership, even with the knowledge that it will all be in vain by the time Revenge of the Sith rolls around.
The number of characters Miller has to work with is large – the 12 Council members, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in supporting roles as well as several others – but he balances them well and gives each one justice, especially from the Council members who aren’t always present in other Star Wars media like Yaddle, Even Piell, Eli Koth or the long-necked Yareal Poof. Miller gives each of them their own distinct personality, philosophy and tactics in how they use the Force. It’s a pleasant reading since in most Star Wars stories the focus is often placed on a select group of Jedi Knights or the Masters we see are Yoda, Mace Windu or, since his rise in popularity due to The Clone Wars, Plo-Koon.
Here we really see how the Jedi Council operate and get on with each other with some pretty entertaining pairings. Plo-Koon and Saesee Tinn make an entertaining buddy-cop-like pairing with Plo’s restraint and compassion and Saesee’s quick aggressiveness or Yareal’s attitude to poke fun at his fellow Council members. However, much of the spotlight goes to Depa Billaba and her mission in the gang. Her dedication to protecting life, no matter which side they are on, plays a significant part to both her characterization and the story. Her relationship with Mace Windu, who was once her own master, gets some interesting insight since Mace is seen as one of the more impersonal and practical members of the whole Jedi Order. It’s even surprising that this Jedi retreat to Kwenn is largely his own idea and parallels the coldness of Mace’s character by the time of the Clone Wars. With Miller’s handling of Depa, though, it’s easy to see how she influenced a certain Kanan Jarrus, who Miller introduced in A New Dawn before his debut in Star Wars Rebels.
The villains are led by Zilastra, an ambitious pirate who hates the Jedi more than anything. She is a very compelling and charismatic character that is more than a match for Depa and the Jedi with her cunning. It’s not an entirely new perspective for someone to hate the Jedi for their perceived faults, but Miller approaches her viewpoint with a unique sense, especially with how she attempts to achieve her goals. There is also Kylah, a young girl in Zilastra’s gang who is enamoured with her boss and her methods, viewing the pirate lifestyle as the best way to live. She gives a youthful energy to the plot that brings out different sides to both Depa and Zilastra.
The story structure is an interesting one as the main plot revolves around Depa’s infiltration of the pirates and the Jedi Council’s planned celebration on Kwenn. However, with so many Council members for Miller to tackle, many of them have somewhat episodic tales with the population of Kwenn as they try to restore the planet to its former glory. This really helps the book as it gives Miller an opportunity to explore how each Master approaches different situations and gives us those fun pairings between the Council. It also grants the story a nice change of pace between the more serious and dramatic missions Depa and Mace are on with some lighthearted or emotional tales, such as Yoda comforting a dying man or Yareal and Ki-Adi Mundi attempting their own undercover work. By the end, though, many of the stories converge in one way or another as Miller provides several payoffs to the work the Jedi have been doing on Kwenn, showing how far their influence can stretch when applied properly.
Star Wars: The Living Force is a great book that highlight several characters we don’t often see, especially with all the Jedi Council together in one place outside of Coruscant. Miller’s character and narrative work is captivating and exciting, providing a lot of heart and humour to the Jedi’s mission to protect life and follow the will of the Force.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
