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The Road To Episode VII: A Day Long Remembered

Remember when you would go to bed early on Christmas Eve so morning would come that much sooner?

That is how I feel about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I can’t believe it!

We are about 48 hours away (24 hours for some folks) from seeing a Star Wars sequel in theaters.

This is the last stop on The Road to Episode VII, and I’ll be reviewing the new Star Wars short stories along with a personal message about my thoughts and feelings about the Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens – Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Author: Landry Q. Walker
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
Price: $1.99

Disney Lucasfilm Press released four ebooks that provide some insight into what appears to be some of the background characters that will appear in The Force Awakens. While there are no plot spoilers for the new movie, there is some information that will be considered ancillary to the masses, but will help die-hard fans become better acquainted the characters and locations.

New York Times bestselling author Landry Q. Walker makes all of these stories fast paced and adventurous while capturing that Star Wars feel. All four tales brings something different as they take place shortly before The Force Awakens.

Again, while there are no plot spoilers, you might want to skip these reviews until after you see the movie if you want to know absolutely nothing going in.

The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku

This tale connects to and has specific references to The Clone Wars animated series which gives it credibility. After all, Dooku was a man of many resources and one of the most cherished characters of the prequels.

Near the end of the Clone Wars a Separatist cruiser transporting an important treasure of value that belonged to Dooku crashes on the planet Ponemah, and was thought to be lost to legend.

Decades later, a caravan of pirate groups at a cantina intercept the cruiser’s emergency distress call..

Enter Sidon Ithano aka the Crimson Corsair and his crew as they head out to claim the treasure before the other groups take it for themselves.

An image of the Crimson Corsair was first released shortly after San Diego Comic Con as his red colored garb and helmet caught the eyes of fans as someone who looks cool and appears to fit in with the Star Wars universe.

He may only appear in The Force Awakens for ten seconds for all we know. Still, it’s nice to have that information when thinking about the possibilities of what will happen next.

A nonchalant cutthroat is the best way to describe the Crimson Corsair. He has a loyal crew of buccaneers that help seek riches, but if crossed, the Corsair disposes of a foes without a second thought. Sometimes, you don’t even need to do him wrong. One adversary found this out the hard way as his revenge scheme against the Corsair failed to bear fruit because Sidon Ithano didn’t recall their previous partnership.

The chapters introduce each of the gangs that are racing to get to Dooku’s treasure before the Corsair. Some give the Corsair a run for his money while others were already dead and just didn’t know it. Kyber crystals that once belonged to Dooku himself is the expected prize for the victor. However, if we know anything about the Star Wars galaxy, there is usually an unexpected twist that no one will see coming.

High Noon on Jakku

The diligent Constable Zuvio is the focus this tale that takes place on the desert planet of Jakku, which plays an important role in the new movie. Author Landry Q. Walker provides a sneak peek as to the political structure of one of the planet’s smaller settlements.

This is very much a western with Zuvio playing the Clint Eastwood role while using his impressive skills as an investigator and gun slinger to track down a thief who robbed a banking transport of its credits.

Zuvio has a stern reputation with the populace that he genuinely cares for, Showing his softer side in the past was a mistake he won’t allow himself to make again. Shootouts, mystery, and renegade droids, rounds out this 39 page heist adventure. If you learn nothing else, you will know that Constable Zuvio is the law.

All Creatures Great and Small

Bobbajo is the fully puppeted alien that was introduced last year in J.J. Abrams Force for Change charity video. This Nu-Cosian critter monger is also a storyteller and the residents of the Niima Outpost on Jakuu love hearing his charming tales of yore, even though they don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.

After the Outpost endures some hardship, Bobbajo gathers the villagers and tells a story to cheer them up. This particular tale is about his imprisonment about a certain battle station. Again, no one believes him, but that doesn’t matter because of how well he tells the story.

Details regarding two Stormtroopers being trapped in a garbage chute reveals there is some truth to his story. Some being the operative word as there are some new “revelations” that could be chalked up to simply trying to tell an engaging story, or perhaps, these aspects are also true.

This is the least eventful story of the bunch. Still, it’s cute a tale that makes for a fun read and will make the reader appreciate Bobbajo a little more when he appears in The Force Awakens.

The Face of Evil

Infamous thief Ryn Biggleston is on the run after betraying her partner in crime. She crashes on the planet Takodana, With nowhere else to turn, she seeks out Maz Kanata for shelter. While Kanata doesn’t appear here, her presence is felt throughout the story as the rules of her castle are clear. Everyone one is welcome, no matter their transgressions or reputation with one free night of room and board.

This makes Kanata’s residence the new wretched hive of scum and villainy, which should be interesting to see come to life on screen since the trailer shows Han Solo, Finn, Rey, Chewbacca, and BB-8 entering what appears to be the same castle.

The Face of Evil is more about introducing Maz Kanata’s castle than anything else, but Ryn Biggleston is someone you will absolutely despise. She is well adept at deceiving people, which makes the reader relish her fall even more. Her run-in with a couple of species splicing mad scientists will either be a ticket to salvation or a permanent attitude adjustment. This a well realized horroresque adventure that completes its objective.

Anticipating the Awakening

Few films in history have had greater anticipation than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s the sequel that fans have been waiting for despite coming to terms with the idea that Revenge of the Sith would be the final movie in the saga. That all changed when Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 and now we’re only days away from moving forward in a galaxy far, far, away.

This is reminiscent of the hype and excitement from when The Phantom Menace was released. It was an exciting time in my life as graduation was right around the corner and my tux for the prom was looking oh-so-sweet. My buddy Chris and I spent our senior skip day at the Lowes Multiplex to see the 9:15 am showing on opening day.

Despite what I think of the prequels now, May 19, 1999 was one of the most fun-filled days of my life. At the time, I didn’t see a tall Jamaican frog, horrible Chinese accents bordering on racial parody, or a political thriller that forgot to bring the thrilling. It was Star Wars and the popcorn fluff of it all just washed over me with a wave of sci-fi ecstasy.

Do I regret cheering the decapitation of Darth Maul even though it’s now considered heresy?

No, because I still had fun and nothing can take that away. It certainly didn’t “defile my childhood,” either. I fondly remember taking my first step into a larger world as a wide-eyed six-year-old as my Mom replied with an ensured smile “Just sit back and watch” when I asked what movie (A New Hope) Dad was putting into the VCR.

Star Wars is my earliest childhood memory of things being clearly defined when the real world was anything but. Over time, Star Wars has gone from being just a phenomenal adventure to something that has taught me to look beyond the obvious and believe in myself because fate isn’t preordained.

As people, We love, laugh, argue, and fight, but above all, we learn. On some level, we’re all striving for something bigger then ourselves. Sometimes we pick up on that right away, and other times we learn it the hard way, just like Luke did when he fought Darth Vader before his training was complete.

The thing I want more than anything from The Force Awakens is for it bring the franchise back to truly feeling like Star Wars, without it being afraid to try new things. While my generation believes that the special edition films have no soul, there is a whole new generation of fans who only know a world where Greedo shot first.

While you’re waiting in line to get into your theater of choice, I want to encourage everyone who is seeing the movie to take a moment to truly let it all soak in. After TFA, we’re getting a new movie every year which means there are no more event films where years of anticipation builds the excitement to a fever pitch. This will never happen again with Star Wars.

Relish it, enjoy it, and make it a day long remembered.

Thank you for reading, and May the Force Be With You.

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