The Force Awakens

SPOILERS WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED EPISODE VII OR READ THE BOOK, GO AWAY, OR I SHALL TAUNT YOU ANOTHER TIME!

Has it really been this long since I've posted?  Wow.  I have had another post to make, but I seem to have lost it.  The manuscript is around here somewhere, who knows what I've done with it.  Well, before I forget what this one is about, let's get on with it.

Before I talk about the book, let me say this: I have now watched Star Wars Episode VII twice now.  Once it comes out on DVD, I will probably rack up a few more viewings.  The first time it was pure enjoyment, living the moment of watching THE Star Wars movie that I had been waiting 12 years to see.  The second time I watched to pay attention to the details, the clues, the things you don't catch in the first go around.

So, on to the novelization of the movie.

I'll admit it.  I was disappointed when I found out that Alan Dean Foster was writing the novel version.  No disrespect to Mr Foster intended.  He has had quite the career writing scifi and fantasy novels that has made him quite successful.  But, I've never cared for anything he has written.  But, I was pleased with his treatment of THE FORCE AWAKENS.
     Once I decided that I was going to enjoy, and I mean enjoy the book, I started looking out for hints and clues.  Hidden messages that were not given in the movie, or maybe were cut out due to time constraints.  Honestly, the way a few scenes were cut ended up creating more questions than I think were originally intended, and personally I think that is great!  It has driven much speculation, fan theories, podcasts and YouTube videos.  No answers were provided in the book.  A few curiosities, and a little bit more head scratching.
   
REY
We still don't really know WHO she is.  I still think she is Luke Skywalker's daughter, but who really knows.  A few clues are dropped.  During the fight scene in the frozen forest of Starkiller Base, Kylo Ren responds interestingly when the Skywalker lightsaber zips past him into the hands of our illustrious heroine.  "It IS you."  Who? WHO?!  Well, that's just it.  Only Kylo knows.
     When Supreme Leader Snoke orders General Hux to get the wounded and thoroughly beaten Kylo Ren he tells Hux that Ren was "right about the girl."   Right about what?  Again, we were never told.  This conversation between Ren and Snoke was not given to us.

SNOKE
We are not given any more information about him, either.  Although, I did find the description of the Supreme Leader absolutely fascinating.  I think it has some hints towards his identity that will only make sense when we learn who he is.

MARTHA JONES
When watching the movie both times, I wondered, "Hey, what's Martha Jones doing there?  Is she a member of the Senate of the New Republic?"  I know, she's not Martha, but the book tells us that the character portrayed by Freema Agyeman in the movie was a special envoy sent by General Leia Organa Solo to the New Republic to warn them that the First Order was every bit of dangerous as she had been warning.  So what does that mean?  The book answered ONE of my questions!

It was nice to be able to read the novel after having watched the movie twice.  It helped a lot of things to stick out to me better.  The book does tell us what happened to Poe Dameron after the TIE fighter crashed on Jakku, and how he got off planet.  But I don't believe it.  I'm still holding to my pet theory that he is a First Order plant.  He's a bad guy.  He's Supreme Leader Snoke!  Just kidding.  He is a bad guy though.  Trust me.

Thanks for reading,

Darth Baptist.