Book Review: The Last Jedi by Jason Fry

The Last Jedi

by Jason Fry
Series: Star Wars: Novelizations #8
Published: March 6, 2018
Genres: Star Wars
Format: Hardcover (317 pages)
Source: Purchased

Written with input from director Rian Johnson, this official adaptation of Star Wars: The Last Jedi expands on the film to include scenes from alternate versions of the script and other additional content.
From the ashes of the Empire has arisen another threat to the galaxy’s freedom: the ruthless First Order. Fortunately, new heroes have emerged to take up arms—and perhaps lay down their lives—for the cause. Rey, the orphan strong in the Force; Finn, the ex-stormtrooper who stands against his former masters; and Poe Dameron, the fearless X-wing pilot, have been drawn together to fight side-by-side with General Leia Organa and the Resistance. But the First Order’s Supreme Leader Snoke and his merciless enforcer Kylo Ren are adversaries with superior numbers and devastating firepower at their command. Against this enemy, the champions of light may finally be facing their extinction. Their only hope rests with a lost legend: Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
Where the action of Star Wars: The Force Awakens ended, Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins, as the battle between light and dark climbs to astonishing new heights.
Featuring an 8-page color photo insert of thrilling images from the hit movie

I’m a big fan of the Star Wars movie novelizations. Even when they aren’t expanded, like The Last Jedi is, I always get something out of it that I missed in the movie like expanded motivations and insights. But this had whole new scenes which made it so much fun to read.

I liked the references in The Last Jedi to stuff that is only in the novelizations like a reference on page 8 to Luke’s nickname Wormie that come from the original trilogy novels. Star Wars books are a nerd’s playground where you can find all kinds of cool trivia stuff.

I learned from this book that Rose and her sister were twins. I also liked the foreshadowing of using Rose’s invention and more details to what it really was. Both of those things are in the movie, but everything kind of goes fast in the movie and there’s a lot to take in. Reading about it helped me wrap my brain around it a little more.

Some of the best insights into any character were for General Hux. Hux had an interesting background that was fun to learn about. It was Hux who decided to combine the methods of clone and Jedi training for the new stormtroopers. He reminds me of that guy that got Force choked in Episode IV. They both love technology and power and think the Force is unreliable and ancient history. One of my favorite things about Star Wars is the combination of advanced tech and a religion that the advanced tech can’t explain. It’s so fascinating to me.

More Admiral Ackbar? Yes please! I loved the way his thoughts were full of aquatic language like his pep talk to himself to have “stiff fins and sharp teeth (pg. 37)” and calling Hux a “vicious little squig (pg 39).” Ackbar also had great insight into Poe when he doesn’t obey Leia’s orders.

For all [Poe’s] skills as a pilot and his promise as a leader, he remained an impulsive youth, with too many impulsive-youth mistakes left to make. Such as thinking himself the predator when he was actually the prey.

-Jason Fry, The Last Jedi pg 43

There are some things that just can’t be done in a movie but are so much fun to read in a book. For example, BB-8 has an argument with Poe’s X-wing during the dreadnaught run while he’s trying to keep everything together. BB-8 was already cute, but getting into his exasperated and determined thoughts was delightful.

Rey has such a beautiful reaction to seeing an ocean for the first time and it was fascinating to me. “Rey’s brain had insisted on interpreting the water as a surface, and her stomach had rebelled at that surface’s refusal to be still. Now, surrounded by the sea, she realized that what she was seeing was just the uppermost layer of something deep, vast, and eternally in motion. (pg 56)”

The city of Canto Bight reminds me of the prequels. The people, the atmosphere. I like small things like that help tie the whole franchise together.

Captain Phasma is the new Boba Fett. Both are awesome minor characters that didn’t get nearly enough screen time. She’s in the book more, though. Yay!

Rey has her own dark side cave. Yoda told Luke to enter the cave. I wonder why Luke discouraged Rey from doing the same. What does the dark side cave show you? It showed Luke becoming Darth Vader and Rey being totally alone. Is it their greatest fear and thus their path to the dark side? I’m not sure but it’s interesting to think about. By the end, Rey learns to have faith in the Force instead of seeing it as a power to use for herself. I loved Rey’s development as a character

Another reason I wanted to read this book was to understand Luke and his motivations more. I loved this quote about Luke:

Once, Luke thought he would be the one who might end what was broken in Kylo. Later, he had blamed himself for the damage. Both thoughts had been vanity, he realized now. Whatever had broken in Kylo, it was far beyond Luke’s ability to fix.

-Jason Fry, The Last Jedi pg 297

This was always true. Even with Vader. When Luke rejected the Emperor, it wasn’t because he counted on Vader turning to the good side. It was because he believed in hope and love and didn’t believe your destiny was fixed. He believed that people could change but even then he knew it was Vader’s choice, not his. Luke accepted that either he would die or that Vader would help him but he accepted both outcomes and had faith in the Force as well. I think he showed that faith when he threw away his lightsaber rather than give up his integrity and then pleaded to Vader for help.

The question is, why would Luke, after such a life-changing experience about having hope and faith in people go against that with his nephew? A lot of time has passed between the original trilogy and the sequels. It’s more than possible that slowly over time he lost his way for whatever reason. But since we didn’t see how he changed, it feels so jarring to see Luke making such drastically different choices. I feel like Luke probably changed when he started following the old Jedi order. The old Jedi order, told to him through Obi-wan and Yoda (and it’s implied through the books he studied as well), was to kill the Sith. I think when he faced the same decision with Kylo that he did with Vader, he was tempted to do what Obi-wan and Yoda told him to do last time which was to kill him. With the quote above, I think it shows that Luke lost his way when he wanted to control Kylo Ren’s destiny (which is how Anakin lost his way, too). Luke went against his instincts and his own nature and I could see why he would feel a lot of shame in that. It made him relatable to me. How many times have I given up my integrity for something as small as doing what I think others want me to do?

Overall, I loved The Last Jedi. I think the movie suffered from a rushed pace which made it so character motivations and explanations were not very well developed. But with all the extra development that I read in the book and the slower pacing in the book as well, it’s really an amazing story. I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Deleted Scenes vs. The Book

What’s the same

Now to watch the deleted scenes and see how they compare to the book (oh yes I did). It’s like homework but I choose my assignments! It can’t get better than that! This is not a comprehensive list of all the deleted scenes that were also in the book, it’s just the ones I noticed. While the new scenes were enjoyable, I could see why they didn’t make it into the movie. They were fun to read, though.

The scene of Finn getting Poe’s patched jacket is in the book and is also a deleted scene. It’s fun to know, but if you’re observant you can see Finn’s patched jacket in the movie and you would probably guess that Poe fixed it for him.

The only extended scene I was sad to see go was the one with Luke talking about the Jedi teaching of maintaining balance and telling Rey not to act when raiders come to the island. The deleted scene in the movie feels rushed and the pace in the book is much better. It’s so cute and it shows Luke’s inner conflict trying to understand the teachings of the Jedi and whether he agrees with them or not.

The extended scene of trying to shut down the tracker with the stormtrooper that recognizes him is also in the book. I liked the faster pace of the final cut in the movie though.

There’s a deleted scene where Rose bites Hux and he yells to execute them. I’m kind of glad it wasn’t in the movie. Ew. But you can watch it if you really want.

What’s only in the book

There are definitely a lot of scenes in the book that weren’t even a deleted scene in the movie like an expanded conversation between Snoke and Kylo Ren. There’s also some expanded background on Snoke as well.

One of the best expanded scenes in the whole book is Kylo’s realization about his mother that keeps him from shooting. Read to find out! It’s awesome! (I won’t post it here because of spoilers but also because it needs some context to make sense.)

Should Holdo have told Poe the plan? Did he have a right to know? Part of why I wanted to read The Last Jedi novelization was to get some insight into this question. Based on the fact that secrecy was essential for the success of her plan she was probably right not to tell him (and the plan does fail because Poe blabs about it). But the morale of the people in the resistance hit rock bottom and it’s especially evident in the book. Why didn’t she try to improve morale? Poe might have had a point about that. On pg 129, Holdo and Poe have this conversation:

“I just want to know the plan,” Poe said helplessly. “I think we all do.”

“And at the appropriate time, you will,” Holdo said.

-Jason Fry, The Last Jedi pg 129

I watched the movie a couple of times and I couldn’t find this conversation anywhere. It might have helped Poe be patient. On the other hand, if he had been told that he would know the plan and he still made his own reckless plan, he would have looked like a jerk. It works in the book though, because he talks about not only his fear but the fear he sees in the rest of the crew and his actions seem less selfish if not still reckless and stupid.

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