– Spoiler Review –
As part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Resistance Reborn, written by Rebecca Roanhorse, picks up with the tattered remnants of the Resistance after the events of The Last Jedi and begins to show how they deal with their loses and rebuild to fight another day. While it might be too short for its own good, Resistance Reborn is an excellent novel, combining years of canon together into a taut, interwoven joyride, introducing great new characters and seeing the return of several fan favorites, while making it rather easy for even new readers to enjoy.
When you’re down to enough people to fit on a single ship and some of your leaders, and those you have hope in, are seeped in doubt after a near total defeat, while calls to allies go silent (and they start disappearing), how do you begin to rebuild to face an overwhelming enemy? Resistance Reborn answers the question in a rather spectacular fashion by giving Poe Dameron an excellent, nuanced arc as he comes to terms with his actions in The Last Jedi, focusing on Leia dealing with keeping hope alive after so many losses, embracing readers in a giant canon-filled hug, and the introduction of some new characters to love (and hate). Reborn is mainly Poe and Leia’s novel, written expertly by Roanhorse as if she’s been writing for these characters all her life, and I appreciated the focus being on these two. With Poe, we see him struggling with his decisions in TLJ, constantly wary of his next decision leading to so much pain and death again, but he still manages to be the cocky, charming pilot we first met. There are several great scenes where Poe has to acknowledge what he’s done, first in front of his squadmates in Black Squadron and later in front of new and old members of the Resistance as they question his actions, and how he finds strength in admittance and showing them he’s learned from his mistakes are very powerful moments for the character. Leia focuses on inspiring hope, but also searches for a way to shoulder these latest burdens and build back up the Resistance with more hope then she currently has at the moment. Roanhorse also writes Leia at the same level as Claudia Gray, with an inherent understanding of the character. Both Poe and Leia’s journeys are full of disappointments, catharsis, and determination to continue fighting for what’s right, even if it means giving their lives, and are well-written and thought out, as it’s not easy for either of them to figure out how to proceed but they find their way by novel’s end.
When I say Reborn wraps readers up in a Hutt-sized hug full of canon love, I feel like even that’s an understatement. If you’ve been reading and consuming the last 5 years of canon material, you’ll be in for a real treat. Whether it’s characters like Zay Versio and Shriv Suurgav from Battlefront II; Jess Pava, Karé Kun, and Suralinda Javos from the Poe Dameron comic; Norra and Temmin aka Snap Wexley (now married to Karé) from the Aftermath trilogy; even a couple characters from Bloodline, including one I really can’t wait to see more of now that they’re back; or a few background/minor characters from the original trilogy to replace the decimated Resistance leadership, like Wedge Antilles (who’s been in Rebels and the Aftermath books), Reborn manages to feel almost like an Avengers: Endgame level of payoff, or at least that Lucasfilm has been building towards The Rise of Skywalker/this moment from the very start. Some of my favorite inclusion were: Since I’ve gotten so focused on comics here at the Manor, bringing in Black Squadron from the Poe comic (directly from the final arc of the series!) was a giant plus for me, as Suralinda was one of my favorite new characters and Roanhorse’s portrayal of her is spot-on and should surely inspire more fans of her. Shriv from Battlefront II brought tons of laughs in the game and continues to do so here, rashes included, and gets a little more depth via POV chapters, making an already fantastic and morose character even better; and of course Wedge, as Roanhorse’s way of detailing his enjoyment of retirement but eagerness to return to the fold honors the character. Some of the new characters shine, even if the book doesn’t spend a whole lot of time with them (more on that in a moment), as Pacer Agoyo offers Poe a chance to both see how far he’s come and someone to mold into something better, while Teza Nasz almost makes the Empire look better than the First Order, though the way she tells it like it is becomes quite refreshing and funny. Finn and Rose don’t get a lot of page-time, but when Finn does, we learn romance isn’t in the table for ex-stormtrooper right now, but boy do some later chapters build up some incredible spicy Stormpilot vibes aka the ‘ship name of Finn and Poe, while Rose maintains military operations alongside Lt. Connix, becoming a far more integral member of the Resistance than a simple mechanic. Rey is the most elusive of the main sequel trilogy characters, beyond Kylo Ren who is non-existent here, but when she does appear Roanhorse finds her voice rather well and builds some anticipation for where Rey’s story will go in December.
The way Roanhorse plausibly builds the First Order’s takeover of systems and planets, using both a reliance on the a populace’s “it didn’t happen to me” blindness and tactics similar to authoritarian takeovers here on our planet is beyond eerie and paints a stark picture of the galaxy leading into The Rise of Skywalker; what will it take to spark the fire that’ll burn the First Order down when so many people look the other way? We see a microcosm of what it’ll take with the novel’s primary, small-scale villain, Winshur Bratt, a privileged male in a pencil pushing position whom takes to the power and status the First Order affords him. You will want to see Bratt dead before too long, I can’t even remember the last time I wanted a character so swiftly murdered, but how the teenage boy and girl in his employ react to his changing struggle to cling to power, and how the Resistance assists them out from under his yoke, is a wonderfully written, micro version of what the Resistance will need to do at a macro scale if it ever has hopes of saving the galaxy from the First Order.
Reborn feels short and is rather short, which brings the novel a few weakness…at least for long-time canon readers. For new readers, especially how accessible this book is despite being seeped in the last 4-5 years of canon lore, a shorter book might make the price of entry lessen in their minds, as it means the book can’t and won’t dive too deep, but just deep enough for all level of canon readers to be satisfied; if it was made shorter to feel more welcoming to new readers, it’s an understandable move that doesn’t totally hinder the novel. Since I’m not a new reader, the brevity did have some downsides for me, besides me wanting more because it was just that good; for starters, new characters like Pacer and Teza get introduced halfway through the book, and right when we start to get to know them and want more of them, the novel is over and they feel a little underdeveloped because of it. The same goes for returning characters or even sequel trilogy heroes, as beyond Poe’s excellent arc in the novel, all the time we spend with General Leia, or even Wedge’s or Shriv’s many sections, Rey, Finn, Norra Wexley, and members of Black Squadron weave in and out but never stay in focus for long. It’s understandable, as Reborn would never be a A Song of Fire and Ice-like tome, and it’s refreshing how many familiar faces we see in the novel, but it doesn’t stop it from feeling like a bit of a disappointment; some of those characters, especially Rey, I imagine remain in the background specifically because what might yet to come in The Rise of Skywalker. These gripes exist, but they are minor ones that are easily overlooked due to the overall joy Reborn offers.
Here are a few other things:
- To see what the Resistance does next on its way to TROS, Allegiance comes next (picking up Mon Cala fleet) and Spark of the Resistance follows it (an excellent side adventure). There’s still a lot of time and space between Spark and TROS, filled by a few Galaxy’s Edge-related bits of content, so we’ll have to wait and see until December to learn how and where the Resistance gains such a large fleet as seen in the most recent trailer.
- Maz Kanata’s part in the story, though small, offers some fun and one of the best new planets in the galaxy: one that’s basically a giant weed-growing farm. But more importantly, we find she’s chummy with an organization known as the Collective, an underground group trying to stamp out authoritarianism via technology, and I’m extremely eager to learn more about the group, what they’ve been up to, and what role they might play in canon going forward.
- The junkyard planet Shriv’s Dross Squadron (ha!) visits in the finale will be seen next in Jedi: Fallen Order! Yeah, this novel was connected all over the place.
- I appreciated the Carrie Fisher link Roanhorse gives Leia, as it’s said the General has written memoirs, something Fisher did a few times, including as a one-woman show.
Resistance Reborn is a joy for new and old readers alike, as Rebecca Roanhorse makes a grand, unforgettable entrance into Star Wars writing.
+ Poe, and Leia’s, excellent character journeys
+ Giant canon-filled hug
+ Characterizations spark across the board
+ Wonderful returns for many favorites
– A little too short for its own good
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website @MynockManor.
JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER REVIEWS:
Allegiance (comic miniseries) | Spark of the Resistance (novel)