Unreality Companion: Speculating on Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

In which I expand on the content from my weekly Unrealitymag.com article.

Technically this article is a day late (and a dollar short).  Due to my new work schedule, I turned in my Unreality article this week a day early, meaning that it was published yesterday.  That setback aside, I found that settling on the subject of this week's Unreality Companion especially hard: do I review the animated Planet Hulk film?  Do I provide further speculation into Guardians of the Galaxy 2?  Do I tackle another Phase 3 topic, for which there are many to choose from?

So, in the end, I decided to focus my speculation onto a tangential, Disney-owned franchise.  Speculation about the new Star Wars' tight-lipped production has been rampant since it was announced, and has only exacerbated since this week's announcement of its official subtitle: The Force Awakens.  Many fans of the franchise's recently defunct extended universe are doubtlessly disappointed that it's not Heir to the Empire (taken from perhaps its most celebrated paperback storyline), but I'm still not entirely convinced that it's not.

Heir to the Empire, book one of the Thrawn trilogy, is set five years after the fall of the empire.  Luke struggles with trying to reform the broken jedi order, especially when the spirit of Obiwan Kenobi, his beloved mentor from the original film trilogy, passes on: becoming one with the Force.  As the fledgling New Republic is beset by not only internal political strife, but the military campaign of Imperial Remnant, lead by the uncannily brilliant Grand Admiral Thrawn, Leia Organa-Solo is pregnant with Jedi twins.  But Grand Admiral Thrawn's recruitment of the cloned Jedi-cum-Sith Master C'baoth gives him a direct interest in the Solos' unborn twins, which he promises to the Sith Lord in exchange for his services.

It's no wonder why Expanded Universe fans are so fond of the trilogy.  Thrawn is a chilling villain who is far more tactical than Vader's rage-driven menace.  It covers critically important events of the post-Return of the Jedi struggle between the former Rebel Alliance and the defeated Empire - not just their return to galactic power and the formation of the New Jedi, but the birth of Jacen and Jaina Solo, who factor heavily in the decades of events which follow.  The unhinged C'baoth is a perfect counterpoint to the idealistic Luke: not just for his moral alignment, but his lack of meditative control over himself and dangerously unpredictable behavior.  It also introduces fan favorite character Mara Jade - the former Hand of the Emperor and future wife of Luke (and mother of their Jedi son Ben Skywalker).

The problem is, however, that Disney de-canonized everything in the EU - declaring that only episodes I through VI actually happened.  Additionally, Abrams specifically stated that there were no plans to directly adapt any EU properties into films, even if some choice aspects from them might be plucked for use in later films.  And while this does rule out a direct adaptation of the Thrawn trilogy for episodes VII, VIII and IX, it never made sense for those to be truly faithful adaptations anyway.

Simply put, every one of the principle actors in the film (Mark Hamill, Carie Fischer and Harrison Ford) are too old for their Thrawn trilogy counterparts.  The novels take place five years after the Battle of Endor, whereas it has been over thirty years since Return of the Jedi.  Carrie Fischer cannot be convincingly pregnant - one of the central narratives of the three novels - and the political strife of the nascent Republic wouldn't make sense after such a long period of time.

But that does not mean that The Force Awakens is not loosely based on the trilogy.  On the contrary, the evidence seems to suggest that the opposite is true: that the new trilogy, although based on Thrawn's resurgence of the Imperial Remnant's military power, takes place in the so-called Legacy timeline, in which Jacen and Jaina are young adults and growing into renowned Jedi in their own right.  Just look at the film's cast:

It's pretty obvious who Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels will be playing (Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbaca, R2D2 and C3P0).  While there is no official word on who the others will be playing, their ages and acting ranges seem to suggest characters from the Thrawn trilogy.  Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie strike me as the perfect embodiment of the twins Jacen and Jaina, while Max von Sydow seems a likely candidate for Master C'baeoth - exuding nearly as much ancient menace as Christopher Lee (who would have been my first choice for the role).

Although a bit of a left-field casting, Lupita Nyong'o, who won Best Supporting Actress at last year's academy awards for her portrayal of a sexually abused slave in 12 Years a Slave, more than has the requisite range and emotive talents to play Mara Jade.  While a bit younger than I would have preferred, Adam Driver's oft-displayed charisma seems perfectly suited for the smooth-talking, Tatooine-based smuggler Talon Kard, who's become top dog in the planet's world of organized crime after Jabba's untimely death.  And Domhnall Gleeson, with his boyish demeanor, is spot-on how I imagined Slicer (hacker) Gent to look.

The only real question mark is Andy Serkis, whose famed penchant for motion capture performances could allow him to literally be any conceivable character.  But by process of elimination, the answer is obvious: the blue-skinned, otherworldly Thrawn himself.  Having already given The Lord of the Rings trilogy what is easily its most memorable performance, I wouldn't expect any less of him to be entrusted with the same in the latest Star Wars trilogy.

Now, this is all obviously speculation, although it is not baseless by any means.  The Thrawn trilogy has long been considered a highlight of the franchise, both in terms of its films and novels (and comics, and video games, etc...).  It only makes sense that the franchise wouldn't completely malign its more dedicated fan base, nor disregard pre-existing and highly well received story lines and are ripe for adaptation.  So don't be so quick to discount Heir to the Empire' cinematic potential just because not all of the pieces are perfect for this latter-day trilogy.  It may not be "faithful" to every aspect of the novels, but it will be a reasonable and exhilarating interpretation of it.

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