The Star Wars

Sometimes I wonder about the stuff I run across. As much as you wouldn’t think it would be possible, I ran across one that actually surprised me recently. So, we all know Star Wars and all the movies and so much more that came with the risky vision of so long ago. But, and this is a big but, that’s not the full story.

Yeah, as I was digging through some of the more recent titles of Star Wars comics recently, I ran across one called, “The Star Wars.” The placement of the article “the” is important here. It distinguishes this story from the one we have known for the past 40 years or so. Although, I have to wonder if that distinction is as needed as you might think it is. Because, this is what I found in reading about this particular story, it came first…

Apparently, this is a story that came about as the original story (it’s based on the original screenplay) that the one we know and love came from. When you read it, it seems only vaguely similar. Like, there are moments that feel so much like what we have already known, and then there are times when you can’t really see the resemblance at all.

For me it all comes back to the characters. A number of the named storyline characters in this book share their names with characters from the more well known stories. If you’re like me, you will spend a bit of time trying to figure out where each of these things go. Mainly it is a trip through strange visions and hoping you can suss out where things tie together. And with that comes a bit of nostalgia as you find the places where things flow together without a thought.

The characters give you pause. Sometimes one of them is full on evil in this version of the story and sometimes they are the complete opposite of what they were in the stories we know. Come to think of it, seeing Han Solo as a big green alien is enough to throw anyone off their game.

And wouldn’t you know, it gets even stranger than that. The biggest oddity for me is the correlation between Luke, Annikin, and Leia. Three are only connected by circumstance. Luke is a Jedi and is in charge of the military for Leia’s home planet. Annikin is one of the sons of Kane Starkiller (another Jedi and as it turns out, mostly machine at this point of the story). Annikin becomes Luke’s padawan and eventually is the love interest for Leia.

Suffice it to say that this is the easier bit of it to grasp on to. I’m not saying that the story is bad or confusing. It isn’t and it flows fairly well. I enjoyed it. Where the trouble comes in is trying to not see the various characters as we have known them for so long. Earth Vader having a flesh and blood face while wearing his signature armor is a bit of a troubling site. Add to that, he is not the Annikin Skywalker we have known, two separate people.

The story rides a line between the familiar and the new. At times it can be unsettling to figure out why something isn’t quite the way you expect it to be and then there are the times where nostalgia kicks in. With that you have the fun of remembering it how you first saw it happen.

And as I am talking in circles, I want to come to a stop at one of the key moments that really threw me off with the story. R2D2 actually speaks. He has words coming out of his voice actuation unit instead of bleeps and hoops. I have no frame of reference for what his voice should sound like. It changes the dynamic of his and C3P0’s relationship. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the thought of it.

Anyway, I am still going in circles with this one. I think that may sum it up pretty well. It’s an interesting read. I even enjoyed it. But when you jump into it, you have to be prepared for how different everything is, while still being the stories we have already experienced. Some how it all makes sense but it may take a bit for you to reach that point.

And a final thought, be prepared for how they word the references to the Force. Basically, I am so glad they shortened it to what we know now. May the force be with you.

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