The “Star Wars” movies are essentially the story of the Skywalker family, but there is so much more happening on a larger scale (the Clone Wars, and then the Galactic Civil War that grew from it). And then within that larger scale, there are small-scale stories happening.
Hence the “Star Wars” writing career of Karen Traviss, who has populated her books (first under the “Rebel Commando” tag, and now under the “Imperial Commando” tag, with a couple “Clone Wars” entries mixed in) with an extended family of clone soldiers under the father-figure guidance of Kal Skirata.
The latest entry, “501st” (referring to the elite legion of Imperial stormtroopers, including two of our favorite clones, Darman and Niner), is more of a batch of character studies than an action novel, despite the trooper rappelling into the fray in the cover art. It’s as if Traviss is setting the stage for new readers.
“501st” was a slow read for me, but every time I dipped into it, I had a good time with these characters (still, I hope the action is ratcheted up for the next novel). Skirata’s refugee clones on Mandalore are starting to figure out life beyond the battlefield; some of them get married to fellow outcasts, and even gruff old Kal — who has little time for anything but worrying about his adopted sons — finds a potential love interest named Ny.
They have quite a little community going. A doctor is trying to figure out how to stop the clones’ rapid aging. A Jedi teenager, Scout (from the “Yoda: Dark Rendezvous” novel), seeks asylum. The mentally unstable sister of Jango Fett is trying to regain her sanity. And Mandalore itself is in upheaval, with the militant Death Watch (from “Jango Fett: Open Seasons”) reforming, Fenn Shysa (from way back in the early ’80s Marvel comics) leading a more legit government, and Skirata trying to stay out of it.
Traviss’ strength is exploring the grey areas of the Empire vs. Rebellion conflict. For example, Dar and Niner’s commanding officer in the 501st turns out to be a solid guy who doesn’t realize the big boss, Palpatine, is corrupt.
For the next book, it seems like Dar’s bubbling hatred of Jedi will bump up against his father’s desire to protect all innocents. Dar’s son, Kad, is showing Force sensitivity, and Dar wants to protect him from the “baby-stealing” Jedi. Of course, the Jedi aren’t exactly in a position to rebuild the Order just yet, and the Jedi we know aren’t horrible people. Altis (introduced in “Clone Wars: No Prisoners”), for example, heads up a sect of Jedi that doesn’t believe a Jedi Order should exist.
In “501st,” there’s not a lot of action, but there are a lot of ideas that shape how we look at the broader mythology. Although this entry borders on being long-winded, Traviss is still one of the best character writers in the “Star Wars” fold, and fans will want to stick with this series.
