With the planet Dathomir and its notorious natives, the Nightsisters, figuring prominently in recent episodes of “The Clone Wars,” it’s a good time to re-read “The Courtship of Princess Leia” (1994), Dave Wolverton’s novel that introduced those elements.
Despite the fact that “Courtship” makes references to the Dark Side of the Force-using Nightsisters having a long history and to Yoda crashing a spaceship, the Chu’unthor, on the planet and meeting the tribes of good witches, “The Clone Wars” hasn’t embraced the opportunity to link up with the novel, at least so far. The animated series has vastly expanded upon the Nightsisters culture, revealing that Asajj Ventress is one of their number, and also introducing Nightbrothers (of which Darth Maul and Savage Opress are members). Conversely, in the book the Nightsisters are a mysterious, scary menace — just one wicked offshoot of the Witches of Dathomir — until we finally meet them in the final act.
The good witches — largely ignored in “The Clone Wars” — are the focus of “Courtship,” particularly Teneniel Djo, who is initially attracted to Luke Skywalker but eventually ends up with Prince Isolder of Hapes, who was initially courting Princess Leia.
Watching “The Clone Wars,” I have marveled at the visual portrayal of Dathomir, which is dark and foreboding, with red hues. In the book, I picture a jungle planet more akin to Yavin or Endor, but it also boasts mountain fortresses and a purple sky. So we can infer that Dathomir is one of the rare “Star Wars” planets that doesn’t have a single topography or climate. The lack of technology and the reliance on witchcraft are common through both portrayals of Dathomir, although the population of rancors is unique to the book; the good witches use them as loyal steeds for transportation and battle.
I didn’t care for “The Courtship of Princess Leia” the first time I read it, feeling like it was a bit juvenile coming on the heels of Timothy Zahn’s epic “Thrawn Trilogy” (1991-93). But I heard that other people liked it, and on this re-reading, I can see why. Wolverton’s style is indeed lighter than most “Star Wars” novels, but it has an adventurous — and sometimes silly (Han wins Dathomir in a card game to impress Leia, for crying out loud) — spirit that’s amusingly reminiscent of the Marvel comics.
It’s too bad Wolverton hasn’t written another “Star Wars” adult novel since this one, but it makes sense that he branched into fun fare such as short stories (he chronicles a Hammerhead, Dengar and Tessek in the three “Tales” books) and youth fiction (“Star Wars Missions,” “Jedi Apprentice” and “Episode I Adventures”).
In “Courtship,” Wolverton gets Han and Leia’s personalities just right. He takes the Hoth base hallway banter from “The Empire Strikes Back” and runs with it for the whole novel, essentially giving an overdue gift to Han-and-Leia fans who felt “Return of the Jedi” came up short in exploring that relationship. It makes sense that Leia would briefly consider accepting Isolder’s marriage proposal since it would be a boon for the Alderaanian survivors she represents. It fits that Han would get jealous and act rashly, and it fits that Leia’s love for him, despite it all, would win out.
Relationships — explorations of why two people end up together — are a strength of this book, perhaps more so than any other “Star Wars” novel. Wolverton flips the script of what we are accustomed to, as women are the dominant gender on both Hapes and Dathomir, and this leads to fascinating new ways of looking at gender relations.
“The Courtship of Princess Leia” holds up well all these years later, and it’s a nice companion piece to the “Clone Wars’ ” Dathomir stories, even if it’s not essential to understanding those episodes. The recent episode “Massacre” wiped out a lot of Nightsisters, so perhaps future stories will tell of their resurgence while also delving into the crash of Yoda’s ship and his dealings with the good witches.
What are your thoughts on “The Courtship of Princess Leia” and the way “The Clone Wars” has filled in some backstory about Dathomiri society?
And I’m happy to take suggestions for the topic of my next installment of “Star Wars Flashback.”