I have an out-of-the-ordinary perspective on Troy Denning’s latest “Star Wars” novel, “Crucible” — I read it with an eye toward “Episode VII” and how it sets the stage for that movie in several areas. Most fans will read the novel with the notion that it’s part of a different timeline than the films, but until I hear otherwise from Lucasfilm or Disney, I’m going to assume “Episode VII” takes place soon after “Crucible,” which is set 41 years after “Return of the Jedi.” (Only 32 years will have passed between Episodes VI and VII in real time, but I’d argue that people age slower in the GFFA, unless they’re on Tatooine.) (Beware of spoilers below for those who haven’t read the book yet.)
Denning writes “Crucible” as one last blast for Luke, Leia, Han and Lando, even including an epilogue where they decide they are going to retire and explore the galaxy (except Lando, who plans to continue with his entrepreneurial ventures). Ben half-heartedly argues with Luke, but then concedes that yes, the Jedi Order will be able to get by without him. This nicely sets up the original trilogy’s heroes for their mentor roles in the sequel trilogy.
The main villains of “Crucible” — a couple of brains-attached-to-bodies of the Columi species — are dispatched by the end, but in secondary roles we see Vestara (Ben’s ex-girlfriend who opted to embrace her Sith ways at the end of “Fate of the Jedi”) and Mirta Gev (Boba Fett’s granddaughter). Both escape at the end, leaving them free to become antagonists in “Episode VII.” Both are serious villains with sympathetic threads: Mirta Gev wants to find an antidote for the poisonous atmosphere on Mandalore, while Vestara is an outcast from both the Jedi Order and the Lost Tribe of the Sith — whose home planet, Kesh, remains lost.
Another “lost world” that is teased in “Crucible” and could make for a good “Episode VII” plot is Mortis, from a trio of episodes in “Clone Wars” Season 3. In “Crucible,” Han, Luke and Leia end up on “an artifact” within a maze of nebula clouds that may or may not be Mortis. At the very least, it seems to be “related” to Mortis; non-Force-users who visit this place come away with Force powers. Perhaps Denning is hedging his bets; he may be teasing the Mortis idea, yet leaving it open for more in-depth exploration in “Episode VII.”
Among the good guys, Denning uses Ben and Tahiri sparingly (and oh-so-slightly teases a romance between the two), has Jaina and Jag make cameos, and only mentions Allana in passing. This works out quite nicely if Allana is to be the main character in “Episode VII” with the others being supporting players.
Granted, Denning had no input from the Episode VII filmmakers when he penned “Crucible.” But it’s possible that some of his narrative decisions were made to set the stage for the next chapter in the book saga, and perhaps that vaguely planned next chapter is being incorporated into the sequel trilogy by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan as we speak. One thing we do know: Christie Golden was supposed to give us a “Sword of the Jedi” (Jaina) trilogy after “Crucible,” but that has been pulled from the schedule. Currently, no post-“Crucible” books are scheduled.
Denning gives a reader lots of reasons to keep turning the pages of “Crucible” (although the punishment he doles out to our heroes is not one of those reasons — Han even loses an eye, for crying out loud). Intriguingly, he delves into sci-fi ideas that are rare (but not inappropriate) for “Star Wars”: For one thing, “the artifact” seems to warp space-time; for another, the villains grow “Terminator”-style biots in vats, including some that are duplicates of real people. Like in “Jurassic Park,” they need enzymes to stay alive, but Tahiri — channeling Jeff Goldblum — notes that life finds a way. Perhaps biots could be featured in “Episode VII” as a cross between the clones and droids that fought it out in the prequel trilogy.
Denning doesn’t do as much as he could with the concept of relative time, but the very fact that he touches on it makes me intrigued for “Episode VII.” I know it’s a long shot (and maybe, ultimately, not an idea worth pursuing), but the concept of warped space-time would provide an opening to include Ahsoka or some “Rebels” characters in the sequel trilogy. (So, of course, would carbon-freezing or other time-travel-related ideas peppered throughout the EU.)
We don’t know for sure that the filmmakers will use “Crucible” as a jumping-off point for the narrative thrust of “Episode VII,” but without a doubt, the threads left dangling here could make for a great film.