Max Nocerino 
Just in time for Halloween, Cavan Scott crafts us 4 horror tales in Tales From The Death Star that are disappointing but a good effort
It’s Halloween, and everyone is entitled to one good scare. Even in the galaxy far, far away. But can Cavan Scott deliver the chills in STAR WARS: TALES FROM THE DEATH STAR? Or is the Star Wars universe the wrong place for jump scares and seasonal frights?
Writing horror is hard. Writing horror in space is even harder. Horror has become so synonymous with religion and the supernatural, that it’s hard to place it in a sci-fi setting. Joe Schreiber’s Red Harvest achieved that goal. But horror and Star Wars usually don’t agree with each other. One of Disney’s new shining stars is author Cavan Scott. Scott has delivered tale after satisfying tale since he started with The High Republic initiative. However, his 4 spooky tales (for Halloween 2023) just didn’t do it for me.
To be fair, this is my first foray into Cavan’s scary stories because I did not read the Tales from Vader’s Castle that he also penned. One would expect that horror would be more at home in Vader’s creepy castle than in the cold, sterile technological Death Star. But he gave it his best shot. Each tale felt sloppy and unpolished and didn’t frighten me or make me think.
TALE ONE
Tale One. It’s a tale of the first Death Star (the tales alternate between the two) having some prisoners on hand who are forced to help root out a creature that is haunting the halls of the station. Besides being the size of a small moon and full of millions, the Empire still finds it necessary to hire from the outside. Quite silly to say the least. The agonizing cliche of the team being separated and slowly killed made me groan. It used the tired technique of not revealing what the monster looked like until the end, which sank this tale for me. Also, it was quite short and I feel it would have been slightly better if longer. I also really don’t know what the monster was and frankly don’t care to learn.
TALE TWO
Tale Two. Wild Squadron is JUST silly SILLY silly. It starts with two TIE Fighter pilots on the second Death Star shooting the breeze. Then the male pilot decides to mess with the female pilot by telling her about Wild Squadron, a ghost squadron of deceased pilots flying (presumably), ectoplasmic ships. So, of course, after merely telling a story in passing, Wild Squadron appears. I just thought it was so uncreative and predictable and I felt no interest in completing the story.
TALE THREE
Tale Three. If I said the last story was silly, this one belongs in the silly museum. This tale from the Second Death Star is told from the point of view of the head of engineering, who must deal with the Emperor’s demands of finishing the Death Star on time. The engineer is angry that Moff Jerjerrod said he would double their efforts. Especially as he is not directly in the line of fire if the quota is not met. However, From A Certain Point of View seems to negate this as Jerjerrod was revealed to be an engineer as well. He was trying to solve the problem of THE building not going fast enough.
Now, we have this porcine jerk who tries to mix up the Canon and make it seem like the Moff is just a blundering, pretentious figurehead. A shipment of Sith artifacts arrives (from Amazon, teehee) and it’s for the Emperor. Among the artifacts is a ring that can raise the dead. And yes you guessed it, the guy uses the ring to create an army of zombie drones to work on the construction. This has to be the STUPIDEST thing I’ve ever heard. I’m so glad this was a short tale. It’s almost insulting to the mythos!
TALE FOUR
Tale Four. This story is the best by far. It shows the cold, cruel, and calculating side of Wilhuff Tarkin. This man is a true psychopath, leaving his own brother to die on an inhospitable world as a child. Tarkin begins to see and hear the ghost of his brother, many decades later on the Death Star before the Battle of Yavin. I don’t know what Tarkin is on, but it’s never explained if they are indeed ghosts or some psychotic illness plaguing him.
I guess that is a good thing, and it’s better for the story. Yet the way it’s portrayed kinda wrecks the image of a tightly wound and confident Tarkin we were introduced to in 1977. Now we know he suffers from hallucinations brought on by (possibly?) guilt.
VERDICT
Anyway, all four of these stories were dismal. I’m hoping this was just a one-time fluke as I regard Cavan Scott to be one of the best writers Star Wars has right now. Solid D.
Force Facts
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Educated beings know that Dianoga are sentient. Yes, canon ruined the allure of a mindless monster, and it is consistent across the canon.
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Apparently, stun collars have at least 7 settings. Yikes
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Apparently, if space travel isn’t scary enough, ghost ships piloted by ghosts can randomly appear and destroy physical ships. No details really on how this is and how often it happens, but pilot, beware.
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Apparently, the second Death Star was partially built by zombies. Yes, you read that correctly.
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Apparently, when Tarkin is about to receive the news of having arrived in the Yavin system, he is tripping on hallucinations. And Vader even asks if he is feeling sick. How thoughtful of the Dark Lord.
STAR WARS: TALES FROM THE DEATH STAR is available to buy in the United States now. The book will be released in the UK on December 27th. Subscribe to our newsletter at the top of our homepage to stay up-to-date with all the latest Star Wars book news and reviews from Future of the Force.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
