Star Wars: Legacy by Madeleine Roux has rectified the flaws of the Sequel Trilogy, giving fans a richer, more human Rey than anything the Sequels could ever hope to offer.
One of the biggest gripes I had with the Sequel Trilogy was the unidimensional characterization of Rey, along with the absurd and inconsistent power scaling of her rapid progression. Yet, I feel the Star Wars: Legacy novel by Madeleine Roux has rectified that and then some, giving fans a richer and more human Rey than anything the Sequels could ever hope to do
Star Wars: Legacy takes place during the brief time between Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker. Reeling from her confrontation with Snoke and Kylo Ren, Rey must figure out a way to repair the strongest link to her Jedi destiny – the blue kyber crystal in the hilt of the legendary Skywalker family lightsaber. However, Rey finds herself unable to fix it alone and must rely on a mentor (Leia Organa Solo) to guide her through the quagmire of doubt and despair that Rey has found herself in.
REY RISES FROM DEFEAT
Right away, I was really on board with this novel. Rey in the Sequel movies was portrayed as the infamous Mary Sue, a heroine with no weaknesses, who can do no wrong. This plot formula is an abomination for anyone who is a fan of this mythos, as seeing Luke struggle to become a Jedi represents the very core of what these movies were about. Sure, he had great potential, but it was all for naught if Luke didn’t struggle and learn through a long process of trial and error, grief and hopelessness.
All students need a Master, and they are often terrible at what they want to accomplish when they first start. That’s what makes Luke Skywalker such a relatable, real person and the perfect example of a young individual who truly grows with the story. Rey basically threw all that out the window. She came with batteries included, and those batteries were ridiculously overcharged from the get-go. Her progression felt fake and exponential rather than linear, and while strong female leads are something I approve of, I found myself rolling my eyes at how quickly she bested seasoned Force users and how her powers just ‘happened’ rather than being honed.
MADELEINE ROUX
Madeleine Roux must be of a similar mindset, as we refreshingly get a Rey who is stuck hiding on a mudhole world with the rest of the Resistance. The First Order has cemented its stranglehold on the galaxy at large, and Rey is struggling to repair the kyber crystal in the lightsaber she “inherited,” as her ability to heal it is inadequate. Whenever she tries, she lets something dark in. Yes, Rey is struggling with her dark side constantly in this novel, and it manifests as a ghoulish version of herself (something we will briefly see in Rise of Skywalker).
Rey is angry and wants no help from anyone, as she plumbs the Jedi texts she got from Ach-To, looking for anything to help her in the search for answers. I really like the raw, angry young woman we are shown. She initially wants no help from Leia, even though she is the only person left in the galaxy who understands her struggle. Leia quit being a Jedi early and is getting old, but still is desperate to help Rey in whatever way she can. As I read this and see how surly and unfriendly Rey is, I can’t help but come to the realization that of the three main protagonists of the Star Wars movies, Rey actually has it the hardest out of all of them.
REY’S STRUGGLES
Sure, Anakin was born into slavery, but he had his mother and his friends. Luke grew up poor, but he also had family and friends. Rey was abandoned at a very young age and was alone for most of her life, forced to scavenge in the unforgiving deserts of Jakku, so I fully understand why she is a bit emotionally closed off and surly. She never had any guide in her life, so why should she let Leia in? She is also painfully aware that she is truly the last Jedi in the galaxy, and the weight of that burden must be monumental.
Thankfully, Rey’s walking and talking ChatGPT (C-3PO) can discern a clue in one of the Jedi texts by revealing that there is a forge on Tython that might be able to help repair the crystal. Rey immediately jumps on this lead and departs for Tython at once. Tython, for all you die-hard nerds out there, was a planet largely portrayed to be one of the “homeworlds” of the Jedi Order itself and featured heavily in the SW Legends video games and Old Republic novels. Leia wants to come to Tython as well, and while Rey doesn’t want the older woman to slow her down, after decades of being a general and politician, Leia Organa Solo does not take no for an answer.
FREEDOM FIGHTERS
The B and C plots in this story were very weak at first, and it wasn’t until midway through the book that I started to appreciate them. The B plot follows two freedom fighters from Hays Minor, a planet ruined by the First Order through extensive mining. Gavrin and Ziff are two young human males who attempt to assassinate the First Order major responsible for their homeworld’s death, Brilla Wolstenholme, but fail miserably with the coincidental arrival of Kylo Ren, who maims Gavrin and unknowingly saves Brilla’s life.
Brilla is a bad guy, but she is strangely not as cold and despicable as most First Order/Imperial types and joined the First Order out of choice, as she craved something more than a simple life as a farmer on an Unknown Region world. She is not evil and takes no pleasure in hurting others but is furious about the attempt on her life and wants to track down the people who did it.
She has to deal with an odious superior who seems to want her harm, as after a celebration of her heroic survival, she is sent to a hellhole jungle world where it is almost certain she will become a casualty of the vicious jungle beasts that inhabit the planet’s forests. This callous indifference towards the rank and file is nothing new in Star Wars, and I almost pity Brilla, as she is just someone who wants to do the best at her job.
HEROES
Ziff and Gavrin cross paths with the HEROES when they are en route to Tython, and save each other from a First Order patrol. The two men are flying a rusty and barely space-worthy limpet starship, and after losing their engines, must latch on to the Millennium Falcon to land on Tython. This landing seems to be impossible, but thanks to Rey’s ability in the Force, they manage it against all odds.
Gavrin and Ziff are working with 2 other freedom fighters, a boy named Gordi and a female named Vanika, who is Gavrin’s sister. Gordi was captured and died in First Order captivity, but Vanika is out there, and Gavrin desperately wants to meet up with her in a few months, after the assassination attempt went south. As a character, I didn’t find Gavrin very compelling, but I liked the fiery, edgy Ziff, who trusts nobody and doesn’t even care that Rey saved his and his friend’s lives during the landing.
On Tython, the two parties encounter a religious abberrant of the Church of the Force, Lijar, who also happens to be Gavrin’s father. Hmmm. While I get that’s why the two men headed to Tython in the first place, I didn’t like how this plot point just plopped into the story so abruptly, with little leading up to it. I also get that Rey wants to keep her abilities a secret, but yeah, that also doesn’t last long, and it is quickly outed that she is a Jedi.
WRITING STYLE
At this point, I began to think Roux’s writing skills were very sloppy. Brilla deserts her post almost immediately to find answers and, very easily, encounters Gavrin’s poet mother on some weird backwater world. Rey and Leia discover the Jedi temple, and the obstacles they must face seem tripe and boring. I didn’t like the other pilgrims with Lijar, as I felt they were cannon fodder, and ever since Daniel Jose Older’s painful depiction of an alien with bad English, I’ve also found the Chandra-Fan child, Meepka, to be annoying and pointless.
As I read through, I was ready to chalk this book up to being slow and badly written. Then Roux did some alchemy 3/4ths of the way through, and the book skyrocketed to one of my favorite Star Wars novels I’ve read since Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade. I cannot identify when this shift occurred, but it did, and everything became razor-sharp and exhilarating in my mind’s eye.
I love Rey’s struggle with her dark self, I love Ziff’s hatred of Jedi, I love Brilla’s revelation, and I love love LOVE the conversations Leia has with her ghostly brother and the other ghost who appeared to Rey; that is sure to blow any Star Wars nerd’s mind, into a state of pure ecstasy. When I, myself, was reading that passage, I actually had to re-read it, as I mistakenly thought Rey was talking to the specter of Luke! I won’t spoil who it actually was, but I’m sure you can figure it out.
THE JEDI TEMPLE
As the heroes explore the Jedi Temple, the ancient stuff inside went from boring as dirt to godlike in detail. The monster living deep in the bowels of the Temple was creative and ghastly to imagine. I also got to see the recordings of an ancient Sith student who traveled to the Temple millennia ago to try and leave the Sith and join the Jedi. WOW. That’s a new one! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Sith acolyte leave of her own volition to try and better herself. Way to go, Madeleine!
Leia’s characterization was excellent and super Carrie Fisher-esque snarky, as she slowly allows Rey to let her guard down and trust her. I actually found C-3PO to be rather helpful to Rey, and I think that Madeleine nailed all his amusing (yet annoying) idiosyncrasies as well. Most importantly (as I said earlier), Madeleine repaired not just a kyber crystal but Rey’s whole character, which had been broken from the start! She gave her depth and humanity, showing that she isn’t perfect and that, despite her prodigious talent in the Force, she isn’t all-powerful. She is human and needs to learn like every 20-some-year-old.
VERDICT
Lastly, I was surprised by the twist at the end, as I honestly (even at 33 and with decades of plot anticipation) did not quite see it coming and loved how it was wrapped up so nicely-and in such a way that it didn’t overshadow the significance of ROS. Still, I gave us something to whet our whistle as we construct the lore around this period of time in the saga.
I’ve never been so wrong (in real time) about a Star Wars book in my life. You NEED to read this book.
Star Wars: Legacy by Madeleine Roux is available to pre-order from Amazon now.
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!
