'Star Wars: The Force Awakens': Events Before The Movie Teased In New Novel

A sample chapter of a novel that is set just before the timeline of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been released, giving details about how the war between the Empire and the Rebels continued. Meanwhile, another report explains what happened to Han Solo, Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon.

[Spoiler alert]

“Star Wars: Aftermath” looks at the events right after the death of the emperor. A sample chapter of the novel has been posted on EntertainmentWeekly. The chapter begins with a speech from Admiral Ackbar, who was there at the battle in which both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader died.

The sample chapter shows how the Imperial Police used force on the planet Coruscant to break up a crowd gathered to pull down a statue of the emperor. The book appears to be mainly told from the point of view of a Rebel pilot, Wedge Antilles, and the admiral of a Star Destroyer called Rae Sloane.

The Empire may be regrouping to launch a counter-attack on the Rebels in the core systems of the Outer Rim. Antilles goes on a scouting mission on a hunch and his theory turns out to be right when he finds Rae Sloane and his Star Destroyer Vigilance near the planet Akiva, where an important meeting of the Empire is about to take place.

Some of the major characters from the franchise are missing in the sample chapter. Jason Ward of MakingStarWars gives details about the backstory of two major characters in his new report. He says the Empire will capture Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) after invading his home planet of Kashyyyk. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) will apparently rescue Chewie and the latter will owe Han a life debt for saving him.

The two heroes will also lose their Millennium Falcon spaceship to some “thugs” just before the events in the forthcoming movie. Han is described as an “older, sadder, bitter” man who “hangs out in bars all the time.” Many new people want to kill him, and his life is said to be “complicated as it ever was.”

So far, Han and Chewie have only been seen briefly in the second trailer of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” More about the two characters is expected to be revealed in the next trailer. One major character still not seen in the trailers is Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).