A brand new Star Wars novel fills a Rise of Skywalker Poe plot gap

There have been loads of divisive moments in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which feels as if it got here out a lifetime in the past but continues to be on everybody’s minds. From the whole lack of Rose Tico to the Palpatine grandfathering Rey factor, followers are nonetheless salty about loads.

But one factor that maybe stands out most in followers’ minds is that the ultimate chapter within the Skywalker saga appeared to disregard the issues specified by earlier movies – not simply The Last Jedi. The Force Awakens, too, laid out groundwork that did not come to fruition in The Rise of Skywalker.

Luckily (or perhaps out of necessity), Star Wars is an unlimited franchise with novels and video video games and comics, all of which may fill in gaps or straight up retcon plot factors. In the case of Poe Dameron, a brand new YA novel is doing simply that.

Before The Rise of Skywalker, we gleaned loads about Poe’s backstory due to the aforementioned non-movie tie-in materials. None of those tales included the truth that, as Episode IX revealed with an incredible flourish, he was a drug trafficker.

Poe, Rey, Finn, and the droids wind up on Kijimi, the place they run into Poe’s former love-interest and associate in crime, Zorii Bliss (performed by Keri Russell) and the key is out. To the informal viewer it was simply one other a part of his story, however to those that knew his story, it was a obvious continuity error.

Now a YA novel referred to as Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura has tried to retcon Poe’s story so it contains the ingredient of spice operating.

The novel explains {that a} highly effective crime group, the Spice Runners, have been prime on the galaxy’s most-wanted checklist. During one run, they ended up on Yavin 4 – the Dameron residence planet.

While there, they started to imagine their pilot betrayed them and killed him. Of course, they have been now and not using a pilot. Enter Poe.

He had simply had a battle along with his father and relished the possibility to get away from his dad. The Spice Runners gave him a shot, they usually managed to flee earlier than the New Republic may shoot them down.

He stayed with the Spice Runners for some time however they might inform that he wasn’t as dedicated to their lifetime of crime; particularly Zorii Bliss, tapped to be the following chief, was very suspicious.

The novel provides that she tried to disregard this suspicion as a result of she was into Poe and he was into her. Yep…

The closing straw got here when the Spice Runners arrange a plan to lure rival gang leaders with the thought of executing all of them. With this, Poe betrayed the spice runners and fled to the resistance having heard one in every of Leia Organa’s holo-recordings.

Of course, on condition that he was needed each by the New Republic and the Spice Runners, this was most likely his solely possibility. That it was a match made in heaven was kismet.

There are some points with this retcon, although. Specifically it would not match up in any respect with Age of Resistance: Poe Dameron, a one-shot which revealed that Poe was a New Republic Defence Force commander. Vice Admiral Holdo (keep in mind her?) took discover of him, and from there he grew to become the flyboy everyone knows and love.

Had JJ Abrams not launched the entire Spice Running factor – which, let’s be completely trustworthy, regardless of how a lot we love Keri Russell was on no account integral to the movie – we would not have these two utterly reverse origin tales for one of many fan-favourite characters of the modern saga.

The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and your entire Skywalker Saga can be found on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, in addition to on Disney+, whereas Rise of Skywalker can also be on Sky Cinema Premiere and NOW TV.