‘Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens’: How Much Did Force Friday Books Tell Us About ‘The Force Awakens’?


It has been two weeks since Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens hit shelves on September 4, “Force Friday.” The idea behind Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens was to give the most die-hard Star Wars fans an idea of what went on after Return of the Jedi and a sneak preview of what to expect when The Force Awakens comes out on December 18. The big question is, how much do we know about The Force Awakens now that most fans have had an opportunity to read the books and comics?

The short answer to this question is not a lot. If Star Wars fans went into “Force Friday” thinking the Journey to the Force Awakens books would give us an idea of what to expect character or plot wise from The Force Awakens, they may be a bit disappointed especially considering the disclaimer on the back of several of the titles.

“Hidden within the story are clues about the highly anticipated new film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

If you were trying to stay away from spoilers of the movie, reading the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens titles will not spoil a whole lot. In fact, it may leave you with more questions than answers. Here is a quick look of what to expect concerning each of the titles.

The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure

This title has the potential to give fans more information than the others. In the original teaser for The Force Awakens, the first line is “There has been an awakening.” We are to assume that Luke Skywalker, up until The Force Awakens, has been the only person with Force abilities, light or dark. A number of the Journey to The Force Awakens books all but confirm this.

The story in The Weapon of a Jedi is bookended with a prologue and an epilogue that takes place at or around the time of The Force Awakens. A young pilot is asking C-3PO about some of the stories contemporaries of the time might not know about Luke Skywalker. Considering the story involves an old Jedi temple and a villain that has no love for the Rebellion or the Empire, it’s possible we may see either settings or characters from this book pop up in The Force Awakens.

Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure

The second of the Star Wars Adventure books follows the same format of the previous. The prologue and epilogue are set at what seems to be a time during the events of The Force Awakens. A droid has been tasked with writing down Princess Leia’s memoirs. Leia shares a story about the lead up to the Battle of Endor. It is hard to tell if any of these books have any other clues.

Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo and Chewbacca Adventure

The final of the Star Wars Adventure books also gives us a prologue and epilogue around the time of The Force Awakens. A group is sitting in a cantina talking about fast ships. An old man fills them in on the story of a ship that was called the Millenium Falcon and one of the stories that surrounded it.

There is an outside shot that we at least see some references to places in the book that might appear in The Force Awakens. It might be worth paying attention to the cantina and certainly the old man sitting at the bar. That’s about it for the Star Wars Adventure titles.

Lost Stars

The young adult entry for Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens gives us tidbits throughout on some of what is going on in the universe. It follows two “star-crossed” lovers. Lost Stars spans their entire service to the Empire, the split that occurred after the destruction of Alderaan, and the time beyond the Battle of Endor.

Fans will find it interesting that Lost Stars talks about the Battle of Jakku. For those paying attention, Jakku plays a prominent role in The Force Awakens. There is a very distinct possibility that some of the shots seen in the second teaser can be explained in Lost Stars. Outside of this, the last few pages of Lost Stars might be giving us an idea of who the antagonists are in The Force Awakens.

Aftermath

This book follows the time just after the Emperor is thought to be dead. It is interesting why they decided to put Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens on this book. This is the first of a trilogy. The other two books will not come out until well after The Force Awakens. It should be noted this is the only book that doesn’t come out and give the disclaimer previously mentioned.

Shattered Empire

The comic that falls under Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens is pretty obvious when it comes to the relationship it has with December’s release. The events begin during the Battle of Endor. It follows an A-Wing pilot who volunteers to fly a group of Rebel soldiers around to help take out the remnants of the Empire. The first of the five issue mini series released the Wednesday after “Force Friday.”

Have you had the opportunity to read the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens titles? If so, we would love to hear what you think of them.

[Photo by Star Wars]

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