Star Wars:
Millennium Falcon
“You’re making a case that while Jadak has been searching for the ship forward in time; Han Solo has been searching in the past.”
(This quote from the book pretty much sums up the entire story)
This book pretty much gives a very detailed history of the Millennium Falcon (which is 103 standard years old). The humble, if not odd, beginnings of the Falcon occur about 60 years before the Battle of Yavin. Even on its assembly line, this ship (a YT 1300 Freighter classified as YT 492727ZED) seemed like it was destined for some unusual journeys throughout its lifetime. Near the beginning of the book (about 19 years before the Battle of Yavin) the reader sees that the Falcon, which is called the “Stellar Envoy”, is being flown by a Captain Tobb Jadak who has been flying missions on behalf of an anti-Palpatine alliance simply called the “Republic Group”. The Republic Group provided the ship to Jadak, but now asks that he return the ship to a contact on Toprawa. The group tells Jadak to think of the ship as “a key”… “a key to a treasure”… “a treasure sufficient to restore Republic honor to the galaxy”. Unfortunately, Jadak runs into a problem near Nar Shaada and is in a coma for tahe next sixty-two years. Jadak awakes from his coma wondering why someone has kept his body healthy and in shape and has paid tons of money to keep him alive. Jadak can’t remember everything but does remember that the “Stellar Envoy” may hold the key to unlocking the questions he so desperately wants answered.
While Jadak looks for the ship… Han, Leia, and Allana are in that very ship. Allana finds an ancient little communication device (a transponder) that han has no clue ever existed inside the Falcon. Leia and Allana convince Han to track down all the previous owners of the Falcon (which is something Han always wanted to do) and perhaps find out what this little trinket is. While Han tracks down every possible owner before him; Jadak is tracking down all the owners after him so you know they’ll eventually meet somewhere in the middle.
You discover a man named Lestra Oxic is the one who fit the bill that kept Jadak alive during his coma. Oxic’s help comes in the form of his lovely assistant, Koi Quire. Oxic is a famous counselor or attorney (this means he is very rich) and longtime friend of former Republic Group member, Senator Des’sein, who has long since died. However, Des’sein tells Oxic part of the secret regarding the “treasure” while he was on his deathbed. Thus, Oxic has spared no expense in helping Jadak recover. However, Jadak may have other plans in mind. Oxic is not necessarily a bad man, but he is an intense collector of Republic memorabilia and will go to great lengths to get that memorabilia. At one point in the book, Oxic seemed a lot like that guy trying to get the Holy Grail in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.
Jadak, and a sidekick he has acquired along the way named Poste, finally run into the Solo’s and initially try tricking them, but in the end they end up working together. Jadak finally deciphers the code which triggers the transponder that Allana found at the beginning of the book. When the transponder is returned to the spot on the Falcon where it was initially found, it send the Falcon to the planet that contains “the treasure”. However, the planet is on the verge of destruction and the treasure was more of a symbol to the Republic than actual “monetary” treasure as Jadak and Poste had hoped. Oxic is more than disappointed when he follows the Solo’s and Jadak to the planet only to discover that this “Republic Symbol” is a fake. In the end, Jadak and Poste agree to continue to help Oxic and Quire search for the real “treasure” and the Solo’s leave happy knowing that Allana is safe and happy.
Memorable Quote: “Fast as a bat-falcon, resilient to last a millennium”.
RATING:
Storyline Importance: 6.2
I’m being as generous as possible with this score as I can possibly be. I mean, the reader is exposed to the entire history of the Millennium Falcon, but in the end that really doesn’t change anything or add anything to the Star Wars universe. A very informative read that gave some interesting insight into the “Republic Group” which seemed to be a precursor to the Alliance. That also helped this score to some extent. I should also note that the story provides a nice foreshadowing to the Fate of the Jedi series by briefly allowing the reader a glimpse into the troubled life of Jedi Seff Hellin.
Character Importance: 6.3
This score should really be lower than this, but assuming the Millennium Falcon is a “character” in the Star Wars universe then I guess I’ll be nice and give a half way decent score. Because, to be honest, the only character development made was on behalf of the Millennium Falcon and perhaps the Solo’s granddaughter, Allana.
Excitement Factor: 7.1
The excitement in this book really came from events that were completely unexpected. For example, the reader probably didn’t foresee Jadak surviving the event in Nar Shaada’s atmosphere to the extent that he was kept alive for 62 years in a comatose state. The author also did a great job of holding the reader’s attention while connecting all the previous owners together. The book (which is not typical of most Star Wars novels) could’ve been very boring if not for the author’s abilities to keep the reader guessing.
Favorite Moment(s):
My favorite moment in this book didn’t necessarily stand out as much as my favorite moments in other Star Wars novels. Mainly because my favorite moment was the moment of discovery when Jadak enters the correct code in the Millennium Falcon that triggers the transponder Allana had found. Thus, the favorite moment was t hat moment the entire book seemed to be leading up to.
Overall Rating: 6.5