star wars book club

1. I'm not sure what counts as spoilery from the comics for this novel and what doesn't - there was an intro comic book that explained the setup, before the comics started. The system is very difficult to get out of/into for reasons I forget, which is why there's so much mystery about what lies beyond. I rather like that it's distinct from the rest of the Star Wars universe, and that it's so early on. I'mn ot sure if the novel is going to get into more detail about why this area is so important, but I'm hoping that it'll get to spend more time fleshing out the history of this era, and the ways in which the Je'daii are different to the Jedi without the backdrop of the events in the comics.

2. The book mentioned storms on Tython - the reason the Je'daii are the way they are rather than being more Jedi-like is that Tython is a hugely force-sensitive world, as in the force has to be used in balance; if there's an excess of the light side or the dark side being used, Tyrhon responds with dangerous storms. This is why Lanoree has that mantra about balance. It's why Lanoree is prepared to use emotions like anger when she's force-wielding, but it's also why in the comics you have characters debating using things like force-lightning - some characters think it's just another tool, others that it draws too much on the darker side of the force. Outside of Tython the other planets were mostly settled by the descendants of the original group who aren't force-sensitive enough to become Je'daii, and the different worlds have distinct cultures; there's one that's basically run by criminal families, for example.

3. One of the things that I liked about this is that it has the different races like Sith and Twi'lek mixing in a shared society where it feels perfectly normal (and I liked the Sith not simply being villains). I won't spoil the comics for you, but the story of how that came to be is a big part of the plot...