Alberta Review: Nerdy Star Wars Things
Why and what we read isn't as important as just reading
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Alberta Review has lived many lives, and as I’ve chased something palatable, fun, and impactful, it’s morphed from political commentary to news collation and commentary to what it is now—book reviews. This latest iteration, where I focus on whatever random books I’m reading, which I then try to relate their themes to our province, has been the most fun and satisfying while also driving the most traffic (i.e., it’s what y’all seem to like most).
That being said, it only works if and when I have time to read, and I have a day job, so that’s not always the easiest. It also only works when I’m reading something that can be easily related to our province, or has something profound to say, or, preferably, both.
It would be both snobby and a lie to say I only read intellectually stimulating works of non-fiction. When work is getting to the point of overwhelming, I usually retreat into science fiction. Lately, I’ve been reliving my youth by re-reading the hundred-plus books that make up the original Star Wars expanded universe.
I think even most casual movie-goers have come to understand that hardcore Star Wars fans hate the new movies. The TV shows may be ok, and many have been hits, but the movies have largely failed to inspire the faithful. The reason for that is largely these books. They built a universe that slowly (with many stumbles along the way) built up a clear lore with its own logic, rules, and assumptions. These books also developed storylines and rounded-out beloved characters while introducing new ones that fully aligned with the original six movies; At the end of the day, Luke will bring balance to the force one way or another, Leia will rebuild the Republic but also have an adventure that shows she’s not just some politician and a hero in her own right, and Han is there to be loveable, protective, and battle ready.
What upset the diehards was that Disney didn’t just reimagine the universe; they overturned the rules and blew up the importance of the core characters. The Skywalker family didn’t matter at all.
I didn’t mean for this to digress into a screed aimed at Disney’s failures. Instead, what I wanted to convey was how much I love these Star Wars books, how much having them to fall back on means to me, and how important losing yourself in a good, well-written romp is. Whether it is a western, noir, thriller, murder mystery, or cheesy sci-fi, these are the kinds of books that get us bibliophiles into reading in the first place, more often than not, and they are also the bread and butter of the publishing world, providing—alongside cookbooks and children’s books—the profits that allow the next great literary novel or essential local history to be bound and shipped.
It’s okay that these are rarely written with genius prose, or that they don’t turn our misconceptions on their head. In fact, that’s part of the appeal. Franz Kafka said that “If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skulls, then why do we read it?” If that’s the only reason to read a book, then life would frankly be pretty bleak. And as good as they are, his books can be hard to read. I read sci-fi as an escape because I love the lore and the worldbuilding, and I read literary fiction to think deep thoughts about big themes. My wife reads murder mysteries and thrillers because she enjoys trying to solve the puzzle about whodunnit, as well as deeper literary pieces when she needs to be stimulated. There’s a place for both.
Great sci-fi turns a mirror on our present society and makes an important statement. Good sci-fi makes us smile when the hero triumphs, evil is defeated, and the ageless characters charge off into another adventure. A great book inspires us and triggers introspection. A good book makes us happy. There’s a place for both, and, honestly, were it not for the Star Wars books I read as a youth, I wouldn’t be where I am today, professionally and personally. While both my parents read a lot, all readers need that personal hook that forever drags them through the waters of literacy and mine was Star Wars. So, from now on, when you read Alberta Review, you’ll also know that it only exists, and the obscure filament I’ve drawn from a book about, say, Egyptian mythology linking it to Alberta’s society, geography, politics, or economy, (stay tuned for next week’s edition!) only exists because of 50-year Star Wars books that, because of Disney, are no longer canon.
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Alberta Review is in no way associated with previous iterations of the publication Alberta Review.