It shows that the Teedos-the native species-have their own language and religion. Speaking of Jakku, Rey’s section does a good job of fleshing out the desert planet. The First Order is made up of a bunch of extremists, a branch of the Empire-and it’s still not quite clear what became of the Empire at large or which members of it may have founded the First Order. The Resistance is a small branch of the New Republic, one not so much sanctioned as tolerated by a senate that made a tenuous peace treaty with the First Order. It isn’t the best story of the three-more on that later-but it does show us the most about the state of things. Purely in terms of facts about the Star Wars universe, Poe’s story is the most essential in the bunch. Before the Awakening is a fun, illuminating quick read, and for fans looking for answers about The Force Awakens, might even be more essential than the film’s actual novelization. Rey’s resourcefulness wars with her desire to find her parents, and the unwillingness of the New Republic to fight the First Order grates on Poe.
Finn’s empathy makes him stand out among the Stormtroopers of the First Order, and not in a good way. The three stories are entirely separate from one another and serve as neatly packaged vignettes that illustrate one aspect of each character.
#Star wars the force awakens: before the awakening plus#
Before the Awakening, one of the many young reader books from the Journey to the Force Awakens line, gives fans a good look into the backgrounds of Rey, Finn, and Poe, plus some information about the wider state of the galaxy right before the film.
The Force Awakens left a lot of questions unanswered for our heroes.