Andrew Benesh’s Reviews > Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View > Status Update

"Whatever Sun" by E. K. Johnston and Ashley Eckstein is a story I knew was coming, and had a lot of worries about. It's good to experience it as a story of survival, victory, and growth. Seeing the changes in the Larte sisters from their appearances in Ahsoka to here is great, even though it's brief. The nods to Fulcrum and the death of Raada are very well done.

What the Hutt?!

"Whills" by Tom Angleberger is a fitting capstone to this anthology. Less a story than a reflection on the craziness of the Star Wars story and community, it captures a remarkable breadth of ideas in 4 short pages. The comments on Maul and K2S0 are fabulous.

"Whatever Sun" by E. K. Johnston and Ashley Eckstein is a story I knew was coming, and had a lot of worries about. It's good to experience it as a story of survival, victory, and growth. Seeing the changes in the Larte sisters from their appearances in Ahsoka to here is great, even though it's brief. The nods to Fulcrum and the death of Raada are very well done.

"The Angle" by Charles Soule is a very different story from those that precede it. It's ostensibly about Lando learning about the Death Star's destruction, but in reality I feel it's more about encapsulating Han's' character development. Lando is still living the life of a con man, and simply can't see why Han would have helped the rebellion; it's a contrast that's important for setting up ESB and ROTJ arcs for him.

Alexander Freed's "Contingency Plan" is an emotionally difficult read. It follows Mon Mothma in a place of despair and hopelessness as she flees Yavin 4 in the face of the coming Death Star, and prepares for the unthinkable in order to bring piece back to the galaxy. The exploration of her personal sense of guilt and of her dependence on the hope of the young are moving.

"Grounded" by Greg Rucka is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. It tracks the experiences of the ground crews during the Yavin 4 missions, and focuses on their understanding of their role in the battle overhead. While we learn more about our pilots, the exploration of the relationships between pilots and support crews is the central point, and well done. Most importantly, Rucka brings to light the huge losses of DS1

"Desert Son" by Pierce Brown is an intense read. It captures the excitement of Biggs reconnecting with his friend, the intimacy of their relationship, and the chaos of space combat remarkably well. While the blow by blow feels a little redundant given the preceding stories, the way it's presented is engaging and fits the story well.

Duty Roster by Jason Fry captures the experience of the ground crew and the pilots who couldn't join in the attack in the death star. It captures the tension and excitement well. I'm curious whether Fake Wedge exists in other media; the way he was written seemed to assume some familiarity.

Palatine by Ian Doescher is a neat interlude of Palpatine thinking on Obi-wan's death and it's implications for his rule. It's written in Shakespearean style, which is fun.

There is Another by Gary D. Schmidt plays around with the ideas of Yoda's loneliness, his aspirations, and the possibilities of what could have been has Leia been trained. The interactions with Obi-wan are great, as is the reflection on Yoda's few worldly possessions.