Ricky Church reviews Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars…
As we get ready for the upcoming release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, you can prep for the Fallen Order sequel by diving into Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars, a novel that takes place between the two games from author and video game writer Sam Maggs that sees Cal Kestis and the crew of the Stinger Mantis on a mission to acquire a new piece of technology that in the wrong hands could become a powerful weapon. Battle Scars is a fun read with Maggs capturing the essence of the characters in her humourous and energetic writing style that still doesn’t miss the seriousness of the story and all the trauma the Mantis crew have faced together.
The story begins when a routine mission against the Haxion Brood, the mercenary group that often surprised and bugged players throughout the Fallen Order campaign, takes a turn when the Empire gets involved and a Stormtrooper defects to their crew with a job that could hinder the Empire’s efforts to gain more power. Maggs doesn’t waste time in the story with a fast-paced and exciting narrative, but she doesn’t make it all about the action and adventure as she takes a lot of time with the characters, exploring their mindsets and motivations. Since Fallen Order only followed Cal’s perspective, and could only do so much to get inside his actual head, Maggs has a big job as she writes from five different perspectives, four of which are the Mantis crew, and letting readers into the mind of Cal as well as the non-playable characters of Cere, Greez and Merrin.
When it comes to the characters Maggs writes, Merrin is the standout of the group. As a late addition to the crew in Fallen Order players didn’t get much time with her to fully learn her personality, feelings and how she interacts with Cere and Greez. Maggs takes the opportunity to really flesh out Merrin’s character, her relationships with each of her crewmates and the trauma of being the sole survivor of the Nightsister purge as seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The insight into Merrin is great, showing her as a complex character who, even after a couple of years on the Mantis, is still trying to properly fit in while possibly losing the connection to Dathomir’s magick. Her arc gets even more interesting with her growing feelings for Fret, the Stormtrooper they rescued, and the confusion and awkward moments she feels as a result of falling for this female trooper. It leads to some actual steamy moments as well as hilarious narration from Cal as he is oblivious to the obvious flirtation and chemistry between Merrin and Fret.
As for the fifth perspective, that is saved for the antagonist Fifth Brother, one of the Inquisitors seen in Star Wars Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In those series, particularly Rebels which he had more screentime in, the Fifth Brother was mostly a silent, physical enemy. The insight Maggs delivers for him makes him more of a unique character next to the other Inquisitors with how he thinks, views the Jedi and Force and his fighting style that relies more on savage strength than style. He’s not in the book that much as Maggs devotes most of her time with Cal and the crew, but the few times he does appear are memorable and provide nice conflict within the team as Cal and Merrin view nearly anyone associated with the Empire as the enemy, Cere doesn’t want a repeat of Trilla and Greez thinks they should avoid Inquisitors and the Empire altogether with the trouble they already face from other groups. It’s interesting to see such internal strife among such a close-knit family as they all want to achieve the same goals, but are on different pages on how exactly to achieve them.
Maggs’ experience as a video game writer helps translate some of the things players experienced in the game quite well in Battle Scars, from the nods to Cal’s combat moves and Force powers to Merrin’s abilities or the way the action flows like an escalating level, yet still manages to convey it in an interesting narrative way. Fans should appreciate the deeper insight Maggs gives the crew in the character driven story that is a fast and fun read as we get ready for Survivor‘s release.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
