Check out the interview!
This interview contains spoilers forStar Wars: Aftermath.
Wendig is the man of the hour, asStar Wars: The Force Awakensquickly approaches.
Hes the man stepping into undiscovered territory, tasked with exploring new corners of theStar WarsExpanded Universe.
Wendigs novel gives us our first clear picture.
The book is a must-read for any hugeStar Warsfans (youve probably already picked it up!)
or those who are watching the films for the first time.
How did you develop his character?
Part of what I want to dowhat we all want to dois figure out how people join the Empire.
Obviously, the Empire is based a little bit on some of the worlds most upsetting governments.
Those governments always have loyalty-throw in officers, people who check their own people for loyalty.
I dont feel weve seen that laid out well enough.
What is that character like, in both the old world and now that things have changed?
Because ultimately the Empire is his enemy, abstractly.
So I thought that was a really interesting character.
Is he chaotic neutral?
I dont know, in terms of his alignment.
Another main character, Norra, is driven to keep her family together.
Did you set out to make her emblematic of the theme of family inStar Wars?
Obviously, mothers have not necessarily gotten the best rap inStar Wars, or at least the best history.
In wartime, families sometimes have a really hard choice.
Thats a fascinating dichotomy.
You chose specifically to include Imperial Admiral Rae Sloane, who has appeared in some other novels and stories.
What hooked you about her?
Shes an awesome, strong kickass character.
Shes a complicated character.
I dont feel like shes your standard stock Imperial, which is valuable to me.
I dont think shes in the Empire for the evil thing of it.
Shes in it for the law and order, government side of it.
And I wanted to view how that law and order perspective corrupts someone.
And is she corrupt?
Is there a part of her that isnt necessarily a terrible person?
I like Sloane, even as an Imperial.
Do you see the Imperials as people who think theyre good guys, or embrace evil, or both?
I think theres a mix of that.
You have an Empire founded initially on law and order.
There is this part of the Empire thats viewed and treated as bringing law and order.
So what do you do as that person?
So I think thats a fascinating thing to look at, who these people are.
What were your favorite characters or favorite moments to write?
At the panel earlier, you talked about enjoying scenes with Mister Bones.
Sinjir is such a great character.
Theres actually a scene as they escape Suran Nuats cantina, where Jas sort of surfs a body.
One of the most talked-about interludes features Han and Chewie.
Was it Disney-Lucasfilms idea to include those two classic characters?
They said they wanted a Han and Chewie scene.
They said we can do this now.
So the question of whether we could use them at all was a big question.
Not that he is, but you dont want to evoke that.
Of course you want him to be a fully realized character.
Were there any other interludes you particularly enjoyed writing?
I liked the two bounty hunters fighting.
That was a lot of fun.
That was a reference to a film.
I wont say what film.
Some people will get it or they wont.
I obviously like the Acolytes of the Beyond.
There were a lot.
The interludes were really fun.
You brought ideas like Taris and the echani from the Expanded Universe.
Why did you want to be sure to do that, and were any of them particularly hotly debated?
The only reason I bring that stuff in is because Im a fan of things Im bringing in.
Its things that I like.
Taris is fromKnights of the Old Republic.
They werent just fan wank thrown in.
They were things that were appropriate, but also things that I liked.
I think, at the end of the day, Im a very selfish storyteller.
Its hard for me to tell a story and appease every fan ever.
Thats just a non-possibility.
So I know at my heart Im a fan.
And hopefully that translates to a wider fan appreciation.
Thank you, Chuck Wendig!
Megan Crouse is a staff writer.
