Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away. . .  

On the remote desert planet Tatooine, a young slave named Anakin Skywalker dreams of freedom. One fateful day, two Jedi knights discover that Anakin is exceptionally strong in the Force. Anakin grows up to become a powerful Jedi and a hero of the Republic in the Clone Wars, but eventually is seduced by the dark side. Now, the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader, Anakin, betrays the Jedi Order and helps his master establish the first Galactic Empire. 

Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker, grows up on Tatooine, raised by his aunt and uncle and watched over by his father’s former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. When two droids with an important mission show up on his farm, Luke joins Obi-Wan to rescue Princess Leia, destroying the Empire’s feared Death Star in the process. Now a hero of the Rebellion, Luke trains to become a Jedi knight, learning the truth of his father’s identity. In a final confrontation with Darth Vader and the Emperor, Luke resists the temptation of the Dark Side and helps redeem his father from the evil he had been consumed by, saving the galaxy and restoring peace. 

Thirty years later, a girl named Rey has spent her entire life as a lonely scavenger on the planet Jakku, yearning for a sense of belonging in a harsh world. Drawn into the ongoing conflict between the Resistance and the First Order, Rey discovers her sensitivity to the Force. Upon uncovering the location of the missing Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, she is shocked to learn that Luke is not interested in returning to the fight. The older Jedi reluctantly agrees to train Rey as she tries to find her place in the galaxy while avoiding the temptation of the dark side. 

The Skywalker Saga is an entertaining retelling of the first eight films of the Star Wars saga, specifically told through the lens of each trilogy’s main protagonist—Anakin, Luke, and Rey. There are eight chapters, one for each film. The stories do not begin when the film starts, but with the introduction of each protagonist.  However, the overall plot is identical to the films. The Skywalker Saga is essentially an illustrated chapter book, with an average of seven to ten sentences on each page, and features beautiful illustrations by artist Brian Rood that almost appear to have been taken directly from the movies, reminiscent of Drew Struzan’s iconic Star Wars poster art. The images are large; some take up entire pages. The combination of a concise, engaging retelling by author Delilah S. Dawson and Rood’s illustrations makes for a compelling combination.  

Overall, Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga would be a good introduction to the saga for young readers and a key addition to any Star Wars fan’s book collection. Even if you’ve seen the movies a million times, Dawson still makes the story entertaining. The Skywalker Saga streamlines and simplifies complex plot points, making them understandable and engaging for readers of all ages. 

Sexual Content 

• While enslaved by Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia is forced to wear a metal bikini. “Leia was dressed in dancing clothes and forced to sit near Jabba’s throne.” 

Violence 

• In The Phantom Menace, “Obi-Wan watched in horror as Qui-Gon sprang into action, only to be stopped forever by a swift slash of the dark warrior’s red saber.”  
• Anakin watched in horror as “the blue electricity enrobed Master Windu and hurled him out the window to his death.”  
• During Attack of the Clones, after Anakin discovers the Tusken Raiders have held his mother captive, Anakin “showed no mercy . . . he slaughtered the entire encampment.” 
• In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin chops off Count Dooku’s hands in a lightsaber duel, before ultimately beheading him. “Finally, he found his Jedi calm, and with one swift stroke, he sliced off Count Dooku’s hands and caught the Sith’s lit red lightsaber midair.” 
• In Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader uses the Force to choke his pregnant wife Padme “to silence her, to punish her for hurting him so.” The Emperor later confirms that this led to her death. “The Emperor gave him a pitying look. ‘It seems, in your anger, you killed her.’” 
• In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker “found smoke rising from their ravaged home. Luke’s aunt and uncle had been killed by the Empire.” 
• In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi confronts his former apprentice, Darth Vader, on the Death Star. To buy Luke and his friends time to escape, “He held his blue lightsaber and closed his eyes. As Luke watched, helpless, Darth Vader struck the old man down with a fatal blow.” 
• During the climactic final duel in Return of the Jedi, when Luke refuses to join the Dark side, “the Emperor snarled and began his final blast of Force lightning to kill the young Jedi, once and for all. Suddenly, Darth Vader picked up Emperor Palpatine and threw him down a shaft at the center of the Death Star!” On the next page, there is an illustration of the Emperor falling to his death. 
• In Return of the Jedi, Leia, a captive of Jabba the Hutt, “wrapped her chain across Jabba’s neck and choked the powerful gangster who had dared to treat her as a slave, ending his cruel reign.” There is a two-page illustration of Leia choking Jabba.  
• In The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren murders his father, Han Solo, during a tense confrontation on Starkiller Base, “just as the sky outside went dark, he ignited the red blade, driving it through his father.”  
• In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren shows Rey an altered vision of himself, with his former master (and uncle), Luke Skywalker, confronting the younger Kylo with a drawn lightsaber. Kylo “lit his lightsaber to block the killing stroke, then used the Force to pull the temple down on top of his master.”  
• In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren later betrays his master, Supreme Leader Snoke, by “slicing him in half” with a lightsaber. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi visit a cantina on Tatooine. During an altercation between Luke and a pair of aliens, Obi-Wan offers to buy one of them a drink. 

Language 

• The book contains examples of mild language throughout. For instance, in The Empire Strikes Back Princess Leia calls Han Solo a “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerf herder.” Generally, the profanity in Star Wars is toned down compared to its real-world counterparts.  

Supernatural Content 

• In A New Hope, the Force itself can be interpreted as some form of supernatural entity. As Obi-Wan explains to Luke, “It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” 

Spiritual Content 

• The Force is viewed as a form of religion by some characters, most notably Han Solo, who initially doubts the Force and its powers. As Han tells Luke in A New Hope, “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”