Review: “Star Wars – Jedi: Battle Scars”

We take a closer look at the history of “Jedi – Survivor.”

Contents (fuss)

Former Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis has built a new life for himself with the crew of the Stinger Mantis. They fought side by side against bounty hunters, defeated Inquisitors, and even successfully evaded Darth Vader’s grasp. Merrin, Cere, Greez, and his trusty robot BD-1 are now like family to Cal. As the future of the galaxy becomes more uncertain by the day, the Mantis crew grows braver with each strike against the Empire. During a routine mission they encounter a renegade soldier. In exchange for their help, she wants to provide the crew with information about a powerful tool in the fight against the Empire. The only problem is that they meet the Fifth Inquisitor Brother – one of the Empire’s most dangerous servants. This isn’t the first time Cal and his friends have faced investigators. The only question is how many times they can escape the Empire before their luck finally runs out.

criticism

Of course, a new Star Wars game shouldn’t be without an introductory novel, as happened this year with “Jedi: Survivor,” whose back story is now also available in German. A few years after the events of the first Jedi: Fallen Order, the Mantis crew is still on the move and must hide from their pursuers. In this case, the main antagonist is the Fifth Brother, who can also be seen in the background on the cover, observing Cal’s crew. All of the heroes are actually featured here, but perhaps the crucial question is: where is BD-1, the cute cargo handler?

First, you’ll start with an introductory battle – and you’ll immediately feel like you’ve jumped into the game. Because Cal slaughters a number of opponents (not just Stormtroopers) here. He drags them inside, they get choked, impaled, thrown, and in between, BD-1 throws him a stimulant beam so he can heal himself. Yes, it’s actually like in the game. But what works well in game (or on screen) unfortunately doesn’t work at all in written form. Because these group processing scenes look so artificial. Things are a little different in the final battle against the brother, though not by much, and this is where the novel is unfortunately at its weakest.

But at least points are scored on the character side, even if the action side isn’t going so well. Basically, you can see this novel as a love story, although it’s not primarily about Cal, but it’s about Merin and the recently joined Farid. Although the other characters also get good scenes, especially when it comes to the ending, and this gives it more depth, the main focus is clearly on the love story.

Now some people might roll their eyes again when a non-binary stormtrooper flirts with the night nurse and it seems a bit twisted — after all, at the end of the first game, we felt more Cal-like feelings. However, and this has to be said, you can make the most of the scene. Yes, it can be a bit rushed at times, but the insight into the thoughts and emotions of the two heroines at least mitigates the tension nicely. In fact, something like this would have needed a multi-part series where the whole thing could have been developed in more detail. But you only have time for one book.

In that regard, you can’t really complain, because it’s clear how the two slide from initial suspicion to the current situation. This is mainly because in the end there are still some trials and tribulations that are fully borne by the characters. You would almost fear that one of the heroes would leave the crew at the start of the second game, and that’s what you’re working towards. However, fortunately this is not the case and you can save yourself the “it’s explained in the book” phrase at the beginning of Part II, even if the status quo is restored after the book.

Well, that’s not entirely true, because at least one hero is going through a radical change in the truest sense of the word. Even the fact that Cal Merrin’s aforementioned feelings exist is brought up at the end. This dispels fans’ fears. Oh, and why is the Stormtrooper being hunted? Like the Final Boss, this isn’t worth mentioning…