Star Wars: The Last Order | Review

Finn and Jannah return for a new—and old—adventure as the latest Star Wars young adult novel, The Last Order, takes readers back to the Sequel era.

The previous Young Adult Star Wars novel took fans to the past as The Crystal Crown was set during the latter days of The High Republic, tying into characters from The Acolyte. So it’s kind of fitting that the newest one jumps us into the future…even if it’s just a smidge.

The Last Order, from Kwame Mbalia, marks the first canonical story (the awesome LEGO specials don’t count) set after the events of Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. When fans first found out about the book, many were excited to see how the state of things were looking for this Post-TROS era…well, let’s temper those expectations a bit. Yes, we get to see Jannah and Finn embark on a mission after their triumphant return from Exogol. The Resistance has “won” and is settling into things by trying to help all of those impacted.

This bit of the story is shown through the eyes of Coy Tria, a young pilot from a farming world (focused on tea leaves) who was part of the massive Citizens’ Fleet seen at the end of the film. Feeling out of his element among the heroes of the Resistance, and believing his part in things is done, he’s eager to get back home. When he delivers a message to General Finn that points to a potential First Order enemy from Finn—and Jannah’s—past still causing trouble, however, he finds himself thrust into the heart of an adventure. Alongside another First Order survivor, Niila, who brings the disturbing news, Coy escorts Finn and Jannah in his old family freighter.

That’s pretty much all the Post-TROS story parts have going on. Honestly, it makes up just a handful of chapters at the beginning, middle, and end. The BULK of the story in the novel being told is are flashbacks that show how Finn and Jannah came to be involved with the sinister Major Gohl. This baddie serves as the primary connective tissue in these tales which are otherwise entirely separate from one another. Which makes sense considering we know Finn and Jannah hadn’t actually met before the film.

These flashbacks offer some insights into both of their training, how their time as Stormtroopers were spent, while also planting the seeds that would ultimately have them defect and join the Resistance. We also get the chance to revisit some other familiar faces like Captain Phasma—even Captain Cardinal—and get some key insight into how the First Order consolidated its power and ensured such a tight, fanatical grip on its soldiers. It adds some fun depth in this regard to the entire Sequel era, and Mbalia does a fantastic job of capturing the tone/voices of these characters even though they’re in very different places in their lives at this point in time.

If you’re looking to this book to answer some big “state of the galaxy” type questions, you won’t really find them here. There are some neat tidbits at the beginning. Showcasing that even though the war was technically over/won, there was still a lot of clean-up to do. Much like with the Empire following Return of the Jedi, the First Order didn’t all magically disappear. More, the devastating impact they had on the galaxy during their short bid for conquest has left a lot of people needing help. Other than that, there’s no big indicator of what else is going on, or what our other favorites are up to.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but definitely something you want to check your expectations against. In fact, I almost feel like the present day aspect of the story holds the overall book back.

I was really impressed with the writing, though. Mbalia’s prose is fluid and makes for a fun read. He manages to paint clear pictures of the action without bogging down the pacing, while still keeping the character interactions engaging. By and large, his style of writing is what kept pulling me through. The problem, however, is the overall story is just…there. The positioning of the narrative being mostly flashbacks sandwiched between post-TROS stuff feels weird.

Yes, it’s neat to get something new about the events after the film, but The Last Order is not interested—able?—in setting the stage for what this new era will entail. Honestly, it would have worked better as just a dual story set before the events of the trilogy. Seeing the early events in Finn and Jannah’s early Stormtrooper lives has plenty of compelling elements and new characters who are interesting on their own. There are some great character beats and action moments that made me want to see more of them all at these ages/stages.

As such, the post-Rise of Skywalker parts feel tacked on. There’s simply not enough to give that side of things a complete story. The threads connecting the past and present story lines are thin, making any arcs for the new characters (Coy and Niila) it wants us to focus on seem under-cooked. The result is an ending that feels rushed. I certainly appreciate the overall themes of forgiveness and striving to be better than those who oppress us, but how it handles that at the end comes off as more deus ex machina than something earned from the characters.

I wish The Last Order had worked for me better than it did. There are bright spots and great moments, don’t get me wrong. There are elements in the story that deepen my appreciation for certain things in the Sequel Trilogy films. But the main story it’s telling feels hemmed in by its own design and placement on the timeline.

That said, I really loved Mbalia’s style of writing and hope we get to see another Star Wars story in the future. Let him cut loose on a tale without specific timeline constraints and I imagine it’d be all kinds of fun.