The Resistance is in ruins. In the wake of their harrowing escape from Crait, what was once an army has been reduced to a handful of wounded heroes. Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, Chewbacca, Leia Organa - their names are famous among the oppressed worlds they fight to liberate. But names can only get you so far, and Leia's last desperate call for aid has gone unanswered.
From the jungles of Ryloth to the shipyards of Corellia, the shadow of the First Order looms large, and those with the bravery to face the darkness are scattered and isolated. If hope is to survive, the Resistance must journey throughout the galaxy, seeking out more leaders - including those who, in days gone by, helped a nascent rebellion topple an empire. Battles will be fought, alliances will be forged, and the Resistance will be reborn.
Resistance Reborn is a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel by Rebecca Roanhorse that bridges the gap between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
Set in the aftermath of The Last Jedi and picking up from where Poe Dameron and Battlefront II left off, the Resistance begins to rebuild following their losses at Crait. Seeking refuge on the independent world of Ryloth with Leia's ally and friend Yendor. As they begin to gather allies, word reaches the Resistance of a list being sold on the black market of Corellia containing the names of Resistance allies who have been targeted for death or imprisonment by the First Order. Desperate for allies, the Resistance launches a covert mission on the world to secure the list and save those being targeted by the tyrannical regime.
Not to be confused with the television series Star Wars Resistance, which is also set in the era of the Sequel Trilogy and has a minor connection to the novel.
The novel was released on November 4, 2019.
The novel contains the following tropes:
- Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: Despite saving their life and her husband being murdered by the First Order, the list's auctioneer still charges the Resistance heavily for it.
- Alliterative Title: Resistance Reborn.
- Apathetic Citizens: Due to the poor leadership of the New Republic, the entirety of the galaxy seems to have rolled over for the First Order with little outrage or resistance after their capital was destroyed by them. The First Order seems to have successfully conquered everyone with the exception of the Resistance.
- Arc Welding: Just like James Luceno's Legends novel Labyrinth of Evil, Roanhorse ties together multiple, disparate threads and characters from throughout the entire Sequel Trilogy era.
- The Bus Came Back: For many characters whose storylines had been in limbo for years now, from recent ones like Inferno Squad and Black Squadron to legacy characters like General Rieekan and Orrimaarko ("Pruneface") from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi respectively, as well as Wedge of course. In terms of recent Canon, it pulls from as far back as Bloodline and even Lost Stars and the Aftermath trilogy.
- The Atoner: Poe is desperate to make up for his mistakes aboard the Raddus during The Last Jedi.
- Bus Crash: Admiral Statura is among the casualties listed by Snap to Wedge, presumably dying offscreen during the events of The Last Jedi.
- Can't Tie His Tie: While preparing to infiltrate a fancy party, Finn needs Poe's help to tie his suit's tie, embarrassingly noting that the First Order obviously did not teach its stormtroopers how to do so.
- Child Soldiers: The First Order is recruiting young children as cadets on the worlds they occupy, with Yama Dex being fifteen. There are young characters on the Resistance side as well, such as the teenaged Zay Versio and Pacer Agoyo, but in their case it's out of desperation and a lack of anyone else around.
- Canon Immigrant: The Rattataki (Assajj Ventress' original species in her debut comics before she became a Dathomirian) are mentioned at one point, re-establishing their presence in this canon. It should be notable that the Siniteen (a humanoid species with huge brains) were established as the natives of Rattatak in the current canon for a while until they were retconned to be the natives of Mileva.
- Continuity Nod:
- A lot of events from Poe's comic and Battlefront II are mentioned, as this book picks up where a lot of their story threads left off alongside The Last Jedi. Specifically, one of the reasons why Black Squadron understood Poe's massive screwed up was due to their own screw-up with King Siroc.
- Leia recalls how she helped bring down Rinnrivin Di and his crime syndicate in Bloodline, which inspires her to turn to Yendor on Ryloth for help due to Di having terrorized the Twi'leks.
- Zay Versio helps Poe end his speech to the newly gathered Resistance recruits by stating that joining is "a choice to be better", echoing the advice Luke gave to her father Del in Battlefront II that helped him along the path to his Heel–Face Turn.
- Zay and Poe also discuss their mothers being pilots.
- Some of the names on the list of subversives being sought by the First Order are marked as last seen on Castilon.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The book features the scrap yard planet Bracca, where the story of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order begins, and came out a week before the game itself.
- Easily Forgiven: Leia starts recruiting ex-Imperials into the Resistance. Poe calls out one of the Rebellion recruits for being upset that an ex-Imperial killed their brother. He then says that they've all made mistakes and need to move past them.
- Black Squadron doesn't hold Poe's actions during The Last Jedi against him, even though he got allot of their comrades in the Resistance killed.
- Filler: Serves as filler between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Despite being advertised as a "pivotal prequel" to Episode IX, nothing of much importance is accomplished or revealed that affects the overarching plot. It does clear up some dangling plot threads involving Expanded Universe side characters (most of whom don't have significant roles in the theatrical films) and also clarifies why Rose and Finn aren't in a romantic relationship in The Rise of Skywalker (Finn mentions here they decided they were Better as Friends), but overall nothing happens that's relevant to the plot of Rise.
- Happy Ending Override: Poe's comic series ended with Prime Minister Grist pledging that Ikkrukk would ally with the Resistance. A few hours later and with the thrill of victory wearing off, Ikkrukk's leadership becomes terrified of another First Order assault that would be worse than the previous one by doing so and quickly provides fuel and food to Black Squadron before sending them away.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Winshur Bratt goes from being a simple filing clerk trying to look good to his new First Order bosses, to a violent Bad Boss and murderer very quickly.
- Les Collaborateurs: Much of the galaxy has decided to cooperate with the First Order. Winshur Bratt is a particularly apt example as he goes from a filing clerk to a brutal fascist in the space of about a week. His mother was also a Resistance pilot too.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Yama was loyal to the First Order but turns on them after Winshur Bratt nearly kills her in a fit of rage and she realizes that they don't care about people at all.
- Old Soldier: Many of the ex-rebels who rejoin the Resistance, including Wedge Antilles, Norra Wexley, Shriv Surgaav, Yendor, Carlist Rieekan, and several members of Phantom Squadron.
- Relationship Upgrade: It's revealed that Wedge Antilles and Norra Wexley have gotten married during the Time Skip between Aftermath: Empire's End and this book.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: The First Order has told the galaxy the Resistance was completely wiped out at Crait, no doubt to cover up what really happened. This actually plays to Leia's favor, as it gives the survivors a chance to covertly gather allies and regroup while staying under the radar.
- It turns out Ransolm Casterfo wasn't executed at the end of Bloodline, but ended up a prisoner of the First Order.
- Retired Badass Roundup: Leia sends out agents to gather as many old Rebel leaders as possible, recruiting Carlist Rieekan, Wedge Antilles, Norra Wexley, and Orrimaarko. Wedge in turn recruits many former Phantom Squadron pilots to the Resistance, and in some cases their children.
- Second Love: Wedge has become this to Norra in the years following the death of her husband Brentin, with the two of them having gotten married since we last saw them.
- Ship Sinking: Finn tells Poe that he and Rey are just friends, and that the same goes for him and Rose, revealing that they had talked and decided that the kiss on Crait didn't mean anything more.
- Ungrateful Bastard: The Collective proves to be this when they still charge the Resistance an arm and a leg for the First Order's enemies list.
- The government of Ikkrukk, despite pledging their allegiance to the Resistance after Black Squadron saved them from a First Order invasion in the Poe Dameron comic series, change their minds after hearing about the Battle of Crait. They thrown a victory party for Black Squadron, offer them some food and fuel, then politely ask them to get the hell off the planet.
- Unperson: The First Order has been doing this to people around the galaxy since taking over, rounding up ex-rebels, ex-Imperials, survivors of the New Republic government and military, and potential recruits for the Resistance and shipping them off to labor camps and black sites with only an ID number to identify them.
- Would Hurt a Child: Bratt beats Yama half to death in a fit of rage after finding her asleep at her desk after he forced her to stay hours late working on filing records.
