Luke Skywalker's Dream

The book begins with a prologue, depicting Luke dreaming of an alternate life he could have lived if he chose a different path. In this hypothetical reality, he never left Tatooine, giving the droids up to the Empire so he could stay on the Lars family homestead and be a moisture farmer. Luke grew old on the desert world with his wife Camie (a character from A New Hope's deleted scenes) by his side, but sometimes wonders how things would have turned out if he took Princess Leia's pleading message to heart and answered the call. As it stands, the Empire still reigns over the galaxy, having eliminated the Rebellion long ago. When Luke wakes from his sleep on Ahch-To, he realizes this was the Force's doing and isn't sure how to interpret it.

A key part of Luke's arc in the sequel trilogy is the regret he feels over how things turned out, so it isn't surprising to see him imagining a more peaceful existence where he never learned the harrowing truth about his family, became a Jedi, or failed his own nephew in training. In his youth, Luke was eager to leave Tatooine behind and go on daring adventures, but as an elderly man, his mindset is much different. That he would dream of this adds layers to his character and makes his fall even more depressing.

The Reason for Luke's Costume Change

At the end of The robes from Force Awakens are ceremonial Jedi robes that appear to be connected to the ritual of burning down the library with the original Jedi texts. It's for this reason Luke is back in his Force Awakens clothes during the scene with Yoda.

Related: Luke Skywalker Didn't Change for The Last Jedi

The book mentions Luke had gone to destroy the library multiple times before, but could never bring himself to do it. In fact, when Rey finds him in Episode VII, Skywalker is brooding after another failed attempt. Despite his feelings that it was time for the Jedi to end, Luke was still sentimental about the Order. This isn't entirely surprising, seeing that he spent decades on missions with R2-D2 collecting various Jedi artifacts around the galaxy. To burn the library would be burning his life's work. Yoda, of course, had no such qualms.

Luke Was Going To Go Back With Rey

For much of The Last Jedi, Rey fruitlessly tries to convince Luke to re the Resistance and help in the fight against Kylo Ren. But Luke is convinced the galaxy is a better place without him and repeatedly refuses to get involved. In the movie, Skywalker's change of heart is spurred by Yoda's final lesson, but in the novel it takes place a little earlier. Luke originally intended to physically leave the island with Rey.

This scene in the book happens shortly after Luke reawakens the Force inside him, and he realizes Rey was right all along. Knowing Leia and the rest of his friends are in grave danger, Luke recognizes the galaxy's need for a spark of hope and is willing to go back. However, he changes his mind when he sees Rey communicating with Kylo Ren in her hut and the two have their fight. Luke knows what Rey did not. Ben Solo was forever lost, and Rey had to learn things were not going to the way she thought on her own. One has to wonder how Luke's last stand on Crait would have played out if he left Ahch-To, but that's something we'll never know for sure.

A Funeral for Han

Audiences bid a tearful farewell to Han Solo in The Forces Awakens. While Last Jedi didn't have much time to harp on the loss, the novel includes an additional scene where the Resistance Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Related: The Last Jedi Didn't Have Time For Han's Funeral

It's becoming more apparent that Han's tough, roguish exterior was nothing more than a facade. In Solo, he's far more of an idealist than we're accustomed to seeing and is out to prove himself in the galactic underworld. He wants to be one of the leading criminal figures, but has too big a heart to fully go down that path. Leia hinted as much in her speech saying, "Han fancied himself a scoundrel. But he wasn't." It'll be interesting to see how Alden Ehrenreich's version is portrayed.

Leia's Medical Condition

The Last Jedi made waves by introducing several new Force powers, and other than Luke's astral projection, the most notorious was "Leia Poppins." By now, the image of Leia floating through space is well-known, as the General channeled her Force abilities in a last-ditch effort to stay alive. She stayed in a coma recovering for a good stretch of the film, but viewers didn't learn much about her condition. The book, however, reveals a little more.

When Poe Dameron goes to check on Leia, C-3PO mentions things about ebullism (formation of gas bubbles in bodily fluids due to reduced environmental pressure), hypoxia (insufficient oxygen reaching tissues), and solar radiation exposure to the pilot. As we know, Leia awoke from her coma and survived the film's third act, but it will be interesting to see if these effects have anything to do with the character's absence in Episode IX. Leia was originally meant to be at the forefront of the sequel trilogy finale, but following Carrie Fisher's ing, those plans changed and J.J. Abrams will have to explain what happened to Leia.

Leia's Moment With Chewie

In perhaps the book's most emotional scene, Leia has a private moment with Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon cockpit. She tells the Wookiee Luke sacrificed himself so the Resistance can live. As Chewie mourns the death of another friend, the grief Leia has been holding inside becomes to much for her to bear. Embracing Chewbacca, Leia finally allows herself a chance to weep for all she's lost over the years, including Han, Luke, and her son. She would never allow herself to be seen in such a way in front of the Resistance she's supposed to lead, but in the company of an old friend, things are different.

The death of Fisher makes this age much more tragic in our world. Leia's final words to Chewie are, "It's just us now, but we'll find a way." Of course, Chewie will sadly have to soldier on all on his own, as his trio of faithful companions will all be gone by the time Episode IX picks up. It's true the lovable Wookiee is close with Rey and knows Finn (plus, Artoo and Treepio will always be there), but there's no denying it just isn't the same. In the original trilogy, Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie became a family, and now there's only one left.

Supreme Leader Snoke's Backstory

Many fans were perturbed (to say the least) after Rian Johnson made the decision to kill Snoke in The Last Jedi. The character who spawned a million theories and was positioned as an all-powerful antagonist had been brought down in an instant, with very little of his origins revealed onscreen. This was a conscious choice on Johnson's part, as he felt such things would bog his story down. Where Snoke came from was irrelevant to the larger picture; the Supreme Leader was a red herring to serve Kylo Ren's personal arc and now has no more part in the story.

Related: When Will We Learn Snoke's Backstory?

But Lucasfilm did craft a backstory for the character, and some of it is revealed in Fry's book. As hinted at in the Aftermath trilogy, the First Order rose from Emperor Palpatine's Contingency plan, which he organized for decades. The old Empire set up shipyards, labs, and storehouses in the Unknown Regions in preparation of a possible collapse. Refugees who traveled there after the Battle of Jakku were ill-suited to deal with the horrors they faced, but it was Snoke's knowledge that saved them. Much like Darth Sidious, Snoke knew of the truths of the Force that existed in the Unknown Regions and used them for his own advantage. His ultimate goal is to reclaim what the Empire lost and build upon their rebuilt foundation.

The book also notes Snoke's manipulation and exploitation of Ben Solo was what spurred Luke to create a new Jedi Order - the one Ben ultimately destroyed. Originally, Luke was content to search the galaxy for old Jedi artifacts and lore, but the potential power (and danger) of his nephew led him to open the Temple and teach others the ways of the Force.

The Role of the Supremacy

From the opening sequence of A New Hope, Star Wars villains have always had massive ships, but most everything they've had is quite small compared to the Supremacy. That's because the vehicle isn't just a new Star Destroyer. It's a mobile capital for the First Order where everything from soldier armor to ships are constructed. At this point in time, the First Order does not have a singular home base planet of operations (think: the Resistance and D'Qar), but it will be interesting to see how things change now that Kylo Ren is in charge.

Of course, the Supremacy was destroyed thanks to iral Holdo's daring maneuver, but it doesn't seem like it will be too big a setback for the villains. In the aftermath of the ship's destruction, General Hux doesn't seem overtly concerned about the loss, knowing the First Order remains well-resourced. The book frequently hints they could even have more superweapons under construction, so the Resistance remains the underdog.

Knights of Ren

Ever since their namedrop in The Force Awakens, fans have wanted to learn more about the Knights of Ren. Kylo is said to be their master, but they've had virtually nothing to do in the sequel trilogy. The Knights were briefly seen in Rey's Force vision from Episode VII, and Luke mentions there frankly wasn't room for them in the movie. But the benefit of the book is that it can flesh out aspects the film necessarily can't.

Related: Star Wars 9 Needs To Include Knights of Ren

The Knights of Ren have a minuscule presence in the book, but it does not sound like they're aligned with Snoke. An early age remarks Snoke and Kylo are the only two Force s in the First Order. Snoke also seems fairly unimpressed by the whole "Ren" thing, brushing off the identity as nothing more than a lost Ben seeking wish fulfillment. With Kylo the new Supreme Leader, however, it's possible he calls on his old allies to serve a role similar to that of the praetorian guards. It would be a wasted opportunity if Episode IX ignored the Knights completely.

More Insight Into General Hux

Hux ittedly does not have the biggest part in the new films, acting as a secondary villain who constantly bickers with Kylo Ren. The Last Jedi used him mainly for comic relief, but Fry is given an opportunity to flesh the character out a bit to make him more well-rounded. Hux does not consider Snoke or Kylo Ren to be the ruler the First Order needs to thrive and fancies himself as a prospective Supreme Leader. Hux's sentiments about Snoke were shared by others, who felt Gallius Rax, Rae Sloane, or even Hux's father Brendol would have been a preferred option at the top.

Speaking of Brendol, he's partially the reason Kylo keeps Hux so close during the battle on Crait. Hux gained notoriety for removing anyone who stood in his way, including his own father (sound familiar, Kylo?). Kylo is afraid of being betrayed by Hux on Crait, so he's not letting the general out of his sight. Kylo also sees Crait as an opportunity to remind his subordinates who's in charge.

Additionally, Hux's stormtrooper training program is described as a combination of the old Jedi Order and Republic Clone Trooper methods, plucking precarious youngsters from birth and training them for battle. He views his army as the Jedi's lasting legacy, which makes him smile.