Of the supplemental media released since Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, Claudia Gray’s Lost Stars is a standout, originally published in 2015 prior to the release of The Force Awakens. This young adult side story follows childhood friends Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, who join the Empire out of a shared love of flying and to get away from their Outer Rim planet of Jelucan.
Once enrolled in the Imperial Academy, Thane and Ciena compete for top spot in the class, find their friendship tested when their academic progress is sabotaged, and grapple with growing feelings for one another. Upon graduation, Ciena is assigned to Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer, while Thane finds himself stationed on the newly unveiled Death Star. Thane witnesses firsthand the destruction of Alderaan, and it is this event that motivates him to leave the Empire and join the Rebel Alliance.
Star Wars Lost Stars, Vol. 1 © & TM 2018 LUCAS FILM
The Lost Stars novel covers the time spanning the original Star Wars trilogy until a few years following Return of the Jedi. Volume 1 of Yusaka Komiyama’s manga adaptation takes readers just up to the destruction of Alderaan and Thane’s disillusionment with the Empire.
As an adaptation, Volume 1 excels. One thing the manga does that immediately separates it from its predecessor is employing nonlinear storytelling, which serves to draw readers into the action and helps streamline some of the slower elements at the beginning of the novel. While the novel follows Thane and Ciena’s lives chronologically, the manga opens with the battle of Hoth, after Thane has already joined the rebels. On board the Star Destroyer, Ciena watches footage following the battle and recognizes Thane’s flying and realized he has defected. From there, flashbacks are used to establish the characters and how they ended up in their relative positions.
Tension is established early in the flashbacks by contrasting the different backgrounds of the two protagonists. On their home planet of Jelucan, there is longstanding hostility between the “first wave” and “second wave” people who established themselves on the planet. Ciena’s people are First Wavers, hardworking people with a strong code of honor. Thane’s family is one of the affluent Second Wave. Komijama’s artwork makes very clear that the tension between the two groups is also rooted in racial bias. Thane comes to Ciena’s defense when she is bullied by a group of Second Wave kids, and they become fast friends.
The manga captures the various settings beautifully, from Hoth, Jelucan, Coruscant and the Imperial Academy, and a poignant glimpse of Alderaan. In addition, cameos from iconic Star Wars characters are fun, hinting at the greater story without drawing attention away from what matters.
The character designs are effective at conveying the years that pass from Thane and Ciena’s childhood to more than a decade later once Thane is with the Rebellion. The manga does a good job of seeding the threads of Thane’s doubt towards the Empire until the pivotal moment when he chooses to turn from it. Additionally, Ciena’s background and culture, her deeply rooted loyalty towards those she dedicates herself, provides reason for her staying with the Empire and hints towards future conflict.
Fans of the original novel will find a lot to appreciate in this volume. For those new to supplemental Star Wars media or this story in particular, the manga is an excellent introduction. Like most Star Wars media being released these days, there is more diversity and representation than the original movie trilogy offers. At its heart, Lost Stars is a story of loyalties, and how those loyalties can be either misplaced or manipulated. We see how those loyalties shape Thane and Ciena over the years, particularly when their friendship is tested over academic sabotage. This is ultimately the story of two friends finding themselves on opposite sides of a war, and I look forward to seeing how future volumes develop that conflict.
Story: 5 out of 5 stars
Art: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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