Page 67 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2020)

At New York Comic Con, Claudia Gray
announced her new adult Star Wars novel,
New Republic: Bloodline set six years
before The Force Awakens, which makes it
a perfect time to get to know her and her
approach to storytelling.
Star Wars Insider: What are your
earliest Star Wars memories?
Claudia Gray: The movie came out
when I was seven years old, so while
I vividly remember loving it, going to
see it repeatedly (four times, I think),
and playing variations on Star Wars
with all my friends, it’s hard to pick
out a specific memory or memories
as being the very earliest. Surely the
X-wing simulator I made in my closet
has to be from the first year or two.
One thing that still stands out in our
family history was right after The Empire
Strikes Back—my brother and I would get
different action figures, to make sure we
got the widest array of them. I allowed my
brother to take Lando to school, where he
shamefully traded my Lando—for a lowly
Hoth ranger, no less! We continue to
bicker about this. We are in our forties.
“I ASKED IF THE IDEALISTIC GIRL COULD JOIN THE EMPIRE
WHILE THE CYNICAL GUY JOINS THE REBELS. THE BOOK
BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE FROM THERE.”
Were you given an objective for Lost Stars?
The basic concept was “Romeo & Juliet
meets Star Wars,” with childhood friends
falling in love; the idealistic girl would
join the rebels, and the dark, cynical
guy would join the Empire. I asked if
the idealistic girl could join the Empire
while the cynical guy joined the rebels.
The editor loved that idea, and the book
began to take shape from there. In the
end, I hope it came out less Romeo &
Juliet, more Casablanca. It felt important
for the war to shape every stage of
their romance.
Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell grow up as
citizens of the Empire. The worldbuilding
around their home planet, Jelucan,
shapes their reactions to the government
they serve as Imperial officers. Did you
create the valley kindred and second-
wave cultures first, devise a backstory
that built a foundation for the ending you
wanted, or was the process more organic?
The fundamental question at the
beginning was, “Why would a good person
serve the Empire?” At the beginning, that
loyalty can be a matter of believing in the
government, hearing only propaganda
about the other side, etc.—but at a certain
point, that person’s fundamental values
have to come into play. So the culture of
the valley kindred began to take shape
from the question of what values would
keep someone in Imperial service, namely
a very strong belief in honor and duty.
Then you ask what kind of culture
wouldn’t mix well with that, and you get
the more materialistic, hedonistic second-
wavers. Thane and Ciena very naturally
took shape along with those societies.
Thane is an easily recognizable Star Wars
archetype: a person who isn’t inclined
to trust authority in the vein of Han Solo
or Anakin Skywalker. Likewise, Ciena
has similarities with the prequel trilogy
Jedi, both blinded by a sense of duty.
How did you tackle the fine line of
keeping her character sympathetic
yet tragically flawed?
Ciena’s honor matters to her so much; she
swore an oath to the Empire, has managed
to actually do some real good in itsservice,
and cares deeply about her friends who
serve alongside her. Also, the impact of
the first Death Star’s destruction had to be
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