Here We Go Again!: The Falcon fails to start *again* when Han and Leia are about to depart on their honeymoon. Leia's as amused as Han is exasperated. For Han, I wanted to make sure the emotion was still true behind his bravado. No one has ever accused Han of being in touch with his feelings, but he’s a smart guy with strong instincts, and he knows what he’s doing, whether that’s kissing a girl or shooting a blaster. So he is aware that his relationship with Leia can never truly be uncomplicated, but he still has enough confidence to think that it’s worth the try. After being frozen in carbonite, then risking everything for the Rebellion, Han is eager to stop living his life for other people. He and Leia have earned their future together, a thousand times over. And when he proposes to Leia, it's the first time in a long time he's had a good feeling about this. For Leia, a lifetime of fighting doesn't truly seem over. There is work still to do, penance to pay for the dark secret she now knows runs through her veins. Her brother, Luke, is offering her that chance -- one that comes with family and the promise of the Force. But when Han asks her to marry him, Leia finds her answer immediately on her lips . . . Yes. Fans of the greater Star Wars continuity will be titillated by the appearance of another Rebellion-era element. And a precursor to a Sequel era tech. I love how much Leia grows to care for this beautiful moon. And she proves without a doubt to be one of the few politicians and leaders that truly care about people. Han is still a little rough around the edges, but he cares too, in his own way. Beth Revis: One thing that I love about the new movies is that Leia and Han don’t actually end up in the idyllic perfect family life that we like to think of as a “happily ever after.” Instead, they have to work -- for decades -- to remain in love, and they consistently choose to make that happen. Even if they’re apart, they’re still in love, not because of fate, but because they choose to be. And that’s stunning. That was what I wanted to show about them as a couple -- that they had a choice to make, and they chose each other.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, a celebration and a funeral have led the twin rebels to consider what's next. Bystander Syndrome: Both Leia and Han run into this quite a bit once the cruise. Most of the rich patrons of the Halcyon benefited from the Empire's existence and stand to lose very little now that it's gone, and were comfortable enough during the war to put the suffering of others out of their heads - Leia notes that many of them would likely celebrate with just as much fervor had the Empire won rather than lost at Endor, and while she Leia is forced to smile and nod in their presence she feels no camaraderie with them. Han, meanwhile, runs into an inventor who created weapons systems for the Empire, but "doesn't care about politics" and just did it for the money and prestige. A Lasat (victim of Imperial genocide) in the same room angrily points out not everyone has the same luxury. Before this novel, we only knew of the love story between Princess Leia Organa and Han Solo as passionate and uneasy in its beginnings and heartbreaking and bittersweet at its end. We knew they got married and eventually had a son after the events of Return of the Jedi, but grew apart in the 30 years between that film and the events of The Force Awakens.

Tropes in this book include:

The Power of the Dark Side · Treasury: The Original Trilogy · 5-Minute Star Wars Stories · The Chewbacca Story Yet Luke, who was a Jedi Knight, strong in the Force, had no memory of the woman who had birthed them both. Did he have memories of their father? Was that why he was so capa­ble of forgiving the monster that was Darth Vader? They had been sepa­rated at birth, not just from each other but from their biological parents. Maybe Leia had a connection with their mother, and Luke had a con­nection with their father. But happily ever after doesn't come easily. As soon as Han and Leia depart their idyllic ceremony on Endor for their honeymoon, they find themselves on the grandest and most glamorous stage of all: the Halcyon, a luxury vessel on a very public journey to the most wondrous worlds in the galaxy. Their marriage, and the peace and prosperity it represents, is a lightning rod for everyone in the galaxy -- including Imperial remnants still clinging to power.

Facing their most desperate hour, the soldiers of the Empire have dispersed across the galaxy, retrenching on isolated worlds vulnerable to their influence. As the Halcyon travels from world to world, one thing becomes abundantly clear: The war is not over. But as danger draws closer, Han and Leia find that they fight their best battles not alone but as husband and wife. Development [ ]StarWars.com recently sat down with Revis to talk about her love for Leia, how her husband helped refine the dialogue for Han Solo, and the power of love amid the chaos of a galaxy at war. Leia teases Han at one point my admitting that, as it turns out, maybe he is a nice man after all. Han indignantly insists she loves him for being a scoundrel, and she - still teasing - notes he's probably right.