Books Star Wars: Catalyst (A Rogue One Story): (spoilers)

Indeed it is, specifically the scene where Krennic visits the Erso's for dinner and brings several bottles of wine with him. That's about the only time that Orson comes over to the Erso's home and actually shares a meal with them.

 

Where was that in the book? I don't remember that scene.

 

Following the debacle at Hypori, Orson gets the mandate from Amedda that he needs to get Galen directly involved. So Orson goes to the Erso's home for a friendly dinner and baits Lyra into going on the three month expedition to the Outer Rim with Jyn in tow so that Orson can have Galen's undivided attention and bend his ear on working directly with the kybers. It's actually a very nice scene, because for a moment it seems like Orson actually cares for the Erso's, or at least Galen, as a person and not just a tool. I think that Orson did care, at least a bit, for Galen. Orson Krennic doesn't see himself as an evil person, and it's rare in the novel, but he does have some honor and redeeming qualities. I quite liked Luceno's portrayal of him in Catalyst. Lines up very well with his portrayal in Rogue One.

 

Okay. Must've shown a part of the visit that the novel didn't describe, since in the book Galen doesn't visit Jyn. That scene makes a whole lot more sense now. I understood the point in the movie was to show that Galen had a strong bond with his daughter during childhood (which makes Jyn's memories and perceptions in the novelization even more tragic), but I couldn't make sense of how it connected to the novel.

Funny how Catalyst described Galen getting a beard early on but the movie shows him clean shaven in that scene, set after. He must've changed his mind at some point in the novel.

While Krennic may have thought that he sincerely cared for the Ersos at one point, I'm not sure he did. From the beginning of the novel, Krennic's opinion is that Galen is destined to work on the Death Star and just about every interaction is manipulation of one kind or another to that end. Think about it. By the end, he's even considering murdering his "friend's" wife and kid to keep him in place. The dinner scene was him trying to separate them to keep Lyra from influencing Galen in a way that would take him from the Death Star.

By the end of the book, when Galen fled by choosing his family over his work (something Krennic can't seem to understand), Krennic, despite plotting and manipulating Galen to do something he didn't want, his feelings are: "After all I sacrificed for you, you just stabbed me in the back") The movie novelization establishes that, after having Lyra killed, he's thinks that he was generous and tried to make it easy for all and he nearly got killed when they turned against him. This, from a man planning a kidnapping.

I think that Krennic suffered from clinical sociopathy. Every interaction we see him have is filtered through how it can advance him further up the chain and all his thoughts seem to come back to him and what he wants. His only real moment where he could've had redemption is when Galen offers him a place as a non-military business partner in Catalyst. There, Krennic does seem to consider briefly walking away from the military and all his ambitions. That's really the only moment in the franchise to date that I believe he might've been friends with Galen for real at some point in time.

 

Another hit for James Luceno. LFL needs to get this guy on writing a Dooku novel between TPM and AOTC asap!

 

Just finished the book. While interesting I did find myself struggling to get into it (which is likely why it took me over two months to finish it). I think the problem for me was that I just didn't connect with any of the main characters in the book. The parts of the book involving Jyn were the most memorable for me but unfortunately she was a very minor character in this book.

Galen and Lyra were only in a couple scenes in the movie and I didn't really care too much about Krennic in the movie (and they were the three characters the book basically revolved around).

I'm definitely looking forward to Rebel Rising though as Jyn and Saw are two characters I feel invested in and am eager to read about.

I do like reading about non movie characters or very minor movie characters (infact I am really looking forward to Empire's End here in a few weeks as I have grown attached to all the characters in that series) but for some reason neither Galen or Lyra hit home with me.

 

I thought the book was not bad, although I felt I never really got into it very much until like the last 40 pages or so.

I think my favorite part was when Galen was alone with Jyn, and he realizes how obsessed and busy he’s been with his work lately. I liked Jyn in that scene. “You can be Brin if you want.” Awww…

And I have to admit that I was surprised how well Catalyst matched up with Rogue One. I thought it might not be very consistent, but it matched up nicely.

 

Did everyone see that they fixed Catalyst's placement on the timeline in the beginning of Empire's End? It's the right move, but it's interesting especially after they were so adamant it was like that before "for a reason."


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I saw that and was pleased. Not that I place much faith in this timeline. For me Battlefront Twilight company should be before ANH and ESB, as most of it takes place post Hoth.

I also noticed that The Perfect Weapon placement got shafted!

 

None of it takes place before ANH. And a good chunk of the novel takes place before Hoth, and the novel likely ends before Leia and Luke rejoin the fleet at the end of ESB. The placement makes more sense listing it before ESB than after it, because I don't think any of it takes place after ESB ends.

 

Sorry, you are quite right, I meant after ANH and before ESB! I still have it between the 2 films however as it to me is the best point to read the novel.

 

I've got Catalyst after Tarkin on my timeline. The bulk of it definitely takes place before Tarkin, but I tend to line up books by their end, and I feel like the end of Catalyst is after Tarkin. Am I wrong in thinking that?

 

I think so - Tarkin has just been reassigned to Sentinel Base - and it's not till later that Tarkin begins.

Catalyst is dated 22BBY-17BBY here:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Catalyst:_A_Rogue_One_Novel

And the Tarkin novel "begins" (not counting flashbacks) in 14BBY:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tarkin_(novel)

 

I must have misread Tarkin, I'll have to take another look. I thought the ending had Tarkin being assigned to the Death Star project, and he's clearly involved in Catalyst. I don't much bother with wookieepedia's timeline and years, that takes the fun out of trying to figure it out for myself. Thanks for the insight, though, I'll have to go back to Tarkin with Catalyst in mind.

 

My Bloodline paperback have this one.

 

Sometimes you have to wonder if the editors at Del Rey are actually paying attention to what they're putting out...

 

Actually, a healthy chunk of the book takes place before ANH. But, the main plot of the book does not, so its placement is fair.

 

Finally i bought this book, i am reading now Kenobi (i love read a canon-legends book, for read different SW things), after this, i will read Catalyst.

 

So, I really like RI and I would like to read Catalyst... but the synopsis worries me a bit as a massive PT fan, does the book retcons the scene below in any way?


That would really suck tbh.

 

My memory is no, the plans already exist and the Empire (specifically Krennik) is going after Galen Erso to finish work on the technical stuff. Trying to be vague to not give spoilers, the plans assume science that has not been perfected yet, but Erso is an expert in that field.

 

Thanks a lot @StoryWorthTelling.

 

Minor spoiler to answer your question... from a Seppie fan with love:

Spoiler

There are a ****ton of Geonosians in this book. And their role, while really a sidestory, is amusing.

 

Spoiler

Wait, the enslavement and exploitation of a confederate race is amusing to a Seppie fan??

I guess as long as it’s not the Muuns...