Books A/V The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary

Okay that’s what I thought good enough for me for now.

 

No not much from the end of the film and i'm gutted

 

The Visual Dictionaries never give stuff away from the last act (aside from general info on planets and the like). Big reveals like

Spoiler

the united fleet, Ahch-To, and the actual details of Palpatine's plan

would have been kept out to avoid spoilers.

 

OH i know just one can hope. would have been best to release this later maybe when the film comes out on blu ray but i understand that a book like this will sell better with the film at the cinema and xmas in a few days.

 

While it does lack visuals/info on the ships from the end, the book is EXCELLENT. Great images, tons of lore, tons of little tidbits about the state of the Galaxy, great character background, timelines, and so much more. I can't wait to dig into it deeper. Very, very well done.

Also- there ARE good shots of the new Sith Star Destroyer, the Resistance fighters, and stuff like that. Also- chapter 1 is a recap of the prior 2 movies with new info and pics, including a GORGEOUS angle of the MC85 Raddus.

--Adm. Nick

 

I agree. I'm a big fan of the writing, especially how Pablo manages to not so much retcon certain previous bits of lore to work with TROS, but is able to...smooth things over, make connections, and generally demonstrate a fantastic understanding of the saga as a whole to weave everything together. I think having read this will definitely improve TROS on my next viewing.

 

Quick questions x 2

Spoiler

Does it give a name for Pryde/Hux/Ren's Resurgent class Star Destroyer, or is it just the Finalizer again. Also anything about these walkers on kijimi? [/Spoilers]

 

Spoiler

VD says Hux and Kylo transferred to Pryde's Steadfast after a disastrous battle over Batuu in which the Finalizer took heavy damage.

 

Spoiler

They're said to be named after ancient Sith Lords, though. The list so far is Revan, Andeddu, Tanis, Tenebrous, Phobos and Desolous.

 

Spoiler

Guess Revan landed in the Sith side of the afterlife then. Oh well.

 

press F to pay respects

 

I wonder if this means

Spoiler

Did he ever become a Jedi again? Maybe they’ll make future content of him where he stays evil.

 

Spoiler

this is my fav visdic ever!

So much Legends returns... and not just that. There even are quotes that look like they are referencing Supernatural Encounters, universes before this universe, a multiverse, and various differing accounts of history... One Canon for the win!

 

Spoiler

According to the Senate, evil is a point of view.

 

Spoiler

Connix looks like she raided someone's closet.

 

I was wondering where I recognized TIE Daggers from.

it’s actually the TIE interceptors in Rogue Squadron before the gap in their wings renders from a distance!

 

I read the book in French, that's why. It is indeed Sith Eternal.

Dai Bendu are mentionned too! They have a temple on Kajimi.

 

Yes! My favorite ancient Sith is back.

 

Best part of this VD

 

Spoiler

I mean, in Legends Darth Bane showed a tremendous amount of Respect to Revan regardless of the fact that he rejoined the Jedi.
It's possible that is an aspect of his life the Sith would just as soon forget.

Spoiler

I thought that was Mustafar! I saw the red planet and immediately wondered if it was. But then we pan to Kylo Ren killing a bunch of people in what looks to be a forest so I dismissed the thought.

​

 

So I read this...

There's a ton of new info in this book that sorts through a ton of ST lore and plot points.

Off the top of my head... (Some major spoilers ahead for the film if you have not seen it.)

Spoiler

1. Snoke was created by the Sith Eternal Cultists, possibly even before Palpatine died. He was absolutely a part of Palpatine's contingency plan, and his death was a minor setback as worst. His species and age are unknown "possibly unique", but Exegol is his home planet. His entire purpose was explicitly stated to be a trainer/test for Kylo to ensure he was ready to "inherit the Sith Legacy". Though he was also useful as a puppet to lead the First Order. It is again confirmed that he took over leadership from Rae Sloane, Brendol Hux, and Pryde.
2. Mustafar is the planet at the start of the film. The species you see Kylo fighting at the start of IX are Vader worshiping cultists who pilgrimage to Mustafar. Vader's castle is in ruins by this era. The Mask reforging scene was also on Mustafar.
3. Kif Bar is the moon of Endor, one of 9. It is an ocean moon, and where the DSII remnants landed. The Forest moon is simply called... Forest Moon.
4. The First Order that we're familiar with began when a group of Centrist systems unleashed a separatist movement (exact phrase used) from the New Republic 5 years BSI (Before Starkiller Incident, the calender used in the book). Before this, they had only operated in secret, using the Centrists in the NR Senate as their front, and using proxy armies like the Amaxine warriors to gain funds/resources, cause chaos for them. A lot of these events were discussed in the novel bloodlines, but this clarifies the timeline more.
5. Luke trained Ben at age 11 until 6 years BSI (Same Year as Leia's identity was ousted in Bloodlines). He trained him for 13 years total. Luke's Jedi order likely began this same year.
6. STARKILLER BASE IS ILLUM, CONFIRMED. Darth Tanis was the Sith Lord who created the weapon on Malachor 4000 years BSI. The ship's weapon was also intentionally engineered so you can see its effects from outside hyperspace in multiple systems, and it was built based on experimental Imperial tech after Sheev fell.
7. Exegol is one of the oldest Sith worlds and one of their deepest secrets in the unknown Regions. The Sith who run Palaptine's plan are part of the Sith Eternal Cult, and they are responsible for the entire events of everything you see in the ST, having operated behind the scenes to build power for decades, at Sheev's command.
8. The Sith Troopers and officers are not clones, but kidnapped children from Exegol and the surrounding systems that have been grown and reconditioned continually to be loyal. The reconditioning process is a more advance version of the clone flash training programs from the clone wars era despite them being separate beings. They have legions of soldiers named after ancient EU Sith like Revan, Teneborus, and Andeddu. This re-canonizes their names, at the very least. Ziost, Korriban, Malachor, Jaguada, Rhelg, Tython, Ossus, and other ancient worlds are also referenced.
9. Luke died because he put his living force energy deep into the cosmic force, which allowed him to project anywhere at great cost. The effects of this were so strong that when he let go, he became one with the force and died.
10. THE DYAD IS A SITH PROPHESY! They show the SIth runes and language that make up the prophesy, and it is said to be nearly identical to the language with forms the basis of the Rule of Two, with only a few symbols changed. The Rule of Two may even be based off of this text (my own speculation).
11. It is strongly implied that Palpatine died, but was resurrected. The exact mechanisms of which are not laid out unless I missed the text about it. This appears to be all part of his contingency, including what we saw play out in the Aftermath books.
12. From Aftermath, Yupe Tashu and the Acolytes of the Beyond are members of the Sith Eternal cult and were in on his plans.
13. Rey was left on Jakku when she was 6 years old.
14. The Knights of Ren are rumored to either be the decedents of or based on a myth of ancient marauders who travel and raid worlds in the unknown regions. They do not seem to be explicitly Sith, but rather are recruited and ally with them. Each member gets their own full name and entry in this book.
15. Luke and Lando searched for Exegol together, and tracked Ochi's ship the same year he murdered Rey's parents.
16. Leia has Han's medal in the film, and I'm pretty sure this is what Maz gives to Chewbacca at the end, so he sould have 2. (He was given a separate one after A New Hope in another story)
17. Poe was a spice runner when he rebelled at Age 16, but he later reformed and returned to the New Republic, before joining the Resistance. This means his backstory from the film fits with his canon story from other material.
18. Chris Terrio writes the forward intro and endorses Pablo directly, so it is clear that much of this info must come from ideas they discussed when writing the film. It came out the same day as the film's release, so it's not as if this info is a retcon of Episode 9 itself.

Overall, I very strongly recommend reading this book if you can. It clarifies concepts and mysteries that have been part of the entire sequel trilogy, as well as detailing numerous new characters, worlds, and ideas featured in the film itself. These were just some of the most important elements I had time to read. I'm sure more details will make it online very soon. Also keep in mind that the film was written with these facts as part of the intended history.
That's all I can think of for now, but there's a lot more in this book. They really go all out at clearing up numerous plot points and revealing many secrets here that are only touched/hinted in the film itself. It actually makes me feel a lot better about the trilogy as a whole, as it goes to show that the lore/canon is being taken seriously this time.

 

Spoiler

As per Vader Immortal's story, Mustafar has begun to transition back into a habitable planet. Perhaps this is a tie-in and a look at that

 

Are these actual references, or just connections to the same source material?

 

Odan-Urr's back too

Guess a big part of Old Republic history from Legends also happened in canon

Edit: Forgot to mentioned one of the best parts they brought back Korriban as the old name of Moraband