By George & Josh Bate
Star Wars has always been political. George Lucas’ original film dealt with both overt and more covert political elements in his introduction to a galaxy far, far away divided by a tyrannical empire in 1977. Since then, countless stories set in the world Lucas created have explored political themes, procedures, and events. In chronicling the rise of the Galactic Empire from the ashes of the Republic, the prequel trilogy took politics to a different, more front-and-center position for the Star Wars franchise. Whereas the original trilogy’s exploration of politics was more thematic, for the prequels, politics were integral to understanding the plot, which followed Palpatine’s meticulous usage of political maneuvers to manipulate others and, eventually, reign supreme. Many found the politics of the prequels to be convoluted or overdone, especially as the films were initially released, but, over the years, fans have grown more receptive to more overt integrations of politics in Star Wars, as evidenced by the rousing success of Andor. Now, The Mask of Fear (Reign of the Empire), a new novel by Alexander Freed and the first of a planned trilogy, positions politics more centrally than ever and has quickly become one of our favorite Star Wars novels in recent years.
The Mask of Fear, the first installment of Random House Worlds’ Reign of the Empire trilogy, takes place approximately one year after the events of Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine has assumed the position of Emperor, almost entirely eliminated the Jedi, and reshaped the once peaceful Galactic Republic into a more insidious Galactic Empire. The book focuses on three characters, all who are well known to Star Wars fans at this point – Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Saw Gerrera. The three leads eventually become key figures in the rebellion and the eventual downfall of the Empire, but The Mask of Fear follows them in the early days of their rebel activities. The book’s chapters largely alternate from a focus on Mon, Bail, or Saw (or related side characters) as the three approach taking down the Empire in fundamentally different ways. Eventually though, their plans to weaken the Empire unexpectedly converge and highlight that defeating Palpatine’s regime will be more complex and testing than any of them anticipated.
It is clear in reading The Mask of Fear that this book exists and was created in a post-Andor era. The hit Disney+ series remains arguably the most universally praised Star Wars project in years and fans are eagerly awaiting the premiere of Season 2 in April. Freed’s novel, in more ways than one, feels like Andor Season 0, matching the series’ mature and grounded tone, penchant for more refined dialogue, and plot about the political maneuvers executed in secret to undermine the power of the Empire. In this sense, fans of Andor will find The Mask of Fear to be the perfect appetizer for Season 2, although this statement in isolation reduces the incredible writing and storytelling on display in Freed’s novel.
Alternating between different characters and occasionally featuring purposefully disorienting writing, the beginning of The Mask of Fear reads somewhat jumbled, yet, in the grand scheme of the book, this is a relatively small portion of an otherwise excellently told story that gets better and better as it goes along.
Out of the three lead characters, Mon Mothma is given the most prominence, largely due to the fact that the reader is given more access to her thoughts and motivations than the other two rebel leaders. Mothma seamlessly makes the transition from screen to page here as Freed writes the character in a manner perfectly consistent with the versions portrayed in Andor, Rogue One, and Return of the Jedi, while also portraying the character at an earlier stage in life and, as such, leaving plenty of room for growth and change. For instance, Mon’s relationship with Perrin is explored in the novel in a manner that recontextualizes how one will view their relationship as it is depicted in Andor. Readers are also given a glimpse into how the Delegation of 2,000 (which initially featured in a deleted scene of Revenge of the Sith) came to be and the specifics of the disastrous aftermath of the delegation for Mon. The main narrative surrounding Mon, meanwhile, focuses on the Senator’s plan to pass the Imperial Rebirth Act, a bill that will see the Emperor’s rule legitimized (and thus appeasing Palpatine) while also weakening his overreach across systems. Mon’s attempts to pass this bill align with Reintegration Day, which will see the former Separatists worlds reintegrated into the Empire after splitting from the Republic. The plot following Mon and the Imperial Rebirth Act proves to be the most engaging and interesting of the three co-occurring plots of The Mask of Fear. This plot is Star Wars at its most overtly political, embracing elements of the political thriller genre for a story that excites and creates suspense through dialogue and political maneuvers, rather than overt action.
Bail Organa serves as another of the novel’s three lead characters. The Senator from Alderaan also wishes to weaken the Emperor’s control of the Empire, but sees things differently than Mon. Bail’s plot follows the Senator as he uncovers evidence that key recordings implicating the Jedi as traitors of the Republic were falsified. Overall, Bail’s chapters of the book and the characters’ arc in the story revolve around Bail’s adoration for and loyalty to the Jedi. In the films and television series, Bail’s closeness to the Jedi is depicted, but never with the emotion and context underlying it as in The Mask of Fear. More than ever, we get to understand what drives Bail to so fervently fight the Empire as the Senator struggles to come to terms with the extermination of so many of his friends and an ideology he greatly admired. In addition to developing Bail and his relationship to the Jedi, Freed’s novel also deepens and adds nuance to the events surrounding the fall of the Jedi; for instance, providing fascinating details about how juvenile Jedi were dealt with post-Order 66.
Substantial parts of Bail’s story are told through the perspective of Haki, an agent of the Empire, who finds herself undercover working alongside Bail. Although Haki is an engaging character and it is nice to see an older woman given such a prominent role in the story, unfortunately, her role in the story tapers off, resulting in her vanishing for large chunks of the final act, before reemerging in the conclusion.
The final lead (or “lead,” as you’ll soon read) of the book is Saw Gerrera. Ideologically, Saw represents an entirely different kind of rebel than Mon and Bail, choosing violent and more open action as his tools to weaken the Empire. The Mask of Fear provides an interesting continuation of Saw’s story, bridging the gaps of where we saw him in The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch to where we eventually catch up with him in Andor, Rebels, and Rogue One. This third of the plot focuses on Saw and his group’s attempts to secure a Separatist weapons cache, which Saw plans to use in a strategic attack against the Empire. Out of the three primary characters, Saw is by far the least prominent (as another character, Soujen, steps in to play a bigger role), which may disappoint readers hoping to learn more about Saw’s innerworkings and motivation. The character is certainly given some grand speeches and great moments, but the novel never really tries to peel back the layers of Saw in the way that it does with Mon and Bail, hence us labeling Saw more as a “lead” than a lead.
In the absence of a prominent role for Saw, another character, who is situated alongside Saw for much of the story, plays a bigger part in the novel. This character is named Soujen, a former Separatist assassin who begins the novel in cryosleep unaware that the Separatist cause has failed. Left disoriented and struggling to conceptualize his place in the newly reshaped galaxy, Soujen reluctantly finds himself by the side of Saw, who takes an interest in the assassin. There hasn’t been a character quite like Soujen in canon. He is brutal, extremely well trained, violent, yet he is somehow sympathetic and almost pitiable. More than though, Soujen offers a degree of insight into the Separatist cause that no prior Star Wars story has accomplished. Through Soujen, the Separatist cause is given real authenticity and the Separatists are elevated far beyond generic bad guys. Unfortunately, however, the plot focusing on Soujen concludes disappointingly and leaves the reader with an empty feeling.
Another side character with some prominence in The Mask of Fear is Chemish, another agent of the Empire with ties to Haki. Chemish’s involvement in the story is fairly minimal, although it steps up substantially in a third act that intersects with Mon Mothma’s plot and involves the 4040s, a new fascinating group introduced to Star Wars. The 4040s are a group of radical supporters of the Empire, resorting to violence and all sorts of terrorist-like activity to champion Palpatine’s regime and rule. The 4040s serve as an interesting juxtaposition to the rebels we later know in Star Wars, given their tendency to engage in guerilla activities. However, unlike the rebels, the 4040s are motivated to keep Palpatine in charge and the Empire in power no matter what.
Through its three leads, side characters, and related plots, The Mask of Fear fascinatingly explores the political landscape of the Star Wars universe. Most centrally, it examines the ideological differences that arise when fighting tyranny, with each of the three leads having a different conception of how to take down the Empire and liberate the galaxy. There is more substance to this though as Freed also delves into the theme of sacrifice – both literal sacrifice of one’s life and sacrifice of one’s morals – for the greater good. This is a theme that was explored in Andor (as shown in that brilliant speech from Luthen Rael) and it is one that resonates strongly in The Mask of Fear.
Yet another intriguing element of Freed’s novel is the absence (yet, overwhelming presence) of Emperor Palpatine. The big bad of the Skywalker Saga does not feature in The Mask of Fear, but his fingerprints are all over a novel very much about Palpatine’s actions, his politics, and the danger he poses. In an ominous way, his presence is felt throughout, albeit figuratively rather than literally. The novel doesn’t really have a main antagonist (or really a notable, single antagonist at all), making Palpatine standout even more as he operates through the actions of the litany of Imperial officers, clone troopers, and more in the story.
VERDICT:
The Mask of Fear kicks off the Reign of the Empire trilogy of novels in resounding fashion by depicting Star Wars at its most political. Heavily leaning into the mature, grounded tone and themes of Andor, the novel feels like Andor Season 0 in the best possible way and will serve as the perfect appetizer for fans waiting to watch the second season of the hit show. An intelligently structured plot sees three key rebel figures from canon play central roles in a sprawling, intricate political thriller storyline that trades in overt action for more effective suspense through dialogue and political maneuvers. Mon Mothma is the standout, primarily as the audience is privy to her inner thoughts and motivations, and develops into an even more interesting character that will have readers reconceptualize elements of her from Andor. Additional depth is also provided to Bail Organa, although the novel fails to further develop Saw, who remains frustratingly underexplored. Greater success is found with the new character Soujen, a Separatist assassin unlike anything we’ve seen in canon before. The novel may read a tad disoriented at the start and one of the major plot threads concludes disappointingly, but it nonetheless is an enthralling read and the start to what is shaping up to be a must-have Star Wars trilogy of novels. Since 1977, Star Wars has been unafraid to get political. And, nearly 50 years later, the franchise proves that some of its greatest and most intense stories come about when politics are positioned more centrally, both thematically and narratively. That was the case with Andor, and that’s also the case with The Mask of Fear, one of the best Star Wars novels in recent years.
Star Wars: The Mask of Fear (Reign of the Empire) is out on February 25, 2025.
