The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron No Spoiler Review

Wow. Episode VIII was not what I, nor most other stars wars fans, expected. If you are anything like me, you were hoping for answers and understanding, but left with far more questions than answers. Of course the Star Wars Authoring Conglomerate knew how we would be feeling, so they had already begun their painfully slow release of literature to mop up and start to tie off some of the loose ends left frustratingly exposed.

Cobalt Squadron is a short novella describing the backstory of both Rose and Paige Tico and the heavy bomber squadrons of the Resistance Fleet. The novella starts just a short time before and concurrent to the events in “The Force Awakens” and ends immediately preceding the beginning of “The Last Jedi.” Cobalt Squadron is one of several heavy bomber squadrons assigned to deliver both heavy payloads of ordnance over enemy targets or sizeable supply drops to allies and others in need. Paige and Rose are inseparable, and make an amazing team on the crew of the Cobalt bomber Hammer, flying dangerous missions into First Order territory and surviving skirmishes with TIE fighters.

As Rose is basically the only new character in The Last Jedi, it is very fulfilling to learn more about her backstory. Paige and Rose came from a world ravished by the First Order war machine, and bring a righteous passion to their mission assignments to help other worlds in need. Seeing how inseparable the sisters are makes it all the more poignant to watch Paige sacrifice herself to rid the galaxy of a First Order Dreadnaught and buy some time for the fleeing, fleeting fleet.

I will be honest, I initially was not a fan of the new heavy bombers. We haven’t really seen anything like them in the Star Wars Universe. It felt like even though the technology should have been progressing forward, this was a significant leap back in warfare machines. The throwback to the WW2 bombers of the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-29 Superfortress was a bit weird and misplaced (the bomber was even referred to as a “StarFortress”). Why “drop” the bombs instead of launching them? Why fly “above” the target as if there were an “up” or “down “in a space battle? But I digress…

After reading Cobalt Squadron, I appreciate more the role of this ship as primarily an air to ground weapon in planetside operations. I can also appreciate the desperation of the Resistance fleet to scramble and use anything and everything they could do delay the First Order long enough to escape. I can also appreciate the bravery of the bomber crews, knowing they were not well equipped for the task at hand, but proceeding anyway.

In short, this novella did a great job helping me come to terms with my initial reactions to the bombers. It is a great read, with good character development, plenty of action, and that good ol’ fashioned Star Wars underdog feel. I recommend this read for all Star Wars fans!