Interview: Beth Revis and Bold Hope in ‘The Princess and the Scoundrel’
Hope. A single word which ignites so many wonderful elements in our lives and the stories we tell each other. The latest Star Wars novel, The Princess and the Scoundrel, binds that theme which brings author Beth Revis back to the galaxy far, far away. Leia and Han, at the end of a brutal war and the dawning prospect of peace, find hope in one another.
The Princess and the Scoundrel tells the story of their wedding, but it’s more a reflection on who these characters are and what they’ve overcome to find their hope – one they will share together. It’s a story about making each moment count when you’re staring back at the person you know will cherish you as you cherish them. I had the opportunity to speak with Beth about this beautiful story and everything she poured into it.
If you haven’t added The Princess and the Scoundrel to your bookshelf, it’s available now and I highly recommend it. Make sure to check out our full review here. This interview contains some mild spoilers, so if you want to go into the story fresh, come back here after you’ve had a chance to experience the story for yourself.
Whenever I get the opportunity to speak with a creator working in the Star Wars universe, the question I first go to are what themes resonate in them and bring them back to this modern mythology. Beth’s answer didn’t disappoint and anyone who reads The Princess and the Scoundrel will feel her favorite theme resonate in the text.
When it comes to Star Wars specifically I always come back to the theme Leia brings up in the first film which is hope. To me, every Star Wars story revolves around hope. As I was writing The Princess and the Scoundrel I realized I was actually writing about what happens after hope. We spend so much time thinking we have to get through the battle. We have to get through the war. Then they do and then and they have to face the reality of life after the battle. And there’s a life where you don’t have anything else to hope for because your hopes have come true. So what’s on the other side of that? Love, joy, and taking time for yourself.
There is a wealth of stories about Han and Leia, both their individual stories from before they meet in the original trilogy. The Princess and the Scoundrel is a huge moment, when their lives are unified in marriage. It’s the beginning of a new journey for them. I was curious what stories Beth drew while writing this story.
The Shattered Empire series by Greg Rucka was a big one. When Han discovers the Imperial facility in the first issue and says “It’s not over yet” became a huge part of how I wrote him. I read a lot of Claudia Gray’s books. Claudia Gray is the master of writing Leia, especially Bloodline. Even though it takes place years after my story, knowing where she ends up became a huge focus. I was trying to build the foundation of the things that happen which lead to Bloodline. I also reflected on her Leia, Princess of Alderaan book, especially some of the traditions they have on Alderaan and the family moments.
Leia has a powerful scene in the opening chapters of The Princess and the Scoundrel. Upon learning Luke is her brother, she is confronted with the truth Darth Vader is her biological father. The person who tortured her on the Death Star, forced her to watch the destruction of her home planet, and helped bring decades of terror upon the galaxy. The timeline of this novel gave Beth the opportunity to allow Leia to confront this truth and begin processing all the trauma it triggered. These chapters are my favorite part of the novel. While reading, I wondered if Beth intended to go there from the beginning or if she came back in revisions and editing.
That was one of the things that did not change at all. All the way through chapter six. That was a pivotal scene which sold me on writing this book. Almost more than the Han and Leia relationship. I wanted to talk about Leia and her grappling with Vader as her father. And as soon as I heard the pitch, instead of thinking of Han and Leia kissing, I thought of Leia going to that funeral pyre and how she would react to seeing that. And I was like “I get to write that?!” It was always going to start right there.
Han and Leia’s story doesn’t end on the happiest note by the end of the Skywalker saga. When we meet them in The Force Awakens, their love is still apparent but their union fractured. Their son has joined the evil forces they’ve always vowed to fight and this grief unraveled their marriage. In The Princess and the Scoundrel, Beth doesn’t plant any harbingers of this fate, but I wondered how she was able to keep this story in a vacuum of the ominous future awaiting Leia and Han.
It was something I had to consciously remove myself from. Because even though I know how Han and Leia end up, they don’t know how they end up. Every time I found myself slipping into foreshadow I would consciously pull back. They’re in this moment. This is very much a carpe diem, seize the day type of story. There’s a little foreshadowing in the way their rings are portrayed. Even though we see Han and Leia separated in the sequel trilogy, I still think they love each other. I don’t think they’ve fallen out of love in any way, shape, or form. I think the stress of having their child turn into something they didn’t want their child to be has driven them a little bit apart. They never stopped loving Ben, no matter what he became. No matter how they shifted their own relationship they still love each other. It’s love, that’s the force that binds them together.
Beth’s love of both characters is apparent in The Princess and the Scoundrel. I always assume it must be so much fun to write beloved characters like Han and Leia. Star Wars is at its best when it’s a love story, in my opinion. I asked what it’s like to write a love story in the Star Wars universe, especially for characters like these two.
The wedding itself was fun. But then the story keeps going. Their love story keeps going. Past the wedding, past the big cinematic scenes of love. The love exists in all the tiny details, each day, as they build their lives together.
The Princess and the Scoundrel spends a substantial amount of time aboard the Halcyon Legacy, which is part of Disney Parks new Star Wars attraction. While it’s easy to roll your eyes and think this may be some sort of advertisement for the parent company, Beth’s inclusion of the Halcyon Legacy is seamless and didn’t take me out of the story at all. It’s a delightful setting for Han and Leia’s honeymoon. I remained curious if the inclusion of the Halcyon Legacy felt constraining to Beth in any way.
It was just a setting to explore. It was really fun to look at the plans and the different elements being designed, being able to decide which ones I could drop into the story or have them go beyond. When you’re actually there, you’ll see doors which read “CREW MEMBERS ONLY” so I was able to have Han walk through those doors. Hopefully when people are there this helps them think of it as a ship and not just a hotel.
Without getting too deep into spoilers, Beth introduces a new culture and planet to the Star Wars galaxy, the Madur. Beth provides a rich history for the Madur, but when we meet them their planet has been greatly affected by the Empire. It’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to speak with an author about what it’s like to do world-building in the galaxy far, far away and Beth was very generous with her answer. Embarrassingly, the first thing I had to ask about was the correct pronunciation of their name, which Beth shared is a tribute for two of science-fiction’s greatest authors.
The Madur are named as a tribute to Madeleine L’Engle and Ursula K. Le Guin. It was probably the most difficult setting. Lucasfilm gave me full free-rein. They’re fantastic to work with. They really value the integrity of the writing craft. I used Hoth as a template. Researching the book, I watched the original trilogy multiple times. Such laborious hard, research… poor me, ha ha. While I thought I’d lean heavier on Return of the Jedi, I found myself going back to Empire. I began to draw from Empire in ways I didn’t expect. They fall in love over the course of Empire and it ends with the confession of love and then Han gets frozen. Han is in stasis and when he comes out of it in Return of the Jedi, it’s only a couple of days for him to recover from being frozen. So I wanted to play on Hoth as the foundation of their love story but then the coldness of an ice planet, Han being frozen in carbonite, and that being a trigger for him to recall some of the trauma and terror of being frozen. That’s where the ice came from for the Madur. But then of course the Empire had to mess it up. So I had to create a civilization which existed on its own, which meant they needed to be completely independent. They had to have a system of living, a system of government, and their own resources which let them thrive on an ice planet before the Empire messed everything up. It was a really complex element of world building which I didn’t realize would become as complex as it did. At first, I was like, “Oh, an ice planet! That sounds poetic” and then I had to figure out how they were going to eat (laughs).
Beth’s writing is sublime, so I had to know what she’s working on next and also if she’s hoping to come back to Star Wars after the success of The Princess and the Scoundrel.
I currently have a serial novel, Museum of Magic, that I’m publishing online and structure like a D&D game for my readers. Every week I do dice rolls and the readers get to vote at the end for how the next episode is going to go. It’s available on Patreon and Kindle Vella. Also, my next book was just announced. It’s called Night of the Witch and it’s a co-written, historical-fantasy novel about the Trier witch trials in Germany. Star Wars has me for life. I’ll come back any time they’ll have me. I’m a loyal fan but I’m also loyal to the people because every single person I’ve worked with in Lucasfilm, they’re just solid gold. I love them. They are truly among the best publishing people I’ve ever worked with.
The Princess and the Scoundrel is available where books are sold. I highly recommend this novel, especially to folks looking for some love and hope right now. It’s a bright light and a wonderful addition to Star Wars. Please join me in a huge thank you to Beth for taking some time out of her day to share her experience writing this wonderful story. And a huge congratulations on making the New York Times Bestseller List!
Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.
