“Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens” comes out in 310 days (Dec. 18) and will finally reveal the fallout from the destruction of the second Death Star and the fates of beloved “Star Wars” Original Trilogy characters like Luke, Leia, and Han. “Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens” will be our first on-screen look at these characters since the 1983 release of “Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.”

But whatever future “Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens” creates there will always be the alternate path blazed by the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe. Relegated to “Star Wars Legends” by Disney, the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe plots a rich future for the Rebel Alliance after the Battle of Endor. Most famous is the seminal “Star Wars” book series known as The Thrawn Trilogy.

The Thrawn Trilogy of novels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command), by Timothy Zahn, will not be the basis of “Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens,” but it remains one of the most consequential stories in the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe. While it may not be official “Star Wars” continuity anymore, there’s no way Disney and J.J. Abrams didn’t take a close look at The Thrawn Trilogy while developing “Star Wars 7.”

With that in mind, let’s read The Thrawn Trilogy together and imagine the “Star Wars” sequels that could have been.

“Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens” That Could Have Been

The Thrawn Trilogy

Heir to the Empire

“Star Wars” Thrawn Trilogy Vol. 1 – The Story So Far

Luke, Leia, and Han struggle to build a New Republic from the capitol planet of Coruscant. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Thrawn and a fleet of Imperial ships are seeking the power to destroy Luke Skywalker and the nascent New Republic government. While Thrawn’s grand design remains unknown, he has already gathered up Jorus C’baoth (a powerful Dark Jedi) and a strange lizard-creature that can produce powerful protections against The Force.

Chapter 5

In this week’s chapter of Heir to the Empire:

• Han Solo continues to look like a subservient and ineffective bureaucrat.

• Admiral Ackbar proves he’s more than just a famous line.

• The New Republic interim government recreates small town politics.

• Luke, Leia, and Han are sent out to maybe do something interesting.

Other "Star Wars 7" Book Club Chapters:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 1
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 2
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 3
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 4

So, I know it’s my fault for reading The Thrawn Trilogy one chapter at a time, but is anything going to happen in Heir to the Empire, or do I have to wait for Dark Force Rising before lightsaber pops out? Chapter 5 of The Thrawn Trilogy is all about a meeting of the New Republic council. This perpetuates Timothy Zahn’s very “Star Wars” prequel-like decision to have much of the action in the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe take place in meeting rooms and couches. The Thrawn Trilogy was part of a massive push on the part of Lucasfilm to reinvigorate the Star Wars universe. Heir to the Empire was an instant hit and a New York Times bestseller. So why did anyone think it was a good idea to reintroduce beloved Star Wars characters, let alone introduce new ones, by having the sequel to Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi open on a series of lunch meetings? Are we at a networking conference for Star Wars galaxy middle management?

That said, Chapter 5 of The Thrawn Trilogy does have some meat on its, uh, bantha bones. The New Republic Council meeting brings us the first Thrawn Trilogy appearance of Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma. Admiral Ackbar is an immediate standout; the kind of gruff, speaks his mind military man you would imagine providing counsel to a Viking king, except with fleshy barbels instead of a beard.

How The Thrawn Trilogy Fails Han Solo

It’s just too bad the elevation of Admiral Ackbar comes at Han Solo’s expense. Once again we have the worst imaginable portrayal of Han Solo. Part of the problem is that Han Solo is being given very un-Solo things to do, like trying to get trade flowing again. Worse is the disrespect he soaks up from the Council, especially a new character named Fey’lya. If you had never seen Star Wars and started with The Thrawn Trilogy there’d be no way to understand the Han Solo appeal.

Why is a supposedly brash rogue putting up with this crap? At one point Han even reflects to himself “he would have probably been furious at having a painstakingly crafted schedule flipped at the last minute like this. Leia’s diplomatic patience must be starting to rub off on him.” Let’s leave aside the fact that Han Solo has been reduced to getting stressed over scheduling changes, instead of real “Star Wars” problems like, I don’t know, maybe… flying “right through a star” or bouncing “too close to a supernova”? Maybe worse than Han Solo getting pissy about scheduling is that he just takes the abuse. Good for Han on the personal development I guess, but the appeal of his character isn’t his diplomatic tact.

Yes, I’m getting very hung up over a single sentence, but it’s hard to overstate just how much the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy Han Solo is mistreated in The Thrawn Trilogy so far. The biggest mistake The Thrawn Trilogy makes with Han is getting inside his head. This ties into a larger writing problem I have with The Thrawn Trilogy, so let’s come back to it in a bit.

The other New Republic Councilmembers fare better. Leia doesn’t have much to do, but it doesn’t matter much for this chapter. We get a bit more background on Mon Motha, specifically on how her open defiance of Emperor Palpatine lead directly to the formation of the Rebel Alliance. Though Mon Mothma has a relatively minor role in the “Star Wars” Original Trilogy, we good sense here that it was her backing up the heroic actions of Luke, Leia, and Han with logistics and a forward-thinking Rebel Alliance that had always planned for the political future of the Galaxy.

The only new character introduced on the New Republic Council is the ambitious Bothan, Fey’lya. Since Bothans are mentioned but never seen on-screen in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, we get our first idea of what they look like here. Fey’lya (getting sick of the Star Wars names loaded with apostrophes) has “violet eyes” and “cream-colored fur covering his body.” That’ll do. Fey’lya is also a tremendous asshole.

While I’m annoyed by how much of his crap Han Solo tolerates, Fey’lya is a pretty cool addition to the New Republic and the Rebel Alliance. He’s not motivated by heroics or any sort of good vs. evil conflict, Fey’lya just loves political power and wants more, like a Star Wars Littlefinger. Even cooler is how the Bothan councilmember earned his position by discovering the second Death Star. This puts the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi in a new light. Sure, many Bothans died, but maybe they died more for the political machinations of Fey’lya than any real dedication to the Rebel cause. Take note “Star Wars” Prequel Trilogy: this is how to complicate a simplistic narrative.

Politics: Not Like This… Not Like This

There’s still plenty of time for The Thrawn Trilogy to recapture some of that Star Wars magic. But even if the plot picks up, there’s little hope for one of the most annoying writing tics in The Thrawn Trilogy: the over-explication of gestures and glances. Star Wars is about broad strokes. At heart, Luke Skywalker is a simple character. So it just feels wrong that so much verbiage is spilled on piddling gestures. In just two pages Zahn describes three hand squeezes between Leia and Han Solo. Everyone is always “sensing” people “tense.” It’s hard to count how many looks are thrown, from the “apologetic look” to the “warning look” and back again. It just doesn’t feel very “Star Wars.”

How Star Wars Feelings Are Meant to Feel

While the constant description of body language is mostly just tedious, it’s downright disastrous for the character of Han Solo. A charismatic rogue depends on a certain looseness. We love characters like Han Solo, because, unlike us, he is not riddled with insecurities. He speaks his mind, even if it makes him look like a jackass (which he does constantly in “Star Wars”). Having Han Solo’s charm telegraphed and calculated destroys him.

Han Solo – Secretly “Star Wars” Dumb?

Chapter 5 of The Thrawn Trilogy does some fun stuff with Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar, while also introducing Fey’lya, making it one of the more enjoyable chapters of The Thrawn Trilogy so far. Unfortunately, nothing really happens. Han reports that he still hasn’t gotten the smugglers to comply with the New Republic, the councilmembers snipe at each other for a bit, and Mon Mothma ends by sending Han, Leia, and Luke off to Bimmisaari to bring the Bimms over to the New Republic cause. The chapter ends on a promise from Leia: “You, me, and Luke together again—it’ll be just old times.” Let’s hope she’s right.

Love Star Wars but never got into the Expanded Universe? Disagree with me on The Thrawn Trilogy so far? Prefer Malcolm Reynolds to Han Solo? Let me know in the comments or @AndWhalen.

Other "Star Wars 7" Book Club Chapters:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 1
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 2
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 3
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 4
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 6 and 7
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens That Could Have Been, Thrawn Trilogy Chapter 8 and 9