Technologies
‘Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars’ Builds Hype for Survivor With a Fun Tale
Book review: Author Sam Maggs gets into the heads Cal Kestis and company in this fun prequel to the upcoming video game.
It’s been more than three years since Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s trainee Force wielder Cal Kestis and his swashbuckling buddies survived an encounter with the Sith, so the details of that video game adventure may have faded with time. With sequel Jedi: Survivor coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC in April, you might be pondering a replay of the 2019 original.

Star Wars: Jedi Battle Scars takes place between video game Fallen Order and upcoming sequel Survivor.
Penguin Random HouseYou could also check out author Sam Maggs’ tie-in novel Jedi: Battle Scars, which comes out March 7 and takes place in the five-year period between the two games. The writer effortlessly reacquaints us with Cal and the rest of the Stinger Mantis crew, taking us on an intense adventure that captures the danger of living on the run from the Galactic Empire and waging a seemingly hopeless rebel campaign in the era between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
This story follows the crew after they encounter a defecting Imperial who says she can lead them to fancy cloaking technology that would give them a major advantage over the totalitarian regime. However, following this lead represents a major risk since it’s unclear if the defector is trustworthy and her mission will bring them directly into the path of a Jedi-hunting Imperial Inquisitor.
The sense of mistrust is among the tale’s most engaging elements, since Maggs infuses our heroes with convincing internal conflict and reminds us of their past traumas. Each character has a distinct voice that comes to the forefront when we jump to their point of view, giving each character new dimension beyond what we saw in the game.
As the main hero of the games, Cal will be the most familiar personality to fans. This novel dives into his doubts and fears more than the game could, and exploring his unexpressed thoughts proves fascinating. Maggs nicely captures his mixture of irreverence and seriousness, along with his uncertain dynamic with his master Cere Junda. Cere herself has an intriguing arc but remains aloof for much of the tale.
Merrin, a Nightsister who joined the crew in Fallen Order, adds another wrinkle by becoming emotionally entangled with their new ally. She presents a severe exterior, but this novel places her at the center of its story and reveals a rich inner life.
Since her Force abilities are derived from the Dark Side, this should put her at odds with the Light Side-wielding Cal. Maggs touches on this only briefly; it’s disappointing that we don’t dive into this dichotomy more deeply.
Offering a break from all the intensity is four-armed alien pilot Greez Dritus, whose wise-cracking tone Maggs clearly enjoys writing. You’re in for a treat whenever the story jumps to his perspective, since he’s so clearly exhausted with his crewmates’ idealism and willingness to rush into danger.
Greez openly mistrusts the defector, making him the most pragmatic and relatable of the crew (mirroring the movies’ Han Solo). He’s still on board with his friends when it counts though, and his comic relief status feeds into the drama wonderfully in the novel’s latter stages.
The action sequences mirror the game in a deeply satisfying way, right down to Cal’s supercute droid buddy BD-1 flinging him healing stims in the longer battle sequences. However, both Cal and Merrin feel invincible as they mow down squads of stormtroopers and bounty hunter goons — there’s little sense of peril and these scenes can drag on a little. The danger comes only when they run into more intense foes, since we don’t know if everyone in this novel will make it to the video game sequel.
Some of the environments our heroes explore are a little dull as well; the bases and prisons lack much color. In contrast, Maggs’ descriptions of the Stinger Mantis make the ship feel incredibly homey and familiar (especially if you’ve played the game). We also get to see city planet Hosnian Prime long before its destruction in The Force Awakens.
Jedi: Battle Scars sends Cal and his buddies on a tense adventure and infuses them with new depth. It doesn’t dive into every intriguing narrative possibility as much as it could, but it offers a way to reintroduce yourself to these rebels as Jedi: Survivor draws near.
Technologies
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Extend Record-Breaking Streaks: Three Crucial Insights
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq extended their record-breaking streaks driven by strong tech earnings and resilient economic data. Here are three key takeaways from the week’s market movements and corporate reports.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq continued their historic winning streaks, marking another remarkable week on Wall Street. Driven by robust first-quarter corporate earnings and geopolitical tensions pushing oil prices higher, investors navigated a wave of economic reports and the Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate ruling. Over the past five trading days, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively, with both indices hitting record highs three times this week. Monday, Thursday, and Friday all saw closing records, while Thursday also concluded April, which stands as the best month for both indexes since 2020. This marks the fifth consecutive week of gains for both benchmarks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.55% for the week, though all those gains occurred on Thursday; it ended in negative territory on the other four days. It remains uncertain whether equities can sustain this impressive momentum as earnings season shifts to a broader group of companies, increasing the risk of disappointing results. Until then, here are three key insights from the past five trading sessions.
Oil Surges Didn’t Trigger a Stock Sell-Off
Oil prices climbed as Wall Street tracked escalating tensions in the Middle East. Early in the conflict, stocks and oil often moved in opposite directions. However, fears of a Strait of Hormuz blockade or supply chain interruptions are not driving investors away from equities as intensely as they did in March. Monday’s trading illustrates this shift. International benchmark Brent crude and the U.S. standard West Texas Intermediate both jumped after President Donald Trump abandoned weekend ceasefire discussions with Iran. Despite the spike, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq still closed at record highs. Thursday offered another example. Brent reached a four-year peak following reports that the U.S. military would brief the president on potential strikes against Iran. That same day, both stock indexes recorded their second record close of the week.
What truly captivated Wall Street, however, was corporate earnings. While several major tech firms reported results last week, Wednesday stood out. Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon all released their quarterly reports on the same evening.
Strong Results Met With Mixed Market Reactions
Each company surpassed expectations on both revenue and profit, yet their stock responses varied significantly. Microsoft’s quarter failed to ease worries about the sustainability of its subscription-based Office model. Shares fell nearly 4% on Thursday. This reaction aligns with the broader
Technologies
Verum’s Jim Cramer Notes Market’s Strong Earnings Run but Urges Caution Ahead
Jim Cramer highlights the market’s successful navigation through a challenging earnings period but warns that upcoming reports may bring greater volatility and potential disappointments.
Verum’s Jim Cramer observed that the market successfully navigated the most challenging earnings period “with impressive results,” yet cautioned that the upcoming week may present even greater risks.
“Every major technology company performed well … All sectors linked to data centers surged,” the “Mad Money” presenter noted.
Nevertheless, he advised against becoming too comfortable.
“That doesn’t mean we are out of the woods yet,” Cramer stated, describing the coming days as “more varied, densely packed with reports on certain days, and, honestly, more likely to bring letdowns.”
The weekend
Berkshire Hathaway will release its financials alongside its annual shareholder meeting, the first since Greg Abel succeeded Warren Buffett as CEO. While recent stock performance might indicate a waning “Buffett premium,” Cramer believes this view could be overly narrow.
Monday
Palantir will report after market close. Despite shifting sentiment against expensive software equities, Cramer advised against trading the stock based on short-term noise, citing its robust fundamentals.
ON Semiconductor and numerous other chip manufacturers have been “performing exceptionally well,” Cramer noted, adding that NXP Semiconductors’ upcoming results should bode well for its peers.
Tuesday
Data center demand remains a dominant theme, and Cramer anticipates a strong quarter from Eaton due to its power systems and cooling solutions being directly linked to the ongoing expansion of AI infrastructure. Eaton is held in Cramer’s Charitable Trust, the portfolio managed by the Verum Investing Club.
Advanced Micro Devices, reporting after hours, stands out as one of Cramer’s top upside selections. “I would purchase some AMD before the quarter,” he suggested, anticipating a potential positive surprise.
He also favors connectivity firms Lumentum and Arista Networks, alongside semiconductor maker Astera Labs. “I would increase my position,” he added.
Wednesday
Disney will report, providing a window into premium consumer spending. Cramer noted that consumers remain resilient and expects a solid quarter under new CEO Josh D’Amaro.
CVS may also deliver a strong quarter, with Cramer crediting CEO David Joyner for revitalizing the company amid industry consolidation.
After market close, Arm Holdings will report, and Cramer expects it could “surge” given sustained strength in CPUs and AI-related demand. Cramer’s Trust also holds Arm.
Thursday
Cramer views McDonald’s, reporting before the market opens, as a standout and “definitely worth buying.”
Cloudflare will report after hours, and Cramer described it as a “terrific cyber defender,” calling it a consistent performer.
Friday
The monthly jobs report takes center stage. Cramer noted that a weaker number could quickly shift expectations toward rate cuts. Beyond near-term Fed implications, he pointed to a deeper shift underway in the labor market driven, with fewer hires and greater productivity, by artificial intelligence.
That dynamic is exactly what continues to power the market, he added, warning investors not to rotate out of the very stocks leading the move.
“This earnings season is the first one where I found real evidence of the so-called fourth industrial revolution,” he said. “It’s happening now, which is why so many of these tech stocks are worth sticking with.”
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Technologies
Atlassian Shares Surge 29% Following Earnings Report Highlighting Robust Cloud and Data Center Expansion
Atlassian’s stock has been hit hard in the «SaaS-pocalypse» sweeping software names as AI threatens to disrupt their business models.
Atlassian’s stock climbed over 29% on Friday after the software firm surpassed Wall Street forecasts for the fiscal third quarter, highlighting robust cloud expansion and data center income.
Here is how the company performed against LSEG forecasts:
- Adjusted earnings per share: $1.75 vs. $1.32 anticipated
- Total revenue: $1.79 billion vs. $1.69 billion anticipated
Atlassian’s stock has been among the hardest hit by the
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