SOCL

Dude, you've been Ultra-BEAKed. Truly, sorry. I haven't actually read it, though...

For once, Tofu, we agree. I really did not like Prime because of Salvatore's style, but was VERY happy to see that the main characters were fair game. Too bad Ackbar was the only other movie character to die in the NJO. I was hoping Luke or Han or someone, but then... In any event, Slavatore was originally slated to write the ROTS novelization, but the contract went to Matthew Stover, probably due to 1) Salvatore's refusal to ever work for/with Star Wars again and 2) fan backlash from Prime.

At one point I had an empire with one two to three ISDs per planet with at least four VSDs, two Lancers, and a hell of a lot of other support vessels in each system. I also had a single SSD with a large support fleet of Strikes and a full-equipped Escort Carrier per sector, patrolling and providing backup for any systems under attack. Then I had one Death Star for what I called every "Oversector", or every three secots geographically close to each other, constantly moving from the planets I designated as the capital of each sector. Each DS had a full compliment of fighters, an Escort Carrier similarly equipped, three lancers, and numerous ISDs/VSDs and other support warships. Eventually, I noticed every time I moved the DS from one sector to another, the support would drop off in the sector with the DS. So, if you use the DS, people hate you, but if you keep it in-sector, then they're scared into loving you. I summarily built one per sector. Too bad I got rid of that game because then I could have tried Evaders' idea.

I'm late to the party... -certain kinds of jazz (ask Jahled) -British pop -alternative -certain kinds of rap -rock (not heavy metal, though) Here are a few bands I listen to, to give you an idea: The Seatbelts, Gorillaz, matchbox twenty, Blur, Led Zeppelin, Gun 'N Roses, System of a Down, Fela Kuti (Africa '70), Yoko Kanno, Tchiakovsky, Billy Joel, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Doves, Sparta, Franz Ferdinand, Keafe, Moby, Paul van Dyke... You get the idea.

Forgive me for posting only snippets, but I'll post it as it comes. At least you'll be able to tell where I've run out of time to write for the time being. I should also explain when scenes fade in and out of pre-exisitng scenes in the novels, namely Specter and Vision. The first scene takes place not long after Pellaeon talks with the Moff Council in Specter and sends Colonel Vermel to contact Garm Bel Iblis. Here's some more, short and probably boring. Thanks for the feedback so far. More, please! And don't be shy; let me know if it's truly boring. -------------------------------- With a quiet hiss, the door opened, and without drawing attention to himself, Captain Ardiff entered and gave Pellaeon a stiff nod. Everyone was present. With a long, deep breath, Pellaeon straightened himself to the posture he believed suited a man of his rank and post in the fleet, though he did not feel as such. A few of those gathered, those who knew him best, saw the motion and understood it. The low hum of conversation fell to a murmur and then silenced. “Please, be seated,â€

I hate to say this as I follow Saxton, but it's called revisionist history, namely concerning canon. It's constantly happening under the guise of "retcon" and will continue to happen until one day what we saw as Star Wars will be nothing more than a shadow of its former self and glory. I think it's good to apply logic to the serious understanding of Star Wars, but I do not--can not agree with this wave of "change all".

This is a short fan-fiction I've been throwing around for a few years, but only recently (today) got around to starting it. It surrounds Pellaeon as a Fleet Admiral and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet in the last weeks/months leading up to the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty 19 years after the Battle of Yavin. As you can imagine this relies heavily on Tim Zahn's Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future, but also alludes to much in Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, and Darksaber. Personally, I would call the story a character study as it has nearly no action, but rather focuses on Pellaeon and his feelings of guilt for failing Thrawn's vision for the Empire. It'll also study Pellaeon's adoration for the Chiss Grand Admiral and the post-trauma disorders Pellaeon suffers from concerning the numerous battles he's been in, especially Operation Shadow Hand and the Battle of Duro where he lost the Chimaera. I am also including some of the most of the very minor characters present in the above named novels and their relationship to Pellaeon and his decision to sue for peace with the New Republic. The working title is "Lost Glory", though I also fiddled with "Glory Denied". If anyone has a better title, let me know; I'm open to suggestions. I warn you, this is a work in severe progress, which means this starting point is likely temporary. I will edit matters and add to the beginning and the end as I write it. For now, enjoy and let me know what you think. -SOCL -------------------------------------------------------- Lost Glory Thrawn's original fleet officers, Pellaeon's most trusted subordinates. In those days, in the time when the Empire once more had come to life, they'd been rivals, each seeking the Grand Admiral's favor. To have a Grand Admiral select one's vessel as not only his personal flagship, but flagship of the entire fleet, was honor beyond anything they could have dreamed. In the days of the Emperor, being captain of a flagship meant assured promotion to the Admiralty, but now there were too many admirals and too few competent ones, captains and crewers alike. Being Captain of an admiral's flagship meant you possessed something others did not. So it was no secret that when Grand Admiral Thrawn chose the Chimaera as his flagship and living quarters, the others had come to resent Pellaeon for he now had Thrawn's ear as his personal aide and de facto second-in-command. Relations before Thrawn's arrival had been professional, the others following Pellaeon solely based on the Chimaera's status in the closing moments of the Endor, not on rank or merit, for they were all of the same rank and standing within the command structure; indeed, if not for the death of the original captain of the Chimaera's at Endor, Pellaeon would have been nothing but another fleet officer. No such luck, and nine years later, relations among the Star Destroyer commanders were cold and quite sour. But if Thrawn's arrival had, at a personal level, kept them apart over petty jealousy, then the events that preceded the Grand Admiral's death had matured them all. What they had seen following their commander's death had been nothing short of shameful. Their resolve, though shaken, was still guided by Thrawn's purposeful command, as though the Grand Admiral's spirit had alone been enough to keep them in line, and so, despite earlier aversion, they were determined to remain together if only to be an example unto the rest of the Empire and not fall prey to the dividing forces of the fanatical warlords, bleeding the Empire of its life. This fact, their ability to withstand a great defeat and remain united for a common cause, had been the reason the reborn Emperor had placed them all at the top of his list of commanders in the fleet. It came as no surprise that when planning for Operation Shadow Hand was conducted, "Thrawn's armada", as they were called, were tagged. Each man captain was promoted to the head of various squadrons and task forces, divided among the more raw and less-favored forces under the theory that if every man was not perfect, then they could at least be lead by competent commanders. Once more they'd seen the Empire rise from the ashes of Endor and, more recently, the ashes of Bilbringi. And be utterly defeated. Pellaeon had lost his ship in combat and a better portion of his crew, divided among the squabbling fools who had inherited the pitiful remnants of the Galactic Empire. The Judicator and Death's Head remained in the Outer Rim with warlords there, while others died in the great retreats that had so characterized the many engagements the Empire had undertaken. Pellaeon remained with the other half of the forces, stranded in the Core, and with no true hope for success had cast his lot with Teradoc, the one with the largest force and, in theory, the greatest chance of reuniting the Empire, but Teradoc's vision of the Empire varied with Pellaeon's for rather than seeking to unite the Empire, he sought personal glory. For his part, Pellaeon did all he could to keep some form of discipline and Imperial pride within his part of the fleet, training and otherwise doing wonders with Teradoc's flotilla of Victory-class Star Destroyers, Crimson Command, but everything he did felt too little, too late. And then came Daala. Admiral Daala, freelance ambassador between the forces of the Deep Core, she'd taken the reigns of command from the warlords by sheer force of will, murdering them and uniting their forces. At first, no one had known was to expect and half thought she would behave like Ysanne Isard, essentially crowning herself Empress, but none of that happened. She took on the formal military title of Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet and swore to lead until another, more politically-minded person became apparent. But where Daala achieved unification, she failed in action for she had a single weakness: revenge. Revenge against Skywalker and the Jedi for the destruction of her command years before and the death of her lover, Grand Moff Tarkin, aboard the Death Star. For all he bravado and might, Daala had only been another warlord, bent on carrying out a personal agenda. To her credit, she'd begun the process that had eventually brought them here, to this place, but at what cost? Warships, competent commanders and crewers, and resources lost at the hands of trainee Jedi. What good had it truly done? Pellaeon sighed heavily. It had been then, and only then, that he'd realized following the lead of others would take them nowhere except disaster. Hesitantly, reluctantly, Pellaeon had taken the reigns of command. He was no Thrawn, but he hadn't any other choices: he would unite the pathetic pieces of a divided Empire, or die trying. He allowed himself a flicker of praise. He'd been marginally successful, leading the forces of the Core to unification with the Rim, but they'd been marginal, nothing more. Perhaps if he had taken command sooner, before the disasters in the Deep Core and Yavin IV--it wouldn't have mattered, he told himself. They'd lost, which was precisely why he'd sent an emissary to the Rebellion-- He closed his eyes. To the Republic to ask for peace. Where had the spark of idealism and patriotism gone for a cause greater than any one man gone? Should he not be dead before the Empire ever acquiesced to surrender? Under his command? He turned away from the viewport and glanced around the room at the officers assembled in the Chimaera's officers wardroom and found realization. Wherever it had gone, it had left his peers, companions, and indeed friends as well. They'd been with him since Endor, since Thrawn--through it all, and they, like he, understood the reality of the matter. The Empire was defeated.

And here I thought I had killed this thread w/ my last comment. Maybe I should have, seeing as I only wounded it. Just messing w/ you, SOCL. It's okay. I deserved that one.

Can't blame Salvatore for Chewie's death...well, I guess you can, but it's not really fair. He didn't come up with the idea and when they told him to do it, he nearly pulled out of the project all together saying that it would probably result in death-threats. What's sad and pitiful is that the Star Wars fan-base didn't disappoint this fear, namely, people actually did send Salvatore death threats for having Chewie die in Vector Prime, which drove him completely away from Star Wars, hence why he has no other novels. It's sad that these fanatics decided to behave so stupidly and child-like, but now Salvatore is basically an alienated person who, though makes sales for his novels, makes far fewer (FAR fewer) than he did before Vector Prime. Again, it's sad that his only real experience with Star Wars was completely negative, and I'm ashamed to think of that point in the history of the Star Wars fan-base. In any event, what I was saying, though, is that Chewie's death was not Salvatore's idea; indeed, he nearly left the project outright when they told him to do it. The fellow how came up with the idea for Chewie's death (incidentally long before Salvatore signed on) is the Vice President for Dark Horse, Randy Stradley. If the fans should be angry at anyone, it should probably be him, though I say: Get over it. EDIT: That last bit wasn't directed at you in particular, Mitth, but rather the fan-base that just won't let it go and continues to bad-mouth (and even threaten) Salvatore.

Allston is one of my favorite authors in the EU. He seems to capture that perfect balance between humor and sincerity--take a look at his X-Wing Wraith Squadron novels. As for the authors of the Legacy novels, I think they're a pretty good crew, but they each have their own seperate backgrounds. Of course, we know Allston and his SW background. Traviss, though, comes from a completely non-Star Wars background and has, herself, admitted she takes no interest in any of the other Star Wars novels, taking no interest in reading them in preference to being "briefed" by LucasFilm about the overall plots. Traviss's writing, though, is very distinctly science fiction and, as she has stated, she writes Star Wars from a sci-fi perspective, not a fantasy one, which makes her writing quite different from the movies. Sci-fi in these terms is used in the older definition, that is to say, near-future/future technology perspective. Star Wars is distinctly fantasy in that it has nothing to do with our universe; it is only sci-fi because it incorporates what we consider to be "futuristic technology" (despite taking place a "long time ago"). Denning, for his part, is near polar opposite of Traviss. Whereas Traviss comes from a sci-fi/journalist background, Denning comes from a fantasy/novelist background, so his writing is bound to be vastly different from Traviss and even Allston. He, though, is an important figure at LucasFilm and for the EU in general since he has basically taken over the reigns of managing the EU following Stackpole's apparent "semi-retirement" from Star Wars; indeed, Stackpole has written very little since the Dark Tide duology in the early NJO. Despite not being one of the Legacy authors, I'd also like to say something about Tim Zahn. Zahn comes from a sci-fi background, but his works are very closely related to the original Star Wars in that they use many, many, many elements of fantasy in the underlying themes and storylines. This is likely why he was chosen to write the first Star Wars novels, but for all his popularity is a rather sporadic member of the "EU author club" and mostly remains within his own little sub-universe of Star Wars, rarely going outside it. I think that the Hand of Thrawn duology was really the closest he got to exploring others' works, and that was only in using his friend, Stackpole's, characters and plots and then went on to criticize the other authors through conversations between Luke and Mara Jade. Following this, I think his status has got to his head--according to friends who have met him, he seems to be rather arrogant and thinks quite highly of himself and his plots and characters. In any event, I would say that he, like Lucas, was once good, but has grown progressively worse. Well, those are my few cents.

That really depends on the planet's density, not size.

I'll agree. Zahn's books have gotten proportionally worse since Heir to the Empire. But, um, I do not like Stackpole.

I think that every time I even think of that site, but I like the fact someone thought that much about Star Wars and actually did a decent job at it.

Your take on the NJO is interesting. Indeed, I think the NJO served to wrap up all the lose ends from the original EU (Bakura to Vision of the Future) along with setting the stage for the future. I actually think that the Legacy era is probably among the best things to come out of LucasFilm since the old-school Tales of the Jedi comics, but that's just me... Additionally, I don't really understand why people hate Children of the Jedi, Darksaber, Planet of Twilight, Crystal Star, and the Black Fleet Crisis so much. I actually rather liked them. All of them, for that matter. But then, I can't stand Stackpole and, for most, the "standard" is apparently set by him...

Jeez...man. Oh...uh... I don't want to say sorry because I know a lot of people hate pity, but still... My sympathies, bro.

Actually, because of my new hair, I at first thought I was the kid with the "emo" shirt. But then realized you hadn't seen a good photo of the fauxhawk.

Basically, anything besides being a 100% loyal can make a character fail a recruiting mission. Anything that isn't Empire-favourable, that is.

That was actually pretty funny. Perhaps it could be made into an animated GIF wherein it goes from slide to slide...that way I can be lazy and just click on one link. Very good, Tofu. I think I get it, though I'm insulted you did not include a rendition of your favourite moderator.

If you think of yourself as Vader: "Is that my respirator, or..." Never mind, it doesn't make much sense.

As in helped write articles. I can say, I have, mostly over the history of various U.S. Army divisions. But that's not important. Despite my participation on Wikipedia, I do not believe it is at all useful as a scholarly source--it's not. Basically, it's good if you're going to try to find some quick information or if you need some help outlining a particular event in history, but the fact of the matter is, there are no checks on the research (if any is done) and most no one cites their sources. In the end, if written convincingly, anyone can write anything, and in the words of author Karen Traviss, "...whoever screams the most writes history." I had a professor who would fail students on their research paper if they tried using Wikipedia as a scholarly source, something I don't fully support, but I wouldn't hesitate to fail anyone's final paper who turned it in with the source after being told not to use it. In fact, something like that happened recently... Anyway. If you need quick info, okay, but you want REAL info, read a book!

As far as the EU goes, every character related to the Hand of Thrawn and the Empire of the Hand have been 100% underused, especially since the Hand of Thrawn disappears sometime during the Vong War. Voss Parck, Soontir Fel, and the Chiss in general. Then again, I given the general low quality of material coming from LucasFilm-and-related, I would prefer they left it alone and not ruin it like they did the Clone Wars. At least then there is some mystery.

If Lucas had control of a good movie series and classic, respectively: Jaws

This site was always a great scientific source for SW. HA! TAKE THAT! I told you all of you so!

Though a little late, I don't think we should be able to simply vote out what we don't want. We can't do that in real-life history and we shouldn't be able to do that with Star Wars. Interestingly, though, it seems a group of people within the Star Wars community has decided they are displeased with the current canon and have begun a sort of "alternate universe" spin-off canon called Infinities. This takes Star Wars in directions that would have been interesting. I worry, though, because typically when a series of any sort goes into the "alternate universe" genre, it spells the downward fall. Then again, there was The Phantom Menace and then...

First, thank you to everyone for my support. No, I am writing this from France or Switzerland. I am safe, at home in Virginia. Secondly, in accordance with the deal made with the District Attorney in Montgomery County, Tennessee, I am not permitted to make any comment about the case. I know, that sounds bad, but I don't want to go the penit. In any event, everything went well and all I have to do is pay the court costs...and that's it. No probation--nothing. Contact me for the specifics since I can do it on a person-by-person basis, but not in a public setting. Please be understanding and don't post anything that may even seem to almost get me in trouble. Oh, and as part of the deal, the warrant was completely and utterly dismissed. I can't explain the specifics to that in the public setting either... I will say, though, that it was revealed in court that the warrant did not actually concern the letter I sent to that individual. My mistake, but their correction. Again, thanks go out to all of you! You are the best and all the support you have given to me over these last few months has been...well, it's what kept me going and kept me sane. Thank you all so much! I promise to be around more often, but for now, I'm just taking a chill as everything just sets back to the norm. Once more, thank you all!!! Oh, and in the words of William Wallace (actually, Mel Gibson): FREEDOM!