Post-NJO Speculation Thread (Spoilers)

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2006-08-30 03:13am

God, I hate the new covers, though I'll have to see if the books match the hidious cover.

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-08-30 07:14pm

Ender wrote:
page 20 has a statement that indicates that the regrown clone army from BF2 was millions strong (though I'd imagine people are gonna twist it to say that is the GAR)

You mean the "anti-imperial" clones that the rogue group of Kaminoans made in BFII?

Great, so according to her a rogue group of Kaminoans can produce as many or more clones secrectly from their government, than the entire Kaminoan military-industrial complex can at its height. Simply stunning logic Ms. Traviss.

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-08-30 07:16pm

President Sharky wrote:I can't believe that they haven't given Han a new set of clothes for these covers. Terrible cover.

I can't believe Han and Leia are still involved enough with the plots to be featured on the cover! Break away from the Big Three already!

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2006-08-30 10:05pm

Apparently, all the states have embassies in washington DC. Afterall, they are members of a unified body and willingly chose to be subject to its laws, and have a senator who represents them in the unified government, so of course they would ahve accorded territory as an independnet state, right?

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-08-30 10:08pm

Wrong thread Ender?

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2006-08-30 10:10pm

The Original Nex wrote:Wrong thread Ender?

No. Corellia has an embassy on coruscant in bloodlines.

The exact comparison would be a state and the US government.

And is anyone else having a real hard time swaoolwing this whole plot, as we were told in the HoT duology that systems could leave the government voluntarily? That could have cahnged witht he GA, but given taht seccessionism caused the clone wars one would think they would keep it to prevent that.

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-08-30 10:20pm

The entire plot of the LotF series makes little to no sense. As I said over at TF.N, it absolutely reeks of external contrivance. Rather than letting things play out in a logical manner, the authors and creative team are smashing and twisting everything to fit the scenario they want.

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-08-30 10:26pm

Ender wrote:
The Original Nex wrote:Wrong thread Ender?
No. Corellia has an embassy on coruscant in bloodlines.

The exact comparison would be a state and the US government.

And is anyone else having a real hard time swaoolwing this whole plot, as we were told in the HoT duology that systems could leave the government voluntarily? That could have cahnged witht he GA, but given taht seccessionism caused the clone wars one would think they would keep it to prevent that.

Oh, I see. Sorry for my confusion.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2006-10-03 12:04am

10.02.06

Alright, updates galore. First, NJO has posted the Dramatis Personae for LOTF III: Tempest:

Allana
Alema Rar
Ben Skywalker
C-3PO
Dur Gejjen
Han Solo
Jacen Solo
Jagged Fel
Jaina Solo
Lalu Morwan; former flight surgeon (human female)
Leia Organa Solo
Luke Skywalker
Lumiya
Mara Jade Skywalker
Nashtah: assassin (human/unknown female)
Nek Bwua'tu; Galactic Alliance admiral (male Bothan)
R2-D2
Tenel Ka
Zekk

Now, I can understand Denning's desire to use his usual carde of characters, but Alema Rar's becoming the next Assaj Ventress for me.

***

Moving on, Denning will be interviewed in Star Wars Insider # 90 on Tempest. A transcript has been posted at NJOE's boards:

So it's fitting that key parts of Tempest, the third novel in the LoTF series unfold from [Han and Leia's] perspective. The galaxy is fracturing between Han's home planet of Corellia and the galactic government Leia once headed, and at the center stands their son Jacen, now plunged deeply into the dark side of the Force.

Denning recalls struggling with what was next for the Solos' marriage after the shocks of SBS. His insight, he says, was that Han and Leia's marriage had survived the ultimate test, becoming "an inexhaustible well of sustenance that only grew stronger in the face of adversity. Anakin's death in SbS would only draw them closer, and they would serve as each other's beacon through the moral confusion of the DN series. In LoTF... well, you'll have to wait and see, but that's still how I write the Solos. The perfect married couple."

Tempest enmeshes them in the machinations of Corellia, Coruscant, and the Hapes Cluster. As events unfold, Han and Leia find themselves serving in the Corellian armed forces, pursued as assassins, caught in the middle of a terrifying space battle, and hunted as criminals by their own son - who's in charge of the GA's secret police.

Rest assured that the other characters get plenty of pages. Luke and Mara worry about their son Ben's relationship with Jacen, and if you've waited for a rematch between Luke Skywalker and the Sith adept Lumiya, wait no more. The Jedi-turned-queen, Tenel Ka, must navigate her way through the treacheries of the Hapan Court, which threaten to also engluf Allana, the daughter of Tenel Ka and Jacen Solo. (Though if you think being a toddler means Allana is helpless, you're giving neither Jedi nor Hapans enough credit.)

Then there's Jacen, who plunges deeper into the dark side without ever seeming like a cardboard villain. As readers, we're privy to his thinking even as he makes increasingly distressing choices. Jacen, Denning says, is "deeply troubled by the moral imperfections and injustices that permeate his societ, and he feels compelled to set matters right. This raises him to the stature of a mythic figure, and that's how I treat him. I write Jacen as a tragic hero, forced by fate to make unbearable choices and unthinkable decisions. And he never balks."

Denning says there's one exception: his daughter. "To Jacen, she is the symbol of all that is good in the galaxy, and she's the one thing he will never sacrifice," he says. "His love for Allana might be seen as his tragic flaw, the weakness that blinds him to reality of what he is doing and what he is becoming."

Denning adds that "I'm pretty comforatble inside Jacen's head, which is a bit frightening. That's the thing about being a fanatic. It's very easy, emotionally and intellectually, to believe that you're right and anyone who disagrees is wrong. There isn't a lot of painful soul-searching to be done. A thing is either good or evil, and all you have to decide is which."

Speaking of soul-searching, readers may see parallels between Coruscant's pursuit of terrorists and current events. While saying he didn't set out to write a poltical book, Denning adds that touching on universal themes makes a story resonate. One of the most universal concerns is the relationship between people and their government, and Denning calls that theme "core to the entire LotF series" as well as "especially relevant to our time."

"There's no denying that some of my own views regarding the threat to our constitutional freedoms have crept into Tempest," Denning says. "But that's not what the book is about, and it would be wrong to read Tempest as a comment on the current situation. A reflection, maybe, but not a comment."

Tempest wouldn't be a Star Wars book without some revelations about the Jedi and the Sith - and it wouldn't be a space fantasy without a startling reappearance or two. Reports of the death of one foe of the Jedi turn out to have been greatly exaggerated (1), and Han and Leia find themselves briefly in league with a sinister figure from long ago in the saga.

(1) See my above comment regarding Alema Rar.

***

Thirdly, fans are being offered a unique chance to contribute to the EU by knighting Jacen Solo with his Sith title on the main site. The contest opens tomorrow and lasts until the end of November.

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-03 12:13am

"Nashtah: assassin (human/unknown female)" is almost certainly Aurra Sing: the "sinister figure from long ago" that the Solos team up with.

At this rate, they'll be hobknobbing with Calo Nord by the end of the series.

Shadowtraveler · Post by **Shadowtraveler** » 2006-10-03 12:29am

Ender wrote:And is anyone else having a real hard time swaoolwing this whole plot, as we were told in the HoT duology that systems could leave the government voluntarily? That could have cahnged witht he GA, but given taht seccessionism caused the clone wars one would think they would keep it to prevent that.

It makes perfect sense, really. One problem with the Vong War is that tons of worlds joined with them so they didn't get massacred later on. A few even thought the Vong wouldn't make their lives living hell if they joined with them (heh heh, suckers). Most likely the GA changed the NR policy of leaving to prevent this.

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-03 12:38am

On another note: giving Jacen a Darth name is a terrible, terrible idea.

I look forward to hearing from Publius on this.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2006-10-03 01:01am

The biggest bugbear I have is that the storyline is stale. We just had a Clone Wars with such a problem and now they are rewriting it albeit with different characters?!?!

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2006-10-03 01:16am

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:The biggest bugbear I have is that the storyline is stale. We just had a Clone Wars with such a problem and now they are rewriting it albeit with different characters?!?!

That's why, as I've said many a time in the last month, Tempest will be the lynch pin for the LOTF. Betrayal wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed Allston. The same, however, can't be said about Traviss. Now, with III, if Denning can hit one out of the ballpark, then we've got two authors to balance out Traviss. But, if we get another Dark Nest and Tempest sucks, then we're in trobule.

Edit -- But yeah, the recycling is getting old, too.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-10-03 02:21am

This blatant attempt at connecting the prequels is going to make me light my pubes on fire before purchasing another book in this series. I want something more creative than this. What is a shame is that I like Allston and Denning, and even they don't seem to be above it.

000 · Post by **000** » 2006-10-03 02:28am

It's not even the prequel references that get me the most-- yeah, they suck, particularly Retro Coruscant and an untouched Jedi Temple-- it's the fact that there was such an extreme disconnect between the first two books.

I can take quite a bit, but the degree of utter disregard for internal continuity killed the series for me within the first two books. I'll still be reading them, but I won't be purchasing until Del Rey gets their act together.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2006-11-08 01:25am

11.07.06 Update

NJOE has released the title to LOTF VII: Fury. So, the LOTF titles are currently as follows:

Betrayal
Bloodlines
Tempest
Exile
Sacrific
Inferno
Fury

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2006-11-27 07:02pm

Just a reminder to everyone that LOTF III: Tempest officially goes on sale tomorrow, though some book stores more than likely already got it in early. I'll start up the main talkback thread tomorrow.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2007-01-16 11:49am

Alright, the cover for LOTF V: Sacrifice has been posted on the main site. In addition, NJOE has posted the synopsis for Book VI, Inferno from the UK Amazon site - while NJOE states that it's for "Sacrifice", it's clearly for "Inferno" -- and my oh my, looks like some major shit will be going down in Book V...

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2007-01-16 11:56am

Just wondering, am I the only one who generally has noticed a lack of interest in the EU post NJO? I feel that Dark Nest has permenently turned me off to SW EU, even if Legacy is good.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2007-01-16 12:41pm

The only Star Wars that I'm following now is the Legacy series from Dark Horse. They are the ones who aren't producing shit at the moment.

The novels on the other hand....

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-01-17 01:48am

JME2 wrote:Alright, the cover for LOTF V: Sacrifice has been posted on the main site. In addition, NJOE has posted the synopsis for Book VI, Inferno from the UK Amazon site - while NJOE states that it's for "Sacrifice", it's clearly for "Inferno" -- and my oh my, looks like some major shit will be going down in Book V...

Ugh, no more. I give up. I hereby forsake the post-RoTJ in its entirety. NEver again will I spend any money on anything that takes place after Endor. I will now attempt to beign the purging of my memories.

Whooza Jacen whutznow?

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2007-01-17 02:35am

Lol, are they playing a word game now? "Rebel Confederacy"???

Let me guess, one of the main officers is a general from Kalee or something, right? :V

000 · Post by **000** » 2007-01-17 09:16am

That Inferno summary ain't real. Y'all really think they'd spoil books four and five this far ahead of the game?

That said, I'm sure the actual content of the novel will be equally crappy and derivative.

As a side note, check out where Luke's head is on the Sacrifice cover, and then take a look at the back covers of Vector Prime and Star By Star...

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2007-01-17 12:48pm

000 wrote:That Inferno summary ain't real. Y'all really think they'd spoil books four and five this far ahead of the game?

THey already spoiled this entire series of books with the Legacy comics. Why should I give a shit if the GA is saved this time when I know its just going to be fucked over again in the near future. Why should I care if Jacen is trying to become a Sith Lord when I see that the Sith Order becomes incredibly numerous not to long from the climax of these books.