Jim Raynor wrote:The biggest problems I have with this trilogy are the deus ex machinas and the lame ways the villains are defeated.
To be fair, the trilogies themselves have some pretty big leaps that they ask you to make as well. The ending to TPM is pure authorial fiat, as are Palpatine's numerous potentially fatal gambits, and the odds on some of the other occurrences are not deus ex machinas but are also extremely improbable.
Zahn's Star Wars books have their flaws but overall, they're some of the few that are well written with both interesting characters and an engaging plot. That's something which is relatively rare in the SW EU and is one reason he remains a stand out even now.
Jim Raynor wrote:-Thrawn spends all of
Heir to the Empire setting up his attack on the Sluis Van shipyards, and the details aren't revealed until the attack actually comes. Then Lando shows up and uses his secret code (which hadn't been mentioned at all) to cause all the mole miners to shut down.
That's definitely a deus ex machina. But then again it's also not something you can necessarily work into the plot with out being horribly obvious either. It's probably the worst offender but also the least important all things considered.
Jim Raynor wrote:-Two ISDs are battling the Republic and smuggler forces over the remnants of the Katana Fleet, in a climatic battle that is probably way too small scale for a SW movie anyway. Everybody practically shits their pants when the second ISD shows up, and tell each other to make it out if they can. Then Han suddenly remote-controls a Dreadnaught into ramming one of the ISDs, destroying it.
That's more of a forlorn hope working than a deus ex. We know the Katanas are slave circuited so the tactic follows from previously established points. Given that they nail the least experience Captain, Thrawn gets most of the ships, and the NR mostly loses this whole thing isn't really a case of author fiat or deus ex machina.
Jim Raynor wrote:-Grand Admiral Thrawn gets stabbed in the back by his own bodyguard. The Imperial forces quickly fall apart without him. Come the fuck on.
Which is a consequence of a story line running through the entire trilogy. It's a perfectly reasonable payback for Thrawn's part in the massive conspiracy against the Noghri. It's a major plot point and it's not unreasonable at all for the bodyguard to turn at one of the most advantageous points. Furthemore, Paelleon is definitely characterized early on as lacking initiative and willingness to gamble (both reasonable traits in a totalitarian military).
So while it does deprive us of a massive space battle, it is a legitimately developed plot.
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