25 Years since Heir to the Empire Launched the EU

[Elheru Aran]

Hey now. The 'Tales of the Jedi' comics weren't terrible. Strange, occasionally bizarre, but not terrible. The X-wing comics were decent enough, as well.

Really the problem with most of the EU isn't that it's bad-- it's *mediocre*. There were a few decent authors in the mess (apart from Zahn, Aaron Allston comes to mind) and for the most part they tried to ignore the shittier books (anybody ever hear a mention of Dathomir outside of the YJK books after Courtship of Princess Leia and the Wraith books? Anybody? Bueller?).

And to give them credit, while they had less control over it than the current Lucasfilm Story Group does, they still managed to keep up a fairly impressive level of consistency and continuity throughout.

[Ralin]

In the Jedi Search trilogy, Admiral Daala outright stated that she was the highest ranking officer in the galaxy following Thrawn's death.

Been a long time, but if I remember right it was less "I am the highest ranking officer in the galaxy" and more "No one is higher ranking than me." There were officers of equal rank, but no one had legitimately earned (as in, not self-promoted himself to Omnipotent Battle Leader) a rank high enough to countermand her.

[Galvatron]

Yeah, something like that. KJA was the king of minimalism and must have genuinely believed that Daala and her four star destroyers were all that was left of the Empire when he wrote those books.

In fact, I believe Zahn invented Bastion to show us that whole sectors were still firmly under Imperial control and governed by civilian Moffs.

[Ralin]

Yeah, something like that. KJA was the king of minimalism and must have genuinely believed that Daala and her four star destroyers were all that was left of the Empire when he wrote those books.

Well, define 'Empire.' I'm sure a lot of the warlords continued to insist that they were the True Empire and everyone else was a traitor. The ones who outright declared themselves independent states like Zsinj were probably the minority.

[Adam Reynolds]

Hey now. The 'Tales of the Jedi' comics weren't terrible. Strange, occasionally bizarre, but not terrible. The X-wing comics were decent enough, as well.

Wasn't that the origin of swords against lightsabers, so annoyingly used in KOTOR?

Really the problem with most of the EU isn't that it's bad-- it's *mediocre*. There were a few decent authors in the mess (apart from Zahn, Aaron Allston comes to mind) and for the most part they tried to ignore the shittier books (anybody ever hear a mention of Dathomir outside of the YJK books after Courtship of Princess Leia and the Wraith books? Anybody? Bueller?).

Does Clone Wars count? It reused the Nightsisters, though it was an entirely different version of them that were not normal humans, as Assaj Ventress was also one of them.

And to give them credit, while they had less control over it than the current Lucasfilm Story Group does, they still managed to keep up a fairly impressive level of consistency and continuity throughout.

How much of that was after the fact continuity, stitched together from the endless series of sourcebooks?

And even when they wiped away especially bad ideas, like with the Darth Bane trilogy of novels that overrode the worst ideas from the comic books, there were those who claimed it went too far.

[Ralin]

Really the problem with most of the EU isn't that it's bad-- it's *mediocre*. There were a few decent authors in the mess (apart from Zahn, Aaron Allston comes to mind) and for the most part they tried to ignore the shittier books (anybody ever hear a mention of Dathomir outside of the YJK books after Courtship of Princess Leia and the Wraith books? Anybody? Bueller?).

Does Clone Wars count? It reused the Nightsisters, though it was an entirely different version of them that were not normal humans, as Assaj Ventress was also one of them.

I haven't read much of the prequel era EU, but according to Darth Plagueis Darth Maul was originally from Dathomir and given to Palpatine as an infant to keep him from being killed and/or enslaved by a Nightsister enemy of his mother.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

Dark Empire has gotten so much hate, that I've actually stayed away from it. Are there any decent qualities to it that make it deserve at least a cursory read?

It makes good compost.

The clone Emperor, the Galaxy Gun, the Eclipse, World Eaters. Really?!

[Elheru Aran]

Dark Empire has gotten so much hate, that I've actually stayed away from it. Are there any decent qualities to it that make it deserve at least a cursory read?

It makes good compost.

The clone Emperor, the Galaxy Gun, the Eclipse, World Eaters. Really?!

World Devastators. Not the Space Marine Chapter.

Though that would've made Dark Empire a little more tolerable...

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I was being facetious, Elheru. And, it's Legion, as they went over to Chaos during the Heresy, along with their Primarch Angron, and never underwent the reformations set down by Rowboat Girlyman and the Codex Astartes.

Though, you are correct in that those zany Khornate Traitors would've made Dark Empire somewhat more tolerable.

[Crazedwraith]

Never read Dark Empire, just their entry in Essential Guides to Vessels and Vehicles but I quite like the World Devastator concept. Maybe self-building, droid spewing von neuman machines are better suited to a different setting.

The only really silly bit the article mentions was the Emperor having a killswitch for them R2 could trigger or something?

[Galvatron]

Never read Dark Empire, just their entry in Essential Guides to Vessels and Vehicles but I quite like the World Devastator concept. Maybe self-building, droid spewing von neuman machines are better suited to a different setting.

The only really silly bit the article mentions was the Emperor having a killswitch for them R2 could trigger or something?

I probably wouldn't have loathed them so much if the characters didn't wank the fuck out of them.



God, I hate Dark Empire.

[Adam Reynolds]

I haven't read much of the prequel era EU, but according to Darth Plagueis Darth Maul was originally from Dathomir and given to Palpatine as an infant to keep him from being killed and/or enslaved by a Nightsister enemy of his mother.

Clone Wars was the original source. Lucenno was just staying consistent with the material from Clone Wars, ironic given that his work would be among the last of the old EU that got decannonized by Disney.

[Crown]

Wow, this thread pulled on the heartstrings of nostalgia. Heir to the Empire re-ignited the magic for me. I couldn't believe that the story could continue and I would be involved in a living breathing story.

Of course other hacks came along and pissed all over that in due time, but hey, lets focus on the positive!

[Ralin]

Wow, this thread pulled on the heartstrings of nostalgia. Heir to the Empire re-ignited the magic for me. I couldn't believe that the story could continue and I would be involved in a living breathing story.

I went through it on audio book a little while back for the first time in a long while. It holds up well, and narration improves it a lot. Frankly, most EU books benefit a lot from that from what I've seen. Too bad the Wraith books are all abridged >: (