Inspired by @smstachwick's Star Wars Rebels thread, I thought I would write a little bit about Legends as I read through some of these great old books. At least, I hope they're great. It has been 20-25 years since I read most of them. My memory is fuzzy on many plot details, though I remember overall what happens in most of them, and I remember which ones I really liked at the time and which ones I liked less. We'll see if they hold up to my memories of them. If you're curious, or a fellow curmudgeon who doesn't like Disney Star Wars, this is the thread for you! Feel free to comment on your memories or favorite moments in Star Wars Legends. I'm curious whether anyone else out there is as nerdy about it as I am.
First on the docket is arguably the trilogy of books that started it all. While Star Wars books that told stories beyond the movies existed from the very beginning in books like Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the Han Solo Adventures, Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy kicked off a continuity that took the stories of Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest on adventures beyond Return of the Jedi, through the collapse of the Empire, the building of the New Republic, and the founding of a new Jedi Order under Luke. While the Thrawn trilogy doesn't come first in the post-RotJ* continuity**, it was published first and introduces mainstay Legends characters like Gilad Pellaeon, Mara Jade, Jacen*** and Jaina Solo, and Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.
*It's important to make this distinction because Legends isn't only post-RotJ stories - there are legends books taking place at every time period from 25,000 years before the movies to during the movies to 100+ years after the movies. If you want "first in the timeline," that would probably be the "Dawn of the Jedi" comic series.
**The distinction of first in the post-RotJ timeline goes to "The Truce at Bakura," which actually begins with the characters waking up on Endor after the victory party.
***Pronounced the same as "Jason."
Thrawn Trilogy, Book 1: Heir to the Empire
Chapter 1
The scene is set aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimera. Captain Gilad Pellaeon was a veteran of the Battle of Endor, now five years ago. After scolding a young officer for the improper manner in which he delivered a message to him, he bitterly reminisces about the loss of the Executor and a huge number of promising junior officers and experienced veterans along with it, while he is stuck with these young kids who have no experience. He is less sorry about the loss of the Death Star, and he and many Imperial officers considered it a vanity project of the Emperor's that they didn't want. Regardless, after the Battle of Endor, the Empire was unable to regain the initiative in the war and has been steadily chipped away until it is now only a quarter of its size at its height, and the planets they do still hold are largely backwaters, the core worlds having largely fallen into the hands of the Rebellion.
The message Pellaeon received states that several scout ships have returned from a mission to Obroa-Skai, with at least a partial data dump from their planetary libraries. It may only be partial because the scouts had to hastily retreat as they were caught and pursued. He heads to Grand Admiral Thrawn's chambers with the message, and is frisked by Thrawn's Noghri bodyguard, Rukh. Upon being admitted to Thrawn's chamber, he is greeted by artwork from Obora-Skai being projected onto the walls, and the blue-skinned Grand Admiral himself. Pellaeon informs Thrawn of the completion of the scouting mission, and Thrawn, noticing Pellaeon's interest in the artwork, expounds on his view that a people can be understood through their art, and understanding a people allows you to best understand how to defeat them. This is quickly demonstrated as the pursuers of the scouts arrive at their location, and rather than running, Thrawn, after confirming who the commander of the attackers is, orders a counterattack maneuver that he knows the commander's race finds psychologically disruptive. Thrawn handily defeats the attacker, and Pellaeon reflects on how Thrawn is probably the Empire's best hope.
The chapter ends with Thrawn having analyzed the data returned by the scouts, and in the records of Obora-Skai, he has found the location of a planet called Myrkr, which was avoided by the Old Republic and the Jedi, despite it being well within their borders. On that planet, says Thrawn, is a piece of "the only puzzle worth solving" - that of defeating the Rebellion.
Thoughts -
Not that much to say here as it is largely an introduction. Captain Pellaeon is our PoV character for the Imperial side of the story, and Grand Admiral Thrawn is a military genius who may be the Empire's last, best hope of recovering their former glory, and his schtick is that he studies the artwork and psychology of his enemies to best understand them and figure out how to defeat them.
This books also wastes no time in telling the reader the situation of the galaxy at large - the New Republic/Rebellion has seen great success after the Battle of Endor and is the major player now, and the Empire is an underdog looking to make a comeback.
The Noghri are a new race not in the movies. The books, not constrained by movie costume budgets, introduce a good number of new species to the Star Wars universe. The Noghri are small, reptilian creatures that can be thought of as a race of ninjas, who make excellent assassins and bodyguards.
Despite the fact that the New Republic has been established for a couple of years at this point, I like how Imperial characters refuse to acknowledge it by continuing to call them the Rebellion.
Continuity oopsie - at one point, it is said that Pellaeon has been in the Imperial Fleet for fifty years, when the Empire itself was founded only about thirty years ago at this point. However, this is easily forgivable as this book was published eight years before the Phantom Menace kicked off the prequel trilogy and firmly established how long the Empire had existed.
First on the docket is arguably the trilogy of books that started it all. While Star Wars books that told stories beyond the movies existed from the very beginning in books like Splinter of the Mind's Eye and the Han Solo Adventures, Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy kicked off a continuity that took the stories of Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest on adventures beyond Return of the Jedi, through the collapse of the Empire, the building of the New Republic, and the founding of a new Jedi Order under Luke. While the Thrawn trilogy doesn't come first in the post-RotJ* continuity**, it was published first and introduces mainstay Legends characters like Gilad Pellaeon, Mara Jade, Jacen*** and Jaina Solo, and Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.
*It's important to make this distinction because Legends isn't only post-RotJ stories - there are legends books taking place at every time period from 25,000 years before the movies to during the movies to 100+ years after the movies. If you want "first in the timeline," that would probably be the "Dawn of the Jedi" comic series.
**The distinction of first in the post-RotJ timeline goes to "The Truce at Bakura," which actually begins with the characters waking up on Endor after the victory party.
***Pronounced the same as "Jason."
Thrawn Trilogy, Book 1: Heir to the Empire
Chapter 1
The scene is set aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer Chimera. Captain Gilad Pellaeon was a veteran of the Battle of Endor, now five years ago. After scolding a young officer for the improper manner in which he delivered a message to him, he bitterly reminisces about the loss of the Executor and a huge number of promising junior officers and experienced veterans along with it, while he is stuck with these young kids who have no experience. He is less sorry about the loss of the Death Star, and he and many Imperial officers considered it a vanity project of the Emperor's that they didn't want. Regardless, after the Battle of Endor, the Empire was unable to regain the initiative in the war and has been steadily chipped away until it is now only a quarter of its size at its height, and the planets they do still hold are largely backwaters, the core worlds having largely fallen into the hands of the Rebellion.
The message Pellaeon received states that several scout ships have returned from a mission to Obroa-Skai, with at least a partial data dump from their planetary libraries. It may only be partial because the scouts had to hastily retreat as they were caught and pursued. He heads to Grand Admiral Thrawn's chambers with the message, and is frisked by Thrawn's Noghri bodyguard, Rukh. Upon being admitted to Thrawn's chamber, he is greeted by artwork from Obora-Skai being projected onto the walls, and the blue-skinned Grand Admiral himself. Pellaeon informs Thrawn of the completion of the scouting mission, and Thrawn, noticing Pellaeon's interest in the artwork, expounds on his view that a people can be understood through their art, and understanding a people allows you to best understand how to defeat them. This is quickly demonstrated as the pursuers of the scouts arrive at their location, and rather than running, Thrawn, after confirming who the commander of the attackers is, orders a counterattack maneuver that he knows the commander's race finds psychologically disruptive. Thrawn handily defeats the attacker, and Pellaeon reflects on how Thrawn is probably the Empire's best hope.
The chapter ends with Thrawn having analyzed the data returned by the scouts, and in the records of Obora-Skai, he has found the location of a planet called Myrkr, which was avoided by the Old Republic and the Jedi, despite it being well within their borders. On that planet, says Thrawn, is a piece of "the only puzzle worth solving" - that of defeating the Rebellion.
Thoughts -
Not that much to say here as it is largely an introduction. Captain Pellaeon is our PoV character for the Imperial side of the story, and Grand Admiral Thrawn is a military genius who may be the Empire's last, best hope of recovering their former glory, and his schtick is that he studies the artwork and psychology of his enemies to best understand them and figure out how to defeat them.
This books also wastes no time in telling the reader the situation of the galaxy at large - the New Republic/Rebellion has seen great success after the Battle of Endor and is the major player now, and the Empire is an underdog looking to make a comeback.
The Noghri are a new race not in the movies. The books, not constrained by movie costume budgets, introduce a good number of new species to the Star Wars universe. The Noghri are small, reptilian creatures that can be thought of as a race of ninjas, who make excellent assassins and bodyguards.
Despite the fact that the New Republic has been established for a couple of years at this point, I like how Imperial characters refuse to acknowledge it by continuing to call them the Rebellion.
Continuity oopsie - at one point, it is said that Pellaeon has been in the Imperial Fleet for fifty years, when the Empire itself was founded only about thirty years ago at this point. However, this is easily forgivable as this book was published eight years before the Phantom Menace kicked off the prequel trilogy and firmly established how long the Empire had existed.
