User:Kwenn/Writings

[edit] Legacy: Musings

Recently I've been getting into Star Wars: Legacy, so I thought I'd post my musings about the series so far...not for any particular purpose other than to while away the time ;)

[edit] Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1

I'll be getting to Legacy 0 soon, but for now, here's the first installment of the story proper. Feel free to read along, boys and girls!

• Cover: Huzzah! Hot Twi'lek Sith chick to kick us off with "The Future of Star Wars". When I first saw this pre-release, I wasn't especially thrilled by the CG, but in context, it doesn't look half bad. I still prefer the style of the next few covers, though.
• Exposition on the lead-in page. All the pieces are in place; Sith, Jedi, Empire, fallen Alliance, Skywalker...
• 1: And a great image of the Jedi Temple from Jan. Her work is excellent throughout this series - in fact, in every series she's done. Lots more exposition here, and it's nice to see events of the NJO referenced. Also, Krayt's promise that his "true work is about to begin" is intriguing. Yeah, we know the guy wants to restore order, but what's he really after?
• 2: Right into the action, and a sequence that gets a lot of page time in future issues, courtesty of angsty flashbacks. Already we've been introduced to two cool new Jedi, including Mr. Sideburns himself. Jan and John are definately sticking to the 70's roots of Star Wars here. It's also interesting to note that stormtrooper armour hasn't evolved beyond a bit of rank-based colour we see in Legacy 4.
• 3: And to follow up our cool new Jedi, here's a hoarde of equally cool Sith...including, yup, a Nagai. He's a great bad guy, though I'm also liking old Hunchback over there. Pity he's not drooling down the front of his armour, eh? Plus, we get a cocky smirk from Kol on the bottom of the page.
• 4: Jedi vs Sith action, but, oh noes! Wolf gets Sithowned by our Nagai chum! This guy's the Quinlan of the series what with his many injuries, near-death experiences and all-around beatdowns...yet it looks like he, as with Quin, is going to be a survivor in this series. He's also flashing a bit of pectoral up there, but then, (wait for it) he is a horny guy. Ha! That joke never gets old. Or if it does, it can be zapped back to life!
• 5: And Nihl just got served by Sideburns. Bit of a Ganner moment for him, too, and yet more male cleavage on show! Put it away! Note Wolf lying there slowly bleeding to death. Not fun. Finally, we get Cade's first moment of angst, yay!
• 6: Cade leaps into action with a weird, ankle-less foot. Never mind, though, because more drama as Cade's bravado gets smacked down by Sideburns. Crying into the shattered remains of his ego, Cade shuffles off with Wolf, and for some reason ages at least a decade between panels...
• 7: OK, all is forgiven, Jan. Wolf's "last moment" is rather neat, and Cade's attempt to bring him back is shocking and awesome. I recall Anakin Skywalker attempted to do the same after the Battle of Jabiim, so what does it tell us of Cade if he can actually pull off a feat his great-great-great-whatever-grandfather was unable to? Interesting...and scary. Also note the wide-eyed stares of the younglings. They'll need changing after this is all over.
• 8-9: See, told you. Kol's Last Stand here, as he builds a rampart of the dead Stover would be proud of. An excellent sequence here, and already an iconic image of the series.
• 10: Poor old Kol is dumped on top of his slain foes as his son and friends blast the Chaos out of there. And yet another point of interest...that disembodied "Go" in the third panel. Methinks we haven't heard the last of old Sideburns.
• 11: Cade gets moody and is suddenly transported in front of what looks like a waterfall. Meh, he's off his head on the dark side now, so much so that he's yet to notice that those pants do not flatter him at all.
• 12: Perhaps to make up for his bad choice of undergarments, Cade decides to kill himself in a dogfight with those neat-looking futuro-TIEs. Also, why on Ossus did they let a kid fly the shuttle? Surely the Jedi could have had more foresight to station more than two grown-ups at the Temple? Hell, even a droid would have done...
• 13: Cade gets moody inside his starfighter as One-Arm goes all Luke Skywalker. And yep, Cade's had a taste of the dark side, and it tastes like vanilla. Or something. Basically what I'm saying is he likes it, right?
• 14: Shooty stuff, showing the folly, if showing be needed, of letting kids get behind the wheel. Cade gets his wings shot up...
• 15: And goes ka-blam! No sound effect to go with the explosion though...surely John knows in Star Wars, everyone can hear you scream? And Wolf says his bond with Cade was strengthened in a piece of random exposition. Shuttle goes all blurry, leaving Cade to his fate.
• 16: Meanwhile, over on Coruscant, the Rainbow Bridge has magically reassembled itself! Wonky continuity aside, the new Imperial Palace is looking funky, and Morlish Veed is looking evil. "Roan Fel" is looking slightly constipated, but never mind.
• 17: Ah, that's why. It's Teh Sith!, including Nihl, who continues to prove that pasty-faced baddies can't seem to die. Check out the koovy Chagrian Sith with the goofy name over in the corner, and Krayt's weird eyes. That blue one's prosthetic, surely, while the other's gone all Sith.
• 18: Arm-chopping-off-ness! Wouldn't be Star Wars without it, as the Redbreastplates get killed off. The Moffs are cowering in the shadows, along with Thrawn's descendant (bets, anyone?) and old, scaredy-cat Konrad, who just wants to hold Veed's hand. Oh yeah, and "Roan" gets Sithed.
• 19: As Krayt slaps his Vongified ass down on the Imperial throne, Veed smells a stinker, and bows down before the Big Blue Ball of Forceness.
• 20: Bless him, Veed's so angry he swears fealty twice. And why does Konrad look like Luke Skywalker all of a sudden? Prune-Face tries to comfort Veed while Krayt is about to strike down upon Maladi with great vengeance and furious anger...
• 21: Told you so. And he didn't even have to get up to do it. You know he's going to get a mini-fridge installed next to that throne. Also, shock! horror! abounds as "Roan" turns out to be a disposable decoy. That's real nice of you, Roan, just sending some poor sap who can't even defend himself into mortal danger. Still, I guess that's why he's Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Oops, sorry, was Emperor, because now there's a new mean kid on the block.
• 22: We learn more about Krayt here, with the tantalising tidbit that he's been in stasis for some time. That why his skin's going all grey in the last panel? Ik. He also seems to be chanelling Yoda in his last line. Hey, maybe... Krayt = Yoda! He's fed up with being the kooky little Muppet, and he's out for revenge! You heard it here first!

[edit] Star Wars Legacy 2: Broken, Part 2

• Cover: There you go. Much better. The new Big Three are here!
• 1: Creepy droid graveyard Daluuj is resurrected from the Marvel days, as One-Arm goes to meet some Jedi chums. Shado seems to be taking this "hiding out from the Sith" thing a bit too melodramatically.
• 2: It's chat central as the Jedi prove they haven't lost the knack for reeling off lengthy wads of exposition. And yet again, Shado just has to find a shadow to glare enigmatically out of.
• 3: Cat-man gets poked as the Sith reveal themselves. Note the crazy Rodian guy seems to have fallen over. Bless him.
• 4: Disposable Human Jedi #73 gets Force-pushed the Hell out as Wolf and Shado jump around a bit. Topknot gets mauled by the two of them, perhaps to pay for his killing of Jedi Master Who-Cares.
• 5: No love for the Rodians as his severed head goes whizzing by. The Aqualish isn't much better, as he apparently can't even hold his lightsaber the right way up (and yeah, I know there was a double-bladed lightsaber on page 3, but I'd prefer to think this guy's just that dumb). The uber-Jedi pwn the Sith and wander off into the mist, conveniently forgetting all about Cat-man and Jedi Master Nobody-Loves-You.
• 6: A change of locale as we visit Lok. Gotta love that little snail guy, who turns out to be a recurring character in this issue. That's really the only bit that interested me here.
• 7: Now this page, on the other hand, is very interesting. Because, look, that's a TT-8L gatekeeper droid! And there's a landspeeder, and a Gotal! Oh yeah, and the Zeltron chick. Whatever, yeah, wasn't really paying attention. But seriously, if you think Blue's entrance is good...
• 8: This one is awesome. Cade suddenly got interesting, with his pants stolen from Vader's wardrobe. Syn's just trying too hard, but kudos for effort back there.
• 9: That pervy Gotal gets a steel-toed beatdown, Cade-style. The rest wisely stay put as Cade arbitrarily shoots the place up.
• 10: Dog-face turns out to be a Jedi and Force-lugs a table at the bounty hunters. Cade isn't fazed, though Naxy really should let a doctor take a look at those eyes. That can't be healthy. Also, the snail returns!
• 11: No snail here, though it looks like Naxy's going to have to visit the dentist as well. Great "Glarggg-right-in-the-kisser" expression from him here, but what is that toy gun he's pulled on Cade? Perhaps he's hoping it's the gun Will Smith got in Men in Black. Meanwhile, the Jedi sensibly gets the Hell out of there...
• 12: ...and suddenly changes his mind when he finds a trampoline in the cantina. Stop it Dog-face, you're meant to be running for your life! Cade menaces Naxy as - yay! - the snail looks on with approval. Cade, possibly on the urging of the snail, lobs Naxy into Syn, just because the guy's posing far too much. At least Blue's got her priorities straight.
• 13: Blue goes airborne as Dog-face shows some balls. Syn, however, is content to play dirty with a thud bug, of all things. Tension mounts between Cade and Syn; already, this is a great duo John and Jan have created, even if they don't always get along.
• 14: Horn-head arrives with backup, and I'm pretty sure I've seen those guys on an episode of Reboot. Anyway, he gets all moody, but Cade gives him a verbal backhand and drags his bounty out the door. The snail, unfortunately, doesn't join them. But then, I'm sensing he's not one to let free-running booze go to waste.
• 15: Cade spouts a bit of Mando'a at Syn as the bounties are bundled into the speeder, and Blue basically provides eye-candy while Syn goes off on a wobbly. Of course, his comment about not being able to tell Jedi apart from normal folk is highly apt here, but as his actions show, Cade doesn't seem like much of a Jedi anymore.
• 16: Instead, he kicks back in the speeder as Dog-face explains just how useless a Jedi he actually is. Stop whining and just leap out of the damn speeder! Or did you forget your testicles today? Hm, that was quite a violent reaction to someone we're supposed to be feeling sorry for at this point. Just shows how damn awesome Cade is. Pity about that irritating patch of chin fluff, though.
• 17: It's on to the manky Jedi Temple now, which seems to love showing a bit of lens flare. And within, red-faced Snidely Whiplash is about to get rewarded for his years of service to Krayt. Of course, no one really cares at this point, as yet another hot Twi'lek has been introduced. Gotta love these girls and their disdain for copious amounts of clothing.
• 18: Whiplash is out for the count as Talon professes her devotion to Krayt - the lucky guy. Despite the potential inherent here, Krayt's looking decidedly bored by the third panel.
• 19: Everything gets all swirly as Krayt ordains Darth Talon into the Sith order. And yeah, I'm pretty sure I could think up a few "Hand" related jokes if I could be bothered. Anyway, we get a look at Coruscant from space here, and it's something of a relief to see it's apparently back to the way it was before the Vong frakked everything up.
• 20: Speaking of nostalgia, here's a burning temple in one of the best sequences so far. Talon wipes the floor with Elke Vetter whilst simultaneously finding the poses most likely to please the male audience. Nice. And she doesn't even stop with the tried-and-tested lopping off of the hand; a consumate professional, she also decides to go for the thigh and gut attack, for that finishing touch.
• 21: Elke starts bleeding from the eyes as Talon does her Sith thang. And, yep, ass shots a-plenty. She's gonna be a fun character.
• 22: But then we have Princess Keira Knightley here, so the competition is tough. Also, we meet Astraal Vao, though I'm not a fan of the all-white look for her. Meanwhile, Princess Sia's got so angry, she's taken to punching herself in the mouth in the last panel.

[edit] Star Wars Legacy 3: Broken, Part 3

• Cover: Two scantily-clad gals and a pervy old man. It's Star Wars, all right! And yeah, I know, that's Sia and Roan, but still. Not the most appealing of images.
• 1: And the slightly-dubious imagery contines with Cade and Syn apparently either in pain or enjoying themselves a little too much. Syn is happy because he's found a spitoon. Hoick-phoot!
• 2: Aha, it's Dog-face and Naxy on the run, with Blue flying about again. Meanwhile, Syn has been so distracted by the joys of spitting, he's forgotten to keep hold of his gun. He's also forgotten how to speak Basic, apparently.
• 3: And Cade and Dog-face get wet. Huh, this issue's got issues.
• 4: Cade drags Dog-face up to Nym Jr, who turns out to be another cool character. And he's a multiple-choice kind of torturer, which is always good. For his trouble, Cade gets offered a few death sticks; the brightly-coloured alcopop of the drug world.
• 5: Cade takes the little PEZ tubes, much to the disgruntlement of his crew, but Cade being Cade, he gives Syn a mouthful. Personally, I'd rather he just shook all of that sewer water out of his hair into Syn's face. The poor guy needs more spitting practice, after all.
• 6: Nym Jr. and Syn have a history, it seems, and while Syn pouts, Blue gets a great line that sums Cade up well.
• 7: Meanwhile, Imp-lovers rejoice as we visit Bastion, and Roan Fel orders everyone to respect his goddam authoritah! The Imperial Knights are looking very cool, and worthy sucessors to the role of the Jedi.
• 8: Roan gets all high-and-mighty, which doesn't please Kiefer much. With a name like that, you might expect him to go all Jack Bauer on Roan's ass, but, alack, he's yet another character who's been fobbed off with a tiny little plastic blaster.
• 9: Bauer doesn't even get a chance to fire a little sponge pellet at Roan before he's shot in the chest by the man Lobot wishes he was. And fanboys around the world wet themselves just a little as the 501st show up to save the day. Roan and co bugger off to their Super-Secret Giant Fortress while two stormtroopers apparently take the opportunity to defile poor Jack Bauer's body. Now that's just not right!
• 10: Pellaeon's legacy lives on with a trip to the indoor garden. Draco gets all angsty but Roan forbids him. Neat. And already we know this guy's going to be trouble.
• 11: Keira and Astraal are still on the run, though to be honest, Vao is basically dead weight here. Not only is she lagging behind because she's forgotten her inhaler, she all but yells out the name of their destination. Yeah, smooth move, kid. Talon, being the uber-Sith chick she is, is on hand to overhear and look generally both menacing and dangerously sexy.
• 12: A sequence of cool images here as we get a look at this decade's Millennium Falcon, and Syn's snarling visage moaning about being locked out. And, huh, who's Cade talking to...?
• 13: OH MY GOD IT'S A GHOST...OH MY GOD IT'S LUKE SKYWALKER...OH MY GOD IT'S LUKE SKYWALKER AS A GHOST! As logical as it is for a series set 156 years after his birth, it's still a complete shocker to see Skywalker as a blue guy. Nice to see he's finally got round to buying his third outfit of his life, though. An awesome moment as the two Skywalker generations interact.
• 14: Pity Cade has to get all angsty again. And you do not backchat the Grand Master, boy!
• 15: Oh, geez. Cade goes dumb as he pulls his own blaster on himself. Kid's messed up.
• 16: Luke's reaction to this is priceless. Just a blank "Yep, he's that stupid" look. Luke gives up on his descendant, leaving Cade to mope about for a bit before finally remembering he's got friends.
• 17: Syn storms off with the classic "E chu ta" while Blue tries to get into Cade's pants. But, look who's on the horizon...it's Keira, and no amount of neon-pink skin and blue hair is going to top that. Still, she manages to put her foot in it by presuming that everyone's susceptable to the old mind trick. Evidently she didn't watch Episode I...
• 18: ...but Talon did, as she goes all Darth Maul. Cade has a flashback and gets all vulnerable, but doesn't lose it so much as to risk copping a feel as he pushes Keira inside the ship. You sly dog!
• 19: Cade enters the cockpit as Syn tucks in to...well, what the hell are those things? He's actually eating bugs? Guy gets stranger every panel. Meanwhile, Talon is about to get crispy.
• 20: But a handily-placed Big Blue Ball of Forceness saves her. Onboard the Mynock, Keira gets pouty and Cade turns into Han Solo.
• 21: Cade earns my respect by being the kind of guy that could turn down Blue's offer without even batting an eyelid. "Yeah sure, whatever". Nice. But, as we learn, he does have his weaknesses...
• 22: Primarily, credits. Yep, he's about to do a Jack Sparrow and betray poor Keira and her idiot companion. Everything's coming together...

[edit] Star Wars Legacy 4: Noob

• Cover: Best. Cover. Ever. Well, yet, at least. Stormtroopers looking mean and Darth Cthulu swinging a lightwhip and lightsaber. That's all kinds of awesome.
• 1: The awesome continues for at least one panel with the reintroduction of Yinchorr. Always good to see this place. Unfortunately, we are soon to learn why this issue's called Noob as the phrase is uttered twice by some bouffant-haired trooper. Better start counting. Still, "Sith me" almost makes up for it.
• 2: Yep, twice more here. Darth Cthulu redeems this page though with being the bad-assed Sith poor Snidley Whiplash wished he was. Also note Squid-face's glowing yellow eyes, and Harkas's Clone Wars-style armor. Nice touch there, and hopefully one that's followed up in later issues.
• 3: Six. And we meet the gang, none of whom, bar Hondo, stand out very much. Still, gotta love the "big gun".
• 4: Eight. Plus, Vax seems creepily pervy here. "Yeah, just let him grab your junk". Fortunately, it's only his ordnance. And not that kind either.
• 5: Nine, and an introduction to the Token Old Officer. Man, Trask's haircut is getting on my nerves. Was his barber a Miraluka or something? Anyway, Vax has an "ooh, get her" look as he continues to touch up Trask's stuff.
• 6: Talky page here, fortunately without any noob references. The plot itself is interesting; splintering Imperial factions are always good. This issue is a neat little diversion from the main story, that still feels very much connected to it.
• 7: Yay! Stormie action! The big gun spits out projectile death while Harkas engages in some CQC. Meanwhile, our poor little noob makes a mess of his plastoid underoos.
• 8: It seems Darth Cthulu can't help but make every page he's on awesome. A trooper gets sliced in the groin, and we've got not only two severed arms, but a hand floating about there, too. He goes all Samurai in the next panel and fires up his lightwhip. One of the best characters in this series, if only a one-shot.
• 9: By now, the noob's woken up and takes out a sniper. Nice bit of camaraderie between Trask and Gistang here, that's developed...
• 10: Right now. Character development ahoy! We learn about the troopers' reasons for signing up, and while it's nothing new, it's nice to put a few Human faces to the stormies.
• 11: Gistang reels off more character development as Harkas poses for a catalogue. Seriously, he looks rubbish in that armour. And an obligatory Mando reference!
• 12: Cthulu gets all moody and orders the troops to fight to the death. Hondo takes offense, apparently not realizing how awesome Cthulu is.
• 13: He does now. And the troops have a predicament while Cassel tries to find his missing eyes. Seriously, they were here a minute ago!
• 14: Ten. And Harkas loses his head...or rather, keeps it, taking charge of the situation like only a male model can.
• 15: "Yo." The troopers join the fight, and stop to create a tableaux in the middle of the battle. Move, people!
• 16-17: Stuff goes boom as Vax steps on a mine and then Gistang goes boom too, all because of her BFG. Artist seems to like showing these guys getting ripped into tiny pieces. Maybe that's a sign of something, I dunno.
• 18: And if people aren't getting splatted, they're getting beaten up by Cthulu and hung with a lightwhip. It's Cassel Two, and an unhappy family reunion. Gil's so angry his face gets sucked into his head in panel two, but is back in time for him to strike a heroic pose. Watch that lightsaber...
• 19: The Cassels get Malvowned, and Harkas and Hondo have hissy fits. Hondo still hasn't learned his lesson, though.
• 20: We knew it was coming, but the death of Darth Cthulu is not fun. He was a great guy, stupid noob! The last panel also goes to show that in almost 140 years, neither the stormies nor the Sith have managed to create armour that can actually stop a blaster bolt. Shame.
• 21: Trask earns some respect as Hondo leaves for good (though I'll bet on Cthulu's poor dead head that this isn't the last time we'll be seeing him).
• 22: And the story wraps up with the obligatory "aftermath" scene. Harkas gets chummy with Trask, who then becomes mentor to the new green. And, damn him, he manages to notch the tally up to twelve. As if killing Cthulu wasn't bad enough, thanks to him we've had to endure twelve separate instances of that lame word. I hope to never hear it again in this series...

[edit] Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4

• Cover: Ooh, Jedi lightsaber goodness! That's three (three!) blades there, which obviously means this issue's going to be good. Pity we've got a random old bloke stuck in the middle…though his part in this arc will soon become clear…
• 1: Korriban, not that we need the little text box, seeing as how we've already visited this place umpteen times before. Still, it's nice to see the Sith Code from the KotOR days is still in use. In all his dark-side-lightning-summoning, Krayt's going a bit over the top with the exclamation marks, but he's getting cooler by the issue.
• 2: Having said that, he's nowhere near as cool as three hologram/spirit/whatever manifestations of three long-dead Sith Lords. We finally get to learn more about Andeddu, and if anyone can make armour made out of bugs look good, Jan can. While the Sith yak on about which Rule is better, I'm waiting for an Infinities comic centered around the exploits of this Sithly trio as the Three Stooges of the Star Wars galaxy!
• 3: Or, Three's a Crowd, where hilarity and hijinks ensue with the grumpy but loveable Lord Bane, the indecipherable Nihilus, and of course, Andeddu, whose rotting flesh and bad personal hygene causes many a hilarious scrape! Oh, the potential! Er, anyway, back to the issue. It's fun to see the Sith don't even bother to translate for poor Nihilus, and Krayt gets all primal.
• 4: An awesome page that any number of lame observations from me wouldn't do justice. So, on to…
• 5: Vendaxa! The once-mentioned homeworld of the acklay, whose claws are glimpsed here. Nice banter from our heroes here, and a bit of backstory for the Vaos.
• 6: Acklay ahoy! Wouldn't be Star Wars without a creature battle, and here's a good one that's about to get more interesting…
• 7: With the appearance of our Jedi chums! Lots of Duursema-class acrobatics here of which Quin would be proud, and the acklay gets toasted.

[edit] Star Wars Legacy 6: Broken, Part 5

• Cover: Yay! Imperial Knight awesomeness! Although Sigel in the middle Dare looks a bit frightened of her lightsaber. Draco and Ganner are content to continue Harkas's legacy, having joined the male modelling industry.
• 1: More Bastion goodness, with the added bonus of the debut of the Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer. OK, so it doesn't look like much here, but she's got it where it counts, kid. Just wait. Anyway, a cool exchange betwixt Fel and Draco, with the former taking on the traditional role of the father in Star Wars; i.e, to engineer a situation that will result in the death of either, a) yourself, thus making your offspring a loner who can never trust anyone, or b) said offspring, thus really putting a crimp in your plan to have them rule the Galaxy at your side. Also, Draco gets angsty!
• 2: Ohmigosh, Talon's not dead! Well, duh, but it's nice to see her plotting away. She seems to have learned at the Darth Sidious School of Evil Overconfident, Sweeping Generalizations.
• 3: Cade has a Jedi moment before promptly telling Wolf what a waste his life has been. Way to reunite with your former Master, Cade! Wolf responds by taking a tip from Shado and finding a good shadow to Jedi-Frown out of.
• 4: An explaination of Cade's survival over Ossus, in one of the detailed portrait shots that crop up in Jan's work now and then. They look marvellous, and show she can really capture both character and emotion well in a single panel. And our first clue that there's something hidden within, or even under, the Temple. Also, Cade makes the most flimsy resolution ever, and informs us he saw Daddy Sideburns's body back on Ossus. Take that, Kol Survivalists!
• 5: Blue turns into Peter Parker in a neat exchange between her and Cade. Feisty! And repercussions are not left unexplored as Cade brings up the whole Jedi business.
• 6: Syn explains his somewhat basic grasp of Jedi philosophy, then something shiny appears to have caught his attention as Cade goes off on one. Blue looks adorably confused.
• 7: ...And so does Syn as Cade messes about with the Force. Aw, big googly eyes!
• 8-9: Bit of a Han and Leia moment here as Cade and Sia trade insults. Notions of legacy are brought up in a neat scene, but, oh noes! The Sith have arrived!

[edit] Musings: Marvel

I've recently happened upon Star Wars 24: Silent Drifting, which is the first publication to present a story set (mostly) during the time of the Old Republic. Specifically, it's been confirmed it takes place in 21 BBY, and was our first, admittedly slightly odd, representation of a younger Obi-Wan. A few thoughts in light of what we now know:

• 5: The "Star Warriors" pages are fairly inconsequential here, serving only as a framing story for Leia's recollection of Obi-Wan's exploits. It's interesting to note that Leia appears to have an expansive enough knowledge of Jedi tactics to be able to link Han's maneuver to those employed by the Jedi Knights "for centuries". She also seems to know more about Obi-Wan than is apparent in the films.
• 6: "Before the Empire, when space was free to any ships that passed by, so long as they travelled through civilized systems". Doesn't really match the whole "taxation of trade routes" plot, although the "civilized systems" bit covers well enough if it's taken to mean the Outer Rim. However, since this story is set during the Clone Wars, space isn't really free any more. What's more interesting, however, is Obi-Wan's completely random appearance; OK, so his beard and hairstyle actually match his RotS look quite well, although they are oddly grey. Further, he's wearing a black and, uh, skin-tight jumpsuit here. Seems reminiscient of old TPM concept art of a more Samurai-looking Obi-Wan, though it could actually be a clone trooper body suit, with the white gloves, belt and boots pieces of clone armor - there's a precedent at least, thanks to the Clone Wars cartoons. Unfortunately, his lightsaber is just a random, plain cylinder, and doesn't match his established weapon.
• 7: Obi-Wan's not a droid-lover, which fits with his casual dismissal of R4-P17's death in RotS. Also, he notes that he's never owned a living creature in his life - yeah, so Anakin isn't technically his possession, but it could, I guess, be seen that way. But anyway, time to rejoyce, because Obi-Wan gets violent at a bar! His quip is perhaps in line with his RotS-era self, though he seems a little too violent here for a guy who's known as "the Negotiator".
• 10: Wow, that was a little uncalled for...Obi-Wan's being very callous here. Still, I found it hilarious that Obi-Wan bemoans the use of "addictive stimulants", what with those "Obi-Wan is a drunk!" theories bandied about the 'net. Also, Tryll's appearance here puts me in mind of Dannik Jerrikko, who of course wanted to drink Obi-Wan's "soup" in Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina.
• 11: Obi-Wan calls Bail his "old friend", although at this point, I don't think we've ever seen them interacting. There's a little of that in Obsession, but that takes place a good year or so after this story.
• 14: The crew's uniforms seem a bit on the Imperial side here. Could they be Republic officers, perhaps?
• 15: Obi-Wan's looking grumpy, and no wonder: the aliens in the bar are getting drunk without him!
• 19: A couple of the pirate ships look like miniature Star Destroyers...perhaps a Kuat Systems Engineering design, seeing as this is the era of the Delta-7 and its variants?
• 21: And another that bears a passing resemblance to a Skipray Blastboat.
• 27: If Obi-Wan can't have a drink, no one will! Note the white lightsaber here, a design that's recently been properly reintroduced with the Imperial Knights.

[edit] Infinities in RL

Star Wars Episode IV

Just a little idea I had; OK, so it's 2006, and we've had the first three installments of the Star Wars series. Episode IV has not yet been released—what would us fanboys be contributing to the rumour mill as the saga continues in a world where 1977, 1980 and 1983 never happened?

[edit] Star Wars Episode IV

[edit] 04 July 2006: Independence Day

An aptly-scheduled update to the rumour mill today, with news of a prominent organization set to feature in Episode IV to fight for independence in a galaxy tainted by darkness.

The Alliance to Restore the Republic has been formed in the wake of the Clone Wars, intent on fighting back against the Galactic Empire and the evil Dark Lords of the Sith. Apparently, this coalition of freedom fighters is an evolution of the Delegation of 2,000—a group of Senators formally opposed to Palpatine that was cut from the final release of Revenge of the Sith, but whose scenes can be found on the DVD—led by Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma.

At the moment, that's all we know, but it's highly likely this will be the major "good guy" organization for the film. An interesting counterpoint to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, fighting to restore the Republic rather than replace it. However, unlike the Separatists, these Alliance supporters likely don't have a droid army to back them up, so expect more Senate sessions and political manoeuvring as the Senators attempt to bring down the Empire from within.

But what of the actual makeup of the Alliance? Well, we know Delegation leaders Organa and Mothma are heading this group, so expect other signatories of the Petition of 2,000 also; characters such as Bana Breemu, Giddean Danu and Nee Alavar, all seen in the deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith. Sadly, kindly Fang Zar was killed off in Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, and other Senators have already been arrested by the Empire. Speaking of Dark Lord, one of its minor characters, a Senator named Garm Bel Iblis, is also a possible candidate to appear in the film. He's already been seen on the HoloNet News website, and was mentioned in the Revenge of the Sith novel. He seems to be a character with similar ideals to Bail, and would no doubt be a loyal member of the Alliance against the Empire.

And, naturally, the Jedi will be aiding the Alliance in its endeavours. Long live the Alliance!

[edit] 26 June 2006: Episode IV and the EU

Jan Dodonna during the Clone Wars.

Another casting announcement, and one that brings with it some very interesting possibilities!

• Alex McCrindle as General Jan Dodonna

Exciting news, especially when you consider Dodonna is a character who has already been established in the Expanded Universe novels and comics. Jan first appeared in the Star Wars Republic comic arc, The Dreadnaughts of Rendili, as a Republic Captain who fought in the Battle of Rendili. He's also appeared in Labyrinth of Evil and Republic 78: Loyalties. In this comic, Dodonna was seen as an Imperial officer, following the transition from Republic to Empire. This likely means we will be seeing Jan in combat against the Jedi. However, in Loyalties, Dodonna does mention the possibility of leaving the Empire at some point, so perhaps he might not remain with the bad guys for long.

Whatever Dodonna's eventual role in Episode IV, it certainly leaves the door open for other EU characters to follow in his and Aayla Secura's footsteps and make the leap from the page to the big screen. One character I'd definately like to see in Episode IV is Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, better known as Thrawn, who appeared in Outbound Flight, set prior to Attack of the Clones. When we left him, Thrawn was still out in the Unknown Regions, though considering he knew of Darth Sidious, he may well attempt to join the Empire at some point, since both he and Sidious are concerned about these so-called Far Outsiders. I wonder if these mysterious aliens will make an appearance in the movie? Outbound Flight seemed to set up a lot of details that will hopefully pay off in a later publication.

There is also the possibility of EU Jedi making an appearance, as I have speculated on before, and any number of other characters still alive following Revenge of the Sith. The inclusion of Dodonna definately helps support my view that Lucas will turn to the EU for characters, and possibly even vessels and locations. The possibilities are endless!

[edit] 22 June 2006: New Vehicle Revealed

Big news today, with the unveiling of a brand new starship for the Star Wars saga, set to debut in Episode IV: The TIE Fighter.

The TIE Fighter.

Remember the V-wing starfighters seen escorting Palpatine's shuttle at the end of Revenge of the Sith, that looked like a cross between the Sith Infiltrator and the Jedi Starfighter? Well, the TIE Fighter appears to be a new version of that ship. It has two large, hexagonal panels on either side, connected to a spherical cockpit by thin pylons. These wings are black and highlighted in the same navy-blue colour used for the rest of the fighter—although reportedly there is some debate about the actual colour. Some sources say these fighters are going to be grey, since blue doesn't work well with the special effects. Why that should matter in this day and age is beyond me; this is 2006, not the 1970s!

Anyway, the cockpit reminds me of that of the Jedi Interceptor, especially in the spider-web-style of the glass. There are two protrusions below the canopy that look like laser cannons, though whether the TIE Fighter has any additional weaponry is unknown. A pilot can be seen in the cockpit, wearing a black, full-face version of Commander Odd Ball's armour, sported by ARC-170 pilots during the Battle of Coruscant. These guys look pretty menacing, as befits a Jango Fett clone.

I mentioned earlier that the TIE Fighter seems to have been inspired by other vessels, but to me, this ship looks like a very basic, pared-down version of the more familiar starfighters of previous episodes. They don't look very tough—though of course, as Palpatine taught us, appearances can be deceptive. Maybe this ship is just a scout, and not the Empire's foremost starfighter. I don't think they'd be able to win many battles relying solely on these things!

On a related note, reports have also indicated an escape pod will play an important part in the film, perhaps tying in with Yoda's use of a Wookiee pod to escape Kashyyyk in 'Revenge of the Sith. The usual airspeeders and similar background vehicles are also expected.

[edit] 14 June 2006: Casting Announcement!

The Official Site has just announced a few minor casting details for Episode IV, though at the minute they're keeping the main characters under wraps. For now, we have:

• Don Henderson as General Tagge
• Jack Purvis as Chief Jawa
• William Hootkins as Porkins

Intriguing stuff, especially the first one. First we had General Grievous, now a General Tagge. OK, so his name isn't quite as fear-inspiring as the late droid General's, but it's likely Tagge will be a major new villain in the film. As we see from the original trilogy, there is always a major and a minor bad guy in each film (think Maul and Gunray, Dooku and Jango, Sidious/Vader and Grievous). I'm betting this Tagge will be Vader's second-in-command. Maybe he's a new type of clone trooper—oops, I mean stormtrooper—like the ARC troopers or commandos. Either way, he'll probably be a nasty piece of work.

Chief Jawa is interesting. Reminds me of Boss Nass. Obviously Jawa is the leader of some new group we have yet to meet. Maybe a species that helps the Jedi out? This could be an interesting character, like Tion Medon.

Porkins, though? Sounds like a goofy name. Hope he's not another Gungan. He's also supposedly called "Red Six", though I'm not sure what that means. He could be some kind of droid...maybe a new ally for the Jedi. Looks like C-3PO might have some competition!

Finally, a random thought from me: will we see Naboo again? Since Padmé has died, and Palpatine no longer has anything to do with it, there doesn't seem to be much point in returning. OK, so Jar Jar is still the representative in the Senate, but I don't think he's going to have much screentime considering he was only in two scenes in Revenge of the Sith. Although, maybe Captain Typho has a bigger role in this film? He could round up the Security Forces and help Bail Organa's Separatist movement to fight the Empire. Imagine a battle with the stormtroopers in Theed City! Can't wait to see what happens.

[edit] 12 June 2006: The Jedi

Just a quick bit of speculation here; which Jedi will be appearing in Episode IV?

Yes, the Order is no more thanks to the traitorous clone troopers, but what would Star Wars be without a few Jedi running around with lightsabers? I'm sure even the events of Revenge of the Sith will not stop some impressive Jedi action. Now, I don't think Obi-Wan and Yoda are going to be involved in much fighting, since they are presumably still hiding from the Empire—remember that cut scene of Yoda arriving on some swamp planet? Looks like he's going to be out of action for a while—but there are still some Jedi survivors, thanks to Obi-Wan's recalibration of the Temple beacon. Maybe Lucas will include some Expanded Universe Jedi, as he did with Aayla Secura? How cool would it be to see Quinlan Vos battling stormtroopers as he tries to return to the Jedi Temple! Or maybe K'Kruhk will appear at last, and go down in combat against Vader himself? There's also Shaak Ti, whose death scenes were cut from the film, implying her character might be saved for Episode IV. Perhaps she meets up with Yoda to reform the Jedi Council.

And of course, there are a lot of rumours circulating that Mace Windu actually survived Palpatine's attack in Revenge of the Sith, and will return to help Obi-Wan and Yoda take on the Sith. He will likely have a robotic arm, like Anakin's, and maybe he managed to salvage his trusty purple lightsaber. Of course, this is all still rumour, but it would definately be a relief to learn the fire of the Jedi has not been extinguished completely. And besides, having been living rough for a while, it's a good bet Mace would be sporting a pretty bad-ass afro for his return!

[edit] 11 June 2006: The Ultimate Weapon

Here's a thought, concerning something I noticed in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Remember during the Battle of Geonosis, Poggle the Lesser gave a hologram of some kind of weapon to Dooku? He called it the "Ultimate Weapon", and Dooku said he was going to bring it to his Master on Coruscant. Well, we now know his Master is Palpatine, and in the Emperor's final scene, what's that he and Vader are looking at up in space? Looks very similar to the Ultimate Weapon; it's even got that big bowl thing on the side. It also doesn't look completed, since the hologram of the Ultimate Weapon is a complete sphere, with antennae-like protrusions coming off it.

So, could this weapon appear in Episode IV? Since it's already under construction, it will likely make an appearance, or at least be alluded to. But what can it do? We've never seen anything this big before, but since it is an Ultimate Weapon, it will most likely be used against the Jedi. Perhaps that bowl fires some kind of missile or laser, or maybe it projects a shield over the entire weapon? It could be a simalcrum of Coruscant; both are covered by metal, and the governmental district on Coruscant (seen during the Invisible Hand crash-landing) is in the same circular shape as the bowl on top of the weapon. It could serve as Palpatine's new headquarters and double as a transport of some kind, maybe to replace the Star Destroyers.

And just how, if it does turn out to pose a threat, will the Jedi destroy it? Perhaps they will follow Anakin's example in Episode I and fire a proton torpedo into its reactor, but would Lucas really use the same trick again? I hardly think he would have all his battleships taken out in the same way! What if the Jedi take control of the weapon, and ram it into Coruscant itself? Imagine that for a end set-piece; a massive Ultimate Weapon destroying an entire planet! It's not likely, but it is fun to imagine.

[edit] 9 June 2006: Speculation and rumours

It's been over a year now since the third Star Wars movie hit cinemas, and already work is underway on the fourth movie in the series, the as-yet-untitled Episode IV, due for release in May 2008. Anticipation is high for this film, especially since there were so many unanswered questions left at the end of Revenge of the Sith.

Obviously, one of the biggest questions is, what will happen to Anakin now? Well, Anakin, or rather, Darth Vader, was last seen at his Master's side on a Venator-class Star Destroyer, after the formation of the Galactic Empire. Now this is going to change the galaxy in a big way, and we'll likely see Vader helping to enforce Imperial rule across the galaxy; he appears to be, after all, the Emperor's henchman, just as Maul and Tyranus were before him. He's got the 501st Legion at his command, so I'm betting the next film will open with a big battle with Vader fighting against the Jedi survivors of Order 66. We've already seen something like this with Star Wars: Purge, but the movie will take it to a new level. Purge does mean, however, that Episode IV won't take place directly after Episode III, so I think it will probably be about five years later.

But what other characters may return? Well, it's been reported Lucas is going to shoot some scenes in Tunisia, which is where the scenes at Cliegg Lars' homestead were filmed for Attack of the Clones. Maybe we're going to see little Luke Skywalker growing up, and maybe even Obi-Wan watching over him, just as he said he would. The Jedi seem to think the Skywalker twins are very important to defeating the Sith, so maybe Obi-Wan will start training Luke to be a Jedi? He would obviously have to be very young to start training, as the Jedi wouldn't want to repeat their mistake with letting 9-year-old Anakin into the Order. So Luke definately won't be very old in this film—although some reports state he's going to be nineteen, which is just ridiculous!

This also means Leia will be young, too, so if we are able to visit Alderaan again, it will likely only to see Bail Organa. The Revenge of the Sith DVD reveals several scenes were shot in which Bail, Padmé and other Senators talked about opposing Palpatine, and though cut out of the film, this plot may have been saved for Episode IV. The death of Padmé is probably going to make Bail want to strike back against the Empire. My guess is they form a new Separatist movement, perhaps using ships left over from the Separatist forces—they would only have to be reactivated anyway, since the Empire seems to have just left them lying around—and maybe Tantive IV. This would mean R2-D2 and C-3PO return, but of course they've been given mind-wipes...or, at least C-3PO has. Maybe Artoo's knowledge will form a plot point later on? What if he is captured by the Empire, and Palpatine learns of Leia's existence? Big trouble for Alderaan!

There have been reports of Wookiees apparently making an appearance in Episode IV, which hopefully means a return to Kashyyyk, maybe for a battle against the Imperial occupiers? I'm guessing Tarfful will be seen again, and maybe his sidekick, Chewbacca—though he looks a bit weedy compared to Tarfful, so I don't think he's much of a warrior. We're also supposed to be introduced to a major new character who is a friend of the Wookiees and was raised on Kashyyyk. Now, here's a bit of wild speculation, but there was an old piece of concept art created for Revenge of the Sith that featured a 10-year-old kid who was an orphan adopted by the Wookiees. He was called Han Solo—sounds like something out of the 1970s!—and I think he might appear in this film. On a related note, I expect Boba Fett will make an appearance too, maybe to hunt down some Jedi. He'll only be in his teens here, but wouldn't it be cool to see him in his father's armour!

Well, that's all the speculation for now, but I'll report more as news develops. So may the Force be with you! 2008 can't come quick enough!