Category Archives: Star Wars

New ‘Essential Guide to Characters’ in the Works

Posted on by

Yesterday, the official Del Rey Star Wars Twitter account dropped this tease:

I know I’d love to see a number of post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe characters included. A longshot, sure, but any chance I could see something about the Antilles sisters?

Who would you like to see in the third EG to Characters? Drop a comment in this post to tell us!

Jason Fry Releases ‘Essential Guide to Warfare’ Endnotes

Posted on by

Over on his blog, Jason Fry posted a set of endnotes from his latest Expanded Universe release, the Essential Guide to Warfare.

The book originally began with a transcript of a briefing featuring Admiral Motti, Bevel Lemelisk, a general from the Department of Military Research and Dr. Insmot Bowen, a pre-Republic specialist from the Obroan Institute. Dr. Bowen explained that some of the odd characteristics of the galaxy — including that barrier west of the Core — were the remnants of Celestial technology, and told the panel of an ancient war between the Celestials and the Rakata. (Motti, as you might imagine, wasn’t believing it.)

The section was fun, but my editor at Del Rey, Erich Schoeneweiss, felt it wasn’t the best beginning for the book. He felt we needed something that put the reader in a dynamic scene rather than a briefing room, and that had some actual warfare in it, instead of a discussion of it. I fumed about that for a bit, then fumed a lot more because I realized Erich was right.

I have to say, I’m glad Schoeneweiss suggested a different opening. The prologue was one of my favorite parts of the book and really helped set the stage for perhaps the best Essential Guide I’ve gotten my hands on.

For more interesting notes and tidbits from Jason Fry, head on over to his blog.

Fate of the Jedi Retrospective – Part I

Posted on by

With Apocalypse hitting bookshelves last month, the three-year Fate of the Jedi series came to a conclusion. Not only did it mark the end of the nine book series, but the end of the megaseries concept Del Rey has been known for since New Jedi Order kicked off in 1999. FotJ marks the end of an era in more ways than one, but how effective was it?

Part I of the Fate of the Jedi retrospective below the cut.

Continue reading →

EU Author Aaron Allston’s Upcoming Appearance Dates

Posted on by

Author, humorist, and Ewok enthusiast Aaron Allston has updated his appearance schedule for the remainder of the year:

  • May 5: Austin, TX | Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy – with Peter Mayhew
  • May 30-June 3: Columbus, OH | Origin’s Game Fair – Michael Stackpole and Timothy Zahn also in attendance and will join Allston on a Star Wars panel or two
  • July 27-29:  Austin, TX | Armadillo Con
  • August 23-26: Orlando, FL | Celebration VI 
  • August 31-September 3: Atlanta, GA | Dragon*Con – Michael Stackpole, Timothy Zahn, and several other Expanded Universe writers will also be in attendance.

If you ever get the chance to see Allston on a panel at a convention, drop whatever it is you’re doing and grab a seat. He’s one of the funniest men alive and puts on an incredibly entertaining show. This year promises to be especially fun as his first X-Wing novel in thirteen years is due out in August.  

via Roqoo Depot

Star Wars Weekends Guests!

Posted on by

On last week’s podcast, we reported on the Celebrity Hosts for this year’s upcoming Star Wars Weekends – James Arnold Taylor and Ashley Eckstein.  On Friday, Disney announced the nearly full roster of guests.  Hooray!

Weekend I (May 18 – 20)

  • Ray Park – (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • Jerome Blake (Rune Haako/Mas Amedda – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Clone Captain Rex and Clone Commander Cody – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend II (May 25- 27)

  • Andy Secombe (Watto – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • Ray Park (Darth Maul – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • Tom Kane (voice of Yoda – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Weekend III (June 1 -3)

  • Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • Silas Carson (Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • (Star Wars: The Clone Wars voice talent – currently TBD)

Weekend IV (June 8- 10)

  • Michonne Bourriague (Aurra Sing – Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)
  • Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)
  • Daniel Logan (Boba Fett – Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones)
  • Nika Futterman (voice of Asajj Ventress – Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

It’ll be interesting to see the two Bobas together during Weekend 4, and I’m really looking forward to Nika Futterman’s appearance.  Asajj Ventress is one of my favorite characters on The Clone Wars and I don’t think she’s done an event like this before.  And I’m looking forward to seeing what Jake Lloyd has been up to, especially with The Phantom Menace 3D release this past February.

Personally, I’m hoping that the additional guest for Week 3 is Matt Lanter, for obvious reasons.

(via)

Children of the Jedi Part I: An Introduction to Snark

Posted on by

Greetings, readers! For those of you just joining us here at the blog, this is part of an ongoing series in which I am reading ,or in some cases re-reading, Star Wars novels from yesteryear. I’m going to be starting rather early on in the Bantam-Spectra era and slowly working my way forward. Now, in some cases that will actually mean chronologically but in other it will mean that I’m just reading them as I get to them.

I also want to tell you that I will be reading most of these for the first time while in other cases they’ll be books I haven’t read in fifteen or so years. It’s needless to say that I may miss some things or note things that will eventually be resolved. If that’s the case, I’ll generally try to note it. In most cases, I’ll end up being right. Expect lots of exasperation and rage.

This brings us to the first of many posts in the series, the name of the series might be a bit fluid for a while until I come up with something that I’m happier with, but we’ll just have to see. For now, you pick, either “EU Growing Pains” or simply “Some books have it coming.”

Brian recently posted his roadmap to the EU, suggesting his own recommendations to get started on the path.  You will also notice that many of these really aren’t on that list.  There’s a good reason.

The first thing on the docket from this humble author will be Children of the Jedi.

Part I

Continue reading →

Denning Talks Fate of the Jedi with Fans

Posted on by

Over at Star Wars Books, Troy Denning conducted a Q&A session with fans via Facebook. Just what do fans want to know from the author that seems to have become the face of the Post-New Jedi Order EU? Why, what his dream project would be, of course.

I’ve been blessed with so many dream SW projects already that I feel guilty talking about another one . . . but I WOULD like to write the story of Yoda coming of age

Denning also dished on the creative process involved with writing Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse, his latest entry in the Expanded Universe and the conclusion of the nine-book megaseries.

One of our goals for Apocalypse was to open up a whole new boatload of story telling possibilities for the EU. I feel like we accomplished that, and there are about a hundred different SW stories I’d love to tell that are hinted at the end of Apocalypse.

While I understand the goal and what they were trying to accomplish, I couldn’t help but feel that this approach made Apocalypse too open-ended for it’s own good.

For more answers to fan questions, head on over to Club Jade for a transcript with some commentary.

Review – Star Wars: Essential Guide to Warfare

Posted on by

I’m a fleet junkie.

Sure, the lightsaber duels, the Jedi versus Sith battles, and political games were neat, but that wasn’t my favorite part of the Star Wars mythos growing up. It was the blaster fights. The showdowns between X-Wings and TIE Fighters. The sight of the Death Star looming in the distance. Military warfare in this universe has always held a special place in my heart, which is why Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart’s Essential Guide to Warfare was one of my most anticipated Expanded Universe titles of 2012*.

*Which isn’t to say that there’s nothing about the Jedi and Sith in this book. There are a great many words were written about them.

It’s worth pointing out that the creative staff could have simply compiled abridged Wookieepedia-type articles,  slapped some new artwork on it and I would have been moderately happy. What we lucky readers got instead was a product that cleared that bar by a staggering margin. While I was mostly looking forward to the new artwork in the book (and that is more than enough to justify a purchase), it was the written content that pushed EG to Warfare over the top and elevated it to must-buy territory for casual to hardcore Star Wars fans alike.

Continue reading →