Category Archives: SWEU

Kevin Hearne’s Luke novel set for release in January 2015

Posted on by

sunset-luke

Over on the catalog Edelweiss, Knights’ Archive spotted a listing for the audio version of Kevin Hearne’s upcoming debut Star Wars novel. It will star Luke Skywalker and round out the unofficial “Empire and Rebellion” trilogy.

In an attempt to distract the Empire from important Rebel Alliance activity, Luke Skywalker draws the attention of Imperial Security, leading him-along with Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Chewbacca-into a deadly trap right in Darth Vader’s sights!

No mention of Rogue Squadron of X-Wings in there, but I’m still really excited for a book starring Luke Skywalker, the most underappreciated of all the Star Wars Original Trilogy characters.

The novel is scheduled for release on January 13, 2015, which is the day after my birthday. Thank you, Del Rey, for a lovely birthday present.

Report: Disney Prohibits EU Characters from Star Wars Weekend Motorcade

Posted on by
baronfel

A fan dressed as Baron Fel marches in the 2013 Star Wars Weekends motorcade.

Update: It appears it’s the 501st acting on their own rather than Disney calling for this. Brian has written an open letter to the 501st in response. 

One of the most popular events at Disney’s Star Wars Weekends is the Celebrity Motorcade that travels down Hollywood Boulevard to the stage hear the Sorcerer’s Hat. Fans line the streets to watch Disney characters, celebrity guests, and costumed fans from the 501st and the Rebel Legion. One of my favorite things about the motorcade is picking out all the Expanded Universe characters and yelling out their names to give them love. Popular EU appearances have been Mara Jade, Baron Fel, Starkiller (both versions), Revan, Darth Nihilus, Juno Eclipse…the list goes on.

According to a post on the Disboards, Disney is getting more strict this year when it comes to fan costumes, and is outright prohibiting certain Expanded Universe characters, including Mara Jade, from participating in the motorcade.

nihilus

Darth Nihilus intimidates spectators.

This isn’t surprising, considering Disney has already retired the Hyperspace Hoopla, a popular dance-off type event with Star Wars characters, some speculate in order to “be more serious” about their characters in anticipation of new films being released. Why allow characters like Mara Jade to participate in the motorcade if they’re rendered non-canon by the Sequel Trilogy? It makes sense.

But it’s still incredibly disappointing, both to fans who made the costumes and fans like me who really enjoy seeing EU characters represented and get some love. In previous parades, I’ve heard the hosts call out Mara Jade and explain that she was the Emperor’s Hand and later Luke Skywalker’s wife. I’ve also heard them do this with characters like Revan and Starkiller. (One of my favorite moments was seeing a young boy freak out and yell, “There’s no way that was Darth Revan!”)

I’ve always been realistic when it comes to the future of the EU and the characters I love, but I didn’t expect Disney to kick ’em out of the parade. I guess I’ll have to get my fill of EU characters at conventions.

Edit: I’ve learned from 501st members that while certain EU characters like Revan and Starkiller are still allowed to march in the parade, the majority have been prohibited, including post-RotJ characters. And standards for Jawas (must be under 5 feet) and Jedi robes (must be standard colors) have been clamped down.

daala

Even Admiral Daala was represented in the motorcade.

Review: Honor Among Thieves (Spoiler Free)

Posted on by

honor-among-theves-500x760Grab your hat and hold on to your swears because Star Wars: Empire and Rebellion: Honor Among Thieves is out today!  Written by the author duo James S. A. Corey, Honor Among Thieves turns the spotlight on Han Solo and Chewbacca as Princess Leia sends them on mission only a pair of scoundrels like them can successfully pull off.

Set before the previous Empire and Rebellion novel, Honor Among Thieves opens with Leia asking Han to go into the middle of Imperial space and retrieve one of their field agents.  Scarlet Hark is a professional though so this should be a relatively simple mission.  Too bad the bounty on Han’s head is about to catch up with him, adding in a slight complication.  Oh.  And not to mention that Scarlet doesn’t actually want to be retrieved quite yet.  An Imperial astrocartographer is rumored to have made a discovery that could put him towards the top of the Emperor’s list of favorites and Scarlet wants to get her hands on it first with Han’s help.  Nothing ever seems to stay simple for long when it comes to missions for the Republic.

Continue reading →

Go/No-Go: Honor Among Thieves

Posted on by

honor-among-theves-500x760Time for another installment of Go/No-Go, our spoiler-free, mission control-style look at whether or not you should put your hard-earned money down for a newly released book, film, comic or what have you. On the launchpad today is Empire and Rebellion: Honor Among Thieves by James S.A. Corey.

Bria’s take: SWEARHAT is an excellent successor to Razor’s Edge in that it keeps incredibly true to spirit of the Rebellion, the Original Trilogy, and (most importantly) the characters.  And just like Razor’s Edge before it, Honor Among Thieves is fun.  Like most of the books set between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, the need for a new Rebel base feeds into the plot.  This book manages to take that plot line and weave it in and out of the book’s main plot, keeping readers guessing as to where it’s actually going to go.  Not only did James S. A. Corey get Han and Leia dead on but they also created a new character, Scarlet Hark, who is an absolutely joy to read.  I would love to see her incorporated into more Rebellion and early New Republic era stories.  In short, this fast paced and well characterized story is a good addition to the Expanded Universe.  SWEARHAT gets a definite Go from me.

Brian’s take: SWEARHAT (Best acronym or BEST acronym?) is an extremely fast-paced and enjoyable adventure and a solid follow-up to Razor’s Edge. For one reason or another, Han Solo has been a character that has been hard to get right on page, but James S.A. Corey has gotten it pitch perfect. You can’t help but read the lines in Han’s voice because every mannerism and spoken line is just so Han. Of course, you’ve always gotten my attention when a well-rounded and compelling female character is introduced, and Scarlet Hark fits the bill. Overall this book is a zippy and enjoyable read and is well worth the pickup. All I can say is that when the Expanded Universe gets sorted out, I hope Del Rey brings James S.A. Corey back, because the duo clearly gets the franchise and it would be wonderful to see more from them. This is a Go from me as well.

Verdict: SWEARHAT is a go, so pick it up when it hits bookshelves tomorrow. Also stay tuned for a more full-length and spoiler-filled review.

Laughter and Levity can Cut Through Darkness

Posted on by

It was just last night on the podcast Nanci and I were jokingly talking about how awesome it would be for Aaron Allston to write a second Starfighters of Adumar book in which Wedge, Tycho, Wes, and Hobbie run off to play diplomat again and mutter “we’re too old for this shit.” If anyone could have made that setup work, it would have been Aaron Allston. His ability to tap into the humor of Star Wars (and life in general, really) was unparalleled. If there was one lesson you could take away from his works, it was that there was always room for levity and laughter.

(Continue reading under the cut, warning for discussion of depression and suicide)

Continue reading →

Yub Yub, Aaron Allston

Posted on by

This is not a post any of us ever wanted to have to write. Aaron Allston, prolific Star Wars author and all-around awesome human being, passed away last night after apparent massive heart failure.

It’s safe to say that without Aaron, many of us wouldn’t be SWEU fans. It’s also safe to say that several of us wouldn’t have stayed SWEU fans without Aaron. No matter what he was writing, he had the ability to make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page, and then make you laugh through those tears. He created some of our most favorite characters, some of the SWEU’s best moments, and kept it fun through dark times. Several of us name Starfighters of Adumar as our favorite SWEU book of all time.

Aaron was a presence at many conventions, including Celebration and Dragon Con, where he ran writing workshops with Mike Stackpole. I participated in several of his seminars; not only was the man a great writer, but he was a great teacher, too. He always treated everyone like a friend, whether you’d known him for ages or had just approached him to ask him to sign one of your books. Aaron also contributed to several of my favorite panels at Dragon Con, where he had the audience in stitches. As Timothy Zahn said last night on Facebook, “The Aaron, Mike, and Tim show, as we called it, has come to a sad close.”

Brian and I had the honor of interviewing Aaron on the podcast, only our second interview (after Stackpole, fittingly), and were quite nervous to do so. He put us at ease and, needless to say, the interview ended up being informative and full of laughter. Probably my favorite interview we’ve ever done.

Star Wars will not be the same without Aaron Allston. Yub Yub, Commander. The Wraiths are flying in formation in your honor today.

Allston's Wraiths

edit: Brian posted his own thoughts here. 

Review: Star Wars: Legacy #12

Posted on by

Ania’s been kidnapped by someone she thought was a friend!  Issue #12 of Star Wars: Legacy by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman is out today and now almost everyone in the galaxy is looking for one Ania Solo.  (Honestly, can this woman’s life get any worse?)

Betrayed by her friend Ramid, Ania Solo finds herself stuffed unceremoniously into a storage locker with no comlink and therefore no way for her real friends to track her.  Ramid, on the other hand, is holding a grudge against her for leaving him for dead outside a prison camp and he’s happy to hand her over to the Triumvirate in exchange for a sizable bounty.  Across the galaxy, Master Val learns that he’s not in nearly as much trouble as he expected for his actions on Dac and that the Imperial Knights have a new mission he doesn’t quite agree with.  Meanwhile, Jao, Sauk, and AG-37 are doing everything they can to find Ania and get her back but they aren’t the only ones in pursuit.

Continue reading →

Review: Maul: Lockdown

Posted on by

MaulLockdownCoverIt’s a dark side sort of day with the first Expanded Universe book release of 2014.  Out today is Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber. What happens when you send one of the most dangerous beings in galaxy on a do-or-die mission?  A heck of a lot of carnage for starters.

Cog Hive Seven has a new inmate: Darth Maul.  Sent by his Master Darth Sidious to infiltrate the prison and find the elusive Iram Radique, a legendary arms dealer.  What might seem like a simple task is layered in complications.  No one’s actually seen Radique and lived to tell the tale.  Some think he’s just an urban legend.  On top of his mission, Maul must survive the nightly fights to the death organized by the warden and the gamblers across the galaxy want to see their newest champion fight.

Continue reading →

Golden: Sword of the Jedi is on hold

Posted on by

This isn’t exactly news, but it was a slightly more official confirmation of something we’ve known for a while. For a bit of clarity, this isn’t confirmation that the continuity is changing (though let’s be honest, it’s quite likely that will happen). If I were to wager a guess, Sword of the Jedi won’t be released unless LFL decides to go with a split canon that allows the legacy Expanded Universe to go it’s own direction.

Review: Star Wars: Legacy #11

Posted on by

A new year, a new arc for Star Wars: Legacy as Issue #11 by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman hits stores today.  Just because our heroes escaped danger in the last issue doesn’t mean they’re any closer to stopping Darth Wredd.

This review will contain a few spoilers but no more than you’d learn from reading the solicit.

Continue reading →