Category Archives: SWEU

2013 in the Star Wars Expanded Universe

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It’s the vogue thing to do right now so I couldn’t help but sit down and take a retrospective look at this year’s Expanded Universe books and then rank them in my order of preference. (Because hey!  All the cool kids are doing it!)

Overall, 2013 was a solidly enjoyable year for Expanded Universe releases.  After all, what else could it be when we literally started 2013 with Scoundrels?  I can promise you that I paid no attention to the ball dropping in Time’s Square and was instead impatiently waiting for Scoundrels to finish downloading to my Nook instead.  As those who followed the Waru Express are probably well aware, I’ve had my fair share of problems with a number of the Expanded Universe releases in the past five years or so.  2013 has, for the most part, been a giant breath of fresh air.

We’ll start with my basic rankings and then I’ll go a bit more into detail because this list is going to look deceptive.  My reviews for each of these books are linked.

  1. Kenobi
  2. Razor’s Edge
  3. Scoundrels
  4. Into the Void
  5. The Last Jedi
  6. Crucible

That’s the simplified version of the rankings.  If you really want a better sense of how I felt about these books, it’ll look something more like this.

  1. Kenobi
  2. Razor’s Edge OR Scoundrels
  3. Into the Void.

9. The Last Jedi

87. Crucible

Let’s start with the good. (And a few spoilers that will be said in passing.)

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A Unapologetic Love Letter To The Young Jedi Knights Books

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yjk11

Sometimes, there are books that you classify as a guilty pleasure and sometimes there are books that you find yourself apologizing for every time you say that you enjoy them.  In the past, the Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights books have fallen into this category for me.  For those unaware: it’s a series of 14 young adult books by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta that focus on the Solo twins and their friends Tenel Ka and Lowbacca during their first few years at the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4.

From here on out, there won’t be any more apologies for liking these books.  Despite clearly being written for the younger crowd, they are entertaining reads with fun plot lines and great characters.  Most importantly though, they are some of the best gateways for younger fans to ease into the Expanded Universe and discover a whole new galaxy.  And years later? they still have plenty of fans who look back fondly at the books.  Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why they’re still some of the well-creased and beloved novels on some people’s shelves.

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A Cry for Practicality in Star Wars Fashion

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It’s no secret that we at Tosche Station dislike Mara Jade’s catsuit. The reasons are many: it’s a symbol of sexism and objectification of female characters; it’s not what she’s described as wearing in the Thrawn Trilogy; we hate seeing her in the same outfit all the damn time. My dislike–even hatred–of the catsuit comes down to one simple matter.

It’s not practical.

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There Is Still Good In Him

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“There’s good in him.  I know… I know there’s still…”  “There is still good in him.”  “I’ve got to save you.”

It’s not a stretch to say that redemption is a main theme of the Star Wars films and neither is it a stretch to say that the same theme continued through the Expanded Universe.  The story of someone’s fall to the dark and eventual redemption to the light has been repeated countless times throughout.  This is, afterall, a franchise built upon the story of the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker.

So why, in recent years, have we seen stories go against this?

I’m talking, of course, about Jacen Solo and also Vestara Khai.  How did we get to a point in the Star Wars universe where Luke Skywalker, Dark Side Redeemer Extraordinaire, isn’t consistently giving it his all to try and bring back his nephew or a young girl from the dark side?  But before we get there, let’s look back at redemption throughout the rest of the Star Wars Saga.

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Review: The Making of Return of the Jedi

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makingofrotjWith The Making of Return of the Jedi, J.W. Rinzler rounds out his trilogy of “making of” books that have become essential to Star Wars fans and film aficionados alike. Does this installment live up to the high standards set by its predecessors, The Making of Star Wars and The Making of The Empire Strikes Back? Find out after the jump.

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Compare and Contrast: Leia in 2013

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comics_star_wars2013 was a big year for Leia in the Expanded Universe. First up, we got the Brian Wood written Star Wars comic, which Bria and myself were less than impressed by. Today we got Razor’s Edge by Martha Wells, which we were significantly happier with. Why the difference in reactions? Simply put, it boiled down to how Leia was used and characterized. To see what we mean, head below the cut.

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Review: Razor’s Edge

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Razor's EdgeIt’s been hard in recent years to find a characterization of Leia Organa that just feels right.  It’s also been hard to find a story about our Original Trilogy heroes where the stakes are high (but not ludicrously so) and where the galaxy doesn’t have to be put completely back together again at the story’s end or, in other words, a fun adventure story.  Martha Wells delivers on both of these counts in Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge.  It’s a book where the story is important enough to warrant several hundred pages but it’s also a book that will make you laugh one page, smile another, and then perhaps duck your head and hide a tear for Alderaan.  (Or maybe that last one is just me.)

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Go/No-Go: Razor’s Edge by Martha Wells

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nasa-mission-control-3Welcome back to Go/No-Go, Tosche Station’s regular feature where we offer our spoiler-free opinion as to whether or not you should spend your hard-earned money on a book, film, or other entertainment. Today on the launch pad: Razor’s Edge by Martha Wells. Does the first of the new Empire and Rebellion series stack up? Time to go around the horn at mission control.

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Review: Star Wars: Legacy #6

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Legacy6CoverAfter a whirlwind past couple of issues, Legacy #6 feels like a deep breath as our heroes regroup.  That’s not to say there isn’t any action since, as the cover advertises, it’s a Sith vs Sith battle but Ania Solo’s very bad day finally has come to a close.  Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman follow up on their excellent first arc with a transitional issue that’s a good read nonetheless.

This review contains mild spoilers for the issue.

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