Star Wars - Volume 2: Dark Force Rising

Product Information

Thrawn’s return was very exciting. Lucasfilm called me to show me concept designs for Rebels. At the same time, we were discussing future novels about the character. It was then eight months before the announcement of the Grand Admiral’s return, at Star Wars Celebration London in 2016. There’s not much difference between the original Thrawn and the Thrawn of this new timeline. It’s the same character, in different geopolitical conditions, surrounded by different characters, but he hasn’t changed. Lucasfilm wanted these new books to be connected to Rebels, so I tried to make as many connections as possible. They gave me the scripts for the episodes in advance, so that I was aware of the plot… The goal is for everything to fit together. The second book takes place between season 2 and season 3. And the third takes place during a period of the series where he is off camera in season 4.” When conceiving of the antagonist for the series, Zahn desired a villain who was less brutal than Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine. [12] Instead, Zahn sought inspiration from military commanders throughout history and envisaged an adversary who could outsmart the protagonists. [12] In creating the character of Thrawn, Timothy Zahn said: Gonzales, Dave (December 22, 2016). "The Greatest 'Star Wars' Spinoff Movie Was Everything but a Movie". Thrillist . Retrieved March 24, 2019. How flaw many of the Star wars protagonists have been written is especially obvious when contrasting it with Thrawn, although fangirls and boys will of course also enjoy the known stars of the show. Subjectively, maybe because I am in general closer to the dark side, I prefer well developed, understandable, motivated villains to generic and somewhat unrealistic and irresponsible heroes, but each one is free to choose her/his side and live with the consequences.

The three Star Wars films form a spectacular saga of bold imagination and high adventure. But the stories of its characters did not end there. Now for the first time, Lucasfilm Ltd., producer of the Star Wars movies, has authorized the continuation of this beloved story. In an astounding three-book cycle, Timothy Zahn continues the tale of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the other characters made world famous by Star Wars , as he brilliantly expands upon George Lucas's stunning vision, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." Shortly after the release of the novel, Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine clarified, although the book was licensed and approved by Lucasfilm, Heir to the Empire is not George Lucas' story, nor the official continuation of the saga, but, rather, a story of Timothy Zahn's own imagination. [11] The sourcebooks released for the novels noted that all products taking place after Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi, are the author's vision of what may have happened, and not the true fate of the characters. [12] [13] [14] In 1994, Howard Roffman, head of Lucas Licensing stated that, the books following the events of Episode VI. were never intended to be the story of the planned Episode VII-IX. [15] Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology – Legends Series". Penguin Random House . Retrieved 24 July 2022.It might not be entirely fair to these books that I first started reading them expecting them to be masterpieces (touted by more than a few people I know as the very best of Star Wars EU fiction), because to be quite honest, I was more disappointed than I was impressed with them. I say that this might not be fair because in reality, they aren't that bad; the plot is certainly interesting enough to hold your attention, especially if you're a Star Wars fan. However, there are several aspects of these books that just irked me the entire way through, and ultimately prevent the series from getting any more than a "read it if you've got nothing else better to read" recommendation from me. The Dark Force remained undiscovered until smuggler Captain Hoffner and his ship stumbled upon it in 6 BBY. Hoffner and his navigator/sensor officer, Talon Karrde were the only ones aboard aware of the find, but neither realized the other person knew the secret. They each concealed the fleet's location until the right time to make use of it. Hoffner later arranged to sell individual Katana Dreadnaughts to Garm Bel Iblis, who eventually accumulated a strike force of six of the ships, including his command ship, the Peregrine. Talon Karrde stated that the fleet was lost in 32 BBY (at the time of The Phantom Menace), but Captain Gilad Pellaeon set it at fifty-five years prior to the date of the story (which is set in 9 ABY.) The New Essential Chronology sets the fleet's launch following the Stark Hyperspace War, but does not implicitly state it was lost the same year, although the implication is that it was lost before 44 BBY. It is more likely that a high-ranking Imperial officer has the correct date than a smuggling chief, especially because Karrde said it was "about ten years before the Clone Wars."

The novel introduced several recurring characters and elements to the Expanded Universe, notably including Thrawn, the Chiss species, Talon Karrde and Mara Jade. The ending is great. It all climaxes with everyone fighting for the Katana fleet, a battle which our heroes supposedly win, as well as being clued in to some vital information and gaining much needed allies. That it turns out to be an empty victory in the end, when they discover that Thrawn has already gotten there before them and cleaned out almost all of the 200 warships previous to the battle, which was basically fought over a little more than a dozen ships. Bacon, Tom (January 23, 2017). " Thrawn, The Next Star Wars Novel, Promises To Transform The Franchise". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on 2017-03-12 . Retrieved March 4, 2017. Every time I encounter Thrawn in the Star Wars universe, I’m impressed with how excellent of a villain he is. Many of the Star Wars villains/antagonists are either simply foolish or incredibly emotionally-driven by their rage, fear, power-hunger, etc. Thrawn actually thinks critically, makes logical choices, and is open to his cohorts’ suggestions. Stories are always so much more enjoyable when a formidable character is heading the opposition.

Breznican, Anthony (November 2, 2012). " Star Wars sequel author Timothy Zahn weighs in on new movie plans". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 21, 2016. Star Wars in the UK: The Dark Times, 1987—1991". StarWars.com. April 15, 2013 . Retrieved May 30, 2022. By 6 ABY, the balance of power between the New Republic, the Galactic Empire, and warlord forces was so precarious that, despite their age, it was believed that any faction that recovered the fleet would immediately become the dominant force in the galaxy. The enormous potential value of the Katana fleet was used to draw the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Eviscerator away as a prelude to the Second Battle of Borleias.

But I have to say, now that I finished dark force rising I like her quite a bit more. Zahn does a really good job fleshing her out and making her work much better as a character on her own. If you asked me what I was looking forward to the most in this trilogy after Heir to the Empire, Mara Jade could be forgotten about and I would not have really cared. Now, she's one of the things I want to read about the most in The Last Command. Here is the #1 New York Times bestselling novel that reignited the entire Star Wars publishing phenomenon. The biggest event in the history of Star Wars books, Heir to the Empire follows the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia after they led the Rebel Alliance to victory in Star Wars : Episode VI Return of the Jedi . Those that read my review of Heir know what I thought of Talon Karrde. Well, he's just as bland here as he was before, but this time he's more central to the story. Zahn has a few annoying "tics" to his writing, such as unusual dialogue choices made by nearly every character (imagine that you're writing a story about people from all over the world, and every character who isn't a bad guy says "y'all" and "fixin' to") and the insistence on describing every lightsaber ignition as snap-hiss, but I can generally ignore those and simply enjoy the story. Maybe it would have worked better if we got inside Thrawn's head this time but it's still the same thing where it's all through the point of view of captain Palleon.Set approximately five years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi, [2] the trilogy details the offensive campaigns of military genius Grand Admiral Thrawn as he attempts to bring down the recently founded New Republic in a bid to restore the Galactic Empire to power. In addition to Thrawn, the trilogy introduced several notable characters, including Mara Jade and Talon Karrde.