Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation chronicles the adventures of Theron Shan, spy and son of Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan. Born without sensitivity to the Force, Theron Shan was still trained in Jedi techniques and uses them as a Republic spy. I didn't read the comic book mini-series which introduced him but was eager to get acquainted with the character in the novels. I'm a huge fan of Drew Karpyshyn's work and was interested in his take on the character.

    Honestly, I can't say it was all that impressive.

    If I could summarize Annihilation, I suppose I'd choose the word generic. It is very recognizably Star Wars, unfortunately it's lacking in anything which really distinguishes it from the hundreds of other works based on the franchise. There's a Big-Bad Evil Sith (double points for being a fallen Jedi and cyborg) who has a Big-Bad Evil Starship the heroes want to blow up. Theron is a scoundrel who doesn't pay much heed to the Force, he's got a Jedi Master mentor who does (double points for being the Big-Bad Evil Sith's mentor), and an even more scoundrel-like alien girl who can't speak English (or "Basic" if we're to be accurate to the setting) very well.

    There's also the fact we meet Theron's father during this book. Is he a nameless trooper that Satele Shan once loved? Some guy she shared a moment with? A fellow Jedi? An almost-as-generic Sith Lord? No, actually, he's another hero every bit as big as Satele Shan. Theron Shan is the Jacen Solo of the Old Republic era, the child of two legendary heroes. I love Star Wars to death but the 'bloodlines of awesome' thing needs to go die in a fire. I hated it in Star Wars: Legacy and I'm not too big of a fan here.

    I think part of my disappointment stems from the fact the Old Republic era promised something new to the Star Wars era. Not moral ambiguity, we got enough of that in the NJO, but nuance to the character. The Sith are fully three-dimensional characters in the Old Republic Era and the Jedi Knights are at their most flawed. The conflict is a great deal more touch and go because, as stated during the Clone Wars, there's heroes on both sides. This is a book about plucky heroes and mindlessly evil Sith which feels distinctly paint-by-the-numbers.

    Part of my problem is Theron's character irritated me. I don't mind heroes who break the rules but the easy way he coasts over his superior's orders and does whatever he wants makes him somewhat boring. There's also his stalker-like relationship with Teff'ith the Twilek. Teff'ith repeatedly makes it clear she doesn't want anything to do with Theron, only for him to ignore her wishes and stalk her around the galaxy. It's not romantic or paternal, it's just plain creepy.

    I think a big mistake of the writers and developers was to begin the Sith Empire and Old Republic war again. The Cold War was an interesting promise, forcing both Jedi and Sith to treat each other as friends or rivals rather than enemies. Breaking it out into a war again give us any new stories and just continues the cycle of murder between the two sides we've seen literally dozens of times before. A curse on Darth Baras (and the writers) for destroying an interesting premise.

    My irritation is doubled because the book hints at nuance while not really bearing it out. There's a Sith Lord on the Dark Council (whose membership now resembles a game of musical chairs) who wants to stop the in-fighting and focus on fighting the Republic. There's questions of sacrificing thousands of lives to save billions. Theron is forced into a desk job at one point, lightly punished for nearly getting a bunch of his fellow soldiers enslaved. All of this is swept under the rug for the "destroy the superweapon" plot people were tired of by the time Kevin J. Anderson created the Sun Crusher.

    Despite all this, I can't say Star Wars: Annihilation is bad. It's just disappointing. Perhaps I've read one too many books with sympathetic Imperial protagonists and was hoping for something better from the author of the Darth Bane trilogy. Darth Bane was pure evil and his Sith philosophy was too, yet you got into the head of the Dark Lord. You understood his rationale, insane as it was. Here, the Sith are just mustache-twirling bad guys who I half-expected Captain America to show up and punch. That would have made the book better. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance wasn't perfect but gave a much more interesting look into the Sith and Imperial mindset.

    I recommend fans of the Old Republic MMORPG give it a once over but everyone else should give it a pass.

    5/10

     With the release of Grand Theft Auto V coming soon, it seemed a good time to review the game which started the phenomenon. While there had been previous Grand Theft Auto games, the third installment was a sensation that changed the way people looked at video games. On the positive side, it helped create the adult-gamer market and brought millions of new fans into our hobby. On the negative side, massive amount of media time and political lobbying was wasted trying to regulate a harmless video game.

Admittedly, this might have come off as a 'little' shocking to your parents if they were only used to Mario and Zelda.

    Grand Theft Auto 3 is the first of the 3D video game continuity for the series. It's impossible to overstate the impact of the game and how its formula was copied by literally hundreds of other games. Without Grand Theft Auto 3 there would be no Just Cause, True Crime, Saints Row, Sleeping Dogs, Mercenaries, Saboteur, or a dozen other titles. It established a particular formula of mayhem and chaos which remains playable to this day. But how well does it stand up, really?

    Well, let's find out.

    The premise of Grand Theft Auto 3 is an unnamed protagonist, later identified as Claude, is carrying out a bank heist with his girlfriend Catalina. Catalina shows what she thinks of Claude by shooting him during their escape and making off with the money. Claude survives and is lucky enough to escape police custody when a group of Columbians attack his prison transport to rescue another crook. Penniless and on the run, Claude must build a network of allies to take down Catalina and enact his revenge.

Claude is certainly a cool-looking cat, isn't he? I think it's the rocket-launcher which makes the ensemble.

    The storytelling is minimal, Claude doesn't have a voice actor and mostly just accepts orders from a variety of oddball criminals, but that doesn't mean it's ineffective. There's a strong undercurrent of betrayal, loyalty, and revenge to most missions. Claude isn't an innocent bystander in these missions either. He's willing to do anything for revenge and that includes turning on employers even if they've done nothing to earn his ire. The character of Claude really brings the anti to the term anti-hero.

    Honestly, I think the game might have been improved by just making some mild tweaks. Giving Claude a more coherent personality (and a voice), making the interaction between quests a little more fluid. This is mostly complaining about a game I already like, however, and these are tweaks rather than wholesale changes. Grand Theft Auto 3 is still a fun game, despite the fact its graphics are dated and its been copied a hundred times over.

Big Bad Catalina may not be the best animated femme-fatale but she's dangerous.

     The gameplay should be familiar for anyone who has played one of Grand Theft Auto's many knock-offs or descendants. Claude is able to steal any car around the city and they all have different statistics like durability or speed. Claude has a variety of weapons he can acquire with each having their benefits/hindrances. I, for one, was most fond of the Uzi because its ability to lock onto targets was much better than the 'free aim' of the assault rifle or rocket launcher.

     There's numerous mini-games which make the "free roam" section of Grand Theft Auto incredibly fun. You can go on a rampage, torching gangsters or do wild car-chases around the city with taxi cab pedestrians. If your heart is merciful, you might steal a paramedics van and deliver dying patients to the hospital (possibly injuring dozens of more people along the way). Most of these mini-games would be improved in later editions but their origins are still entertaining.

The variety of vehicles available was truly staggering.

    The cars are a little too fragile and missions where you have to turn them in without a scratch are decidedly irritating. Furthermore, the police are too effective in the game. It's all too easy for a cop to grab you out of a vehicle and put you on the ground. Complaining about game features which were fixed in later games seems like sour grapes, however.

    A cool fact I enjoyed about Grand Theft Auto 3 is the game is really fun to cheat at. There's an immense amount of freedom in the game and making liberal use of both cheat codes as well as the environment is a source of endless fun. Having troubling completing the race? Block the other races with a bus at the starting line. Can't complete a level? Summon a tank to smash through all of your opponents like they're cars are filled with dynamite. One impossible mission involving a boat chase I resolved by simply blowing up every vehicle in the map.

    Bwhahahaha.

    Ahem.

     The aforementioned minimal storytelling aside, Grand Theft Auto 3 has an amazing cast of characters. Tony Cipriani, Maria, Salvatore Leone, Donald Love, and Asuka are all equal or better than the characters which followed them. Lazlow's talk radio is occasionally hard to listen to but his segments are hilarious (as always). Finally, the soundtrack for the game is great with the entire music selection from Scarface. Nothing says the joys of being a criminal than a high-speed car chase set to "Push it to the Limit."

    In conclusion, Grand Theft Auto 3 is still worth a play. There's a variety of platforms for users to play it on and I suggest they get one they're comfortable with. The game isn't as innovative as it was in 2001 but that doesn't mean it's not fun as hell.

9.5/10

    Warning: Some possible minor spoilers for the Sith Inquisitor storyline.

    I am Darth Imperius.

    Born a Chiss slave, the Darth Imperius was rescued from a life of back-breaking labor by the discovery of his force-sensitivity. Never forgetting his roots, the future Dark Lord vowed to not abuse the lesser beings of the galaxy while plotting to take his revenge upon those who had made his life miserable. Through a mixture of the Dark Side and the Light Side, he eventually claimed the power he'd been so long denied.

    Much like his counterpart, Darth Tremor, Darth Imperius is not the sort of Sith Lord who causally kills underlings. Indeed, many in the Republic and Empire both find it ridiculous how pleasant he can be. That doesn't mean Darth Imperius is weak, however. Countless Sith and Jedi have underestimated the self-educated darksider to their peril.

The pursuit of power through the Dark Side is every Sith Inquisitor's goal! Even the Lightsiders!

    The Sith Inquisitor was the first class I played in Star Wars: The Old Republic but my last to finish. It has fun NPCs, a coherent story, and plenty of opportunities to use force-lightning on unsuspecting fools but it never quite jells together quite the same way other character class stories do. You expect to be Darth Sidious when you're the Sith Inquisitor but you actually come off as an evil wizard Indiana Jones.

    The essence of the Sith Inquisitor's story is the pursuit of power. Not born to one of the amazingly powerful force-sensitive bloodlines which litter the galaxy, the Sith Inquisitor has to cheat in order to achieve perfection. This isn't completely true, as later events in the storyline will prove, but it's close enough to be accurate summation.

One of my favorite characters is Khem Val. He's a "monster pet" you pick up during one of your tomb raids.

    The storyline is one long series of archaelogy digs and tomb raiding puzzles after another. There are, occasionally, stories to break this up but a large part of the Sith Inquisitor's tale is seeking forbidden Sith lore lost to modern darksiders. This is rather silly when you're playing a Light Side Inquisitor like me.

    That doesn't mean the storyline isn't good. It's just not really what I normally associate with Star Wars. The rivalry between the Sith Inquisitor and Darth Thanaton makes a lot of sense when you take into account both are former slaves. Likewise, I loved the character of Lord Zash. It's nice to have a friendly Sith Lord for a change. No points for guessing this only makes her more dangerous.

Would you believe she's one of the most dangerous darksiders alive?

    The Sith Inquisitor's companions are hit and miss. While some, like Khem Val, are awesome--others are just sort of there or outright irritating. I'm not terribly fond of Xalek or Ashara Zavros, for example. Despite being a Lightside Inquisitor, Ashara Zavros annoyed me with her constant prattling about combining the Jedi and Sith way. Xalek, on the other hand, just wasn't all that interesting. Thankfully, one of my companions was a pirate and that makes everything better.

     The best moments in the Sith Inquisitor's storyline actually come from when the tale diverges from its tomb-raiding format. When the Sith Inquisitor is trying to deal with a cult on Nar Shaddaa, when he's trying to convince a Republic scientist they're not going to kill them out of hand, and retrieving an ancient lightsaber from a gang of toughs are all questlines I enjoyed immensely. Ironically, my favorite part of the story is on the Sith Tombworld of Korriban. Not the archaeology and exploration of ruins, but the politicking back at the Academy. They really do a great job of making you hate your rival.

    In conclusion, those looking to play a badass Sith Lord would probably do better to check out the Sith Warrior. Those looking to play a manipulative political mover and shaker would, again, probably do better to check out the Sith Warrior. Those interested in playing a dark side sorcerer seeking to probe the limits of the supernatural should find the Sith Inquisitor a worthy class to play.

8/10

Where it all began.

    In The Empire Strikes Back, we're introduced to the Sith. Before, A New Hope implied that Darth Vader was nothing more than a fallen Jedi Knight. While the order is never changed, Darth Vader's master clearly practices some form of religion different from the Jedi Knighthood as the prospect of luring Young Skywalker to the Dark Side trumps the danger a renewed Jedi Knighthood might pose.

        EMPEROR: We have a new enemy -- Luke Skywalker.
        VADER: Yes, my master.
        EMPEROR: He could destroy us.
        VADER: He's just a boy. Obi-Wan can no longer help him.
        EMPEROR: The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not
        become a Jedi.
        VADER: If he could be turned, he would become a powerful ally.
        EMPEROR: Yes. Yes. He would be a great asset. Can it be done?
        VADER: He will join us or die, my master.

     Supplemental materials published by West End Games and other sources identified Darth Vader as a "Dark Lord of the Sith" but no one knew what a Sith was. Timothy Zahn, for example, originally intended the Noghri race to be the Sith. George Lucas, undoubtedly having an idea of what he wanted to do with the race, wisely nixed these ideas.

    The Sith remained a mystery for years thereafter, finally being revealed when Kevin J. Anderson was given a set of notes for his Jedi Academy novels. Originally intending the character of Exar Kun to be a Dark Jedi, George Lucas suggested he would be better as a Sith Lord and gave him a short outline of their order. This would further be expanded in Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith where we discovered the Sith were an ancient civilization of Darksiders destroyed by the Jedi Order.

Exar Kun - 3rd Lord of the Sith.

    Ultimately, we'd get a full knowledge of the Sith race with the comic book series Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith which would expand on their back story further. The Sith were once a race of force-sensitives until Dark Jedi conquered them and turned them to the ways of evil. Since that time, there have been many expansions on the Sith. Different orders of darksiders claiming the name, getting wiped out by the Jedi, and the cycle of vengeance continuing.

Naga Sadow - a member of the original Sith race and a practitioner of their debased Dark Jedi-influenced religion.

    Despite the Sith's integral role in the Star Wars' mythos, it took a long time to learn anything about their beliefs. As stock villains in a franchise known for its monochromatic depictions of good and evil, no one was in a hurry to detail what the Sith stood for. This changed with the first Knights of the Old Republic video game. One of the missions lead the player to infiltrating the Sith Academy on Korriban and finding out just what the Sith believed.

     Stephen King once wrote that “Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there’s little fun to be had in explanations; they’re antithetical to the poetry of fear." In a horror story, the victim keeps asking "Why?" But there can be no explanation, and there shouldn’t be one. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest, and it’s what we’ll remember in the end. I am Alan Wake. I am a writer.

    This is the opening quote of the Alan Wake video game. The Pen Name shares a great deal in common with said work. Both are acknowledged tributes to Stephen King's writing, both are about writers writing manuscripts for "questionable" publishers, and both involve the writer gradually losing their sanity.

    The premise of the novel is Ben Little is a self-published author filled with the sort of dreams and aspirations many writers have when they first start the business. They believe they will be successful and have creative control. What follows is, at first, a wish-fulfillment fantasy of unparalleled unlikelihood. A New York Times bestselling author wants to collaborate with him and gives him an advance of $15,000 for their work together. It's ludicrous but works with the dream logic that follows--chronicling Ben's descent into a horrific writing-themed Wonderland of improbable events.

    I won't spoil what happens next but author David Jacob Knight has obviously had bad experiences with publishers in the past. There's enough truth in the text to give the thing a kind of eerie plausibility right until the very end. The fact Ben Little isn't a completely reliable narrator, even to himself, lends the story a believability necessary for good horror.

    Horror stories don't have to be realistic but you do have to make sense and this certainly does once you get past the (deliberately) impossible opening offer our hero is made. I cringed and bit my nails more at the realistic abuses Ben Little suffered versus the more surreal ones. Horror fans should note this work is definitely supernatural but relatively light on special effects. It falls squarely into the Magical Realism genre with serious questions as to whether Ben is experiencing anything mystical at all. This helps keep the book grounded and one never knows whether our hero is dealing with the supernatural or a product of the protagonist's overactive imagination.

    The confusion between the real and unreal is to be expected in books starring authors but David Jacob Knight nails this mixture. Indeed, the entire book can be as a journey through the penumbra of the imagination and material.
   
    The book is at its best dealing with Ben Little, Jack Fleischer, the Agent, and Burke. Anything which deals with the publishing industry and the writing process is gold. I'm less enamored with the author's depiction of Ben Little's family life. We're meant to sympathize with his wife's concerns with our hero's situation but she instead comes across as shrewish. I will say, however, I loved Ben's son who is just the right mix of adorable and disturbing. You know, as little boys should be. The cast is relatively small and this helps create a claustrophobic sense of our heroes' condition.

    The book is slightly flawed. The author's loving nods to Stephen King are a little too blatant and distract from the narrative--reminding us this is a work of fiction. Likewise, the character of Robert Coffey (His name being a Green Mile homage) is a little convenient. Still, I can't say these problems detracted too much from the narrative. I also liked the subtle digs made at Tom Clancy using Robert as a stand-in.

    Fans of "The Dark Half", "Bag of Bones", and other writer-hero works by Stephen King will probably enjoy this book more than others. It references the author without being derivative. While I wouldn't put the writing duo at his level, this book was definitely enjoyable and scary. I managed to finish it in an afternoon and think most readers will find it an easy and worthwhile read.

    You won't be disappointed.

9/10

    Every Generation Has A Legend. Every Journey Has A First Step. Every Saga Has A Beginning.

    These words were accompanied to the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace teaser trailer. To me, they were the beginning of a new phase of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Years before George Lucas decided to make his trilogy of Prequels, the Star Wars Saga had been continuing across multiple media with fairly tight continuity. Yet, the above words can very easily have something added to them that no one wants to face.

    Every Saga Has A End.

    This is a curious statement since we're just about ready to begin a new stage in the Expanded Universe. With Disney's purchase of the Star Wars franchise, it's entirely possible for another generation of new stories about our heroes to be created. However, these stories will inevitably contradict and conflict with the already expansive number of stories having been written about the Original Trilogy's heroes.

    For those unfamiliar with Star Wars Expanded Universe, it more or less chronicles the next hundred and fifty years after Return of the Jedi. We see Luke, Han, and Leia all have children. We watch these children grow up. We watch these children become heroes in their own right. Hell, we even watch these children die.

This is Han Solo's daughter, Jaina. She eventually becomes Empress. I kid you not. Oh and she kills her brother.

    No one has written the death of Han, Luke, and Leia. George Lucas, wisely, realized there was plenty of marketing potential in them decades after their last movie. Still, we have a rough idea how their lives go until the characters are in their eighties. Likewise, we know they're not around a century and a half after the Emperor's death. That would be silly.

    Silly like a Hutt with a beard.

This is Jabba the Hutt's Dad with Kyle Reese from Terminator. Oh wait, no, that's a guy pretending to be Emperor Palpatine's three-eyed son. Seriously.

    Our heroes served as somewhat dubious guardians of the galaxy. After defeating the Empire, they had to overcome an extra-galactic invasion which killed a third of the galaxy. Then the Sith took over the galaxy, again, lead by Han Solo and Princess Leia's son. Then the Sith took over the galaxy, again, with the help of Star Wars Cthulhu. Then the Sith took over the galaxy, a third time, before Luke's drug-addicted great-great grandson saved the universe because no one outside the holy bloodline could.


    Still, the galaxy was still standing after our heroes were done with it so that's something. Han, Luke, and Leia's legacy may be a wrecked galaxy and quite a few dead loved ones but they powered through. They defeated brainwashed pig-men powered battle moons, starfighters capable of blowing up suns, and a race of eel-wielding pain-worshipers.

Don't forget the Green Pirate People. They were a major threat to the galaxy!

    That's not to say I haven't gotten an immense amount of enjoyment out of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I own, literally, over a hundred novels and at least as many comics. I know more about Star Wars history than I know about real-life history and I have a Masters degree in the latter. The Star Wars Expanded Universe is my childhood, basically, and quite a bit of my teenage years. I love it more than anyone else on Earth.

Okay, SHE might love Star Wars more than me. Hint: It's Katie Lucas.

    However, there's a time for every story to wrap itself up. As Semisonic says in "Closing Time": Closing time. Open all the doors and let you out into the world. Closing time. Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl. At what point have we told enough stories that the EU has become full? You could tell an infinite number of stories in the galaxy far-far away but if all of the characters have every day of their lives filled in--it becomes a bit pointless.

    So what am I suggesting? I'm saying it may be time to start Star Wars Expanded Universe 2.0. A clean slate with the exception of the movies and some select ongoing pieces of the EU like The Old Republic, The Clone Wars, and so on. Everything else would be regulated to Star Wars Expanded Universe 1.0. It won't become discontinuity, just the continuity of an alternate universe. Like Star Trek: The Next Generation, it exists in its old universe. JJ Abrams knew the majority of movie goers recognized Trek for Kirk and Spock with the same applying to Han, Luke, and Leia.

    Wouldn't it be interesting to follow the characters again on a new road?

Do we really want to follow seventy + year old Han? Really, Harrison and Han need to understand it's time to let go.

    For me, I think giving a definitive ending to the original Expanded Universe and starting over in a new universe is the best solution to the question of where to go with the setting. Unlike Superman, the Flash, and Batman--our heroes would have a chance to retire with dignity.

    Better still, we will regain a sense of surprise and suspense about what's going to happen with our characters. Han, Luke, and Leia are eternal but their individual incarnations may follow any number of different roads.

    In conclusion, I'm not afraid of a reboot. I welcome it. I'm afraid, instead, of trying to plow forward well after the time new ideas should have been given a fresh canvas.

    That's my .02.

    I think Dawn of the Jedi is the most interesting thing to happen to Star Wars in years. For the longest time, I actually considered the Jedi story well to be tapped. It wasn't so much I'd gotten sick of the Jedi Knighthood, it's that I'd gotten sick of certain kinds of stories. The Jedi Knights, IMHO, had degenerated to something of a joke. Fans have referred to the New Jedi Order as the Justice League of the GFFA, which is not that far from the truth. For a long time now, the Jedi have been more about waving lightsabers than displaying wisdom.

    Kathy Tyers mentioned that she wasn't allowed to use the term 'soul' when writing the New Jedi Order. It's an odd thing but symptomatic of what I consider to be a larger issue: the people behind Star Wars don't want to get beyond escapist fair. Religion is a heavy topic for people in their reading and very easy to offend people. Never mind that Star Wars is all about religion. Well, religion, samurai, smugglers, Space Nazis, and pew-pew.  

    Dawn of the Jedi brings a lot of the mysticism back to the Jedi Knighthood by dumping us in a time when all of the questions regarding the Force weren't answered. The comic book series is wonderful and I recommend everyone pick up the trades. There is a truly staggering number of Jedi characters with my favorite being a cocky ladies man Jedi (who just happens to be a member of the Sith race).

    Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void chronicles Je’daii Ranger Lanoree Brock and her assignment to track down her missing-presumed dead brother Dal. Dal has gotten it into his head he has found a hypergate and that will end the Je'daii's ten-thousand year imprisonment in the Tython system. Without access to hyperdrive, the hundreds of races populating the Jed'aii's home system are stuck in the system they were dumped in by a mysterious godlike race. Just the very fact this story is restricted to one (admittedly well-populated) solar system is kind of interesting. It forces the author to develop the location, which he does with aplomb.

    The depiction of the Jed'aii is fascinating because they don't seek to become one with the Light Side. This version of the Jedi Knighthood practices the philosophy of Balance--neither leaning too close to the Dark Side or the Light. It results in a very interesting sort of Jedi Order, one unafraid to laugh and aware that people get killed during wartime. They're serene and dangerous in equal parts.

    It also means the Jed'aii protagonist is free to be less than perfect. Lanoree has some serious character flaws despite being devoted to law and justice, primarily her arrogance and willingness to cross  ethical boundaries in the name of science. She's also fairly ruthless and a bit of a hermit, which adds character to an order which has been rather monolithic for a while.

    The book doesn't quite reach its full potential, however, because well--it's kind of boring. Dal's plan to open a hypergate is said to be potentially world-threatening but our heroes don't know this for sure. It's not until the end of the book we get any real sense of threat from our villains. For the majority of the book, we're just getting the story of a woman troubled by the fact she's being forced to hunt down her brother. Which is fine, really, but not the sort of thing you expect from a Star Wars novel. I would have tightened up the plot and added higher stakes.

    Really, the best moments in Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void are the flashback sequences to Lanoree and Dal's Jed'aii training. We get a sense of how Jedi are trained in the distant past and it's very different from both the Yavin IV Praxeum and Coruscant Temple. For one, it's done by multiple masters and involves lengthy journey between distant temples. Members of the Jed'aii Order have to really work to become knights and that's fine by me.

    We also get a reason for why the Jedi Knighthood is so leery about force-sensitive bloodlines. Jedi Knights exert heavy pressure on their kids to join the family business and this can breed incredible resentment. Resentment capable of corrupting an otherwise normal boy into becoming a lunatic.

    In a weird way, Dal's reaction to Jedi training reminded me of boot camp in Full Metal Jacket. He's not cut out for being a Jed'aii and any objective observer could see that. Hell, all they'd have to do is ask him and he'd tell you he doesn't want anything to do with the Force. Because he's the son of two Jed'aii, though, their order's masters keep training him.

    Unfortunately, the book drags when it should be picking up steam. The cult of the Stargazers never really appears as a major threat to the Jed'aii or Tython as a whole. Even their big moment seems oddly glossed over, less important than the struggle between siblings. The fact the Stargazers have a reasonable goal and are just stuck with an insane leader undermines their menace. If future books make use of the group, I hope they get a bit more bite.

    In conclusion, the Dawn of the Jedi time period is quite exciting and Into the Void has some some really good character scenes. Unfortunately, the book isn't very exciting. It's far from the worst Star Wars book I've read but I think I would have preferred to read about the sibling's conflict in a book with more pew-pew and less brooding.

    My .02.

    8/10

     I admit I wasn't initially interested in the Dawn of the Jedi series. The prospect of finding out about the origins of the Jedi Order didn't particularly tantalize me the way new stories about existing characters did. There was so much going on in the Old Republic and Legacy Eras it seemed silly to have stories set in another one.

     I am pleasantly surprised to say I was mistaken in my assumptions. Dawn of the Jedi is the best Star Wars material I've read in years. It's almost equal to Knights of the Old Republic, which is high praise for anyone who knows my opinion of Zayne Carrick.

The introduction where force-users from all over the galaxy are transported to one place is quite magical.

     Dawn of the Jedi does something different with the Jedi, which is something I had long despaired of seeing. The Jedi Knights of the DOTJ period are a diverse and multifaceted lot. They have family troubles, relationship issues, doctrinal differences, and even varying senses of fashion.

    There was a weird moment when I was looking at a couple of Jedi with one of them being a shirtless flirtatious Sith hunk and the other being a sexy blonde with a low-cut outfit. Initially, I thought this was just the comic providing fanservice before I realized these Jedi don't wear robes because the attachment issue (and, by proxy, sex) isn't a big issue.

The art, as always, is beautiful.

     Which is the central crux of the setting: that the ancient Jed'aii didn't fear the Dark Side. Much like Luke Skywalker, they are beings who have grown stronger for their association with multiple types of beings and being willing to stretch their philosophical assumptions. Most notably, the Jed'aii believe in Balance rather than the Light Side.

    This has its dangers. There's a couple of parts to the Jed'aii's story which are unsettling. They perform genetic experiments like the ancient Sith to domesticate their animals, they don't think hate is something to stamp out (merely that it has a place and a time), and quite a few of them have a confidence bordering on arrogance. Still, I think I'd like to be part of these guys versus the Jedi proper. Luke should pay a visit to Tython and have a talk with these guys via holocron or surviving offshoot. It would be an interesting book or comic series, to say the least.

    The Force Storm arc has the tough job of not only introducing the new time period but telling a coherent and interesting plot. Thankfully, it manages to pull this off. The first story arc deals with the introduction of Xesh into the Jed'aii's world. Xesh is a force-user raised and trained by the Rakata to be one of their 'Hounds', a figure who seeks force-sensitives for the Infinite Empire to enslave.

    Xesh is an intriguing character because not only is he a Darksider, he's a figure who has grown up in a hellish environment where the Light Side was practically nonexistent. As a result he's unfamilar with mercy, pity, remorse, or other concepts central to a Jedi. Watching him get 'seduced by the Light Side of the Force' and his reaction to these strange concepts is interesting. Likewise, as a Force User totally given to the Dark Side, he represents an ideological challenge for the Balance-seeking Jed'aii.

Xesh introduces a certain weapon to the sword-fighting Jedi.

   The choice of the Rakata as the first major villains of the setting, if not the entire comic series, is inspired. First introduced in Knights of the Old Republic, they represented a fascinating look into the early life of Star Wars' history. While the hammerhead shark-looking aliens are somewhat silly looking, I am amazed at how expressive the artists have been able to make the creatures. They're simultaneously completely given to the Dark Side but somehow more pathetic than the Sith--given to pettiness which undermines their sense of authority. The future Dark Lords have inherited a dignity from their Jed'aii forebearers it seems. I also like their "kill, prey, scavenge" mentality as it fits with a race descended from sharks.
   
    The lead trio of the comic is also a plus as each of them brings something into the table. We have a member of the original Sith series, who is a cocksure ladies man. We have a beast-riding human female who has issues with her parents' Jed'aii past. We also have the daughter of what passes for the local nobility. They're all fascinating characters and, combined with Xesh, I want to see where they all go storyline-wise.

    I applaud Dark Horse, this was a great idea for a series.

    10/10

    I admit, I was underwhelmed with Into The Void but Force Storm has proven the Dawn of the Jedi setting has great potential. I was eager to plow into the Prisoner of Bogan arc as soon as I finished its predecessor.

    The heart of this story is a trope I'm surprised we haven't seen more of in Star Wars. Basically, someone sees a vision of something bad in the Force and starts taking actions which may or may not make it come about.

    It's a classic plot from Greek mythology, most notably the story of Oedipus, but it isn't limited there. Troy Denning attempted to retcon Jacen Solo's fall into having elements of this but I'm not sure he succeed. I like to think Kreia's fall in Knights of the Old Republic 2 had to do with her farseeing skill revealing the devastation her apprentice would wreck.

No, that's not evil Jimmy Smitts with a mullet and a lightsaber. It just LOOKS like it.

    The unlucky seer in Prisoner of Bogan is Daegen Lok. He saw a vision of the Rakata destroying Tython and its people. Daegen Lok found no receptive ears in the Jed'aii Council and ended up getting banished to the moon of Bogan for it.

    Banishment for darksiders was a punishment first introduced in The Courtship of Princess Leia but we haven't seen much of it in the EU. It's cool to see it revisited with a guy who may or may not have actually been corrupt before his banishment. Unfortunately, for our heroes, years of focusing on his vision have driven him crazy. Well, perhaps not crazy, ruthless and obsessed may be a better description. After all, he's lost a lot of time to prepare for the Rakata's now-imminent invasion.

    We get a bit more backstory on the Jed'aii and what they've been doing for the past few decades too. Much like the Mandalorian Wars broadened our understanding of the Jedi in Knights of the Old Republic, so does the Despot Wars do the same for the Jed'aii here. The Barons of one of the settled worlds in the Tython System rose up to destroy the Jed'aii only to get themselves annihilated as a result.

The comic has excellent action throughout.

     The losers, having been massacred in the battle, justifiably hold a grudge against those who crushed them. It's a surprisingly realistic source of Anti-Jediism. After all, people usually don't think of themselves as bad guys when they're defeated in a war and these Jedi are pretty ruthless.

    I admit, I also liked Daegen Lok's causal description of how he defeated the rebels. The Jed'aii are efficient and don't mind getting their hands dirty. I'm fairly sure this method brought a swift end to the war, which might have otherwise devastated the system, but it caused me to put my comic down for a second. I have no doubt the other Jed'aii would have done the same as Lok and that makes them dangerous.

    Xesh's journey continues in Prisoner of Bogan and I'm intrigued by where its headed. The dark-sider is less than thrilled at the Jed'aii's treatment of him as a walking bomb, even if that's close to what he is. The Jed'aii's awe over his lightsaber is also cool, highlighting the monumental moment it is for them to find it.

    There's something fascinating about the fact it was originally not only a Darksiders-only weapon but something used to oppress slaves. The Jed'aii fact the took it, made it their own, and used it to defend the galaxy for 20,000 years is awesome in its symbolism.

    Much of the comic is set-up for later events in the saga but the escape of Daegen and Xesh from Bogan provides an excellent story to keep us occupied until the payoff. Daegen has no hesitation in harming his fellow Jed'aii and that brutality makes us fear for our heroes. The action and emotional conflict is Star Wars at its best.

Clearly, the Rakata are fond of Image comics.

     If I had one complaint, it's a small one. I'm not fond of the character design of newcomer Trill. She looks like a rock album cover and it kind of undermines her role as the harbinger for the Infinite Empire. This is a small complaint, however, and I enjoy her story. It's a nice deconstruction of the "Morality Pet" trope as you can't pin all of your hopes and dreams on a single person. Because, no matter how good they are, you're bound to be disappointed.

    We get some more information on the Rakata, Jed'aii, and Blue Desert People. I'm kind of disappointed the Blue Desert People's past as "godlike precursors" is being linked to Tython as I was never particularly fond of the retcon they were sentient beings. It seemed to undercut Luke Skywalker's lesson to Isoldor that animals think--even if they don't think like regular beings.

    Still, watching the Jedi learn the history of the Rakata was worth the issue price alone. I will say, in a storyline filled with varying motivations of intricate complexity, it's interesting to learn the Blue Desert People's explanation for why the Rakata went bad boils down to, "they were a bunch of murderous bullies." You have to wonder why they gave the Blue Desert People gave them super-technology and Force powers. You'd think they'd have noticed this quality.

    Oh well, great trade. Buy it.

10/10

 Warning - This book contains spoilers for Star Wars: Crucible.

    Wow, this book is terrible.

    I love Troy Denning, don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of his "first" Crucible book (Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad), the Prism Pentad, and the Dark Nest Trilogy. I also think Star By Star is one of the few NJO books to really feel like Star Wars. If he ever reads this review, I want him to know that Jedi's Honor is one of my all-time favorite pieces of Star Wars fiction.

    However, this book flat-out doesn't work. Given this is meant to be the Grand Finale of Luke, Han, and Leia's adventures--it's just sort of strange that so little actually deals with it. It's a difficult job explaining why a bunch of heroes will permanently step down from their roles as heroes.

    The best work to do so, IMHO, was Batman Beyond. Bruce Wayne continued to fight right up until the time he physically could not do so anymore and still continued fighting until he had to use a gun to defend himself. After which, realizing what he was becoming, he stepped down and bought a dog. Even then, it was a constant struggle between Bruce and Terry over who was really in charge. Here, at the risk of spoiling the book, the "Big Three" of the Star Wars universe step down more or less because God tells them it's time to.

    There's a whole sequence which, more or less, takes place in the Force. It's about as sensible as the Beetles' Yellow Submarine movie, which tells you Troy was going for something mystical but just came off as weird. I feel hypocritical saying this, especially since I've asked for years to have more Force mysticism, but this is a bridge too far.

    A subplot of the book deals with the Mortis planet where Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin, and Ahsoka encountered three Force-personifications (later identified as Celestials). I was really eager to have Luke deal with the fallout of the Abeloth issue and her role as the Mother. So, what happens? Here's a non-spoiler--nothing related to that. Luke, Han, and Leia don't do anything related to Mortis so it seems like a colossal wasted opportunity.

    What's amazing is there's an amazingly important in Luke Skywalker's understanding of the Force. Luke gets an encounter with the the Will of the Force, more or less, and decides that the Dark Side of the Force isn't evil. That it attracts people who are evil and it's important to face it but the revulsion other Jedi feel for it is stupid. It's handled in about two paragraphs and we never hear about it again.

    Seriously!?

    What's strange is there's plenty of individual things to like in this book. I enjoyed the return of Mirta and Vestara to the narrative with both characters getting plenty of development. Troy isn't afraid to take the characters in odd directions and I loved seeing what he did with these two. Mirta wearing a black cocktail dress in a casino, muttering all the way about how this wasn't very Mandalorian, made me laugh outloud. Vestara continues to degenerate further and further--so much so I wonder if it's possible to redeem her. She and Ben could probably never get together now that she's murdered 30,000 people but I think she could still be brought back from the Dark Side.

    I enjoyed the villains too. The Qrephs are a pair of non-Force-users who manage to threaten the galaxy using their superior intellects and wealth. They remind me of Bantam's old villains given they're simultaneously threatening and a wee-bit-humorous. The fact they are aware Mirta and Vestara aren't the slightest bit trustworthy also puts them above most other Star Wars bad guys in terms of common sense. No, I never felt they could seriously threaten the Big Three but too many writers feel the need to make us believe our heroes have never faced something equal to the current threat. The fact Troy Denning repeatedly highlights how outclassed the Qrephs are helps sell the narrative.

     Other parts of the book, though, are just plain weird. In addition to the Acid Trip where Luke visits the Force with Leia (and Han!) there's a clone of Leia. Just, outright, out of the blue. She doesn't add anything to the story but exists solely so Han Solo can be creeped out by a duplicate of his wife from A New Hope. I would never accuse an author of being high on Kessel spice but this book makes me wonder. What's amazing is this isn't even the weirdest part of the book! I'm serious, there are actually stranger bits in this story.

    Finally, this is going to seem like a very strange complaint but the book feels oddly stuck between being a novel all Star Wars fans can enjoy and those who are die-hard fans of the Expanded Universe. There's too much information about the Fate of the Jedi and Legacy of the Force series while not enough information to feel like a full-on sequel. Given every Star Wars book is someone's first, I understand this is a hard balance to strike but I had to think this book was incomprehensible for new readers.

    I'm not saying to avoid this book, it has value as the final bow of the Skywalker-Solo clan, but it's not Denning's finest. I'm going to give it a five out of ten for the individual parts which are still enjoyable as opposed to the somewhat messy whole.

5/10

    Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is, with the exception of the Knights of the Old Republic games, the best video game adaptation of the Star Wars universe. Yes, even beating TIE Fighter. It manages to tell a coherent three-act story, hit all of the right dramatic beats, and is fun to play. You can't really ask more from a game and I've got to say that it's a steal at its current price of $20 on Xbox Live. Those who buy it used will get it for even less, allowing more money to be spent on its extensive DLC.

The opening section of the game has you play Darth Vader on a Jedi Hunt. This is an immensely fun experience but only the beginning.

    The premise of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is you are the secret apprentice of Darth Vader. The game never calls you a Sith Lord, a curious omission, but that's more or less implicit. Darth Vader has informed his apprentice, codenamed: Starkiller, they'll overthrow the Emperor soon. To prove he's ready, however, Starkiller must hunt down and destroy  the remaining Jedi Knights of the galaxy. The game doesn't have you solely on the side of evil but it's interesting to see Starkiller match himself up against the surviving legacy of the Jedi.

    What makes The Force Unleashed fun is the sense of power it gives you. Starkiller is a Sith Lord so he has no hesitation in slaughtering hordes of enemies with the Force. You can use Force Lightning, throw rocks into TIE Fighters, and hurl enemy soldiers off cliffs with impunity. Really, it's a testament to how well-designed this game is that using your lightsaber is actually the least fun way of dispatching an enemy. I mean, getting a lightsaber was my favorite parts in Knights of the Old Republic, so making it more fun is amazing.

Luke Skywalker never got to electrocute a dozen Stormtroopers before dissecting them with his lightsaber. Admittedly, that was for good reason.

    Starkiller's story arc is affecting, chronicling the death of his Jedi father through his early missions to his slow realization that (*shock*) Darth Vader doesn't have his best interests at heart. I won't spoil the ending but it completes the main character's arc in a profoundly satisfying way. It also fills in the blanks as to how everything got into place for A New Hope. I always felt the Prequels not describing the creation of the Rebellion, outside of deleted scenes, to be one of its greatest failings.

    Darth Vader's treatment in the game is also something I have to give my approval for. Too often, the Dark Lord of the Sith gets ignored in the Star Wars Expanded Universe or treated as a second-rate patsy to Palpatine. Given Darth Vader was the embodiment of evil for a lot of thirty-somethings' childhoods, this is a crying shame. In The Force Unleashed, we get a sense of his plotting against the Emperor and the immense power he wields. How powerful is Darth Vader before the Pre-ANH period? Hunting down the remaining Jedi isn't worth his time.

Yes, I'm torturing a Rancor with Force Lightning. Bad-ass.

    The supporting cast is great too. The last time I really enjoyed the entirety of a Star Wars video game's side characters was Knights of the Old Republic 1 and Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight before it. Too often, the casts in these games are either annoying or you have one really good character and a lot of bad ones. It's one of the major flaws of The Old Republic that the adventuring parties have good and bad members rather than a bunch of consistently good ones.

    Juno Eclipse, PROXY,  and General Rahm Kota are fun additions to the franchise and all have interesting relationships with Starkiller. Sadly, I think the romance between Juno Eclipse and Starkiller doesn't have enough room to breathe. They barely interact before things start getting romantic and that's a serious flaw in the narrative. The presence of Darth Vader and several other important movie characters carries the narrative over these rough patches.I will sayVader and Leia's voice actors didn't sound like their movie selves, which can be a disconcerting. It's a small flaw, however.

     Star Wars Expanded Universe fanboys, like myself, might be hesitant about the extensive canon-changing elements to Starkiller's story. The game makes it clear Starkiller is one of the most important heroes in the franchise and this may bother some people. I, for one, was entirely okay with it. I was also okay with the over-the-top level of Starkiller's abilities. After all, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

    The gameplay of The Force Unleashed is fast, enjoyable, and never gets too repative. If you got bored of the myriad ways you could kill Stormtroopers, which is nearly impossible, there was always a different type of enemy to amuse you. Save points were frequent and the game was never not-fun. For this, it deserves the highest score I can give it.

10/10

     Warning: This essay will spoil the events of The Force Unleashed and The Force Unleashed 2.

    Star Wars is a franchise with hundreds of heroes but only a few who matter. Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Amidala are the heroes everyone remembers. Why? Well, the obvious answer is because they're the ones in the movies. Star Wars is always going to be remembered chiefly for the films and those heroes of other media aren't going to make as large an impression.

    However, does that mean their stories are any less important to the greater saga as a whole. Some of my favorite stories in the Star Wars Expanded Universe star characters outside of the "Big Ones." Mara Jade, Nomi Sunrider, Ulic Qel-Dromel, Darth Revan, Bastila Shan, Corran Horn, and Kyle Katarn are all characters who you will have only heard about if you're a fan of the SWEU. Still, I absolutely love them. Yet, out of all of them, I'd like to see one character make a return to the Post-Disney SWEU.

    Galen Marek a.k.a Starkiller.

Galen is very much the Anti-Luke Skywalker. However, the irony is that he's far closer to Luke than the vast majority of characters meant to represent the Skywalker legacy.

   Galen Marek is the star of the multimedia The Force Unleashed project. He is the star of two games, two novel adaptations of the aforementioned games, a similar comic book adaptation, and almost nothing else. It's a curious situation as Darth Revan has been referenced in multiple books, games, and continuity guides. Part of this may be explained by Lucas Arts keeping him to themselves but Starkiller is conspicuous by his absence in the larger SWEU.

    I believe this is because Starkiller is a character whose importance to the Star Wars continuity is so considerable he's hard to just causally "plop down" in a story. A bit like Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's padawan, he's got important relationships with a lot of characters.You need to think about these relationships before writing him.

Whether accidental of deliberate. Darth Vader killed Galen Marek's father. He is also Galen's father.

     The Force Unleashed has Starkiller playing a pivotal role in the foundation of the Rebellion. As Vader's foremost apprentice and, in a sick-sick way, surrogate son--there's a lot of interesting conversations that could be had with Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Yet, with the unlikelihood of there ever being a Force Unleashed 3, it seems we'll probably never have these conversations.

    It seems silly to want to see the protagonist of a video game deal with issues like, "how well did you know my father" but it's no more silly than worrying about the importance of midiclorians and whether Endor is doomed due to falling Death Star wreckage. But why? Why do I like Starkiller? Why do I think he's important to the Saga?

Well, for one, Starkiller has a LOT of issues. Ones which make him an interesting character.

    For me, the reason I like Starkiller is he helps answer a number of interesting questions about both Lord Vader as well as Luke Skywalker. The first question is what sort of plans was Vader making before the arrival of his son? Well, it turns out he was plotting to kill the Emperor even before he met Luke Skywalker.

    What sort of mentor would Darth have been to Luke if he'd corrupted him to the Dark Side? Unsurprisingly, a brutal one. We get a sense of Vader's self-loathing being projected on his chief student. The more heroic Starkiller or Luke would have acted, the more Vader would want to disabuse him of those impulses. God help Luke if he ever fell in love.

    Conversely, we get a sense of Luke Skywalker not only as a Sith Lord but as a Jedi Knight. The brutality and power Luke would develop under Lord Vader's tutelage would give him an immense advantage but his innate goodness would win out over the Dark Side. Starkiller might have ambitions to be the most powerful Sith there is but when called to endanger the lives of those he cares about, he discovers that takes a secondary importance.

Let's hope Juno isn't secretly his sister.

    You may wonder why I am bringing up Galen Marek to illustrate What-Ifs about Luke Skywalker and Vader. After all, they're different characters. Right? Yes, they are. However, what I enjoy about Galen is that he's a very well written foil for Luke and Vader. A man who grows up knowing very little about his father but developing an idealism about him which serves as his beacon to become a Jedi. A man whose love for the wrong woman threatens his position in his order and drives him to betray it.

    They're all three immature when they start their galaxy-changing crusades but rapidly grow into the roles  they've been assigned. They also have rebellions against their mentor figures as they realize they fundamentally disagree with them--Starkiller, obviously, more than Luke. Much like Ahsoka Tano, Mara Jade, and even Siri Tachi--Starkiller helps illustrate a different side to our protagonists. He also manages to be an interesting character in his own right.

    For me, the best SWEU characters don't just serve as the protagonists of their own stories in the Star Wars universe but have something to add to the tapestry. You can sit them down with the cast of the movies and it would be an interesting scene where the newbies can hold their own weight. As the heretofore only known "Light Sith" to serve as a protagonist, he adds a number of interesting dimensions to the Saga. Not to mention he's also a character who, as mentioned, would be darn interesting to sit down with the better-known heroes.

I even like the non-canon "Darth Stalker" character - what happens if Galen Marek falls to the Dark Side for a second time.

    Some individuals may say Starkiller subtracts rather than adds. That his pivotal role in the Rebellion's founding undermines Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Garm Bel Iblis' roles. That having another fully trained Force User around the time of the Rebellion makes Luke less pivotal. Indeed, you might argue that Starkiller's power level makes Luke and Darth Vader less impressive.

    I say thee nay.

    While Starkiller's story needs to be wrapped up so we know what he does from just prior to the Battle of Yavin to the Battle of Endor, I think there's plenty of reasons why he might not be able to carry the mantle of the Jedi like Luke can. For one, twenty-years of Sith training is going to be pretty hard to shake. Two, his intense attachment to Juno is unhealthy as much as redemptive. Three, we know it's Luke who redeems Vader--an infinitely more impressive accomplishment than defeating him.

    As for undermining Bail, Mothma, and Garm--I actually like the fact they were kind of treading water for twenty years. It takes the illusion of a Jedi, which Galen impersonates, to provide them the moral courage to put aside their differences and create the Alliance. Given the Alliance didn't achieve any victories until just before the opening crawl of ANH (The Battle of Topwara), the Alliance has to be a relatively recent event versus something failing for two decades.

Three Senators, a Jedi Knight, a Princess, and Darth Vader's apprentice. The Corellian Treaty is kind of out there.

    I don't think Galen's ridiculously impressive powers are cause for alarm either. For one, Darth Vader displays the exact same level of power in his battles with Starkiller. The opening mission for The Force Unleashed allows Vader to crush his opponents with the fully-charged abilities Galen eventually displays. No, Darth Vader doesn't pull down a Star Destroyer but we know Luke Skywalker levitates one down in Dark Empire. It was already in the atmosphere and out of control.

     Admittedly, if Galen Marek is around during the Rebellion, doesn't this mean he should be training Luke in the ways of the Force? At the very least, shouldn't they be doing some lightsaber sparring? For me, I think that just paves the way for new and interesting stories to be told. What was Galen doing during the latter part of the Rebellion? Did he and Luke swap stories? Was he uncomfortable being around the father-idolizing son of a man he knew to be a monster? Perhaps Luke taught Starkiller about decency while Starkiller taught Luke secrets of telekinesis in time for The Empire Strikes Back? There's a lot of ways to screw this up but equally a number of fascinating stories to tell.

    No, Galen Marek isn't the Other Yoda spoke of. Return of the Jedi is quite clear that's Princess Leia. Yet, the addition of another Jedi-in-training to the Rebellion period isn't as devastating as it could be. We've already got numerous Jedi survivors in the present SWEU and integrating Starkiller is a hell of a lot easier than those two dozen or so guys. Part of me would like to see Starkiller fail at being a Jedi while succeed at being a hero. The possibilities are endless if you think about them and that, to me, is a sign the character works.

I also think Samuel Witwer is a good enough actor to show up in any medium they choose to put Starkiller.

    We're undoubtedly going to be revisiting the Rebellion period with the post-Disney SWEU. There will be countless tales of Luke, Han, and Leia's exploits in a period already extensively covered. However, we can differentiate these new stories from the old ones by giving them a new supporting cast. The post-ROTJ SWU was always more interesting to me because of characters like Mara Jade and, later, the Solo children bringing out different sides to our heroes. Wouldn't it be interesting to see our heroes interact with their own new supporting cast in the Rebellion period? Characters like Juno Eclipse, Starkiller, and original creations will prevent repetition. It's one of the reasons I liked little-known character Deena Shan.

    Of course, there's nothing preventing Starkiller from never interacting with the mainstream heroes during the ANH to ROTJ period. In a hypothetical The Force Unleashed sequel, maybe he's a prisoner of Lord Vader for three to four years. Maybe he's killed again. It could be they just have different adventures which keep them from interacting much. If they wanted to go the Mysteries of the Sith root, maybe a wholly original character is required to bring back Starkiller from the Dark Side after Koto dies or something equally traumatic. That's not even covering the fact the majority of the Rebellion is unaware a founding member used to kill Jedi for the Dark Lord of the Sith. It's entirely possible the Rebellion wouldn't take too kindly to this revelation.

    There's an infinite amount of stories left in Galen Marek and I'd love to see these tales told. While it's unlikely Disney will add the character to their stable of regulars--we can always hope.

    My .02.

    The Force Unleashed is one of my favorite Star Wars games. I was anxiously awaiting playing the sequel when the credits rolled on the first game. I had heard mixed reviews on The Force Unleashed 2 so I put it in with some trepidation. So, what is my opinion of TFU2?

    Well, it's good, just not as good as the original.

The use of the planet Kamino was a nice addition.

    The major problem with the game begins with the introduction. Darth Vader has cloned the deceased Starkiller (who sacrificed his life to save the newly formed Rebellion's leadership) and is preparing him to resume his template's duties.

    You play the clone, or appear to, which is significantly less interesting than playing the original model. Just look at Alex Denton from Deus Ex 2. To the game's credit, they cast doubt on Starkiller's clone status soon after but not before the game protagonist's first impression is ruined.

    Clones have a long and storied history with Star Wars, ever since Obi Wan Kenobi made an ambiguous reference to wars involving them in A New Hope. We've had clone Jedi Masters, clone troopers, clone body doubles, rebel clones, and clone heroes. The fact is, I'm not all that interested in the plot and think it's a rather cheap way of providing drama.

These Imperial Scout Walkers don't have a chance.

    The plot of The Force Unleashed 2 is another area where I feel the developers dropped the ball. Starkiller rebels against Lord Vader in the first level, goes after his old crew, has another showdown with Darth Vader, and then nothing. The game ends on a cliffhanger which, due to disappointing sales, will probably never be resolved by a third game.

    The Force Unleashed was a game with surprising poignancy despite its short cutscenes. Starkiller's sense of betrayal and shock at the revelation Darth Vader didn't give a crap about him was genuinely affecting. Likewise, I enjoyed the relationship between Rahm Koto and Starkiller. It reminded me of how Obi Wan and Luke Skywalker might have looked had the former given up rather than found new purpose.

    The relationship between Juno and Starkiller wasn't so much poorly written as nonexistent but I enjoyed the rest of the game enough to ignore it. Unfortunately, the central premise of this game is Starkiller is so in-love with Juno he's willing to tear down the galaxy to get back to her. Worse, we don't get any more development of the pair's relationship. It was deeply disappointing since I was eager to find out more about what draws one to the other.

The section on Cato-Neimodia involving Starkiller attacking a luxury resort is one of my favorite parts.

    Despite this, there's a lot to like about the game. The plot is simple but it's not a bad plot. Starkiller needs to rescue his friends, so he goes and rescues his friends. It's just the game's surprisingly short running time (I finished it in about six hours) means the game could have been lengthened at least another two hours without disrupting the story. I was disappointed Maris Brood didn't make an appearance either, being one of my favorite characters from the original The Force Unleashed.

    The gameplay for The Force Unleashed 2 is 90% the same as the original, so it's still solid. Unfortunately, the camera in the game pulls back so the mass-slaughter of Stormtroopers and battle droids seems less personal. Part of what made Starkiller such an impressive character was that you really sensed he was hovering on the edge the entire time he was killing his way through the Galaxy Far Far Away.

Kevin Smith has ruined giant spiders for me.

    Here, the bad guys are treated as nothing more than targets and this makes Starkiller less impressive. This is compensated for by giving Starkiller two lightsabers, which is awesome. Unfortunately, the game also simplified the combo system and I feel it was less entertaining as a result. It was quite possible to play the game using nothing but force-lightning and your lightsaber.

    The only area I don't feel The Force Unleashed 2 was inferior to the original was the acting and writing. Sam Witwer's voice acting is excellent as always but the script gives Starkiller the beginning of a snarky humorous personality. I also appreciated the surprising revelation our hero cares little for the Galactic Rebellion. That's a nice bit of characterization, one which separates him from Luke Skywalker. Darth Vader also seemed more impressive this time around, plotting galactic domination with his Sith experiments.

    In conclusion, less entertaining than The Force Unleashed still leaves a lot of room to be entertaining. I didn't regret buying the game but I felt it could have been much-much better. I hope they'll add a third volume to the trilogy to round out the trilogy. Certainly, it seems criminal to end the game series on its Empire Strikes Back-esque cliffhanger.

8/10

    "Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise, he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side, he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying."
    ―Palpatine.

    This mysterious reference made during Revenge of the Sith is the basis for the novel which I just finished. Despite the title, however, the novel isn't really about Darth Plagueis. It's, instead, as close as we're going to get for an Emperor Palpatine biography. It tells us where he came from, what his goals were, and how he became corrupted to the Dark Side.

    As always, James Luceno is a master of interweaving the Star Wars Expanded Universe into the narrative in such a way as to not overwhelm new readers. Someone who has never picked up a Star Wars book in their life could read and enjoy Darth Plagueis.

    One element I liked is Darth Plagueis continues to exist alongside Palpatine long after you'd think the later would have killed him. Indeed, at the risk of spoilers, Plagueis' fate as revealed in Revenge of the Sith doesn't occur until right before the beginning of the movies. This means Darth Maul existed very clearly in violation of the Rule of Two. The book addresses this but not in a manner I like. I'll cover more on that later.

    Overall, I liked this novel. It's interesting to get into the heads of other Sith and it's nice to meet one who isn't pure malevolence all the time. James Luceno does an excellent job of making Darth Plagueis evil while making it clear he's not nearly in the same league of evil as his apprentice. Indeed, Darth Plagueis has the dream of ending the Rule of Two because he thinks it's idiotic and wasteful.

    Palpatine, by contrast, is pretty much what I imagine what Damien Thorne from the Omen movies would be if he grew up in the Star Wars universe. He's a high-functioning psychopath who Darth Plagueis nurtures and molds into something infinitely more dangerous than himself. There's references to the Sith'ari prophecy too. I'm inclined to believe that while Darth Bane destroyed the Sith to make them stronger, it was Darth Sidious who transcended all limits.

    The treatment of Darth Maul is one I'm not fond of, however. James Luceno has an obvious disdain for the Dark Lord and the book refers to him as a False Apprentice. Darth Maul is repeatedly criticized by Sidious and Plagueis as being a mindless brute with no subtlety. There's even an enormous take-that at his previous appearance in Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter. It's kind of shocking after The Clone Wars depicts Maul as every bit as intelligent as a Sith Lord should be and twice as manipulative. I think I prefer The Clone Wars version, to be honest.

    I'm also not too fond of Count Dooku's depiction in Darth Plagueis. Contrary to the idea he was a good Jedi knight and political idealist corrupted to the Dark Side by Darth Sidious, Dooku more or less corrupts himself. He's eager to learn about the Dark Side, dismissive of its dangers, and all-too-eager to tear down the Republic with war. His comments about the newly-found Chosen One are particularly dismissive but reference an obscure bit of lore found in the Star Wars D20 tabletop game.

    The meat of the books is the Old Republic's politics and Darth Sidious' manipulations. Plagueis is no slouch in this department but I give kudos to Luceno for showing the difference in skill level between two masters. Darth Sidious' finest moment is when he's causally having lunch with a colleague only to watch him discover his entire family has been killed. All just so Sidious could gain a minor boost to his plans.

    I also appreciated how Darth Sidious and Plagueis were retconned into being responsible for a number of the more questionable aspects of the Prequel's storytelling. How does a Jedi Master get enough money to pay for a clone army? How does a fourteen-year-old girl get to be elected head of a planetary government? Luceno also makes the issue of trade taxation and how they relate to blockading Naboo crystal clear.

    Darth Plagueis' experiments with the midiclorians encompass a reasonable part of the book, though Luceno takes time to separate them from the Force's mysticism. We also get a semi-answer as to the nature of Anakin Skywalker's divine birth, which I won't spoil here. I'll call it satisfying and leave it at that. There's only so much you can do with a premise which is, simply put, deeply flawed.

    In conclusion, I really liked Darth Plagueis and recommend Star Wars fans pick it up. Sadly, I'll say that the book is a little dry at times and watching the villains pull puppet strings can be a little boring. I'm pleased with my purchase, though, and think any diehard Star Wars fans will love it.

9.5/10

    Starkiller a.k.a Galen Marek is one of the most controversial figures of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Introduced in The Force Unleashed multimedia event, he proved extremely popular but numerous objections were raised to his inclusion in the canon due to the massive changes he was perceived as making.

    As a fan of both Galen Marek and the greater Expanded Universe, I’d like to take a moment to discuss some of the more common controversies surrounding Starkiller and why I don’t think they’re as troublesome as some people are making them out to be. Take note this is all my opinion and while I will attempt to back up my claims with evidence from the greater Star Wars universe, whether or not he “fits” is largely a matter of opinion.

    I hope you enjoy.

Controversy 1#: Starkiller as Darth Vader's apprentice breaks the Rule of Two.

    Some individuals are upset about the fact Starkiller is Darth Vader's apprentice. According to the Rule of Two, there's no way that Darth Vader should be training another Sith while Darth Sidious is still alive. This is despite the fact that Darth Vader and Sidious discuss training Luke Skywalker in the Empire Strikes Back. One could make an argument both Sidious and Vader knew one of them would die in order to make room for the Son of Skywalker, but that’s stretching things.

    Anyway, the SWEU has already given Darth Vader a large number of apprentices. The most prominent of these is Shira Brie a.k.a Lumiya the Dark Lady of the Sith. First introduced in Marvel comics' Star Wars 65#, she was retconned into being Carnor Jax's Sith Master and the holder of Sith Lord King Adas' holocron. Eventually, she corrupted Jacen Solo to the Dark Side of the Force and was killed by Luke Skywalker on Terephon.


    Lumiya wasn't the only apprentice of Darth Vader, either. In Star Wars Annual 3#, we discover a young Belderone human named Flint. An idealistic young man, Flint's mother was killed and he decided to become important. Flint was discovered by Darth Vader cradling his mother's body, the victim of a terrible accident. Lord Vader made the uncharacteristic decision to take Flint under his wing and teach him the ways of the Force.

    Ultimately, Luke Skywalker redeemed Flint from the Dark Side and he was retconned as dying at the hands of Lumiya. Notably, Flint was important enough to warrant a visit to Luke by all three Endor Force Ghosts (Anakin, Yoda, and Ben Kenobi). He also wore armor similar to Darth Vader's own.


    The list of Darth Vader's apprentices doesn't end there. The Procurator of Justice, Hethrir, was taught the secrets of the Dark Side of the Force by Darth Vader. Joining him was Hethrir's mate, Rillao, who resisted the lure of the Dark Side and became a Jedi Healer. The fact Darth Vader didn't kill her raises many questions. Did he believe he could corrupt her given enough time or did he want to punish her for his betrayal?  The Crystal Star, which introduced both, doesn’t address the issue.



    The list is capped off by Star Wars adventure module, Planet of the Mists, which introduces Vost Tyne. A former Imperial Admiral, he had a close friendship with Darth Vader, and instead of getting force-choked like Admiral Ozzel--ended up getting tutored in the ways of the Dark Side. Vost Tyne is notable for the fact he was allowed to resign his commission in the empire and retire to heading up a secret Imperial hyperbaride synthesis plant.
   


    Having established the Dark Lord is no stranger to educating apprentices, Starkiller fits in neatly to the canon as the first of many. Having failed with Starkiller, it makes sense Darth Vader would educate more darksiders to replace him. It also speaks well to the Dark Lord he began plotting against his master almost immediately after rising to power in Revenge of the Sith.

    But really, is Starkiller a Sith? That is questionable. Darth Bane said that was possible to educate individuals in the Force without making them true Sith or violating the Rule of the Two. Starkiller thinks Lord Vader is educating him for the purpose of overthrowing Palpatine but is he right? Starkiller never receives the title of Darth and his only confirmed Sith abilities are Force Lightning and training in their style of Shien.

    On Corellia, Darth Vader says to Starkiller he intends to overthrow the Emperor but "not with you." Is it possible Starkiller is not Darth Vader's Shadow Hand? That he is merely muscle the Dark Lord is teaching the ways of the Force to make his position more convenient?

    This is a question not answered by The Force Unleashed. There's evidence either way and it's possible Starkiller is merely a Dark Jedi or False Apprentice like Darth Maul is described as in the Darth Plagueis novel.

    Even if Starkiller is a fully-educated Sith Lord, is this so bad? There's no indication Darth Maul was taught less than any other Sith other than Darth Sidious' reassurances to Darth Plagueis. Darth Maul certainly displays all the manipulation and intelligence expected of a Sith Lord in The Clone Wars.

    Yet, Darth Maul was trained by Sidious while Plagueis was still alive and died only shortly thereafter. We also know Darth Tenebrous violated the Rule of Two by training Darth Veramis to replace Plagueis. Would Darth Vader be any less treacherous? Darth Sidious reacts to Starkiller's presence by forcing Vader to kill him. He reacted similarly to Dooku's training Ventress in the Sith arts. In short, it seems likely Palpatine was quite outraged at the violation of the Rule of Two—which is an appropriate response.

Controversy 2#: Starkiller's Force Powers are too strong

    One of the major complaints about Starkiller is his over-the-top Force abilities. People have said he's more powerful than Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Obi Wan Kenobi. They claim Starkiller diminishes the role of Luke Skywalker and makes it questionable why Yoda considered the latter to be the Jedi's last hope.

    Given Starkiller can defeat Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, and a fully-trained Jedi Leia in the non-canon The Force Unleashed DLC and lays low Darth Vader twice in the canon campaign, there is some degree of merit to this argument.

    Yet, I disagree.

    First, I'm not sure Starkillers' powers are as impressive as people maintain. Starkiller possesses the following abilities: Force Lightning, telekinesis, Force Push, the Jedi Mind-Trick, and the power to release a telekinetic burst of power in all directions. He is also trained in "Sith Shien" and, later, Jar'kai double-lightsaber combat. These are all abilities displayed by the Jedi Knights and Sith in the movies.



    Starkiller mows through hundreds of Stormtroopers during The Force Unleashed and The Force Unleashed 2 but we see similar feats against droids during the Prequels. During the opening sequence of The Phantom Menace, Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn easily tear through almost a dozen B-1 battle droids. While Stormtroopers are superior to battle droids, the difference isn't so much that were the Star Wars movies rated R instead of PG, we might not see our heroes slaying them in equal numbers.

    Starkiller manages to defeat AT-STs in hand-to-hand combat as well as Rancors but the latter feat is replicated by Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi. We never see Starkiller fight an AT-AT and his defeat of the Gorog, a beast which defeats Rancors for breakfast, is done by dropping the repulsor arena they're located on down for literally miles. All of Starkiller's force powers are ineffective against it and he can't defeat the monster without trickery.



    We've seen the Jedi and Sith both display incredible physical feats both in the Prequels as well as the Expanded Universe. Star Wars: Clone Wars, in particular, depicts the Jedi Knighthood displaying physical and Force-based feats far superior to Starkiller's own. Mace Windu, in particular, defeats an entire droid army during the Battle of Dantooine.

    Knights of the Old Republic, one of the better-regarded video games in the Star Wars canon, has Darth Revan and two compatriots assault the Star Forge and face dozens of Dark Jedi Masters and Sith Lords they slaughter without difficulty. Kyle Katarn, a largely self-taught Jedi Knight, defeats seven Dark Jedi and their armies. His apprentice, Jaden Korr, defeats Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos while the latter is possessing Tavion.

    However, these aren't the most common complaints about Starkiller. They are more upset about Starkiller's most well-known feats of pulling down a Star Destroyer and defeating Darth Vader. These are the two more controversial facts about Starkiller and should be addressed in their own separate sections.

Controversy 3#: Starkiller pulling down a Star Destroyer is dumb.

    In order to galvanize resistance against the Emperor, Starkiller is ordered by Darth Vader to attack Raxus Prime's shipyards. After using an ore cannon to destroy the shipyards, an Imperial Star Destroyer starts falling into the atmosphere and Starkiller is told by Jedi Master Rahm Kota to stop it with the Force.
Massive objects have been moved with the Force before. Yoda stated the only difference between moving rocks and an X-wing was in Luke's mind. The famous "Size matters not" quote is a statement about the infinite power of the Force. Neither midiclorians or an upper limit to the amount a person can lift is mentioned.

    We get a demonstration of this with Dorsk 81, Khommite clone, who is never indicated to be anything special in the Force. However, infamously, he is able to summon the power of his fellow Jedi to drive away a fleet of Victory-class Star Destroyers. Naga Sadow destroyed suns with the Force, Darth Nihilus annihilated a Miralukan colony world, Darth Sidious destroyed much of the New Repuiblic fleet in Dark Empire with a Force storm, and Darth Vitiate eradicated an entire world with the power of the Dark Side.

    Starkiller does none of this.

    Instead, he merely manages to redirect the flight path of a Star Destroyer which is still partially in-flight. Given the Star Destroyer’s repulsors are still nominally working, this would actually be far easier than it appears. It is also an incredible test of Starkiller's abilities and requires him to draw on his love of Juno to achieve it. Cheesy as it sounds, the power of love as a channel for the Force is probably greater than hatred.

Controversy 4#: Starkiller defeating Darth Vader diminishes the films’ central villain.

    Perhaps the most egregious act in fanboys’’ eyes is the defeat of one of an iconic villain. Darth Vader is one of the most formidable bad guys in the history of cinema and any time he's defeated either in Expanded Universe material, people object. In the case of Starkiller, Galen Marek defeated Darth Vader not once but twice. Given Darth Vader is frequently given credit for destroying the Jedi Order, an act which we now know was mostly accomplished by the Empire's armies, this is terrible offense.

    The first question we need to ask ourselves is: how formidable is Darth Vader, really? The answer is considerably so. While we don't know his exact count of Jedi killed; we do know he's defeated such Jedi Masters as Cin Drallig, Obi Wan Kenobi (who threw the fight to help Luke Skywalker escape), the Dark Woman, Roan Shryne, Axton Tredway, Jocasta Nu, Koffi Arana, and Hylon. He is also notable for slaying the resurrected Darth Maul during an encounter on Kalakar Six.

    Darth Vader is not invincible, though. The comic Purge depicted Darth Vader needing to resort to trickery in order to defeat a cabal of Jedi bent on his death. Boba Fett was briefly able to fight him to a standstill in Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire.

    Possessed by Obi Wan Kenobi's ghost, Luke Skywalker defeated Darth Vader on Mimban in Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Luke Skywalker would eventually prove his superiority to his father on the Second Death Star, maiming him during their climatic ROTJ duel. Finally, no depiction of Darth Vader's combat prowess would be complete without Obi Wan Kenobi's crippling defeat of him on Mustafar.

    Having established the Dark Lord's credentials, let us turn to Starkiller's less impressive ones. Starkiller has clearly been acting as Darth Vader's assassin for some time by the events of The Force Unleashed, enough that he has gone through several pilots before Juno Eclipse was assigned to him. Yet, it is only by the time of the game he is assigned to hunt down a Jedi Knight.

While Starkiller defeats Rahm Kota, he fails to kill him. He is more successful at killing lunatic Jedi Master Kazdan Paratus and Jedi High Councilwoman, Shaak-Ti. Later, Starkiller proves his skills by killing numerous Imperial Royal Guardsman and Shadow Guards. The latter which may or may not be the precursors to Emperor Palpatine's Sovereign Protectors (of which future Sith Lord and Emperor Carnor Jax was one).

    Starkiller is certainly no slouch but he is the clear underdog in this contest. So, is it believable that he is able to defeat Darth Vader? As a fan of both the Dark Lord and Starkiller, I'm torn. I don't even like admitting Luke Skywalker defeated Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. While one might argue Vader has fatherly feelings towards Starkiller, it's highly unlikely they're anything close to those he had for the child of his beloved Padme.

    In fact, what only saves the first victory for me isn't Starkiller is powerful enough to defeat the Dark Lord. I don't believe he is. I think Starkiller could give his master an excellent workout, maybe even fight him to a standstill, but defeat him? No. I think, instead, Starkiller defeated Darth Vader's suit.

    During Evasive Action: Recruitment, Darth Vader faces down a number of Jedi Agricultural Corps members who have been selected for candidacy in the Imperial Inquisition. It is a pathetically one-sided contest but the future High Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne attacks the controls on Darth Vader’s suit. This temporarily disables the Dark Lord.

    Darth Vader’s suit being his Achilles Heel is borne out by Return of the Jedi where it is damage to his artificial lungs which finally kills the Dark Lord, not Palpatine’s Force Lightning. When Starkiller defeats Darth Vader during their battle on the first Death Star, it is the destruction of the Dark Lord’s helmet which disables him. While Darth Vader is able to get up after Emperor Palpatine “kills” Starkiller, he is clearly missing his breathing apparatus and probably needs immediate medical attention.

    The second battles' gameplay implies Darth Vader learned his lesson from his first confrontation with Starkiller. The battle against the Dark Lord is significantly tougher with his armor more or less ignoring Starkiller's dual lightsabers, Force Lightning, and thrown objects. Vader is hit literally hundreds of time without problem and it's quite possible that he's improved his armor since their last confrontation.

    Starkiller's victory over the Dark Lord only comes when Galen Marek thinks Vader has killed his one true love. Abandoning himself to the Dark Side of the Force, Starkiller proceeds to channel the electricity stored in Kamino's power towers to enhance his Force Lightning powers. You still have to use Galen's Dark Side and power-station enhanced electricity dozens of time in rapid succession in order to force Vader to his knees.

    Even here, Starkiller's victory is questionable. Darth Vader's purpose on Kamino was not to kill Starkiller but corrupt him to the Dark Side. Having failed that objective but discovered Juno Eclipse is Starkiller's Achilles' Heel, it's entirely possible Darth Vader decided to surrender to the Rebellion as part of a larger plan.

    The Dark Side ending to The Force Unleashed 2 reveals Darth Vader was in no real danger with a nearby loyal Starkiller clone ready to intervene. Given the complete inability of the Rebellion to hold someone as formidable as Darth Vader prisoner, it's highly likely the only result of his capture was the revelation of the Alliance’s Dantooine base. As Vader says in the ending, “As long as she [Juno Eclipse] lives, I will control you.” These are not the words of a beaten man.

    Besides, we know Darth Vader escapes and resumes command of the Imperial military. In short, Starkiller achieves pyrrhic victories over Darth Vader. He is able to beat him but it is questionable how much of a triumph either of these battles was in the long run.

Controversy 5#: Starkiller’s role in the creation of the Rebellion diminishes its other founders.

    A major point of contention with The Force Unleashed is it retcons the foundation of the Alliance to a secret plot by Palpatine and Vader to lure out the Empire’s enemies. Starkiller gathers Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Princess Leia, Rahm Kota, and Garm Bel Iblis together before convincing them to join together into an organized rebellion. The Rebellion is so impressed by Galen Marek's actions they choose to adopt his family crest as their symbol.

    As much as Galen Marek deserves credit for his role in the foundation of the Rebellion, it should be noted his role is not quite as amazing as some fans have made it out to be. Likewise, the Sith shooting themselves in the foot is a frequent occurrence in canon.

    Jan Dodonna was unwilling to join the Rebellion until assassins literally broke down his door. The Second Death Star was a trap conceived by Palpatine to destroy the Rebellion in a manner very similar to the action which created it. Heck, Luke only joined the Rebellion due to the murder of his Aunt and Uncle. As Princess Leia told Tarkin, "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

    It has been established in the Expanded Universe that Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis were all heads of their own revolutionary movements beforehand. Rahm Kota was also head of a militia carrying out attacks against the Galactic Empire during this time period. In short, all four of them were already in open resistance against the Empire. They were not alone either as it the Alliance's chief benefit was uniting existing resistance against the Empire together. The Mon Calamari, Bothans, and Wookiees would eventually join in the struggle to liberate the galaxy.

    The fact these individuals did not already get together may bother some fans but we have an established in-canon distrust between Garm Bel Iblis and Mon Mothma. All three were ostensibly Imperial Loyalists, so it's understandable why the three were hesitant to join together. The Delegation of 2000 was the last time Imperial Senators sought to resist Palpatine and it proved to be a disaster.

    Even so, Bail Organa tells Starkiller he's got friends he could gather together for their resistance and was already working with Rahm Kota. In short, the Rebellion was well on its way into being formed. Starkiller merely made things considerably easier by destroying the shipyards at Raxus Prime and rescuing them from imprisonment on the first Death Star.



    As for the symbol of the Rebellion being Galen Marek's family seal, it is notable the Alliance Firebird bears a strong resemblance to several already famous symbols. The Jedi Order symbol, the Jedi-Republic Symbol during the Great Galactic War, and the crest of Adar Tallon all bear similarities to the Marek family crest.







    In short, it's an already famous symbol. Leia is less devoting their flag to Galen Marek in particular than honoring him by taking up the equivalent of an eagle from his family heraldry. People in the galaxy would get the symbolism even if they had no idea who Galen Marek was.

Controversy 6#: Luke vs. Galen – Why do we need both?

    This is a final complaint about Galen Marek. Having been created as an "Anti-Luke" or what would have happened if Darth Vader had corrupted his son to the Dark Side, Starkiller has a great deal of similarity to the Son of Skywalker. Galen Marek is Darth Vader's adoptive son if you are sufficiently twisted enough to consider Sith apprenticeship a form of fatherhood. Certainly, Starkiller considers Darth Vader to be his archenemy and manages to inflict massive damage on the Empire during his rebellion. With Galen Marek a canonical character, why wouldn't the Rebellion have him teach Luke Skywalker the ways of the Force? Why wouldn't they team up and destroy the Dark Lord? The original game answered this question by killing Galen Marek but The Force Unleashed 2 brought him back.

    My response to that is "a story untold is not a story by itself." It's still some time before the events of A New Hope and anything could happen in the meantime. Starkiller could lose the Force, be killed (again), end up imprisoned in carbonite, or simply choose to abandon the Rebellion.

    In The Force Unleashed 2, he makes it clear his only priority is Juno Eclipse and has cares little for the Rebellion he helped create. Starkiller doesn't hate the Empire, he only hates its masters. We see this expressed in his disgust when Darth Vader orders him to eliminate all the Imperials at the TIE factory Rahm Kota is attacking. While unlikely, it's possible the Emperor might capture Starkiller and convert to the Dark Side again. In short, there's many ways that Starkiller's saga can end without him being just off-camera at the Battle of Hoth.

    Frankly, Starkiller is a poor substitute for Luke Skywalker in reviving the Jedi as well. Rahm Kota gives Galen Marek little Jedi instruction during their time together, pointing him like a blaster at the Empire. Starkiller, instead, relies on his Sith training to eradicate the Rebellion's enemies.

    The only Jedi instruction he receives is at the hands of Dagobah's cave and what he manages to learn from his father's ghost. In short, Starkiller has all the power of a Jedi Knight but none of the wisdom. For that, he'll need to divorce himself from Rahm Kota and find a real teacher.

    Perhaps Luke Skywalker after the Battle of Endor.

"Fear attracts the fearful…
the strong…
the weak…
the innocent…
the corrupt. 
Fear. Fear is my ally." ―Darth Maul.

     The Book of Sith is the companion piece to the Jedi Path sourcebook I reviewed here. As the Jedi Path discussed what made up the Jedi Order with scribbled-in notes from various movie and EU characters, so does Book of Sith do the same with their opposite number. Supposedly, this volume would unlock the secrets of the Dark Side just as the previous one did the same for the Light.

    It doesn't.

    Not really. The problem with Book of Sith boils down to the fact it's all over the place with its Expanded Universe references. It also doesn't really give us any real details into their philosophy. There's some stuff about their techniques but nothing really meaty on what makes the Sith the Sith.

    I question a lot of their choices in the book and think it would have been better to have a tighter focus on its subject. For a book about the Jedi Knighthood's dark reflection, a substantial number of pages are spent discussing the Nightsisters and midiclorians. Even the choice of margin commentators is a trifle off with Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Mace Windu, and Quinlan Vos joining the ranks of various Dark Side practitioners from the SWEU. I mean, would it have killed the author to cut down the Jedi to one or two? Also, why isn't Starkiller, Cadeus, or Darth Krayt here? They're some of the few actual post-ROTS Sith Lords.

    My least favorite part of the book is the section devoted to Darth Malgus discussing one of his military campaigns. Aside from telling us that Darth Malgus was a badass, which we knew, and a military strategist, ditto, no new insights are given to either him or the Sith Empire. The only part of it I liked was Darth Vader wondering how his relationship with Eleena the Twilelk ended. It's kind of tragic knowing, for readers of Deceived, that Malgus ended up killing her like Vader did Padme.

     The Nightsisters section elaborates on the religion of the Dathomir witches, showing they worship spirits and anthropomorphize nature. This is all fascinating but wholly irrelevant to the Sith, even if Darth Maul hails from their territories. On the plus side, it does confirm that Ventress was a Nightsister first then sold to Rattataki slavers. About the only thing interesting about this section is the idea Mother Talzin and other Force-users have met the Celestials from The Clone Wars "Mortis" arc before.

     Another part which doesn't work is Darth Plagueis' lengthy treatise on the scientific nature of the Force. After a promising beginning, it devolves into explaining why there's an afterlife and the Force works like magic. It rather undermines Plagueis as a character since he can't process what is plainly true in the Star Wars universe while distracting from what is the "orthodox" Sith view on the Force (i.e. the Force functions like magic). About the only thing I liked was the discussion there's no difference between the Netherworld (Heaven) and Chaos (Hell) but the mindset of the wielder.

     About the only parts of the book I enjoyed are the margin notes and its discussion of Sith techniques. The margin notes are hilarious, showing the vastly different perspectives of the Dark Side a collection of different characters have. While there are too many Jedi, I can't say I'm displeased with the comments. I just wish they'd made the majority of commentators to be actual Sith.

     The author manages to get everyone's "voice" right and I am particularly pleased with how they handle Luke Skywalker. He sounds like a wise and noble Jedi Master for 90% of the work but there's just enough of the Farmboy bush pilot leftover to make sure you know whose talking.

     The notes on Sith techniques are not particularly interesting but are informative. We get a number of Sith fighting styles, weapons, and abilities which all have previously shown up in the Star Wars EU. My only disappointment with this section was the discussion of Sith lightsaber techniques. Apparently, the Sith practice only three techniques versus the Jedi's seven. It's rather disappointing and makes me think the book could have expanded that considerably.

     In conclusion, I find the Book of Sith to be disappointing. It's all well-written but the relevant content regarding the Sith is miniscule. Too much time is wasted on the Nightsisters, Darth Plagueis' treatise, and Darth Malgus' military campaigns. If you want a detailed guide to the Sith, this is not the book for you. There's just too much random stuff without much relevance to the book's ostensible subject matter.

5/10

    Jahan Cross is the best thing to happen to the Star Wars Expanded Universe in years. A relatively simple concept: James Bond in Space, he has adventures that don't feel like anything else in Star Wars but feel perfectly appropriate for the setting. Much like the X-wing books, the Agent of the Empire comics feel like stories that expand on the universe while not losing the specific flavor of the galaxy far-far away.

    The premise of Hard Targets is that Jahan Cross has been assigned to kill the new Count of Serenno. This is actually a minor spoiler for the first book but it's a fake-out which works just as well knowing what's going to happen. A minor relative of Count Dooku's, the noble is being courted by Bail Organa in hopes of bringing him into the Rebellion. Jahan Cross makes sure that doesn't happen.

    Permanently.

    The rest of the comic book deals with the fallout of this act. Jahan Cross has no objections to murder, he's a bit of a sociopath like that (much like Fleming's creation), but he likes his murders to be justified. Finding out that the Empire's intelligence network may have accepted a bribe to bring about the Count's death bothers him. There's also the issue of the Count's son, a defenseless boy Jahan Cross feels some small obligation to. Mostly because he's just murdered the kid's father.

    Throw in the fact that Jahan Cross' father is an Alderaanian rebel sympathizer and Jahan's next assignment takes him to Serenno then hit and presto! You have one of the most consistently entertaining titles in the Star Wars comic mythos.

    Unfortunately, it seems very likely that Hard Targets will be the last of Jahan Cross' adventures. The Force (and sales) are not with the agent of the Empire. This is an unfortunate side effect of a declining comics market, the lack of any movie-characters in a starring role, and the fact the economy sucks. I, myself, was stupid enough not to buy this when it first came out and only recently picked it up in TPB format.

    I think the chief appeal of Jahan Cross is his moral ambiguity. Much like James Bond, he's an agent of the state and a hired killer but with a certain degree of morality. He's not a complete monster like Tarkin or Ysanne Isard but lacks the kind of moral fiber which would allow him to rebel. Given he willingly breaks out a fugitive, it's also fairly clear he's not motivated by love of country either. At least, solely.

    The book has an interesting relationship with the female gender as well. Jahan Cross, at times, feels like a sexist pig. There's even a scene where he teases Leia and Winter in a manner which can only be described as flirtatious (despite the fact they're teenagers). He also hits on the loyal bodyguard of a man he just murdered while courting another woman. Yet, the book itself, isn't sexist. The women are incredibly capable and forceful with Jahan Cross just happening to have a serious blind spot regarding them.

    The action is excellent in this book, as always, and the writers know not to oversell Cross. Boba Fett and Jahan Cross have a couple of showdowns, only for the latter to get his ass kicked. Not only does this make sense, Boba being the most dangerous non-Force User in the Star Wars galaxy, but losing gracefully makes Cross that much more of a badass. The fact he survived is proof-enough he's tough. Besides, it would be ridiculous for Jahan Cross to defeat Boba Fett while the latter is covered in Mandalorian armor while the former is, well, not.

    I approve of the art in this volume as well. Serenno is beautifully realized, as is Alderaan. These are worlds which have received little attention in Star Wars so watching them get expanded on is delightful. While I don't think we'll see another Agent of the Empire volume, I'd absolutely love to see one.

10/10

    I am of two minds about Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Lost Suns. On one hand, it is a perfectly serviceable Star Wars story. There's the Sith, they've built a nasty superweapon, and we have a hero with an interesting problem out to stop it. Unfortunately, the story is so dreadfully conventional I'm not sure I can rate it highly.

    What do I mean about conventional? Part of the appeal of The Old Republic is the fact the lines are a bit blurrier than normal. The Sith Empire has individuals who are motivated by the fact the Republic attempted to commit genocide against them millennia ago and believe they would do the same again given half the chance (they're right).

    The Republic includes people who believe there's no method too horrible for opposing the Sith. Yet, at the end of the day, the Sith are a "might makes right" dictatorship while the Republic is a democracy. It's genuine moral ambiguity without being contrived.

    Unfortunately, that moral ambiguity is completely absent from The Lost Suns. Jedi and Republic=Good. Sith and Empire=Evil. The Sith are building a bunch of superweapons and our heroes have to stop them. This isn't a bad story, really, but it is such a well-trod story that I find myself disappointed. Both The Threat of Peace and Blood of the Empire managed to nicely display the moral ambiguity of the setting without diluting either the Jedi and Sith's well-established roles.

    I perhaps am being too harsh on this particular point but even if the Sith and Imperials are evil, the least they could be is interesting evil. Darth Mekhis is a wicked Sith who wants to build a bunch of evil stuff and that's the extent of her characterization. Oh and she's a member of the Dark Council. I love the fact there's a Sith female main villain, I do. It's part of why I liked Kreia. However, that is not a substitute for personality.

    The only real meat to the story lies in the character of Theron Shan. The son of Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan, he was raised as a Jedi Knight from birth only to discover as an adult he was insensitive to the Force. In short, his entire childhood was essentially wasted.

    We get a sense of Theron's determination in the fact he decided to become a Republic SIS (their CIA-equivalent) instead but that's about the extent of Theron's characterization. It's not so much that Theron is a flat-character but he keeps to himself enough that we never really bond with him the way we've done with other characters.

    Oddly, my favorite character in the book is Jedi Master Ngani Zho. I enjoyed him consistently throughout the book and wished he would appear in other stories. Even then, there was a disconnect as the book depicted a Jedi Master living as a homeless person bumming rides from one side of the galaxy to the next as something we're supposed to find disturbing. Except, well, Jedi Masters do that sort of stuff all the time. Up until the halfway point of the novel I wasn't aware there was a problem with Master Zho's behavior.

    My least favorite character from the book, however, was undoubtedly Teff'ith. I can't point to anything specific about her but I have never wanted a Star Wars character to die in a manner as horribly as I did her. Everything about her set my teeth on edge and while I have disliked characters before, her sheer unnecessary-ness to the narrative made me despise her. These feelings were not improved by a likable character being removed in favor of her. In a very real way, Teff'ith is my Jar Jar or Ken Palpatine.

    Even the ending felt emotionally unsatisfying. We have a chance to have Theron confront the person who set him on his life's path, the person who shaped his entire existence, and devoted about ninety-percent of his existence to a cause which wasn't his own. He has absolutely nothing to say to this person. This is meant to be meaningful and profound but, frankly, isn't very good drama.

    The Lost Suns isn't bad but it sure as hell isn't good. It's quite possibly the most generic Star Wars story ever told. Even the relatively original idea of being the non-Force Sensitive son of an extremely powerful Jedi gets glossed over. Any angst Theron might have experienced about the subject he's outgrown years ago. It's just not very dramatic and everyone feels like they're characters in a paint-by-the-numbers Star Wars story. The only thing we're missing is some droid comic relief and that would have actually made the story better.

5/10

    Star Wars: The Last Jedi feels like a Star Wars MMORPG novel. This is a curious statement because we have had lots of Star Wars MMORPG novels and none of them felt like this. The Old Republic tie-in fiction is more or less identical to regular Star Wars fiction with the caveat it is rare that it's allowed to finish its story.

    The Ruins of Dantooine, made for the Galaxies MMORPG, is widely considered to be one of the worst Star Wars novels of all time. The Last Jedi, by contrast, is a very fun novel but it feels more like Galaxies and The Old Republic than any of the other novels ever did.

    Indeed, I'd argue it's not necessarily an online role-playing game that The Last Jedi feels like. Instead, it feels like a roleplaying-game period. I played literally hundreds of hours of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game as well as its sequel, Star Wars SAGA without the benefit of computers. A more or less typical party of characters would consist of a guy wanting to be a Jedi, smugglers, droids, and the obligatory Twilek love-interest.

    Our heroes would tool around the galaxy, conduct various raids against the Empire on behalf of the Rebel Alliance, and do their very best to avoid the attentions of Lord Vader. Because Darth Vader couldn't be killed due to the movies, or so fanboy logic went, he was depicted as an invincible juggernaut of destruction.

    You could thwart his schemes and plans but not actually stop the villain himself. When you wanted your Jedi Knight to face a Dark Jedi, you sent them up against the Imperial Inquisition. The Imperial Inquisitors, created by West End Games, were Darth Vader-lite types who were omnipresent Dark Siders after your heroes.
   
    In a weird way, The Last Jedi is also a throwback to the Pre-Prequels Star Wars universe. There's no hints of the emotionally unstable Anakin beneath Darth Vader's mask. Instead, he's treated as an unstoppable force of nature akin to his handling in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. The Empire is all-pervasive and tyrannical with freedom-loving people across the galaxy desiring to overthrow it. The Rebel Alliance doesn't exist yet but our heroes work with miniature versions of it on numerous worlds.

    The Star Wars RPG universe had ample room for other heroes than Luke, Han, and Leia with dozens of low-level or wannabe Jedi Knights tooling around. Jax Pavan isn't really a threat to the supremacy of the Dark Lord like, say, Starkiller because despite being a fully trained Jedi--he's ridiculously outclassed by Vader. Were Luke Skywalker and Jax to ever meet up, it's likely untrained Luke would be more powerful than him. That's how the RPG worked too, with Rebellion-Era Luke possessing ridiculously high Force stats despite his untrained nature.

    This "classic" of the Star Wars universe is important to bring up because I suspect whether you like RPGs or not will determine what you think of this novel. It feels very much like someone novelizing a campaign. There's a bunch of Maguffins, exotic locations, rescue missions, guest-stars, and temptations for Player Characters to hang themselves with (also known as the "Deck of Many Things" ploy). Jax Pavan goes to Topwara, Dathomir, Coruscant, Mandalore, and Darth Vader's secret fortress. He meets with Prince Xizor, Lord Vader, and members of the Singing Mountain clan. Even the mission, rescue an important Rebel General, is the kind of thing West End Games used to put in their adventure modules.

    Overall, I really enjoyed The Last Jedi but I have complaints. One of them is the death of Laranth. There's a phenomenon in comics known as "Women in Refrigerators" and this is an example of that. Basically, Laranth's death exists solely so Jax Pavan can have some character development by having him react to her death. Given Laranth was an interesting character in her own right, being a Jedi Gunslinger, this only makes it more troublesome. Her death also comes off as somewhat perfunctory as if she didn't warrant something suitably epic.

    I also think the rescue of Whiplash's leader is too low-stakes for a 400+ page novel. Whiplash is a Rebel Cell, not the Rebel Alliance and I would have preferred something more epic like Jax Pavan wanting to blow up a Star Destroyer or the Inquisition's base. Some members do want to achieve something huge but well, we know what happens with this plan the moment someone describes what the objective is.

    Curiously, despite its old school feel, the book ties together the "modern" EU with The Clone Wars Animated series in a way which feels seamless. Mandalore is under the control of Death Watch and selling its citizens as slaves, the Dathomir have large number of Zabrak-Human hybrids even in the Singing Mountain clan, and there's no sign of any real continuity hiccups. It makes me want Michael Reaves to have Jax hook up with the Mareks on Kashyyyk or jump ahead to the point Starkiller can hang out with Pavan.

    In conclusion, I really liked The Last Jedi but it's crunchy genre fiction at its crunchiest. You won't miss out on anything by not reading this book but it's enjoyable enough if you want something Star Warsy for your diet. I hope they make another couple of books in the series as I have no objections to the character or his continuing adventures.

8/10

Emby Press

Emby Press is going to be publishing my short story, "Gamma Squadron's Last Mission" in their anthology, Blood Trails - Doomsday.


I'm so pleased. This is like my 5th published short story. My bibliography is filling out now!