Star Wars Canon Contemplation: Inferno Squad and Alphabet Squadron

Hello friends, so after tearing through the Legends trilogy of Darth Bane, I decided to read some canon books. I’ve been avoiding the “pilot” stories because I don’t really care for those–I thought. But there are only a handful of canon novels left that I haven’t read, lol, so I had to broaden my view. I decided to start with Battlefront II: Inferno Squad. Of course, I haven’t played the game, but I’m always willing to give video game books a try if it’s good storytelling.

SPOILERS!!!!

So not only is this one a pilot story and a video game story, but it also has Imperial characters as the protagonists. Those are a lot of strikes for me, lol. I can’t completely root for Imperials to succeed, but I will concede that it’s interesting to get their point of view once in a while. Plus, this one’s written by Christie Golden, and I loved her Star Wars novel Dark Disciple, so off I went.

And you know what? It was a great read! I was pulled in from the very beginning as Iden Versio, a star Imperial TIE pilot, goes deep undercover with her comrades (called Inferno Squad) in the remnants of Saw Guerrera’s Partisans after his death, who call themselves The Dreamers (Save the Dream!). Their job is to find out who is leaking information to them and to eliminate the threat. Iden has to publicly “defect” from and denounce the Empire, citing the destruction of Alderaan as the inciting incident that turned her. This is painful for her, as she doesn’t believe that at all (which is why it’s so hard for me to root for Imperials, who see the destruction of an entire planet full of civilians a military necessity, while the destruction of the Death Star is a “terrorist” act, ugh.)

Anyway, she’s recruited by the Dreamers, while her comrades are playing parts that caused them to become members as well. They have to take part in a few missions where their fellow Imperials are killed, but they maintain their act. They get to know the members of the group, and while some aren’t that likeable (such as their leader Staven), most of them are just people who hate the Empire and want to see justice done. The group is led by Staven, but they have a “Mentor,” who advises and guides them, and is actually the person who is giving them the Imperial intel for their missions. Turns out this is Lux Bonterri, the son of Mina Bonterri from the Clone Wars, who was an Onderonian Senator for the Separatists. I vaguely remember Lux from a few Clone Wars episodes–I remember he kind of had a thing for Ahsoka?–but the rest of his history I’m not familiar with.

Anyway, Inferno Squad figures this out and routes the Dreamers, but not without some personal cost. They lose a member of their squad and have to commit acts against the Empire. And most of them also become, if not friends with, then friendly with some members of the Dreamers, giving them a different perspective of the war.

I think it was clever to have Inferno Squad go up against the remnants of Saw’s Partisans, because they were considered extremists and not an official part of the Alliance. I’m not a fan of Saw’s methods, so I didn’t particularly care what happened to them, even though I did like most of their members. And I wasn’t that sad when one of Inferno Squad’s members died because–well, Imperial. I felt oddly detached from all of the characters, lol. Despite this, it was a good, fast, entertaining read. Iden’s struggle to please her cold, perfectionist Admiral father made her a bit more sympathetic for me, and learning that she later defected to the Alliance after Operation Cinder redeemed her a bit in my eyes.

3.5 out of 5 lightsabers

Let’s switch sides and go with a Rebel/New Republic pilot story. Although this one, Alphabet Squadron, features an Imperial defector named Yrica Quell. Quell leaves the Empire after Operation Cinder, supposedly in protest against its extreme cruelty. She spends some time at Traitor’s Remorse, a camp for Imperial Defectors, where she’s assigned a “therapy droid”–actually, an old reprogrammed Imperial torture droid called IT-O. But then Caern Adan, from New Republic Intelligence, recruits her to lead a squadron to find the Imperial TIE squadron Shadow Wing, which happens to be Yrica’s old squadron.

Together with an alphabet soup of ships and their pilots–Wyl Lark with his A-Wing, Chass na Chadic with her B-Wing, Nath Tensent with his Y-Wing, and Kairos with her U-Wing–Yrica must lead the squad in search of Shadow Wing. But Yrica must prove her loyalty and ability to lead, and it seems she’s got some secrets. Every member of Alphabet Squadron is damaged in some way and it takes some time–most of the book, in fact–for the squadron to form any semblence of a team. I found myself losing patience with all of them, especially Yrica, at some point or another, but it just means the author (Alexander Freed) did a great job writing them as flawed human beings who have been through a devastating war.

I tried reading this book some time ago on my Kindle, but after a few chapters I just couldn’t get into it. More than likely, I was distracted by other books, but this is a slow burn and a fairly dense read. I was determined to get through it, and once I slowed down and took it all in, I found that it’s a great book. For a “pilot book” it’s got a lot going on as far as characterization. While Inferno Squad was a fast, intense read about an Imperial pretending to be a defector, this one deals with an actual Imperial defector, who has to reconcile so many conflicting feelings and ideas about who she’s loyal to now. She desperately wants to prove herself so she can fly again, but her superiors don’t fully trust her yet, and her teammates don’t understand her. Yrica doesn’t make it easy for them, either, as she still thinks like an Imperial much of the time.

It was fun to see Hera Syndulla in the story, as Alphabet Squadron comes to be aboard her ship, the Lodestar. She leads an attack, along with Alphabet Squadron, on a planet called Pandem Nai, in the hopes of routing some Imperial Remnants, as well as destroying Shadow Wing. They manage to do the former, but not the latter–Shadow Wing gets away.

So I’ll be plodding my way through the next two books–Shadow Fall and Victory’s Price–to see how this team can actually come together and defeat Shadow Wing once and for all. Stay tuned.

3 out of 5 lightsabers

My Star Wars AOC Fan Fiction–Satine

Hello friends, here’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while–share my fanfiction here on the blog. I’ve linked to my stories on Archive Of Our Own before, but I wanted to put some of it straight here on the blog. I’ve written a few shorter pieces that will work here. These short stories have a common thread which is, admittedly, a bit morbid–I wanted to get into the head of several women Star Wars characters in their last moments. What are they thinking? Are they afraid? Hopeful? Are they full of regrets? I thought it might be interesting.

This first piece is from Satine Kryze, Duchess of Mandalore’s point of view. It’s the exact scene in the Clone Wars (Season 5, Episode 16) in which Maul kills her in front of Obi-Wan to exact his revenge. There is a story in the book Stories of Light and Dark that does the same thing, but from Obi-Wan’s point of view (it’s a great story), but I wanted to get Satine’s perspective.

Here’s the story:

I Have Loved You Always

All I ever wanted was peace.

Peace for Mandalore. For my people. To end our constant, destructive aggression. I accomplished this for a time. A blink in the eye of Mandalorian history. I am proud of that accomplishment.

But now, all has come to violence and ruin.

I am bound and kneeling beside the vile creature Maul as he sits on the throne–my throne!–with the traitor Almec on my right, and a terrifyingly gigantic yellow Dathomirian zabrak to my left. As Maul brings Obi-Wan to the throne room, I know all is lost. Mandalore. Peace. My life. Yes, he will kill me to hurt Obi-Wan. To make his enemy suffer, and fulfill his burning need for revenge. Whatever his aims are in Mandalore–and he has several–Obi-Wan’s pain is chief among them.

As Obi-Wan is brought before us, I vow this: I will not be the tool to bring about Obi-Wan’s downfall. For I know that Maul wants not only Obi-Wan’s pain, but the eradication of all that is good in him as well.

No matter what Obi-Wan is–a Jedi, a general, a hero, a warrior, a man, my love–yes, here at the end, I will call him my love–he is a being of Light. A jedi’s existence is meant to hold the Light within himself; it is the reason I gave him up so long ago. He only recently admitted that he would have given up the Order for me, if I had asked. But I didn’t ask. I knew then, as I suspect he did as well, that our love could not compete with his calling. We could have ruled Mandalore together, brought peace and prosperity–and perhaps Maul would not be here now. Instead, our children’s laughter would have filled these halls.

But he always would have been haunted by what he gave up. The Order is his family, his life. The Light within him–the Force–serves a higher purpose, and he would have felt that loss. I could not do that to him.

And I won’t do it now. I must warn him, exhort him not to fall for Maul’s machinations. It would give this creature of darkness the greatest satisfaction to see his Light extinguished. A vindication for his false superiority, for he envies Obi-Wan’s strength in the Light. I understand him. He thinks me weak; Death Watch thinks me weak; even Obi-Wan at one point thought my pacifism naive.

But they’re all wrong.

There he is now, in his stolen red Mandalorian armor–so handsome, even as he fights despair. Even now, my heart skips a beat when I see him. Ever since his mission with Master Qui-Gon so long ago, to protect me during the Mandalorian Civil War.

Stars, we were so young then! But we knew who we were, and we came to know each other. Peril boiled us down to essentials, and we liked what we saw. He was young and brave, so desirous to gain his Master’s approval and praise, but always questioning him. He was also often brash and arrogant. But I suppose I was, too. We bickered, we challenged each other, he saved me more than once–and dropped me while doing it!–but I forgave him, because I saw the Light in him. When the war was over and I returned to the seat of Mandalore, our parting was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do–and I’ve had many challenges over the years. But he would become a great Jedi Knight, and I–I would rule Mandalore and bring about a long-overdue peace. We each had a destiny to fulfill–without each other.

And now this demon of the dark has us both at his mercy. The creature is speaking now, taunting Obi-Wan, gleeful in his triumph. “You’re noble flaw is a weakness shared by you and the Duchess.” Suddenly I am lifted off the ground by an unseen force, an invisible hand wrapping around my throat. “You should have chosen the dark side, Master Jedi.”

“Obi-Wan,” I choke out, feet flailing, my fingers prying at the vise tightening around my neck.

Obi-Wan, kneeling between two guards, looks up at Maul, anger darkening his expression. No! No, stay calm, I want to shout, but I can’t find the breath.

“Your emotions betray you,” Maul says silkily. “Your fear, and yes, your anger. Let your anger deepen your hatred.”

“Don’t listen to him, Obi–” I somehow croak out, delving deep for the last of my strength.

“Quiet,” growls the yellow zabrak in warning.

And then Obi-Wan speaks: “You can kill me, but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side. Only the weak embrace it.”

My heart soars–he will not fall. My love, my Obi–he is strong.

“It is more powerful than you know,” Maul snarls.

“And those who oppose it are more powerful than you’ll ever be,” Obi-Wan retorts.

These words agitate Maul, and I feel the grip at my throat tightening. Obi-Wan must panic, as he reconsiders his tactics. “I know where you’re from,” he says in a calmer tone. “I’ve been to your village. I know the decision to join the dark side wasn’t yours. The Nightsisters made it for you.”

But he’s made a critical error; his attempt at compassion backfires and enrages Maul. “Silence! You think you know me? It was I who languished for years thinking nothing but you, nothing but this moment, and now the perfect tool for my vengeance is in front of us. I never planned on killing you. But I will make you share my pain, Kenobi.”

Everything happens very quickly then. I’m starting to see spots before my eyes, but the snap-hiss of a lightsaber cuts across the room, and I see Obi-Wan’s horror-stricken face as I rush through the air towards him, towards the darkly glittering blade before us. The Dark Saber.

Pain, heat, as it pierces my middle, and a strangled sound comes out of me, the vise gone from my neck; and then I fall to the cold stone floor. “Satine!” I dimly hear Obi-Wan call out.

I look up through a cloud of pain, and he is there, holding me tenderly, as he never could before. To have his face be the last I ever see–such a blessing here at the end!

“Remember, my dear Obi-Wan,” I manage to say, reaching up to touch his face, “I have loved you always. And I always will.”

He begins to fade. Or rather, I begin to fade. For a brief moment, I recognize the deep irony of me, the pacifist Mandalorian, dying a violent death upon the Dark Saber. Perhaps my opponents will find it fitting and deeply satisfying. But I feel no pain now, only peace, the peace I have fought so long for. Let him be safe from the Dark, I pray–to the gods, to the Force, to the stars–my last thought, then–

Light.

So much Light.

A Revisit to a Great Star Wars Book

If you have a blog on WordPress, you’ve probably noticed it’s been showing old posts that you wrote on this day in the past. It’s kind of fun to go back and see what I was reading and writing about in Star Wars one year, two years, 5 years ago. I also had another, separate blog where I wrote about the Star Wars books I was reading called, appropriately enough, The Star Wars Reader. I briefly do those kinds of post on this blog now, combining everything Star Wars here. But I thought I’d reblog this one about Claudia Gray’s Leia: Princess of Alderaan, as I’m eagerly awaiting the new Leia/Rey novel (Legacy, by Madeleine Roux) coming out at the end of July. Enjoy!

Book Review: Leia, Princess of Alderaan

My Legends Reading Challenge: The Old Republic: Darth Bane–Path of Destruction

Spoilers Ahead!!!

Hello friends! You didn’t think I’d forgotten my Legends reading, did you? Nope, it just took me a bit to get this far. I had been reading Knight Errant by John Jackson Miller, and surprisingly, it was a terrible slog for me. I happen to like JJM’s other books–A New Dawn and Kenobi, specifically–and I was familiar with his rather plodding, and carefully and thoroughly-told tales. But this was on a different level. It was just so convoluted and out there and well, just plain boring, I had to put it down.

But this post isn’t about that book, it’s about Bane. I’ve heard many good things about this trilogy, breathless and excited praise, and I thought, yeah yeah, I’ll get there, calm down, lol. But as soon as I picked it up and started reading, I was enthralled. Bane’s rise from downtrodden cortosis miner, to Sith soldier, to star student at the Sith Academy on Korriban, to the most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, is truly compelling and one of the most entertaining reads of the Old Republic books.

One of the reasons I worried about getting through the Old Republic section of the Legends books was that it was so heavily focused on the Sith. Normally, I don’t care to read books with the “bad” guys as the protagonists; I just have a hard time sympathizing with them as the main character (I did really like the Darth Malgus book Deceived, however). But as I was reading this book and watched Bane rise among the Sith and become disenchanted with the Brotherhood of Darkness and the new Sith ways, I found myself nodding along as he learned of the old Sith Masters and came up with the Rule of Two: “Hmm, yeah, he’s right, you know, they’re weak, they need to be destroyed.” LOL. I was actually rooting for him to become the strongest, most powerful Sith and exorcise any trace of guilt, pity, or compassion in himself to get there. And I blame the excellent writing of Drew Karpyshyn, who drew me into this world and into Bane’s life, and helped me understand where he came from and what he believed, and why (I also enjoyed Karpyshyn’s excellent Old Republic novel Annhilation).

The book focuses almost entirely on Bane, with only a few other, brief points of view, and I think this was an excellent decision on the part of the writer. I don’t mind multiple points of view, but if there’s too many, my attention will often become scattered. Once we enter Bane’s mind, we stay there for most of the book, and it’s an intense experience where the reader becomes enveloped in the fire of the dark side. Towards the middle to the end of the book, we see the Battle of Ruusan taking place between The Brotherhood of Darkness and the Jedi’s Army of Light, which becomes Bane’s chosen time and place to destroy the Brotherhood. The war has come to a terrible stalemate, and both sides are exhausted and near despair.

The Jedi in charge is named General Hoth (did he have a whole world named after him?), and the war has caused him to become desperate, angry, a little crazy, sliding toward the dark. It’s interesting to see the Jedi Order in this time period, what with the constant wars with the Sith over the centuries. We canon junkies think the Clone Wars caused a lot of harm to the Order, but these holy wars with the Sith were on a different level entirely.

Bane has had an insight that seems obvious when you think about it: the war between the dark and the light will not be won by armies; it will be won by the power of the Force. The Sith infighting over the millenia has only caused them to become weak, as seen by Lord Kaan’s forming of the Brotherhood: the Sith Lords have formed an alliance in order to defeat their enemy, with the idea that they are all equal; together they will be strong enough to defeat the Jedi. But alliance and working together as a whole is a Jedi trait. Bane has nothing but contempt for this; the very essence of the dark side is to be the strongest. The weak serve the strong. The Sith Lords have even dropped the title Darth from their names, as part of distancing themselves from the old ways. Bane brings the title back–he is Darth Bane, not simply a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Bane’s epiphany begins with his study of the ancient Sith texts in the archives during his spare time, when he’s not training with the other students. The Masters have no use for the old knowledge and see it as a waste of time, but Bane is fascinated. The Old Masters performed incredible, even impossible feats (I’m thinking of Darth Nihilus, who swallowed entire worlds [!!!]). Most of the new Masters believe it all to be myth and legend, but Bane isn’t so sure. He leaves the Academy to explore the old Sith tombs in the Valley of the Dead, but he’s disappointed to find nothing but dust and bones. But he’s not deterred. Instead of going to Ruusan with the other students to fight in the war, he goes to the planet Lehon and finds a Sith holocron with lessons on the dark side from none other than Revan himself. It’s here he comes up with his idea: the Rule of Two. There should be only one Master, to hold the power, and one apprentice, to crave it. When the Apprentice has learned all there is to know from the Master, they will challenge and kill the Master and take on their own apprentice, thus preserving the line. They will survive through secrecy, deception, and betrayal, the true Sith ways, and one day defeat the Jedi. It will take a thousand years, but it works, lol. At least for a while, as the Light always returns, and on and on. But I digress.

He destroys the Brotherhood through a Thought Bomb, an ancient, very dangerous Sith spell that usually destroys any Force user within its radius, Sith and Jedi alike. He tricks Lord Kaan into using it with the other Sith Lords, and they are killed, their spirits trapped in an agonizing netherworld, along with the Jedi General Hoth and his followers who sacrifice themselves to end the Brotherhood. Bane is now free to put his plan of the Rule of Two in motion. He meets a little girl named Zannah on the planet who he takes as an apprentice, and we’ll see their relationship in the next two books.

There’s a lot I haven’t mentioned here, including some characters like Githany, a fallen Jedi who shares an attraction with Bane and betrays him over and over (which he admires, lol); Sirak, a Zabrack Sith student that Bane challenges and loses to, and then later defeats; Sith Lords like Quorlis, Ka’sim, and Kopeck; Lord Farfalle, a dandy-like but noble Jedi who keeps General Hoth on track; and everything about Bane’s childhood at the abusive hands of his father, Hurst; his challenging life in the cortosis mines; and his brief service in the Sith army, all experiences that contributed to who he is and what he believes, as well as his strength and persistence. It was interesting to follow his journey, and I understand why he chose the dark side and the Sith rather than the light side and the Jedi: the Republic, who are allied with the Jedi, never did anything for him or his planet; and the dark side gives him a sense of control and power over himself and his life, which he didn’t have growing up on Apatros. It was an outlet for all of his rage, and I get that. But as Tech from the Bad Batch said to Crosshair: “Just because I understand you doesn’t mean I agree with you.” The dark is the dark, after all.

Anyway, these are my rambling and not very organized thoughts about Path of Destruction, which is probably my favorite Old Republic Legends book so far. I give it:

5 out of 5 Lightsabers!

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

My Thoughts on The Mandalorian and Grogu

I’m going to assume you saw the movie, but if you didn’t, there may be some spoilers ahead!!!

I saw The Mandalorian and Grogu on Sunday and I’m giving it a definite thumbs up.

It’s a super-fun popcorn movie that will entertain most in the family (it is PG-13 for space-related violence). And while I had a great time watching it in the theater, I do have some thoughts. I won’t summarize the whole movie, but I’ll make a list of things I loved about it, and a list of things that bugged me.

What I loved:

The action was incredible. The opening scene was intense and thrilling, and though there’s a lull mid-film, the movie was chock-full of action.
Grogu was as charming as ever. The puppetry is so amazing, you forget you’re watching a puppet. He and the Anzellans were all adorable and funny. And it’s great to see Grogu being even more independent, healing Din and taking care of him. He’s a good boy!
Zeb! He looked great and was in more scenes than I thought he’d be in.
Ludwig Goransson’s score, as always, was awesome. I loved Rotta’s techno theme, which is new but fit right in.
Speaking of Rotta, I think he’s my favorite new character in this movie. The fact that he has no interest in his father’s legacy and wants to be his own man makes his character interesting. He’s a formidable pit-fighter, but he’s also kind of sweet and thoughtful, and loves Grogu. The scene where he plays with Grogu on the beach just gave me joy, and I rooted for this guy throughout the whole movie. The most surprising thing about him was his voice–Jeremy Allen White does a great job. After Jabba’s baritone “huh-huh-huh” Huttese, and the Twins’ awkward Basic, it was refreshing to hear Rotta just speak like a regular joe trying to make his way in the galaxy. Loved it.
Lots of monsters, aliens, and droids throughout. I’ve seen people complain that there are barely any human actors in this, but considering people complained that Andor didn’t have enough aliens, this just baffles me. It was chock-full of Star Wars pulp and fun.
The Anzellan’s tiny ship. Of course it’s tiny, and it’s adorable, lol.
I like that Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder (the men in the suit when Din has his helmet on) get some top billing. Pedro is the face and the voice, but these guys do a lot of the heavy lifting, and it’s great to see them get credit where it’s due.

The little guys off to save Din and their Anzellan friend.

Okay, so having said all that, here’s a few things that bugged me:

The helmet rule is getting annoying, for several reasons. First, I want to see more of Pedro Pascal. Sorry, not sorry. Second, it seems they’re just making up the rules as they go along. The Twins remove Din’s helmet to shame him, “forever,” as they put it, but Din replies, “Not if you all die.” Okay, but did we know about that rule before? The Armorer never mentioned it. There’s just no consistency with it. And I’d really hoped during Season 3 that Din got over all the Mandalorian rules, but I guess he’s a man of faith and is stubborn about it. Third, it would just be nice if his son could look at his face now and then, you know? There’s no room for any kind of emotional intimacy that you get with human expressions, and I feel like Grogu deserves more. Especially after Grogu heals him and looks after him for days; he doesn’t even get a thank you, just a Mandalorian platitude. I get that Disney probably doesn’t want to pay Pedro Pascal for being in the entire movie, but come on, they can afford it. Stop being cheap, lol.
The way Din told Grogu, several times, to “heel.” I actually winced at that. Is he his son, or a pet? I think it was played for laughs, but it was just weird and not cool. Granted, Grogu doesn’t always listen to Din, and maybe he came up with that to show he means business. I still don’t like it, lol.
No one uses Din’s actual name throughout the entire movie. He’s just “Mando” to everyone. And that’s fine, I guess, but why are we reverting him back to early Season 1 Mando? He doesn’t really have a character arc in the movie. He doesn’t change in any substantial way. Maybe he doesn’t need to, but it would give the movie at least a little emotional depth. I know it’s about action and fun Star Wars weirdness, but it is a story, and every story needs a viable character arc. I guess Grogu is shown becoming more independent and capable, and even Rotta overcomes his challenging relatives. I suppose that will have to do.
I think Sigourney Weaver was rather wasted here. She got a few scenes that anyone could have done, really. I wish her part had been a bit more juicy.

Those are my main thoughts. I do think that Din and Grogu’s story would have been better served as a Season 4 on Disney+ rather than a movie. We could have slowed down and got those emotional moments and character growth that I’d like to see. I don’t know whether we’ll ever see a Season 4, but I hope so. Jon Favreau had it written, but had to set it aside to do the movie, so who knows. I also think this movie is a kind of bulwark, a “safe” movie to put out ahead of Starfighter next year.

So, despite it being a “safe” movie, and my list of grumblings, it definitely was a good time at the movies. If I had to rank it, I’d probably give it a 7 out of 10. I’ll probably go see it again just for some Grogu sweetness, lol.

What did you think of the movie? Good, bad, meh? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Gorgeous Star Wars Art Books

Hello friends!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I sell used books online (Pango Books) and use the credits from sales to turn around and buy more books (because that’s what book lovers do, lol). I buy all sorts of books, but I’m especially enjoying Star Wars “The Art Of” books, because I don’t normally buy these for myself. They’re gorgeous, but usually expensive brand new (think $40-$50 each). I just got a slew of them, so I thought I’d showcase them here because I’m very excited about them (nerd!).

The Art of The Rise of Skywalker. I’ve had Force Awakens and The Last Jedi Art books for a while now (I found them in a used book store), so I finally got this one to complete the collection.

The Eye of Webbish Bog, a really cool concept that didn’t end up being used in the movie. Kylo Ren meets up with this creature at the beginning of the movie, when he finds the Wayfinder on Mustafar. There’s a creature on top of a giant head and he says cryptic, prophetic sorts of things.

The Art of The Mandalorian Season 1. With The Mandalorian and Grogu opening today (May 22nd as I write this), I’m super-hyped for the movie. I rewatched all three seasons of the The Mandalorian in the past month or so, and have always loved the concept art showed during the credits at the end of each episode. These books show those works and more in these comprehensive art books.

Some concept art for the first season of The Mandalorian. Grogu peeking out of the cloak is so cute. And a baby backpack?! So neat to see these ideas that didn’t pan out for the show.

The Art of the Mandalorian Season 2. More gorgeous artwork from Season 2 of the show. I’m not sure if there’s a Season 3 art book, but you can be sure I’ll be on the lookout for anything (and from the movie!).

An adorable example of concept art of Grogu eating his soup on Trask.

The Art of the High Republic. I adore the High Republic books, and this art helped me envision all the characters along the way. I don’t mind using my imagination when it comes to seeing the characters in my mind, but it doesn’t hurt to actually see what the creators had in mind. There’s a Volume 2 that I’d like to get eventually.

An example page from The Art of the High Republic, showing an image of the Jedi (and Ember!).

Women of the Galaxy. This one isn’t really an “Art of” book, but there’s depictions from various artists of the women characters in Star Wars, even a couple I’ve never heard of (mostly from comics). There’s artwork of the character and a few paragraphs (a few pages for the main characters like Leia, Padme, and Rey) about that character. It’s only up to The Last Jedi, so I’d like to get the updated version I’ve seen with Ahsoka on the front.

An example page of Women of the Galaxy, showing Asajj Ventress.

I could spend hours leafing through and reading these books. There’s so many other “Art of” books I’d like to get: Solo, Rogue One, Andor, and the ones I mentioned above. I love any kind of Star Wars art; it may be time for another Fan Art post. Stay tuned!

Also stay tuned for my thoughts on The Mandalorian and Grogu (I plan to see it sometime in the next week), and also on Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, my latest Legends read (I’m loving it and ripping through it!).

Maul: Shadow Lord Thoughts

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Maul: Shadow Lord just finished up, and it’s as great as I figured it would be.

When it was first announced I thought, hmm, not what I really wanted, but considering how fantastic the animated series have been, I’ll probably like it. And I do, a lot. The animation just keeps getting better, the storytelling tighter, and the characterizations more complex and interesting. It’s darker and grittier than any other animated series so far, kind of like Andor but with lightsabers. The best of both worlds!

Like Andor, the first few episodes are a slow burn as it sets the stage and introduces the characters. We meet Brander Lawson, a cop who’s dealing with a few crime bosses in the city of Jannix. He’s a single dad who loves his son Riley, but work keeps getting in the way of him spending enough time with him. (I love that he constantly has a cup of caf in his hand–just your typical overworked police detective, lol). His partner is a droid named Two-Boots, who inexplicably wears, well, a pair of boots. Two-Boots is quite the by-the-book droid, which proves problematic later in the season. (Two-Boots also holds a caf cup much of the time, even though it’s empty, just to “share the moment” with Lawson). I already loved these guys at Episode 1.

We also meet a pair of Jedi-in-hiding, as this takes place not long after Order 66. Master Eecko Dio Daki (what a great name, lol) and his Padawan, Devon, are just trying to get by and stay hidden, but it’s clear Devon isn’t happy with the situation and itches to do something, anything rather than hide. She ends up in the city jail for stealing some food for herself and her Master.

Maul makes a dramatic entrance and sets himself up in the bowels of the city with his allies: Rook Cast, a former Death Watch Mandalorian and a few of her cohorts, and two Dathomirian Zabraks, Icarus and Scorn. There’s also Spybot, Maul’s pet probe droid, who’s kind of cute in a malicious sort of way. Maul has come to consolidate his power over the crime syndicates, as a way to accumulate power and therefore seek revenge on his enemies–namely Darth Sidious (though he never gives up on Kenobi, either). He’s also in search of an apprentice–and Devon fits that bill perfectly.

So that’s the set-up; I won’t go through the entire series but pinpoint the highlights. Though the show is about Maul and is named after him, he doesn’t really have a character arc. Maul is never going to change–he will always seek out his enemies for revenge, no matter what that form takes. Even his dying words (in Rebels) in Obi-Wan’s arms speak of vengeance. So Devon is the character that will go through an arc: her journey from Jedi Padawan to Maul’s apprentice.

The show does a great job of showing Devon’s turn toward the dark side. I wouldn’t say by the end of the season that she’s full-on dark side, but she’s definitely angry and willing to use her negative emotions to fight back, with Maul’s help. Maul convinces her slowly, over the course of the ten episodes, telling her to use what she has to fight back against the Empire that destroyed the Jedi Order and took away her future. Maul is the devil on one of her shoulders, and Daki is the angel on the other, urging patience and calm, and Devon clearly struggles with this. We all know the Light side is the harder road, and that is the challenge. Devon wants to follow her Master’s example and reject Maul, but it’s hard when Imperials and Inquisitors are constantly pursuing you and Maul is willing to help.

Speaking of Inquisitors, when Two-Boots calls in the Empire (blasted droid!) they send the First Brother (the one with the bird-like mask we saw in Tales of the Jedi and who Ahsoka defeated) and the Sixth Brother Marrok (who Ahsoka also defeated in her show). They work together to track down Maul and the Jedi, and it’s nice to actually see them at work, and also so formidable in battle. They were quickly and easily defeated by Ahsoka and we didn’t get to see them much in action. They’re truly scary here.

Meanwhile, Lawson struggles to do his job while trying to keep the Empire out of it and off the planet, and also to be there for Riley. He’s separated from his wife, who works for the Empire, which could be interesting next season (and yay! there’s going to be a Season Two). In trying to escape the Imperials he seemingly sacrifices himself, but I’m not buying it. This is Star Wars, where if there’s no body, there’s no death, lol. He staggers off into the mist, and even though he took a few blaster bolts, I think he’ll be fine. He better be! Also, he’s the only person who saw Maul push Master Daki towards Vader (more on him soon) while he slips away to Devon and the Inquisitors. So that needs to come out.

There was no question Master Daki was going to die, as Devon’s hero journey requires the death of the mentor. I figured he’d be gone by the first few episodes, but it wasn’t until the last episode that he gets killed, and not by Maul (though Maul didn’t help). So it was nice to have him around the whole season and play off Maul. It was his death, however, that sent Devon over the edge, not surprisingly.

“I will kill you!” Devon reacts to Daki’s death.

Vader’s appearance in the last two episodes were epic. I don’t necessarily need or want him to appear in every show, but here it felt right, as the Inquisitors were having some trouble catching their quarry. I think it’s significant that he didn’t say a word; he doesn’t have to. His actions speak for themselves, and makes it more terrifying. Maul doesn’t quite know who he is, but I think he has an idea.

I want to touch on Maul’s visions midseason. He’s escaped the Inquisitors and is alone and injured, trying to make his way back to his hideout. He falls into a puddle of water and sees his reflection, but sees himself as a boy before Sidious trains him. He’s with his brother Savage and they seem happy. But then Sidious takes him to train, and the Sith Lord abuses him with lightning. He sees Obi-Wan coming toward him to cut him in half. Just nightmares and grief. Maul doesn’t change by the end of his story, but here we do see him vulnerable. He also works with the Jedi, for his own purposes, of course, but he does respect the Jedi Order; they are worthy adversaries. The point is, we get to see different sides of Maul, he becomes a bit more three-dimensional, and he works better as a protagonist in the story. Maul isn’t exactly easy to root for, but we understand him a bit better and feel at least some sympathy.

Anyway, the show is fantastic: the animation is superb, the lightsaber duels incredible, and the characters engaging. It’s yet another animated show I didn’t know I wanted, lol.

If you’ve watched Maul: Shadow Lord, what did you think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll talk about it!

Star Wars Canon Contemplation: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire and Propaganda

Hello friends! I just finished reading two Star Wars books that are set up as “non-fiction” in the galaxy far, far away, and I have to say they are both excellent. The first is The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Chris Kempshall, and the other is Star Wars Propaganda by Pablo Hidalgo.

I started reading this sometime last year, but put it down after a few chapters for some reason; I was probably distracted by other books at the time. But I recently watched an interview with the author by Star Wars Explained and I was enthralled (I’ll link to the interview below; I highly recommend watching it). So I went back to the book and began reading it from the beginning again, and loved it.

The book is set up as an examination of the Galactic Empire, its rise, fall, and repercussions into the New Republic and the Rise of the First Order, written by Beaumont Kin, who you may or may not remember from the Sequel Trilogy. He was played by Dominic Monaghan, and his most important line was probably, “Cloning, dark magic, secrets only the Sith knew!” when confronted by Palpatine’s return. It wasn’t directly stated in the movies, but in comics and books (like Shadow of the Sith by Adam Christopher–another excellent book, check it out) he’s presented as an historian. He studied the history of the Sith in particular, and taught history until he joined the Resistance after the destruction of Hosnian Prime by the First Order. He’s writing the book in the ruins of Exogol, of all places, after that great battle. What a gloomy place to be working! But there are troves of files there that he can access, about the Sith, the Final Order, as well as the Empire.

Kin begins with Palpatine, of course, what is known about him, how he rose to power, his Sith origins. We, the audience to the story, know a lot about him and the events that took place, but we have to remember that most of the galaxy in this fictional world did not. Palpatine was just a man who gained enormous power and built a juggernaut of an Empire. Only later does the galaxy get an idea of the dark, mystical powers that contributed to his ascent. But Kin’s point here is that yes, he was a Sith, but he was also a man–a greedy, selfish, narcissistic, but patient and cunning human being who pulled the wool over the galaxy’s eyes. And that is what scares him the most: you don’t need to be a Sith to become a tyrannical despot. It can happen again. And again, and again. He hopes that his history of the Empire–and later, the First Order–is a lesson the galaxy can learn about preventing such a thing from happening again.

It’s a big book–432 pages–and he goes into details about the organization of the Empire, their ideology, the ISB, Compnor, the military, the Imperial Senate, the role of Darth Vader, the Moffs (Tarkin in particular), and how they eventually responded to the rising threat of the Rebellion, their successes and their ultimate failures.

Many of the characters we are familiar with are referenced in the book, characters and events not only from the movies, but from comics, books, TV shows, and any number of other media. There are a ton of footnotes, referencing the various Imperial or Alliance files and documents that he’s sourced, and occasional commentary. Towards the end of the book, when he discusses the rise of the First Order and his participation in the Resistance, he shares his personal feelings about his terror, his despair, his hope for the future. Mostly, he urges his readers, and the galaxy at large, to support each other, to stand up for each other when the next challenge arises.

I loved that this book was written by an actual historian, who understands the patterns of history, and how to go about making some sense of them. This fictional “nonfiction” book is a great read, and I highly recommend it.

The historian behind the historian, Dr. Chris Kempshall. Is it me, or do they look fairly similar? Alter egos!

Here’s the interview with the author on Star Wars Explained:

As I was getting close to finishing up Rise and Fall, I got this beauty (with credits from selling books on Pango Books, woohoo!). It’s also presented as a “nonfiction” book in the Star Wars galaxy, examining propaganda art by both the Republic and the Separatists during the Clone Wars, and the Imperials and the Rebellion during the Galactic Civil War (and a few from the First Order and the Resistance). It comes in a slip case, with the Rebellion symbol in silver on the black front cover, and the symbol of the Empire on the back. It was supposed to come with ten posters, but because it’s a used book, I didn’t get those. 😦 Oh well. The art inside is enough, though, and is awesome.

Each poster is accompanied by a paragraph about it, who in the galaxy created it and why, and what the poster was trying to accomplish with it. Sabine Wren, the only artist I’m familiar with, is mentioned in the Rebellion section. There’s a foreward at the beginning of the book by a famous Bith artist who did early propaganda work for the Empire, but came to regret his work later in life. At the end of the book is a list of all the in-universe artists and where they were now, if known.

In the real world, Pablo Hidalgo is the author of the book, who has become a kind of archivist of Star Wars lore, and he did a great job on this beautiful book, as well as the real world artists who created the posters.

Just a small sample of the posters inside the book.

Check out these books if you can, they’re a fantastic addition to any Star Wars library.

Star Wars Canon Book Thoughts- Outlaws: Low Red Moon

Hello friends! It’s been a bit, as I’ve decided not to do the monthly entertainment update for a while. What I’m going to do instead is post about new Star Wars books or shows and what I think about them as they come up. (I will also continue to post my Legends Reading Challenges; I’m working on Knight Errant right now). The latest canon novel is Low Red Moon, based on the video game that came out last year.

As you probably know, I’m not a gamer. I almost decided not to read the book out of lack of interest. But this is a prequel to the story of the game and so, theoretically, you don’t need to know anything about Outlaws beforehand. And I heard there were cameos by Fennec Shand and Q’ira, so my interest was piqued. Also, I liked Mike Chen’s earlier book, Brotherhood.

So, I got the book, and watched a few story videos of Outlaws just to get a feel for the characters. And just so you know, if you plan to read the book or play the game, there are

TOTAL SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

So, in the game, a man named Jaylen Vrax and his BX Commando droid ND-5 work with a woman named Kay Vess on various missions in the criminal underworld. This book takes place before they meet Kay, and the very beginning is about ten years before.

We meet the Barshas, a wealthy and powerful family who own Barsha Corp., which builds engines for various kinds of ships. The parents are Nytyl and Roisem Barsha, who are pretty terrible people, and two kids: Jaylen, the natural child of Nytyl and Roisem, and Sliro, the child of Nytyl and…some other woman we don’t meet. The parents favor Jaylen, of course, and treat Sliro horribly, particularly Roisem, who always reminds him he’s only “half a Barsha,” and Jaylen is the heir. Jaylen sees this, doesn’t really like it, but also accepts it as normal behavior. He’s fond of his brother Sliro and tries to maintain a good relationship with him, but it’s clear Sliro is resentful, of Nytyl and Roisem, and perhaps even Jaylen, on occasion. Jaylen is groomed to take over Barsha Corp., while Sliro is found a postion in the Empire, which has been in power for a few years now.

Jaylen decides he wants to run the company with Sliro’s help, but before he can announce it, his family is arrested on charges of corruption and exiled to a family compound on an island on the planet Gus Treta while the Empire decides their fate. While there, he tries to find out what happened to Sliro, who never showed to the official announcement, but there’s no word on him. They get the news that the Empire will not imprison them, but all their holdings are confiscated. That’s when the droid shows up.

ND-5 is a former Separatist Commando droid, created for battle and assassination. He has been reprogrammed by…someone, to kill the entire Barsha family. And he does, all except Jaylen. With another droid’s help, Jaylen manages to put a restraining bolt onto ND-5 to prevent him from killing him, but not before he witnesses the murder of his family. He manages to escape the planet with ND-5, unsure of what is next.

Nine years later, Jaylen Barsha is now Jaylen Vrax. ND-5 is still with him. They’ve been travelling the galaxy, looking for work in the criminal underworld to stay afloat. At this point, along with the restraining bolt, there’s a fused chip in ND-5’s neural core, and I’m kind of confused about the state of these things and why Jaylen has been lying to ND about it for years. Obviously, he was at first terrified that the droid would kill him, but along the way it turns out that, with adaptation and learning experience, he probably wouldn’t, but Jaylen wants ND-5 completely under his control, and so refused to remove the restraining bolt, and lies about his prior programming taking over, etc. etc. It was hard for me to keep up, lol. But basically, ND-5 is completely loyal to Jaylen, even wanting to prove his loyalty again and again, but Jaylen refuses to remove the bolt under the lie that if he does, ND might revert back to his original programming and kill him. He keeps telling ND-5 that they’re partners, but clearly Jaylen is using him for his own purposes. And in all fairness, the droid did murder his family, which is something Jaylen can’t get out of his mind. But you also feel bad for ND, because he just wants to be Jaylen’s partner and basically be his own “person” and make decisions on his own. So there’s a tension there.

A central part of the book is about ND-5’s restraining bolt, ND-5’s push for autonomy, and Jaylen’s reluctance to give up control.

Anyway, in the early years Jaylen tried to find Sliro and find any information on who might have sent the droid to kill the Barshas, all while trying to make a name for himself in the criminal underworld. Early on, he found a code name–Low Red Moon–associated with the slaughter of the Barshas, but could find nothing further for years. After nine years, he decided to let go of the past and focus on the future. This led to a mission with Fennec Shand, one that got him a datapad with a list of ISB agents and their code names, a list he could sell or trade in the criminal underworld to get himself ahead. The mission is a success, but the list contains a name–Low Red Moon. He’d almost forgotten about it, but now he wants to follow up and track this agent down.

The name attached to the code name is Madel Nureth, who they track down. She turns out to be an accountant who works for the ISB, cleaning up financial records between the Empire and the criminal syndicates. Jaylen and ND find her and follow her, as she’s heading to a meeting with Crimson Dawn. But before they can confront her, they’re incapacitated by a Hutt agent, who’s also following her. But then the Hutt agent is incapacitated by someone else, a shadow. The shadow takes Jaylen, while Nureth takes ND-5.

Turns out, the “shadow” is a Zabrak named Mill, who saves Jaylen’s life by killing the worm that was injected into his body (ew!). It’s not stated in the book at all, but Mill is a character created by the author in his other book, Brotherhood. She was a young Jedi Padawan who accompanied Anakin on a mission, but what she really wanted to do was to study medicine and heal. There are clues in Low Red Moon that she is a Jedi, but I wouldn’t have remembered Mill from Brotherhood if I hadn’t seen it mentioned elsewhere in a review of the book. Anyway, she and another former Jedi named Vivert travel the galaxy, collecting medical equipment and trying to help people. She doesn’t tell Jaylen they’re Jedi, but he’s bewildered by their altruistic motives. Vivert is being held by Crimson Dawn for…reasons, it’s all very complicated and has something to do with a bacta tank owned by a Hutt, a bacta tank they want, but now the Hutts want the tank back and to kill Vivert because she knows a Hutt is sick and vulnerable, and somehow Crimson Dawn is involved, and….I don’t know, I give up, lol.

So Jaylen and Mill decide to go to Crimson Dawn, for several reasons: Jaylen still wants to find Madel Nureth and how she’s involved with Low Red Moon, and to get ND-5 back, and also to offer the datapad to Crimson Dawn to get on their good side and further his underworld career. Mill just wants to get Vivert back, and maybe to get the elusive bacta tank. So in they go to meet with Q’ira, to offer her the gift of the ISB list. Meanwhile, Madel Nureth is cooking their books, and messes around with ND-5, who is in off-mode, or something, and finds out that this is the droid that she was ordered to send to Gus Treta to kill the Barshas.

Then the Hutts show up causing some trouble, wanting Vivert and the bacta tank. Vivert escapes and meets up with them, and they hatch a plan: Jaylen will smooth things over between Crimson Dawn and the Hutts, thus securing the trust of both syndicates; Mill will go with Jaylen, while Vivert and ND-5 will deal with Madel Nureth. There’s some details concerning who gets the datapad, and who gets the bacta tank, and somehow proving to the Hutts that Vivert is dead, but my brain is fried by this point, lol. Let’s just say the negotiation goes well, peace is restored, Jaylen and Vivert go back to her ship, and ND-5 and Vivert find Madel Nureth. ND-5 ends up killing Nureth, because she knows who Jaylen is. Even now, ND-5 is protecting Jaylen, and he doesn’t even have the restraining bolt on (can’t remember why, lol). But Nureth had unlocked some files in ND-5 that neither Jaylen nor ND-5 had access to, and these files revealed who it was that had ordered Nureth to send ND to kill the Barshas. And it turns out the perpetrator was…(drumroll, please!)–

Sliro.

Big surprise. I already knew this from watching some of the Outlaws story game play, but I didn’t mind knowing. Even if I didn’t, it’s pretty darn obvious throughout the book who sent ND-5. And Jaylen, smart in so many ways, never suspected. It throws him for a loop. Jaylen Vrax decides to seek vengeance for Jaylen Barsha, and to use his new underworld status to help him in that. And to keep lying to ND-5, about the restraining bolt, and his programming. Even though Nureth told ND that Jaylen was lying to him, the droid refused to believe it.

And so that’s where they are at the start of the Outlaws game, where Kay Vess gets involved with Jaylen’s schemes to destroy Sliro. Kay becomes very fond of ND, and in the end, after Jaylen kills Sliro, she removes the restraining bolt so ND can finally kill Jaylen–not out of programming, but because he wants to be free of him. There’s an epilogue in the book, showing ND with Kay and her little friend Nix on board her ship (their ship, I guess), and everyone’s happy. ND has found a family, of sorts, and can make his own decisions and be his own person.

So, I liked the book, despite being a little confused at times. I liked the cameos by Fennec, Q’ira, and Mill. I like ND-5. Jaylen is more complicated. Like ND, he needs to reinvent himself, learn and adapt after his original purpose is taken away from him. But unlike ND, those pesky human emotions get in the way. He’s traumatized by his family’s slaughter, naturally. He’s stuck with the droid that did the deed, and no matter how much ND proves his loyalty, Jaylen can’t let go of his need for control. One could argue that ND-5 is “only a droid,” but I think we Star Wars fans know better than that.

My rating: Three out of Five Lightsabers

A Peek At My Star Wars Shelves

I promised in my last post that I’d share some pics of my Star Wars shelves, probably as an addition to my usual Entertainment Update. But this seemed worthy of its own post, so let me introduce you to my most prized possessions, lol.

So here are my two Star Wars shelves. The tall one contains all the canon books and references, and the smaller one is my Legends shelf. (The shelf to the right of that is my husband’s shelf of marbles, dice, old bottles, and other shiny, fun little ephemera that he fancies).

So here’s the top of the canon shelf, which contains almost all of the High Republic novels (adult and YA). Trials of the Jedi, the last book, I had to put on the next shelf down. I put my Acolyte Funkos of Yord, Sol, and Osha here. Though they’re not in these books, they’re a part of the later High Republic as seen in The Acolyte. I love my “life-size” Grogu; the little diorama is something my husband found for me at a flea market. A thrift shop framed photo tops it off.

The second and third canon shelf. Most of the paperbacks are in chronological order, and the hardcovers are new ones mostly shelved in release order (but not always, lol). It’s getting to the point where they go wherever I can find room. I love my Cassian and Wrecker figures; Cassian is near Rogue One books, and Wrecker is where I could fit him. I have Cal Kestis near the Battle Scars book, and if you look closely, you’ll see a tiny Padme figure next to the Queen books. The Luke with Grogu Funko is just adorable.

Fourth and fifth canon shelf. The fourth has odds and ends, like short story collections, Ian Droescher’s Shakespeare collection (the original trilogy), Carrie Fisher’s The Princess Diarist, journals, cards and games, and canon books I have yet to read (Thrawn, Ronin, Tarkin, etc). Good place for my Rey Funko, and beloved Hello There Obi-Wan. The bottom shelf has magazines (SW Insider as well as others), comics, and reference books. Grogu is everywhere, of course, and I love my Rey figure with BB-8.

This shelf is newer, since I started my Legends Reading Challenge. I get the books as I come across them or when I get to the book to read, so most of these aren’t read yet. I’m still in the Old Republic phase, but getting close to finishing that one. One mug contains some SW Topps cards I’ve come across, and the other holds SW bookmarks. And naturally lots of little Grogu knicky-knackies.

Bottom two of Legends shelves. Some YA or middle grade Legends books, some different-sized Clone Wars books, and an Essential Legends of Shatterpoint (The Essential Legends are gorgeous, but I’m going to stick with the original release covers from now on). And all the rest of my figures and knick-knacks. I love my big BB-8, and the Obi-Wan figure from his show. Also Cloud City Han and Leia figures in the back my husband got me. And a big, BIG Mando, lol.

And that’s it so far. 🙂 These shelves will continue to grow and become stuffed with each new book, and I’ll probably have to find a place for the figures and Funkos. I’ve stopped getting the toys for the that reason–I just don’t have the room, and I’d rather save it for the books.

Share your Star Wars shelfies if you have them, I’d love to see them!