Also this book is so entertaining, knew I’d enjoy it but not nearly as much as I am.

first photo is the book I bought. (yes im a vader glazer, sue me) I hope to get the other books soon. Im a big prequel lover, and early empire appreciatior. I only hope to get thrawn because Ive been told it is really good. Any recommendations or tips?

(Watto is a Toydarian) I feel like it would be weird, but then again Beldorion exists.

Would have been cool if Lucasfilm made a legends Luke Skywalker animated series

I've been making my way through some of the EU novels lately, mostly listening to audiobooks and buying old copies of the early titles. I haven't read any of these before except for the ROTS novel and the Vader novel that follows it, so I'm excited to get into it for real.

I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts on each book as I go through them and make it into a series. I'm not a pro reviewer, just a Star Wars fan trying to reconnect with the series after the disappointments we've had lately. Sorry if these get a bit rambley.

I'll give each of them a rating at the end based on how much I enjoyed them. The rankings are thus:

GOAT

PEAK

DOPE

MID

DUMB

TRASH

Only one book can claim the coveted GOAT title which I will choose from among the Peak novels once I reach the end of this. I intend to go go all the way through from Old Republic to Crucible. SO this is going to take a LONG LONG TIME... IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY. (sorry I had to do it)

I hope you all enjoy following me on this journey through the EU.

DARTH PLAGUEIS

OVERVIEW

Starting with the pre-Episode 1 era, we have Darth Plagueis. I've always heard good things about this one and was eager to learn about Palpy's master. I listened to this one on audio book and it did not feel as long as it was. It's gripping all the way through.

The first thing that happens is that he betrays his master, Darth Tenebrous, and drops rocks on him. Literally "Rocks fall you die". Dude's cold, cunning and opportunistic. Just how it happens tells us a lot about him. He didn't plan this, but rather took advantage of a situation and improvised.

We get some good characterization right off the bat. The only thing we have to go off of about Plagueis is what Palpatine tells us in ROTS. He said Plagueis could "stop people he cared about from dying" which implies that he cared about other people. But my guess is he said that to humanize the guy in order to seduce Anakin to the dark side.

The way he described him, I imagined someone who had genuine attachments, but he's much more detached from people than Palpy made him out to be. Dude was keeping a wannabe Sith alive for years and experimenting on him like a Psychopath. Sure he considered Palpy a friend so maybe that's where it comes from, but beyond that I feel like this was an intentional stretch of the truth.

The real Plagueis is a cold and cruel mastermind, a lot like the Palpy we know and love, but with different priorities. He's more of a mystic and isn't big on lightsaber dueling, preferring to experiment with the force. It's interesting as we don't get that from other Sith in the movies.

Palpy too is interesting when we see him in his youth. His father is clearly the reason for why he is the way he is, as well as his strength with the force giving him a superiority complex. He feels destined for evil. Plagueis clocks him as a potential apprentice immediately.

Part of it feels almost tragic, especially considering what happens to Palpy's family. Like if he hadn't met Plagueis, he wouldn't have turned out so bad. I feel all the Sith are like that though. The entire Sith order is just one long cycle of abuse.

The best part of the book however is the political manipulation. It's always great getting to see a couple of masterminds carry out their plan, and see Palpy getting trained. Plagueis' lessons and views on the Sith are fascinating, as it goes against so much of what other Sith believe in. Him wanting to end the cycle of betrayal makes him very unique among the Sith.

Also, something I didn't expect was that Plagueis would be alive for the entirety of Phantom Menace. I was like, "Wait what the hell? Palpy wasn't in charge?". It gives a whole different context to EP 1. We also get to see their reaction to Anakin and the outcome of the Naboo blockade. Palpy was NOT happy about losing Maul, woo boy.

It's also cool how this book overlaps with other books, Lockdown, Cloak of Deception and Shadow Hunter. I've already listened to the first two and you can see how everything connects.

Irony is all over this book. Plagueis fails in his quest for immortality because he chose Palpy as his apprentice. If he went with one of the other options, maybe he would have succeeded. But nah, he wanted a puppet dictator that would let him rule from the shadows. Because of course dictators are all about sharing. The Sith are always their own undoing.

From the moment he gets Maul as a baby, Palpy starts plotting against Plagueis. Dude tries to nuke him at one point. What's crazy is that Plagueis knew about Maul from the start and was like "yeah train this guy to uses lightsabers and the force I see nothing wrong with this". No wonder bro got murked. He even caught Palpy calling Maul a Sith and suspected a potential betrayal and did nothing about it.

It's weird how the Sith always break the Rule of Two. Tenebrous had a secret apprentice in Venamis, Palpatine had Maul, Dooku had Ventress and then Savage, Vader had Starkiller. I even learned recently that apparently Palpatine had a secret apprentice as well? Did ANYONE actually follow this rule?

But none of that is a complaint I just think it's funny.

Back on topic, I love the relationship between Plagueis and Sidious. Plagueis actually wanting more of partner than an underling is interesting. Kind of makes me root for him. Too bad he was so naive. His story, and the story of all Sith, really is a tragedy.

VERDICT

Starting off strong here with a great novel that deeply fleshes out Palpy as a character and brings us one of the most unique and interesting Sith Lords in the EU. There's a lot of depth here and definitely makes EP1 more interesting, as does Cloak of Deception, but I'll get to that later.

Definitely recommend, fantastic place to start for the Prequel Era.

Favorite Scene (SPOILER WARNING): The scene where Palpy kills his parents, plus the aftermath. It's really dark, but felt inevitable. He genuinely is horrified at what he did. Makes me feel bad for him.

Final Rating: PEAK

Join me next time for MAUL: LOCKDOWN.

I've recently gotten into reading Star Wars legends, I started by buying the original Thrawn trilogy and I am loving it so far. I'm still on heir to the empire but the itch to continue reading more legends novels is certainly scratched. After some research I really wanted to read Plagueis, but saw a thread of someone saying you should read the Bane trilogy first, so I recently purchased that trilogy and plagueis along with maul shadow hunter (because I got a great deal on a used copy) and the revenge of the sith novelization. Outside of those books that I do have, what other books in the EU should I really give a read? I pretty much just wanna read the best legends has to offer, I know some books aren't as well written as the others so I really just wanna read the most entertaining novels. Any recommendations are appreciated.

The premise for the trilogy sounds fun but I’ve heard a lot of mixed opinions on this trilogy in particular. I’m fairly excited to get into the Young Jedi Knight series and the NJO series

"Ja Ja Binks" 😭

If you could create and cast a Rogue Squadron episodic show, what would you do and who would you cast as major characters?

Bonus points if you can explain why Disney hasn’t already decided to do this yet?

What would yall consider the best "Successor" to the Dreadnough Heavy Cruiser in-universe. IE: A turbolaser-focused warship of similiar tonnage and cost such that it can function as a budget capital ship in it's own era (Pre-Empire in the case of the original).

Am also curious about fanon interpretations of the idea. So feel free to throw renders or fan-designs at me.

Since she’s the embodiment of light side and is selfless and merciful
1.Does this mean she can’t kill innocent people that aren’t doing anything evil?
2.If the father/her superior ordered her to destroy an entire planet with its population would she do it and is she even capable of doing it?
3.Could she be corrupted for example if the father/her superior told her to do evil things but labeled it as ,,important to keep the balance in the galaxy” and what would happen if she was forced to do evil?Would the force turn off her abilities?
4. Does she have feelings of a normal person and can she feel happiness and would she be happier if her father treated her more like a real person/daughter and not just some tool needed to be balanced and maintain the cosmic balance?

Darius Onneir was an Imperial Lord who became a Moff within the Galactic Empire. Born into wealth and privilege, Onneir used his connections to increase his influence and political power during the Empire's height. Following the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader at Endor in 4 ABY, Onneir, like many other Imperials, went rogue as an independent regional Warlord. While he would squabble with his fellow Warlords, he remained outside of the larger galactic spotlight until 10 ABY when the Reborn Emperor reunited the fragmented Imperial factions briefly under the banner of the Dark Empire. Onneir heeded the call publicly, and nominally returned to the fold, though he still pursued his own ambitions in private.

While successful in feigning loyalty and supplication for a time, Onneir eventually exceeded his mandates and drew the ire of the Reborn Emperor and New Republic alike. Unable to fight both the galactic superpowers, he fled his domain with his two remaining Imperial Star Destroyers, dropping all pretense of subtlety, he began styling himself now as 'Grand Moff' Onneir. In order to ease pressure on himself, he launched a surprise attack on the Protectore, capturing their capital world and holding it hostage. Using the planet as a bargaining chip, he attempted to bully the Protectorate into an uneasy alliance against their common foes in exchange for the world being unharmed.

While publicly agreeing to the alliance and a meeting to formalize it, Adalric and Jaalib Brandl plotted an ambush against the renegade to trap his two Star Destroyers between their four, annihilating him to retake their world despite Onneir's leverage. The details of the battle are not documented, or even if it did occur, but Onneir remained at large after the final death of the Reborn Emperor, so it would appear that the trap did not succeed in destroying him. His whereabouts, status and further actions though are not mentioned beyond his still being active after the Reborn Emperor's final death.

Chik Apla was a human male who served in the Galactic Empire as a commando and later Royal Guard. After Emperor Palpatine was killed at the Battle of Endor and the Empire fragmented in 4 ABY, Apla deserted the Royal Guard. Living as little more than gutter slime for the next fourteen years, Apla eventually took up residence on the planet Dolis 3, where he regularly drank with several other former down on their luck Imperials that had also taken up refuge on the planet, but credits were hard to come by, and most of the men were in debt to each other through favors and loans. Apla and his friends frequently gathered in the local bars to complain about the state of the Empire and to get updates on galactic politics. Apla became marginally employed by a former Moff, Derran Takkar. Unknown to Takkar, Apla also began carrying on an affair with the Moff's wife, Anlys.

In 19 ABY, Apla and his bar buddies learned Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade were planning a wedding on Coruscant. At news of the wedding, the group bemoaned their situation, declaring that the New Republic was now "untouchable." Moff Takkar disagreed, proclaiming that they could still do much to change their situation and that of the Empire. Takkar asked the men in the bar to join him in striking a blow at the New Republic by sabotaging the wedding, assassinating the pair and inserting a coded virus into the New Republic economy. While unimpressed with Takkar's arrogance and condescending manner, Apla and the rest agreed to join the Moff's cause.

After arriving on Coruscant, Apla began to act more professionally, quieting arguments and forbidding real name use out loud. However, he accidentally used his own name aloud, noting he was out of practice at this. Apla conducted surveillance, spying on Mara Jade, following her and eavesdropping. Finding the site of the wedding, Apla and his compatriots staked out the area, locating the best places of attack.

Equipped with his target's identity, Apla found the address of the Twi'lek dressmaker and waited for Jade to arrive for her fitting. Now in his salvaged Guardsman armor, he attacked the former Emperor's Hand with his double-bladed vibroblade staff, declaring that she must die for betraying the Empire-losing any element of surprise by announcing himself. Unfortunately for Apla, who had not kept up his own skills in nearly two decades, Jade reacted with incredible speed and the Force, evading his attack and destroying his weapon in one motion.

Apla was utterly helpless against Mara's counterattack with his cobbled together armor proving itself as worthless as his weapon, he was swiftly knocked unconscious. After his arrest, Apla's medical report showed a ruptured spleen, bruised liver, a fractured skull and broken ribs. Luckily for Alpa, a protracted stay in a bacta while in New Republic custody healed all of his injuries.

I've always felt that Jaina had mixed feelings about her grandfather. On one hand, she couldn't ignore the atrocities he committed as Darth Vader, but on the other, there was still admiration for the hero Anakin Skywalker had once been. Since the Dark Nest trilogy, though, it seems like a lot of fans view the Skywalker family's opinion of him as overwhelmingly negative. I think part of that is because those books were written right after the prequels came out, when there was still much less context and nuance surrounding Anakin's fall and redemption than later stories provided. It makes me wonder: if Jaina—who I think had one of the most balanced perspectives among Anakin's grandchildren—met Anakin's Force ghost, how do you think she'd react? Would she approach him with caution and skepticism, or would she be willing to hear him out with an open mind?

Could the Republic have used full spectrum jamming like Thrawn ended up doing against the Trade federation attack force? And then relying on the skills of their sentient pilots to mop up the droid ships like Thrawn did? It seemed to be quite an effective strategy as Thrawn easily took out a Trade federation attack force with it.

I’m up visiting family away from home and I decided to pop into the local second hand bookstore for a bit to take a look around. Inside I found the entire Fate of the Jedi series in hardcover without the "Legends" branding on the cover. Each book was priced at $9.99, so I immediately picked them up. How much of a steal is this? Was it worth it?

Obviously there is a lot of great fan fiction and their takes on Grievous story such as  Sahuldeem by Inonibird from tumblr. But while loved their ideas and I could some make it like the Kaleesh being similar to Bosnia and Cuba with elemwnts of Aztec temples and yurts. I don’t want to completely steal their work because that would disrespect fully.

so I figured by using the existing sources we have in the form of Pena’s Unknown Soldier from Insider 86 and the Eye of revelation from the graphic novel Visionaries. as well as the book Galaxy at war mostly for the title of Khagan and the detailed breakdown of Kolkpravis.

I think this story would work as if take influence from the animated series Primal, with elements of  Berserk and Vinland saga. Basically The violence isn't just there for shock value; it shows the weight of a forever-war.

I also check on Old Jedi council forums where Pena discuss a lot of different topic that worth discussing (in which you could find through these leaks.) that I thought worth interesting including the exact age for Grieovus when Ronderu died and the Huk War ended as well as his crash. As we only known the exact age of his early life through Star Wars insider 86 

“Once upon a time. General Grievous, the cybernetic killing machine and supreme commander of the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, did not exist.

Instead, there lived a brilliant but barbaric man. His name was Qymaen jai Sheelal. born amid unending war on the malnourished world of Kalee. where the reptilian inhabitants were untouched by the galaxy's justice.

For generations the planet had been embroiled in what the tusked natives called The Huk War. Though Huk was the planet their Yam'rii ad versaries came from, the name became a Kaleesh slur over generations, translating as "soulless bug." The Huk were a technologically superior enemy, carnivorous (some said cannibalistic), quick to anger, and covetous. They used their advanced technology to plant colonies throughout their system, without regard to the welfare of other worlds' indigenous species, sentient or not. What mattered to the insectoids was wealth -mineral deposits and other resources useful for trade. They colonized and pillaged such planets as Abbaji and Tovarskl. And when the insec toids arrived on neighboring, barren Kalee. they decided to expand their trade to include the planet's only valuable commodity: slaves.

It wasn't long before the spirited Kaleesh rebelled against the out-landers, waging a war with primitive Lig swords, shoni spears, and slug throwers. Raised during such brutality. Qymaen jai Sheelal grew to hate the aliens, and his father gave vent to the boy's anger by teaching him a slug rifle's pinpoint precision. He found his son had a sharp mind and a knack for marksmanship. By the age of 8, Sheelal was an expert sniper, having already stained Kalee with the blood of more than 40 Yam'rii carcasses. By 22 standard years. Sheelal's extermination count had soared, and the Kaleesh considered the young soldier a demigod.”

— Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous

https://boards.theforce.net/threads/unknown-soldier-the-story-of-general-grievous-lord-of-war-by-abel-joe-swi-86.21238198/page-29

https://boards.theforce.net/threads/unknown-soldier-the-story-of-general-grievous-lord-of-war-by-abel-joe-swi-86.21238198/page-31#post-23197092

https://boards.theforce.net/threads/unknown-soldier-the-story-of-general-grievous-lord-of-war-by-abel-joe-swi-86.21238198/page-34

https://boards.theforce.net/threads/unknown-soldier-the-story-of-general-grievous-lord-of-war-by-abel-joe-swi-86.21238198/page-40

“Charlemagne19 said: Hey, Halagad (For context this is Peña’s Jedi council forum user name.)  could you tell us alittle about what Grevious was like Pre-Psycho surgery?

Abel G. Peña: I'd say there are more or less three distinct phases of Grievous' life: pre- and par-Ronderu (noble stage), post-Ronderu (savage warlord), and post-cyborg (unfeeling monster).

Here are some terms used to describe Qymaen from both Story of Grievous articles:

"A brilliant but barbaric man."

"[Qymaen] had a sharp mind and a knack for marksmanship."

"Despite pride, deadliness and a burgeoning racial intolerance, Grievous was at one time a noble figure." (Interestingly, this was also altered from the original, where I simply called Qymaen a racist. This was excised completely from Unknown Soldier, and modified into the current description you see here for Lord of War).

"If Grievous was a ruthless military commander before, as a cyborg he became genuinely soulless."

"the Huk War that raged unabated throughout his life gutted what was left of his empathy."

The origins of Grievous' racism (he deprecates Ugnaughts and Wookiees in different sources simply for being of their respective race) are understandable if not justified: the Yam'rii, foreigners, had been enslaving and killing his people since before he could remember.

Pre-cyborg Grievy was definitely a passionate individual: it was his anger at the Huks as a boy that led him to become a freedom fighter, and his actions suggest that he probably cared pretty deeply about Ronderu.

Take care,

Abel”

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

"When I wrote the relationship between these two, what I was actually thinking about was the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. (For those of you who have the Insider, you can see that in the caption that shows the two characters, they're protecting a temple called "Shrupak," which is my truncated version of "Shurupak," the city from which the wise man Utnapishtim hailed). Of course, I didn't want a straight rip off, so I substituted a woman for Enkidu."

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

“I think the pivotal moment for Grievous is his pilgrimage to Abesmi, the Kaleesh mecca. Whatever happened there, Grievous interpreted it as a rejection. Life was all or nothing for him from then on out.”

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

“In the draft I initially submitted to LFL, I suggested that during the famine some starving Kaleesh began to engage in "the most depraved practice of their Huk enemy" (i.e. cannabalism). Guess that was too much for the censors.”

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

“Kecen said: What was the age gap between Qymaen and Ronderu when they met?

Abel G. Peña: Another instance where an omission is central to what I'm trying to communicate about their relationship. To quote a favorite author, ambiguity is part of Ronderu's design.

Not to get too thinky, but there isn't meant to be an answer to this question because it's technically unimportant to their relationship. But I'll put it this way: Ronderu is neither older nor younger than Grievous, and along the lines of the "twinism" of the characters, that can obviously be interpreted to mean they're the same age.”

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

“Kecen said: How old was Qymaen when Ronderu died?

Abel G. Peña: This omission was a matter of practicality. LFL can be touchy about character ages (because, of course, fans are so on point when it comes to little details like that). But off the top of my head? I'd say mid to late twenties. For comparison, I don't think the Huk Wars were ended until Grievous was in his thirties.”

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

“kecen said: How old were they when the shuttle was sabotaged?

Abel G. Peña: Post-Huk War, so thirties.”

―Abel G. Peña on the Jedi Council Forums

Overall you guys think how would you structure and write a full fledged Grievous origins novel based on the primarily sources that I listed here as well as Peña’s comments from the Jedi Council Forums? What would you expand it for the story as well as what kind of real world influence for the world building on Kaleesh would you add. Also given well Grievous is meant to be a mirror of Vader how would you expanded that front beyond the broad strokes of what we have currently like maybe adding more similarities between the two like obviously Ronderu is basically the Padme of Grievous’s story. But what about Grievous’s version of Shmi Skywalker or in this case the loss of a parental figure in his life which is Grievous’s father.  

We know from insider 86 on what happened to his father

“the mumuu mask that Sheelal inherited after his father died in battle.”

— Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous

Granted, one could argue well the death of his father could be the equivalent of Qui-Gon Jinn but still I wouldn’t mind if the loss of his father is meant to be an equivalent to Shmi Skywalker’s death?

Traest Kre'fey was a male Bothan with pure white fur, and violet eyes flecked with gold. The grandson of Laryn Kre'fey, when the Kre'fey's lost much of their political power due to his grandfather's failure at Borleias, Kre'fey was sent to a smaller satellite school of the Bothan Martial Academy. There, he was instructed under a rather unorthodox Bothan teacher and developed unusual views of Bothan society. In particular, he held the view that Bothan society at its current form was less than perfect, and that they needed to change to better exist within the galaxy. While this originally alienated him to many of his Bothan superiors, Kre'fey demonstrated exceptional skill as a military officer where he rose slowly due to prejudice from more established Bothans. In 19 ABY though, because of the string of resignations in the Bothan military over the Caamas Document Crisis, Kre'fey gained the opportunity to advance to the rank of admiral.

While he was a first cousin of Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya, he disagreed with his kinsman on many issues, political, social and military, and their relationship was rather combative as a result. He recognized the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong early on and prior to the Battle of Ithor, and threatened to take the military into the Unknown Regions or place Leia Organa Solo into power via a military coup d'état if Fey'lya would not act. Unlike other admirals, Kre'fey actively sought the help of the Jedi. When Kyp Durron came asking for help in destroying a gravitic superweapon the Yuuzhan Vong were growing in the remains of Sernpidal, he provided his flagship, the Ralroost to assist. Throughout the Yuuzhan Vong war, Traest would prove himself to be one of the more gifted and cooperative commanders in the New Republic, working well alongside the the Jedi, the old guard Generals Wedge Antilles and Garm Bel Iblis, along with newer officers and even Imperial Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon.

Kre'fey was one of the commanders at the Fall of Coruscant, commanding Fleet Group One. He performed conservative actions during the battle, and most of his ships abandoned his orders and defected over to General Garm Bel Iblis who favored harsher and more decisive responses, such as firing through civilian ships the Vong were using as rams. After the battle, he returned to Bothawui for the official period of mourning for Borsk Fey'lya, who was martyred during the fall of Coruscant. While he was there, the Bothan Council officially declared a state of ar'krai-total war that would not end until the Vong were exterminated. Kre'fey initially took to the declaration of total war wholeheartedly, making some of the Jedi under his command suspicious of his intentions, though as the war drug on, Kre'fey, while publicly supportive of harsher measures against the Vong, privately began to have doubts concerning the Vong civilians and Shamed Ones.

As an added measure the Jedi High Council decided that if Kre'fey tried any actions that might constitute war crimes, the Force meld that the Jedi serving in his fleet used to enhance the fighting prowess of the personnel under Kre'fey's command would prevent the soldiers from doing so. With several squadrons of Jedi under his command, Kre'fey took the fight to the Yuuzhan Vong during the interlude between the election of Cal Omas and the Battle of Ebaq 9, raiding Yuuzhan Vong colonies and attacking the Peace Brigade on Ylesia. On the Ralroost's bulkhead, he inscribed two questions: "What can I do to hurt the Vong today?" and "How can I help my own side grow stronger?", to remind his crew to try to answer the threat of the Yuuzhan Vong.

From his flagship Ralroost, Kre'fey participated at the final battles of the war in the space around Mon Calamari and then Coruscant where he commanded and fought with great skill against Warmaster Nas Choka's armada. He was present at the formal surrender of the Yuuzhan Vong afterwards. Following the surrender of the Yuuzhan Vong, Kre'fey briefly became the Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force and earned the title "Liberator of Coruscant," becoming a hero to much of the galaxy. Despite the victory, Kre'fey was despondent, as he believed both that the cost had been too high and that his people would not accept the peace, pressuring him to do the same. His trepidation proved accurate, as the Bothans refused to cease the state of ar'krai, and Kre'fey opposed to their total war, was forced to resign shortly thereafter.