A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Could Mara Jade Skywalker be incorporated into a canon Star Wars TV series or a movie? Yes, but it probably would not be done in a way that fans of the old Expanded Universe would like. As originally written in the 1990s and early 2000s, the iconic Emperor’s Hand who becomes an ally (and more) to Luke Skywalker would not be a good fit for the current canon. Why? For starters, the ship for making Mara Jade, aka Mara Jade Skywalker, into a canon character (i.e., a major supporting character in an official Lucasfilm Ltd. production) sailed a long time ago in a production company that operates in a land not very far away (California). Mara Jade is a character whose most important story arc occurs in the 1991–93  Thrawn Trilogy  ( Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising,  and  The Last Command ). She was created by Timothy Zahn, a Hugo Award-winning author whose  Star Wars  novels stand out like diamonds in a sea of zirconias in the muddled mess that i...

Cover art by John Van Fleet. (C) 2007 Del Rey/Lucas Books/Random House and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Pros:  Good writing, fine characterizations, and another masterful tale set in the Star Wars galaxy Cons:  None Although Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn has written over 90 short stories, novellas, short story collections and novels since 1978, he is best known for reinvigorating the Star Wars literary universe with his best-selling Thrawn Trilogy ( Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command ). Set five years after the events depicted in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi , this three-book cycle’s mix of interstellar conflict, political intrigue and a plausible extrapolation of the characters and situations created by George Lucas in the Classic Trilogy reignited fan interest in the Star Wars saga. In addition, the popularity of Zahn’s novels helped pave the way for other authors to add their own tales set “a long time ago, in a galaxy f...

Cover art by Drew Struzan. (C) 1998 Bantam Spectra and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Pros:  Timothy Zahn's usual  reader-friendly style. Good characterizations.  Cons:  Ending is okay but not impressive It is a time of peril for the New Republic. Although 19 years have passed since Luke Skywalker left Tatooine and destroyed the Empire's first Death Star at Yavin, and even though the Galactic Empire now holds only a handful of star systems, political infighting, interspecies squabbles and other problems beset the former Rebel Alliance which has ostensibly defeated it. Nevertheless, the Imperial Supreme Commander, Admiral Gilead Pellaeon has convinced Imperial Remnant's Council of Moffs that if the vestiges of the once mighty Empire want to survive intact, it is time to negotiate an end to the war with the New Republic. Reluctantly, the Moffs agree and give Pellaeon the authority to send a peace feeler to Corellian Senator Garm Bel Iblis to see under what cond...

Cover art by Drew Struzan. (C) 1997 Bantam Spectra and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Pros:  Timothy Zahn's writing. Characterization. Detailing. Cons:  May be too political for casual Star Wars readers. Ends on a cliffhanger One of the hardest things to accomplish in pop literature is continiuing a popular movie or television series' storyline and striking a balance between staying true to the sensibilities of the on-screen source and telling original stories that don't seem like tired retreads. If you are a regular reader of Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any of the Young Indiana Jones books by Rob McGregor or others, you know what I'm talking about.  You often end up reading a veritable mix of superb novels amidst a hodge-podge of books which range from fantastic reads to tomes you wish you hadn't bought at all. Star Wars fans aren't immune from this particular dilemma; even as Lucasfilm licenses a select group of writers to continue telling a ...

Cover art by Tom Jung. (C) 1993 Bantam Spectra and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) In 1991, eight years after the release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Lucasfilm's licensing division authorized various projects to revive interest in George Lucas' characters and situations in advance of both the 20th Anniversary of the Star Wars Trilogy and to create fan anticipation for the still-in-planning prequel trilogy. Among the many ideas that were given the green light was a publishing concept known as Star Wars: The Expanded Universe, which entailed hiring some of the best science fiction and fantasy writers to create new "further adventures" featuring Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Artoo Detoo (R2-D2) and See Threepio (C-3PO) and set in the time period immediately after Return of the Jedi. Although there were many authors involved and not all the stories would be in the same format (Dark Horse Comics, for instance, would publish the Dark ...

(C) 2010 Dark Horse Comics and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)  Pros:  Three hard-to-find Star Wars comics series by Dark Horse; great writing; nice art Cons:  Shadows of the Empire has been edited somewhat. In 1996, one year before the 20th Anniversary of Star Wars ' theatrical premiere and almost three years prior to the release of Episode I: The Phantom Menace , Lucasfilm Limited commissioned a huge multimedia project titled Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire . With Steve Perry's hardcover novel of the same title at its core, Shadows of the Empire was Lucasfilm's "everything-but-the-movie" bid to tell the untold story of what happened between 1980's Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's  Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In Shadows of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is still reeling from the duel with Darth Vader on Bespin, where he lost his right hand to the Dark Lord's lightsaber and was told that his mentors Ben Ken...

(C) 2014 LucasBooks and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) Cover art by Tom Jung In 1991, Bantam Books and Lucasfilm Ltd. reinvigorated interest in the  Star Wars  universe (well, galaxy) by gathering a diverse group of noted science fiction writers and starting an ongoing series of novels set in the time period which follows  Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi .  Timothy Zahn's  Heir to the Empire , the first volume of a three-book cycle, was almost an instant phenomenon when it was published in hardcover. With its depiction of the continuing battle between what is left of the Galactic Empire and the fledgling New Republic, this novel cleverly mixes the characters from the Classic Trilogy with a cast of newly created heroes and villains, some of whom will make appearances in other authors'  Star Wars  Expanded Universe works.  As  Heir to the Empire  begins, the New Republic has been engaged in a five-year long campaign to mop up the remnan...

Photo Credit: JediBusiness.com Five years after the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance has driven the evil Empire into a distant corner of the galaxy. But a new danger has arisen: the last of the Emperor's warlords has devised a battle plan that could destroy the New Republic. Before the death of Palpatine, Mara Jade was the Emperor's right hand assassin. Five years later and now a successful smuggler, the last thing Mara expected was to stumble upon her former arch-enemy - Luke Skywalker. - From the package blurb, Mara Jade. In 1991, eight years after the theatrical run of Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and eight years before the premiere of Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Bantam Spectra published Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, the first volume of Timothy Zahn's best-selling Thrawn Trilogy cycle of novels. Though a few authors had written several novels set in George Lucas's Star Wars galaxy during a seven-year-period close to the...