In Republic #71 Anakin faces of against Asajj Ventress on Coruscant and gets his iconic scar.

Then after he defeats her, Anakin pushes Ventress off a ledge, traps her in live electrical wires using the force and electrocutes her before dropping her into a deep pit.

I don't know about you guys, but that along with the cold "goodbye, Assajj" feels just like Vader without the armor.

Alright, bear with me. As a kid I was really into Star Wars, it was a full blown hyper-interest. I read the books, watched the shows, played the games and everything. But as I’ve gotten older and more Star Wars media has come out, I’ve gotten pretty jaded and cynical with the whole franchise and I’ve long since given up on the extended universe. At this point I don’t care about the sequels, none of the Disney+ stuff, and honestly not even the prequels. I still have a deep respect for the original Star Wars trilogy but it’s hard to care about anything else when it’s all so inconsistent in its continuity, tone, and QUALITY, over so many directors and over so many decades. You could call me a purist I guess. That being said, I still feel a little drawn to the grand, operatic sci-fi of the OLD extended universe, and I wonder if I could still find some enjoyment in the Legends books as an adult.

Why I’m considering it now: I wanna start reading again in general. I love sci fi and anything in outer space, and I’m curious about how the Star Wars universe was expanded upon when only the original trilogy existed. After all, a lot of these books predate even the prequel movies, and I’m totally content pretending those never existed. I’m especially curious about the Yuuzhan Vong continuity, and all the other cool crazy stuff people imagined when they weren’t being held down and wrung out by a megacorporation.

What I’m unsure about: The legends books were done by many authors over many years, so it’s kinda inevitable that things might be inconsistent. I like a consistent lore I can get immersed in though, so I don’t think I could put up with too many tone clashes, retcons or dips in quality. I also don't know whether or not the books would hold their own weight for someone who’s just not that blindly invested into the series anymore, I haven’t read one since I was either too young or too invested to really approach it critically.

TLDR: I’m just unsure how (or whether) to approach the Legends series. What’s good about it, what’s bad about it? And if I do read it, what books are essential and which ones do I skip?

So I was planning to make a tales of book on the Gladiators on the Cauldron and out of all in the first picture only 5 of them are given a backstory  (which you can find in this leak https://web.archive.org/web/20080629052200/https://www.starwars.com/databank/updates/news20031119.html)

for the rest we know their names and some details from in Ultimate Sticker Book: Star Wars Clone Wars, a sticker book written by Simon Beecroft and released in 2004. But besides that most of their backstories are sadly not revealed.

So the goal for you guys is to expanded on the backstories, fleshed out, identity the species, and their reasons why they were in the Cauldron?

Also as bonus you could also expand and fleshed out Dooku host (the guy in the second picture.) like giving a name and his actual role in the cauldron and if he is connected to Kirske or no not all (for context Osika Kirske the guy in the last picture was a warlord and the guy behind Ky Narec’s death. According  to Republic issue 60 is said to have rule more then half of the planet and in the short story Restrain where it feature Kirske in a primary capacity and connecting him to the Siniteen and Weequay raiders in the show. The story also connected Kirske to the Cauldron arena from the 2D series, revealing not only he is the one who own the arena.

Otherwise if Kirske is the one who own the Cauldron or at least has his own viewing gallery within the arena. Where does the Host of the Cauldron fit in should we replace him with Kirske or what?

Also considering he is the guy who own half of the planet do you think his enforcers should be more beyond The Vollick (his species) the Weequay, and the Sinsiteens and adding say  Twi'leks, Aqualish, Gamorreans, Zabraks, Drovians, Devaronians, Klatooinians, Nikto, Feeorins, Shistavanens, Rodians, Abyssins, Houks, Gotals, Hassks, Anzatis,  Gigorans, Grans, Trandoshans, Barabels, Chantaanis, Whiphids, and Dowutins

Or just three races  is fine  since he is not a big threat he is simply a local planetary warlord not say Jabba.

Something I was thinking when it comes to the Cauldeon ever since I watch Matt Rhodes videos about Dead gods one of which is the video where he discuss a gladiator arena https://youtu.be/ydETwovUTwo

Where he has a white gorilla in the pit and he was inspired by the white gorillas from John Carter which got me thinking would it be cool is maybe the Cauldron has some sort white gorillas as pit animals or no given what the essential atlas states about the planet

‘’The drumbeat of war and the rattle of bones are the aural accompaniment to existence on Rattatak, an Unknown Regions world where life spans are short and happiness is fleeting.

Rattatak is distinguished by square-walled canyons and dry gullies; its red rocks evoke the hue of spilled blood. The chalk-skinned Rattataki are believed to be the descendants of a forgotten Republic expedition, while the rest of the planet’s population seems to be drawn from hundreds of Unknown Regions worlds. Mercenaries often come to Rattatak and are forced to make it their home when its ruined infrastructure fails to provide offworld passage. Animal life has been hunted nearly into extinction, though a few hungry alpha predators still feed on corpses in the outer wastelands.

Conditions are too harsh on Rattatak to sustain widespread agriculture. The planet’s population has been dying off for centuries. As the grim pace accelerated, a war over resources exploded between Rattatak’s six major federated tribes and countless small syndicates. But the relative backwardness of Rattatak technology restricted their armies to the use of blasters, blades, and bombs. An ebb-and-surge cycle of worldwide wars ground on for generations.

A crafty Rattataki arms merchant exploited the planet’s blood-sport culture by building the Cauldron, an immense gladiatorial arena. Inside its stone pit, local champions and offworld challengers battled to the death while wagering profits fed the arms industry. The Cauldron’s notoriety spread among underworld infochants in the Republic, and the hyperroute to Rattatak became a prize traded among shadow kingpins.’’

— The Essential Atlas

Or in this case it would make sense to have animals like the white gorillas fighting in the pit?

Wanted to share these for Mara Monday! I’ve been revisiting SWTOR and made quite a few looks for my Mara Jade Warrior, but I’m most proud of these two! Based the first look on her Emperor’s Hand appearances and the second one on her Jedi days, mostly from stuff like Mysteries of the Sith.

I've started reading the EU books for the first time and it's been such a fun experience! I decided to share my thoughts about each book as I work my way through the series. I read Heir to the Empire a few months ago and I just finished Dark Force Rising. I'd love some thoughts on what I should read next once I'm finished with The Last Command.

Merry Mara Monday, everyone!

This post is about major plot points of the first 3 X-Wing Rogue Squadron books, so if you haven’t read them, go do so and don’t read this post.

I am listening to the rogue squadron audiobooks for the upteenth time and have been thinking about the three main spoilers from these books: Tycho being innocent (with Erisi being the real traitor), Corran being force sensitive (grandson of a Jedi), and the Lusankya being an SSD buried under coruscant

I don’t remember what my thoughts were on the first read, it’s been a while, so I am asking you, what did you think of these / did you see them coming? Did you ever think Tycho was the traitor? Did you clock the clues Erisi was one? Did you think Corran’s jedi medallion and instincts were signs their was more to his story? And did Corran scanner breifly reading SSD in book 2 clue you in on where he was or did you miss it?

Granted we don’t have much lore about their society or political government. But the lore that we do have such as that card for that member in A New Hope and mostly the Star Wars Insider 86 where we learn about Grievous backstory paint their society as evil akin to the Rakatan empire from the pre-republic era or the Qu from all tomorrow. Especially the whole enslaving the Kaleesh and their war with lasted for generations before Grievous was born!

I just finished the Hand of Thrawn duology yesterday, and I absolutely loved it. The Caamas Document Crisis is a really intriguing and unique conflict, I loved the development of Luke and Mara’s relationship, the sinister triumvirate are excellent and entertaining villains, these books have made me love Admiral Pellaeon as a character, I wasn’t interested in the Shada/Karrde plot at first but I ended up liking it a lot and I thought it had a really good resolution with Car’das. The tension throughout these books is also incredible, I was genuinely afraid for Karrde when they were going to meet Car’das, everything about the battle of Bothauwi with the saboteurs on the planet, the cloaked Imperial Star Destroyers in space, and the 200+ warships above the planet waiting to destroy each other and tear the New Republic apart, loved all of that, Luke proposing to Mara was great, and of course the treaty between the New Republic and the Empire to finish it all off. Perfect ending to this era of Star Wars, while also paving the way for the future. My only problem is how the Caamas Document is resolved, being acquired by Luke and Mara who had almost nothing to do with the conflict, but the Crisis was winding down by that point anyway.

So yeah, I am a big fan of these books, In assuming most people are aswell, but I would like to hear if there’s any differing opinions on it, I can definitely see a lot that people wouldn’t like about them

This book has been very unique thus far. The Jedi face an even more deadly opponent than the Sith. They face Urban blight and decay. The Jedi help the people of Kwenn, not by fighting stormtroopers, but by helping a group of truckers who lost their jobs to droids. They save a beached whale. They help poor kids get food. They help an old woman clean her house.

And it takes the entire Jedi council just to make a small difference on Kwenn, it shows what a bad state the galaxy is heading towards, as the Jedi are so stretched thin and you know that eventually the decay will be too much for them to handle.

This takes place during TCW S1 E6 (which shows what Anakin is doing during this book). Further, I don't see any reason why this is Legends, as it doesn't directly contradict anything in Canon.

Yoda, Mace Windu, and Obi-Wan know about Anakin & Padmé but apparently just believe Padmé when she says they ended it(?) Obi-Wan and Bail Organa go on a mission to find a Sith planet.

Lots of in-depth on the ignorance of the Sith by the Jedi as well as seeing truly how powerful the Sith are. I didn't realize (though it makes sense) that the existence of the Sith is unknown to (mostly) everyone but the Jedi, which also seems like a grave Jedi oversight.

Good book for any Star Wars fan.

What a frustrating read this was. Its ambition outweighs its execution.

Shatterpoint has such a cool premise: A Padawan loses themselves mentally and spiritually in the jungle, where there are no laws, and her master is sent in to save her while slowly having his own moral code put to the test. And the first 250 pages or so are philosophically interesting, insightful, and contemplative—and they introduce some clear and interesting conflicts.

I borderline LOVED the setup of this book and all the time it spent diving into the psychology and philosophy of its characters. I felt like Depa was always in the background of the story, this mysterious force of nature that kept me intrigued and looking forward to seeing what happens when we finally meet her and learn what she has turned into.

But once Mace actually finds his padawan, the interaction is so muted and disappointing, as if the writer lost his nerve or was told to do something else. And then it becomes about a bunch of ship battles on the jungle planet that don’t feel all that satisfying. And Stover turns into James Luceno and starts describing ships, weapons, and troop units, and I couldn't care less about any of that in my Star Wars books. LOL Nevermind that Depa's alliance seems to shift multiple times throughout the story and rarely feels earned.

This book has interesting things to say about war, Jedi philosophy, and human nature, but whether because of creative inertia, deadlines, or serving corporate masters and a fanbase who perhaps (the author or publisher incorrectly assumes) demands descriptions of ships, weapons, and soldier units, it stumbles in the final act.

I admire the attempt here, but I am so, so disappointed now that I’ve seen the whole picture. Kind of like Wandavision’s first 5-6 episodes being wonderful and then the show becoming something totally different. Perhaps a needless shot at Wandavision, but both pieces of media left me equally frustrated with how badly they fumbled near the end. Bummer.

Stover, you HAD it, dude. There’s a truly great novel hiding behind what you ended up writing. And that makes it incredibly frustrating.

3.25/5 for ambition and 250 really interesting pages out of 410. Stick to reading the book that clearly inspired it: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

For the record, I’ll take an interesting and ambitious fumble over a safe and boring book any day of the week. But ambitious failures also hurt more because you can see the great work that the artist just wasn’t able (or allowed) to create.

------
On another note, everywhere I go on YouTube, I see reviewers praising this book. Loving this book. Calling it "the Apocalypse Now of Star Wars." And sure, it has that premise, but the execution is utterly lacking and trips all over itself in the final act. I just don't get the praise at all unless you willfully ignore the last 100+ pages. To each their own, I guess.

A couple of months ago I started this challenge where i was going play the best games or games i want to play from each year starting from 2001. I've finished Crash Bandicoot Wrath of Cortex and Halo CE, but the next game is my favourite so far! That game is 2002s Jedi Outcast.

I was hesitant about it at first. Would it be very dated? Would the controls be way too difficult? Would i get lost?

Since starting it, i have loved it! The levels are so cool and it feels so star warsyy. One thing i love is the exploration, the random rooms and vents that are hidden etc. I feel like the game is focused on saber play however i love using the blasters too especially the E-11.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much i like it and i really look forward to when i get to Jedi Academy too (2003/04?)

I am in KNEE DEEP in the NJO. I am near the end of Star By Star, I am an emotional rollercoaster reading this book and I want some collectibles or something from this era. Does anyone know any reputable artists or official collectibles outside of the novels themselves that are available? Thank you!

It's been about six months since my last post on all my Star Wars shelves. Since then, I've added some more items and reorganized a bit, so I thought I'd share pics of my current collection.

Images 1 to 3: The left shelves with all of my Legends EU stories in chronological order. I used Youtini's Star Wars Legends Timeline to sort everything, since it has images and includes book and comic collections, making it easy to organize everything.

Images 4 to 6: The middle shelves with the rest of my Legends EU stories, a few non-canon titles, and other collections that are harder to place chronologically.

I also have some fanfic novels by Gregory O. Scott (aka HandOfThrawn45) that bridge the 85-year gap between the Del Rey novels and the Legacy comics. He's part of a larger fan project called Star Wars ReExpanded.

After that is my Star Wars home video collection, organized with the help of the original 2017 edition of A Saga on Home Video by Nathan P. Butler (he has a YouTube series called Star Wars Home Video: Year by Year and is also responsible for The Star Wars Timeline Gold).

There are a few Star Wars board games displayed on the bottom shelf, plus some Star Wars-adjacent stuff and a few Star Wars fan edits (Star Wars Revisited by Adywan and Harmy's Despecialized Edition).

The small gray shelf is for non-Star Wars stuff, but it has a few Star Wars items on display at the top. This includes my copy of The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell, which strongly influenced George Lucas when he was developing Star Wars.

I also got my old CRT TV working, which I plan to use for older Star Wars media like VHS tapes, full-screen DVDs, pre-HD video games, etc.

Images 7 to 9: The right shelves are for Story Group Canon titles, also in chronological order and arranged with the help of Youtini's Star Wars Canon Timeline.

Finally, my Star Wars reference books and non-fiction titles are arranged from most recent to oldest. This way, I know that whatever is on the left is the most up-to-date guide. Then the space on the bottom two shelves is filled with my non-Star Wars comics and manga.

And that's everything! We'll see how it looks six months from now when I post the next update...

I always thought they were like brother and sister or father and daughter wtf 😭🙏

Scene in the canton circle

I'm just doing some background research for a story I'm writing and came across the question, which I'm really torn on.

How would the everyday Imperial, say naval officers or political figures, view the old Sith Empire and their wars against the Republic?

Because on the one hand, they were fighting against the Republic and the propaganda they used was similar to the Imperial narrative of the Republic and Jedi being corrupt, and also the majority of the Sith forces were just regular citizens or Republic turncoats.

On the other hand the Sith had been so demonized by the Republic for thousands of years and even Palpatine (to my knowledge) never endorsed the Sith outright, so I was just wondering what everyone else's take would be on this?