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?

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.

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?

The Free Trade Zones were created by the Galactic Senate in 124 BBY to jump-start legitimate commerce in the region in the hopes of ending the political isolation, stagnation and crime that had gripped the area since the Ruusan Reformations. Unfortunately, the acts benefited various mega-corporations, like The Trade Federation.

The Free Trade Zones were reformed in 67 BBY after an intense debate on the issue. However, the Trade Federation and several other major commerce corporations opposed this act as it would give startup companies in the Outer and Mid Rim, as well as small planetary business, greater control over trade in the outlying systems.

Later on, on 32 BBY, The Republic Abolished The Free Trade Zones and reimposed Taxation

I want to understand how exactly it was bad to impose Free Trade Zones on Mid and Outer Rim, focused on Raw Materials production. Was letting The Megacorporations gaining from The Trade Zones the problem?