It was inevitable, I guess but...

...the Expanded Universe (EU) is now officially unoffical.

To EU fans this isn't exacly news, but it's certainly worth noting. The EU comprises a ton of video games, comic books and novels (so many in fact I've got a big fat 'Essential Guide' just of novel summaries!!) that are set anywhere ranging from 25,000 years before to around 140 years after the original trilogy - but all that is over with an official announcement from Lucasfilm.

Why? Simple and in a lot of ways, logical. The big question was always when is the movie going to be set and how will it tie in to the novels - well in the official report it is stated.

"In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe."

Which is fair enough and actually quite exciting, but a little part of me can't help but feel a little bitter. 

I mean this is my childhood, the novels I geeked out over, collected, borrowed from friends or read in bookshops before putting back on the shelf and planning on buying one day. All gone.

Well not entirely.

"While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s."

Hmmm. OK cool so some favourite characters of spaceships might turn up - but the fact that new writers have the freedom to steal and re-write elements from our beloved stories and turn them into something else isn't that much of a consolation.

So what does this mean now? - basically the movies and the Clone Wars TV series are the only official Star Wars media as of present. Next out will be Rebels another series from the same producers but set in between the movie trilogies.

At some point Marvel will let us know what they are going to do with Star Wars in comics, but for now we have four novels that comprise the entire off-screen retinue of 'canon' Star Wars.

A New Dawn

A Rebels tie-in was almost inevitable and it's certainly a safe place to start for the new continuity. But I do have to wonder about how an adult fiction novel prequelling a kids TV show will work. Having said that all the authors are accomplished writers (I'm a big fan of JJM's Knight Errant strip) and I'm sure they will write them well - but my criticisms are based on the impact of the Star Wars  universe.

Heir to the Jedi

A story written from Luke's perspective seems pretty cool, but it strikes me as, given that the post-Death Star storyline has been very much filled in in the EU, this is an opportunity for the Lucasfilm team to re-write some history in the build-up to the new movies.

Tarkin

 










This story is going to give Tarkin the Plagueis treatment according to the blurb. How does that work now that Plagueis is non-canon?? Ok, ok fine I get it, it's all new, but I do again have to see this as re-writing history a little bit. I mean, will he be as involved in the creation of the Death Star, what about Daala, is she no longer in the picture. I know he's had his fair amount of appearances in the Clone Wars so it's likely to pick up on that - and Luceno's output that I've read has been great so we'll see how this turns out.

Lords of the Sith

Hmm, another filler novel re-writing history and...ok, I seriously can't complain because this one looks like K'kruhk's hat. Darth Vader and Darth Sidious trapped and having to rely on each other to survive on a planet against an army of opposition, wow! This one has really peaked my interest - I mean just look at the cover for goodness sake!

So anyway, we'll see what comes for future Star Wars lore. Having a co-ordinated story from the get go sounds like a really good idea and I do hope for a bright future for Star Wars despite my grumbling.

Star Wars Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World

So Legacy's back!! The era, set 100 years after the books continues with a new protagonist, Ania Solo, descendant of - well I don't need to tell you that! With Darth Krayt defeated the Sith have gone into hiding, but when Ania comes across a lightsaber hidden among a junkpile she uncovers a new plot to threaten the galaxy.

New Characters - Ania and friends

Ania Solo

Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Junkyard owner









Ania has carved out a life for herself on the outer rim, far from the famous and central characters of her ancestry. While running her own business and not getting involved in larger galactic life she still has the same Solo spirit, loyasl to her friends with that same knack for winding up in trouble.

Sauk

Species: Mon Calamari
Sex: Male
Occupation: Ice Miner, engineer









A talented engineer, Sauk was made a refugee when Darth Krayt's Sith Empire targeted Mon Calamari and killed all life on the planet. With few options he became an ice miner on Carreras Minor, using his talents to value items from Ania's junkyard when she came to visit

SD
Species: Droid (unidentified type)
Sex: Neutral programming
Occupation: Enforcer








Part of Ania's crew SD was a towering security droid that took care of unruly dealers and protected the junkyard from threats. SD fell foul of the Sith who pursued Ania after she found a lightsaber.

AG-37

Species: Droid (IG-series descendant)
Sex: Male programming
Occupation: Freighter captain








An assassin droid with free will, AG acquired his own ship and, generally, makes his living as a law abiding citizen, transporting goods around the outer rim. He has a strongly developed sense of loyalty to Ania and his friends.


New Imperial Knights

Yalta Val

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Imperial Knight








Yalta Val was a senior Imperial Knight sent to the Carreras system to oversee the installation of the new galactic communications network hub in the system, linking the outer rim to the core. Unfortunately he fell foul of a Sith trap and was captured.

Jao Assam
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Imperial Knight








A junior Imperial Knight sent to oversee part of the new communications array. When Master Val did not check in he realised something was wrong and went in pursuit of him, battling Darth Wredd with the help of Ania Solo, who helped free Master Val and defeat the Sith, though Jao was seriously injured in the process

New Sith

Unidentified Sith

Species: Unknown
Sex: Male
Occupation: Sith Master








The orchestrator of the plot on Carreras, after defeating Master Val in combat he was betrayed and killed by his apprentice, who continued the plot for his own ends.

Darth Wredd

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Sith Apprentice







After suffering under his master's apprenticeship, forced to wear a helmet at all times. Darth Wredd broke free of his master, assassinating him and taking over the plot to sabotage the plans of the Galactic Alliance. He impersonated master Val and overrode the communications array before revealing himself to the galaxy and revealing his plan, to be the only remaining Sith and rule all.

New Vehicles

Nune-class Shuttle variant

 








A smaller, more agile version of the standard Imperial shuttle. It could carry a standard crew and a small contingent of Stormtroopers to a location with speed.

Carreras System Starfighter

A standard snubfighter used by the local government to enforce the law and patrol the system.

Ania Solo's starship

A small, unarmed cargo craft used by Ania to transport herself and any valuable goods around the Outer Rim systems. Capable of flight on planet as well as in space, Ania could pilopt her nimble vessel to avoid the law, ultimately sacrificing her ship to escape Sith pursuit.

IG's freighter

A spacious cargo ship used by AG to transport goods around the system and could comfortable hols smaller ships such as Ania's in its hold. The ship was used extensively in the confilct on Carreras, demonstrating it's droid owner's loyalty to his friends.

Triumvirate starfighter

A new model of starfighter used by members of the Galactic Alliance/Empire/Jedi Triumvirate. One of these models was the personal craft of Imperial Knight Jao Assam.

Carreras Patrol Ship

A powerful mid-size capital ship used by the Shifala government on Carreras to run down and capture enemy ships. This ship tractored and brought aboard AG's freighter.

Darth Wredd's Ship

This sleek craft was used by Darth Wredd to escape the destruction he had caused in the Carreras system.

Communications Array

Part of an effort to provide better connection between the Outer Rim and the core and unite the galaxy under a new government

New Planets

Mala

A rogue planet, buried within the veil of the Surd Nebula and off any official charts. This planet was the base of operations for Darth Wredd and his master.

Carreras System

 

 






A small system, consisting of at least two planets, Carreras Major, a habitable planet- home to the Shifala species, and Carreras Minor a ringed giant with ice mining facilities stationed on it's rings. A remote system it was selected for the new communications array programme.

New Droids

Imperial Communications Droid

  










A mobile communications platform, these droids were able to broadcast across the vast reaches of space. These models were versatile and able to act independently. The droid assigned to Yalta Val retrieved his lightsaber when attacked and assisted Jao Assam and Ania Solo to rescue his master, even saving Jao's life.

Swarm Droid (?)

 

My name for a nifty piece of technology used by the Carrerras military, when boarding a captured vessel dozens of these small droids woulld converge on the entrance, overwhelming the crew and flushing them out to where they could be captured easily.

New Species

Shifala

 










The native species of the Carreras system, these simian humanoids dominated the government and military of the system, ruled by a Governor, Biala (pictured).

Story

No map, due to Carreras being a new system. In the wake of the destruction caused by Darth Krayt's Sith Empire the new government, the Triumvirate, seeks to re-establish order in the galaxy. One effort, led by Empress Marasiah Fel is a new communications array to improve communications between remote systems and the Core. En route to the Carreras relay Imperial Knight Yalta Val is captured by a Sith who impersonates him and assumes command of the relay. Master Val's communications droid is damaged and winds up in the possession of Ania Solo, who takes it to Sauk her friend. When repairing the droid they discover a lightsaber, which draws the attention of the Sith. Fleeing the military under his command they run into Jao Assam and run a rogue operation to stop the Sith plot. They hunt down and confront Darth Wredd in time to save Yalta Val and expose the plot, but not in time to save the array, which crashed into the planet Mala, hidden in the Surd Nebula. 

Wow that was a long post!! Always a lot of new stuff but I wanted to get ahead as I don't think I ever caught up on posting new content in the first volume of Legacy. We'll see what the future holds for the series with the announcement of Marvel re-aquiring the rights to Star Wars comics in 2015 - read more here

  

Star Wars: In the shadow of Yavin

Lagging behind as ever, this is one of the latest series from Dark Horse, set pretty soon after the destruction of the Death Star, with the Rebels hunting for a new base and our familiar characters struggling with their place in the galaxy, Luke has lost everything he ever knew, Leia had her homeworld destroyed before her very eyes and Han can't quite figure out what he's doing among all these foolhardy rebels.

New Characters

Bircher

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Imperial Colonel, lead pilot








Bircher is an exceptionally gifted Imperial, a talented pilot, leading squadrons of the new TIE Interceptors in his distinctive red flightsuit and also experienced in commanding a Star Destroyer. Due to his success in hounding the Alliance, he was given command of the Devastator, formerly Vader's flagship.

Birra Seah
Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Systems designer, Kuat Drive Yards / Temporary Moff 








A designer for Kuat Drive Yards, Vader sensed potential in her (and the force) and place her in command of the Second Death Star project as his emmisary.

Prithi

Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Pilot








One of the new 'stealth squadron' formed by Leia and Mon Mothma to operate off the books in the search for a new base of operations and to find the spy leaking information to the Empire. There are several pilots in the squadron, but Prithi is the only one who stands out in this arc, she has a strong attachment to Luke, which causes tension between her and Leia.


Map

 

I've added a map as per usual, but a lot of the action takes place in deep space so I haven't done my usual spaghetti of lines across the map.

Story

The Rebel Alliance have scored their greatest victory over the Empire with the destruction of the Death Star, but also their greatest loss, with the location of their base revealed they must yet again retreat to space. Scouts are sent out to search for new worlds, with Leia, Luke and Wedge heading up the search, but with every planet they visit , they find the Empire right behind them. Aware that a mole may be within their ranks Mon Mothma establishes a squadron to work off the books to find a new world and root out the mole, but still the Empire dogs all their footsteps, causing a showdown between the squadron and an Imperial Star Destroyer that they barely survive! Meanwhile Han Solo head to Coruscant for a deal on behalf of the Rebellion that goes downhill, with Imperials and Boba Fett on his tail and Vader, overseeing the construction of a new Death Star is troubled by a name he has not heard for a long time...

This is an ongoing story, which takes time to deal with the reactions of the characters to the events of A New Hope as well as providing plenty of action and adventure.

Star Wars: Dark Times - Fire Carrier

The latest arc of Dark Times follows K'Kruhk and the group of Padawans and younglings he has been trying to hide from the Empire. After being stranded on a remote moon and giving in to his savage nature to defend the Padawans from pirates the Jedi master now leads his weary group to a refugee camp, only to find more peril awaits them!!

New Jedi

Genel 

Species: Duros
Sex: Male
Occupation: Jedi Youngling






One of the large group of Jedi younglings accompanying K'Kruhk on his journey this is the first time he is named.

Zao

Species: Veknoid
Sex: Male
Occupation: Jedi Master








OK, he's not a new character, having been a stalwart of the Republic comic series, but he's new to me!! Zao escaped Order 66 by virtue of the fact that he did not take part in the Clone Wars as a Jedi General and therefore easily blended in to the mass of refugees until the force brought him to K'Kruhk.

Sidirri

Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Jedi Youngling








Sidirri was one of the younglings under K'Kruhk's care, however she had been deeply affected by the events that had occured since Order 66 and a distant member of the group of Jedi. Troubled what happened on Arkinnea she left the Jedi, with Zao following to try and help, and never returned

New Vehicles

Ore Carrier

This vessel was used for planet-wide delivery of ore for processing, but was adapted by the Arkinnean militia for transporting refugees out of the crowded refugee camp.

Militia Patrol Vessel

 






This craft was used by the militia to patrol the planet and conduct operations, it could carry a complement of militia soldiers, touching down quickly and returning to the skies to patrol for enemies.

New Species

Yunu

A primitive race with simple tool-building skills, these natives had interacted with ancient Jedi who had built a temple on their world and when K'Kruhk and Zao demonstrated the use of the force and their lightsabers they chose to ally with his group, remembering what the Jedi had done for them in the past and they aided the fledgling Jedi group establish a home on their world.

New Planets

Arkinnea

 (I don't have co-ordinates for this planet as it's new, so no map for this post I'm afraid!)

Arkinnea was a remote planet in Expansion Region, which K'Kruhk sought as a potential place for his younglings to rebuild their lives. However Arkinnea was overrun with refugees for both sides of the conflict and became a boiling pot of tensions controlled by Imperials with a local militia running operations on the ground.

A long time in the past Arkinnea had been home to a Jedi Outpost and the native species recognized the Jedi. 







Story

K'Kruhk brings his younglings to Arkinnea in the hope of terutrning them to normality and a civilized life, but instead finds a refugee camp run by Imperials and resentful militia men. In the camp they find Master Zao, who was led to them by the force and who has sensed danger in the camp and leads them out again to the wilds. While searching for a new home they discover the nature of the danger - the militia are dealing with the refugees by carrying them in an ore carrier then dropping them to their deaths. K'kruhk puts a stop to their plan, but draws the attention of the militia and also the local Imperial officer. They have a standoff with the local natives and the militia, but Sidirri, affected by what she has seen, strikes out with the force in anger and ends the conflict. The Imperial officer brings justice to the militia, then catches up with K'kruhk, revealing that he still believes in the Jedi and sends aid when he can, allowing the Jedi to build a new life on a remote part of the planet.
          Meanwhile on Coruscant, Darth Vader continues to train the bounty hunter Falco Sang to hunt down Jedi for him.

Next up: Blogga's Wall

E3 2013: New Titles

Well E3 has come and gone and as usual I'm playing catchup, but I had a monster of a comic book post to do and wanted to finish that first and hey, a week later isn't too bad anyway!!

I'm going to split my coverage of E3 into two parts, this first post will look at debut announcements made at the conference, while the next post will look at the new information given for already announced games. With the new consoles out of the bag there were plenty of new games - here are some of the Sci-Fi ones that caught my eye.

First up this one that I saw as I sat down to watch the live feed, it quickly got me out of my seat with excitement!!

I hadn't seen this coming - I knew a Halo announcement was possible, but I'd expected it for the Xbox One announcement event and it hadn't arrived so I figured we maybe had another year to wait. The trailer caught me by surprise looking like a completely new IP. Looks like John is having to cope on his own while going up against a pretty monstrous Forerunner (Precursor?) enemy. It's due in 2014 but of course requires shelling out for the new Xbox One so it may be a while before you read about it on this blog - but nothing new there!

Titanfall

At first it looks like a standard mech-warrior game, but Titanfall does seem to have some depth and variety to it. One interesting comment made was that testsers spent most of their time playing as pilots, not as mechs. The technology allowing for boosts, double jumps and smoothe wallrunning looks like it'll make the game more dynamic than others that have gone before, and let's face it mechs are always fun right?!!

Mirror's Edge 2

While Halo usually steals the show for my excitement, this came a pretty close second!! A lot of us thought the franchise was dead and there had been no word on a sequel to the ground-breaking game for some time so I'd given up hope. But (presumably on the new consoles) Faith is back to her free-running, rifle stealing self! With other games (including Titanfall) including free-running elements in their gameplay it'll be interesting to see if this franchise can still hold it's ground - I , for one, am hopeful.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Oh yeah! a tiny teaser for the first Star Wars game since the closure of Lucasarts. Not owning a PlayStation I've never played the franchise so far, but it's one fans have been calling for and it was good news to see that Star Wars still has a future in gaming. Obviously the teaser is set on Hoth, recreating the battle in Empire but hopefully we'll see some new storyline in there too.

Mad Max 

Another entry for the new consoles, not much revealed on this one, set in the world of the classic post-apocalyptic films.


OK, that's all I can think of - I'm sure I've missed one or two - post a comment to let me know!!
 

Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan

The second arc of Dawn of the Jedi has recently come to it's conclusion, following the journey of the early Je'daii on Tython and the events that are triggered by the arrival of the first presence to enter the system in centuries - the Rakatan exile Xesh. As always I'll start with the new stuff.

New Je'daii

Tave 

Species: Noghri
Sex: Male
Occupation: Assistant Temple Master








Tave is assistant to Lha-Mi, Temple Master of Stav Kesh, the Temple of Martial Arts where the Je'daii journeyers train to use their force blades in combat. He trained the three young journeyeres who found Xesh, assuring them that the Je'daii masters took their claims seriously, despite their decision to exile Xesh to Bogan.

Rajivari

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Je'daii Master








A celebrated Je'daii General in the Despot War Rajivari layed down his sword at the end of the confilct to contemplate the force in peace. Master Ketu came to him to seek advice on Daegen Lok's vision, Rajivari counselled that the vision should be considered carefully but the council voted to treat it as madness and banish Lok. Seven years later Ketu returned to him and he urged him again to take the vision seriously and make ready for the coming army. (It seems that things don't go well for Rajivari in the future, from what I've heard as he shows up in The Old Republic, but I'll leave that for now - if my wife sees him in-game I'll let you know!)

Tem Madog

Species: Cathar
Sex: Male
Occupation: Temple Master








Tem Madog is the Temple Master of Vur Tepe, the Forge. He instructs Je'daii Journeyers in the creation of their force-imbued blades and is responsible for arming the Je'daii. He tested the Rakatan forcesaber in his forge and later constructed forcesabers for the defense of the Order

Ters Sendon

Species: Zabrak
Sex: Male
Occupation: Je'daii Master








Ters Sendon was a Lore Keeper of the Je'daii Order, who meditated on the force and the mysterious history of the Je'daii. Deep beneath Kaleth, the Temple of knowledge, he searched among the Kwa structures that predated the arrival of the Tho Yor. Sendon also appears in The Old Republic game as a hologram.

Bel Zana
Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Je'daii Ranger








Known for her tracking skills Bel Zana was a renowned Je'daii ranger assigned to the mission to track Xesh and Daegen Lok. She had an intense fear of fire, which Lok exploited.

Jake Fenn

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Temple Master








Master of Bodhi, the Temple of the Arts, Jake Fenn was powerful in the force and a fearsome warrior, despite his occupation in helping Je'daii express the force through creating works of art. He had an affection for the ranger Bel Zana, also he was the brother of Rori Fenn, who accompanied him to track down Xesh and Lok.

I'm also continuing to note any new sentient species in the Tython system, meaning that the Tho Yor selected force-sensitive members of that race, even if the characters aren't Je'daii.

Koorivar


Other Characters

A'nang

Species: Kwa
Sex: Male
Occupation: Unknown








One of the ancient Kwa who journeyed the galaxy with their famous hypergates and studied the power of the cosmos (or to the Je'daii 'the force'). They travelled across the galaxy spreading their wealth to many species until they found the Rakata who turned on them, conquering worlds to cause misery to feed their dark side powered technologies and tried to take the secret of Infinity Gate technology from the Kwa by force. The Kwa destroyed their gates and retreated to Dathomir, with A'nang remaining behind to prevent the Rakata from following her people back.



New Droids

Sentry Droid

 









These tall, spiderlike droids were used to patrol Bogan and make sure exiles stayed in their compounds. They had limited intelligence and used their sensor cuffs to monitor the location of the prisoners.

Rakatan Droid

A service droid used by the Rakata, able to perform multiple functions and with limited intelligence, Trill had one of these aboard her ship and used it to assist her in healing Sek'nos Rath.

Ryo Security Droid

 










This model of security droid was used for personal defence by Baron Volnos Ryo, the droid was capable of targeting and attacking multiple targets simultaneously.

New Vehicles

Pho-V Fighter

These fighters were used by Shikaakwan forces during the Despot War, one of these crashed in a hidden valley on Bogan and was used by Daegen Lok to escape with Xesh

Rakatan Starfighter

Small craft capable of travelling the vast distances between the stars, large enough to house two occupants. Trill used this ship to track Xesh to Tython.

New Species

Terenta

A precursor to the fearsome Terentatek, these creatures were created by Je'daii science masters to detect explosives and battle Shikaakwan forces but they developed a taste for force-rich blood and turned on their masters. The results of these failed experiments were left to wander the wilds of Bogan.   

Krev Coeur Predator

  










These large creatures roamed the crystalline surface of Krev Coeur in the Tython system, constantly on the hunt for prey. Fearsome as they were, they were no match for one trained to use the force.  

Mutated Slash Rat

  








Mutated by the noxious fumes of the industrial planet Nox, these Slashrats prayed on civilians wandering alone at the city borders.

This story arc also featured mutant dianoga of giant proportions, but those aren't really anything new in SW comics!

Map

As always I like to include a map of the action, it's a little bewildering to look at as it all takes place in the Tython system more or less and the groups get pretty split up as they visit different planets, get capture etc. but I did the best I could. Also after the action most of the characters return to Tython but I thought adding that last step would make the map impossible to follow!!

 

Story

Sent to Bogan to meditate on the force Xesh is left in confusion about his place among the Je'daii. He is freed by Daegen Lok who had a vision of Xesh and the Rakata, which got him exiled to Bogan for his claims. Using an old fighter they flee Bogan determined to make more Forcesabers and rally an army against the Rakata - an army Lok plans to lead. The Je'daii pursue them to Krev Coeur where they obtain focusing crystals and to Nox where they assemble the hilt and activation device, but Sek'nos is 'rescued' by Trill who uses him to pursue Xesh and on Nox Shae Koda is captured by Daegen Lok and used as a bargaining chip. Meanwhile Tasha Ryo activates the holocron of A'nang who tells them of the danger the Rakata threaten if they have reached Tython's borders. Eventually catching up to Lok on Shikaakwa  and capture him with the help of Xesh who refuses to kill Shae Koda on Lok's orders, but Hawk Ryo is forced to admit that he shared the same vision - the Rakata are coming and they are ready for war!!

Next up: E3!!