A farseeing clock ago, before the menace of the First Order, and before the significantly graver threat of George Lucas ’ s deplorable prequels, there was the Expanded Universe, or EU. Consisting of hundreds of formally licensed novels and amusing books that spanned the thousands of years before and the decades after the events of the original trilogy ( OT ), the EU was, for years, the home of Star Wars fandom. Through this elaborate tapestry of interlocking plat lines, peak science fiction writers grew the original outer space myth into a bewitching, and largely well-thought-out legendarium. Filled with a reverence for the OT, the EU believably continued the history, not entirely developing its existing elements, but besides deepening the Star Wars universe with raw characters and newly threats. Standing out among these, and establishing the focus of the entire post-film history was Timothy Zahn ’ s best-selling trilogy, here reviewed .
The three books of The Thrawn Trilogy : Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, take place five years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi. As a nascent New Republic struggles to rebuild what was broken under imperial rule, and to recapture and clean up the few remaining pockets of Imperial resistance in the galaxy, Han, Leia, and Luke have struggles of their own. For Han and Leia, now happily married, the ferment of building up the New Republic means frequent separation, a separation made more nerve-racking by Leia ’ s pregnancy with force-sensitive twins. Luke, on the other handwriting, is struggling to find his set in the newfangled club, an order that is promptly taking on all the typically unheroic and muddy qualities of democratic bicker and political manoeuver, and which will need the wisdom of the Jedi in order to in truth thrive. But does Luke know the Force well adequate to re-found the ancient order ? Against this backdrop, a new and improbable enemy emerges.
While Vader relied on the Force, and the threat of violent punishment in the case of failure, Grand Admiral Thrawn, the blue-skinned, red-eye military flair whose being the Emperor kept secret, is a sawhorse of a different color. Thrawn defeats his enemies by studying their psychology, and this, in turn, by studying their species ’ art. His is a grand, methodical strategy for reversing the Rebellion ’ s victory at Endor, and he executes it bit-by-bit over the course of three books, pulling victory after Imperial victory from the ashes of defeat. The heroes of the original floor must once again take great risks to reverse the Empire ’ s tide of victory, all while trying to hold the New Republic together against the forces of political convulsion. In this they will be joined by old friends, and a few raw ones .
Timothy Zahn did an excellent job of expanding the Star Wars universe in ways that were actually close to the intent and aesthetic of the OT. Because he approached the story and characters with reverence, rather of trying to be novel, he was able to grow the global Lucas created, even while leaving the original intact. thus, there are no plot or aesthetic discontinuities with the OT ( unlike the prequels, which contradict the OT in numerous ways. ) The books besides develop certain elements of the back report referenced in the OT, and they do so in ways far more credible than what George Lucas finally put on filmdom ( years after the publication of these books ) in the prequels. To name two examples : Clones, obliquely referred to in the OT, but morally normalized by the prequels, are here regarded as a bad and creepy thing. Cloning is the classify of thing that evil, not full, would do. Likewise, the EU knows nothing of the arbitrary rule of Jedi chastity invented by George Lucas for the prequels, a rule which is at odds at best ( because violence sensitivity is passed through bloodlines ), and at worst requires by implication that Jedi pass on their bloodlines outside the bonds of marriage. indeed, Luke Skywalker does finally marry within the european union !
Because it was well done and formally licensed by Lucasfilm, for a hanker time the EU besides had official status in the eyes of fans. however, with Disney ’ sulfur skill of Lucasfilm, and with the new Star Wars films, an wholly new Expanded universe is being constructed, one which differs in about every detail from that which fans considered canon for years. Disney, to its credit, will respect the fans by continuing to publish these books ( now re-branded as Legends ) even while it develops its own Expanded Universe. furthermore, Disney has already made use of Grand Admiral Thrawn in one of its new animated Star Wars shows, and has suggested it may borrow selectively from elements of “ Legends ” as it constructs its own Expanded Universe. There is hope that beloved EU characters, like Mara Jade, may finally appear, in some form, in the new continuity.
Although the write is nothing extraordinary, The Thrawn Trilogy is fantastic in many respects, and opens Star Wars fans up to a solid populace of modern stories. even younger fans raised on the disappoint prequels, or on the new Disney films ( which are far better than the prequels, but apparently dark in tone ) will however enjoy this sequel, and the many stories that follow it, as an alternative version of the same beloved population. The books are recommended for fans of all ages .
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About the commentator :
Joe Breslin
Joseph is a fifth grade home room teacher at The Heights School. He graduated from the Heights in 2001, and attended Franciscan University of Steubenville. He and his cover girl wife Elizabeth have three sons, julian Reuel, Ignatius James, and Benedict Lawrence. Joseph has been the Heights ‘ point varsity wrestling coach since 2013. His original stories and reflections can be found at joeybreslinwrites.com.
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