I remember at the end of one of his books, probably one of the Jedi Search ones, it vaguely mentioned a woman secretly escaping from the Star Destroyer she was in in a losing battle. It seemed to be a loose end KJA was leaving behind to cover in another book but I never really got closure on that. I wonder if that's the Admiral you're talking about.

That was Gantoris, and he died quickly anyway.

That was mostly due to the amount of clout Tarkin had. He pulled a lot of strings to get her there, and even then she was relegated to the middle of a black hole cluster, out of the way of everything. Why aren't you complaining about Thrawn, since Palpatine had an equal bias against non-humans? Just because Thrawn kicked ass?

I'm not necessarily defending this trilogy because I love it. I don't. I just thought they were decent.


This loose end is wrapped up (kind of neatly, if I remember?) in Darksaber.

Because Zahn can actually write. He's won Nebula Awards and whatnot.

Anderson does movie adaptation novels. See the difference?

That nonhuman thing that acted as the focal point for the accumulated Jedi power to destroy that ancient Sith spirit? I vaguely remember him using it, but Kyp definitely used the lightsaber length enhancement too. Corran Horn did too later on.
Thrawn was also a bad motherfucker and the Emperor recognized him for it... Even if he was also sent out to the far outreaches of the Galaxy; only to come back and see that the Empire was no more. Though, when Palpatine comes back as a clone he does seem bothered by Thrawn having had taken over.
So it was Daala?

I wholeheartedly agree Zahn is a far superior author and storyteller. But don't complain that females are in the Imperial Navy - due to an author's bad decision, no less - and then not complain that aliens - albeit competent ones - being in the Navy is any less stupid. Just because the creator of one such character is a vastly better author than another doesn't excuse the contradiction. Besides, there are other females in positions of power in the Empire: Isard, Leonia Tavira, and Mara Jade come to mind for me right away. [/QUOTE]

That was Exar Kun - an exiled Sith Lord from thousands of years ago - I never got into that whole comic series. I kind of wish I did though, it seems pretty fascinating. Gantoris was one of Luke's first recruits; I forget which planet he found him on. They fought each other in the Yavin jungle. I honestly don't remember Kyp or Corran extending their lightsabers.[/quote]

Yeah Daala.

Well, these are all EU examples but, at the very least, Thrawn was kept at a very long distance from the core planets. No one really knew about his existence and purpose before the Emperor died. People like Mara Jade and fellow hands are a little harder to explain as far as the hypocrisy goes.

Actually, thats EXACTLY my point. One author was able to write that "exception" (Thrawn) and make it believable, while Anderson wrote it and it was just another gimick like his constant obsession with superweapons.

The contradiction is only as digestable as the author writes it. Zahn made it particularly memorable (though some of his later books were lazy) while Anderson struggled to even maintain my attention past the dust jacket.

Keep in mind though - that these are all after Zahn's original idea of Thrawn being an exception. Not to mention - he also wrote Mara Jade, whom you cite, and did a good job at that.

The fact that other such examples exist is moot as they all depend on the quality and believability of the writing - something that EU only does once in a blue moon.

Well, if your entire argument is based solely on the quality of the writing (something that wasn't explicitly clear to me until you mentioned it), then I see your point.

I haven't read the newer Zahn books. I was thinking of picking up Outbound Flight when I saw it in a bookstore once but didn't. To me there's a kind of charm about Zahn's earlier books when he references the Old Republic and you know it was made without knowledge of the prequels' story. I reread the Thrawn trilogy every few years.

Outbound Flight was probably the strongest of his post-Thrawn novels. Survivor's Quest needs to be read beforehand for full appreciation, but OF is the superior novel.

(I actually have a hardcover copy autographed by Zahn)


Agreed.

Damn, for a hundred dollars I almost got the comic Zahn wrote (autographed) for the marriage between Luke and Mara.

You guys know a place I can get a comprehensive idea of what's going on in the Star Wars story arc nowadays? Getting all the books I've missed in the last five years into this country would suck massive balls.

For $30, I got "canonized".

I also have a "tip-in plate" (Basically a sticker the author autographs for you to stick in your book) from Steve Perry (Shadows Of The Empire)

Man, that'd be a nice piece for any collection.

Funny, Shadows (the game, not the book) is what initially got me into Star Wars. Before that all I knew about Star Wars was that Luke does some bad ass shit with his green lightsaber on Jabba's skiff and that at some point Vader reveals he is his father. That's pretty much it. Once I played that game it got me curious and I watched the films, then got into the EU with SOTE which was awesome. Funny... Only been a "true" fan for ten years.

Awww Man please don't tell me you converted that sum and Zahn was in Ireland and no-one told me!!!