LITREP: Legacy - Divided Loyalties

So it's really great to turn the focus back to the Allies.  Tatooine was dull to me for one reason and one reason alone; Cade Skywalker.  It's odd to say you adore a series, yet hate the protagonist, but I'll easily admit that I can't stand Cade.  The reluctant hero shtick was great, but it just won't end, so it's great to get a whole issue dedicated to the Allies.  I love just about all of them, from Fel to Stazi, and everyone in between.  

         The issue starts with the Jedi meeting the Alliance fleet.  It's nice to meet new Jedi, and the Twin Tails look lovely.  It's quite interesting that the X series fell out of favor with the main Alliance forces.  Now let's set all this aside because Sigel Dare is here!  I can't help but love Sigel.  She's clearly the Alpha-17 of Legacy.  What's not to love about a snarky sociopath?  That's not to say she wasn't a shebs in this issue--she was-- but a little more character development could make her all the more likeable.

        The first plot involves Sigel and a Jedi named 'Dan' going to Dac to extract Master Sinde.  This Dan character is seriously annoying.  I'm still kind of mad at the smug Jedi.  The two knights sneak through the Sith forces a little too easily if you ask me.  Whatever.  Single issue stories don't really have time for the nitty gritty.  

        When confronted, Treis Sinde refuses to return to Bastion.  Emperor Fel has ordered his return, yet Sinde claims the force wants him to stay.  Sigel Dare pulls her lightsaber on her former master, calling him a traitor.  I agree with Master Dare, though an execution is taking things too far.  I think a direct order from your superior is more important that protocol.  In such an awful and dangerous war, sacrifices must be made.  Imperial Knight protocol doesn't matter osik when the fate of the galaxy is at hand.  Treis Sinde is betraying his Empire.  Master Dan resolves this by agreeing to stay on Dac, in place of Master Sinde.  Thus Sinde and Dare both return to Bastion without further hassle.

          The second plot follows the Galactic Alliance fleet.   A Sith taskforce suddenly attacks the Allies.  On the bridge of the Alliance, Gar Stazi is shot by a traitor.  The would be assassin is detained and Stazi is taken to the medbay.  The enemy fleet's commander is an over-ambitious admiral who plans to become the new Executor.  Unfortunately, he gets no time to develop in the period of the issue.  

         With Jhoram Bey filling in for Stazi, the fleet makes an emergency jump to escape their pursuers.  The Sith fleet manages to chase them to their RV, to Bey's surprise.  Out of desperation, they attempt another escape.  When the Sith fleet catches up, they find only the Alliance.  Expecting a surrender, they are caught flat-footed when the rest of the Alliance fleet ambushes them.  The Allies have won the day.

          I thought the first plot was fairly good;  It was great to get more Sigel Dare, even though this wasn't her finest appearance by any metric.  Treis Sinde's actions left a bad taste in my mouth, though.  The second plot was more of a lame repeat of Renegade, a far better issue.  One thing alone makes the issue great in my mind:

         The traitor, a Mon Cal named Tealart, betrayed the Alliance because his family was held hostage by the Sith.  Now captured, he concludes they were probably dead by now.  A sympathetic Stazi promises to help his family if possible.  In the end Gar Stazi promises an execution for Tealart, stating that a demonstration must be made.  The Mon Cal understands and thanks the Admiral for promising to help.  

         Legacy manages to handle nuance much better than most Star Wars stories.  It's rather great that an issue like this can exist in such a childish universe.  George Lucas once said Star Wars was for twelve year olds.  Legacy manages to go above and beyond Lucas' simplicities.  

         

The Force Unleashed II - My Review

What did I just play?

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

What was the point of this?  The previous game wrapped up fine.  I didn't have any questions.  Why was this necessary?  I didn't even love the first game.  The Force Unleashed II makes the original look spectacular.  This game left me with so many questions.  I'm guessing they were planning a third game.  Where did that go?  In hindsight they certainly had time to at least work on a third game.  

         In short, this game was pointless.  There weren't too many new designs, but the new ones weren't bad, the gameplay was great, the locations were okay and the graphics were nice.    Unfortunately, this doesn't save the game.  It certainly doesn't.  This game is seriously lacking in the story department. 

         I'm not going to get too deep in this segment- I'll just provide the premise.  Starkiller is back.  Why?  Why couldn't he stay dead?  Starkiller was a loose end, and thus he died.  He can't be running around in the Star Wars universe.  Why bring him back?  They would've had to either kill him off or let him live.  Having him die twice would feel quite weird.  Letting him live would be even weirder.  Imagine Starkiller alive, with the Rebellion during the films.  That would be fairly odd. 

        The plot moves at hyperspeed.  You cut enemies up, and the transition from mission to mission is incredibly jarring.  The characters simply run into situations without consideration or thought.  There is no scene where Juno and Galen are in their ship considering how to execute their mission.  There is no scene showing the inner workings of the Alliance.  There is one scene where General Kota is just like "We're attacking Kamino!", and the fleet just goes along with it.  They don't take the time for a plan.  They just jump to lightspeed.

        This game has little story worth.  Having played it I'd like to pretend it isn't canon (In it's respective timeline.).  It just makes a mess of things.  You can pretend it doesn't exist, or you can try to explain it.  I prefer the former.  Besides the fact that Starkiller is back from the dead there are some other serious loose ends.  Obviously, I won't spoil them here.  Basically this game leaves off with MAJOR cliffhangers, and they remain unresolved to this day.

        

All in all I thought this game was mildly insulting, story-wise.  The gameplay is great.  The game is a lot of fun.  If that's all you want, I'd recommend it.  It must be noted, the game is incredibly short.  I'd say it's about six hours.  The game technically has nine levels, while three of these "levels" are just boss fights.  Most of the niceness in this game comes from the gameplay.  If that's what you're looking for, then great.  The story offers little- you're better off watching the cutscenes on YouTube.

With all this said, I'd give it a 3.5/10.  I'm not sure if I would've bought it in hindsight.  The tie-in graphic novel, however, is quite worth a read.  Far better story than the game.

-SPOILER SEGMENT-

Boy, that cliffhanger.  What were they thinking?  Honestly, seeing Vader in shackles was an incredible visual, but it shouldn't have happened- not in the main canon!  Having Vader captured is a huge blow to his character.  It's stuff like this that gives the EU a bad name.  Also Juno coming back to life.  [eyeroll]  Wouldn't she be in serious pain upon regaining consciousness?  Nah, just embraces the kiss.  So cheesey.  

       I did like the mission aboard the Salvation.  Gave me flashbacks to Ghost Ship Recon.  The Terror Troopers were actually fun enemies.  The Terror Walker was an annoying boss, but then again, most bosses in this series are incredibly annoying.  Just having the privilege to control the camera is a blessing.

       I don't think Boba Fett was all that necessary in the context of the game.  They could have just had the Imperials abduct Cpt. Eclipse themselves, but nah, gotta have those OT characters!  Why must everything be so ridiculously connected?

      Cato Nemoidia wasn't terrible.  It just wasn't that memorable either.  The Gorog was just a bigger Rancor really.  The visual where the Gorog literally crushes the Rancor was rather shocking, so credit for that.  It was rather hilarious how bottomless the planet was.  I'm pretty sure they were falling for over a minute.  Baron Tarko was absolutely forgettable.  A: He brings shame to the Baron title famously held by Soontir Fel.  B: His name sounds way too much like 'Tarkin'.  If anything, his death was slightly funny ('Funny' in a very loose sense).

       I'm pretty sure Starkiller's "clone" is actually the original, or at least contains the original's spirit.  Otherwise they wouldn't have put so much emphasis on whether or not he was the real Galen.  I'm not going to get into the science of cloning a force user.  The instances of the phenomena are a bit contradictory.  

       The Acolytes and Saber Guards were pretty bad.  What happened to Shadow Guards?  They managed to be fairly tough enemies.  Both of the new force-using Imperials are incredibly weak.  I also don't understand the purpose of splitting force-users from saber-users.  Shadow Guards managed to use both powers and their sabers.  From a story standpoint, what is the purpose of a "Saber Guard"?  Can't normal guardsmen wield sabers?  They sure do in the previous game!  The Sith Acolytes aren't bad.  They look slightly cool, honestly.  They aren't ever given an explanation inside or outside the game, unfortunately.  The real problem is that they seem to be unarmed.  Did the Empire cut its annual Lightsaber budget?  These people need their sabers!

       One thing that stood out were the Galen clones.  When they emerged from their vats they were fully clothed and wielding lightsabers.  What?  How does this work?  Do they grow their own clothes?  What about the Lightsabers?  Apparently in the Empire unborn, defective clones are more privileged than active duty Sith Acolytes.  What the heck?!?

       Imperial War Droids were an interesting touch.  It must be asked, though: Why couldn't we have Purge Troopers, again?  Whatever.  The War Droids were fun.  The Carbonite effect was also cool.  To be a tad bit nitpicky, they look a bit too Terminator-esque.  Still a cool design, though.

       Riot Troopers seemed incredibly unnecessary.  Why would a trooper need a whole new armor set, just to wield an electrostaff?  Isn't stormtrooper armor designed for riots?  Why is a variant needed?  Jumptroopers were back, which was cool.  Unfortunately the AI was much more annoying, so fighting them was a chore.

        Swatting Imperials got repetitive, and fast.  In the first game you fought a massive variety of enemies.  In this game you fight the same enemies as you are spoon-fed new ones.  If this game lacks anything (Besides story) it's variety.

If you want to experience the EPIC journey of (Possible) clone, Galen Marek, I'd recommend watching it on YouTube.  If you want to play the game for any reason, though, get it on sale.  Full price definitely isn't worth it.

LITREP: The Last Flight Of The Harbinger

I really don't read the Marvel comics much, so I only picked this one up because of special forces.  Does it deliver?

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

So I read it with the SpecForce in mind.  I don't think it really delivered.  Just a buncha super hero stormies.  Karen Traviss really put it best: "Special Operations was as much—no more—about detailed surveillance, observation, and rehearsal than going in with [guns] blazing and blowing stuff up.".  All the SCAR Troopers did was blow stuff up.  The comic ever got into tactics or any of the cool stuff.  Also the SCARs aren't really the focus; It's really about the "Big Three", which was a personal disappointment.  

         The art isn't much to look at.  It fell into the uncomfortable crevasse between realistic and cartoonish.  The heroes looked quite weird and the SpecForce troopers looked a tad obnoxious.  If anything, the cover art wasn't bad.  

        What I really wanted was a nice story from an Imperial perspective and getting to see the nicer sides of the Empire.  This was not the case.  The Imperials outside of Scar Squad were just awful, while Scar themselves don't seem very nice either.  I was hoping they would be the Imperial counterparts to the OT heroes, with maybe even their own series.  This seems unlikely.  A real missed opportunity in my opinion.

   'Special Commando Advanced Recon' is an awful acronym. It doesn't make grammatical sense.  'SCAR' doesn't even sound cool to me.  Scar Squad clearly doesn't know how to equip for a mission.  The comic involves a mission to a star destroyer (The Harbinger).  Onboard this ship the Imperials use flame throwers, sniper rifles and rocket launchers.  How does this make sense?  Flamethrowers don't work in a fireproof environment, sniper rifles are useless in a tight indoor area and bazookas can punch a hole through the ship's interior.  The SCAR Troopers aren't tactical- they're just OP.

        The story mostly pertains to the Big Three, but it's fairly enjoyable and contains enough SpecForce troopers for my liking.  Better than trying to squeeze enjoyment out of Gambler's World, I'd say!  For this I'd give it a 6/10.  It really isn't bad; It's pretty fun.  If you're a SpecForce fanatic like me, you'll probably like it.

-SPOILER SEGMENT-

So the dialogue was pretty cheesy.  There's a point where the sergeant asks Luke what to call him, to which he replies "REBEL!",which I thought was fairly cringey.  The "I've got a bad feeling" line is quite cliche at this point, but the comic nicely subverted it's usage, so credit for that.  Han and Leia bicker so much it makes them look like BFFs in ESB.  It's like the author couldn't think of any other way they could interact.  There's this one part where they are fighting over who commands the ship, and they literally race to the bridge to settle the argument.  Han commandeers a speederbike and Leia takes a space suit to fly to the bridge.  It's so childish I can't take it seriously in the slightest.  

        Vader abruptly appeared, though in the end when they inevitably failed he fires his TIE Fighter on the Harbinger in rage.  I thought this was awesome and in line with Vader's nasty temper.  Another great moment was the ending when the reader discovers C-3PO was captured.  It's shocking and sudden, packing a nice punch.  A rebel admiral is captured in the beginning and the audience doesn't know his ultimate fate.  However, when his ship strangely appears he is strapped to the front!  It was honestly a bit scary.  Sarge using his lightsaber against Luke was also a great scene.
        In the end I thought it was okay.  Not really memorable, while it had a ton of potential.  It focuses way too much on the Big Three and delivers hardly anything new.  If you like that kinda pulp then read it---If you like special forces then read it---But if you like great stories then don't read it. 

MEC Troopers: My explanation

I doubt anyone on Earth cares about this subject- But I do!  This is my attempt to explain the MEC Trooper.

MEC Troopers are one of those incredibly obscure pieces of SW lore.  They only appeared in Battlefront: Renegade Squadron and Elite Squadron.  As in-game classes their status as a canon organization is automatically dubious.  To add to this MECs have basically no information on them and go unreferenced outside of the Battlefront games.  Of course, I had to attempt an explanation to this mystery.
        Due to the customization system in these games we can't be too sure what their armor looked like.  The only constant in their varying appearance is something rather defining; This being their odd size.  They are noticeably larger than their counterparts.  There has been two different types of oversized Clone Troopers; The first is genetically enhanced troopers.

ARC Troopers were genetically modified humans.  They were noticeably larger and bulkier than the default Fett clone.  This modification was utilized in the Alpha class ARCs and used even more noticeably with the Null class.  However, no clones outside of special forces have been known to be genetically enhanced.  MECs appear to be infantry level so the idea of genetic modification seems unlikely.  With this knowledge it can be assumed MECs belong with the second possibility; Clones wearing exo-suits.

Exo suits have been used by Clones before, most notably the  Deep Space Zero G suit.  However, one particular unit strikes me as very similar to the MEC.  If you haven't guessed it yet, it's the Blaze Trooper.

Blaze Troopers are Clone Troopers wearing heavy exo-suits.  Blaze Troopers have the distinction of carrying large flamethrowers on their right arm.  Flamethrowers, are useless against droids, however, so I assume the weapon can be replaced with something more practical.  Anyway, these troopers are quite large and fight alongside infantry.  If I were to guess, MEC would refer to all mechanically enhanced troopers, Blaze Troopers being one mere variant.

        One fellow on Wookieepedia suggested that 'MEC' could mean 'Mechanically Enhanced Clone'.  I think this fits the idea nicely.  MEC Troopers have the potential to be an important aspect of the GAR.  Of the exo-suit wearing troopers it'd be nice to unite them all under an umbrella term.

Let's Get This Straight: Shadow Troopers

Shadow Troopers are another convoluted piece of Star Wars lore.  Also known as Shadow Stormtroopers and informally referred to as Blackhole Stormtroopers, these soldiers are the premier special forces of the Empire's Military Intelligence.  Let's get into this tricky topic.

Shadow Troopers are a very old concept.  They first appeared in the 1979 comic strip series, Gambler's World.  In this story Shadow Troopers were the personal agents of the mysterious character, Blackhole.  They were rooted deep into the Imperial areas of spycraft and surveillance.  In a few scenes they were rather competent, being some of the few troopers to actually defeat Luke and Leia (Albeit briefly.).  Their blend of special tactics and black armor would set a precedent for later elite units.

Years later a similar unit would appear in Dark Empire.  These troopers were known as Darktroopers and wore identical armor.  Were they the same?  Who's to tell?
        Crimson Empire followed Dark Empire.  Shadow Troopers made a clear appearance in this series.  In the comic a unit of these troopers are the personal guards of the current Emperor.  Despite their relocated position they are functionally identical to the Shadow Troopers of the 70's.  If anything, Crimson Empire shows that Shadow Troopers are no match for a Royal Guard.

You see this was the original interpretation of the Shadow Trooper.  Later sources would say Shadow Troopers were nothing more than the marines from Blackhole's star destroyer, given fancy armor.  I said it would get convoluted; Let's get into that!
        Long after these initial appearances the origin of Shadow Troopers would be called into question.  Behold the Clone Wars-era Shadow Trooper!

Shadow Troopers now originated during the Clone Wars.  This goes against the idea of them being former marines.  Shadow Troopers would go on to survive through the Clone Wars and the following Dark Times, making an appearance in The Force Unleashed.  

        Some people have decided to consider the two interpretations separate entities.  My rebuttal is simple; If they look like Shadow Troopers, if they act like Shadow Troopers, if they share the same spot in the ORBAT, and finally if they have the same name, they're the same freaking thing!  

        I basically explained the out-of-universe history of the group.  Now I'd like to explain what I've gathered on their in-universe history.

         Republic Intelligence was an important asset during the Clone Wars.  Special Forces was an essential part of their organization.  For the majority of the Clone Wars, Intel relied on Covert-Ops Troopers.  These troopers were lower in skill than their counterparts in the Special Operations Brigade.  By the last months of the war Director Armand Isard decided to give Intel SpecForce a rebrand.  This new unit was the iconic Shadow Troopers.
        They specialized in infiltration, espionage and target extraction to name a few.  Shadow Troopers were known for a more delicate touch which set them apart from some of their rival units.  Black was a paint job sometimes used by Republic Commandos.  This was merely a personal modification, and was unsupported by the military (With Commandos having to make do with white jetpacks!).  Shadow Troopers colors were quite official and would go on to be the standard for special forces.  These troopers had a great deal of armor and modifications available to them.

The original Shadow Troopers wore a special variant of the standard armor.  This particular suit was laced with durasteel fibers.  This made their armor much stronger than the regular kit and also gave them a greyish appearance.  Sometime after the beginning of the Rebellion Shadow Troopers received an upgrade.  This new armor was made with a stygian triprismatic polymer, which itself was a harder form of duraplast (The material Clone Commandos were known for using.).  Besides the obvious durability it provided, it also enhanced the trooper's stealth and provided them the infamous black appearance.  This stealth boost was itself aiding the Shadow Troopers most famous gadget, the Cloaking Device.  Indeed they were known for their ability to rapidly turn invisible.  

        Shadow Troopers were Intel agents through-and-through as well as being stormtroopers.  They were known to carry Spyeye Drones with them and had the clearance to divert local spies and security streams to their operation.  Shadow Troopers reported directly to the Director of Intelligence, originally Armand Isard.  They were one of the more mysterious units in Intelligence and were sometimes paired with Inquisitors.  When Isard was removed from his position, a mysterious agent named Blackhole became the Acting Director.  During Blackhole's breif reign the organization was put to great use, nearly capturing Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.  It was during this series of counter-terrorism operations that the troopers earned their nickname, Blackhole Troopers.  

Shadow Troopers survived until the end of the original Empire, at least.  In those last days they served as the personal unit of Sovereign Protector-turned-Emperor, Carnor Jax.  A squad was known to accompany him as personal guards.  Unfortunately all of these troopers and Jax himself were assassinated by rogue Royal Guardsmen, Kir Kanos.  This act crumbled the Empire and, shortly after, the organization ceased to exist.  

Later the Empire would be revived, though it is unknown if Shadow Troopers ever made it into the New Empire.  Black-armored special forces were still the standard, so their legacy lived on, at least.

LITREP: Lando

I had heard good things about Marvel's 'Lando' miniseries and I was bored so I decided to pick it up.

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

So first off the art wasn't that great.  I love the art of Legacy Volume 2, and Lando's art is quite similar, but it lacks the stylish coloring and is generally worse in every way.  The story was pretty good honestly.  I have a buncha nitpicks, but overall it worked rather well.  Lando was Lando, but the book featured several new characters who were decent.  The best character in my opinion was Lobot.  I didn't expect to see him, but he was quite terrific.  The story is rather short, but it succeeds within the time it's given.  

        I'd give it a 7/10; It was mostly good, and while it didn't quite appeal to me I can see why people would like it.

-SPOILER SEGMENT-

Now I get to complain, since most of my complaints are spoilery.  

        So it seems Disney is progressive in so many ways.  However when it comes to Imperials you'd think these characters came from the seventies.  Disney just can't seem to write an Imperial character who isn't a defector or a mustache-twirler.  Alas Timothy Zahn wasn't just ahead of his time- He was ahead of this time too, apparently.  There is a Moff who appears in this comic; Morally interesting Moffs are an endangered species.  Turns out this Moff was just another villainous type.  [sigh]

        Lobot was great.  His original backstory was he was a criminal who was turned into an organic computer as punishment for his crimes.  I honestly prefered this depiction.  His "death" was really quite touching.  It reminded me a lot of Kane Starkiller's sacrifice.  It must be said, however, that the idea of a cybernetic implant that is such a detriment to the user was very stupid.  Who designed that thing?

        Korin was literally just Professor Gryphomarn.  The panther twins offered nothing really.  They turned evil because they look scary, I guess.  You see I've never been a fan of the Dark Side being an external force of corruption.  I've always prefered internal darkness.  Seeing two otherwise good individuals suddenly possessed was jarring and weird.  

        Channath Cha was interesting.  At first she seemed like another boring Boba Fett clone, but the twist where she was Lando's former lover and helped them escape was great and surprising.  What bugged me was that the Emperor would even use a bounty hunter.  Why not use special forces, a Sovereign Protector or a Hand?  Palpatine commanded the entire Empire; There is no reason he would ever need the service of bounty hunters.

Anyway I thought the book was objectively good.  Didn't really appeal to me, but it was still okay.

LITREP: Jedi Search by Kevin J Anderson

-NON SPOILER SEGMENT-

Having just finished the Thrawn Trilogy I had high expectations for Jedi Search.  The trilogy by Timothy Zahn was great in many aspects and set an automatic watermark for future stories.  So, does Jedi Search compare?  I say no, it doesn't.  

       That's not to say it's terrible.  The book is okay.  I'd even say the climax was very good.  Still, that doesn't save the rest of the book.  Throughout the first two thirds I was incredibly bored.  Several plots would go absolutely nowhere while the main plot was stagnant.  The book introduces few new characters; Of them I only really liked one.
        I feel most of the book could have easily been cut out.  It accomplishes little and seems to merely set up more interesting stories.  Would I recommend it?  Eh, I'm split on it.  On one hand, most of the book is tedious.  However the ending kind of payed off for me.  

         Regardless of quality it does seem like important lore.  If you're really interested in progressing through the books like me, it wouldn't hurt to pick this one up.  It's short and has enough fun.  If you're really interested in Luke's Jedi Order then I'd highly recommend it for that reason alone.  

        Anyway, I'd give it a 6.5/10.  Despite procrastination it gets the job done in the end.  It may appeal to some, but might not be so much fun for others.  If you're just a casual fan, this book may seem like a waste of time.  However, if you're like me it will be interesting as it does contain some important plot points in the overall timeline.  

-SPOILER SEGMENT- 

        As I said earlier, many plots go nowhere.  Lando's plot in the beginning ends with nothing, only to be brought back in the end for a relatively pointless scene.  Luke's adventure will have future relevance, but within the book, it has nothing to do with the main story.  He finds two Jedi candidates and then leaves them behind for the rest of the book to join the real story.  Han and Chewie are really the center of the story, though their plot is extremely slow until they escape Kessel.  The diplomatic talks with the Caridans was a dead end, and so on.
        Back to the Caridans, how would assaulting the Chief of State not be an act of war?  The delegation just seems to leave without consequence.  How was Carida independent in the first place?  You'd think a stronghold allying itself with the Empire would be an immediate target.
        I guess it personally bothered me that there were no Imperials besides the Caridans until over halfway through the book.  In Heir To The Empire you meet Thrawn and his fleet immediately.  Part of the reason Jedi Search was so boring was because there was no clear villain for the majority of the book.
        Alas, Natasi Daala, the main villain, was really nothing interesting.  She was the most cliched evil Imperial I've seen in awhile.  You would think that after Thrawn there would be more interesting villains, but Daala was the same boring, authoritarian mustache-twirler we've seen so many times.  Also the idea of Tarkin being in a relationship with a cadet was extremely disturbing to say the least.
        I didn't find Kyp Durron really interesting at all.  I understand he was trained in Jedi powers, but how was he able to fly ships so well?  Even Han was a bit confused by the Sun Crusher's controls, but Kyp somehow handled it fine.  Remember, he lived in the spice mines since he was eight.  I highly doubt an eight year-old would receive pilot training anywhere.
        On a positive note I really liked Qwi Xux.  She was easily my favorite part of the book.  Blue Imperials are the best Imperials, apparently.  Her story was very similar to Finn's in The Force Awakens; I'll compare the two in my next article.
        The Maw was a very cool concept.  I hope to see it in the later books.  I liked how the researchers were lied to about the products they were designing.  It proves that Imperials are often good people who wouldn't just blow up a planet.

        The Sun Crusher was another cool idea.  Endless Imperial WMDs is a bit annoying but at least this one brings something new to the table.  The Sun Crusher does seem to go against the Imperial Military Doctrine; From Tarkin to Palpatine it was all about projecting force.  The Sun Crusher seems more like something Thrawn would commission.  Something to ponder I guess.  

        Moruth Doole was disturbing.  To balance this out he was also an idiot.  A shame he never dies in the book.

        One thing that kind of bugged me was how Lando sent Tymmo back to his imprisonment.  I just kind of expect the heroes to make moral choices, though this one seemed rather cruel to me.  Even worse Lando gets rich from this injustice. 

        Speaking of bugs, the scene in the mines with the spiders was really well-done and terrifying.  Han being able to see all the heated objects but the spiders being cold, and thus invisible was truly smart.  

        Daala's original strategy was a bit dubious; Even the Alliance Core Fleet had more mass.  Still, after losing the Sun Crusher the admiral should have really formed a new plan; Joining forces with the Pentastar Alignment, perhaps.  Regardless, 3 destroyers is absolutely insufficient for a guerilla campaign.

        As I stressed prior the finale was really great.  The heroes escaping with Qwi was really exciting.  The final confrontation above Kessel neatly wrapped things up.  Plus seeing Han and Chewie reunited with everyone else was quite touching.  

Anyway, I thought the book was okay.  Definitely not one of the better books I've read.  I sure hope the next book is more exciting!

Let's Get This Straight: The Open Circle Fleet

The Open Circle Fleet was a fairly simple piece of SW lore, but because of inconsistencies, it doesn't really make sense anymore.  Regardless, I'd like to try to explain it.

        The Open Circle "Fleet" isn't really a fleet at all.  It's technically an Armada.  An Armada comprises 10 to 50 fleets and is under the command of a High General.  The Republic Navy consists of ten Armadas.  Thus the Open Circle Fleet would account for roughly ten percent of the Republic's naval strength.  The OCF was under the command of High General Obi-Wan Kenobi, and formed the spearhead of the Outer Rim Sieges.

 The real continuity issues arose when The Clone Wars rolled in.  In the show it seems as if all Republic vessels belong to the Open Circle Fleet.  As I've explained this can't be the case.  10% means a lot of open circles, but not to the amount portrayed in TCW.  Indeed, following the ORBAT it would be impossible for a High General other than Kenobi to command an Open Circle vessel; In TCW many High Generals prance around with ships from Kenobi's Armada.  This simply isn't accurate and should be written off as a continuity error.

       
The Clone Wars is fairly unreliable as a source and I prefer to focus on older media.

Alas, the Open Circle Fleet or Armada is an interesting topic.  It pays to read the Campaign Guides.