Jedi Council Forums - "Star Wars: Dark Empire"

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Author	Topic: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
SLAVE2 Registered: Apr '00	Date Posted: 3/27/05 4:45am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	Dark Empire was one of the first pieces of EU I read and I hated it. Emperor brought back Fett brought back Luke going to the Darkside?! Its probably the reason I could never accept EU as canon -----signature----- Episode I: 10/10 Amazing! \| Episode II: 10/10 Outstanding! Episode III: 10/10 Unbelievable! \| Episode IV: 10/10 Incredible! Episode V: 10/10 Brilliant! \| Episode VI: 10/10 Fantastic!
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Sinrebirth Title: Sith Emperor of the SWC Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 3/27/05 8:19am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	Dark Empire was the first graphic novel i got, and I loved it. Dark Empire II I didnt enjoy as much, and Empires End I hated, considering it took me years to find and i only have the first half. I just didnt understand why they couldnt end it at DE. Most EU doesnt even refer to the events of DE II and EE - Kam Solosars past mentioned in a novel? Nope. And Jem? Lukes love? a simple mention? None at all. Even the girl on Fondor gets a mention.... Only recently, in Crimson Empire and the Jedi Knight : Jedi Acadamy game did we get a reference - visiting the destroyed Byss system. Which was one of the highlights for me. I'd give DE 8/10. DE II 5/10 and EE (the half I have) 2/10 -----signature----- Darth Insipid Proud Fan of the Tragedy of Jacen Solo Missing Chapters of Invincible; Teaser of Chapter 9.5 is up! Wes vs Tarfang, Gavin and the Coup, Luke and Jacen, and much more! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28933751/p3/?70
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The2ndQuest Title: Manager: -Literature -LACWAC -Games Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 3/27/05 8:44am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	>>As far as the writing goes... How it never occurred to the people involved that they were completely destroying the end of ROTJ (even before the prequels came along) is pretty mind-boggling. -----signature----- Choose what I play next! http://boards.theforce.net/games_videogames/b10005/30588422/ K'Kruhk, 140 ABY:"Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
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Sinrebirth Title: Sith Emperor of the SWC Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 3/27/05 8:50am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	You have a point Quest. Vader killing Palpy in ROTJ completely devastates Palpy and the Empire. IMO it had no chance of recovery, exept under Thrawn. So in reality Anakin does fufill his prophecy. -----signature----- Darth Insipid Proud Fan of the Tragedy of Jacen Solo Missing Chapters of Invincible; Teaser of Chapter 9.5 is up! Wes vs Tarfang, Gavin and the Coup, Luke and Jacen, and much more! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28933751/p3/?70
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GRAND_MOFF_KEVIN Registered: Jul '04	Date Posted: 3/27/05 9:19am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	DE was excellent. DE2 and EE were not even in the same ballpark. -----signature----- Let's Go Flyers! "Kevin is now the offcial jedi draft trend setter and can type in bold in all his posts" Emperor Windu "Yall our ****es, don't mess with this Yo, we bring it to you with a hip-hop twist" ~Member of Run TF.N*~
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Ris_jSarek Registered: Feb '05	Date Posted: 3/27/05 2:55pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	The2ndQuest: And, thanks to Zahn's stubborness, it got shifted further down the timeline than the original plan, which makes it work better as a story, IMO, than had it happened just after Endor. How do you figure it makes a better story? I think it would have fit much better right after Endor than years later. There wouldn't have to be any lightning Imperial strike to take Coruscant, no need for Palpatine to spend so long recuperating, no need for Fett to go uncharacteristically low profile for so long, no need to explain why the Imperials could be fooled by Star Destroyers in New Republic hands, no need to explain how the Empire found so many forces when just months before it was such a shadow of its former self. The story seems tailor-made to go after Endor, and feels kludged putting it so much further down the timeline. -----signature----- http://churchofbrad.com/jsarek/ Proud recipient of Halagad_Ventor's MOO (Master of Obscurity) Award, Brett_Bass's Spiffy Crown™, and Thrawn McEwok's "Ohh...? Interesting..." Award™
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Leto II Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 3/27/05 3:12pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review - Date Edited: 3/27/05 3:14pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Leto II
	Which mostly fell to Michael Allen Horne to put to rights, when he was scenarizing the Dark Empire Sourcebook. I've always maintained that this book should be the looked at as the quintessential "fourth" DE work, seeing as how it's about the ONLY official Star Wars source to address exactly those very issues, and (IMO) has not been surpassed since. The Emperor's movement against Coruscant? Check. The whereabouts of the captured New Republic Star Destroyers during Bilbringi and beforehand? Check. Why Thrawn's fleets were far smaller than they could (and should) have been? Check. Sate Pestage's presence on Byss during that time? Uhm...half-check. It's all in there, under one cover, and fixes MANY a problem in the original Dark Empire's narrative. (In fact, I take back part of what I posted in another thread, about not revising older works -- this is the one story that would benefit from a substantial, soup-to-nuts expository revamp.) -----signature----- 1123.6536.5321....JUMP.
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Excellence Registered: Jul '02	Date Posted: 3/27/05 3:50pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	Leave it to a Michael to get things right. -----signature----- Rock-a-by baby, on the treetop, Beaming with pride, the filth they hold, But when the wind blows, my temper implodes, High above a pit, filled with sharkticons, Down will come hardcover addicts, beaming no more. ©
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ClonedEmperor Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 3/27/05 4:54pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review - Date Edited: 3/27/05 5:04pm (2 edits total) Edited By: ClonedEmperor
	just as his re-emergence seems to invalidate Darth Vader's sacrifice at the end of Return of the Jedi. Like it or not, Anakin was the Chosen One in no way did it negate vaders sacrifice. he had no idea the emperor would put his spirit into a clone and live again. just because it didnt have the effects that most people think it did doesnt mean it doesnt matter. and to finish it up we dont even know the whole "Chosen One' prophecy, or what "balance to the force" means. read when luke thinks about yodas talks on dagobah in "Survivors Quest". It pretty well explains it and it doesnt mean the destruction of the sith -----signature----- CloneMaster of the Church of Waru Grand Admiral of the Hoojibs
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Charlemagne19 Registered: Jul '00	Date Posted: 3/27/05 5:14pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	Plus the idea that the Sith ressurected him has a suitable "Anti-Christ" like metaphor. Also, really, Dark Empire is so popular probably because its got the Empire as such freaking bastards (pardon my language). There's few works where the Empire is genuinely terrifying.
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Ashandarei Registered: Oct '04	Date Posted: 3/27/05 8:43pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	Well, because most of the other works have the Empire being led by people who we haven't seen. But when Palps is back at the reins, readers all remember how scary and evil he was, and so half the work is already done. -----signature----- What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.
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Xellos Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 3/27/05 9:43pm Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review - Date Edited: 3/27/05 9:45pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Xellos
	Honestly, the Sith have always been the most effective bad guys, at least in my book. They're scary and powerful and EVIL. I mean, Palpatine was a great villain. It was his presence (and Vader's) that made the Empire so sinister. For example, when Thrawn came back, was he really that evil? He was cool, but there were moments when I sat there thinking "Y'know, honestly, this guy wouldn't be so bad if he was in charge". But Palpatine, when he's back in charge, makes the Empire terrifying again. That's why I enjoyed Dark Empire - I didn't like a lot of the plot choices (especially in terms of Luke's dark side jaunt), and I wasn't real happy about the invalidating of Anakin's sacrifice, but at the end of the day... it was Palpatine being a badass, and I forgave them for the rest. Besides, come on. Force storms. How cool was that? (and yeah, I guess I'm referring to both DE 1 and 2 here, but I consider them a unit) -----signature----- Wedge: Sithspit! What's that? Janson: That's the sun, Wedge. It's after dawn. Wedge: Well, it offends me. Turn it off. Janson: It's a hundred-thirty, hundred-forty million klicks from here. Wedge: Go up in your X-Wing and shoot it down for me.
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Maximillian-Veers Registered: Apr '05	Date Posted: 4/27/05 10:21am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	I'm probably going to be blacklisted right here for saying it, but Dark Empire is my favorite EU story. First of all, I want to advance my theory that simply killing ANYONE, even Palpatine is not a way to bring balance to The Force. It is not that he kills Palpatine but that he saves Luke that makes Anakin Skywalker restore balance to the force. The Force is similar to eastern religious principles of yin & yang, and when the Jedi defeat the Sith at the Battle of Ruusan, the Light Side becomes dominant. This causes the inevitable backlash of a Sith resurgance. By saving Luke's life, Anakin Skywalker allows the "Return of the Jedi", and with both Light & Dark on equal footing, the balance of the force is restored. Frankly, with few exceptions, such as Thrawn and Carnor Jax (suprise suprise, another comic character) There are very few Imperial leaders who inspire any kind of fear, or in fact even threaten the New Republic at all. If Palpatine is an old, frail man who can just get chucked over a railing, how in the hell could he survive ruling an entire galaxy with an iron fist? The way Emperor Palpatine taunts Luke to kill him without fear on the Death Star II prompts me to believe he had a plan in case of his death. Likewise, Palpatine, as a Sith, and seeking to recreate the Galaxy in the image of the Sith, is building the Empire up in steps towards his ultimate goal. I. - He creates a civil war in the Old Republic, stretching the Jedi Order to protect their charges. II. - He eliminates trust in the Jedi, letting the Galaxy know that they cannot be relied on to protect the people of the Old Republic III. - He eliminated the Jedi and replaces them with something the people trust to keep them safe, the Imperial Army, Navy, Stormtroopers IV. - He creates a stratified society that drives its members to compete and fight to reach the top, using the Imperial Military and COMPNOR to encourage the citizens of the Empire to battle one another to obtain these prestigious positions. Notice how the Emperor continually creates grander and grander positions, further seperating society into those who serve and those who rule. V. - By feigning his death, his subordinates fall upon each other, weeding out the weak and the disloyal. VI. - The survivors of the period between ROTJ and DE are driven and powerful, but also fanatically loyal. They see no qualms in a society that openly harbors Dark Jedi, as any method used to gain an advantage over others has become acceptable. In addition, without Luke's turn to the Dark Side, he would never have developed the clarity of purpose he displays later on in the novels. It is his understanding of what the Dark Side is and its constant temptation that steels him to the task of recreating the Jedi Knights. While I freely admit that Empire's End and Dark Empire II leave something to be desired in their characterization of established personalities and their lack of detail, I feel they are vital to the continuity of the EU. -----signature----- Like it or not, Emperor Palpatine's resurrection is canon. All Hail Palpatine the Undying, we will find a surviving clone and he shall reign forever. "The shield will be down in moments, you may start your landing...."
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Jade40291 Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 4/27/05 10:42am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	As a story arc or idea, Dark Empire started well and showed much promise. In fact, in reading the first issue (I read them as parts 1-6) I really enjoyed the direction. However, by the end I was disappointed. I agree that the meeting of Leia and Vima was un-necessary and served only as a commercial for Tales of the Jedi (which was released shortly after DE). I agree the characters were handled badly and the art was sub-par. Having said all that, let me explain why I'm a fan of Dark Empire. At the time it came out there was precious little in the way of EU stories and I soaked up every bit I could...also, the idea that Luke would fall to the dark and be saved by his sister who was now a jedi herself, and carrying the future of the order...that is still a very compelling story and idea. I liked it alot, and for that reason I can forgive most of the bad things or continuity errors that are part of Dark Empire. I see it as a continuation of the story, nothing more and nothing less, I don't hold it as canon, nor do I allow it to disrupt my enjoyment of the other, more deserving parts of Star Wars EU. In fact, I recommend that all hard core fans read it at least once...just because its referenced in so many other works.
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The2ndQuest Title: Manager: -Literature -LACWAC -Games Registered: Jan '00	Date Posted: 4/27/05 11:18am Subject: RE: "Star Wars: Dark Empire" - A Review
	>>I agree that the meeting of Leia and Vima was un-necessary and served only as a commercial for Tales of the Jedi (which was released shortly after DE). -----signature----- Choose what I play next! http://boards.theforce.net/games_videogames/b10005/30588422/ K'Kruhk, 140 ABY:"Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker? Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
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