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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Books Journey to The Last Jedi - The Rebel Files by Daniel Wallace (Canon too!)

Discussion in 'Literature' started by AdmiralNick22 , Apr 17, 2017.

  1. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    I also enjoyed Mothma's ongoing dialogue with Pamlo. Of the new R1 senators, she was the only one that wasn't useless. Jittery but as Leia notes in her comments, she had some good ideas about controlling the narrative (which, the Minister of "Education" was all about).

    Vaspar was useless and Jebel is the actual worst. They probably gave him the Finance job because they figured he could do the least harm.


    ....now I'm thinking of the Alliance cabinet as a dysfunctional high school student council.


    Missa ab iPhona mea est.
     
  2. Pfluegermeister

    Pfluegermeister Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2003
    Ah, but then that was the CROWN JEWEL of all news installments; for a great many reasons, but I'll keep thanking you for the complete version of Palpatine's inaugural speech that you wrote (and also for the "notable dates in his life" bit) until Rapture itself happens...
     
  3. Endol

    Endol Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2014
    Between this book and Jason Fry's rebel dossier, do we get a good impression of the rebels and their name up? Do the books sync well together?
     
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  4. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Dan & Jason are pros at referencing each other’s works. The dossier and this book flow very well together! ;)

    —Adm. Nick
     
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  5. Dan Wallace

    Dan Wallace Author: Essential Atlas, Essential Guides, RPG star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 1998

    Jason's Rebel Dossier was a huge help and it was the basis for my "Alliance memo" template & tone of voice.

    There was a weird alphanumeric string in the headers of the Rebel Dossier memos which I carried over into this book. I invented some fuzzy rules for what those numbers meant so that I could use them in a way that didn't look completely random.
     
  6. Dan Wallace

    Dan Wallace Author: Essential Atlas, Essential Guides, RPG star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 1998

    I was told that the UK release would be coming in January from Titan Books, with most stock sold at Forbidden Planet stores or on Forbidden Planet's website.

    You can also order from Amazon US and have them ship internationally, but that might get pricey.
     
  7. JediFett10

    JediFett10 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 8, 2008
    Quoted by Dan Wallace, never in my wildest dreams. Thanks AdmiralNick22 & Dan Wallace for your swift and speedy respnses, really appreciate it!!!
     
  8. Commander_Andersen

    Commander_Andersen Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2004
    If Jerjerrod is a Skull and Bones kinda guy, that must make Tarkin a Bullingdon Club member.

    Interesting news re: Titan Comics and UK distribution. Glad it looks like we won't have to wait six months. I can handle a wait just over Christmas.
     
  9. LelalMekha

    LelalMekha Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2012
    Dan Wallace Do you think you could maybe make some "endnotes" about the book, maybe for publication on the official website? I always love those, and I'm not the only one. :)
     
  10. Dan Wallace

    Dan Wallace Author: Essential Atlas, Essential Guides, RPG star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 1998

    That's a good idea. I used to do them pretty regularly but they always ended up taking 10x more time to put together than I'd anticipated, so best-case scenario I will have to postpone it until after the new year.
     
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  11. LelalMekha

    LelalMekha Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2012
    I'd wait till Easter if I had to. ;-)
     
  12. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006
    Dan Wallace

    I noticed that Alderaanian exiles are using DP20 frigates, thus making them Alderaanian gunships, might I ask where you got that idea from?
     
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  13. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Hey now! Don't you speak ill of Vasp Vaspar and his very vast and verisimilar value.
     
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  14. Dan Wallace

    Dan Wallace Author: Essential Atlas, Essential Guides, RPG star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 1998

    The ROJ ships from Alderaan and Kessel were first mentioned in the 1983 novelization of Return of the Jedi. I think that book also described the Alderaanian vessels as gunships? I don't have my copy handy but I'm pretty sure the DP20 reference was me trying a modern retrofit.
     
  15. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006

    I had a similar idea a few years back considering that Leia was using a Corellian corvette as her personal ship so I figured Alderaanians use Corellian-built ships in their fleet. DP20 gunships seemed the most likely candidate for the "Alderaanian Gunship" designation from ROTJ novelisation.
     
  16. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    I've always viewed Corellian ships as the Ford or Chevy/GMC trucks of the Galaxy. They are everywhere, ubiquitous, and used by multiple entities. I can see the Royal House of Alderaan having a good relationship with the Corellians, plus the sorts of activities that Bail's rebels undertake require fast, unassuming, and easily modifiable vessels. Just the sort that the Corellians are know for building.

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  17. FiveFireRings

    FiveFireRings Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2017
    I love the DP20, probably due to growing up OT and seeing them in Marvel SW instead of the CR90 -- Carmine Infantino was just a weird artist and he seemed to have gotten that concept art confused with the real "blockade runner" from the films. In fact in the pre VHS era, particularly pre-ESB, clear images of the CR90 were really rare and because of Infantino the DP20 was the most common design associated with the term, from '78 to 80. (Then suddenly he started drawing CR90's without the hammerheads, basically the original Falcon design, and then got replaced by artists who could draw ships like they looked in the films.)

    I would have thought them an obvious concept-art nod to have appeared in Rebels (or, slightly less likely, R1) but I guess those ships have pretty much sailed and we won't be seeing them onscreen outside of games...
     
  18. Dan Wallace

    Dan Wallace Author: Essential Atlas, Essential Guides, RPG star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 1998
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  19. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006

    Also with the Hammerhead corvettes named, which one was the unlucky victim of the Battle of Atollon?
     
  20. Grand Admiral Paxis

    Grand Admiral Paxis Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    After a delay between the publisher and the book store, I finally got my copy today and I'm just blown away. This is easily one of the most detailed, comprehensive, and brilliant sourcebooks released since the shift to Canon. Normally, I make a point of listing every reference I come across but there are way too many for me to count without setting aside an entire day for me to find and list them. WEG fans in particular are in for a treat. If anyone has any questions, feel free to pose them to me and I'll do my best to answer them. I cannot recommend enough that you go out and buy this book though, especially once it comes out in the book-only format if you can't justify the current cost. (I usually do that myself. I only managed to get the Deluxe Edition this time around because it was on sale).

    Since I saw people asking about the Mid Rim Retreat earlier, I'll start off by sharing some of the details on that. A lot of planets have been tied into the campaign, being held and subsequently abandoned by the Rebellion, with a lot of them carrying some deep Legends references. Those planets are as follows:
    - Durkteel: the Saurin homeworld. The Saurins are staunch supporters of the Rebellion and have a local resistance. They offer the Rebellion a number of strategic assets, including a BRT supercomputer(!) and the ability to monitor Imperial fleet movements along the Perlemian.
    - Trasse: A Legends reference to a planet in the RTS game Force Commander. In Legends, Trasse was home to an AT-AT factory and testing ground raided by the Rebels in order to steal a walker.
    - Ord Tiddell: Caluan Ematt was serving here when the order to retreat was given. Under Legends, the planet suffered a stone-mite infestation during the Separatist Crisis that left its capital city in ruins.
    - Jeyell: Under Legends, Jeyell was the headquarters of Reiber Manufacturing, a producer of black market assassin droids that was nationalised by the Empire.
    - Pothor: Under Legends, the Pothor system was where then-Commander Ackbar was expected to deliver the first squadron of B-Wings produced by the Shantipole Project, with an expectation that he would be promoted to Admiral after the delivery.
    - Charros: Homeworld of the Xi Charrians and headquarters of Haor Chall Engineering, the makers of Vulture droids amongst other designs.
    - Primtara: While not implicitly mentioned as being part of the Mid Rim Offensive, Primtara is mentioned in an accompanying section and a glance at the Wook tells me that the planet can also be found in the Mid Rim - suggesting it's part of the campaign. Under Legends, Primtara was the site of the Primtara Offensive, during which a SpecForce officer was killed. Rebel Files keeps this backstory and expands on it, with SCAR Squadron being responsible for the killings of SpecForce units assigned to a Rebel base on the planet.

    Again, if you have a question just let me know!
     
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  21. Grand Admiral Paxis

    Grand Admiral Paxis Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I'm not going to lie. I've read this entire book cover-to-cover three times since it arrived on Monday. I'm blown away by how seamlessly it blends Legends and Canon references without it seeming forced, subtly expands on Canon references in the Journey to TLJ,and stakes out new ground on its own. I cannot reiterate swiftly enough how everyone should buy it. Here is just a fragment of the treasure trove that stood out for me:

    - As some may remember, the first Annual of Star Wars Marvel featured the Emperor blowing up Nadea Tural and a bunch of Rebel senators at the Arrth-Eno Prison Complex on Coruscant. Other Senators killed in the trap now include Shea Sadashassa of Herdessa, Tanner Cadaman of Feenix, and Ivor Drake of Kestos Minor. They were all Rebel-sympathetic but blindsided by the sudden dissolution of the Imperial Senate, leading to their arrests. Leia was personal friends with all of them and - after the destruction of Alderaan - hoped she could save them because she couldn't save her homeworld. Losing Alderaan and her closest colleagues/friends was an emotional double whammy which she felt responsible for.
    - As some may remember, those aforementioned Senators were amongst the 63 mentioned under Legends as being detained after the rise of the New Order for signing the Petition of 2,000. An earlier segment of that book reproduces the original HoloNet article from Insider and adds the names of Senators Fang Zar of Sern Prime and Senator Streamdrinker of Tynna. Note that my previous comment, referencing a segment later in the book, doesn't mention Zar (confirmed dead in Legends) and Streamdrinker (the only alien. The others were all Human), presumably inferring that they were dead by Arrth-Eno. Since the original Insider article mentions a bunch of alien Senators, it could be assumed from a One Canon perspective that the non-Human Senators were less lucky than their Human counterparts - hinting at the Humanocentric bias of the Empire, even in its early stage. Mon and Bail were both detained back then as well, but were released soon after pronouncing their loyalty to the Emperor. Mon would later admit part of her motivation in forming and leading the Rebellion was driven by the guilt she felt in selling out in that moment (if you can really call it that, considering that she would have been executed if she didn't.)
    - U-Wings were used as troop transports at Mantooine; gunships at the Tocan system extraction; medevac lifters during the retreat from Gaulus; and VIP escorts between Mon Cala and Telaris. With the exception of the latter, all are references to early battles mentioned in WEG's Rebel Alliance Sourcebook and the Imperial Sourcebook.
    - Rumoured early Imperial superweapons include Torpedo Spheres based on intercepted communiques from Loronar, Asteroid Dreadnoughts clearly inspired by the Eye of Palpatine which came to the attention of the Rebellion from a notoriously unreliable asset based at Patriim; and Omega Frost, "the infamous interstellar freeze ray," which Rogue One's Colonel Delto dismisses out-of-hand as deliberate Imperial misinformation. The mass shadow generator from KOTOR is also mentioned as something the Empire might be researching and is described as "One of history's tall tales?"
    - An early map of the Rebellion is clearly based on a similar map in the Imperial Handbook. Early Rebel sector/regional HQs include Talay, Golrath, Vergesso, Polis Massa, Tomark, Brigia, Turkana, Fest/Mantooine, Generis, Edan II, and Dantooine. Starfighter hubs of Level 5 or higher include Tierfon, Homon, and Farstey. Planetary allies and safe worlds include Alderaan, Ralltiir, Sanctuary, Kashyyyk, New Plympto, Sullust, Ord Pardron, Chandrila, Mon Cala, and Isis (known in Uprising as Gutretee, due to what I can only assume are *ahem* reservations about referencing a planet which didn't have certain politically loaded connotations when it was first named). Shadow planets and deep space caches include the Reegian system and D'Qar. A handwritten message from Leia mentions that she was certain D'Qar had more importance back then, only for Ematt to guarantee that it was built up later on in the GCW along with Mirrin Prime from Before the Awakening - he knows because he personally scouted them both.

    And those tidbits are just from the first chapter and the earliest sliver of the second. I really cannot understate how jampacked this sourcebook is.
     
  22. masterskywalker

    masterskywalker Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2001
    KOTOR, the gift that keeps on giving. ;)
     
  23. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    I'd say the map of Rebel bases, caches, and allied worlds is one of my favorite things ever. It was brilliant and included all the worlds you'd want/expect, plus had some fun little nods. I was over the moon with the Ord Pardron reference. That world has fascinated me since The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook. It is a regional power and was home to an NR sector fleet in Legends, I like that it was an early supporter of the Alliance in the new canon too.

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  24. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Does Mirrin have a location?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  25. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003

    Nope, Mirrin Prime wasn't placed on a map. I'm not sure if Jason or Dan has tried placing it yet, to me it sounded like a world perfectly suited to be located in the Northern Dependencies. Adjacent to the Trans-Hydian Borderlands and the New Territories. As I mentioned before, the New Territories seems to be the perfect place for the First Order's actual holdings in the Known Galaxy, plus we know that the Trans-Hydian Borderlands are neutral territory.

    --Adm. Nick