Author Topic: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
CooperTFN  4578 posts
Title: TF.n EU Staff Emeritus
Registered: Jul '99
6518_Tycho Celchu
Date Posted: 10/31/05 8:46pm Subject: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
Back when that 20 Most Memorable EU Moments article came out in Insider, it was accompanied by an invitation to share our own moments. Having more than enough to go around, I finally wrote up my own Top 20 and posted it in my spiffy new blog on Starwars.com. And let me just say; when you write a 4,700-word article in two days, you feel an overwhelming urge to shove it in front of people, so here we go:

http://blogs.starwars.com/coopertfn/2

Read. Discuss. Shower praise. All that stuff.

 

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Mike Cooper's Star Wars Blog
http://blogs.starwars.com/coopertfn
"Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude!"
"NAKED TWI'LEK WITH LIGHTSABER = MONEY" - Ris_jSarek
"I bid you all Dark Greetings!"
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sidious618  11601 posts
Registered: Apr '03
8059_Qui-Gon Jinn
Date Posted: 10/31/05 9:21pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
Very odd choices which made it a great read. Nice job!

 

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Kudzu  6437 posts
Registered: Jun '05
18640_Clone Trooper
Date Posted: 10/31/05 9:56pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
Very interesting selections. Gotta say; I agree with #1 entirely. That whole scene was absolutely the greatest few pages of literature that I am likely to ever end up reading.

 

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It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war.
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Excellence  24488 posts
Registered: Jul '02
6338_New Republic Seal
Date Posted: 10/31/05 9:58pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments - Date Edited: 10/31/05 10:02pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Excellence

Oh, whoopy boo. I've collated, formulated and typed reports 5000 average words per week when Xim was a despot boy. Only way to certify distinction-class scores. A hefty 25-pager. Might be I used 14 font. And if you're reading this Mr O'Keefe and that's why you penalised me three points from a hundred might be you stick my font right up your---

hugs

 

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Rock-a-by baby, on the treetop,
Beaming with pride, the filth they hold,
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Down will come hardcover addicts, beaming no more. ©
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CooperTFN  4578 posts
Title: TF.n EU Staff Emeritus
Registered: Jul '99
6518_Tycho Celchu
Date Posted: 10/31/05 10:09pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
Yeah, but, see, I try to write sentences that make sense. tongue

 

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Mike Cooper's Star Wars Blog
http://blogs.starwars.com/coopertfn
"Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude!"
"NAKED TWI'LEK WITH LIGHTSABER = MONEY" - Ris_jSarek
"I bid you all Dark Greetings!"
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Charlemagne19  26812 posts
Registered: Jul '00
6408_Jedi Outcast
Date Posted: 10/31/05 10:26pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments - Date Edited: 10/31/05 11:28pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Charlemagne19
Want to read mine Cooper?

I liked yours. Very good moment choices all around.

What 20 moments of Star Wars EU that stayed with you forever?

20. Thrawn's Sculpture (Heir to the Empire)

This moment is one that I always remember from the Thrawn Trilogy. It's the moment that suddenly you're stopped dead cold. While there was the fatal mistake of trying to white wash him later, this moment gets me every time (the poisoning of Honghor just struck me as stupid since they were so honorable). Thrawn has acted largely with the grace and decorum of an officer and a gentlemen to this point. You can forgive him kidnapping a pregnant woman, you can forgive him waging a pointless war for a dead country, and you can respect his executing an inferior officer in a way that only Vader strangling Motti comes close to be justifiable. Then, there's the sculpture where Thrawn causally talks about an act of genocide. He expresses no regret save in his hanging it there as a reminder of his failure, not to killing them, but having failed to win. It's when you realize Thrawn is iredeemably evil and he has to be stopped.

19. Yssane Isard's conversation with Corran Horn

This is an odd choice for it but honestly, I can't help but think of where Yssane Isard tried to talk to Corran Horn about her love for Palpatine. Corran causally dismisses her, smug in his superiority but we saw the nightmare that was the life of Vader. We saw the life that gave rise to Boba Fett. It made me wonder if Yssane Isard and Palpatine might have had a life to before their hearts became so consumed with hatred. The likelihood of either capable of true and selfless love seems infintissmal but....maybe it wasn't the case.

18. Corran Horn in over his head (I, Jedi)

The odd humor of Star Wars is NEVER gotten right in the EU...arguably the Prequels too. However, this one moment summed it up. Corran Horn using his Jedi sticke and then a huge number of lightsabers igniting against him. The fact that Luke Skywalker, the person he derided for the entirety of the novel, comes and rescues him is only icing on the cake.

17. Jango Fett and his son fishing (The Fight to Survive)

It's so ridiculous a moment but fits in with a fundamental theme of Star Wars in the humanity of the villains despite the initial appearences. There is no question that Jango Fett commits depraved and horrible acts against innocent people (Padme Amidala is so innocent that she may need a new category for victimhood) yet is recognizably human despite it. Many villains have failed to follow this mold but it was a nice reminder here.

16. The death of Prince Xizor (Shadows of the Empire)

I couldn't say why this moment tickles me but it does. The summaryness of it is something that just makes me happy. I like Prince Xizor but his death is done without fanfire and without reprocussions at the hands of Vader. Despite being the third most powerful man in the galaxy, Vader causally snuffs him for being an irritant to him. It's like a longer played scene of Motti andthe force choke.

Nothing avails a person against the Force.

15. Malak's dying words... (Knights of the Old Republic)

"Still . . . still spouting the wisdom of the Jedi, I see. Maybe there is more truth in their code than I ever believed. I . . . I cannot help but wonder, Revan. What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate had decreed I would be captured by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light, as you did? If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?"

"I wanted to be Master of the Sith and ruler of the galaxy. But that destiny was not mine, Revan. It might have been yours, perhaps . . . but never mine. And in the end, as the darkness takes me, I am nothing."


Another one note villain makes a major reversal of importance. Even though Malak is cruel, wicked, spiteful, and a right barve the entire storyline....his final words suddenly turn the tables and basically ask whether the "heroism" of the character the player has followed is merely a matter of circumstance.

14. Ulic's Murder of Warb Null (Tales of the Jedi audio drama)

The fundamentally human first step down the Dark Side path, killing a helpless enemy. In this case, the helpless enemy has just badly wounded your brother.

13. The passage of Ulic Qel Droma into the Force

Simple, The Force is about the heart not the ability.

12. The revelation of Atton Rand's past

I hated Atton yet, the atrocities committed by the character are in the past which is something that we rarely get to see in Star Wars. A character who has genuinely put his evil behind him and gone on to do good things with his life (questionably).

11. Anakin defeats Ventress effortlessly (Republic)

Nothing really spoke the EU's relationship to the movies to me like Anakin's final confrontation with Ventress (barring their starfighter skirmish) where Asajj found out Padme was his lover. Asajj intended to threaten Anakin with this and simply put, there is a moment visible on Anakin's face where it all becomes clear to him. Not that she has to die or fear but that Asajj wasn't even in his weight class. It wasn't Anakin vs. Asajj but Darth Vader reaching back into the pass and causally showing her the true Sith. The choice for such an easy victory was an excellent one that reminds us that not every great struggle needs to be hard fought.

"Goodbye Ventress"

If only it had been her final death.

10. Nomi Sunrider picking up her husband's lightsaber to defend her child (Tales of the jedi)

This moment is unique for me because it's such a moment that I can't really say there's anything like it in the EU. The moment of absolute loss mixed with the transfer of power along with the changing of destiny mixed all into one. A woman protecting her child with neither bravado or a thought to the cinematicness and yet somehow so perfectly cinematic.

9. The Battle followed by the Decapitation of Shimmra (The Unifying Force)

Yomin Carr's fight with Mara is one of my favorite fights since I could actually "follow" the action rather than just skip over it but the decapitation of Shimmra remains my favorite action sequence. It's a moment where Shimmra and Luke face down and it seems to be almost like they are equals. It's a titanic battle that we rarely get with Luke who usually holds back and it's up to someone like Mara or Tahari to deliver the killing blow. Here, Luke's decapitation is a hard won but glorious victory.

8. Qui Gon goes to pieces after Tahl dies (Jedi Apprentice)

I love Obi Wan and Siri but it's sad that people don't think Qui Gon and Tahl are one of the great EU romances. It's fascinating to see an EU character utterly break down in the death of a loved one but doesn't feel forced like Han Solo did with Chewbacca. It's also one of the better EU deaths in my opinion because it happens in a hospital over time rather than simply happens 'cinematically.'

7. The Clerks Conversation (Clerks)

Okay, it's not technically EU but it's still a great moment honestly that summarizes more than fandom. It's a moment where three people of full adulthood, jobs, varying maturity....come down to essentially talk about something as fairly complex as whether or not civilian labor working for a government is a viable target for terrorists and it's done through the lens of Star Wars. It proves to me the importance of storytelling and why these stories are nothing remotely resembling "for kids" because they allow issues otherwise unapproachable to be.

6. Kir Kanos and Canor Jax square off (Crimson Empire)

It should be noted, I don't like Crimson Empire. I think it's basically a glorified hack and slash fest across a bunch of Imperials by a character that has no reason to be able to do the things he does without the Force (before the Royal Guard had the Force). I also find the idea of a Royal Guardsmen (before Lumiya was involved) killing Palpatine to be an insult to the Emperor even if it makes sense to explain his degeneration so quickly. However, the image where the dust parts and its the Squall is over both men is....iconic. It actually raises Canor Jax from costume and schemer to a genuine villain that's worthy as a rogue of Star Wars since it makes him a reflection of the protagionist in every way that matters. It comes down to it....all the Galactic Conflicts are in the end...about people.

5. Anakin kills Krayn (Jedi Quest)

One of the most simple and yet effective moments in chronicling Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. It's one of the one's that is not over the top or heavy handed but it is the first step that is also a reasonable one. Anakin executes a man, twice his size, armed, and who unquestionably (by most standards) deserves to die. It's at that moment we see the future strength of Darth Vader as Anakin uses these factors to justify it as self-defense even as there's no question he could have taken him alive. The first 'real' problem with Obi Wan and Anakin emerges here as Anakin chooses to make being a Jedi about retribution against the wicked.

4. Luke's explanation of the Dark Side (The Unifying Force)

The simple explanation of Luke Skywalker to Jacen Solo about the "mystery" of the Force gets me every time. Even if Luke is right or wrong, it doesn't matter because the essence is so powerful. Luke's statement is that the Dark Side is evil. That's it. Not emotions, not negative emotions, not the collected sum of all negativity in the universe. He just says that it's not a mystery at all but something simple. A black and white worldview that takes us back full circle to the start of the New Jedi Order's 'changes.'

3. . Anakin Skywalker's "Yes" if asked if he'd kill the Tuskens again (Republic)

Lucas never successfully conveyed the outrage and torment that Anakin Skywalker went through regarding the Tuskens, he didn't have the time. Anakin committed a crime of passion and one that could very easily be chalked up to temporary insanity. It's here though that Anakin's fundamental dilemna is exposed for the raw wound it is though. Anakin cannot repent of his sins without feeling that he's betrayed his mother's memory. His own hatred for what they did is not lessoned by Padme's influence and while he's remorseful....he is still tormented by his anger. This is one of the few times we realize that such a simple thing as Anakin doesn't "let go" is so devastating

2. Luke, Leia, and Anakin Solo destroy the Emperor (Dark Empire)

Dark Empire II I've always felt was unnecessary to the perfection of Dark Empire 1. The moment when Luke, Leia, and Anakin Solo team up to essentially use LOVE to destroy the Emperor is a favorite moment because you realize the Emperor is broken at this point. He can attack or return from the dead all he wants but the Skywalker family will be there to stop him for the rest of time. The Emperor only has his own evil to (literally) consume him while they have family to catch them when they fall.

1. Consider Anakin Skywalker (Revenge of the Sith)

Anakin Skywalker's final writing in the novelization of Revenge of the Sith is simply the best EU yet. Many find it overwrought because it takes the fanfic like approach of flat out stating their feelings rather than showing them. However, Stover's choice here is perfect because it perfectly sums up Vader in a way that no amount of subtle hints could ever do. It's a beautiful piece of work "This is what Darth Vader feels like, forever" that you realize he has personally made his own Hell and that his power is nothing.

And something non canon...

A. A moment in fanfic

It's not canon EU but it's a moment that ironically still stays with me. The stories long since gone but I wanted to write a one page vignette that humanized Palpatine. I may yet incorporate it for another of my own novels. It was a confrontation with Yoda and the Emperor where Yoda basically brings the Emperor into a Force Vision. It went into a lot of detail about a fictional background but the best moment was simply where Palpatine stood amongst the corpses of his victims and the planetary system they created as he...for a moment...contemplated the immensity of what the throne had cost others.

 

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Excellence  24488 posts
Registered: Jul '02
6338_New Republic Seal
Date Posted: 10/31/05 10:28pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments

If I was forced to count those flag stars as a pre-schooler prerequisite an Immortality D-Package might be just the awareness modifier I need. wink

 

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Rock-a-by baby, on the treetop,
Beaming with pride, the filth they hold,
But when the wind blows, my temper implodes,
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Down will come hardcover addicts, beaming no more. ©
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Kudzu  6437 posts
Registered: Jun '05
18640_Clone Trooper
Date Posted: 11/1/05 12:03am Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments - Date Edited: 11/1/05 12:07am (1 edits total) Edited By: Kudzu
20. Darman Trains Etain in Fencing, Republic Commando: Hard Contact

I'm a clone trooper fanatic, for certain...they're the principal characters of most of my fanfictions, I internally philosophize about them whenever I'm in a philosophical/bored mood, and I just enjoy anything with clone troopers in it that does them sufficient justice. On the front of doing them sufficient justice, I think it's safe to say that Ms. Karen Traviss deserves the Star Wars literary equivalent of an Olympic gold metal. Maybe a Golden Mandalorian or something, but then I start sounding like a cheap knockoff version of the rightfully inimitable Thrawn McEwok.

I digress, of course. Darman was a fantastic clone character, as were Niner, Atin, and Fi. Darman's interactions with the Jedi Padawan Etain Tur-Mukan were particularly endearing, and Karen Traviss does such a fine job of portraying the hesistancy and awkwardness of a character who has never interacted socially with anyone but military stiffs like himself, cranky intelligence experts, smartmouth enlisted officers, a father-figure training sergeant with not many social skills to boot himself, and frigid-mannered Kaminoan cloning technicians, and in showing the unfamiliarity with real life that a character only ten years old chronologically and raised since birth as a born-and-bred soldier along with millions of others who looked just like him in a recluse facility on a far-flung world would show. Etain, by contrast, has self-esteem issues, is suffering the loss of her father figure and Master, and has been put through more than she ever imagined that she'd experience in the last few days alone. The characters' contrasting personalities and resulting interaction is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.

19. Operation Emperor's Spear, Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand

This kicks down the door of memorable instances in Star Wars Expanded Universe history. It's a Super Star Destroyer - remember that big, evil-looking ship that Darth Vader was on in those old movies? - being piloted by a single man straight into a giant, fugly organic worldship filled with the most despicable, horrific, murderous, callous, vile, and cruel villains since "those old movies", with Jabba "Eats Live Animals and Drops Dancing Girls Into Monster Pits for Entertainment" the Hutt, Darth "Strangles People Who Piss Me Off" Vader, and Emperor "Opens Up a Can of Whoopin' On Brave Jedi Heroes When They Least Expect It" Palpatine.

That's beyond freakin' cool. That's classic. And I loved every moment of it. I very nearly cheered aloud; in fact, I might have. I don't remember for sure.

18. Obi-Wan Leaves the Jedi, Jedi Apprentice #5: The Defenders of the Dead

Yes, I know these are classified as "young readers" books. Yes, I know they are at best a third the length of a standard Star Wars novel. But they deal with stuff that seems way, way, way too deep to be restricted to "young readers". I mean, stuff like kids and parents fighting each other, children being blown up, people being blinded while tortured in prison, nerve-destroying drugs wasting away gentle and kind people to the point of death, aristocratic young women betraying their father and uncle and friend to seek their own glory, villains kidnapping children and threatening to drown them, young teenagers fighting a duel that results in one of them's accidental death, unscrupulous corporations kidnapping and enslaving innocent youths, and people dissolving themselves in corrosive acid.

Oh yeah, and one of Star Wars' most iconic and most beloved characters renouncing the life that first put his character into the public conscience. That's what this memorable moment is all about. It struck a deep note within me, that Obi-Wan Kenobi could turn his back on the ways of the Jedi that I first saw him so patiently teach to young Luke Skywalker in A New Hope and betray his Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, by leaving him to fight for a doomed cause. The plight of the Young affected me, and I found myself in the shoes of a thirteen-year-old boy named Obi-Wan Kenobi, torn between an allegiance to the stiff-necked, methodical Jedi and a deep sympathy for an inspired, pacifistic movement that without him would surely fail and wondered if I would make the right decision if I were Obi-Wan Kenobi, age 13, location Melida/Daan. It was also a shocking moment. I don't know about you, dear reader, but I didn't see that one coming.

17. Ganner's Last Stand, Traitor

Gandalf, Gandalf, Gandalf. Ganner even sounds a bit like Gandalf. Ganner, Gandalf. Gandalf, Ganner.

The comparison is so apt because of this little memorable moment of the Expanded Universe. Ganner Rhysode, previously proven to be an arrogant jerk, a disrespectful punk, a rogue rebel-without-a-cause waiting to happen, and just generally an obnoxious, stupid, self-important prick, agonizes (literally) over a situation he can't comprehend as anything but absolutely impossible before suddenly, click-bang-done, finding his inner balance and realizing that he doesn't have to be an arrogant jerk or a disrespectful punk or a rogue rebel-without-a-cause waiting to happen or an obnoxious, stupid, self-important prick. He can be a hero, too: and so he stands up tall, ignites his lightsaber, and proceeds to give the most awesome and most overtly Lord of the Rings-inspired battle taunt in all of Star Wars history before carving a bunch of detestable, ugly, vile scarhead bad-guys into Yuuzhannuggets. I guess that'll be appearing on the McEwok's Value Meal now, which would like to remind you that it serves over 10 trillion customers from all reaches of the galaxy daily.

16. The Jedi Reconvene on Zonama Sekot, The Unifying Force

Short but sweet, and a major impact. Although the entire last part of this book was like a major bittersweet-fest, this is one of two parts of it that really stands out to me. It's the New Jedi Order, observed in prior books to be a ridiculous, squabbling, completely worthless institution on par with the New Republic Senate, the American Congress, or the United Nations for sheer dysfunctionality in which only about five people are intelligent enough to not make total morons of themselves out of the entire audience of the New Jedi Order book series, coming together, speaking the same creed together, drawing swords together, and making a pledge to the future together: all without bickering about the pansy "nature of the Force" or whether it's OK to kill the people who are trying to tear apart their civilization, rip it to shreds, and cast it into eternal hellfire for it to forever burn and wither away into the curling ashes of nothingness. I should write gothic poetry.

This was just a great moment. Having Leia join the circle and Han speak along with the Jedi when they declared as one, "May the Force be with us!" made it extraordinary, special, powerful, and bittersweet. That combo's pretty darn effective when used correctly.

15. Senator Palpatine Finds Lorn Pavan, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter

Guilty admission on this scene. I simultaneously laughed and cringed. I guess you fancy English-types would call that a linge or a craugh. Having Palpatine show his first seen glimmers of evil was lovely. Poor Lorn. I did like him, you know.

14. YVH 1-1A and Lando Calrissian Taunt Each Other, Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream

Couldn't stop laughing. As in like, I needed to consciously remind myself to breathe, and I still had trouble with that particular prime directive.

13. Luke Proposes to Mara, Vision of the Future

I was totally spoiled on this scene, but it still made the little tiny romantic in me go, "Aww..." and gave me little tingles.

12. Ackbar Is Back, Destiny's Way

More tingles. Mixed with happy laughter and an overwhelming desire to join in the cheering myself. Neat little moment, though you could hardly call it a scene, per se.

11. Anakin Solo's End, Star by Star

Again, I was spoiled on this scene. It still, even knowing full well what was going to happen, made me want to throw the book across the room so I could bury my head in a pillow and have a good cry over the tragic demise of a fictional character. As I was in the company of other non-fictional people, I refrained from this. But I had a lump in my throat and was all depressed for a few hours afterwards. And I just kept reading, which made it worse. I'll get back to that in a second.

10. Chewbacca's Noble Sacrifice, Vector Prime

The first death of a major protagonist from the movies in the Expanded Universe, unless you count Madine (I don't) or Mon Mothma (ditto). I was spoiled, of course, but again with the lump-in-throat action. Poor Chewie. At least his death was, y'know, fitting, not like the genius military general and special operations expert getting shot by a two-bit villain in a second-rate book or one of the greatest military leaders and tacticians in 25,000 years of galactic history dying in a sickbed off-page.

9. Kre'fey Returns to Coruscant, The Unifying Force

I can't really explain the feelings that this stirred up in me. I suspect that it probably hit something very personal and buried so deep that I don't know why it affected me that much. But you know the ending to The Lion King, when the rain has just fallen across Pride Rock and Simba walks past the ruins of the land up onto it? It reminded me very, very strongly of that image. The symbolism of the rain washing away all the bloodshed, suffering, and abuse was not lost on me, and it nearly moved me to tears, which is something that no book to date has succeeded in doing.

8. The Empire Will Always Strike Back, Force Heretic I: Remnant

Among my favorite few Star Wars quotes, ranking with the greatest and most acclaimed of them easily. I just about jumped up and cheered. Loved it. Pellaeon is such a great character. Easily the best moment of the Force Heretic Trilogy.

7. Corran's Return, The Bacta War

I figured it was coming around someday, considering that Corran Horn was still alive and kicking later in the Expanded Universe storyline, but Corran's entrance into the courtroom where Nawara Ven was fighting a losing battle on behalf of Tycho Celchu, accused of his death, was iconic and very cool. I don't normally like Corran that much, but I can't deny that this was among the Expanded Universe's finest moments. The subsequent scene with Kirtan Loor and the Wessiris was likewise memorable and touching.

6. Lieutenant Kettch Flies with Baron Fel, Iron Fist

The ludicrity of the image of an Ewok on the lap of Wedge Antilles chattering at the greatest TIE pilot in the Empire about who's the better pilot of the two of them and other such bantering details was so ridiculous that I just had to laugh. And throughout the Wraith Squadron books, it was at times difficult to stop. Excellence, eat your heart out.

5. Signing of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty, Vision of the Future

This was the ending of one era of Star Wars, and that was an era that is etched into what is arguably the most successful movie trilogy of all time that will likely remain in the public conscience for hundreds of years to come. It was pretty symbolic, and definitely more than a little bittersweet, as all endings of eras tend to be.

4. The Revelation of Lord Revan, Knights of the Old Republic

Shock. Awe. The Bush Administration would have loved an operation where they could convince Saddam Hussein that he was actually Adolf Hitler, who didn't kill himself after all but instead had his memory erased and was rehabilitated in Iraq. (That didn't work out so well, though.) You heard it here first.

On a serious note, though, this was the biggest Star Wars twist since Darth Vader told Luke that he was his father. There weren't a whole lot of people to have seen it coming, I'll wager.

3. The Fall of Coruscant, Star by Star

Up there with Anakin Solo's death, which occured just before the "worst" (and therefore the best) of this series of tragic scenes, and Traest Kre'fey's tour of Coruscant with moments that came pretty close to moving me to tears. Talk about your death of an era. This was Coruscant. It couldn't really be falling and being destroyed, could it? That was clearly impossible - but there it was, happening with nice descriptions of how millions of people were being blasted out of existance and how the New Republic and Jedi were completely falling to pieces. All this in the wake of Anakin Solo's death. Nice.

2. The Death of Grand Admiral Thrawn, The Last Command

"But...it was so artistically done."

That's all I can say, really. And it describes the master craftsmanship of this scene perfectly.

1. Yoda Confronts Count Dooku, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

I simply can't lavish enough praise upon this particular scene. Mr. Sean Stewart's characterizations of Yoda and Dooku, among the hardest of all characters to get exactly right (in my opinion), are absolutely perfect. Almost every line of dialogue was powerful, at times devastatingly so, emotional, and even breathtaking. While I almost cheered at "Ackbar Is Back," "The Empire will always strike back," and Operation Emperor's Spear, I did cheer at, "Yes - but Yoda knows how to live!" Best. Line. Ever.

I've often heard complaints that there wasn't enough action; that the lightsaber duel that they'd rushed through the whole and IMO excellent book to get to was short, vague, and generally disappointing and unsatisfactory. This is BS. Flashy swordplay and acrobatics does not a Jedi make. The author knew that his audience would already know that Yoda and Dooku are both very much alive in Episode III. A lightsaber duel would have to end in stalemate, and how memorable would it be if Yoda and Dooku simply met each other, said, "OK, let's fight," then had a long lightsaber duel that ended in nothing yet again? So Mr. Stewart quite ingeniously crafted a dialogue- and thought-driven scene that far and away outclassed any lightsaber duel in the history of Star Wars. Yes, even The Duel. It was that bloody brilliant, and those exchanges still ring in my head sometimes as if Yoda and Dooku were speaking them straight into my brain, because they're that good. Don't be turned off by the "lack of action" or the "crappy short lightsaber fight". You might have picked up the book hankering for some good, sizzling, fast'n'furious lightsaber dueling action, but what you got instead was...well, it's like ordering a hot dog and receiving filet mignon. You can buy a hot dog anywhere for a buck or two. Filet mignon is a little less frequently available and happens to cost eighteen dollars American or upwards from that, sometimes quite a ways. Me, I won't complain about not getting my hot dog with Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. I'd rather spare the weary oxygen of our Earth's atmosphere my bootless complaints and just enjoy my filet mignon instead.

 

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Super Golden Ewok™ Recipient grin
It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war.
Ron Paul for U.S. President 2008
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Excellence  24488 posts
Registered: Jul '02
6338_New Republic Seal
Date Posted: 11/1/05 12:05am Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments

talk_hand

 

-----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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Kudzu  6437 posts
Registered: Jun '05
18640_Clone Trooper
Date Posted: 11/1/05 12:08am Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments - Date Edited: 11/1/05 12:08am (1 edits total) Edited By: Kudzu

talk_hand

 

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MercenaryAce  2766 posts
Registered: Aug '05
8117_Y-Wing Pilot
Date Posted: 11/1/05 6:42am Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
The Revan revaltion is easily my favorite. Most people didn't see it coming, yet there were so many clues the whole time (meaning they didn't pull it out of their butt, unlike a certain line about perental revaltion). Plus, since it is you, the character you made and fell in love with, that made it all the better.

Plus, if you play the game again, there are even jokes about it.

"If Revan and Malak could betray us, I don't know who to trust."
"I'm not Revan." laugh

 

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MarcusP2  12755 posts
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered: Jul '04
6822_Manny Calavera
Date Posted: 11/1/05 7:50am Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
7. Corran's Return, The Bacta War

I figured it was coming around someday, considering that Corran Horn was still alive and kicking later in the Expanded Universe storyline, but Corran's entrance into the courtroom where Nawara Ven was fighting a losing battle on behalf of Tycho Celchu, accused of his death, was iconic and very cool. I don't normally like Corran that much, but I can't deny that this was among the Expanded Universe's finest moments. The subsequent scene with Kirtan Loor and the Wessiris was likewise memorable and touching.


That was in Krytos Trap.

One of my faves is the Saba/Welk fight in TJK. Very well done saber battle.

 

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CooperTFN  4578 posts
Title: TF.n EU Staff Emeritus
Registered: Jul '99
6518_Tycho Celchu
Date Posted: 11/1/05 10:36am Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments - Date Edited: 11/1/05 10:36am (1 edits total) Edited By: CooperTFN
Nice lists, guys. Charlemagne, I can't believe I forgot Clerks. happy

Hey Quest, maybe we should make this ths Official Top 20 Moments thread or something.

 

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Rogue1-and-a-half  22151 posts
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered: Nov '00
16485_Wedge Antilles
Date Posted: 11/1/05 2:47pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
Those were all very interesting! And I will definitely have to do mine now! tongue

Look for it, coming soon!

 

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CooperTFN  4578 posts
Title: TF.n EU Staff Emeritus
Registered: Jul '99
6518_Tycho Celchu
Date Posted: 11/1/05 2:52pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
Make sure your Philip Wise quote is in it. happy

 

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"Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude!"
"NAKED TWI'LEK WITH LIGHTSABER = MONEY" - Ris_jSarek
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Kudzu  6437 posts
Registered: Jun '05
18640_Clone Trooper
Date Posted: 11/1/05 5:09pm Subject: RE: Mike's 20 Most Memorable EU Moments
MarcusP2 posted:
7. Corran's Return, The Bacta War

I figured it was coming around someday, considering that Corran Horn was still alive and kicking later in the Expanded Universe storyline, but Corran's entrance into the courtroom where Nawara Ven was fighting a losing battle on behalf of Tycho Celchu, accused of his death, was iconic and very cool. I don't normally like Corran that much, but I can't deny that this was among the Expanded Universe's finest moments. The subsequent scene with Kirtan Loor and the Wessiris was likewise memorable and touching.


That was in Krytos Trap.


Bah! So it was. blush

 

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It should be the right of every American to go out and get wasted the day they're told that they're being sent to war.
Ron Paul for U.S. President 2008
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