181st Imperial Discussion Group: Yoda: Dark Rendezvous!

Welcome to September, the month in which we will be discussing Yoda: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart! Here's a link to the TF.n Staff Reviews.

As usual, here are some discussion points to get us started:

- This novel pretty much focuses on a couple of kids and couple of old men - Anakin and Obi Wan barely appear and unlike Shatterpoint, the novel isn't rooted in a younger action hero like Mace Windu. Do you think that decision pays off? Was it a good idea to anchor a novel with Yoda? One of our best beloved characters, but also (a) a muppet and (b) mysterious to the point that revealing too much about him might ruin that mystique.

- The other old man is, of course, Dooku. Attempting to humanise the villain somewhat is something most modern fictions aim towards at some point if the villain sticks around for long enough (with the noted exception of Palpatine). Stewart here tries to give us a more complex explanation of Dooku's character - rather than "he was ambitious" or "he was disillusioned" or "he was power-hungry", we begin to see a blend of these and other issues through the prism of his character and the impossible challenge he sets to Yoda that Yoda nonetheless rises too. A challenge we are invited to wonder whether Dooku himself secretly hopes Yoda will win. The question then being, did this work for you? Did you believe this Dooku and if you did (or didn't), do you find him consistent with the movie versions?

- However much the novel is grounded in Yoda (per the title), the real protagonist is probably Scout. What did you make of her participation in the story and her arc? Was it refreshing to see a less talented Jedi? Were you left wondering why she hadn't already been shipped out to the AgriCorps? What about Whie and their interactions? We see the two children paired off against Ventress while the two old men square off against each other: is there a parallel here?

- Philosophically, this novel deals with temptation, with trust in the Force and with acceptance of limitations, both of ability and self-imposed, without finding them limiting. As I touched on above, the plot revolves around Dooku and Yoda impossibly attempting to turn each other and at various points we are invited to think about whether each one is serious about the consideration they offer the other. What are your thoughts on this? Was Dooku ever tempted back to the light? Was Yoda seriously considering each proposition Dooku raised? Or was the entire exercise nothing but deception?

- Finally, "Yoda: Dark Rendezvous": Does it, or does it not, sound like a rejected Mills & Boon title? I mean, really, one of the things I love best about this novel is the suggestion that Yoda probably loved Dooku more while he was dark than he ever loved Anakin while he was in the light, but the novel title sounds like it's going to be an entire novel about the two of them on a dinner date. Which...okay...may not actually be an entirely inaccurate summation... BUT STILL.

Take it away, guys!

Next Month we will be discussing Wraith Squadron by Aaron Allston!

 

This will more or less mimic the recent review I did for this novel but it is a fresh take on the book as I did reread it within the past year.

When I first read this I remember really enjoying it, to the point that I ran out and bought it for some friends as gifts.

So I've been going to give a review for a while, but I wanted to wait until I had a chance to read the book cover to cover again since I was many years removed from my first impression.

And I think I liked it better the second time around. Sean Stewart truly does such an amazing job fleshing out these characters, both known ones like Yoda and new characters like Scout. I think this book stands the test of time as one of the best Star Wars novels ever.

Yes, it's largely character driven, but to me thats to its credit. It does manage to sneak in a lot of action but those scenes never serve to move the story, the characters do.

Yoda is captured, well.........I can't say perfectly as the old troll has never been portrayed as this caring before, but I think it really suits him. Yoda's compassion really shone through in this book, something which is hit and miss for the old master most of the time(mostly miss really). Its so very nice to see a Yoda that is truly concerned for the members of the Jedi Order, taking the time to show understanding and caring instead of just spouting "Do or do not, there is no try".

Yoda's relationship with Dooku as its presented is an amazing, emotion filled arc that makes me really believe that these characters cared about each other at one time, and perhaps still do care about each other even if being on the opposite sides of the war.

Dooku's simply never been this interesting, past or present, and going into those little details of his history with the Jedi and Yoda was a huge strength in this book. "I'll always catch you when you fall."

Also the weay Dooku looks down upon Whie's crazy mother with contempt was excellent. I love how it delved into how much Dooku resented his family for giving him over to the Jedi, how it taught him that one could be betrayed by the ones he loved the most, excellent stuff that really humanizes him and helps the readers understand a large part of why he's fallen to the dark side.

"Your new master calls Dooku, ask yourself; which of us loves you better?" Great line, one of many great lines from Yoda in this book.

"Won this job in a raffle I did, think you?"
"All too wise you have become. Better before it was, when only Yoda was wise!"

Scout and Whie were two brilliant original characters, as were Solis and Fidelis. Stewart touched upon so many things through these characters, from love, to loyalty, to determination, to courage. Probably most importantly was the frienship of both sets of characters, one growing, the other long established. Scout's growing relationship with Whie was very fun, very believable, while Solis clearly formed a close attachment to Fidelis that the other droid might not have been able to comprehend.

The fact that we now know Scout survives Order 66 makes her all the more interesting. She very clearly is a fighter with her biggest strength being her determination. It's nice to see she might still get to live her dream of being a Jedi. I wonder if she'll look up her family at some point, as touched upon in Dark Rendezvous. I think that would make a great novel myself.

Through both Solis and Fidelis we got a great sense of the on again, off again, issue of droid sentience in the Star Wars universe. Also the scene with Fidelis and Yoda looking on each other as ancient beings was truly magical.

Jai Maruk and Maks Leem were both very original Jedi as well. I really enjoyed how Jai could identify his own faults, as could Maks. How they were both willing to give their lives without a second thought. Very heroic, very Jedi like.

And still through a very sympahetic portayal of these Jedi we still get a lot of hints about the underlying problems of the Order. Jedi leaving, the public believing that the Jedi had become Palpatine's p

 

This was -- Shatterpoint included -- probably about the best of the entirety of the Clone Wars including all subsequent novles, TPBs, comics and what I've seen of the CW cartoons.

Stewart's take on everything was not only spot-on but richly fleshing out the areas that needed it: why Mace Windu was basically second-in-command (he's awesome in Shatteropint, but it's a personal story), why Yoda is so wise with teaching and how long he's been doing it, just how good Sidious is at manipulating events for his purposes (Anakin and Obi-Wan are in the book for a fraction of it -- but play, arguably, the most important role in continuing the Clone Wars because of it), how the other half (non-Council / non-Anakin Jedi live, work and function), etc.

And his writing is superb.

I asked Shelly why we don't see more of him at C-V and the answer apparently is "because he doesn't want to; he wants to write his own things." I wish he'd reconsider. The Dooku attempting to convince Yoda to turn to the Dark Side scene alone was worth the price of admission.

 

This is one of the very few pieces of clone wars related material that I ever enjoyed. Hell, it's one of the strongest pieces of SW literature available and certainly the strongest standalone novel. The characterization of Yoda is excellent, probably the best take on him since Return of the Jedi. He's really practicing form zero like I expected of him going into the prequel trilogy. He's not the Grandmaster because he is the strongest warrior, he is the Grandmaster because he is the best Jedi, and this book shows it.

It also made me think of Dooku as more than just another Christopher Lee old man villain. But really, there's no followup on it. We don't get significant insight into Dooku again until Labyrinth of Evil, which is obviously right before he dies.

As far as Asajj is concerned, she's a step above the standard 'herp derp i like to cut people but i never win' level of foil character she usually is, especially in post RotS material. Doesn't mean I thought she was interesting in this book, but it's pretty much only this book and the clone wars comics that even attempt to show us anything other than a completely unsympathetic and ineffectual villain that nobody cares about.

Hell, now I want to dig it out and read it again, thanks for reminding me of this old gem.

 

The thematic decision to take the focus off the stars of the war was dead on. This is not a book about the heroes of the war being heroes; it is a book about children discovering heroism, of experiencing firsthand the heroism of a respect elder suddenly shining through. It's about as close as an action-adventure Star Wars novel is going to get to being a coming-of-age story. And that element works fantastically.

The portrayal of Yoda is probably the best outside the films. He's the leader of the PT, but he's also the impish teacher of the OT, and it gels completely. Too often, authors are content to have Yoda sit in a chair spouting canned wisdom, and so long as it's backward and we get the idea that he's a respected leader, good enough. Stewart really digs into the character and makes him a real person, and uncovers that life and wit of the OT, so that instead of just having The Wise Old Leader we've got Grand Master Socrates. Instead of a caricature of PT aloofness, Yoda is loving and wise and deeply human. You know what I mean.

The fact that Stewart performs this coup with one established character is excellent; that he carries off two impeccable best-ever characterizations of existing characters is nothing short of remarkable. His Dooku is indeed the best ever; he's a man who has clearly fallen to evil, who is cold, imperious, and evil -- yet he is, at the same time, Stewart understands, formerly one of the greatest of the Jedi. That Stewart can walk that balance, explain that contradiction, is fantastic. His Dooku is the most dangerous kind of darksider -- a disaffected idealist. He has not fallen; the universe has failed him, and so he has cast it aside to fend for itself. He's a man whose deep yearning for love caused his fall when he could not obtain it, but also keeps him from falling fully. He hates and scorns the good because it has failed him, yet he cannot shake that slight feeling, that whisper in the back of his mind, that perhaps the good might be obtainable after all, that perhaps he has failed the good. If he were offered the good, what would he do? Could he believe again?

As far as humanizing goes, it's perfect. He's not wishy-washy. He's not all angsty and torn. He's not abused. He's still an evil, evil bastard. But he's a haughty, cruel Sith Lord who's understandable, who's a real person, who has that tiny, flickering spark of the young idealist inside, barely even known to him, both motivating his evil and offering his potential salvation therefrom.

The meeting between these two wonderfully human characters, one the height of goodness and one an evil mastermind, the interplay . . . it's one of the best scenes in the EU. Period. Screw the EU, it's one of the best scenes in Star Wars. The back-and-forth, the incredible character dynamics, the fact that the reader knows Episode III is coming, that it's not going to happen, but believes that it could happen, that Dooku could come back, that he's right on the edge, and then The Heroes show up and, with the best of intentions, completely accidentally, ruin the day entirely. The spell is broken. The moment is over. The intimacy has passed and is replaced with betrayal. Incredibly powerful scene.

I can't believe it's in the same book as Chuck Bratz.

Scout and Whie I quite liked on their own merits. They're well-done child characters, adolescents facing all the anxieties of children caught in a war, of whom much is expected, living up to the situation in the end but without losing their relatability and realism. I've never been totally at ease with Scout, though, because, for all that Stewart does with her, she's such an utterly generic character type. After Darsha Assant and Etain Tur-Mukan, to have a third self-doubting, weak, young, female PT Jedi lead is just too much. It's not Stewart's fault that those characters existed, but it's obviously a well from which it is too easy to draw. If he was going to stick with this character type, I'd have liked for Stewart to make her a bit more distinctive. She's a sweet kid, easy to like, but she's rea

 

I love this book. The characterization of Yoda and Dooku, as the others have said, were amazing and the best ever of the two.

I first read this book after I saw Episode III, so I knew there was no way Dooku was coming back to the light. But, during that scene between him and Yoda, I really thought it possible. That speaks to me how great a writer Sean Stewart is, and I so wish he would write more EU books (Imagine him doing Grand Master Luke or Darth Vader at his height. I have no doubt any damage done to their character by any story could be undone instantly by Stewart.). I wanted to throttle Anakin when he told Yoda how sorry he was that Yoda had failed to kill Dooku when Yoda mentioned how close he was.

I liked Scout. I liked Whie. I liked Jai Maruk. I liked Maks Leem. I liked the droids. I liked Asajj Ventress of all characters. I was so sad when Jai and Maks died. I was upset about the deaths of the droids. Stewart knew exactly who each of these characters were, and captured them perfectly, making us care about them. Few SW books have impressed me as much as this one did.

 

Force I love this book.

I really felt that the Dooku sections stood out. We have had plenty of Yoda characterizations before. Don?t get me wrong- I LOVE Yoda in this book, and I feel that his portrayal within Dark Rendezvous is superior to his portrayal within the prequels. It may even add further depth to his character in the OT. But I will get to that later. Dooku, Dooku, Dooku? I love him in this book. His interactions with both his old master and his new pupil reveal a complex villain, who could be easily pushed back into the fold. Like Havac said, Dooku has found the universe failing, and so turned to the dark side to defend himself. And there is a small part of Dooku that regrets this, that yearns for the light. Dooku can come across as callous in his interactions with Asajj Ventress, but what I saw, particularly in that first scene between them, was perhaps what once passed for remorse and pity in the Count of Sereno. It is clear to him that Ventress has no real concept of the price that must be paid for Sithdom; Dooku seems cognizant, on some level, of the fact that his choices are wrong. I found his discussion of death with Ventress to be every bit as deep and profound as his interactions with Yoda. When he is strangling Ventress, it is clear that he has been in her shoes before- he knows exactly what goes through one?s mind as they are dying after a lifetime of missed chances and broken lives. It makes me wonder just how Sidious treated Dooku. Is Dooku just being cruel? Or is he perhaps, in a twisted manner, taking pity upon Ventress? Is he showing simple callousness, or is he perhaps attempting to prevent the damnation of another soul? Asajj clearly wants to take a running leap off the slippery slope to the Dark Side, and I can actually see that scene, twisted as it may be, as Dooku trying to push her off of that road. While Dooku clearly retreated from the light because he found it wanting, found it broken, there is still some small part of him that regrets that decision. There is enough of that good man left for him to try and prevent even just one person from taking that same path. I might be totally off with Dooku here- and I?m going to grab this book when I go home for the weekend from college, to better take part in this discussion- but this is how I interpret Dooku in Dark Rendezvous. By the merciless stars, Dooku, what have you done?

Also, look at the novel when placed in context- just a bit before Obsession. Dooku finally casts aside Ventress at the end of the 5th issue, allowing her to at last make a life for herself. The manner in which he does so is callous, yet at the same time, he accomplishes what I believe he intended to do in DR. Could this have happened without DR? The near-conversion with Yoda would have left the Count further disillusioned, and would have further cemented his belief that ?everyone is used, so why row against the current?? With his disillusionment seemingly vindicated, Dooku has no problem leaving Ventress to die on the battlefield. He has finally lost that capacity to care.

Whie Malroux is interesting to me because he is, in some ways, a parallel to Dooku. Like Dooku, he is the scion of nobility. Like Dooku, that family was not the most nurturing- young Dooku hiding in the garden to prevent his draconian parents from discovering that he had cried over being stabbed by a rose, versus the unabashed madness of House Malroux. Both were gifted students who covered up their insecurities, which arose partially from their embarrassments at the hands of supposedly lesser students- Dooku and the game of push-feather, Whie and his defeat at the hands of his crush, Scout. Both had to deal with trauma that caused them to question the basic good of the galaxy- Dooku becoming disillusioned with the Republic following Galidraan, Baltizaar, and the death of Qui-gon, while Whie watched his own master be cut down in a particularly brutal manner-then utterly fail to apprehend his master?s slayer. And both formed an intimate connection to Master Yoda. It is possible that Yoda saw this co

 

I vaguely remember back when I first read the summary for this book (probably when I noticed it on the new books shelf at the bookstore) that I wasn't that interested, as I knew Yoda wouldn't somehow convince Dooku to give up, that of course it was a trap... but wow, the book turned out better than I ever could've imagined. I wasn't that interested in Clone Wars stuff (prequel stuff is often too depressing for me), but while the status quo didn't change in this book, it was just such a magnificent character book.

As just about everyone else has said, Yoda was just about the perfect blend of ESB mischievous imp and wise master. During most of the other times we see Yoda outside the Temple during the prequel era he's usually portrayed as badass, the most powerful Jedi Master of the prequel era, which he is, but we also don't see him actually teaching much (not sure I really count that scene where he's in a room with a bunch of little kids with a deadly cutting tool). And aside from Yoda there was just a lot of great humor in this book. Not just in the funny, ha-ha/sarcastic comment style of Allston (not that there's anything wrong with it, but that's usually what most of us think of when humor in novels are mentioned), but just funny situations, but balanced with grim battles too. Yoda traveling around in an empty R2 unit is just brilliant, especially when he's being chased by an actual R2. And Yoda being a cranky haggler sounds so perfectly in character for him too, I'm sad we don't ever get to see Yoda doing that kind of thing more often.

Also, I thought both Fidelis and Solis were excellent droid characters, and we have so few major droid characters in the EU. Sure, there's R2 and Threepio, but honestly they're both mostly static, and there's only so much we can get from R2's beeping. Both were a gentleman's personal gentlething, yet there was a huge contrast in their experiences. Solis was the bitter droid with no master who mocked Fidelis for being too uptight, yet he can't help but envy that Fidelis still had a Family to serve, and Solis still turned out alright.

In some ways Scout reminds me of Zayne somewhat, in that she's the weaker than normal Jedi Padawan, but at the same time she's always so upbeat. She's a nice partner to the brooding Whie, who actually is kind of the model Jedi, almost always calm, with perhaps too much precognitive talent and always worrying about death. And even though their Masters died halfway through the book, there's just so much detail squeezed into Maruk's life, his worries, how he's uncomfortable with having a Padawan, only for her apprenticeship to be cut tragically short. Even though we know how Whie dies, he finally realizes that dying is better than falling, and that's really a Jedi outlook on life. I still fondly remember those two (for young characters, who are usually annoying), and prefer to think of them just as they were in this novel without thinking too much about their future.

Even Asajj Ventress is more tolerable than normal. Normally I hate her character, as I find it so... shallow, since usually it just comes down to going mwa-ha-ha and killing random Jedi, which she does here too. But she's also ambitious in her own way and almost challenges Dooku to take over the galaxy on his own rather than keep up the sham war between the Republic and Confederacy.

And this book probably has the standout portrayal of Dooku ever. In the Clone Wars comics I got tired pretty quickly of Dooku always showing up by hologram for this plot or that plot, since while he can't be at every location as then that would lead him into a fight with any Jedi there, and he'd either kill them or be forced to flee on rare occasions (like if its Mace or Obi-wan and Anakin), and then we ended up with Sora Bulq as a stand-in for the Dark Jedi overseer of various operations. Most times he's just an extremely manipulative evil, arrogant lord, usually just barking orders at droids or various Seperatist members. Here, I can see why he used to be a former Jedi. He's still devote

 

I really cannot express how glad I am that this novel is getting good feedback here. I think if it hadn't, it might have hurt my soul. I was late reading this one. I nearly didn't bother because I'm not a huge fan of the PT era and while I was wildly excited when I first heart Christopher Lee (CHRISTOPHER LEE, PEOPLE) was going to be a bad guy in Star Wars, when I actually saw him in AoTC I couldn't help but feel a little short-changed. He was marvelous in terms of presence, but I was disappointed he was so two dimensional when he was - for twisted reasons - actually spouting the truth. Now, in fairness, I know a lot of people would disagree with me about his handling in the movies, and my point here isn't anything beyond how it worked for me and why I ended up feeling kind of disillusioned with a Dooku who in both the movies and most of the EU did little but twirl his mustachios, act haughty, and run away. Even though he clearly had the presence and potential to be so much more.

Similarly, I love Yoda, and never disliked him in the PT, but did feel a little...I don't know, like he'd lost some of the compassion and wisdom I'd always associated with him. Again, I'll grant Rob the point that if we do a line-by-line reading of the OT, Yoda's actually kind of cold at times. But somehow in my head, he was...well, he was the Yoda in this book. Always. But I didn't know that when it came out, so I thought to myself, I'd probably better skip it. I know nothing can change and the PT are trashing enough of my OT-based worldview without spending a whole novel with characters I either already think should be better than they are or am worried will get further undermined.

OH HOW WRONG I WAS.

What happened was, a friend bought me the audiobook, because I love audiobooks, and I listened to it essentially because I was on a plane and there were no good movies showing. I remember, vividly, the incredible sense of joy that tinged my surprise. It was so fantastic, I actually went out and bought the novel a few days later and read the entire thing. I've only ever read the paperback so quickly after an abridged audio once before and that was with Traitor.

Having spent paragraphs now, on how I even came to read the book, let's talk about why it's so awesome.

Structure
So first a point about structure. It's something Stover does with the Ep III novel. How do you use the fact that you can't change the status quo - that everyone knows how the story ends already - to your advantage? Tragedy. Dramatic irony. Fate. Sure the way we get to that resolution is important, but no one reads the ROTS novelisation for the plot - we already know it. We read it for depth of characterisation, for "deleted scenes", for insight, for prose, for heightened emotional impact. Stover tackles this head on at the very start of the story when he turns, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" - the blue words we all grew up associating with amazing adventures about to start - into a tragic inscription, into a prison. It has already happened. It cannot be changed. You already know exactly how bad it's going to be.

Obviously YR doesn't use this tactic exactly. The plot is still largely unknown to us, and at various points, events we could not have forseen (Jai's death; Anakin's arrival; most of Ventress' involvement and the arcs of the kids) are powerful and surprising. But there is an element of the same issue. We know from the blurb what the premise is, and we also know from a lifetime of media consumption that Dooku's not getting redeemed in a tie-in novel. We know Yoda fails.

The emotional core of the story isn't in this fact. It's in how much we care by the time it happens. It's in how tragic it feels by the end, when at the start it was an eyerollingly obvious conclusion.

We're already primed to know that Anakin's fall is tragic and to be affected emotionally by its inevitability. Stewart makes us care about Dooku, this old, arrog

 

I read this, but I have only a few vague memories about it. Fortunately, what I do remember are the big and/or funny moments.

Dooku - We see a little more of his life as a youngling at the Temple and of the bond between him and Yoda. As for what someone said before about him falling to the dark side because he became disillusioned with the Republic and the Senate, that much is true, as we have seen that mentioned in other novels and comics. One could say he and Anakin were alike in that they became disillusioned with the Republic, but they had slightly different reasons why. Dooku became disillusioned because he strove to live by the principles of the Republic, yet he had seen on many occasions that the leaders of the Republic don't hold up to those ideals. While this holds true for Anakin in a small degree, he was more concerned with protecting the people, especially those he cared about. As Obi-Wan said in the ROTS novel, Anakin never believed in the principles of the Republic. He believed in the people. One could say Dooku strove to serve the "Unifying Force" of the Republic, as embodied by the principles, while Anakin strove to protect the "Living Force" of the Republic - the populace. Dooku found that the Republic was lacking in what he strove for, while Anakin came to believe that the current embodiment of the Jedi wouldn't allow him to do what he wanted. Thinking about this novel now, and Dooku's portrayal in it, I'm left wondering if Dooku would have fared better as a Jedi in the KOTOR era and/or the NJO era than he did in this time period.

Yoda - We see the glimpses of compassion that he wore on his skin in ESB and ROTJ than he did in the PT, so as to speak. He was willing to meet with Dooku on Dooku's terms in an attempt to bring Dooku back in the fold. I have to wonder if this makes him somewhat of a hypocrite - he was willing to do that for Dooku, yet when Anakin turned, both he and Obi-Wan went forth with the intent to kill him rather than try to bring him back. He might have known pain like Whie has, but he doesn't do a good job with conveying this to him. Just as he didn't do a good job with Anakin. He also showed some of the silliness we saw in ESB, but he seemed to do that with the younglings rather than with the adults.

Scout - I agree with what someone said about her having the heart of a Jedi. Perhaps the same kind of heart Vima Sunrider had and kind of heart Vima said Ulic had as he died. If Yoda had fought for others like he had fought for Scout, perhaps the Jedi Order would have been larger. She was definitely determined to prove her worth, just like Anakin was. But unlike Anakin, she wasn't an outsider.

Whie - He is what Dooku might have been when Dooku was his age. But Whie had his own doubts about himself because of his gift of accurate visions. He also had a crush on Scout, which gave Ventress a tool to use against him. However, he trusted Scout more than Dooku trusted people, so he was able to reamin true to the Jedi. It's a shame Whie and Scout didn't have a chance to explore their relationship.

Ventress - I don't recall that much about her, but what I do recall is more of her standard appearance - a blood-thirsty individual ready to tear through the Jedi in order to please Dooku and/or Sidious and prove she is worthy of becoming a Sith.

 

I like DR for being a fairly fast paced story that I prefer in Star Wars novels. Like EOV and LOE. Recently Crosscurrent aswell.

Arguably Yoda is out of character for the time period but the main thing I remember is coming away firm in the belief that Dooku could have been saved.

I'm still waiting on the in-universe etymology behind that fine china though.

 

Reserving for a longer review. But for now I will say this: Sean Stewart is the only one who might, if he continued to write, beat out Matthew Stover as my favorite Star Wars author.

 

I have very similar feelings about Yoda, once I even really liked the character when I was a tad smaller. I thought he was serious but with a fun, mischievious edge to him. Then at some point I watched ESB for the seven hundred and seventy sixth time(give or take ) and realized that he really was only fun when he was role playing with Luke, after that he became kinda the little anti-fun guy.

I'm glad that Stewart presented Yoda the way he did even if it doesn't quite match up with most of what we've seen from him. I too would like to think Yoda was more this type of character than what the both the Prequels and to an extent OT presented to us.

 

One of my favorite Yoda scenes in this novel was when he was fighting with the cafeteria droid who insisted that what Yoda was eating could not be classified as food. Such a hilarious scene.

 

I disagree with this somewhat only because, as you say, insofar as it relates solely to ESB: you are correct. However, I take that as a given since the stakes are so high (basically the entire Jedi basket of eggs sits with him for training in Luke).

In ROTJ, however, even while dying he still manages to make jokes and catch Luke unawares. Even with the confirming Vader's paternity, he still radiates wisdom and teaching at Luke's belief that Yoda thought it was unfortunate that he knew Vader was his father.

I think what you see in ESB is the natural extension of that: impish by nature and absolutely, 100% focused when in "teaching mode."

 

This is absolutely and without any doubt my all-time favorite novel in the entire EU. Every character is written perfectly and it moves at the perfect pace. Nothing in the novel felt out of place.

This book was the first time since TESb that fans had seen Yoda actually being...fun. I loved the fact that he wasn't overly serious, but wasn't incompetent either. It was like Prequel Yoda on Prozac...and I really liked it. Especially when mhe masqueraded as the astromech droid.

The villains, dooku and Asajj, were the highlights of the book. No other piece of SW literature has given us such a detailed depiction of Dooku. And his final battle with Yoda was excellent, easily better than AOTC.

I would recommend this book to every Star Wars fan. There is something in it for everyone. I only wish the suthor would write these kinds of books in the SWU more often!

 

Ally - I like your points about Dooku and Anakin and their relationship with the Republic. I think that you're right - Dooku genuinely became disillusioned with a corrupt and ineffective Republic - something he was not actually wrong about, although through his fall to the dark side he ended up joining those forced of corruption. But Anakin...he became seduced by power and saving Padme and his own vision of a strong leadership to "make" everyone obey and to enforce order. It's a good point to raise that he never loved the structure of the Republic in the first place. He simply got told by someone, finally, that he didn't have to pretend to anymore, that we was right to think it ineffectual and useless.

AGREED.

To weigh back in on the issue of Yoda's characterisation, thanks to dp for pointing out the levity he has even on his deathbed, I think I was a little too focused on the ESB stuff - I'm glad the Yoda both Rob and I recall (albeit the one that I managed to hang onto, even in fact of the prequels) has a little more basis in the movies than I feared for a moment.

 

I never said he loved the structure of the Republic. I said he never believed in the principles. However, I don't think he even loved the Republic in the first place either because the Republic never did anything to stop slavery. How ironic that after he became Vader, he condoned the very thing he hated.

 

Yes - sorry if my wording confused you, I was agreeing with you. I was using "structure" and "principles" somewhat interchangeably to illustrate the "way it's set up" and "what it's designed to do" in an idealistic sense. I was simply agreeing with you that Anakin didn't become disillusioned with the Republic because he never really believed in it to begin with and agreeing that it's an important thing to note. He didn't like the structure (see his comments to Padme about a strong leader to make everyone agree). I dont' think he agreed with the principles of the Republic either, mainly because I don't think he ever saw them in action (and he's not entirely wrong about that). I think he thought whatever their claimed principles - the virtues Padme probably extolled to him - they weren't the ones they were acting out throughout the galaxy and so he didn't believe in them in the sense he didn't really believe the Republic had principles anymore.

So yes, I'm aware you didn't say he loved the structure of the Republic - neither did I.

 

Interrupting the chaos that is the beginning of my sophomore year of college to comment:

In my humble opinion, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous is the single greatest piece of Star Wars EU literature ever. The characterization is essentially flawless; Yoda returns to his original trilogy roots as a cantankerous and enigmatic teacher, Dooku is fleshed out even more and transformed into one of the prequel trilogy's most compelling creations, Ventress's fears, ambitions, and philosophies are all fleshed out in a surprisingly complex manner.

And though much has been said about these characters and Scout and Whie and everyone else, I must bring special attention to the portrayal of Darth Sidious in this book. This, to me, is the Dark Lord of the Sith in all his abysmal glory: as the Chancellor, he is patient and gracious and believably benevolent, but as Dooku's hooded Master, he is vicious, spiteful, and utterly terrifying. I loved how he mocked and taunted his disciple throughout the entire book, which evokes Palpatine's portrayal in novels such as Shadows of the Empire and the Mandalorian Armor.

There are so many great lines in this book, it's one of the EU's great many crimes that the author has not written more books for LFL.

 

Oddly my only gripe with this novel is the food Yoda is depicted eating. I mean, the Databank entry on "Yoda's hut" in those days left me with the distinct impression that Yoda was vegetarian, and here he is eating lizard tails. When the only food Yoda is ever depicted eating in the movies, and is named in the movies, is "root leaf stew" and the Databank says Yoda ate what Dagobah provided for him it just leaves me with that impression. Dude was vegetarian. Then I get lizard tails.

I want that expunged from the EU record!

 

Becca: I do think that Scout was executed at a level above her concept. She's still a fun, appealing character. But I just wish Stewart had done something to set her apart a little more. She's a very well-executed plucky underdog, but I just can't help feeling that, surrounded as she is by amazing and unique characterization, and being the main character, she comes off a little by-the-numbers. Looking at all the characterization around her, I can't help but feel that Stewart should have stretched a little more, if you know what I mean?

 

Scout reminded me of Tahiri. I was halfway through the NJO when I read Dark Rendezvous and loved that.

I'm surprised yet very pleased to see unanimously overwhelming support for this book. Dark Rendezvous was simply fantastic, and, well, I agree with all of you. I don't think I can say much that hasn't already been said... Yoda was used sparingly enough that it worked perfectly. In 2004, I remember some posters at the official site forums griping that the book was more about Scout and Whie than it was about Yoda. They wanted 400 pages of Yoda. But writing a Shatterpointesque novel getting inside Yoda's head would have been an insanely difficult task, and I'm glad that Stewart went the route that he did. Yoda shone through his interactions with others in this novel, and the only Yoda element of this book that I thought was a little silly was when he recreated the Yoda/Artoo "Mine! Mine!" scene exactly. OK, you wanted to characterize him like he was in ESB, we get it. But that little bit of overzeal wasn't enough to detract from the quality of the book, ya know?

Am I remembering wrong, or was there a scene where Yoda wiped the memory of a little boy on the passenger vessel? That seems kinda... weird...

Dooku's characterization was wonderful, and Ventress was a perfect counterpoint to him. While he's struggling with deep doubts, she's kicking ass and spouting words about how logical it is to turn to the dark side. When she was preaching to Scout and Whie and telling them "You call it the dark side, I call it the truth", hell, even I almost went dark. The forty-page chapters were a great refresher after The Cestus Deception and its two-paragraph chapters, the prose was excellent, and, well, I agree with all of the praise that's been given in this thread.

However...

Dark Rendezvous accomplished something for me that I don't think it intended to do at all. A very important scene in the novel had probably the opposite effect of what Stewart intended it to, and cemented my frustration and dissatisfaction with the prequel Jedi Order. And that scene is Jai Maruk's death.

Jai Maruk is seconds away from dying. He has a clear shot at Ventress, and could easily take her out with her. But he refrains from doing so, because it would turn him to the dark side. And he dies at peace with himself.

To me, that was an incredibly selfish act.

Asajj Ventress is a Jedi-killer. She's killed over a dozen Jedi at this point, and has every intention of killing more. Not just Jedi, but scores of innocent civilians too. By killing her, you'd end up saving countless lives. But instead, you allow the killing to continue, and somehow you can die at peace? Give me a break.

That simple act of cowardice on Jai Maruk's part demonstrated to me the ineffectiveness of the prequel Jedi Order, and how unprepared they were to fight a war. How unwilling they were to decrease their obsession with the spiritual and embrace the practical, which is absolutely necessary in wartime. Today, it makes me realize that Legacy-era K'Kruhk and T'ra Saa's archaic 156-year old leadership of the Jedi Order was archaic even 156 years beforehand. "No! We can't take one life, even if it will save billions, because OMG all life flows through the Force!!!"

Your mileage may vary, but this is why I gravitate so strongly towards the Imperial Knights. The actions of certain Jedi that on the surface may seem pure are, to me, ignorant, misguided, impractical, and downright selfish. Allow countless others to die so that you can go on meditating and respecting the Force? Bah. Jai Maruk was weak if a single act of selflessness like killing Ventress would have caused him to go dark before he died. An Imperial Knight would never have that problem.

And deep down, I want to believe that that was Stewart's intention --- to demonstrate the gross ineffectiveness of the prequel-era Jedi Order --- but I just can't help but think that even Stewart thought that Maruk did the right thing. Which is upsetting.

 

Commenting on this: it's exactly why applying your own beliefs and thought-patterns to a mystical order serving a power that a) has very strictly defined rules and b) you don't know is ineffectual and counter-productive. I always liken it to a person on Earth knowing for a fact that a) G-d exists and b) exactly what G-d has defined as an evil act that they should not perform -- the Jedi know these things within their own context.

The Jedi serve the Force, which for this purpose is the Light Side. If all that they do is in service to the Light Side -- it binds them, flows through them, controls their actions and obeys their commands -- how would you expect them to, even in near-death, obey the tenets of the faith and service until death and then decide to forsake it at the last second?

It makes SENSE for a Dark Sider to maybe see the error of their ways at the end and desire the Light; it generally doesn't in the other direction...