Cloak of Deception (SPOILERS!)

At long last Cloak of Deception is coming out in the UK tomorrow and I cannot wait for it! I am looking forward to meeting the new jedi Luminara. Could you tell me about any exciting parts of the book to watch out for please.

 

VILLIEMACE - Exciting parts? There are many. Just read and enjoy!

I love the way Luceno clearly explained the politics of the pre-TPM galaxy. It seems Palpatine did not have to use the Force to achieve his goals.

The only aspect of the book that bothered me was Obi-Wan's dialouge. Everything he said was corrected by Qui-Gon or another Jedi Master. How can someone who, in a couple of months, will defeat a Sith and become a Jedi be considered so incompetent in his thought processes? This also ties to the lack of warmth between the two men. I think the JA stories reveal a closer relationship between them.

 

What sort of role does Luminara play in Cloak of Deception.

Does Palpatine ever slip up on the fact that he is Darth Sidious or is he too damn clever for that sort of thing?

Hopefully I will be getting it tomorrow, so I will get to see whether I agree with the reviews of it which knowing the standard of Lucasbooks, i will definately enjoy it.

 

Palpatine is too damn clever to slip like that. But read the dialogue...<g> Luceno must have had a lot of fun writing Palpatine's dialogue.

 

one thing I was wondering was when would Palpatine be able to put on his cloak and contact his allies as Darth Sidious. As he is a senator, surely he must have quite a busy day. Would he be Darth Sidious every chance he managed to get when he was alone?

 

I just got finished reading the book today. I thought it was great. Once again, the prequel EU has shined through. It has a much better streak of consistency than the classic trilogy books.

I loved the political aspect of it. It gives you a great look at how things run in a GFFA. Palpatine is really shown as a scheming politican and mastermind. That was plainly evident when he lied and told Valorum that Amidala didn't support taxation. He really set up a brillant plan and this shows you how things come to be in TPM. We also finally get to learn more about Valorum.

I happened to like Captain Cohl. He wasn't the one-dimensional character that many of these mercenary types are. I was sorry to see him and Rella be killed.

A very nice touch in the mention of Sate Pestage. I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it but Pestage was originally supposed to appear in ESB. In an earlier draft of ESB, he is Grand Vizier to the Emperor. Vader contacts him, demanding to speak to the Emperor. I even used the charcter in my fan fiction story.

Another nice touch was seeing all those Jedi. Although I don't think Vergere said anything and it really wasn't nesscary to see her.

My main complaint was what somebody said earlier. I hated the fact that Obi-Wan was constanly contradicted by Qui-Gon and the other Jedi. I know he is still a padawan and according to Qui has "much too learn" but this was too much. He shows no resemblance to a Jedi on the verge of knighthood. Plus, he said a lot of the dialogue he said in TPM. "Yes, Master." Jedi Apprentice really shows you the difference between Padawan Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker.

Also, I find it irresponsible and hard to believe that the Republic has no standing military. No wonder why Palpatine took the government in only a dozen years.

 

I'm not surprised by the lack of military--because I've envisioned the Senate as having slightly more power than the UN.

The senate can tax trade routes...and even that was an iffy power.

Like the UN, if there is a need for military intervention, the individual members supply the Forces.

So, I can see Palpatine having to manufacture a crisis to justify the Republic (empire to be) having their own military.

 

Back to the top!

 

What about the Academy? I'm sure it still exists during this time and is used to train people for the military and piloting.

 

But then where is the military? what will happen of Dreadnaughts, Victory-star destroyers, and other pre-Empire ships and military vehicles? And does that mean the Republic also didn't have a regular military during the time of Great Hyperspace War or the Sith War, too?

 

There is no standing military, but there is one. Peace keeping troops and ships and the like. And planetary defence forces.

 

The way I took it was that there was no longer any sort of standing military. Which could mean anything really.

Perhaps all the military units are reserve units, and they only operate a year at a time, then another group comes in, and so on.

What I think is that there is a very small Republic Military, just it is more ceremonial, but it is still there. It has no real offensive threat to any of the member planets. I bet that all that is about to change though, that the Republic is about to go on a spending spree.

You also have to remember that there are the Judicials. There have to be someone to battle pirates, plus you need security forces, police for lack of a better term. Intellegence divisions. Maybe its just a snaffu the way Luceno wrote it, or could be that he was trying to underscore that the Republic was ill prepared for any sort of military action, which i'm sure will be a big player on down the line.

 

At long last I have finally got Cloak of Deception! I picked it up last saturday. It looks absolutly brillient. I have only read the first chapter but already it is exciting. I cannot wait to read the rest of it.

 

Havoc gave Palpatine the aurodium ingots--therefore Havoc had to die--since he was the only one who could tie Senator Palpatine in with the corruption etc.

Did Palpatine expect Cohl to kill Havoc, or did he have an assasin standing by? He couldn't risk Havoc surviving and being captured.

 

There probably is some kind of military. In Rogue Planet, Tarkin (who miraculously goes from Lt. Governor of Eriadu to a military commander) is a commander in the Republic Outland Regions security force. Perhaps this is a representation of their main form of defense.

All, the Judicial Department has a great deal of authority. I mean, they have their own starfighters.

 

Probably, Tarkin held a dual rank; quite likely, he functioned as a military governor of Eriadu. Look no further than our own world and English and Spanish colonial officials during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many of whom were appointed by their militaries to administrate entire regions.

Following the events of Episode I, it seems that Tarkin took up the mantle of full-fledged miltary duty once more, having left his former post behind.

 

I have a question, and it's posted on the front page so could someone answer it please? Thank you.

 

The Tarkin thing is still a contradictory mess.

There was another thread that talked about how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's relationship lacked any kind warmth. I agree. This book ignores how the characters have developed since JA. They disagree on everything and Obi-Wan is constantly, constantly contradicted like he is still a twelve-year-old Jedi Temple student.