PT Club Jocasta - Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

I think Scout's tactics were too "un-Jedi". I get that the younger Padawns need to be ready for the enemy to use underhanded tactics to win, but I don't think this should allow Scout to use those kinds of tactics, especially in a tournament, which isn't exactly life or death. I get that Scout is desperate to win, but desperation doesn't seem like a justifiable cause, and doesn't seem like something the Jedi should be encouraging in a Padawan.

Also, I found the whole tournament part of the book exceedingly boring and hard to get through, but at least I feel like the book picks up the pace a bit after the tournament.

 

I was finally able to find an ebook version. Are we only allowed to talk about the first 4 chapters at this point? I'm currently in the middle of chapter 6.

Dagobahsystem mentioned the poetic introduction to the book, and I'd like to highlight the following paragraph:
So life goes on despite the gathering dark, Senator Padme Amidala thought, looking out her window. Each individual life burning bravely, like a candle raised against the night. She kept her eyes on the spaceport landing platform nearest the Jedi Temple. "It isn't a luxury," she said.
A handmaiden turned to look at her, puzzled.
"Pardon?"
"Hope. It isn't a luxury. It's our duty." Padme said.

Great insight into her character and a nice bit of foreshadowing, especially since this book came out in 2004. How much of the RotS story was Sean Stewart privy to? This doesn't seem to be a coincidence; when we see her again in chapter 6 she says:

Spoiler

after hearing the news of Yoda's death:

Courage, she told herself. Hope. When the time grows dark, hope must shine brighter. If I could trade my life for a chance of a brighter day for the next generation, would I do it?
In a heartbeat.


Spot on foreshadowing and character insight.

I loved the analogy of young Dooku's attention moving along the Force like the water-skippers dimpling the water beneath them, but not falling through.
So in this flashback, Dooku is about 20. This reminds me that I've always wanted there to be a book (or books) on young Dooku and his times with Yoda. Maybe someday.
Here's the youngest image of Christopher Lee I could find. He seems a little older than 20 here, but it lends a good idea as to what he looked like then. I feel like I can see a little bit of Hayden as Anakin in that expression.


Yoda mentions Dooku's master is one Thame Cerulean. Am I missing something? Yoda was Dooku's master.

How consistent do I find the characterization of Asajj in this book? It's not too different from the 2D cartoon or the first couple seasons of TCW. They maybe amped her up to be more of a monster. The only thing I found questionable was that this book says she's killed 16 Jedi so far. 16? I would be surprised if she'd killed any in the cartoons. Maybe 1 or 2, but 16?! I suppose he needed to establish her as a formidable threat.
I did like the analogy of the rose and the thorn, the sound of a knife driving home, the taste of blood on the lips.

Also, Anakin killed a Dooku clone? Was that in another book? Did I miss that somewhere?

And a Gran with eyebrows?

But speaking of Maks Leem, I did like her thoughts on the cost of the war to the Jedi Order. About the empty temple, the orphaned Padawans, and the entire generation of younglings growing up in a time of violence, "weaned on poison milk" as she put it, surrounded by a Force clouded by the dark side. As I watch TCW, I wonder about things like that as I observe Ahsoka grow, fighting as a soldier in a war. That generation is like a ring on a tree marked by blight or fire.

I also almost fell out of my seat when Yoda mentioned that perhaps one the problems was that the Jedi Temple was on Coruscant, where there is no nature. As I watch scenes in the Council room and see all that hustle & bustle, and traffic and endless cityscape, it makes my head spin; not a very monastic setting. I always thought they should've been in a more serene setting. But, they had to be near the Senate, I suppose.

I have a question: What do you guys think about Yoda communing with Qui-Gon, this early in the timeline? Also taking into account it seems this isn't the first time. I see how Stewart felt it was appropriate being that he was Dooku's apprentice, but an iffy call for sure.
Wonderful descriptions on the feel of his existence and presence, though. And I think I like the way Yoda has always sort of felt a hint of him lingering in the ether ever since he died.

And this brings me to the question of Dooku's characterization in this book. It feels very "alternate universe" to me. I mean, I can see why Stewart took creative license and made him vaguely conflicted, but I don't see him that way at all in the films or cartoons. By the time we see him, and presumably since he started helping Sidious, he is pure evil through and through. From what I gather.
Furthermore, Cubman says,

Dooku is pure evil, but (keeping with the tone of the PT) he is still a gentleman, and a sportsman duelist in the classic sense (think Three Musketeers, Inigo Montoya, etc.). I don't agree that he isn't quite willing to kill Jedi. He is willing to use them for his purpose (join him, bargaining chips), and though he is classy ("you have fought gallantly") he would kill them remorselessly if that's what it came to.

It is interesting to see into the struggles of the Padawans regarding their forbidden emotions, such as attraction and rage.

And a very ESB Yoda there while the droid takes his food.

Were Scout's actions true to the Jedi way? I think the questionable aspect here is the point. Perhaps she is a metaphor for the Jedi at this time in history, with their questionable actions that can be considered un-Jedi. And it wasn't just Scout. Pax was trying to mind-trick her into throwing the bout, and was prideful as heck. And Hanna was being quite contemptuous towards Scout.
And afterall, the Padawans chose for the completions to be real and lifelike, and the state of the galaxy is quite real.
As Master Xan said, "I commonly hear our apprentices talk about Coruscant, and the stars beyond as 'real life'. I wonder, sometimes, if they think what we teach them is merely pretend. I assure you, it is not. The Living Force you come to see here, under Master Yoda's guidance, is the truest reality; beyond these walls is the truth, masked by hope and fear and treachery, that is hardest to see."

 

Ventress in this book and other materials is so different from TCW

 

Yes she is almost like a different character. That's why trying to fit canon Ventress and pre-TCW Ventress into one character in legends just doesn't work. This Dark Rendezvous Ventress should be the Legends character, and TCW Ventress should be the canon character.

 

I'm starting chapter 9 tonight.

Man, there is a lot to talk about.

This is such a great book!

 

Ok, cool. Thanks cubman. I'll limit my questions up to and including Chapter 6 at the moment.

One musical type point to mention:
In Chapter 5, Yoda says to Scout "Why would I throw away one who burns so bright." This recalls Dooku's words to Asajj in Chapter 1. "You burn so brightly now. I would hate to put you out."

What did everyone think of the comedic scenes of Master Yoda disguised as an astromech?

How do you feel Anakin and Kenobi were handled in Chapter 6? i.e. their discussion of entanglements and nonattachment with regard to relationships and the Jedi Order etc...

Lastly, for now, I liked the scene between Mace and Palpatine. It was interesting. What did everyone else think of that?

 

On the last one, I think it demonstrates Palpatine's manipulations, of course, Mace's dedication to the Republic, and more. I can't do much more tonight. I will add more. After I review a bit.

 

Dagobahsystem Yoda as an Astromech droid was rather silly, but it did remind me a lot of the mischievous Yoda that Luke first met on Dagobah, which was nice.

 

1 - Perhaps. They should have probably found someone who was actually in republic military. The actor ends up ok, but was captured by Ventress. The fact that he ends up ok shouldn't overshadow the fact that they sent a civilian into a situation that would invariably lead to the actor being targeted. At the least, they should have sent a couple jedi with him, because that would have been easy to pass off as students or extra help.

 

It definitely seems odd, when I think about it. They didn't even send a jedi with him.

 

I found the scenes with Yoda disguised as an astromech overly silly and not amusing. I guess it's a bit reminiscent of his behavior in ESB, and Yoda does have a fun-loving, playful, and wacky side that is an intrinsic part of his character. But at least in ESB he was funny.

It's really risky to use an actor as a decoy for Yoda, considering that the actor isn't really able to defend himself when he gets into tight spots since he doesn't posses any Jedi abilities. And it also seems bad for the Republic's morale to pretend that the Jedi's Grand Master has been killed. I suppose if the benefit outweighed the risk it would be okay, but I feel like it didn't quite pay off in this instance, since they would only be earning an audience with Dooku, whom they don't even know they can trust. For all they know, it could be a trap. Not sure that it's worth putting someone at that great of risk for something that's so uncertain.

As for bringing Padawans along, it's not be the smartest move, but children are often brought into a lot of dangerous situations in a GFFA (Anakin, Ahsoka, Boba, Caleb, Ezra, Sabine, to name a few), so it's not all that surprising.

By the way, does anyone know how to pronounce Whie's name? I'm guessing it's prounced why, but I could also see his name being pronounced whee.

 

I always thought-read it as whee.

 

Regarding Yoda as a fugitive droid, this line made me laugh out loud, thank the maker:

a strange, hollow cackle, horribly unsynthetic--the sound of a Kowakian monkey-lizard laughing inside a barrel, perhaps. Then Evil R2 spun and rolled clumsily from the room.

Now that is a funny moment in an otherwise intense little book.

Has everyone finished it yet?
Are we ready to discuss the meat of the story, as it were?

 

In Chapter 8, Ventress tells Whie and Scout:

Let me tell you about the dark side. Typical Jedi propaganda to name it so. Let me give it another name, let's call it the truth.

Thoughts on this statement and her lengthy speech that follows?

 

Absolutely brilliant writing, just like the rest of the book. On a meta-level, of course, we know that Ventress is full of crap and that the dark side is a dead-end, but within the universe, it's just a great sales pitch.

 

I consider this Dooku, in combination with Stover's incarnation of him in the ROTS novelization, to be the true heart of the character. Rather than a cackling pure evil bad guy; he's a conflicted man who knows deep down what he's doing is wrong but his arrogance in thinking he can control all the events of the war combined with his fear of Sidious is too much to overcome. Love the dynamic that Sidious treats him with the rule of fear that he does Ventress.

 

I personally hate Stover's depiction of Dooku in the ROTS novel, but I agree with the rest!

 

Has there been a Club Jocasta thread for the novelization? I recommended that before but that's when everyone did Thrawn.

 

Finally getting to the duel between Master Jai & Asajj. Interesting to see the thoughts and feelings of a Jedi who acknowledges when an opponent is better and stronger in the Force than they are. And the struggle he encounters with the temptation to give into the dark side to defeat her, the injustice he feels in dying to someone who has dedicated their life to evil, finally finding peace in the inevitability of his death and in the fact that he stayed true to the light side despite the fact that nobody will ever know, all while watching his fellow Jedi comrade slowly die while witnessing the events and pleading with him not to go dark, and also plugging up a hole in the ship's hull to save their soon-to-be orphaned Padawans.

And the taunting lecture Asajj gives to Whie about the Jedi way of unattachment in the face of his master's death, while relating her own painful experiences was the highlight of the book so far for me. It's always pretty interesting to see how dark side users justify their choices & viewpoints and how they see the Jedi.
Her astute foresight into Dooku's role with Sidious, and Whie's ensuing conversation with Yoda over his Master Teem's death and what Ventress had said to him were good reads, too.

Also, nice shoutout to Mark Twain with the "the rumors of Master Yoda's death have been greatly exaggerated." line.


I also found this thought of Dooku's to be poignant in lieu of the events of RotS:
"The thought was unfair. Say rather, Darth Sidious, alone in all the galaxy, knew most intimately the dark springs that ran through creatures' hearts. He was an expert in personal disintegration - in the ways one came to betray one's self."
It's often said Sidious takes advantage of people's weaknesses, but I would say he more often maneuvers people into situations in which they use their strengths to traverse a path of his design, to his end.