Deaths in the EU.

There have been plenty of memorable deaths in the Eu - Thrawn, Madine (maybe not for the right reasons), Chewbacca, Borsk, Anakin, Ganner, Vergere etc.

Which one has moved you the most.

Which could have been done better.

Which was the most unexpected.


I'd have to say, since I've read the cut material in KOTOR 2, Atton Rands death would have to have moved me the most. He gave his life to save the woman he loved and he finally attoned for his previous sins against the jedi.

Onviously, Madines could have been done better.

I didn't expect Vergeres, however.

 

Ganner's. Plain and simple. Best written. Best executed. Most impact on a people. Most impressive.

Though I must say: Ulic's is close behind.

- Keralys

 

Wow. I agree exactly. Ganner all the way. And, while I'd forgotten about Ulic, I agree with that as well. I thought Borsk's was good as well.

Could have been written better (or omitted entirely?) Anakin's. Duh. And Lusa's. Off-camera. Sheesh.

 

Some people may have hated the character but I thought Anakin's death was very powerful and not just his death but Leia and Han's reaction as well. Very powerful. So beautifully written.

They described so much with Anakin's body giving out on itself. It made me feel so horrible just reading about them.

 

Ganner's stand was a serious joke on credulity, and I for one felt cheated by the idiocy.

Here we go . . .

Lets start with him just coming out of blue, a big no-no in writing rules. But to hell with rules; your parents were taught never to begin a sentence with But or And, and I'll do so if I revan well want to. I'm microscoping his role in the book. What was his role? To take the death that would/could have been Jacen's. Rhysode was a nobody we knew little about. His stiffly written persona suddenly changed in Ruin, and he was credibly penned. Here, he was a stammering sow.

Did I say stammering? Practically half of what I read was stuttering dialogue, as if KOTOR companion dialogue didn't have enough. You see---I'll try not to laugh when I say this---what Stover wanted to show was a scared man overcoming his fears and donning the clothes of bravery. And it would have worked if he wasn't a filler character to expand a small book a bit longer. Here, he just comes out of nowhere too late in the short book, and the transition from coward to paladin looks ridiculous in so short a space.

And ridiculous pretty much sums his last stand up. Yep sir ree, the author's choice to show off his flowery prose left the book little more than gave whaffle. You knew what was going on, but it was like having stonned addict whaffling transluceny when you needed clear transparency at times. The stand was when you needed proper transparency.

For the dance is Rhysode and Rhysode was the dance does convey something , and yet it doesn't. You leave the sentence satisfied you know something . . . and yet you actually don't. How many did he kill? Does it matter? Did Kerrigan marry a Zergling? How did he survive so long against so many scores of brutes? Do you need answers to these questions, Excellence, you would say. Does it really matter. And of course it does. You were reading a book, not peeking up yor neighbour's skirt.

I want flammin' realism. The stand denies you it.

Matters worsen when you get Rhysode as a choice. The NJO pattern was clear: new names get killed by the end, if featured prominantly in their books. You'd seen the pattern before. It was repetitive; it was pathetic. Only the holy puking movie names are allowed to live and win, newcomers kept dying, as seen in Jedi Eclipse, SBS and now Traitor.

Matt and his tough-talking words, that's all it is. Rhysode was a stammering imbecile, really, and he had the experiece praticing it for Windu later on. You kept reading how Windu felt like he was going to collaspe from horrific shock and vertigo at the sight of butchered children this and murdered man that, and Matt just goes on and one with more paragraphs when you've made the point already. Rhysode was no different, falling to his knees as the situation comes crashing down on him, he's walking to the arena, and death. A rush job too; that important 300 (292) page limit was fast approaching. And to convey the life-shattering shock of your actual death minutes away requires a special array of words. It cannot be rushed, it cannot be left vague if you an impact. I've read it before; I've done it before. I know what it's like to feel all your bravery is for nothing, that you're a flea amongst giants . . . and that just makes Rhysode's Wolverining more comical than dignified.

Anor was at his stuttering best too. Cool and smooth when away from Vergere, a total stuttering fool when beside her.

Anyone can write stammering and smartmouth dialogue. Anyone can write vague whaffle. But it's often harder to speak simply, and Rhysode's stand was neither credible or realistic or substance reading.

 

He knew everything about literature except how to enjoy it...

 

Realism and maturity doesn't have to come at the expense of fun. It's not one or the other.

Too much of SW is fun and light reading. Besides, my critique is spot on and you can't do anything about it, ha ha! Traitor's storyline superficial as it was was emotionally deep and serious, changing your entire outlook on life---and it ended in vague whaffle and American gun-ho. That's what my cockpit HUD was targeting.

 

The thread's asking for memorable deaths, isn't it? I selected one and expounded its effect.

Critical strike.

Not the same impact as Storm of Swords though . . .

 

Oh, but the vague style of Rhysode's demise is what makes its memorable. I was partial to Tharen's too. Rejected by lover, dies alone. I felt the loss of Ossilege too.

 

Ton Phanan's death moved me the most.

Followed by Chewie's and Anakin Solo's deaths.

 

Lets start with him just coming out of blue, a big no-no in writing rules.

The character didn?t come out of nowhere. Taken in context of the overall unfolding NJO narrative, Traitor?s role was to present a story that consisted entirely of direct climax. Rhysode was already introduced and developed in earlier expository installments, thus his showing up in Traitor was neither contrived nor contradictory to his already developed characterization. I saw nothing ridiculous about his heroic transition, particularly since his dramatic change in worldview had already taken place way back in Ruin. Besides, being that Ganner was pretty much the only new Jedi in the NEW Jedi Order, it only seems natural that he would eventually been given the spotlight. The intersecting plotline with Jacen awarded this opportunity. But even then, Stover deftly acknowledges that the abruptness of Ganner and Jacen?s intersecting plotlines serves genuine thematic impact. Observe Jacen?s musings:

?He didn?t even like me,? Jacen had told Vergere. ?I didn?t like him.?

For the dance is Rhysode and Rhysode was the dance does convey something , and yet it doesn't.

That was partially the intent of the passage, especially since Vergere goes on to indicate that Ganner?s stand is so instantly iconic that it becomes a part of future Vong mythology. Stover?s descriptions were very much in line with this idea, and almost served as if a Vong character was verbally reciting the events as they actually happened. I loved this bit; I can?t really think of any other instances of SW fiction achieving such stylized conveyance (And of course, it?s infinitely better than the standard ?Luke parried the oncoming lightsaber blow, ducked low, swung high, looked at Mara, blah blah blah.?)

I want flammin' realism.

This from the guy who uses the word ?Revan? in place of ?damn.?

 

I liked the way Ganner went... Ton's death was good as well. I just hate seeing them go

 

Think of it this way, Ezekiel: the strongest bacteria survive through adaptability. Besides, how we speak eng is not how they did in Shakespearean times. Who's to say revaning isn't a legit evolution?

SW doesn't really surprise you with sudden, key deaths, does it? I literally can't think of one I didn't see coming / or seemed obvious. Phanan, perhaps. Wait a ranor . . .

Madine! How could no one mention him? His death was unexpected.

 

I did, although more in the fact that it could have been done better.

I'll also add Jesmins, but more in how Allston portrayed Wedges reaction and his struggles in letting Ackbar know his neice had died.

 

Anakin Solo's death was basically a punch to the gut, Ganner's was applause-rousing, Chewbacca's was fitting and haunting, and Thrawn's death was gasp-inducingly, well, artistically done.

I also still like Cerasi's death in The Uncertain Path. Bam, dead. Wow.

 

I guess for "most moving" I would say Thrawn (of course) and Nate, the ARC trooper from The Cestus Deception. He martyrs out in a badass fashion, just like any other trooper would. But he had just learned of life beyond soldiering, and was sacrificing his life to protect the civilians he had come to understand. Than the Republic admiral thinks something along the lines of "He's calling down an orbital strike on his own position? Wow, what a mindless robot." Not very unexpected, but it certainly moved me.

 

Did Kerrigan marry a Zergling?
That is a question I would like answered. Ah, Excellence, your clear and superbly written critiques are one of the top reasons I even come to the Literature section.
Not the same impact as Storm of Swords though . . .

But dammit man! Quit bringing up books that leave me feeling hollow and bereft of purpose when I finish reading them!

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned Kirtan Loor. His death scene sent chills down my spine.

As for the most lame death, it goes to Warlord Zsinj. Of course, I read the Wraith Squadron books first (which really built up his character) and then Courtship came and ruined it.

 

For someone who keeps complaining about the books clocking in at 292 pages, you obviously haven't bothered to look at the books in question. Yes, a bunch came in at 292 pages; but their margins, font sizes, and line spacings varied dramatically. Sure, Outbound Flight is 400+ pages--but I bet it's actually shorter than Dark Lord with its smaller font & space between lines....

 

You know, in an odd way, this is one of the most reassuring things I've read lately. In the back of my mind I've been wondering maybe Ex was kidnapped and replaced by someone else between his first posts and now, but now I know he's the same person.



Now, Best Death: Ganner. I loved it, it was just good to read.
Worst: Madine. A lame way to go.
Surprising: Borsk. All I heard was "Anakin's dead, Anakin's dead" by the time I read this I was surprised and happy. I've alwasy liked Borsk, nice to see him die in such a big way.
I don't Care death: Trip, I mean Anakin Skywalker.

 

"But it was so artistically done..."-Grand Admiral Thrawn

Best death ever, IMHO.

 

Im gonna gave to go with "It was so artistically done..." as well.

When I first read Redemption I figured something would happen to Ulic, but dang, that one hit me like a sucker punch..

Im sure Quin's last stand will too