Disguise, deception and misdirection - themes in the NJO

Just a place to assemble any thoughts anyone has on what seems to me to be a fairly important (I don't know I should say "obvious") thematic strand in the NJO novels...

Compared with the simplicity of the OT, where all the real complexity and ambiguity of identity, intent and motivation was locked away inside Vader's gleaming black armour (in ANH, we know Ben Kenobi is Obi-Wan, even before we meet him, and in RotJ, Lando reveals his identity to the camera in the shot in which he's introduced), I'm trying hard to think of many people in the NJO who are who they appear to be, or even who they think they are - disguises, deceptions and subtexts are there to be found, even within the disguises, deceptions and subtexts most superficially obvious in the novels...

From Nom Anor's Vader-like public image in Balance Point to the enigmatic figures who claim to be the Chiss tetrarchs in Refugee... from the Yuuzhan Vong infiltrators throughout the New Republic to Wedge's callsign "Vader" in TUF... from Mara's attempts to teach Anakin about disguise and deception in Balance Point to Vergere's ambiguous, self-contradictory refusal to reveal her real aims to Jacen in Traitor... from Tsavong Lah's strategy of bluff and double-bluff to Han's losing himself in self-pity... from Leia's unwillingness to be seen as a Jedi to Jaina and Jag's refusal to let their love be defined by the expected formalities...

And that's to say nothing about the politics or the metaphysics...

Expectations subvert themselves, and truths, if there are any to be found, normally remain hidden...

How deliberate, sophisticated and coherent is this in terms of the novellists' and editors' intent? And how much fun can we have identifying and deconstructing themes and leitmotivs - or simply building a little fort out of them...?



- The Imperial Ewok

 

Nas Choka
Malik Carr
Czulkang (sp?) Lah

Are all among the Yuuzhan Vong we see who are who they appear to be.

However, if you make a list of all the "main" characters in the NJO:

Shimmra
Onimi
Leia
Han
Luke
Jacen
Anakin
Jaina
Mara
Tsavong Lah
Vergere
Nen Yim
Harrar
Kyp Durron
Nom Anor
Sekot

All of those have lied, disguised themselves, or misrepresented themselves. Shimmra and Onimi (duh!), Leia and Han in EL (among others), Luke and Anakin in BP, Jacen in Traitor and DW, Jaina throughout the series, Mara in BP, etc. THEY ALL LIE, even the people who should have moral problems with it. It is BY FAR the series in SW with the most lying, deceit, disguise, and misdirection.

 

Perhaps this is why people actually enjoyed Borsk Fey'lya in the NJO. He continued to follow his own adjenda - but it was a pretty clear cut one.

There was also a senator who was a prominent character early on in the series - from one of the worlds that makes ships - I can't think of her name - but she definately follows the deception theme.

And yes, all the heroes ultimately do the same. The jedi are hiding their children at the "eclipse" - Wedge and his conspirators. Not to mention all the other things already accounted for above. In a way it made things more interesting in the NJO - because it was sooo different from the simplicity of the Bantam era. It also made me appreciate the simpler books when they did come out in the NJO (Refugee comes to mind - though there was still plenty of deception going on in that book too).

 

There was also a senator who was a prominent character early on in the series - from one of the worlds that makes ships - I can't think of her name - but she definately follows the deception theme.


Viqi Shesh, from Kuat

 

Hey -- these were some of the themes in GALAXY QUEST, too!!!1!

 

Thanks, Spike2002. That's exactly who I meant.

 

Let's not forget the election where the Jedi installed their candidate via blackmail.

The character in NJO that seems to have the most integrity is Pellaeon. The Imperial Chief of State.

 

Oooh, if you want to see Deception, read the Cestus Deception. There are several layers to the ones that I've found in that book.

 

Now I can't wait to read that book even more

 

in RotJ, Lando reveals his identity to the camera in the shot in which he's introduced

You're seriously slipping if you can't remember that he was in ESB first, man.

 

a_r, what I think he means is that while Lando is disguised, he still shows who he is in the first shot, as opposed to later.

 

Well, if you want deception, there's always "I am your father" and the brother/sister thing.