NJO: What holds YOU to the story? Your list of positives for the NJO... (possible DJ spoilers)

We are about halfway through now, so let's take the time to discuss what exactly we like about the NJO and why.


My list of positives (in no particular order)...

The enemy

The most remarkable aspect of the Yuuzhan Vong is not their fanaticm or their thirst for conquest and purification.

The most remarkable aspect of this enemy is its biotechnology. For 10 books now, we the readers have been privy to some incredible ability on their part. As "bad" and "evil" as the Yuuzhan Vong may seem, they are not entirely devoid of respect.

Ironically, authors explain YV technology in the most innocuous manner. Case in point:

[Jaina] mentally ordered the ship to breach the other vessel. On the wall just behind the cockpit, a viscous substance, similar in appearance to the Yuuzhan Vong's blorash jelly, seeped from the coral and outlined an oval portal. Foul steam began to rise as the solvent worked its way through the living hull.

The Wookie padded over to observe. He leapt back as a neat two-meter chunck of coral tipped into the corridor. The smoldering edges were now as smooth as transparisteel. Yellow goo still seeped from the ship's walls and was swiftly eating through the ceramic and metal hull of the captured freighter. The melted substance hardened quickly, forming a solid, airtight bond between the two ships.

- pp.123-124, from Dark Journey

Recall that in Rebirth, the YV breached the Falcon, but written from Han, Leia & Jacen's perspective. This time around, we are intimate witnesses of the breach-ers and thus begin to understand the efficient magnificence of it all.

The Force & the Role of Jedi

This interesting debate of the NJO is a direct offshoot of the enemy.

The Yuuzhan Vong - in many ways, the essence of life - puzzles and baffles our Jedi heroes like no other. It prompts a reexamination and redefinition of the Force and specific role of Jedi during a time of war. Many of us have debated these very topics ad nauseam.

The story

Reverting to the classic Star Wars myth, in the NJO we find young heroes emerging from the obscure shadow of adolescence. Ah, the NJO: Star Wars at its best.

The characters.

Certainly, the strength of any story lies with its characters - their motivations, their emotions and of course their actions. We all have our favorite characters, but with Kyp & Jacen, I think we've found two of the more interesting characterizations in the NJO on opposite ends of the spectrum. And then of course there's Anakin Solo, the shining bright star of the NJO who will forever remain immortal in many of our hearts.

And the original cast is never ignored. From Han setting the stage of that tenuous "bubble of security" in Vector Prime to his "trial" later on, Han is the cornerstone of the NJO. Luke & Leia command a presence of their own, unsurpassed and unrivaled in their own rights.

The honorable businesses of Lando Calrissian are not left out either.


Your list?

 

Well, first off for me, it's furthering the Star Wars Universe, and I enjoy reading Star Wars books. My list, however, really isn't that long. Infact, it's basically down to a few things, the first I which I mentioned. In addition to that, we have a new enemy I find to be fairly intresting. In fact, their the first enemy since the empire I have really found that intresting. And the first non-human (which is to say esentially all members are of the same species, though they may use different slave species) enemy I've read to actually hold that position. The only other ones I've encounted, the Yveetha(spelling please) and the Ssi-ruuk, weren't that intresting of enemys. The it was more intresting to see how the Ssi-ruuk were dealt with than to see who they were. And the Yveetha(spelling please) were just plain lame and see through.

The Vong are more in depth than these two races, and provide a better enemy. It would be sad to see the further war of the Empire and NR post signing the peace treaty. It's one thing to revisit that time period, although it has essentially been filled up. But to see a return to the war would have been a waste. The Vong offer a return to the excitment of the war between the Empire and the New Republic, but with a brand new enemy.

 

although i do greatly like the NJO, its not starwarsie enough. the empire and the rebels cannot be allied that destroys the ENTIRE purpose of star wars.

 

No it doesn't. It actually makes Star Wars mature past the point of becomeing stale. And keeping the war going after the peace treaty was signed would have made Star Wars very stale.

 

yes i know it would thats why they just kill it all together... its bound to happen sooner or later...

 

Elite_Guard, this thread isn?t about why you don?t like the NJO, it?s about why you do.

I suppose my first reason for liking the NJO would have to be that it was the first Star Wars series that presented me with a character that I could truly relate to. Up until the NJO, there wasn?t anyone like Jacen in the Star Wars universe that I knew of. Even in the YJK, Jacen wasn?t really the same character (although I liked him there too).

Another reason why I like the NJO is because it is a long series of books. Star Wars trilogies that provided us with little character development, and almost never carried over into the next set of books seemed to be a dime a dozen during the Bantam era. Now, we get to see a story that takes place over a long period of time, and every book caries over into the next (unless the book takes place during another, like DJ and Traitor).

I also like the depth of all the conflicts in the NJO. In previous Star Wars books, it was usually ?Jedi and NR good; Dark Jedi and Empire bad?. That has its place, but it?s not all that interesting. But now, we get to understand why the ?dark Jedi? and the Vong are doing what they are doing. It?s not a story line of ?they are the enemy and so they should be stopped?. We get to understand the reasons behind the enemy?s actions. This is particularly in the case of the Jedi and the ?Dark? Jedi.

There are a few other reasons, but those are the main ones.

 

Why I like the NJO:
Besides the fact that it is STAR WARS, there are many reasons why I believe this is good Star Wars Lit.
The NJO does a magnificent job of not leaving things out. Bantem had a horrible time with this and I think it's because the authorisation of the novels were not as coordinated as the NJO. It's good to know that the characters we grew atached to in one book are not completely non existent further in the series. I love the little mentions of the other Jedi, even if it's just their name popping up once or twice. Bantem made a mistake with their SW series because one plot line didn't have enough of an impact on the next. The NJO does a beautiful job with this.

The NJO is also great because everytime I pic up the next novel in the series expecting one thing, I get completely blown away by a plot line that I would never have seen from two feet away. DJ did a good job with this. While I would have expected more Vong in this book, and was dissapointed by the lack of them, I was very pleased about the insight into the Hapans who had been forgotten until AOC. I'm glad that we were finally able to catch up with them.

I also find the Vong to be very interesting. I want to know every tidbit I can find on them. Bantems lame alien races were so one deminsional, no real emotion. They had their drive to conquer the galaxy, but you could never understand why. The Vong just seem so much more real because even though we don't know exactly why they're invading, we have some idea and WANT to find out more. (at least I do)

The charecter developments are also very well thought out in this book, and I'm glad to know that just because you're the son of the two most famous people in the galaxy(or one of them's best wookie friend) doesn't make you invincible.

 

There are three reasons why I like the NJO

1.The YV are the best most imaginative enemy ever. Their military strategy, their unique culture of pain and the fact that they are a competant enemy for the NR

2.All the different factions, rather than just NR Vs Empire there are Hapes, Chiss, Hutts, Peace Brigade, Imp Remenant and etc. All with their own agendas in fighting the war.

3.The jedi Knights in an active combat role as the defenders of the galaxy.

 

I like the NJO because

1. They killed Chewbacca
2. They killed Anakin Solo
3. They killed a lot of Jedi Knights

 

I have my problems with the NJO, and I think most of you can guess what they are. However, the two things I like about the NJO are the following:

1. The Yuuzhan Vong and their biotechnology. That alone sets them apart from nearly all the other known races/factions in the Star Wars Universe. The only possible exceptions are tje Aing-Tii and the inhabitants of Zonama Sekot. I help Nom Amor get his YV database together and I'm always gleaning the books for info on the Yuuzhan Vong.

2. The Jedi. I hold an equal interest in the Jedi. Nice to be able to see how and what some of the old and new are doing during this crisis. Even those who have a one-book appearance gain my interest. I won't deny that Kyp's been a focus of mine. In nearly every book he appeared in dduring this series he acted in ways that don't serve to justify Luke forgiving him and to justify his being alive. I keep hoping to see him totally screw-up and go dark, at which point someone will do what I think should have been done long ago - send him on a one-way ticket to join Palpatine and Exar Kun. I also like seeing the new Jedi powers that are coming out - battle meld, glowball, etc.

 

Amazing. I've never seen such a positive thread about the NJO!

The thing that's held me to Star Wars since the beginning is the same here: the characters. For me, it's half about the character growth and development and half about the journey. And there's been a TON of this in the NJO.

Look at Anakin, for example. Conquest was one of the best, imo. Han in HT was awesome, especially since we got to see a side of him that we haven't seen since the very beginning. The mother/daughter relationship between Leia and Jaina is easily relatable to me (being a teenage girl). And the entire premise of the Solo kids' generation stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility, namely in SbS, lends itself to extreme growth. We saw the younger generation taking charge like Han, Luke, and Leia used to. And the best part of all was recently in DJ, when Han says something to Jaina that every father has said to their daughter at least once: "Don't talk to your mother that way." It makes them feel like a real family, something that wasn't there in the Bantam era.

 

As a completely obsessive-compulsive Force fanatic, the (often sporadic) exploration of the Force, the inter- and extra-galactic station of the Jedi Knights, and role the Yuuzhan Vong play in relation to the first two issues keeps me reading.

My mind has oft' wandered back to those ancient times, obscurred by millenia after millenia (as well as authors'/LFL's fear of messing it all up), when the Jedi Knights came into being. The circumstances. The individuals. The incredibly steep learning curve! The "founding" of the Jedi Order and its evolution to the Order we've seen in the Prequels and beyond interest a great deal.

In the NJO, we get to see some semblance of what that may have been like.

That's why I keep reading...

Well... that and it's Star Wars!

 

Wow, good thoughts, everyone!

Vong_Killer comments...

The NJO does a magnificent job of not leaving things out...It's good to know that the characters we grew atached to in one book are not completely non existent further in the series. I love the little mentions of the other Jedi, even if it's just their name popping up once or twice. Bantem made a mistake with their SW series because one plot line didn't have enough of an impact on the next. The NJO does a beautiful job with this.

Really nicely put. It's not easy to include every possible detail in the Expanded Universe from books in the past. But the NJO does an adequate and admirable job of it!

Let's face it, continuity in the EU is important to most of us. This does not necessarily exclude the NJO from mistakes, but they've done a commendable job handling the sheer scope of the EU established in the past.

 

Good topic -Vergere-...

The Vong keep me in, I am so confused at how the NR will win the war, I have to keep reading. Also the ever possibility of the chiss joining the fight keeps me first in line for each novel...

 

The overall quality of the writing. Granted, Ruin was awful and Onslaught not great, but the rest, while not Pulitzer material, have maintained a consistant nice writing style and readability that was so sporadic during the Bantam days.

 

Well, for me it's the characters, action and danger. You never got the sense in other novels that the good guys could lose or get killed. Here they can.

 

The potential ideals of the Jedi, as they work out what they stand for.

That hasn't been done that well, with little real sense of a debate within the order, but the Jedi do seem to be finding their feet.

What I want to see this story do is to demonstrate the importance of the Jedi: They were removed by Palpatine and the result was a tyrannical Empire that took at least thirty years to fall. The Vong are similar in terms of evil, but unlike then, the Jedi are present and have resisted the attempt to destroy them. I expect that to lead to their decisive effect upon the outcome.

I want to see the positive side of politics and government as the Jedi rebuild the Republic, possibly going into politics in a way they never did thus the NEW Jedi Order. (I never saw the new Jedi as being determined by age but by philosophical outlook and practical action.)

Having seen the Vong scrag the galaxy I want to see their utter, final and total defeat.

I want to see a restored but altered Jedi Council that recognises the failures of its predecessors.

If I get these then I will have something to balance the flaws of the first half. Certain elements of NJO I am never going to like, some I see as unneeded, others have been lousily executed, yet still the potential of the storyline is good.

Jedi Ben

p.s. Why so surprised Vergere? You sometimes DO get what you ask for!

 

I think the key item that keeps my interest is that we're seeing a lot of new characters receive development. I've enjoyed the last few books much more than the early NJO ones (excluding Vector Prime which ruled) as the focus is less on Luke, Han and Leia (although they're all in new positions now so they're still interesting) and instead on the new order. I loved Star By Star as it introduced so many new guys and really helped bring the next generation into the limelight, and that's what I'm here for. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with more of the classic characters, but I really don't want to see them be the heroes in every situation for 40 years.

 

Hmm, where to start?

Well first, the Vong are a great new enemy, the first real threat to our heroes since the Empire - and honestly, probably a greater threat than the Empire.

I don't like reading the sections focusing on the Vong themselves, who I find rather one-dimensional, with the exceptions of Vua Rapuung and Nen Yim. They're great as opponents, but aren't very interesting in and of themselves. But this thread is about what's good about the NJO, so I'll stop there.

The new "good guy" characters have all been a nice change; Ganner, Droma, Jag Fel, Kre'fey, Skidder, the YVH droids, etc. And the many guest appearances have been great, the chance to catch up - if even for a page or two - with some old friends.

I confess that I love the Solo kids, and to heck with the NJOCC! Han, Luke, and Leia can still save the galaxy, but now they don't have to worry about doing it every time. Unfortunately we lost Anakin just as he'd developed into such a terrific character, but hopefully Jacen and Jaina can be developed along similar lines.

Finally, the length of the storyline is wonderful. It allows for so much more depth than the single books, duologies, and trilogies of the Bantam era. This is what the movies would've been like if that story could've been told in 15-20 novels, as opposed to three six-hour films.

I still can't believe we have to wait over 1 1/2 years to get to the end!

 

Well first I like the fact that wighel reading SBS I was abel to say "Ok I got a leter of Cock, a pizza, and mixed Rush CD. I'm redy to read all night." on a Saterday.

The other things are the transition from the origonal charicters to the new charicters. I loved Han, Luke, and Leia, but the idea with the NJO and Episodes I-III is that SW will fouces on the next generation, not hold on to the last one till the end. We can see that the young guys are taking shap to fill in the place of the old ones. Like Han to Jaina, or Chewi to Lowi, even Luke to Jacen. That is what I love about it.

 

I'm going to be brutally honest here: pathetic brand loyalty and the fact that Aaron Allston has two books coming. Other than that, there's really nothing holding me to the series. I no longer have the urge to run out and buy a Star Wars book the minute it's available. In fact I still haven't read Star by Star because I decided I didn't want to bother spending the money.

 

Ok I got a leter of Cock

Do you mean a liter of Coke?

 

Let's hope so.

 

[face_shocked] Ok I got a leter of Cock [face_shocked]


Good topic (as usual) Vergere.


First, I would like to say it's Star Wars, but that isn't true- I will happily pan and slam something even though it has 'Star Wars'swacked on it. If anything, it should be held to a higher standard, not a lower one.

For me what holds me to the story was the fact that it was something new and not just another Spectra Kidnap the Brats or Zahngasm Thrawnfest.

Seriously, it's pulp ficture, sure the story has been done before, and I genuinely like the Yuuzhan Vong. People bitch that they're two dimensional...this is STAR WARS not 'I. Claudius' for S'net's sake, you want depth, read Lord of the Rings. The villains, like their heroes, are larger than life. So long as they have basic personalities and we understand their motivations, that's really all that's needed and leave the character development up the mains.

Another aspect is that its destroying the inherently unstable as disasterous government known as the New Republic. Let's face it, when Zahn set it all up, it was pretty much doomed from the start. I agree with Jedi Ben's assessment that this was essentially unrealistic that a government could be so paralyzed by an invasion, but there it is and there's not much we can do about it now since it's gone. And hope like hell that whatever rises in its place will be stronger and more stable.

I have appreciated the few appearance of Grand Admiral Pellaeon. I think we will see the absorption of the Empire into the Repubilic Version 3.0 which will in turn make the galaxy stronger.

Overall, I like the sprawling epic conflict that has encompased an entire galaxy- that's pretty much it right there.

 

Here are some of my reasons:

It's Star Wars, and there's nothing that makes it not so. In fact, it is in some ways more tied-in to the Classic Trilogy than other books. We finally get to see Luke's son as forseen in ESB.

Bad guys capable of beating the good guys is a nice new concept.

The NJO, unlike some other serieses, has elements from the entire SW continuum. Finally all the factions of SW are brought together.

What first drew me to the NJO was the Vong-- I heard about the new villians and had to check them out. Not until fairly recently did I realize that what it was really getting at was the character developements of the New Jedi. Sure, the Vong are nice for a scare, but the main point of the NJO lies in our heroes. Who are very interesting because they are actually growing! New never-seen-before surprises keep popping up all over.

The final mian reason is because the NJO is coming out right now and since no one knows the outcome, the suspense is keeping me .