Lit Pet Characters

I liked how C'Baoth was written in OF. I hated the guy, but he was written so people would hate him. I had good reason within the context of the story to hate him, though him throttling Thrawn won him some respect. Thrawn, however, I hated for all the wrong reasons because he was simply written poorly.

 

And the sad part is, a lot of Thrawn's plans are rather ingenious. But the novels are intent on beating that message into your head, like the idea of propping a cloaked ship underneath a planetary shield was the Star Wars equivalent of Hannibal's victory at Cannae.

 

The book is a nexus of pet character abuse. Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, and Bail are all Miller's pet preexisting characters, thus they all get featured, Obi-Wan and Anakin the most because they're the biggest pets. Nobody's featured who isn't one of the author's pet characters, and even Ahsoka gets sidelined because Miller just wants Obi-Wan and Anakin. Then there's the biggest Mary Sue in the entire EU, Taria, who is of course another pet character, all tawny-eyed and blue-green-haired and lithe and tragic and having totally banged Obi-Wan in a totally Jedi way. And then you've got the fact that the pet characters are not only being abused in the misuse sense, they're being literally abused, because Miller's hurt/comfort fetish means that every single character in the book has to be put through the emotional and physical wringer every single second of the entire book.

 

It's not bad that Ahsoka was minimized, it's just a further example of the fact that the book was Pet Character Central.

 

You know what, I'm gonna come out swinging for Saba. Sure, she's obviously a "pet" character in that Denning likes her and looks for excuses to use her, and sure, pet characters can escalate to the point of being ridiculous. I'm on record as being unhappy with the way Fett and the Mandalorians were foregrounded at the expense of Jaina in Revelation, for instance.

I'm also only part way through FOTJ, so you know, it's possible it all goes to the wall in the parts I've yet to read. That said, aren't we always complaining about the lack of new characters? I don't think Saba warps the narrative around her - her character development is a subplot at best, and it's more a case of using her to fill narrative roles rather than creating them where they didn't need to exist.

Sure, maybe Kyp or Cam or Cilghal would have been better choices for one reason or another in the minds of various readers, but choosing Saba isn't weird.

Aren't we always complaining that new characters don't stick around and don't get development?

So, you know, maybe it's not perfect, but Saba is a reasonably complex character, with a supporting cast built in, who's been around long enough she's likely to be used by other writers in future even if Denning doesn't stick around, and on top of that, she's a freaking alien.

And I like Cilghal, and I wish Cilghal got more attention, and we can and totally should have that. But if I'm being brutally honest, I think Saba's a slightly less stereotypical character. It's not enormously subtle, but for all I agree with earlier comments that we can criticise her for being a little stereotypically animalistic warrior alien, at least that stereotype sits in tension with her chosen profession.

Is the problem that it makes no sense to be using her, or just that we'd prefer if Denning were using someone else, which makes us more likely to think about the metatextual reasons for the choice?

I dunno, though. I'd be bored to tears if Kyle Katarn got put in charge.

 

I rather liked Saba in the NJO and DNT.

Yeah I know.

Chapter 1: Kyle Katarn is put in charge.
Chapter 2: Kyle Katarn explodes everyone who opposes him.

End of story.

 

In fairness, I suppose, I was expecting it to take less than two hours for someone to make that joke.

 

Have you gotten to Vortex yet? That's the center of the problem.

 

No, I haven't, though I'm aware, broadly, of what happens? But I can't comment on the execution (um, no pun intended.)

 

Like your move there beccatoria

 

Well, she heroically kills Kenth Hamner for not agreeing with all the other Jedi Masters who are acting like idiotic children, at which point Corran and Leia beseech her to be the new Interim Jedi Grand Master because she's the most suitable candidate possible, despite literally every single other Jedi Council member being more suitable given the circumstances. She thus goes on to become co-temporary-dictator of the GA and no one ever cares about the fact that she killed a Jedi Council member in a goddamned playground dispute ever again.

 

Yup, that's pretty much how I recall the recaps... Like I said, I haven't read it yet.

I suppose what I'm reacting to is the fact that I can remember people complaining about Saba being a "pet" character since DNT. Certainly I think there are aspects at play here that have to do with a conflict between stated desires to see new characters and what can be a tendency to see Poochie everywhere.

There's a scale of complaining from the whitewashing of Mara Jade's participation in the Empire through to the whitewashing of Fett's brutal career, and I don't know where I'd ultimately decide that Saba fell on that scale.

But I do think that there are compelling reasons to keep her around as an established and prominent member of the Jedi Council that at least should go beyond some poor writing in a recent novel.

Then again, I find the lack of characterisation of most of the Jedi Council to be completely banal. I'd almost rather someone inexplicable with an identifiable personality be in charge than some dude in brown robes from a line-up. Like, we can joke all we want about how Kyle Katarn's beard will destroy the universe, but beyond a vague understanding that he's hardcore, I don't think I could tell you what differentiated him from Kenth or Cam.

So back to the point, are we second-guessing Saba, or is Saba a convenient scapegoat because we're second-guessing the whole bloody plot?

 

Clearly Kyle isn't well-characterized enough because he hasn't been portrayed by Jason Court since the mid-90s.



Jokes aside, the Coruscant Nights discussion over in the Disney Wars thread brought up I-5 and the rest of Reaves/Perry's OCs. While I found I-5 to be the one mildly entertaining character in the Medstar Duology and what parts of CN I could get through (I barely finished the first novel and couldn't finish the series- a distinction CN shares with Dark Nest and Wheel of Time), it could likely be argued that I-5 constitutes a bit of a pet character. I would also suggest that Black Sun serves as a bit of a pet organization for Reaves and Perry, as it appears in every. single. work. they produced, with the exception of Death Star. At least Zahn left Thrawn out of Allegiance and Scoundrels (I think, still need to finish the latter).

 

He did.

 

Eh, I thought it felt shoehorned into Medstar as well. Idk, maybe I'm just biased against Reaves and Perry.

 

I don't think this scenario would have been all that much different if any other character was there. Hamner dying was the harebrained plot they were going with and Saba was only the tool they decided to use.

Atleast there's a modicum of moral greyness with this situation, if Jaina or Ben did the deed they'd probably have Hamner turn to the darkside or something, since only side characters are allowed to get into morally dodgy situations.

 

What about Stazi, the Hat man or Krayt?

I call them pets because;

1. Stazi: detracts from the story of good empire vs evil Sith, also his character changes between appearances, from bitter jaded survivor to Pope Stazi II who forgives his assassins and risks the alliance to save enemy prisoners.

2/3. Felt shoehorned in, especially the Hat bearer, he also detracts from Luke Legacy. I also don't really know who they are, Krayts big reveal had me going: who?Rather then

Just some points to consider.


I also think that if your in a show down with the government, then a warrior is the last person who should be in charge. Maybe a healer to mend the 'wounds' in their relationship. But sigh where would we find a jedi healer on the Council?

 

Yeah, Saba being put in charge of the Jedi Council is where the problem comes in for me.

 

I don't really get annoyed by authors using certain characters but in my most recent readthrough of The Swarm War I was getting annoyed about all of the mentions about Nek Bwua'tu. My word that was getting annoying. He predicted this, and that and that and even that. Good lord that was ridiculous.
Saba imo was great in the NJO and DNT.
Thrawn doesn't bother me.