Lit Return of the Jedi by James Kahn

When Luke levitated the rock in TESB, the rock was actually stationary, end he moved the universe around it.

 

Whoops, I meant "and he moved the universe around it" I am a lousy typist.

 

Luke is a little gleeful when negotiations fail, and Jabba sentences him- because now he's free to make sure Jabba dies (though it's Leia who actually kills Jabba).

Luke only smiled. "You should have bargained, Jabba. That's the last mistake you'll ever make." Luke was unable to suppress the satisfaction in his voice. He found Jabba despicable- a leech of the galaxy, sucking the life from whatever he touched. Luke wanted to burn the villain, and so was actually rather glad that Jabba had refused to bargain- for now Luke would get his wish precisely. Of course, his primary objective was to free his friends, whom he loved dearly; it was this concern that guided him now, above all else. But in the process, to free the universe of this gangster slug- this was a prospect that tinted Luke's purpose with an ever-so-slightly dark satisfaction.​

 

I remember from the book that Jabba told Luke "I was killing Jedi when it meant something to be one" or something like that. Great quote.

 

"I was killing your kind when being a Jedi meant something." Never understood what Jabba could have meant, though. A rather odd throwaway line.

 

Might have been trying to intimidate him or maybe he really did. I don't know.

 

This explains why the Empire collapsed at the end of ROTJ in the Lucasverse.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if, in his hundreds of years of crime lordery, Jabba had been responsible for putting a few hits out on meddlesome Jedi.

 

Something that the ROTJ novelization deserves more credit for is the information it contributed to TTT.

 

It's interesting to see the novel's take on Jerjerrod, when he's pointing the DS2 at the Forest Moon and preparing to fire:

Commander Jerjerrod sat, brooding, in the control room of the Death Star, watching all about him crumble. Half of his crew were dead, wounded, or run off - where they hoped to find sanctuary was unclear, if not insane. The rest wandered ineffectually, or railed at the enemy ships, or fired their guns at all sectors, or shouted orders, or focussed desperately on a single task, as if that would save them. Or, like Jerjerrod, simply brooded.

He couldn't fathom what he'd done wrong. He'd been patient, he'd been loyal, he'd been clever. he'd been hard. He was the commander of the greatest battle station ever built. Or, at least, almost built. He hated this Rebel Alliance now, with a child's hate, untempered. He'd loved it once - it had been the small by he could bully, the enraged baby animal he could torture. But the boy had grown up now; it knew how to fight back effectively. It had broken its bonds.

Jerjerrod hated it now.

Yet there seemed to be little he could do at this point. Except, of course, destroy Endor - he could do that. It was a small act, a token really - to incinerate something green ans living, gratuitously, meanly, toward no end but that of wanton destruction. A small act, but deliciously satisfying.

An aide ran up to him. "The Rebel fleet is closing, sir."

"Concentrate all fire in that sector." he answered distractedly. A console on the far wall burst into flame.

"The fighters in the superstructure are eluding our defense system, Commander. Shouldn't we-"

"Flood sectors 304 and 138. That should slow them up." He arched his eyebrows at his aide.

This made little sense to the aide, who had cause to wonder at the commander's grasp of the situation. "But sir ..."

"What is the rotation factor to firing range on the Endor Moon?"

The aide checked the compuscreen. "Point oh two to moon target, sir. Commander, the fleet-"

"Accelerate rotation until moon is in range, and then fire on my mark."

"Yes sir." The aid pulled a bank of switches. "Rotation accelerating. Point oh one to moon target. Sixty seconds to firing range. Sir, good-bye, sir." The aide saluted, put the firing switch in Jerjerrod's hand as another explosion shook the control room, and ran out of the door.

Jerjerrod smiled calmly at the view-screen. Endor was starting to come out of the Death Star's eclipse. He fondled the detonation switch in his hand. Point oh oh five to moon target. Screams erupted in the next room.

Thirty seconds to firing.

 

I guess Jerjerrod failed to learn the consequences of collaborating with the Sith.

 

KAAAAAAAHHN

sorry I had to

 

The following examples are all that is needed to explain the sheet awesomeness of James Kahn's writing in general and the ROTJ novelization in particular:

THAT is the Battle of ******* Endor.

This passage, as Vader is dying and looks upon his son, is one of the most moving pieces of Star Wars prose. Period. And written decades before there was a Padme, a lovely encounter on Naboo near the waterfalls, with wildflowers in bloom, and the ultimate sadness on Mustafar. If these passages don't convince someone to read the ROTJ novelization and accept it's brilliance, nothing will.

--Adm. Nick

 

This does make me wonder- what else he's written and where can I find it?

 

I've understand it like Jabba says "nowadays anyone can claim to be a Jedi" - and that he thinks Luke's a pretender.

 

I was thinking of it as "when the Jedi were the Republic's enforcers and only the most powerful could kill them and get away with it".

 

He also wrote the novelization for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I don't think he's written all that much, though, which is a shame.

 

Yup - I used to have an old copy of TTOD novelization that I read until it was about to fall apart.* Another classic example of why novelizations are so much better than the movies. He also wrote The Goonies novelization, but I haven't read it.

* I later gave it to the library and bought the TOD/ROTLA/LC compliation that was released in 2008 to capitalize on the new Crystal Skull movie.

 

I vaguely remember reading that one at the time- but it's been a while.

 

My old TOD copy was falling apart and I'd never read ROTLA or LC, so when the 3-in-1 book came out I jumped at the chance. Bought the KOTCS novelization too.

Anyway, one of my favorite ROTJ scenes that I wish had been included in the film was the beginning where Luke's constructing his lightsaber. I know it's included as a deleted scene on the blu-ray, but I would have loved to see it onscreen.

 

I'm OK with it not being present- because Luke makes that lightsaber at the start of Shadows of the Empire and uses it for the rest of the book.

 

Upon reflection - what's so wrong with Luke wanting to kill a drug-dealing, whore-running slaver piece of crap like Jabba anyway?

 

Not much- but Survivor's Quest Luke did seem a little upset after killing Vagaari- musing for a moment on "Jedi respect all life, in any form" despite them being one of the viler factions we've seen.

Maybe that general principle is why it's an "ever so slightly dark satisfaction".

 

Jedi don't believe in the death penalty

 

Except when it comes to Sith who are "too dangerous to be kept alive" of course