The Official Dark Nest III: The Swarm War Discussion Thread (spoilers allowed)

Judder Page! I forgot about him. His pre-Page prefix irritated Mastadge, the way Verpine shatter guns seen in material before certain dates dittoed for dp4m. We're all Mad Hatters in Wonderland.

Personally, I'd have liked to see Buwa'to in Pellaon's place. I seriously liked his persona. He joins my closet along with Ossiliege and Pakkepakett however you spell it.

But enough military males. Lets see some women, non-human, and fat. She could say "It's not over by a long shot," when the battle turns very sour and all hope seems lost. "I haven't finished singing, have I?"

 

Not to get off the subject, but do Jaina and Zekk finally get "unjoined" at the end of TSW? I haven't gotten through it yet, but I *have* to know. It's driving me nuts!

 

Not... exactly. They're semi-unjoined, because they've spent so much time apart from each other as well as the Taat nest that caused the linkage. But when they are together, it's still there somewhat. It should keep fading as, well, other things that happen at the end of the trilogy have their effect and results, so they should be jully unjoined come Legacy. So it's a qualified yes... and no. Does that answer your question? If not, think of it this way: it's about as definitive as any of the other answers in this trilogy.

- Keralys

 

Thanks.

 

You're welcome; it was my pleasure. Btw - on your sig: why does Leia have no memory of her mother, when all the others do fit with the Original OT?

- Keralys

 

I guess it's not very clear the way I have it; I meant that, because of the way events in RoTS played out (her actually spending slightly less time near Padme than Luke), she's not supposed to have any memory of her mother.

 

Page's Commandos are sorely underused, and could have even created their own X-Wing style series; sadly, the best info on them is available only in the WEG Thrawn SB. Though he did making a rocking addition to my Rebel heroes in Rebellion. Poor Page; a chance, wasted.

E_S

 

I'd like to see them filled out as well - one of the things the EU is sorely missing these days is a story about the smaller folks. The closest we got to that was in some of the comics in the last seven years, really. In fact, I think I'd probably read a book on Page's Commandos... especially if we had someone like Karen Traviss writing it - then I definitely would, and you know a huge part of the fanbase would, as well. We need more stories that aren't galaxy-threatening, but just matter because the characters matter. I don't mind big things, but we don't need super-big-threats every publishing sequence to keep us happy, really! Del Rey, are you listening? I like what you're doing with Legacy, and I liked DN. But could we see the galaxy return to normal, just a bit? PLEASE?!

- Keralys

 

Define 'normal.'

 

Small conflicts simmering here and there, but the galaxy as a whole is largely going about its day to day business without any socio-political order-threatening conflicts. Sure, things are happening here and there that require Jedi intervention, and there are pirates that need to be dealt with because they're a blasted pain in the GFFA's rear, but things are stable, like they were for about 800 years between the Dark Ages and the beginning of the fall of the Republic and the shadowing of the Force prior to TPM...

- Keralys

 

I sure would-- off & on over the years I would e- or snail-mail various powers that be asking for just such a book. Never got a response. Hard Contact is the closest, and probably at this point, only such book we'll see.

 

Well, except for the sequels thereto, of course - we know there's at least one - Triple Zero, arriving in a month and some change - and there's been talk that they might do yet another one set around the time of Order 66...

- Keralys

 

Actually, I'd tend to side with Myn on this one for the most part.

As for Verpine shatter guns, I can't help the fact that Karen got the information wrong because she was fed faulty data from the LFL folks who had EXPLICITLY had the technology only available in the NR-era only prior to Republic Commando...

 

Oh, I know-- I meant Traviss' clone commandos are probably the closest thing we'll see to a commando-story book. PT commandos, not Page's. :::is sad:::

Much as I loved Hard contact and am hyperventilating over the upcoming 000, I'd still like to see Page & his boys in action...

 

After finishing the trilogy there are a few things that struck me:

1) Han is really annoying in these books. Is he always this annoying in the rest of the books?

2) I am getting really sick of these big huge space battle/war storylines. I know it's "Star Wars", but it would be nice to have some other kind of story for once...smaller stories where the fate of the galaxy doesn't come up every damn time.

3) These books reminded me a lot of Starship Troopers (the movie). I kept imagining Clancy
Brown to show up.

4) The idea of the Jedi letting emotions into play is interesting and could lead to some
interesting stories in LOTF.

5) I used to like Jaina, but I can't stand her anymore.

6) Why does Luke always have to appear full of doubt and why can't he kick some serious ass
like his dad did?

 

LOL!

"MEDIC!!!" That's what you kept hearing in the background whenever anyone got hurt.

 

I kept imagining Clancy Brown to show up.

Clancy's character's long dead...

 

it may sound like a really stupid thing to say, but i think the Dark Nest trilogy was too focused on the Jedi, you don't hear about what's happening in the rest of the Galactic Alliance. i for one would have liked to know what's happened to Hutt Space, i mean the Yuuzhan Vong beat the crap out of them and you'd have thought that the Alliance may have taken some of those worlds back, but then again the Hutts did supply them with information at one point (incorrect, yes, but...). DURO - what happened? did the Duros go back and live on vongformed Duro or did they just carry on living in their floating cities, the Chazrach (those reptoid shock troops the YV used), what happened to them, they obviously didn't go to Zonama Sekot, THE RYN (where did they suddenly disappear to?), what happened on Thyferra, did the Killiks just die or leave or what, and another thing that "bugs" me is that if prior to the NJO all the people in the galaxy thought there was no way to get out of the galaxy, but then they find out there obviously is, why not send a team out (like Outbound flight)? (i suppose time is a factor, it would probabily take centuries to reach another galaxy). these were some of the other non-Jedi related threads that i think should have been discussed in DNT.

Oh, and also have many friggin' YVH model droids can you have!!! Lando must be a trillionaire with all the droids he's selling.

-greensaber

 

I just finished TSW and I have a couple of issues with the Dark Nest trilogy:

-Could someone please explain to me how Qui-GOn Jinn got a saber stab to the stomach and died within minutes, yet Jacen get stabbed and lives? TO make it worse, he rides around in a chair counting down the hours till he can get back out to the fight like

-Another interesting point I had regarding the sexual content and foul language can be found Here

-And the most heartbreaking of all...I was so let down by the untrue suggestion that Luke would use Force Lightning in the series as portrayed on the cover. I was almost beginning to wonder if the new JedI order would embrace a new view of hte force that included formally deemed 'dark side' powers to be okay to use under the right circumstances. I almost thought we might have saw a more aggressive, maybe tip of the toe dark Luke.

-And WHAT color was Luke's backup saber before he got his old one back at the end? why dont they ever tell what color characters lightsabers are? I used to know all of them but everyone's sabers have been lost or replaced, saber colors are a huge cool part of each star wars jedi.

-WHy is Jacen so afraid to tell his OWN parents about his baby girl...if ANYONE can keep a secret it's the solo's. Personally, I couldn't WAIT to tell my family when my little girl was born.

 

When the majority of the characters are Jedi, chances are you will have a story that revolves around the Jedi. And not every single story can tell the reader what is happening in every other part of the galaxy. I suspect that various Legacy stories will span a wider part of the galaxy anyway. I for one would like to see how the Corporate Sector is faring, but as I said, when most of the characters are Jedi, and they live in the Galactic Alliance, stories are bound to focus on those groups.

I would like to see an Outbound Flight II as well, but I doubt it will be anytime soon. The GFFA citizens may now know there are extragalactic lifeforms out there, but I would assume that most of their time, effort and money is currently going into the reconstruction of their own galaxy. After all, half their worlds were blown up, terraformed, invaded and other various bad things. So, with all theuir resources and manpower going into their own reconstruction and recovery efforts, I don't think they can really afford to put together a mission to explore the outside of their galaxy. Not to mention that the one extragalactic lifeform they do know exists tried to either kill them all or enslave them. Suffice it to say, they may be a little wary of the prospect of trying to find other extragalactic species.

Imagine this: You are the child of Jacen Solo; arguably the most powerful Force-sensitive of your era, perhaps of any era. Jacen, not only a Jedi student, has learnt from such mystic and powerful beings as the Aing-Tii and Sunesi, not to mention the Dathomiri, Therans and every Jensaarai in between. He can tinker with time, understand any language and melt your brain (All the Onimi's and Chume's of the galaxy take note). And he is a descendant of the already famous and revered Skywalker dynasty.

You are also the child of Tenel Ka Djo; Queen Mother and sole ruler of the Hapan Consrtium: sixty-three star systems, all technologically advanced and all wealthy in both monetary and material objects. Also a Jedi, Tenel Ka is one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. She knows the intricacies of the Hapan political system and was trained not only in the Jedi arts, but the Dathomiri warrior ways.

Both Jacen and Tenel Ka came from privileged families, so they are amongst the brightest lightsabers in the academy. They've travelled the galaxy ten times over and have a great appreciation of all walks of life.

And they can give all of this to any offspring they may have. Allana; here's looking at you, kid.

Billions of people the galaxy over would want to abduct this kid. Think of the ransom demands you could cook up. Or, if you're a real psycho, you could cut the child open to see what makes them tick (and to see if you could perhaps get any of their abilities). We know things don't work this way, but we are omnipotent readers (and we're - hopefully - on Jacen and Tenel's side).

While I agree that Jacen and Tenel need to keep Allana's paternity a secret for now, they can't keep it a secret forever. And while I believe they should have told their respective families the full scoop, I understand why they

 

Hold up.

Did Ta'a Chume REALLY know who the father of Allana was in TUQ, or did she just have a suspicion (if that?) Her question to Jacen about whether he knew who the child's father was or not could be taken as "nyah nyah you didn't get Tenel Ka *razzberry*" I re-read the scene and it wasn't absolutely clear that she knew; kind of implied, but still ambiguous.

I might have missed something still, though.

 

It could also be taken that Jacen isn't the father - Tenel Ka's mother, remember, was able to overpower Farmboy from a cold start when he was the same age they are now and she was ten years younger... messing with Jacen's mind is probably easy for her...

It could also be taken that what we saw aboard the Gorog command ship was an illusion... Jacen seems to swap around the cavern; and Luke sees Mara shoot Lomi, but she doesn't remember it...

Put those two thoughts together - and perhaps Alanna Djo doesn't exist. Would TK really have left her to go to Ossus?

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Just so you know, oh Fuzzed One, I will be providing a refutation to those more outrageous of your assertions concerning one Jaina Solo, including RL literary and mythological references...

...As soon as I get my next chapter posted.

*thinks of Grendel*

Gah.

 

I thought about that one, too... leaving Allana. I thought she might have secretly taken Allana with her, though, without telling any of the Jedi. Tenel Ka can't be tied to Hapes and unable to travel (and there is apparently very tight security and that can be tightened further when she is gone.)

Allana Djo exists in the same sense as other literary characters, and she is not just a figment of the characters' imaginations. Ben sensed her, even. (Which should lend just a teensy bit of extra support to your Marakin theory, actually, since first cousins would be closer than first cousins once removed and Ben might just have more of a Force resonance or whatever with Allana if they're first cousins. I'm still putting my $10 on the 1000-to-1 odds that they're half-siblings, though, because I'm contrary like that.)

I think Luke Skywalker at age 27 was weaker than Jacen Solo at age 27. NOT because of raw Force power deficiency, but because of having a lot less training. If they were thrown into a ring through time, Jacen would probably mop the floor with Luke. But give Luke the same amount of training that Jacen had, not counting toddlerish years... say, 42 vs 27 - Luke would win.

Edit because I apparently forgot how to add, and then remembered after submitting the post.

 

Guard: I thought about that one, too... leaving Allana. I thought she might have secretly taken Allana with her, though, without telling any of the Jedi. Tenel Ka can't be tied to Hapes and unable to travel (and there is apparently very tight security and that can be tightened further when she is gone.)

True. She has Star Home, I guess, which she'd use if she took anything sizeable to Hapes... so she doesn't actually need to "leave home"...

Allana Djo exists in the same sense as other literary characters, and she is not just a figment of the characters' imaginations. Ben sensed her, even. (Which should lend just a teensy bit of extra support to your Marakin theory, actually, since first cousins would be closer than first cousins once removed and Ben might just have more of a Force resonance or whatever with Allana if they're first cousins. I'm still putting my $10 on the 1000-to-1 odds that they're half-siblings, though, because I'm contrary like that.)

Hmm.

Then again, if Tenel Ka is Luke's daughter... she's Ben's half-niece...

I think Luke Skywalker at age 27 was weaker than Jacen Solo at age 27. NOT because of raw Force power deficiency, but because of having a lot less training. If they were thrown into a ring through time, Jacen would probably mop the floor with Luke. But give Luke the same amount of training that Jacen had, not counting toddlerish years... say, 45 vs 27 - Luke would win.

Nahh... Luke in CoPL is using pretty powerful techniques that look like a rudimentary version of flow-walking... on pure instinct; he also has genuine control where Jacen's just insane, and he's a hardened warrior... also, TK is a fully-trained Jedi Knight, battle-hardened fleet commander, and consumate politician with a natural hold on Jacen, whereas Teneniel was just a depressed teenager...

I'd say that on balance, while Jacen may be more skilled relative to CoPL Luke, Tenel Ka is profoundly more powerful relative to Teneniel...

And, Mando...?

Good... good!



- The Imperal Ewok