A&A The Official Troy Denning Discussion Thread

Thanks Mr. Denning!

So I assume by your response that there were not tens of thousands of capital ships.

I only asked because several books since SbS say thing like, "We haven't seen this many ships since Coruscant."

If you don't mind me asking, would you say that there around 4 or 5 thousand NR warships at the battle.

Sorry to ask for such specifics, but it is the matter of a debate on a thread I vist.

Thanks for your time,

Nick

 

So I assume by your response that there were not tens of thousands of capital ships.

Umm... what response? It appears to have disappeared....

 

Its on th eprevious page.

 

Mr. Denning I have a question about your trilogy. How far is the work on this Post-NJO Trilogy?? Is it still planning or are you writting it already??

Oh and one more: How many Star Wars books have you read before starting "Star by Star" ??

 

Hello, Mr Denning.

I just wanted to chime in to say how much I enjoyed Star By Star, Tatooine Ghost and your other, shorter SW works. I think that along with Traitor and The Unifying Force, your two novels are the best four in the EU!

As a fanatical Han/Leia fan, I was extremely pleased to see how well you handled them in your works, on par with Mr Lucas himself!! (Well, I think so anyway). I think this question has probably already been asked of you, but where do you get your inspiration for them from?

I also enjoyed the inclusion of all the younger Jedi (In SBS) from the YJK series. I think that they could have been used more during the NJO, but I understand why they couldn't.

Onto the questions:

1. Jar Jar Binks: Love him or loathe him?

2. If you could write a novel of any one or two characters from anywhere in the timeline, who would you choose?

3. Do you have any theories on what has happened to Callista? (I believe that she is holed up with the Aing-Tii and they're baffled that they are the only GFFA inhabitants that have not been involved in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.)

4. For your upcoming trilogy, have you had to conspire with any EU authors to either "get things right" or to see if they can set certain plots up in their novels? (I don't know if you're allowed to answer that question)

5. I also don't know if you can answer this question either, but:

For your upcoming trilogy, have you at least considered having Tenel Ka present at all? (I'm being sly and not actually asking if she is present, only if you have considered using her).

6. Did you know that The Unifying Force would see Pellaeon give Leia the Killik Twilight?

Thanks in advance for your time and I can't wait for the upcoming trilogy! Hope it features plenty of Jacen, Jaina, Han, Leia (And Jacen can finally hook up with Tenel Ka. None of this Danni Quee nonsense!)

 

MrNomAnor wrote:
<< Do you have any theories on what has happened to Callista? (I believe that she is holed up with the Aing-Tii and they're baffled that they are the only GFFA inhabitants that have not been involved in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong.) >>

1. Who are the Aing-Tii?

2. Whee! Someone unexpectedly brings up my favorite character! Actually, I'm interested in Mr. Denning's response, because given all the recent philosophizing on the Force as related to the Vong, it could be relevant to her--they're in the same boat, being blind in the Force and all. Maybe all the new thinking could help Callista find the Force again. (I just want her to come back!)

Anyway--

Star by Star rules. Long book, but a d@mn good read. It's right up there with my favorite NJO books. I loved Tatooine Ghost, too--I loved how you put all those Episode I characters in there, plus I nearly choked when I realized who that certain stormtrooper officer really was. I'm really looking forward to your post-NJO trilogy.


-CR

 

Wow--suddenly a lot of questions! I'll start at the top; if I skip a question, it probably means I can't or don't want to answer . . . or just forgot it .

How many capital ships in the Coruscant battle? You're going to hate me, but I don't want to say. I'd much rather have you and your friends arguing with each other than arguing with me! More importantly, writing action scenes isn't an exact science. Every reader will imagine a scene in a slightly different way, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to negate anybody's experience.

Post NJO trilogy: I'm writing it now. And we're still adding ideas and tweaking others. That will go on until the final draft, I'm sure.

How many SWs books did I read before SbS? Wasn't counting. It was a lot--and I've read a lot since then, too.

Jar-Jar Binks: When it comes to funny-talkers with big ears, Yoda is still my favorite.

If I could write a novel on any two characters from anywhere in the timeline: Uh, um . . . only two?

Theories on what happened to Callista? Nope . . . uh, maybe we should ask Mara?

Conspiring with other authors: I haven't had to work with any other authors on this trilogy, which is too bad . . . I love conspiring with other authors.

Tenel Ka in the post-NJO trilogy? Let's see, Tenel Ka . . . Tenel Ka . . .

Did I know Pellaeon would return Killik Twilight in TUF? Yes, Jim and I conspired on that one.

Who are the Aing Ti? Good question!

Maybe Callista will come back? I have no idea, but it would be interesting, wouldn't it?

Thanks for all the kind words, and I hope you'll enjoy the post-NJO trilogy when it comes out.

Troy

 

Do you know if there are any books being planned after your trilogy and what year would they come out in? Oh and are you going to be envited back to the Star Wars universe after your trilogy?

 

Thank You Mr.Denning for your answers

 

Well I couldn't think of this question quick enough to get it in my other post so here's the other one...

What do you think about Luke and Mara having identical tiwn girls?

 

Troy, I loved Star by Star (despite Anakin's death, which you had no choice in) and I'm anxious to get Tatooine Ghost!

One question, though: I know you can't say much about the post NJO trilogy, but can you at least tell me if Jacen and Danni's relationship has some closure? It was all hyped up in Force Heretic but then ignored in TUF, so you are the logical choice to wrap it up.

 

Whitey but can you at least tell me if Jacen and Danni's relationship has some closure? It was all hyped up in Force Heretic but then ignored in TUF

I think that your description fits very well with how Jaina and Jag relationship was in the last NJO books. From heaven to hell

 

Oh well.

I can understand why you don't want to put a number on the ships at Coruscant. I guess I will leave it to my imagination.

 

*keeps sitting around twittling thumbs, waiting for answers*

 

Oh, and just to make sure, "closure" does not imply I want their relationship to end. In fact, far from it.

I just wanted to make sure you didn't get the wrong idea.

 

Maybe Mr. Denning will throw us a bone when he's done with his new trilogy and give us a taste of what we could expect.

 

Troy, I loved Waterdeep when I first read it years and years and years ago when it was first released.

 

troy, i wanted to say great job on star by star, i may get around to tatooine ghost in paperback, but i've always been about the continuing saga and rarely go back in the timeline.....were you serious about the ang-tii monks question? i've always wanted to see them again, especially with jacen out probing the universe for other understandings of the force......so as i said i've always been about the continuing saga, so you're trilogy is what i'm most pumped about, much more than ep.3 and clone wars stuff.....anything at all to tide us over till 2005? maybe something in tales or something..........well thanks for the best scene in njo (nom anor in front of the senate), and i cant wait for your trilogy

 

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (and if you're from a country that doesn't celebrate Turkeyday, I hope you had a good Thursday!).

More answers below--accuracy not guaranteed!

1)a)Do you know if there are any books being planned after your trilogy and what year would they come out in?

I haven't heard anything one way or the other. I suspect they'll want to see how these books do.

b)Oh and are you going to be envited back to the Star Wars universe after your trilogy?

Too early to say! Have to finish these books first . . . and see how they do

2) What do you think about Luke and Mara having identical tiwn girls?

Interesting . . . very interesting . . .

3) One question, though: I know you can't say much about the post NJO trilogy, but can you at least tell me if Jacen and Danni's relationship has some closure?

With Jacen off wandering the galaxy and Danni with Zonama Sekot in the Unknown Regions? I don't know if I can bend a plot that far!

4) Troy, I loved Waterdeep when I first read it years and years and years ago when it was first released.

Thanks--that was my first book, my first NYT bestseller, and now it's out under my own name! Hoorah!

5) Were you serious about the ang-tii monks question?

I think so . . . I don't know anything special about them. It's a mystery . . .

6) Anything at all to tide us over till 2005?

Right now, it looks like I'm going to have my hands full with the trilogy . . . but I hear there will be a few books by other authors between now and then!


Troy

 

Books, yes. But after February, they'll all about the cloneys.

 

you should read the end of vision of the future...the ang-tii monks help luke out and claim a "different understanding" of the force and are quite powerful (they bend the physical laws of hyperspace) and are just the type of creatures i think jacen would be looking for........but anyway, like i said, ill be waiting for your next trilogy

 

Maralover,

I do recall the Aing Tii in VotF, but must confess to brain-fart. When I read the original question asking who the Aing Tii were, I got my wires crossed and thought of the B'omarr. And THEN I interpreted the question as something more metaphysical, not just a simple request for information. So there you have it--messed up on two different levels. Happens far too often!

Troy

 

Well on the literature boards dp4m has made a guess that the villians in your trilogy are going to be the Ratakan!

Can you deny this?

Oh and thanks for the answers Mr. Denning

 

thank you for both your answers and your candid "i can't answers"...

here's something that has bugged me and a lot of EU fans over time - inconsistencies in the treatment of Leia's Jedi-ness. sometimes she's very advanced, sometimes she's not, sometimes she thinks of herself as a Jedi, sometimes she doesn't.

as i said in another thread, i read all the inconsistencies between her portrayals in DE, the Bantam novels, and the NJO in terms of Jedi prowess as her being distracted and inconsistent in her practice over time, so she has occasional bursts of brilliance, but then she backslides because she never really commits full-time to the Jedi path. that's the best i can do to resolve the contradictions and the inconsistencies in my head.

on one level, i think it makes sense that up until now she's had conflicting demands from family and politics that have sapped her time.

also, frankly, i think that to no small extent she's really afraid that if she moves too far into the world of the Force, she'll become distant from Han and make him feel inadequate. she also obviously has issues with being Vader's daughter and all that.

however, it's still such a wasted story opportunity. i think that now, when her kids are grown up and the war's over and she's done with politics, it would be a good time to let Leia become a straight-up full-time Jedi, rather than a political leader who also happens to kinda be a hobby Jedi in her spare time. she's done with her "first career," and she's still young enough to make it happen.

i think it's the perfect time for her to fully commit to the Jedi path, and i think that letting this go for too much longer will stunt her development as a character. if she gets relegated to the role of "Han's co-pilot" in the future, it will be a friggin' crime.

i think my ideal situation would be to have Leia's first major post-NJO appearance be to her current portrayal as Luke's first appearance in ROTJ was to his appearances in ANH and ESB, where he walks in calm and confident in Jedi robes and overall just gives the impression that he's really stepped up to the plate. in ESB he was a Rebel kid who happened to have a lightsaber and a few Force tricks, but in ROTJ he was a Jedi. i'd like to see Leia "walk in" in Jedi robes, so to speak, when she appears next.

what's your take on Leia as a Jedi and how do you see her in that regard as you deal with her in the post-NJO trilogy?

 

Jedimasterkypdurron: I can neither deny nor confirm anything.

dizfactor: You make a good point, but I can't comment on it.

Everyone: Could we please try to avoid guessing, probing, suggesting, or otherwise asking me to comment on the contents of any upcoming book--especially the post NJO trilogy? I really can't say more than the OS, and you KNOW how I hate spoilers!

Thanks!

Troy