Characterisations - Gilad Pellaeon

In a similar vein to Havac's Author Analysis' (See Here for an example) I propose a new series of threads, based on discussion of a characters evolution through out the Expanded Universe. Topics for discussion include: the best portrayal of the character by which author; how you think the character has been changed (for good or bad); has the character served his/her purpose for which they were originally created: what has the character contributed to the EU; maybe include your favorite moment or quote from a character etc.

As usual, no gushing or bashing will be tolerated. Please discuss purposefully and thoughtfully.

For starters, discussion wil be centred on Gilad Pellaeon. One of the most widely written characters, he was probably the first Imperial we saw in depth who wasn't fighting for personal gain, but rather fought because he believed that the Empire was the right and just authority in the Galaxy - probably the archetype for the 'honorable Imperial'

Discuss.

 

I'm really tired right now and can't remember enough about him/don't feel like writing a long post right now, but I just want to be the first to throw out the favorite Pellaeon quote from whichever NJO book it was: "The Empire will always strike back."

 

Lets cut that Rodian snout and be honest: he has a bland character. Thrawn trilogy we saw him uncertain and hopeful, and aside from a brief menopausal angst in Destiny's Way, is always written as warm and caring. I liked the fact he was injured in Remnant, even if there was litle to like about that book. He just doesn't really do anything but posture and talk; he's never violated his bedtime curfew, never admitted his puddles for Daala.

He's a dignified and considerably aged old man; and you'll se him the same as he always is. I'm sorry about the snout, Gluupor, but it's just how it is. Pelly has become a principle figurehead, but you don't really know much about him. Did his son really die? Do I care? It was just another tease, like most of the NJO. Unfortunately, Remnant had to go and say he's Corellian, just like a million other Corellians.

Which isn't to say I don't like him. He's a sweetling, as Martin would say . . . a million repetitive times. But this lordling, this master of the Empire, is pretty much unknown to me. Lets be honest, what book has delved into his background, given us some offhand bio? Gives us some crumbs, from a Hutt mouth I don't care. I'd just like to see him doing things outside a bridge or command room.

 

Too me the most interesting thing is not the evolution of his character. He has consistently been as reasonable and rational as is possible for a man in his position. It is the evolution of him as Thrawns disbelieving straight man to the most respected and potent tacticians in the Galaxy. To me the apotheosis of his character comes in the Dark Nest when he confides that perhaps a bit of Thrawn did rub off on him and he had fallen in love with the beauty of a well executed battle, nay any battle. Also his pathological willingness to not underestimate his opponents capabilties makes him one of the more interesting characters. Unlike say, B'wantu who might anticipate most everything but gets suckered by the one that he did not see coming Pellaeon by the end of his career is the one that doesn't get suckered, ever.

Thus while he might be a bland sort of character his brush with death in Force Heretic and his sort of deification in Dark Nest make him one of the more interesting recurring military characters, as while other people have remained rather constant in their martial expertise, Antilles, Bel Iblis even Thrawn, Pellaeon started off as a competant officer who knew that the second death star was lost to one of the tactical and strategic masterminds of the GFFA.

Mostly I enjoy his role and GFFA supreme commander. Unlike Sien Sovv a characterless nobody or Ackbar who will forever be plagued by his being dead, Pellaeon is the sort of guy that seems right in the position. IN the same manner that BOrsk felt right as Chief of State, Pellaeon feels like he was groomed in my mind for the role that he now occupies and it is satisfying. Now I know that Fey'lya was not a liked character, but his being the Chief of State was believable and immediately set the tone of the government. Likewise, Pellaeon brings an authoritarian wisdom to the military to counter the brash headstrong bothans who spend their time on the front lines making mistakes.

 

What I like about him is, as the character whose view the reader is in at the start of HttE, he's essentially the guy who introduces us to the EU. He was at his prime in the Thrawn Trilogy, as an average Joe character from whom we could get an honest view of the workings of the Empire. Also what I like about him was that his joining up with Daala in Darksaber was unique at the time, the first cross-author villain pairing.

 

Well put. Say what you want about KJA, but we have him to thank for putting Pellaeon in command of the Imperial Remnant. It is sort of neat when you follow Pellaeons career through the EU- first as a Star Destroyer captain, then Vice-Admiral aligned with a warlord, then Supreme Commander of Imperial Forces, then finally Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force.

The man gets around.

--Adm. Nick

 

Gil's a fair commander, I guess. What he lacks in self confidence, charisma, and leadership ability he almost makes up for in general competence in administrative duties and discipline-- he's best suited to the role he played as Thrawns flag captain than to a real leadership role. I feel more like he inherited the role of Supreme Commander than really deserved it, although from what I hear (the FH trilogy is the only part of the NJO I never read) he manages to find his center, more or less, much later in his life. He's no Thrawn, Ackbar, bel Iblis, or even Solo or Calrissian, but he's a certainly above average.

 

I would put him a bit farther up then that. No one is better then Thrawn, IMHO, but Pellaeon was almost Ackbar's equal and much better then Solo and Calrissian.

 

I've always liked Peallon, and was quite happy to see him assume the role of Supreme Commander of the GFFA. He brings true dignity and authority to the post, to say nothing of expierence (might be the only man to fight in the Clone Wars, the GCW, the Vong Invasion, and the Swarm War).

His characterization has been fairly consistent and usually well-written. Zahn had him as the Watson (note the similarities in physical appearance?) to Thrawn's Holmes. KJA portrayed him as a reluctant warlord who's primary reason for turning bandit was the welfare of his crew. Zahn then made him a character in his own right by having him approach the NR about peace.

Most of the NJO does Peallon a great service, showing him as both a shrewd commander and capable (effective) head of state. The one time he seemed out of character was somewhere in Force Heretic (might have been elsewhere), where he makes some analogy between pruning a plant and purging undesireables from society. For a fairly moderate fellow, it just seemed a little to Hitlerian to be coming out of his mouth.


And yeah, that "the Empire will always Strike Back" line was pretty cool.


P.S. Ex- while I agree that there are FAR too many Corellians about, Peallon has at least always been loyal to the Empire, one of the few (if only) men from that system to do so. He also lacks the stereotypical Han/Wedge/Corran "damn the odds" approach to things, proving that not everyone in SW has to exhibit the qualities usually attributed to them.

 

Wasn't Pellaeon from Coruscant?

I agree. Lando and Han are much overrated as military commanders IMHO, and if they hadn't had the luck to be in on the ground-floor of a militia desperately in need of any fighting forces it could get, they never would have become officers, let alone flag officers.

And then as Coonsan pointed out, Pellaeon gave Ackbar serious headaches in at least three battles - and in one of them had him on the ropes before Ackbar exploited a freak occurence (an exploding Imperial antimatter-fuelled prototype) to win. So even if Pellaeon lost the battle, it was not due to his tactics, which (if only in that one case) bested Ackbar.

Plus Pellaeon defeated Antilles - whose forces included the Rogues and a SSD - in battle, something not done by too many people before or after.

 

I always liked him. It was good to see an Imperial officer who wasn't a bloodthirsty, power hungry maniac, yet still stayed loyal to the Empire.

 

It's funny how he went from a fairly uninspiring, overtly cautious leader to being someone great and inspiring. How, I'll never know...

Really, he was two distinctly separate entities, and as is the usual case his creator writes him best. Ultimately, though, the Zahn-Pellaeon and the NJO Pellaeon are two very different people, and not from the usual "character evolutionary" things.

E_S

 

Perhaps all that changing in actions and outlook was really Pellaeon deciding that the Yuuzhan Vong invasion was a perfect opportunity to launch a very Thrawn-esque plan that would re-establish the Empire as the chief power in the galaxy? After all judging by the whole Legacy thing, Pellaeon my have laid the groundwork for the new Empire and went from being the learner to the master.

And as I recall, he and Jacen got along rather well in Remnant. An Anakin/Palptine relationship in the making?

 

140 ABY; Emperor Pellaeon?

 

I like Pellaeon. He's a decent Imperial, a nice person, he respects and genuniely cares for his troops, doesn't care about race or sex, etc.

Too bad he wasn't necessarily given higher command earlier, the war could've gone different.

 

E_S, I agree with you here. I would't have a problem with Gil going from insecure and absolutely ordinary to some kind of genius if it happened in a logical manner. Instead, it feels like he suddenly woke up one day a brilliant leader.

 

Well, that was done in two parts. The first was Zahn in the Hand of Thrawn duology. The second was the NEC and older EC, which mentioned Pellaeon's victory at Orinda.

I consider him one of the greats, but below greater commanders like Thrawn, Ackbar, Bel Iblis, Dodonna, etc.

--Adm. Nick

 

I would put the Legacy of the Force era Pellaeon among the greats (or at least in the 2nd tier of greats). There has to be a reason why Cal Omas would let an Imperial (and a near centarian at that) command the GFFA military for so long.

 

Yes! I had that exact same thought, since his age and the fact that he is still alive seems to be a hot topic, I think it would be funny just to see him live that long and be the Benevolent Emperor.

 

Or at least a descendent.

 

He'll go with the standard Imperial course of action and clone himself.

 

I'm a great admirer of Pellaeon, as he was one of the first EU characters I was introduced to. I was hesitant about him at first, felt like he was just another lackey, an Admiral Piet-wannabe. Anyways getting to work under Thrawn was a blessing for him, as he was given a better work environment than he had before. The conversations between Thrawn and Pellaeon were always a joy to read in the Thrawn Trilogy. He learned all the right lessons from Thrawn and learned from his mistakes as well.

 

I think that the reason Pellaeon has become such a great tactician is that he was a competent-to-pretty-good tactician to begin with. Then he became Thrawn's protege and picked up a good deal. With that, he was put in a position of authority where he was called upon to use those skills, which helped him hone them. By the time of HOT, he had been forced to play at the top of his game. I really don't see a big change, either in competence or characterization, in the NJO. In HOT he was already a legend -- Thrawn's protege, the grand old man who had led the Remnant through hard times and proven his skill.

 

Pellaeon is very interesting in part because he wasn't a born genuis as say Thrawn or Ackbar and such apparently are. For most great Star Wars admirals commanding seems to be an intuitive natural talent - with Pellaeon we finally got to see someone learn, through trial and error how to be a good commander.

 

Pellaaeon. Wearing the Imperial Warrior uniform with a cape...