Resource Fanfic Writer's Desk: Your Place for Writing Discussion, Questions, and Advice

So today while I was thinking about how to rearrange things regarding Admiral Trench in my fanfiction, a thought came into mind regarding the Battle of Anaxes. After Echo shuts down all of the droids and the Republic takes control of the assembly complex, Trench goes to Plan B and activates the countdown for a bomb he has planted in the assembly complex to wipe out all the Republic forces. The question that went through my mind is why was the bomb set up to have a countdown rather than detonate instantly? Obviously Trench had the bomb placed there beforehand in the event that the Republic did retake the assembly complex. By giving the bomb a countdown, Trench is basically giving the enemy time to evacuate the base instead of just taking them all out by surprise. I feel like this was just another instance of plot armor to give the the good guys time to deactivate the bomb and save the day. Obviously if the bomb did go off, all the good guys on Anaxes including Obi wan and Mace would die, but then Anakin would likely kill Trench in a fit of rage.

If you feel there is any reason why Trench would have the bomb set on a countdown rather than explode immediately, please share your thoughts. I feel the reason wouldn't be to allow the droid forces time to escape because the Separatists treated them as expendable units.

 

While the Separatists treat their droids as expendable units, they do not treat their ships the same way. The conventional scenario for loss of the assembly complex probably involves a massive air, ground, and low-orbit attack by a massive Republic integrated force, and would include Separatist naval assets engaged in the last ditch defense. In that situation Trench would have wanted a countdown in place to allow the evacuation of his fleet to a safe altitude. A countdown would also be beneficial in that scenario since it would allow advancing Republic forces to move further after defenses were overrun, thereby taking out more of them. Now, Trench would presumably want an override code to trigger the bomb immediately, but that can be finessed by saying Echo locks out external transmissions before relaying any numbers.

 

I have some questions regarding Galen Erso so that I can work him into my story:

1.) Why did Galen wait until the Death Star was practically finished before warning the Rebels about the weapon? Was it because the rebellion didn't become a strong enough fighting force until by the time of Rogue One? Was it because he couldn't find anyone to deliver his message for him until he persuaded Bodhi? Was it possible for him to pass the message earlier?

2.) In my fanfiction, the Separatists win the Clone Wars and take over the galaxy and then force Galen Erso to work on the Death Star project. In this scenario, most of the nonessential personnel, including cargo pilots, would be battle droids. As such, it would be difficult for Galen to recruit someone to pass his message off to Saw Gerrera for him. How else could Galen get his warning about the Death Star to the Rebellion?

 

Perhaps it was because he wanted to ensure that his design for the thermal exhaust port was 'baked into' the plan so to speak. He had to make sure the Death Star as built would have the flaw, so had to wait until it was late in development, at a point where the Empire couldn't change it without dismantling the DS entirely. At least, that's just one possibility.

Reprogramming a Battledroid perhaps, as was done in the Citadel Trilogy? Maybe sweet-talk a friendly WAC or Pit Droid, who seem to have some level of independence?

 

I thought about him reprogramming a battle droid, I just wasn't sure he had the technical capability to do so since he was an expert on kyber crystals instead of droids. In addition, if Galen tried to send a battle droid to Saw, he and his fellow extremists would likely shoot it on site before it had a chance to say anything.

 

I think he first have to be certain that the map he has of the DS with all possible faults is correct (spacestation designs most likely go through lots of revisions), then he need to get an opportunity to send a message without being caught.

Based on TCW do it seems that most Separatists' ships while being manned by droids have a captain or group of officers that are biological, maybe Galen was able to recruit one of those officers on a ship? Another possibility is that he programs a droid to smuggle itself on-board a ship as a stowaway, and then get to the Rebellion (doing a Leia I guess).

There should be countless of maintains and assistance droid at the bass where Galen works, he could reprogram one of them. And if he do it over long time could it justify that he was able to do it while not being a droid-programmer

 

So here is how I pieced together working the Death Star construction and the events of Rogue One into my fanfiction:

After Maul usurps control of the Confederacy and the Clone War becomes an actual war between Maul and Sidious, the Republic and Separatists divert all their resources to the war effort and away from the Death Star construction. The construction of the battle station is delayed for 2 years until the war is over. I decided to make Gizor Dellso the director of the Death Star project (for those who do not know, Gizor Dellso was the Geonosian engineer who tried to instigate a Separatist Rebellion on Mustafar in the original Battlefront 2 game). The Confederacy forces Galen Erso to help with the project while Jyn is still raised by Saw Gerrera. Also, Geonosis would not be sterilized because the Geonosians a frantically loyal to the Confederacy and their weapons factories are too valuable to the Confederate military (this also means that Saw Gerrera doesn't get the Geonosian insecticide in his lungs which made him weaker in Rogue One).

The Death Star construction still undergoes the same delays as in the canon, including bids for resources and Galen's sabotages. By 0 BBY, the Death Star is nearly complete, but because construction was put on hold during the Clone War it will be 1-2 years before it is operational. I feel that by this point Galen would have succeeded in having the thermal exhaust port implemented into the weapon so he would try to warn the Rebellion before the weapon is complete. While on a visit to Jedha to inspect the kyber crystals the Confederacy is mining, Galen dispatches a reprogrammed PK-series worker droid (those little droids repairing broken battle droids during Phantom Menace) to deliver his message to Saw Gerrera. I feel that a missing PK-series droid would set off less of an alarm than a deserter cargo pilot. As in Rogue One, the rebels free Jyn, Jyn meets with Saw, and sees her father's message. Because the Death Star is incomplete right now, Jedha does not get destroyed and Jyn is able to take her father's message with her. Jyn and Cassian go to Eadu and rescue Galen. After seeing the message and realizing the weapon is incomplete, the Rebellion attack Scarif, with assistance from Saw and his Partisans, and get the plans to destroy the weapon before it is finished. Unlike in the canon, Jyn, Cassian, and Saw don't die. Jyn then goes on to be a high ranking officer in the Rebel Alliance.

 

Hey guys, let's remember that this thread isn't really to take place of having a beta or someone to bounce ideas off of, it's really for a quick question or two when you are stuck on something, or discussion on general writing thoughts and ideas. If you have more in depth things you want to bounce off people, you really need to have a beta(s).

 

So how would you capture a Jedi? I mean in the movies there are force fields and so forth, but if you were a moustached twirling bad guy in the average fan fic, how would you go about capturing a Jedi and then, once caught, how would you keep them there?

 

Good question! I had to solve this problem recently and not sure if I did so all that well. I went with "weapon containing poison from a weird Force-strong planet where everything is loaded for Force-sensitive bear if you go hunting". But yeah, containment after that is a problem!

 

I was curious about this myself..and literally just googled "How would you catch a Jedi?" LOL. Ah, Google...what don't you have answers to?

 

What kind of economic resources for the Jedi-keeper are we talking about here? And any specific area s/he is acting in?

 

@Gamiel, good point! And time period will probably matter quite a bit too. If it's a phase where Jedi are generally hunted -- maybe especially early in the Empire -- there might be a lot more resources made available in general. Though the government might also then want to take custody of whoever gets caught!

 

@Kahara and @Gamiel - I think you are right in that time period definitely matters and also resources. I mean if you have the resources almost anything is possible right?

For this though, I'm going evil despot (no moustache though) in before the saga (about 15 years before TPM).

I mean you have to capture them first and they are just about superpowered so that makes it hard to start with. So there would probably have to be some sort of situation where giving in will save more lives then keeping on fighting. Once you have them you the smart thing to do would be to execute them, but generally evil despots aren't big on the logical thinking department and having two 'tame jedi' definitely shows how powerful you are.

Force inhibitors?

 

Yeah, I think taking hostages would be a pretty common tactic. I'm guessing if the despot has technology at their disposal, force inhibitors of some kind would be likely. I'm guessing there'd be some part of the brain involved in at least using the Force and they could make something to interfere with that if they have the know-how.

 

Serpentine Morningstar will be Teu Ful's name before he turns bad in Star Wars Episode 0 Origins. Would a precursor lightsaber weapon that can still block a lightsaber, called a flaming sword, be accepted in the Star Wars universe? I want to use a flaming sword for Origins. I think it makes a great precursor lightsaber weapon. What do you people think?

 

Low tech answer is to drop them in an oubliette, have a four to six m drop and the opening bared. Very hard to get out.

Regarding how to capture them have I some possible idés but don't have the time right now. Short version is to either bury the Jedi in bodies or to hire a fighter and/or Force user that can beat them to the ground. I can give you a list of possible groups that could work for that, or just quick creat some if you want.

 

[mention]Gamiel [/mention] Any assistance would be amazing!

I have most of the story written in my head but I keep getting to that bit and going “uh, how?”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Jedi are resistant but not immune to stun blasts, knockout gas, anesthetic, and all the various other ways a villain can use to knock someone out. They can be caught off-guard by properly programmed droids that register no threat to a Jedi - 'detonate your box of stun grenades upon reaching coordinates X,Y.'

As far as restraint, well, it depends on whether or not you actively want to interact with your captive Jedi. If you don't need to talk to them, you can just freeze them in carbonite - it is well established that this works just fine.

 

Where has that been established? Because if that works so shouldn't Jedi not register any threat from traps, and that seems to be something they do.

 

Obi-Wan and Anakin get trapped by rayshields in ROTS, and the same incident repeats in Rebels. Arguably Jedi have a some sort of Force-based 'spider-sense' to register danger, but it's clearly not perfect, and it seems to struggle with threats that are both autonomous and area-directed. The Jedi may well know something dangerous is about to happen, but they can be caught unable to identify the source.

There's at least a couple of references that Jedi can't sense dangerous intent from droids (or otherwise emotionless entities) as well as they can from most people, because there's no emotions to read in the Force. In one of the LotF books Jacen Solo quips something to the effect of 'if you wanted to have me assassinated you could have used a sniper droid' at one point.

 

Have to admit that's feels like something authors came up with to justify why a surprise attack against a Jedi worked or made a different interpretation regarding how the Jedi's sixth sense works. Since most sources show it to be a combination of danger sense and an unconscious ability to react to things that's about to happen, intent have nothing to do with it. Like how Luke's able to block the blasts from the training droid in ANH.

I'm working with hypothesis that your Jedi is no Obi-Wan, Anakin or Quinlan in the fighting department here. If they are you probably need more than one of the groups I suggest and maybe is able to take some of her* attackers out.
* going with her here since I don't feel like writing his/her all the time

Around 15 years before the TPM so should Death Watch still be around but the mandalorians Jedi fighting ways seems more put toward killing a Jedi than capturing her, and if you're writing in the new Canon don't I know if they are mercenaries as they were in the Legends. In Legends should at least some mandalorians willing to sell their service be around. But I suggest not using them since as I said are they more made to kill Jedi then capture them and they are overrepresented.

The old Darth Maul comic had a crime lord using a Nightsister as his bodyguard/personal killer, and the current SW RPG books establish that Mother Talzin have sent out 'sisters into the galaxy on different missions.

The Matukai is a force tradition that specialise in becoming wuxia martial artists, as presented in the canon are they really few so it may be hard to justify one being there but I have some fanon (#shameless_self-promotion) regarding them below the spoiler that makes them a bit more numerous

Spoiler: Matukai fanon

The nikto warrior tradition Morgukai have been established as Jedi killers, they are supposedly a dying out by movies-era with only two living members by around TPM but you could have it so that's just a falls rumour or something happened before. I have some fanon (#shameless_self-promotion) regarding them below the spoiler

Spoiler: Morgukai fanon

The Zeison Sha force tradition are master of throwing weapons and the use of telekinesis. They don't like the Republic and really dislike the Jedi so they may be persuade to fight for your bad guy. But on the other hand so are they, for all their bias against the Jedi and the Republic, good guys so they will not fight for a bad cause and they are very seldom found outside of their homeworld. A possibility is that your badguy has been able to recruit a fallen Zeison Sha who has been exiled or run away from her homeworld and it's justice. Once again do I have some fanon (#shameless_self-promotion) regarding them below the spoiler.

Spoiler: Zeison Sha

I have also some fully fanon created Force traditions that could work:

The Teräs Käsi masters of Tengil are super martial artists and killers, they would have no problem fighting a Jedi if the price was right. More info below the spoiler

Spoiler: The Teräs Käsi masters of Tengil

The Disciples of Gouki are another group of super martial artists who seek enlightenment through combat and/or the perfection of their art. One or more of them have no problem fighting a Jedi for the challenge alone, even if they know to ask for payment befitting their service (just because you would do it for free is no reason for why the other guy can't pay you for doing it after all). More info regarding them behind the spoiler

Spoiler: Disciples of Gouki

There are also the Mukdar mage-eaters:

Just to make my references clear: the Mukdars are the Mukthar from Disney's Aladdin series.



I know of some other groups, and could possibly create some if you want, but then you would have to wait longer for my replay. If non of the above fits could I post the other I know of.

 

Wow @Gamiel, you've given me stacks to think about. The padawan/master combination are OCs and the padawan is very skilled in the force and in fighting so I think the Mukdar are going to make a very good plot device. Thank you! Definitely set off all the creative plot bunnies. So very, very cool.

 

Since Mukdar are supposed to be extinct so would not your main characters know about them, maybe the master of the master-n-padawan duo would know about them but that probably something he would realised first after they have been defeated.

The way I have thought their abilities is that any attempt to directly use the Force on them (throw them with telekinesis, mind trick, psy-blast, Force-lightning, etc.) don't work on them, and they absorb the Force energy of the "attack" from the Jedi* that's trying something on them. They can be sensed with the Force, so Jedi's danger sense do work against them. If you have a master mage-eater are they able to suck the Force-energy out of people with their touch, making the Jedi unable to draw upon so much Force as they usually do until they can't call upon the Force at all - this is also mentally tiring for the Jedi and they often faint if "sucked dry". I would say that they probably can't absorb all the Force-energy from a powerful attack so if a Jedi really put his mind to it so would they affect a mage-eater, if not as much as they energy they put behind what they did would suggest - the more powerful the mage-eater the more Force-energy he can absorb in one go.
* or other Force-channeler, I'm only writing Jedi here since you character's are Jedi but it's not something that only works against them.

I image them looking like space-versions of Aladdin's Mukthar, and having similar physical abilities. Probably armed with swords, bolas, shock-weapons, maybe short range blasters, any kind of capture-weapons. I can see shurikens being used, maybe poison tipped and/or heat seeking. Maybe whips, if used as they often are in the pulps and matinee-movies - could be shock whips.
As I image their fighting style is it focused to tier out their target, with lots of faints, jumping around, light cuts rather then trying to go for the kill. If there is a mage-eater master so would he like to get in close and touch the Jedi - grapplings, light punches, throws, etcetera - so he can drain the Jedi of the Force. The Jedi should probably not realise what's going on until they have been partly drained.

They are not Jedi-hunters so they should probably not have anything specific against Jedi or lightsabres, unless given that by their employer.

Would probably have no problem sending some droids first after the Jedi to tier them out and get an idea about their skills before themselves attacking.


And now I seems to have enough material for my next fanon post

 

Should maybe ad that the mage-eaters ability is not some kind of unnatural* ability, it's a very specialised use of the Force. So anything that only target Force-users also targets mage-eaters.

* by SW standard.