Lit Books New DK Books for 2024 - Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, Star Wars Encyclopedia

Wrong thread? This is about a book but you mention a game?

 

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I was just making a passing comment on who Drayson resembles in ROTJ. My question was really about what the book says about Drayson.

 

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Ah. I can understand why, though in the early years of the New Republic (at least in the original EU) they were essentially the best they could use, even with the barest of crews and probably a great deal of automation, due to the lack of Mon Cal Star Cruisers, Dauntless-class heavy cruisers and Assault Frigate Mark I's in the early years. Keeping them until the Vong War and beyond never really made sense anyway.

Glad he's around though.

 

Another disappointment...

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They mention the local defense forces that are expected to protect their own systems and sectors...but no real detail. I am not asking for the 10.000 page New Republic Manual for Planetary Security Forces...but some information on the funding, staffing, equipping, etc... Things like would former Imperials be allowed to be part of their homeworld's PSF? Does the NR help fund them or is it all the local government??

I look at a book like this to fill in some of those administrative details.

 

Not really talking statistics...but a few paragraphs giving a broad overview.

 

My suspicion is that level of detail regarding the New Republic military is off-limits until the future shows/movies develop it more. Setting anything in stone now could mean a bulldozer could just demolish it later.

(admittedly, I'm being a bit two-faced by saying that because I've gotten almost none of the new encyclopedia-type books since Disney got the franchise precisely because most of them aren't particularly unique or interesting...)

 

The nu-canon reference books are what I call "blurb books". They have pics and little blurbs around them giving some minor details. There is nothing like the old Essential Guides that really did a deep dive into things like history, vehicles, characters, etc..and that is really disappointing.

 

Its been off-limits for 9 years. I want spoilers. ASAP.

 

Luke, Han and Leia have been off-limits most of post-ROTJ for ages too.

 

It's been interesting to read through the last few pages of this thread. 2014 was my off-ramp but I might pick up a copy of this book. Does it do an adequate job of summarizing the main in-Universe DisnEU plot developments and somewhat harmonizing them with the EU, enough that it wouldn't be too jarring for someone only familiar with the classic continuity?

Also, the post-ROTJ timeframe being off limits while the Clone Wars era being wide open for story telling and full of tales is quite a funny reversal from how things were back in the day!

 

Exactly...I am not asking for the minutiae...just some broad guidelines of how things worked.

 

Unfortunately we have very little material set between RoTJ and TFA to actually do that book.

 

I would love to know who the Chancellors (and their terms) were between Mon Mothma and Lanever Villecham, particularly during Bloodline (where were they during those events?).

 

The writing style reminds me a bit of Zahn's - if Zahn was a lot more cynical about the Imperial Military and the loyalist Imperial civilian population.

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Vader being characterised as capricious, the Emperor as petty, and the Executor being characterised as where a disproportionate number of the most talented young Imperials went, all spring to mind.

There's lots of references as to Thrawn's genius being coupled with plenty of moments of poor judgement - and to Thrawn's being willing to be brutal. Pellaeon is characterised as someone talented whose career was stalled by being him being too closely associated with Thrawn in the eyes of the rest of the Imperial Navy.

Interestingly the author mentions that the EU book that got them into Star Wars was Specter of the Past.

 

The way book handled the differing Imperial opinions on Thrawn was pretty interesting.

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Tagge basically sent off anyone even remotely associated with Thrawn to the Outer Rim in pseudo exile, whereas it’s noted that once Vader took back power he started bringing some of them back into the fold owing to his positive experiences with the blue man during Batuu. (Also worth noting that information on the missions against the Grysk weren’t readily available within Imperial files.)

 

Hmmm...

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considering I've been headcanoning that Pellaeon was Needa's first officer during ESB, it's a good way to explain how he ended up on Avenger during the Battle of Hoth.

 

'In time Rahn.. in time...'

Also, do we have more information on the fall of Kuat yet...? And Imperial Intelligence...

 

Quite a bit.

 

Imperial Intelligence still exists in a notable capacity in New Canon? I thought most of its roles were given over to the ISB, kind of as a reversal of the Legends canon take. How's it mentioned in the book?

 

Not that big a bit - about 1 page-length toward the end of chapter 4.

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The name Ubiqtorate is used - and it's credited with the success at Derra IV as well as the initiative to seed the Outer Rim with probe droids.

 

I haven't actually picked up one of these in a while, but the stuff I'm hearing about in-universe authors bickering is making this a must-buy for me. As someone who gave very serious consideration to going into academia in real life, I love fictional historiography.

 

Not to be forgotten in today's SDCC announcement, we now have a cover for the upcoming Star Wars Encyclopedia: