A&A The Official Daniel Wallace Discussion Thread

Hi again,

For those interested, Wizards of the Coast has posted the second part of the interview they conducted with me and the other writers of Coruscant and the Core Worlds. Check it out here

Dan

 

Awesome, thanks for the heads up Daniel!

 

I've peeked at it. Looks quite good.

 

Hey Dan, I haven't finished reading Coruscant and the Core Worlds but so far it's a fine sourcebook that does a good job of presenting what is in some sense EU detritus together with new planets in a fairly coherent whole. Your Coruscant entry is particularly impressive, and I could have done with it being longer. Zip Beeline is a great name but why did it have to be a pseudonym? SW characters should have names like that. Same thing with the needless EU rationalization of Elan Sleazebaggano.

There seem to be two different accounts of Episode II's factory district hangar; I must say I like David West Reynolds' better -- but then I find his stuff about the most convincing of all SW-related writing -- though certainly it's not past reconciling.

My main complaint is that so many entries are so biased toward the Rebellion era. Often millennia of the Republic are skipped over in a sentence while the Galactic Civil War, or the years after the war, are detailed thoroughly; the adventure hooks also are disproportionately for that time while there's hardly a single one resembling a Jedi assignment. Your worlds are better in this regard. And Wizards of the Coast writers continue to misuse the various era names.

Some of the write-ups seem to have a different cut-off point than others in that the Coruscant entry has material from holonetnews.com while the Nubia entry doesn't mention Rordis City and Industrial Automaton which seems to be based there.

In the Anaxes entry, I was surprised to see Jason Fry refer to a Republic Navy in the millennium BBY. I guess we interpret this to mean that Anaxes's planetary security force is affiliated with the Judicial Department.

Three more questions. What sector is Brentaal in? When will we see more about Denon? Have you eaten a meatalo?

 

Hmm... What are the inconsistancies involving the factory hanger?

Mr. Wallace, I must complement you on the fantastic Grand Admiral article you wrote with Abel Pena in Insider #66. I've never seen so many continuity references and fixes per page, and Batch's entry has swept away any inconsistencies regarding cloaking devices in the EU.

But aside from that, the work on the Grand Admiral's personalities really stood out. We've never had an in-depth look at any Grand Admiral besides Thrawn, and this article succeeds in breathing real life into the characters.

I have some questions, though. First, who is the Grand Admiral that Trioculus electrocutes in Glove of Darth Vader? He's not the same character as Takel, who appears later in the book, and his picture (in GODV) depicts him as being clean-shaven. Is he Grand Admiral Tigellnus, who would later be executed by the Moffs?

Also, is the Kadann who earned Grand Admiral Makati's wrath the false Kadann from GODV, whom Makati killed, or the true Kadann from the DSSB, who went into hiding?

TC

 

"Inside Attack of the Clones: Dark rendezvous" in Insider #65 has the factory as the factory of Dacho, the site of a terrible industrial accident 700 years before, whereas C&CW has it as the Grungeon block, a production center for Serv-O-Droid, Huvicko, and Nebula Manufacturing, which became disused when those companies abandoned it during an economic recession.

Oh, the other main flaw I think in C&CW is that a lot of NPC levels and abilities are higher than they should be. I really thought the SWRPG had put a stop to the level inflation that plagues D&D, but we have several new characters with levels in the teens, and the incompetent and nondescript Lieutenant Brivyl Goss is the same level as a (new) Jedi Knight.

Looking forward to seeing the Grand Admirals article.

 

xoliver wrote:
Zip Beeline is a great name but why did it have to be a pseudonym? SW characters should have names like that. Same thing with the needless EU rationalization of Elan Sleazebaggano.

You're right! I like the way you think. I should have left Zip Beeline as a real name.

Some of the write-ups seem to have a different cut-off point than others in that the Coruscant entry has material from holonetnews.com while the Nubia entry doesn't mention Rordis City and Industrial Automaton which seems to be based there.

Different writers, different sourcing methods. We actually wrote the text for the book a long time ago; the info I inserted in the Coruscant entry from Holonet News and Episode II was added very late in the game.

In the Anaxes entry, I was surprised to see Jason Fry refer to a Republic Navy in the millennium BBY. I guess we interpret this to mean that Anaxes's planetary security force is affiliated with the Judicial Department.

Well, there are existing references in the EU to a Republic Navy (written pre-Episode II), so that's something that needs to be addressed. I tend to agree with you that any "Republic Navy" would have had to have been an unofficial name for something composed of either Judicial Department police forces or local planetary security forces.

Three more questions. What sector is Brentaal in? When will we see more about Denon? Have you eaten a meatalo?

I don't know what sector Brentaal is in, but it probably also contains Rhinnal, Chandrila, Esseles, and Ralltiir.

Regarding Denon, is that "the most industrialized world in the galaxy" mentioned by David West Reynolds in the Episode II Visual Dictionary? If so, we didn't have DWR's info available to include any of it in Coruscant and the Core Worlds, though it sounds like it would have made a good candidate.

Never eaten a meatalo, though in truth I don't think they sound all that bad! Kind of like a portable shepherd's pie.

"Inside Attack of the Clones: Dark rendezvous" in Insider #65 has the factory as the factory of Dacho, the site of a terrible industrial accident 700 years before, whereas C&CW has it as the Grungeon block, a production center for Serv-O-Droid, Huvicko, and Nebula Manufacturing, which became disused when those companies abandoned it during an economic recession.

This is another case of two people working on two projects simultaneously/independently, but it's not a difficult fix at all. Coruscant and the Core Worlds doesn't say that Sidious' hangar is in Grungeon block -- it says the hangar is in the Factory District, which is the overarching name for all the industrial blocks including Grungeon, Dacho, etc.

TalonCard wrote:
I have some questions, though. First, who is the Grand Admiral that Trioculus electrocutes in Glove of Darth Vader? He's not the same character as Takel, who appears later in the book, and his picture (in GODV) depicts him as being clean-shaven. Is he Grand Admiral Tigellnus, who would later be executed by the Moffs?

The Grand Admiral electrocuted by Trioculus is indeed Takel. Takel's facial hair can be chalked up to a lack of artist reference (perhaps Takel tried out his new laser razor on his way to the Kessel conference). I'm intrigued by your statement that Takel appears later in the book, however. Are you sure, and can you provide a cite?

Also, is the Kadann who earned Grand Admiral Makati's wrath the false Kadann from GODV, whom Makati killed, or the true Kadann from the DSSB, who went into hiding?

We'd intended our Kadann to be the same guy from Glove of Darth Vader, so if WOTC has established that character as a "fake" Kadann, then I guess Makati killed the fake one.

Dan

 

TalonCard, thanks for your positive feedback on the Grand Admirals article, particularly your comments about the cloaking devices. I spent ages researching SW cloaking technology when writing that entry and I'm jazzed that somebody noticed.

Dan

 

>The Grand Admiral electrocuted by Trioculus is indeed Takel. Takel's facial hair can be chalked up to a lack of artist reference (perhaps Takel tried out his new laser razor on his way to the Kessel conference). I'm intrigued by your statement that Takel appears later in the book, however. Are you sure, and can you provide a cite?<

There seem to have been two Grand Admirals attending the conference on Kessel. In the stadium scene, a clean-shaven Grand Admiral asks Trioculus how he can claim to be the heir to the empire when he does not posses the glove of Darth Vader. Trioculus electrocutes this Grand Admiral (there's a picture on page 22) but doesn't seem to kill him. ("At last Trioculus showed mercy on them and lowered his hands.") In the next chapter, Trioculus holds a celebration banquet. A select group of Grand Moffs are present, along with a "Grand Admiral from Gargon." (Which would be Takel, according to the Insider article.) He doesn't *seem* to be the same Grand Admiral that appears in the previous scene (the book doesn't say), but I suppose he could be. On page 25 there's a mustached officer at the banquet table. From the picture in the article, I just assumed he was Takel, but I could have been wrong. Anyway, Grand Admiral Takel objects to Trioculus' hasty relocation of the Imperial forces to Hoth, and is executed with a "ZING!" by Grand Moff Hissa (gotta love those sound effects.)

"We'd intended our Kadann to be the same guy from Glove of Darth Vader, so if WOTC has established that character as a "fake" Kadann, then I guess Makati killed the fake one."

I'd figured that part out. The question I was trying to ask was: is the Kadann who led Makati to Thila the "fake" Kadann, or the true one? Azrakel was trained by the true Kadann, if that helps.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, but to be open for discussion as well.

TC

 

Dan, I finally got my EGVV from Amazon, a whopping couple months late I might add.
This one rocked! It has great sketches, though bits are odd about it. I loved it it, and will certainly be getting the next edition.

I forgot; did you once say you're doing the New Essential Guide to Vechicles and Vessels, due out later this year?

 

Dan...
"We'd intended our Kadann to be the same guy from Glove of Darth Vader, so if WOTC has established that character as a "fake" Kadann, then I guess Makati killed the fake one."

[rantatGoDVdetractors]A good example of someone's "good-hearted fix" based solely on personal taste causing a bigger screw-up than acceptance of the original. The whole "fake" Kadann deal was just plain wrong. We know people didn't quite like the Glove of Darth Vader series, but don't try to gut it or alter it from what it was, people.[/rant]

Good job on trying to sort it all out Dan. You're a true SW fan! And your love of the material definitely shows.

 

>Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, but to be open for discussion as well.

Whoops! That should read "Thank you for *not only* taking the time to answer our questions, but to be open for discussion as well." Sorry about that.

>TalonCard, thanks for your positive feedback on the Grand Admirals article, particularly your comments about the cloaking devices.<

You're quite welcome.

I spent ages researching SW cloaking technology when writing that entry and I'm jazzed that somebody noticed. <

Well, it shows. I perticually liked the placement of Aeton II in the Dreigton (SP?) Nebula and the use of the Tarkin.

TC

 

TalonCard wrote:
There seem to have been two Grand Admirals attending the conference on Kessel. In the stadium scene, a clean-shaven Grand Admiral asks Trioculus how he can claim to be the heir to the empire when he does not posses the glove of Darth Vader. Trioculus electrocutes this Grand Admiral (there's a picture on page 22) but doesn't seem to kill him. ("At last Trioculus showed mercy on them and lowered his hands.") In the next chapter, Trioculus holds a celebration banquet. A select group of Grand Moffs are present, along with a "Grand Admiral from Gargon." (Which would be Takel, according to the Insider article.) He doesn't *seem* to be the same Grand Admiral that appears in the previous scene (the book doesn't say), but I suppose he could be. On page 25 there's a mustached officer at the banquet table. From the picture in the article, I just assumed he was Takel, but I could have been wrong. Anyway, Grand Admiral Takel objects to Trioculus' hasty relocation of the Imperial forces to Hoth, and is executed with a "ZING!" by Grand Moff Hissa (gotta love those sound effects.)

Okay, at this point I have to beg off of this question in favor of Abel, who wrote the Takel entry and researched the Glove references that appear in the article. He's currently traveling in Italy, however, and I don't know how speedily you'll get an answer.

Excellence wrote:
I forgot; did you once say you're doing the New Essential Guide to Vechicles and Vessels, due out later this year?

Actually, that's Haden Blackman, who is multitasking on SW like nobody's business (he's also writing Star Wars: Republic for Dark Horse Comics and producing Star Wars Galaxies).

Dan

 

>Okay, at this point I have to beg off of this question in favor of Abel, who wrote the Takel entry and researched the Glove references that appear in the article. He's currently traveling in Italy, however, and I don't know how speedily you'll get an answer. <

The lucky barve. Thank you for passing the question along.

>Actually, that's Haden Blackman, who is multitasking on SW like nobody's business (he's also writing Star Wars: Republic for Dark Horse Comics and producing Star Wars Galaxies).<

When does this guy sleep?

TC

 

Mr. Wallace, I really enjoyed all of the Essential Guides that you have written. I would have to say that The New Characters, Species and Chronology are my favourites.

I also really enjoyed the "Who's Who" articles you've done in Insider #57 (The New Jedi Order) and #60 (Jabba's Palace). Do you plan to do anymore "Who's Who" articles in future Insider issues?

I have a question to ask. I saw in issue 60 of the Insider the article about the relaunch of the Essential Guide series, yet did not notice the Essential Guide to Planets or Chronolgy among them. As the two guides that (IMHO) deserve an update the most, are their any plans to update them?

 

Mr. Wallace, I really enjoyed all of the Essential Guides that you have written. I would have to say that The New Characters, Species and Chronology are my favourites.

Actually, the EG to Alien Species was written by Ann Lewis.

 

Actually, the EG to Alien Species was written by Ann Lewis.

Oh.

*smacks head*

Well, I still like it, no matter who wrote it.

 

TiePilot, thanks for your questions. Regarding more "Who's Who," there's a possibility that you'll see "Who's Who in the Imperial Military" somewhere down the line, focusing almost exclusively on the movie characters (not the EU additions).

Regarding the updated plans for New Essential Guides, I have to leave the release schedule in the hands of Del Rey's publicity department. But of all the guides published so far I'd have to say that the Planet guide is probably the least likely to be updated in the near future, at least not until all the prequels are in and we can see what planetary additions George has added to the canon.

Dan

 

Regarding more "Who's Who," there's a possibility that you'll see "Who's Who in the Imperial Military" somewhere down the line, focusing almost exclusively on the movie characters (not the EU additions).

That would be great to see.

Regarding the updated plans for New Essential Guides, I have to leave the release schedule in the hands of Del Rey's publicity department. But of all the guides published so far I'd have to say that the Planet guide is probably the least likely to be updated in the near future, at least not until all the prequels are in and we can see what planetary additions George has added to the canon.

While I understand the reasoning behind that, like I said, I feel that the Planet guide is the one in most need of a re-release. Well, I wouldn't suggest doing something that includes all the new planets and stuff, but give it a bit of an update and make it look a little less...blah, if you know what I mean. No offense intended (you did a good job with what you had), but it isn't really on par with the others.

 

Dan, any chance we'll see the ANH General Tagge expanded on in the possible Who's Who in the Imperial Military?

TC

 

Who's Who in the Imperial Military? Sounds like it should be a good read!

 

"A lot of characters made it into the Appendix. If I had to do it over again, one thing I definitely would have done would be to include a full entry for Tahiri..."

What would it take to see a full entry for Tahiri in an upcoming issue of the Star Wars Insider? Were Wes Janson and Poggle the Lesser supposed to be in "The New Essential Guide to Characters" or were their entries meant to appear in Insider #59?

I've chatted with artist Mike Sutfin in the past, and he seems like a nice guy. What are the possibilities of seeing him illustrate a Tahiri for an Insider article?

-Mazz

While you're at it, a full entry for Tenel Ka would be nice too.

 

Can you tell us about other articles planned or were being written for Gamer that are now in limbo? For example, in a Literature topic you mentioned an article about the creatures from the Ewoks cartoon written with Amy Pronovost.

 

"Who's Who in the Imperial Military" was written, but I don't know for sure what the Insider is planning to do with it. I think it's on the schedule but ultimately it's their call.

Yes, we wrote about Tagge in it, but since it's a standard "Who's Who"-style article (with short capsule bios of all the players) it doesn't add much original material to Tagge's history.

I hope to resurrect some of the articles written for Star Wars Gamer in other formats, but that's still a big question mark. I mentioned the "Castaways of Endor" article on the other board only because it's unlikely that that one is going to be resurrected any time soon.

Dan

 

The Grand Admirals article was excellent. I especially liked Declann. The whole article isn't even devoted to the guy, and he's already become one of my favorite EU characters.

Just out of curiousity, how good do you picture him being with force/lightsaber skills? The Emperor always seems to have a backup apprentice in his pocket, and this guy seems to be the perfect Vader replacement. (Other than Luke and pre-psycho Blackhole, of course. )