Books The Official Outbound Flight Discussion Thread (Spoilers Allowed)

Star Wars: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn

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Since 1991, fans of Star Wars literature have wondered about the mysterious Outbound Flight project. This Fall, Del Rey and author Timothy Zahn will reveal all.
First briefly mentioned in the watershed novel, Heir to the Empire, Outbound Flight was an ambitious project that sent an expeditionary mission of six Jedi Masters, 12 Jedi Knights and 50,000 men, women and children beyond the borders of known space to make contact with intelligent life. It was the brainchild of Jorus C'baoth, but even so influential a Jedi Master had to navigate the cumbersome Republic bureaucracy to get this monumental proposal approved.

With the foiling of a murderous plot, C'baoth gained the influence he needed to get Outbound Flight underway. In truth, this turn of fortune was carefully engineered by Darth Sidious, the shadowy Sith Lord who wants Outbound Flight to begin, and ultimately, to fail.

The mission is doomed from the start, for lurking within Unknown Space is the Chiss Ascendancy, and the brilliant alien mastermind who will someday become Grand Admiral Thrawn. Not even the presence of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker, aboard the gargantuan vessel can avert disaster.

To be released on 31-January.

Previous discussion: here

Here's the current Author Event list for the Outbound Flight tour! [UPDATED 24-Jan]

Thursday, February 9?PORTLAND, OR
7:00pm
Talk & Signing
Powell?s Beaverton Store
8725 SW Cascade Ave.
Beaverton, OR
Tel: 800/878-7323


Friday, February 10?SAN FRANCISCO
7:00pm
Talk & Signing
Bay Book & Tobacco Co.
Strawflower Village Shopping Center
80 North Cabrillo Highway
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Tel: 650/726-3488


Wednesday, February 15, 2006?SEATTLE
4pm
Talk & Signing
Fort Lewis Main Exchange
Building 5280 Pendleton Avenue
Fort Lewis, WA 98433
Tel: 253/964-3161


Thursday, February 16, 2006?SEATTLE
7pm
Talk & Signing
University Bookstore
4326 University Way NE
Seattle WA 98105
Tel: 206/634-3400

Wednesday, February 22?MINNEAPOLIS
7:00pm
Talk & Signing
Barnes & Noble
2100 North Snelling Avenue
Roseville, MN 55113
Tel: 651/639-9256


Thursday, February 23?CHICAGO
12:30pm
Talk & Signing
Borders Books
150 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel: 312/606-0750

Friday, February 24?DETROIT
7pm
Borders Books
43075 Crescent Blvd.
Novi, MI 48375
Tel: 248/347-0780

Saturday, February 25?SAN DIEGO
2pm
Talk & Signing
Mysterious Galaxy Books
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Tel: 858/268-4747

 

Darn. Not coming anywhere near me.

Very interesting...I wasn't planning on getting the book, but with Thrawn in it, I suppose I need to...

I'll hang around for the spoilers.

 

Zahn Bashers will arrive in... 5.. 4..

 

Ooo... Chiss have snappy uniforms....

 

Anyone know the exact dating on this?

 

Great more Chiss, and a CEDF Thrawn.

 

Presumably between TPM and AOTC as there's likely very little time between AOTC and ROTS for Ani-Wan to be dealing with Outbound Flight.

 

Bloody authors, never come to the backwater (aka Southern) states where I live...

 

Definitely between TPM and AotC... I think either 2 or 3 years after Rogue Planet was the last dating I heard... Which I guess puts it almost exactly midway between the two movies? Seems like it'd be about 5-6 years after TPM with that dating, if I'm remembering right... I believe from the excerpt at the back of TUQ or some such place.

EDIT: Just checked my timeline from the front of TSW. It's listed at 27 BBY, which is 2 years after Rogue Planet and 5 years after TPM and 5 years before AotC. So it is dead in the middle of it.

Obviously we're going to see some good Cardas interactions, given that the entire preview included in TUQ was told from his perspective. Any guesses on other characters' heads into which we'll be seeing?

- Keralys

 

Since it's a Zahn book, we'll obviously be seeing tons of Thrawn, C'bouth, and that other Jedi chick he introduced in Survivor's quest. Remember? She was the sister of the NR "ambassador" character. We'll get to see how she dies. I'm guessing we'll also get to see quite a bit of Obi-Wan and Anakin.

 

I knew it was definatly after Rogue Planet, since that was supposed to be Ani's first mission or something. Anyone know when it takes place in relation to the Jedi Quest books?

 

awesome, it will be my first bought SW book in many years; timothy zahn's tag on a book is indeed the influencing factor

 

That Chiss on the cover looks quite Russian. Reminds me of someone who would just be coming back from Stalingrad. I guess this goes with the unspoken trend to make characters as they appear on covers more Slavic-looking (see TFP)

 

Hey, My town is up there. I was thinking of waiting until the Paperback came out, but I should buy a hardcover and have him sign it.

 

*looks at cover*
Niiiiiiiiice.

 

i feel bad that Zahn cant use any cool vehicule of ep 2 and ep 3, sinse his book is btwn ep. 1 and 2 era

 

What is the best website to buy your book from if you want it delivered early. I have heard Walmart.com is fairly careless, any others?

-The Rebel Gungan

 

I may have to buy the hardback

 

i'm still trying to figure out how they shove anakin and obi-wan into this

 

My guess is Obi/Anakin action will be just in the first part of the book, maybe helping C'Baoth (assisting in that murder prevention, or something like that, iirc), but I can't imagine why would they go with the Outbound ship. Hopefuly there will be more on that jedi sister from SQ (nice subplot, btw).
That TUQ excerpt however, didn't make me crazy enough to buy hardback.

 

There is a little spoiler in the new essential chronology, Palpatine arranged for Anakin and Obi-Wan to get off after the first stop or something.

 

Agreed. Unfair.

This looks very interesting...I'll be buying it for sure.

 

^^Hey Jagged.

I live in a fairly large city...WHY WON'T THEY COME HERE?

I don't think I'd buy hardcover if I couldn't get it signed...

 

Well, the tours never come anywhere near my home near the Rockies, either. And I mean anywhere near. I don't remember the last time a book-signing tour got to Denver...

- Keralys

 

I agree with you, Rebel. I don't think I'll get in hard-back, either.

It'd look nice on my bookshelf, though...