TOS Exclusive Article: Droids and the Force

Holy crap!

That's about all I can say... Holy crap! This article is astonishing in what ideas it establishes, ties together, and explores. Well done, Abel!

I wish everyone had Hyperspace access to read this thing!

Though I wish I could, out of respect for the author (and fear of LFL g-men), I won't repost the whole thing, but here are some highlights

I've always been particularly interested in the interplay between living crystaline beings like the Shard (though, I believe the Shard are brand new) and the Spook Crystals of Nam Chorios, driod intelligences and bodies, Ssi-ruuvi entechment, and the Force; now Abel has taken great strides to bring those concepts together in one, common dialogue.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg! The article has other great nuggets of history, obscure references, and new ideas regarding driods, the New Order scientists, etc. This is very much a necessary read for any fan of the EU!

Sorry, but any verbatim reprinting of Hyperspace material is verboten. Feel free to paraphrase though.

 

Okay.

I consider myself a die hard SW fan and well versed in the Pre-ANH EU.

But all that stuff in your post has caused my brain to malfunction.

Thank you.

 

Okay... well, I've tried re-editing my original post twice now and it won't let me for some reason. Here's my "paraphrased" version...

I've been reprimanded for posting even snippets of the article, so out of respect for the author (and fear of LFL g-men), I won't repost anything verbatim, but here is one thing that just floored me:

There is a race of crystalline beings on the planet Orax called the Shard. 100 years before the fall of the Republic, they were discovered. Some the Shard that left Orax, but only one of them could feel the Force. Eventually, an entire family of Force-sensitives was spawned. Several took the bodies of deactivated war droids, re-igniting the automaton consciousnesses within and joining the unrivaled physical prowess of the droids with the power of the Force. They were trained in the ways of the Force and the Jedi Arts. These "Iron Knights" were driven out of the Republic/Empire but were eventually found by Luke's new Jedi Order students. They fought against the Vong invasion and still exist!

 

Right, i get it now.

Thanks lol

 

damn hyperspace, I won´t ever be able to read it, and I love Abels stuff *angry about hyperspace*

Is there any way hyperspace stuff gets reprinted or made availeably in ebook format someday? As much as I hate to say it, but hyperspace ruins my day and I´d like to be no longer a Star Wars fan because of hyperspace... but I will try to continue being a fan, though the info is kept far far away from me.

seems GL and the official page people want to make certain stuff only availeably to the rich and worthy.. this is wrong, and even if they keep their hyperspace programm, they should make the stuff availeable some time later for those who want only pieces of it and not the whole crap.


Edit: and worst of all, if I´d try to join hyperspace, I wouldn´t even get Insider but the really much worse official magazine of Germany. and that´s another reason for non-US people to not join up.

 

So if what I read is correct, a bunch of these Shards that are Force-sensitive took the bodies of the droids, and went on to become Jedi Knights of a sort. They were cast out during the PT, but Luke learned about them from Callista and her master Djinn Altis. His band found them, and now they're part of the New Jedi Order. Is that right?

Sweet. And I bet the RPGers are going to have a field day.

Question - is it possible to read the supplementary material for #80? I want to see if there were any articles like this one for the previous issue.

 

The online suppliment for Insider #80 included a "making of"-type article on Abel's Mandalorian article in the real Insider #80. It was definitely worth reading, too.

Yeah, I love the idea of Force-sensitive-crystal-controlled droids. It's sort of like the JK driod and eel partnership in The Cestus Deception.

 

>>"Edit: and worst of all, if I´d try to join hyperspace, I wouldn´t even get Insider but the really much worse official magazine of Germany. and that´s another reason for non-US people to not join up."<<

Non-US people get Hyperspace for $20 instead of $40, but no magazine. It's really worth it.

 

is there a way to get it with insider magazine? for only hyperspace without insider might be cheaper, but still not worth the money, I think. how much stuff is there that interests me? well, besides the insider exclusive stuff, not much. episode 3 stuff, yeah, but trailer and most of it you can get few days later if you just wait, for free. or find it on fanpages.

and only for the online articles, or exclusive comics, well.. I don´t know. how much else is there about EU?

 

Nutz! This sounds really interesting.

 

The problem is if I'd spend my money on Hyperspace I wouldn't have enough to buy other SW stuff.

and only for the online articles, or exclusive comics, well.. I don´t know. how much else is there about EU?

There are also some previously unreprinted short stories from Gamer and Adventure Journal.

 

I meant what exclusive stuff is there, the gamer and journal stuff I own already in original form. took long to get them all!
well, I still miss Gamer #1-4

anyone knows if the anzati article from #1 is in hyperspace?

 

I refuse to pay for Hyperspace. Lucas can suck it, I've given him enough cash over the years.

 

as much as I feel with you, to all those who wanted to discuss the article, sorry I started this anti hyperspace talk here. I didn´t want to change the topic or stop you from discussing it. lets return to topic and I think we all know how we feel about hyperspace.

 

The2ndQuest, can you give me an idea where in Hyperspace that Droid script will be (on here or via PM please )? I musta missed it and just been searching, can I find it? Nope

Nice job Abel, can't wait to read your upcoming WOTC stuff

 

Droids? The force? Now things got a lot more complicated

 

Actually, the Shards aren't new; they were first introduced in SW Adventure Journal #15, the last one to see print. They got a full Alien Encounters writeup, in fact.

However, the fact that there were Shard Jedi, and the fact that they had a role in the YV war, is all new.

Gah, I don't wanna pay for hyperspace . . . but they may just make me if they keep hiring Abel . . .

 

Beyond the reprinted fiction from the AJ, SWG and Gamer mags, they've also reprinted (since the publisher change over) SW Insider short stories fom the past 3 or 4 issues I think.

And oh my dear God, that RotS novelization excerpt... ::quivers::

 

they should make Abel master of all EU, that would rock!

 

Hey folks,

I feel your pain, CH. :\ Yeah, the whole Hyperspace situation for seeing the article is unfortunate, but well, there it is. To be fair, this particular piece, which is a bit more philosophical in tone, probably wouldn?t even have seen the light of day without the Hyperspace format, having already been passed up by Gamer and Insider in the past.

jedimasterED wrote:
?That's about all I can say... Holy crap! This article is astonishing in what ideas it establishes, ties together, and explores. Well done, Abel!?

Thanks jmED! The idea for the Droids and the Force piece originally grew out of a desire to simply highlight a bunch of cool tech and droids for the rpg, particularly the Iron Knights, who made a lightning quick appearance in one of the old Star Wars Missions books from scholastic. The idea of droids with lightsabers just got my juices going. Of course, no one knew GL had General Grievous up his sleeve back then.

JediAlly wrote:
?Sweet. And I bet the RPGers are going to have a field day.?

Yep. Like I said, it was originally intended to be an rpg piece, and refers heavily to various rpg books from West End and Wizards, so there?s definitely a lot in there for GMs to play with.

timbolton wrote:
?Nice job Abel, can't wait to read your upcoming WOTC stuff ?

Thanks Tim!

The Dark Forces stuff at Wizards.com should be going up in the next couple of weeks.

Ris_jSarek wrote:
?Actually, the Shards aren't new; they were first introduced in SW Adventure Journal #15, the last one to see print. They got a full Alien Encounters writeup, in fact.?

On the nose, jSarek.

?However, the fact that there were Shard Jedi, and the fact that they had a role in the YV war, is all new.?

The Shard/Iron Knights is essentially the climax of the article, and of course, there are other fun tidbits as jedimasterED mentioned. For instance, the essay is written post-NJO and in-universe by Jedi Tam Azur-Jamin, whose cyborg pops Daye Azur-Jamin went missing during the Yuuzhan Vong War. And of course, this piece has the usual plethora of references across the continuity board.

LijoT wrote:
?Droids? The force? Now things got a lot more complicated ?

That?s the sum of it, LijoT.

CeiranHarmony wrote:
?they should make Abel master of all EU, that would rock!?

I?d be happy if they?d just make me an offer to write the New Essential Guide to Droids, thank you very much.

Thanks again for the kind words on the article!

Best,
Abel

 

droids and the force.. so, is it true that sadistic R2D2 is a darksider? *g*

and Abel, was there anything you intended to write but which was cut from the article, or you were asked to change?

if so, post it or tell us about it please O

ps: Abel, how do I get a job like yours?

 

Wow. This article is just ... wow. Great.

 

Very good article. I enjoyed the fact it was presented as an actual in-universe thesis.

 

The Iron Knights appeared in SW Missions? Tell me more, por favor!

Also, does that mean the Iron Knights are the only surviving "Old Jedi Order" Jedi left, since Vergere, Brand, and Ikrit are dead (I guess Vima is dead)?