TOS Exclusive Article: Droids and the Force

Wow. Wow. Wow.



I loved the Devilworlds references (looks like they aren't so much Infinities after all; this isn't the first time they've been mentioned.)

All the new info on Nasdra Magrody... Gotta add that to the Death Star Guide...

Did you see! Zak and Tash have *finally* been declared Jedi Knights, which is what they deserved to be all along.

I also *loved* the descriptions of the Ssi-Ruuvi, Jenna Zan Arbor, Umak Leth, and Borborgymus Gog's research, and how they built on each other's work. I had always been thinking along those lines myself, back when I was readin Galaxy of Fear and Jedi Apprentice.

Is the Lord Cronal mentioned new, or is he from some other source?

TC

 

Senator_Cilghal, there's still Kam Solusar and Corwin Shelway (sp?). Based on what I read, though, I say they're no way near as strict as the PT Jedi Council was.

And I agree with you, TalonCard. Having a source that officially states Tash and Zak are Jedi Knight is great. Now we just need to figure out if they made it through the Vong War.

 

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

Yeah?he and Skippy battle it in the post-NJO, pre-Dark Nest, 3-book cycle, The Last Droid Standing. Take your bets!

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

About the only thing that got cut was that the article was supposed to have been taken from the body of the Journal of the Whills. I guess LFL?s not ready to open that can of worms yet.

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

I have an interview coming out soon where I talk about this extensively. I?ll be sure to post the link in any current thread relating to one of my pieces and in the WOTC Designers Thread on the Authors and Artists board.

Ashandarei wrote:
?Wow. This article is just ... wow. Great.?

Thank you Ashandarei.

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

That was important to me. Originally I had the in-universe article attributed to Master Aqinos, but I was fairly against the idea of a Jedi Master from the Old Repbulic being around post-NJO. Having Tam - the Jedi, not the fan ? write it instead, then, just seemed to make sense, given his father Daye was a borg, and the need Tam would feel for an outlet for his grief, given Daye?s disappearance during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

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

The Iron Knight originally appeared in the SW Missions: The Monsters of Dweem. It?s a fun adventure written by Dave Wolverton, I believe. They help the protagonist of your choice (a bounty hunter, in this instance, IIRC) through part of the quest.

?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)??

There?s a couple of unaccounted for Jedi out there. Two off the top of my head are Callista and that crazy dark Jedi Danaan Kerr. I?m sure there are a few others.

TalonCard wrote:
?Wow. Wow. Wow.?



?I loved the Devilworlds references (looks like they aren't so much Infinities after all; this isn't the first time they've been mentioned.)?

If a story can be used smoothly with existing continuity, LFL really doesn?t have a problem with it.

?Did you see! Zak and Tash have *finally* been declared Jedi Knights, which is what they deserved to be all along. ?

So did John Whitman, author of the Galaxy of Fear books where Zak and Tash Arranda appear. Exchanging a few emails with him back when the books first came out, he said he would have liked to see Jan and Tash end up being Jedi Knights in Luke?s academy. Given the opportunity, I was happy to play genie of the lamp.

?I also *loved* the descriptions of the Ssi-Ruuvi, Jenna Zan Arbor, Umak Leth, and Borborgymus Gog's research, and how they built on each other's work. I had always been thinking along those lines myself, back when I was readin Galaxy of Fear and Jedi Apprentice.?

Often times, retconing is a very logical business when you?re aware of the various sources out there. I figured I?d make those suspected collaborations official.

?Is the Lord Cronal mentioned new, or is he from some other source??

Lord Cronal is from a gem of a little book published by WEG, Gamemaster Screen for Second Edition. You should be seeing more of Mr. Cronal very soon.

JediAlly wrote:
?Senator_Cilghal, there's still Kam Solusar and Corwin Shelway (sp?).?

Ah, there we go. You should be hearing a little bit more about Corwin Shelvay soon, as well.

Take care,
Abel

 

"Ah, there we go. You should be hearing a little bit more about Corwin Shelvay soon, as well."


Oh, excellent. Anything from those books popping up in the continuity is a good, good thing. I think Havet Storm's father survived the early part of the purge as well.


Great article by the way. This has been a busy week, so I only skimmed through it at first, but I finally had time to read through it and wow. Not only for the continuity spackle, but also because you wrote a damn convincing piece on a social dillemma that, really, none of us should have any stock in and made us care about it. Bravo.

 

What was their research links anyway?

I don't want excerpts, just am curious....and cheap.

 

When exactly did the Shard join Luke's order?

Too bad I can't read most of Abel's articles. All the positive reactions make me very excited for the upcoming Dark Forces stuff.

I didn't know Corwin Shelvay had joined Luke's order, but I might've forgotten. All I can remember is that he lost his master Darrin Arkanian to Tremayne and that he was on the run.

 

Oh...is THAT who Shelway is? For some reason I was thinking...who's the girl in the Troy Denning Jedi's Honor book?

 

You mean Dena Tredway?

 

Yes, I think that is who I meant. Shelway, Treadway...

 

There are no offical indications that Corwin Shelway joined Luke's Order. He was alive during the Rebellion and recruited Kaiya Adirimetum into the Rebel Alliance. She played a major role in the Darkstryder Campaign from WEG.

 

Ah-hem...if someone were to accidentally email this article to me (pdixieman@hotmail.com) I would most definitly delete it right away, because I know that without forking over even more cash to Lucas that I don't deserve it. But yeah, you know, accidents happen, non HS members get sent HS stuff....

 

>I think Havet Storm's father survived the early part of the purge as well<

His grandfather Movet, actually. Havet's father was also a late victim of the Purge, but he was not trained as a Jedi. Movet Storm was the Jedi of the family.

TC

 

Halagad_Ventor wrote:
?So did John Whitman, author of the Galaxy of Fear books where Zak and Tash Arranda appear. Exchanging a few emails with him back when the books first came out, he said he would have liked to see Jan and Tash end up being Jedi Knights in Luke?s academy.?

Boy, what a wonky post, it?s a wonder anybody understood what I was saying. What I meant to say was, I agree ZAK (not Jan) and Tash always should?ve been Jedi, and so did John Whitman.

Mavrick889 wrote:
?Great article by the way. This has been a busy week, so I only skimmed through it at first, but I finally had time to read through it and wow. Not only for the continuity spackle, but also because you wrote a damn convincing piece on a social dillemma that, really, none of us should have any stock in and made us care about it. Bravo.?

Thanks Mavrick. I appreciate the feedback, and I?m really glad you liked it. Incidentally, there really are reputable philosophers out there who think that true A.I. is impossible. Plaristes is partially modeled after real-life philosopher John Searle. By contrast, Jedi Master Aqinos is a bit of a tribute to Christian theologian St. Thomas Aquinas.

Jort wrote:
?When exactly did the Shard join Luke's order??

I think I cut it from the article several drafts back, but originally I had them joining the njo about 9 years after Return of the Jedi. The placement was fairly arbitrary, though. Perhaps later would be more suitable.

?You mean Dena Tredway??

Not Dena, but Erling Treadway should see some quick action in the Dark Forces series of articles.

TalonCard wrote:
?His grandfather Movet, actually. Havet's father was also a late victim of the Purge, but he was not trained as a Jedi. Movet Storm was the Jedi of the family.?

I guess grandpa Storm didn?t Move-it fast enough. What was Havet?s dad?s name anyway, Shovet?

Take care,
Abel

 

Great article Abel. Really enjoyed it. As other have said the in-universe essay style was really cool. Great connections from all across continuity as usual. Nice to hear tid-bits about Luke's Order as well.

A question about the Shard. Do you have an idea about how many there were on Dweem? 10, 20, 50?

The Dween Ilum, did you intend some kind of connection with the planet Ilum there? (I presume you must but wonder what exactly)

And was Ilum was one of the Shard that survived into the NJO time?

You may not have answers on these, but your 'opinion' here still carries a lot of weight.

I look forward to hearing more about Erling. I always thought his ability to sense space sounded rather like Eryl Besa's...

 

Does the article have anything on Nichos Marr?

 

Well, a copy of the article....fell into my hands. Thanks again to my informant. Interesting article, but wouldn't these Iron Knights have been mentioned before? And I always thought the 50 billion droids figure from Devilworlds was a bit small.

 

Charlemagne19 wrote:
?What was their research links anyway??

There?s a lot of overlap between Borborygamous Gog, Jenna Zan Arbor, Umak Leth, and Lord Cronal. But basically, Gog and Cronal both built on the research started earlier by Arbor (from the Jude Watson books). Gog also built on Ssi-ruuvi entechment, and he, Leth, and Cronal all took advantage of studying the Force energy produced by the spirits caught in Gog?s Essence Stealer (Galaxy of Fear series).

Eyrezer wrote:
?Great article Abel. Really enjoyed it. As other have said the in-universe essay style was really cool. Great connections from all across continuity as usual.?

Thanks for the compliments, Eyrezer! When proposing the essay, I stated that it was in the style of the ?Understanding the Jedi Code? essay from Gamer #1, written in-universe by Mace Windu.

?A question about the Shard. Do you have an idea about how many there were on Dweem? 10, 20, 50??

Good question. Without thinking about it too much, I?d say a dozen or two at the most. Maybe even less, like a half dozen, especially after the Yuuzhan Vong War. I don?t think more than that would fit in very well with our perceptions of what the new Jedi Order is like.

?The Dween Ilum, did you intend some kind of connection with the planet Ilum there? (I presume you must but wonder what exactly)?

Only that I thought it would be appropriate that in choosing a name, a Force-sensitive Shard would want to take on something it felt was symbolic of who they are. Ilum obviously felt strongly about the connection with the Force.

?And was Ilum was one of the Shard that survived into the NJO time??

I would say yes.

Jort wrote:
?Does the article have anything on Nichos Marr??

Cray Mingla?s (Marr?s girlfriend) struggle with the dark side of the Force/droid connection is alluded to.

RogueWompRat wrote:
?Interesting article, but wouldn't these Iron Knights have been mentioned before??

That?s always the problem with retconing. I remember when the Special Editions came out several years ago, and all of the sudden I was seeing references to rontos everywhere I looked in the EU. A similar phenomenon has happened with OT fiction; now that the prequels are out, there are suddenly tons of references to the Clone Wars, etc. I don?t think this can really be helped. Personally, I prefer the slight redefining of our perceptions of what the new Jedi Order is like, rather than throwing away as cool a concept as Wolverton?s Iron Knights.

?And I always thought the 50 billion droids figure from Devilworlds was a bit small.?

I?m impressed you knew where the figure came from RWR!

Just in case, I tried to cheat my way through this by stating that *over* 50 billion droids were in service. It?s always good to keep your bases covered.

Take care,
Abel

 

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!

While the "Iron Knights" thing and joining Luke's Jedi Order are new to me, the Shard certainly aren't. WEG did stats for them some time ago. Shards

 

was there any art with the article? if so post it please or is it on Joe´s HP?

 

Abel, another question, besides the 2 Insider articles, what else did you write? especially which Fact Files articles were yours? could you post a list?

 

?was there any art with the article? if so post it please or is it on Joe´s HP??

I would?ve loved to work with Joe again for this piece, especially to finally get a visual for the Iron Knights, but Hyperspace didn?t commission any artist for this piece.

?Abel, another question, besides the 2 Insider articles, what else did you write? especially which Fact Files articles were yours? could you post a list??

Let?s see. Besides the ?Droids and the Force? piece for Insider #81 online supplement, there was ?Who?s Who: Imperial Grand Admirals? for Star Wars Insider #66, ?History of the Mandalorians? for Insider #80, a series of interviews with the original creators of the Marvel Star Wars series, starting with ?A Marvelous Comeback? in Insider #61 and continuing in the starwars.com (not Hyperspace) piece ?The Circle is Now Complete: Classic Marvel Talents? (http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/comics/f20020718/index.html). On the rpg side of things, I also have ?The Emperor?s Pawns? article in Star Wars Gamer #5 and ?The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO? in Dungeon/Polyhedron #111/170.

As for the Star Wars Fact Files cards I did, I unfortunately don?t know how D?Agostini used the work they commissioned me for, since they often recut their pieces to suit their needs and I have no official copies. ::grumble grumble:: But, here are the subjects I worked on:

Count Dooku (2 cards)
Grand Moff Trachta
Tycho Celchu
Hin and Kee
the X-10D Draft Droid
the Anx

Lastly, taking it old school, two articles I did several years ago for the SWFA, though unofficial, have remained fairly popular over the years:

Loose Canon: A Discourse on the Public Direction of the ?Official? Star Wars Universe

http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/swfa/ED3.html

The State of the Galactic Civil War ? Part 1: From Endor to Coruscant

http://www.myuselessknowledge.com/swfa/civilwar.html

Any feedback you guys have for any of my work is encouraged and appreciated, though since a thread was made for me in the Authors & Artists forum, comments relating to other articles might be more appropriately made there. Please stop on by for a visit!

Take care,
Abel

 

thx alot Abel! so I think I know nearly all of your works by know. the Dungeon stuff I miss, somehow can´t find the magazine here in Germany.

and I knew your unoffical articles already! read them long ago and loved them, nice to find out they were your work!

If anybody knows: how do I get access to the Dungeon star wars stuff, what was published in there, and is there still new SW rpg stuff published in the magazine? has anybody a list of articles of the Dungeon stuff?

 

Try shopstarwars.com or www.paizo.com CH.

 

Abel, where did that idea about Luke disliking the Jedi-readers come from? Just pulled out of thin air? It seems a rather narrow approach, especially considering the Jedi don't seem to have any wide reaching Force-detection procedures galaxy-wide anymore. How exactly does Luke plan to find more recruits? The old fashioned, stumble upon them way?