What are peoples likes/dislikes with Bria Tharen?

(Sorry, feel like a nice little debate )

I love Bria's character. So do many others. Others hate her. My question to you is: Why?

 

I don't hate her, I just think that she was made too important. I mean, she goes from being a "slave" on Ylesia to being the one who leads the group that gets the DS plans.

She shouldn't have been made that important, though I can see her as an important part in Han's life and a good start to his real romantic activities.

Well written, just written too much.

 

Well, the only thing I'd say is that it was seven years from slave to DS plans.

 

Still, she goes from a basic addict to a gorilla warfare expert who leads a team of rebels against slavers and the empire.

I mean, how did she learn all of that in just seven years, huh?

 

If it had not been for the last third of Rebel Dawn I would see her character differently.

In betraying Han, who was then seen as a traitor by the others, she betrayed not only Han but the principles of the Rebel Alliance. Indeed, I would not put it past Rebellion Command to deliberately give Bria's group the Toprwa suicide mission to deal with the damage their zealous actions were causing the reputation of the Alliance.

It was the pointlessness of that betrayal that stunk, that Bria was so damn stupid as to do it; when the other Rebel leaders kept their word. There was no gain in it, nothing save wrecking Han's life. Perhaps that was it: If Han had not rescued her from Ylesia, she would not be the bitter, ex-addict with no life, thus it's all Han's fault. Bria probably thought something like that; ah well, the little heroin chick is at least a smoking corpse.

Jedi Ben

 

I'm sorry but I'm a bit rusty on these books, so what betrayl are you talking about?

 

But her superiors told her to take everything. She didn't want to.

 

Oh, that! That didn't bug me too much. She was following orders, not trying to hurt him. Besides, the rebellion needed it.

 

It basically goes:

"Han, please help us [the Rebes] liberate Ylesia and you and the others will get X for your trouble."

So Han talks the others, Lando included, into agreeing the deal.

Ylesia is liberated, the slaves freed and then as the business is over, Tharen then tells Han he and the others cannot have what is promised, it's a 'for the cause' cop out excuse pile of crap.

The result is Lando is furious at Han for being betrayed, as Han promised X, which Tharen had proimised him and his reputation is in tatters as a straight guy.

Then, after having to dump a load of spice which ticks off Jabba to the nth degree, Han is told by other smugglers who were involved in the Ylesia affair that the other Rebels kept their word.

That little revelation wrecks Tharen's excuse that she had to take everything or that she was ordered to. She wasn't.

Jedi Ben

 

Yeah, I remember now. That didn't really bug me too much because it set the reason that lando was pissed off at Han(or Han thought he was) in ESB.

 

I never bought the idea that Lando was really pissed at Han though. A lingering dislike over something maybe but not anything major.

The losing the Falcon to Han over a card game, at which Lando considered himself the superior player and should have won, is sufficient for me. Certainly that matches Lando's affectionate welcome for Han.

It's a 'Well, you're the bastard who won my ship off me at cards, but you're still a good mate' kind of welcome.

If it had been what happened in Rebel Dawn, then it should been:
"What the **** you doing here? Sod off before I put a laser blast in your arse!"

Jedi Ben

 

I take it your from Australia?

Besides, it had been what, 5 years since that incident, and Lando doesn't strike me as someone who would carry a grudge.

The betrayle thing didn't get to me that much, it was more the simple fact that she left him without a clue and then expected him to still like her after that. If it were me, I would tell her to get the hell away from me if she left me like that.

 

Nah, I'm from Essex!

Jedi Ben

 

Where's that?

Sorry, I'm not a geography person and the furthest from Michigan I've ever been is Pheonix.

 

OK, it was more a joke for the Brits on the board anyhow.

Essex is a county in the SE of England, that has an interesting reputation shall we say.

Jedi Ben

 

Oh, okay.

 

I don't like her because she left Han in the dust, that was cold.

 

Yea. No one leaves Han out in the cold.

 

No one is perfect. I know a lot of people dislike Anakin Skywalker for what he did, killing millions and all. Same thing for Kyp. But they are all really intresting characters. I'd rather see flawed characters than a million Thrawns running around doing everything they pleased.

 

I despise her because she is the most blatant Mary Sue in the EU by far, Callista coming second. It's a shame because she could have been a very interesting character, but was taken way too far.

How incredibly contrived is it in a galaxy of billions of various species that she was Han's first love, started the Rebellion, AND stole the Death Star plans? <rolls eyes> The HST felt like the Bria Tharen trilogy instead of Han's trilogy. It would've been fine if she just showed up in the first book, but to keep bringing her back over and over, having Han obsess over her, and making her the center of everything was Mary-Sueism of the worst kind.

I liked Xaverri and Salla. I found them to be interesting characters from Han's past, as well as the girls Daley brought into his series. Bria's character never struck me as the type that would be interesting or appealing to Han.

 

How incredibly contrived is it in a galaxy of billions of various species that she was Han's first love, started the Rebellion, AND stole the Death Star plans?

She didnt start the Rebellion. She was one of the main few, but there would be many, MANY others involved.


The HST felt like the Bria Tharen trilogy instead of Han's trilogy. It would've been fine if she just showed up in the first book, but to keep bringing her back over and over, having Han obsess over her, and making her the center of everything was Mary-Sueism of the worst kind.

I thought it was a realistic look at what happens when your love leaves you.

 

IIRC (it's been a while since I read it) she was one of the few main people who started it, directing the Corellian sector, and even going to Alderaan to convince Bail to join. (That was another incredibly contrived Mary-Sueish thing..how she knew all the cool people who just happened to show up and like her instantly).

I can deal with her being Han's first love. But I find it unbelievable and too coincidental for her the way she was smoothly inserted into the center of the SW galaxy in the HST.

(Adding this because it's interesting to the discussion...) I remember seeing an interview with Lucas on ET where he was talking about the character of Han Solo, and he described him as "...a loner when he's introduced in ANH who doesn't trust anyone, save his best friend Chewie...Luke and Leia become the first true friends he's ever had aside from Chewie, and Leia becomes the first woman he has serious feelings for..Of course this scares the hell out of him and he tries to cover it up with his usual bravado and cockiness...."

Obviously Lucas did not think Han would have the sort of backstory he was given in the HST...

 

IIRC (it's been a while since I read it) she was one of the few main people who started it, directing the Corellian sector, and even going to Alderaan to convince Bail to join. (That was another incredibly contrived Mary-Sueish thing..how she knew all the cool people who just happened to show up and like her instantly).

It was Bespin. And the only person convinced was Winter, who went to Bail. From what we gather, nothing else of note happened. The Rebellion got underway more when Mon Mothma joined.


(Adding this because it's interesting to the discussing...) I remember seeing an interview with Lucas on ET where he was talking about the character of Han Solo, and he described him as "...a loner when he's introduced in ANH who doesn't trust anyone, save his best friend Chewie...Luke and Leia become the first true friends he's ever had aside from Chewie, and Leia becomes the first woman he has serious feelings for..Of course this scares the hell out of him and he tries to cover it up with his usual bravado and cockiness...."

He never wanted to love again at the end, and most of his friends hated him or were dead. And to be picky, Lucas seems to forget Lando

 

Lando may have been a buddy of Han's, but he obviously wasn't a true blue friend like Luke was to Han when he and Han meet up in ESB...

He never wanted to love again at the end, and most of his friends hated him or were dead.

First I doubt Lucas knows about the whole thing of Han supposedly not wanting to love again and his friends hating him in the EU...but let's not go there since we can't prove anything either way...

Lucas specifically said he meant for Leia to be the first woman Han ever had serious feelings for. It also says Leia is Han's first love (and Han is her's) in the novelization of ROTJ. Therefore I don't see the need for Bria Tharen's character. Although I wouldn't really object to her being Han's first love, but she was taken way too far.

 

I like Bria Tharen for reasons that Reaper has summed up. She's a cool character, and plays her part in the saga.