Dark Empire 2 - Audio Drama - New Republic

Six years after the fateful battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker discovered that the Emperor Palpatine had survived the battle by transferring his mind into the body of a clone. Lukes bold attempt to learn the Emperors secrets nearly ended in disaster for Luke and for the Rebel Alliance. But thanks to Luke's sister, Princess Leia-Solo and her husband Han Solo and other hero's of the Alliance, Luke was rescued, the Emperor himself was annihilated by Luke and Leia and the Empires terrible World Devastator Weapons were destroyed.

But the Emperors minions continue the war. An elite core of dark side warriors were authorized to put into action the Emperors master plan to take over the galaxy. Operation....Shadow Hand. Led by the Darkside executor Sedriss (right), these Dark Jedi initiated a series of assaults against the worlds in the galactic core. Sedriss first target is the weapons world of Balmorra. While Luke continues his search for other Jedi throughout the galaxy our story begins.....

Our journey starts with a violent confrontation with Kam Solusar(left), previous Jedi lost to the Darkside and converted minion of the Emperor. Luke see’s the good in Kam and while Kam lays down his life for failure, Luke grants him his life back to serving the Light side of the Force. Gov Beltain of Balmorra is engaged in a heated battle with the remnants of the Empire, and has a deceitful plan to destroy the Empires Shadow Droids. – Dead Imperial Ace Pilots turned into Droids. He unveils his Viper Obtomindons sold to empire and unleashes a plan with Mon Mothma for the New Republics interception.

Leia and Han head back to Nar Shadda to find Vima Debota to help bring back the Jedi Order. Boba Fett is summoned to assist the Empire, but ends up unleashing his fury on dark side warriors when they attempt to render his services for free, and unmask the Mandalorian. We also see the beginnings of another smuggler that assists the Alliance and walks out in the time of trouble, but this isn’t the first time a smuggler tried to walk out on the Alliance.

Luke and Kam after accessing the Emperors stolen Jedi Holocron, tap into knowledge over a 4 millennia old and embark on a mission to Ossus, to gain more Jedi knowledge and history. They encounter a lost civilization, destroyed by the Sith wars over 4,000 years ago, and meet a planet full of force users, very untrained. They have a deadly encounter with Executor Sedriss and receive the aid of the dead Jedi Master Ood (left), who ended his life and turned into the great tree and great source of the planets power 4000 years ago. (That story is told in the Tales of the Jedi Omnibus) Fates will be met and heroes will be made, as the Emperor again returns……


Many may forget its name, but the force will never die….

Star Wars Hitchhiker

Always in motion, the future is......and it looks good!

As E3 has been revealing the latest in video games and technology, Star Wars has some very exciting new news. 

The Force Unleashed II - Trailer has a new Epic trailer, that will leave you wanting a popcorn, a glass of water, and the video game, NOW!  Starkiller is back, and is being betrayed by Darth Vader.....my only complaint is again, the clones, the most common used form of technology in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.  Enjoy this trailer, and scroll down for an even greater video for The Old Republic MMORPG to be released later this year.




THE OLD REPUBLIC -

Dated before the Deceived Trailer Released last year, the Sacking of Coruscant, peaceful Alderaan is under siege of the Sith Empire.  We see the bond that is formed with trooper and Jedi against the relentless battle against the Sith.  If they would turn this story line into a series of movies, or a TV series, it would possibly be more popular than the original movies.  George, please answer my calls and emails, we need more movies, and movies like this!!!!



There are also some very cool books on the horizon. 

Old Republic Era - Deceived Novel - 12-28-2010 - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Old_Republic:_Deceived


Old Republic Era - Fatal Alliance Novel - 7-20-2010 http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Old_Republic:_Fatal_Alliance

Old Republic Era - Knights Errant (Novel and Comic) Feb - 2011 - In the Darth Bane Era, this sounds great! - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Knight_Errant_(novel)

Empire Era - The Force Unleashed 2 - 10-5-2010 - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force_Unleashed_II_(novel)

I've been way behind with updating the blog with all my school work, I've got 5 new ones finished and want to update, so look for some good stuff in the future, my padawan learners......

Star Wars Hitchhiker

Dark Empire - Audio Drama - New Republic

Six years after the Battle of Endor (from Return of the Jedi), the fight for freedom rages on. While Luke Skywalker delves deeper into the mysteries of the Force, Han Solo and Princess Leia, now married, struggle to protect their twin children from danger. Darth Vader is dead, but a reborn Empire—guided by a mysterious new leader—strikes back against the Rebel Alliance. But the Rebels discover that their greatest foe may be their closest friend: Luke Skywalker!

The Dark Empire audio drama was a full cast audio adaption of Dark Horse Comics' Dark Empire comic book series. It was adapted by John Whitman from the source material by Tom Veitch. It was directed by Arthur G. Insana and featured parts of composer John Williams's classic score along with authentic stereo sound effects.

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This 3 part series is so easy to get into even without reading any of the prior novels.  These events take place six years after the "death" of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the second death star.  Luke Skywalker is drawn to a mysterious yet familiar feeling in the force.  While Luke is being seduced by the Dark Side, Leia, Han and company go back to Nar Shadda for some unfinished business and end up in the grasps of slew bounty hunters along with arch enemy, Boba Fett.

The Emperor still lives strong as he mastered the ability to transfer his self in death to another life form, and before his death over Endor, he transferred to one of his clones......again with the clones!  That was my only gripe about these audio drama's.  In Luke's curiosity in the Dark Side, and the pursuit for the knowledge of what destroyed his father Anakin and turned him the Dark Lord Darth Vader, Luke finds himself on a familiar path of destruction and controlling what is left of the Empire.

When turning back from the power of the Dark Side, Luke finds he does not have the power with in to turn back to the light, and will need the help of another powerful Jedi to remove the embrace of the dark side, and destroy the Emperor and his clones, once and for all.  Luke must be rescued and tempt not to destroy the New Republic while under the Emperors spell, the New Republic seeks to find Luke on the Emperors Citidal on his private planet of Byss.

These audio dramas are no longer than the movies and are all in familiar places and really easy to follow.  With the great cast playing the roles, sound effects and usage of some of the original movie scores, this will not let down and full time or part time Star Wars Fan.  Adapted from the comic series, these should be able to be enjoyed by all audiences.

I find your lack of faith disturbing..............

Star Wars Hitchhiker

X-wing: Isard's Revenge - Book 8 X-Wing Series - Novel

Sleek, swift, and deadly, the famed X-wing fighters have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance's ultimate strike force the hard way first in battle, the last line of defense. Now they must make a deal with the devil herself—an enemy whose ultimate goal is their total annihilation.


It's the kind of mission only Wedge Antilles and the Rogue Squadron would dare to undertake. Against impossible odds they will stage a daring raid into an enemy stronghold only to be rescued from certain destruction by an unexpected ally. Ysanne Isard, the ruthless Imperial commander, has appeared on the scene seemingly from out of nowhere. Now she proposes a most unusual alliance, offering to help Wedge rescue his captured comrades from Imperial Warlord Admiral Krennel's sadistic prison camp. But her offer is not without a price. Wedge must lead Rogue Squadron in Isard's deadly struggle against an enemy made in her own image. It's an offer Wedge would love to refuse, for Isard is certain to betray them. But how can they leave their comrades at Krennel's mercy? The answer is: they can't—even if it means being caught between Krennel's ruthlessness and Isard's treachery.

Isard's Revenge, the 8th book in the X-Wing Series was better than the 7 predecessors of the series, but failed to captivate where other Star Wars Novels have.  Clone, Clones, Clones are becoming a commonly used plot, and it is wearing very thin based on its usages.  The thought to be destroyed Ysanne Isard is resurrected from the dead....but we find out no she was not killed in the prior novels, it was a clone of her that was supposedly destroyed, but the clone lived, and there were now double Isard trouble.  These novels use warlord characters as the basis of the enemies of the New Republic and rulers of what is left of the empire, but they lack the evil, sinister foes that we are used to in the Sith used in the prior novels and movies.

Isard's Revenge was a step up from the other X-Wing Novels but you may want to skip straight to the Jedi Academy series if you are looking for a real thrilling novel.  More updates soon, lots of school work is killing my hitchhiking!

Mind your feelings, your thoughts betray you.......

Star Wars Hitchhiker

The Last Command - Thrawn Trilogy Book 3 (final of series) - Novel

Heir to the Empire was a number-one New York Times bestseller and the science fiction publishing event of the year. Dark Force Rising continued the gripping new adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the other heroes of the most popular trilogy in movie history. Now the saga concludes with The Last Command.

It is five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The fragile New Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has not only rallied the remaining Imperial forces, but has driven the rebels back with an abominable new technology: clone soldiers.

Hopes are dim as Thrawn mounts a final siege against the Republic. While Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a wary alliance of smugglers in a last-ditch attack against the Empire, Leia keeps the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. But the Empire has too many ships and too many clones to combat. The Republic's only hope lies in sending a small force, led by Luke, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines.

There a final danger awaits. The Dark Jedi C'baoth schemes in his secret fortress, directing the battle against the rebels, nursing his insanity, and building his strength to finish what he had already started—the destruction of Luke Skywalker.

An odyssey of fast-paced action, stunning revelation, and final confrontation, The Last Command spans a galaxy in flames—a tale that will conclude in this third and last installment as Good and Evil battle "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…"

Finished it finally is, the Thrawn Trilogy I've heard so talked about among fellow Star Wars enthusiast.  I was most happy with the finally of this series.  No, not because it was over but the beginning of new stories.  The finale with estranged clone Jedi Master C'baoth, the bond that is formed between Mara Jade and Luke, and the killing of Luke Skywalker. 

Mara Jade kills Luke Skywalker in the Last Command.....how?  Its the clones.  I've been noticing a trend in the Star Wars Universe, since the Clone Wars TV Series, Cloned Jedi Master, Cloned Luke Skywalker (from his dismembered hand during his battle with Vader), clone of the War Lord Isard, and what I never thought I would see a Cloned Palpatine.  Watch for it in Dark Empire, a Cloned Palpatine.  The Star Wars EU has been thriving on the idea of Cloning, and its pretty cool, but its starting to sound like a broken record, but its still cool.

I really enjoyed the finale and I won't divulge to much but it was incredible to me the reuniting with Luke's original Light Saber, Anakin Skywalkers Original Light Saber that Luke used in his battle on Cloud City against Vader, and the beginning of Mara Jade and her transition from Emperors Hand to joining the New Republic and embarking on her journey as a Jedi.  Luke gives Mara what could be his most priceless possession and invites her to begin her Jedi Training.

Always changing, the future is!

Star Wars Hitchhiker

Death Trap - Episode 20 - The Clone Wars Season 2

Who my father was matters less than my memory of him 

Calm before the storm! A rare and welcome respite from endless battle awaits Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu as they travel through deep space aboard the Jedi cruiser Endurance.  Preparing to rendezvous with a Republic frigate, the Jedi remain unaware of a deadly peril lying hidden in their midst....

After all the hype of Boba coming back, I have to tell you I'm so pumped for next week and watching Death Trap again right now!  Our first look at Boba since holding the helmet of his recently beheaded father.  Boba is touring the Republic Battle Cruiser Endurance with a team of other training troopers.  Boba's Clone Nickname?  Lucky.  He begins the episode sabotaging Mace's quarters with a motion sensor bomb, that would have killed Mace, but was triggered by another helpless victim.  Boba is aided by Bounty Hunter Aurra Sing as well as Bossk the Trandoshan from Empire Strikes Back.  You can tell Boba has a hard time with turning his back on his "brothers" as well as the grown up Clones, which unmasked appear to look just like his father.  

Aurra Sing is finally on screen, you may have seen her for 5 seconds in Phantom Menace hiding in the cliffs during the pod race, but I'm so happy to see her bad ass being used more than just the comics and in Coruscant Nights II.  She appears to be the authority figure to Boba and is pushing all his buttons and helping fulfill his to be destiny as the Galaxy's most ruthless bounty hunter and future Mandalore.  Aurra is a cut throat force to be reckoned with, and has killed her fair share of Jedi's.  Aurra was a Jedi Padawan Learner, until at age 9 she was kidnapped by pirate's (we'll see how much of that is shown in the Clone Wars of her Force Sensibility).

Next week promises to blow the mind!  1 hour long season finale.  The story is to good to go into any more detail,watch it Saturday morning, or Monday on www.starwars.com

Star Wars Hitchhiker

The Zillo Beast Strikes Back - The Clone Wars Season 2 Episode 19

The most dangerous beast is the beast within.

A calculated risk! Following a costly victory on the planet Malastare, Chancellor Palpatine orders Jedi Knights Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker to transport a fearsome Zillo beast captured during the battle Back to Coruscant.

After seeing that not even a lightsaber could harm the beast, Chancellor Palpatine hopes to unlock the secret of its invulnerability to create new armor for the Republic's clone troopers. Tensions run high as the most dangerous life form in the galaxy touches down on its most populous planet....

A great back to basics Clone Wars Episode.  I love the appearances of the characters you only get to know by vering away from the Movies.  Aayla Secura is one of my favorite female Jedi's that never gets the appearances she deserves, you see bits and pieces of her is Episode 2 & 3, along with a very sad display of her death during the Order 66 execution on Felucia.  She has a great back ground with multiple Jedi Masters, one turning to the dark side, and is a strong Twi'lek role model, because the species is commonly perceived in the EU as, well lets just say "Eye Candy".  The Hilary Clinton of Star Wars, but with alot less clothes!

Zillo Beast Strikes back explored the strong feelings Mace has for leaving the beast alone and take it to another planet, but Palpatine has other idea's.  We see his plot unfold at the end of this episode, but not before the fury of the Beast is Unleashed on Coruscant.  Anakin, Mace, Aayla, Obi-Wan, and Yoda have their hands full, as well as another assist by the Astro-Mech Droid we all owe our servo's too!  Enjoy the Zillo Beast Strikes Back, available to watch at http://www.starwars.com/ .

Star Wars Hitchhiker