Why, Joss, WHY?

Joss Whedon and the New Jedi Order: You heartless murderers!
(Cross-posted here.)


Yeah, I know you love it when I combine fandoms, don't you? Now, in case you didn't read the sub-title, here is the disclaimer: this blog contains huge spoilers for both Vector Prime and the movie Serenity. So if you haven't seen Serenity, first off, go buy it and watch it! In any case, here is the warning: if you ever plan to see Serenity any don't want to be spoiled, turn back now. Yes, I realize that I'm probably alienating half of the six people that read my blog, but here we go anyway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The scene was chaotic. Han, Anakin, and Chewie scrambled to save as many of the people of Sernpidal as they could, racing against time as the planet's moon came closer and closer to the surface. Chewbacca, in a last desperate effort, hoisted a barely conscious Anakin towards the Falcon. Chewie gave Han "a resigned, contented look," and the ground fell away. Han pleaded with Anakin to take the ship back to Chewie as his son flew the Falcon away from the planet, barely keeping it in one piece. And all too soon, Sernipal's moon came crashing down upon Chewbacca, with Han looking on in horror.

I stared at the page, flabbergasted. I went back several paragraphs, as if in denial. Had I read those words correctly? To my horror, I was not mistaken.

And for some reason, I thought of Serenity.

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."

All that lay between Malcolm Reynolds and what he needed to broadcast news of the Alliance's atrocity was an entire armada of Alliance vessels. Oh, and he had to worry about the armada of Reaver ships behind him. I dug my nails into my thighs as Wash, the pilot of the transport ship Serenity, took the ship through an obstacle course of Alliance ships, Reaver ships, explosions, and debris. After several near-misses and against impossible odds, Wash manages to get Serenity on the ground. There is a moment of silence, and then --

"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I - "

Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Anguish.

Wash's death didn't hit home for me until Kaylee asked where he was. Zoe, maintaining her composure, yet visibly affected, replied "He ain't coming." That's when it sunk in. Wash was dead.

I see many parallels between the deaths of Wash and Chewbacca. There were both completely unexpected. On the surface, they both seemed unnecessary. Wash found himself in the direct path of a Reaver harpoon. Chewie remained on a planet as its moon came crashing down upon the surface. Surely they both could have been in a different place at the time. It seems that both characters were victims of the cruel fates, or to put it more accurately, the whim of their creators and writers. Why were these characters killed off? Were their deaths really necessary?

They were. Wash and Chewie both died for the same reason: to raise the stakes.

Consider the situation for the crew of Serenity as they moved into the climax. Mal was prepared to give his life in order to broadcast the recording, and his crew stood behind him. Wash's death makes the audience believe that no one will survive, that this would be Mal and his crew's last stand against the Alliance. So when Zoe asked the question "Do you really think any of us are gonna get through this?" I didn't think they would. When Mal proclaimed that he was willing to die in order to get the signal through, I was afraid that this act of defiance would actually end up costing him his life. When Simon is shot, I believed it was the end for him. And when River ran back into that room full of Reavers, I was convinced that she was sacrificing herself to save her brother's life.

In the galaxy far, far away, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and a slew of other characters had made it through crisis after crisis. But somehow, it wasn't the same anymore. Throughout the original trilogy, they were the always the underdogs. As Han piloted the Falcon from one situation to another, our heroes were always in danger. But twenty-five years later, after defeating Imperial warlords, a few Dark Jedi, and helping the New Republic through another political crisis every week, the characters of Star Wars had become invincible. No matter what kind of danger they were in, we knew they would survive, not because we had faith that they could pull through in the end, but because we knew that Lucasfilm wouldn't let them be killed off.

And then the New Jedi Order came, delivering a terrible shock. A new enemy, more ruthless and deadly than any that we had ever seen, was posing a threat to the galaxy. Even without the shock value of Chewbacca's death, the Yuuzhan Vong are a scary bunch. They are powerful, brutal, and utterly devoted to their cause. And yet, it is still easy to assume that the characters of Star Wars will be victorious in the end, without any significant losses.

Chewbacca's death struck this assumption down in an instant. If Chewbacca, a major movie character, could be killed, no one was safe. In my opinion, this was a brilliant move. As Han realized at the end of Vector Prime, his friends and family aren't invincible. This time, the stakes were higher. With the New Jedi Order, Luke, Han, and Leia became the underdogs again. They were constantly in danger. And most importantly, they were vulnerable. There was no guarantee that they would make it out of this story alive. The heroes may defeat the Yuuzhan Vong in the end, but this time, victory would carry a great price.

Heading towards the climax of Serenity and with the start of the New Jedi Order, the stakes needed to be raised in order to keep the story tense, compelling, and exciting. The deaths of Wash and Chewbacca accomplish this. Suddenly, the characters have to grapple with their grief over the death of a friend. But most importantly, their deaths show that the coming struggle will have a cost, making the audience seriously doubt that the main characters will make it out alive. Of course I was sad to see Wash and Chewie die. But I believe their deaths were necessary in order to continue two great stories and keep them compelling.

Another Family Vacation Gone Amuck

A spoiler-free review of Vector Prime
(Cross-posted here.)


What's more controversial than the question of whether or not Darth Plagueis created Anakin, hated nearly as much as Ewoks, and compared to a train wreck more often than Paris Hilton? Why, the New Jedi Order, of course! This nineteen-book Star Wars series, set about twenty-five years after A New Hope, has been met by fans with mixed reviews. Speaking of reviews, here's one of the first book of the series, Vector Prime! Spoiler-free, of course.

Vector Prime, by R. A. Salvatore, kicks off The New Jedi Order book series, a Star Wars story arc that details the invasion of an extra-galactic species, the Yuuzhan Vong. The story begins by establishing that although the New Republic has made peace with the Imperial Remnant, there is unrest throughout the galaxy putting strains on the galactic government. Furthermore, there is conflict and a great difference of opinion within the Jedi Order over the role of the Jedi in the galaxy. When a scientific outpost discovers a comet-like mass headed towards the galaxy, all hell breaks loose. Yep, it ain't no comet. The Yuuzhan Vong have come to take over the galaxy. And of course, it falls upon our heroes to fight the invaders.

I was happy to see the Solo children and other expanded universe characters at the forefront of this story. Jacen and Anakin Solo are both interesting characters, in conflict with each other over their role as Jedi and all the while never even entirely sure of themselves and their beliefs and opinions. Regardless, they are devoted to their duty to their family and the New Republic. We also meet Wurth Skidder, and an older Kyp Durron (a major character in the Jedi Academy Trilogy), two Jedi who have a very different idea of how the Jedi should counter this threat than that of Luke Skywalker. Kyp in particular is a great character; he is brash and arrogant, yet Salvatore manages to give him a sympathetic angle. In the Jedi Academy Trilogy, Kyp's characterization was very weak, and many of his actions seemed too radical for the circumstances. In Vector Prime, Kyp may be a loose cannon, but his motives are easily understood, even though his methods are radically different from those of Luke or Jacen. I found myself rooting for him to survive, even though he was a character I loved to hate.

As for the movie characters, most of their characterizations were dead on. I could almost hear Leia lecturing Han in the original trilogy as she gave Wurth Skidder an earful for his "heroics." And despite being a responsible family man, the Han we know and love is back. Salvatore pulls this off without having characters shamelessly quote their movie selves, something a few Star Wars authors are guilty of. The real strength of Salvatore's work in the novel lies in the character-driven conflicts of Vector Prime. Instead of simply throwing the characters of Star Wars into the middle of another crisis somewhere in the galaxy, Salvatore adds another dimension to the story through the characters' interactions with one another, their perceptions of other characters, and their reactions to events. This may sound fairly basic for a fictional story, but these elements are either lacking or very weak in most Star Wars novels that I've read. In Vector Prime, the major characters, whether they are movie characters or created by the expanded universe, must not only face this new threat to the galaxy, but also each other and themselves. In this sense, the characters of Vector Prime are very real and familiar. They act like normal human beings (most of them are human, anyway); they disagree, they unjustly blame others, they are frequently wrong, and they see their own weaknesses. And as a result, some of them lose hope, some become stronger, and some come into conflict with others. But most importantly, they change instead of remaining stagnant personalities. Salvatore does an excellent job of putting characters (mostly characters that aren't his own) in compromising situations that shake them to their core. As a result, some among them emerge altered, and readers are able to sympathize with the character along the way.

As for the villains, the New Jedi Order offers a departure from the typical Star Wars antagonists. The Yuuzhan Vong, a species from another galaxy, are very different than your average evil Imperial admiral or Remnant Moff on a power trip. They have different weapons and ships than anything readers have ever seen before. Their culture, although still something of a mystery, is completely antithetical to the New Republic and the order that they have built. These villains are ruthless, brutal, and downright scary. Needless to say, it won't be an easy victory for our heroes.

Sadly, in constructing the plot of Vector Prime, Salvatore is guilty of something I like to call "the old family vacation standby," which, in this case, is also accompanied by "the old lament for our lost youth." This is overused in Star Wars stories (most recently in the Rogue Leader comic) to the point where it has become a tired plot device. The premise for the aforementioned plot device is the following: the major movie characters of Star Wars are getting old, as they reminisce about their glory days, they realize that they've done so much to save the galaxy, build a new government, and continuously save that government from the villain of the week, that they deserve a bit of a vacation. So they all head out to some planet, which in this case in on the outer rim, and surprise, all of the main characters manage to walk straight into the middle of an epic galactic conflict. It's disappointing that Salvatore uses this formulaic plot device. There has to be a more interesting way to get these characters involved in the action other than another family vacation gone amuck. Honestly, if I see any of this business in the upcoming Legacy series, I won't be very happy. And the sad part is, during the Legacy series, the characters are probably old enough to actually do this (being sixty years old and all), but this plot device has been done so many times before that no one will want to read it.

Family vacations aside, this novel combines its many character arcs with the suspense and action of galactic warfare. As the Yuuzhan Vong enter the galaxy, observed by the scientists at an outpost on the edge of the galaxy, we feel the threat of an incoming force. Juxtaposed with glimpses into the plans of the enemy, this segment had a doomsday-like feel to it. The story is darker than much of what has been seen in Star Wars before, and for the first time since watching the original trilogy, I was worried that my beloved heroes of the Star Wars universe wouldn't make it out alive.

Unfortunately, the battle scenes throughout this book were often tedious. Most of the action, especially the space battles, was very well done. However, some of the lightsaber fights were described in detail to the point where one's eyes glaze over due to being sick of having to read about every movement someone makes while fending off an enemy. And it isn't impossible to make these fight scenes interesting; I think Michael Stackpole nailed it in the two Dark Tide books (the next two books in the New Jedi Order). The point is that it isn't necessary to spend five pages describing a lightsaber duel that lasts about thirty seconds. Also, while most of the action was good, it was rather redundant in some places as certain characters basically go back to the same place to fight the same battle that took place only hours before.

In general, though, Vector Prime was a great start to the New Jedi Order. Yes, this book took a great number of risks, and not everyone will like them. But regardless, R. A. Salvatore has started off a new, original, and epic adventure in the galaxy far, far away. Vector Prime was an exciting read, and it left many threads hanging at the end. Not every mystery was solved, and the galaxy sure as heck ain't safe anymore. But fear not! After all, our heroes have eighteen more books to sort out this mess. That's provided that they all make it out alive.

I'm not going to say that this is the best Star Wars book I've ever read. Wait, actually I am. While a few of the fight scenes could have been shorter, Salvatore offers great insight into the characters of Star Wars. They must face a new and powerful enemy, but more importantly, tragedy, loss, and their own mortality. That's what I want to see in fiction.

Hopefully every review I write as I make my way through the New Jedi Order won't be this long. My next entry (if I ever stop staring blankly at the computer screen and get around to finishing it) will most likely be a response to (as opposed to a review) this book, in which I will discuss spoilers and major plot points.

Clearly, this is my first entry. So instead of launching into a full-out rant or posting a two-liner containing a question that a google search would yield the answer to, I have devised a fun and simple method by which you can get to know me! And I call it...

The Official Marvolo7 FAQ!

Marvolo? Who or what is that?
Marvolo is the middle name of Tom Riddle, a young man who would later become a powerful Dark Lord and...wait, you do realize I'm talking about Harry Potter, right?

But why Marvolo7? Was it because "Marvolo" was taken already?
Of course not. You see, the number seven, according to Riddle himself, is the most powerfully magical number. Hence, when Voldemort tried to seek immortality, he split his soul into seven parts, six of which found their homes in objects, which are called Horcruxes. Now, Harry Potter must destroy the remaining Horcruxes before he faces Lord Voldemort for the last time to determine the fate of the wizarding world!

So basically, yeah, there's a seven on the end of my name because Marvolo was taken.

You read Harry Potter?
Yes. And no knocking Harry Potter here. Or Firefly. I mean it.

What does misanthropic mean?
Look it up.

Do you have any other websites?
I'm far too lazy and incompetent in the HTML department to run a website. I do, however, have a livejournal, which I update regularly (sometimes). Some entries posted here may be Star Wars-related entries that I previously posted on livejournal, and some livejournal entries may be cross-posted to this entry.

Are you reading any expanded universe books at the moment?
As a matter of fact, I am. Currently I'm working my way through the New Jedi Order, after having read some, but not all, of the New Republic era novels. From there I will proceed to the Dark Nest Trilogy in order to be ready for the release of Legacy. So far, the New Jedi Order has been a delight to read.

You like the New Jedi Order? But they killed a major movie character/betrayed the vision of George Lucas/made the events of the Original Trilogy worthless/ruined the Star Wars universe/screwed up everything!!!!
Well, I don't happen to think so.

I, for one, applaud the bold new direction in which Del Rey and the authors of the New Jedi Order have taken the expanded universe. The New Jedi Order, in my opinion, is a great triumph. Some may disagree with me, but I am very critical of the early post-Return of the Jedi novels, and see the New Jedi Order as a breath of fresh air. There are major changes in this book, and they are a welcome departure from the mediocrity that was the New Republic era. Finally, the expanded universe is a cohesive story, and not merely a set of separate and unrelated works of glorified fanfiction by authors with enough industry connections to get their work published. In this era, the heroes of the Star Wars movies are actually challenged by villains that manage to pose a real threat. At last, they face real villains instead of the latest Imperial Remnant mop-up job, the latest superweapon, or yet another one of Luke's students turned evil. Luke doesn't have to be injured for an entire novel to be brought down to the level of his enemies. And most importantly, there is change in the galaxy far, far away. The Star Wars expanded universe is no longer a Saturday morning cartoon in which the characters defeat the villain of the week and proceed to return to their daily lives. People and worlds are changed by the events of the books, and they will never be the same again. Therefore, Vector Prime is the first expanded universe novel, in the true sense of the words. No longer are authors merely playing in George Lucas' universe. They are truly expanding it. These aren't the usual daily adventures of Luke, Han, and Leia, nor are they background stories to the films. The New Jedi Order is a series in which compelling characters and an extensive and fantastic universe must change.

And like it or not, that's great fiction.

Hang on. Do you hate the Thrawn Trilogy? Because you may have just implied that the Thrawn Trilogy sucked.
Well, between the appearance of Luuke, characters saying "point" every fifth sentence when they're talking to each other, and some other sketchy stuff, it had its moments. And so did every other Star Wars novel. So the answer is no.

So does that mean that you're some kind of bitter and jaded Star Wars fan who constantly nitpicks and trashes everything?
No. Let me make it clear that it's the nitpickers who I don't like. It's a thing called "suspension of disbelief." You see, I'm willing to lose myself in a fictional universe to escape my discontentment with people and everyday life. When fans bring their petty squabbles and constant bickering into this fictional universe, it's not an escape anymore, and it's no fun. I'm all for criticism, but there's a fine line between legitimate criticisms and outrageous nitpicking.

What can I expect to see on your blog?
Rants like the one above, book reviews, random thoughts. Whatever I feel like putting on the page. By the way, that rant about the NJO was taken directly from my livejournal.

Why should I care?
Well, you've made it this far. If you read the entire rant that answered the inquiry of four questions ago, that's gotta tell you something.


So if you recognized this entry as a thinly veiled attempt to plug my livejournal and rant about the NJO, congratulations, you are absolutely right. I, however, look forward to many more blogs, most of which are hopefully more interesting than this one.