#Vi Moradi is my favorite Star Wars character

[beeribas]

She's a decent writer but oh boy does she have some issues

[queer-starwars-bracket]

Queer Star Wars Characters (Round 1): Well Known Characters Match 12

Orka | Identity: mlm | Media: Star Wars Resistance

Ork and his romantic partner Flix ran the Office of Acquisitions on the Colossus, bringing them into frequent contact with the shenanigans of Kazuda Xiono when he purchases parts for his employer. They are part of the wider ensemble cast of the show, forming the loose found family you often get in cartoons set in small towns. Compared to his partner, Orka is the more brash and aggressive of the pair. 

In Resistance’s short run, there was no Orka-centric episode. However in Flix’s backstory episode, Flix’s family is shown to be supportive of their relationship, even if they aren’t supportive of Flix leaving the family business and fuel refinery.

If you don’t count Kallus and Zeb, Flix and Orka are the first queer characters in a Star Wars TV show. In fact, if it wasn’t for outside clarification, they have the same level of textual support, which played a large part in the decision to include Kallus and Zeb.

Vi Moradi | Identity: aro/ace | Media: Galaxy’s Edge

Vi Moradi is the first and so far only character who originated in Star Wars publishing to appear in the Disney parks. A Resistance spy, she was created for the novel Phasma. Leia Organa tasked her with uncovering the backstories of prominent First Order members. Her interrogation by the First Order stormtrooper trainer Cardinal serves as the frame narrative for the novel. It ends with Cardinal realizing that the values he thought he was serving with the First Order was false and the cruelty of Phasma is its true face. He helps his former captive escape, being injured on the way.

While Deliah S. Dawson was writing Vi Moradi, the imagineers decided to use her as a character in Galaxy’s Edge. Thus she came back for the novel Galaxy’s Edge Blackspire where she and Cardinal are forced to work together to create a Resistance base on Batuu, cut off from any wider support. The novel is a rare accurate depiction of the PTSD and disability that comes from torture. It also established VI as the first aro/ace character in Star Wars. 

Vi is both a very skilled spy and organizer, good at bringing out the strength of people around her. She is a walk-around character in the park, acting out the same storyline about Kylo Ren arriving on Batuu every day, improvising based on guest interaction. Getting to talk to her was my favorite moments of my visits to Galaxy’s Edge. 

[luukeskywalker]

alak

doctor chelli lona aphra

svi'no atchapat

cair san tekka

landonis balthazar calrissian (yes. that one)

matthea cathley

ceret

ekiya

wini eres

chellwinark frethylrin

kho phon farrus

gavi

sky graf

xylan graf

leox gyasi

amilyn holdo

sian holt

wes janson

juhani

cinta kaz

saya keem

zyle keem

obi-wan kenobi (YES. THAT ONE)

kildo

wyl lark

just lucky

vildar mac

elzar mann

merrin

vi moradi

zeen mrala

chass na chadic

sola naberrie

alys ongwa

yrica quell

marda ro

yana ro

ruu

vernestra rwoh (who is also in the acolyte!)

vel sartha

luke skywalker (YES. THAT ONE.)

kitrep soh

jordanna sparkburn

sana starros

kantam sy

domina tagge

lula talisola

wilhuff tarkin

tep tep

terec

tey sirrek

raf thatchburn

magna tolvan

sinjir rath velus

cohmac vitus

sylvestri yarrow

ty yorrick

ariole yu

you know what the real kicker is? these are only some of the characters i know and recognize. there are over 200 entries for queer characters on wookieepedia, and i just scrolled through the list and picked my favorites.

and these aren't just one-off, blink and you'll miss it characters. they have presence. they matter. their stories are central to the world in which they exist.

this isn't even including a bunch of the legends characters (except for juhani, who i have to include always because i love her and i am biased, but also she and the rest of the kotor gang are kind of in a ??? state regarding canon status). these are almost all characters who have come into being since 2012.

star wars has not had the best track record with representation, and it's not god's gift to the world. but you cannot say they have no queer representation. you cannot say they only ever bury their gays. there are so many people fighting to tell these stories with characters that reflect who we really are - people. messy, beautiful, luminous, queer people.

"star wars is so bad at queer rep" they just canonized lesbian fpreg (the f stands for force)

[btwxsixesandsevens]

STAR WARS ASKS TAG 🪐✨

You’ve been tagged! Tell us your answers and send this on to five mutuals. May the Fourth be with you!

1. Who are your top five favorite Star Wars characters?

2. Which planet would you choose to live on?

3. What would your occupation be in the galaxy far far away?

4. Who is your Star Wars soulmate?

5. Who would be your sidekick (creature or droid)?

I knew it would come to this...

my Top 5 is all women: Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Vi Moradi, Hera Syndulla, Cere Junta... Honorable mention: Darth Maul.

Bimmisaari, not for any particular reason. I just like saying it.

Scrap metal dealer, running an underground refugee/resistance camp in my back lot. I would absolutely have a face tattoo.

Platonically, I want to be Vi Moradi's stay at home bestie. Her warm always come back to spot.

Def a droid -- almost certainly a liberated one. I like all the sizes, but little ones are the best -- like ID10.

[the-pagan-pangolin]

Fictional Ace Icon: Vi Moradi

With the creation of Galaxy’s Edge and Batuu, we received a brand new character: Resistance fighter Vi Moradi, one of my newest favorite characters in the Star Wars universe.

And guess what?

She’s confirmed as ASEXUAL!

[ID: An image of a character actor portraying Vi Moradi at Galaxy’s Edge. She is a woman of color sporting short black hair with blue dyed ends. She is wearing an orange Resistance jacket over a gray shirt. She is back lit and staring off into the distance with a look of content and determination. End ID.]

She originally made her debut in the 2017 novel Phasma and has since been confirmed ace by Elizabeth Schaefer.

[ID: Tweets by Elizabeth Schaefer: “To the amazing @ DelilahSDawson and Vi Moradi. Black Spire is such a beautiful book full of pain and joy. I love Vi’s Batuu found family so much. And I love my real Star Wars family too.  Black Spire is so personally special to me for establishing Vi as a canonically asexual character. You can get frighteningly used to never seeing a part of yourself depicted in media.” End ID.]

I was lucky enough to visit Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World on opening day and now knowing that the fascinating woman skulking around corners, hiding from First Order troopers, shares an element of her identity with me makes me that much more excited to one day go back and visit again.  Like Schaefer said, “You can get frighteningly used to never seeing a part of yourself depicted in media.”

[starwarsforcestuff]

Can you do number 4?

Number 4 was fave/least fave character. So I believe this needs to be divided up into Movies (Prequel, Original, Sequel), Books, Games and TV shows. Star Wars is such a vast universe that breaking it down like this actually helps me.

Prequels

Obi-Wan Kenobi is my favorite prequel character, hands down. Part of it is his sass but, the biggest reason is his persistence and will to stand up for what he believes in, be that the Torce, Anakin, Democracy or his promise to his dying Master to train Anakin against the wishes of the Council. Obi-Wan is a person you can rely on.

I didn’t really have any specific character that was my least favorite, but if I must I’ll just post them and you all can attack me. 

Jango Fett. Hyped over nothing. The only thing remotely interesting about him is the fact that he was the clone template. Even Mandalore was like “We don’t know him.” 

Now I know what you’re thinking. Why Darth Maul? How could you? Maul is the coolest! You’re not wrong, but you are also probably allowing the comics and TV shows to enhance this character. This is purely based on what we see in The Phantom Menace. He let his arrogance get the best of him and Obi-Won kicked his ass. That is all. However, his story and Dathomir and the Nightsisters are pretty cool. If you don’t know anything about it I HIGHLY suggest you look it up. It is equal parts interesting, cool, and tragic.

The Original Trilogy

Yoda is my favorite. He may be my favorite of all time. Through the entire Skywalker Saga Yoda has been wise and powerful. He is deeply devoted to the Force and is wise enough to admit when he was wrong and learn from his mistakes. While I was not a fan of The Last Jedi I thought having Yoda come back and tell Luke to learn from his mistakes because failure is the greatest teacher was just very profound. In a way, Yoda was also telling Luke to learn from his (Yoda and the old Jedi Order’s) mistakes. 

I don’t have a character that is the least favorite for me. I think all the characters for the OT were influential and interesting and original for the most part. That being said Lando Calrissian would have to be one of the characters I just don’t particularly care about. My thoughts are neither overwhelmingly positive or negative for this character.

Sequels

Rey. She is not a very original character. Most of her journey is remarkably similar to Luke’s, but then again, Luke is not the most original character. They both follow the Hero’s Journey as illustrated in Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero With A Thousand Faces. (If you are unfamiliar with the Hero’s Journey please click the link. It will bring you to a very short youtube video that explains it really well with examples.) Either way, Rey makes her own mark in the Star Wars universe. She is powerful, motivated, and fights for the light despite the tragedies that have surrounded her.

General Armitage Hux was a character I absolutely could not stand. Part of it was a devotion to The First Order, part of it was he was just an unlikeable person. That being said, I loved that I hated him. I was really disappointed when he died. So anti-climatic, I wanted a better death than to just be shot. Maybe a full-on execution or maybe he could have gone out Kamakazi style trying to sabotage Kylo Ren’s plans. 

Books

Vi Moradi from Black Spire by Delilah S. Dawson is a complicated character that fights her own inner prejudice to help establish a resistance base on Batuu while helping a former First Order officer, CD-O922 “Captain Cardinal” aka Archex recover and adjust to life in the resistance after torturing her in a previous book (Phasma). That being said, 

Captain Cardinal aka Archex. Another complicated character who sometimes struggles to shake the brainwashing of the First Order and recover from an injury received by Captain Phasma. He is one of my favorites due to his self-sacrifice. To ensure that the First Order believes there is no resistance on Batuu, he sacrifices himself to blow up a First Order ship after sending an all-clear message to the First Order to make them think it was a malfunction.

There is no picture for him, but Winshur Bratt from Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse was truly a terrible person. He kicked a girl close to near death and didn’t even care. He was power-hungry and had some major childhood issues he needed to resolve, but thought that joining the First Order would have helped that. 

Games

Cal Kestus from Jedi Fallen Order. A Padawan during Order 66, he survived due to the sacrifice of his master and has lived in secret ever since, until he is discovered by the inquisitors. Cal relearns the ways of the Force and meets new friends along the way. What I like most about him is how he stood by the principles of the Jedi even when he had nothing to lose from going to the dark side.

Carth Onasi from Knights of the Old Republic. I just think he is really annoying. In all fairness, I’ve actually not finished playing the game so I can’t say much, but I just find him annoying most of the time. 

TV Shows 

The Child aka Baby Yoda. That’s it. We don’t know much about it other than he is 50 and it is Mando’s job to take care of him, but he is so cute. 

Like Darth Maul, cool, but ultimately I just don’t like her. The Jedi Lost book by Cavan Scott really kinda ruined her for me for some reason. 

Well, this lasted much longer than I anticipated. Let me know if any of my answers match yours!

[unexpectedreylo]

The Straight Dope On Galaxy’s Edge

I went to Disneyland Aug. 7-10 for my birthday because where else would I rather be than in the GFFA?  

It’s amazing!  It’s like a Ralph McQuarrie painting come to life.  Even though it is “set” during the ST, it tries to have a little bit of something for every Star Wars fan.  And maybe even for your friends and family who aren’t into it as much as you are.

Don’t believe the hype that it’s not doing well.  Disneyland has had annual passholder blackout dates to keep attendance below crazy levels and while overall attendance is down 3% (probably due to fears of massive crowds as well as higher ticket prices),  I can safely tell you that there was a great deal of interest in Galaxy’s Edge by attendees.  On Thursday and Saturday, everyone made a beeline for it just as the park opened in the morning.  I was doing the Griswold family dash to Wally World myself, power walking the best my middle aged/out-of-shape self could as kids and teenagers went past me.  Requiring reservations for Oga’s Cantina and Savi’s Workshop (where you build the lightsabers) prevented hellacious hours-long lines for those attractions.  Smuggler’s Run has had waits as long as three hours over the course of the summer.  It reached its 1 millionth rider in mid-July.  On Thursday, the longest I wait I saw was 80 or 90 minutes and that was on a weekday blackout date.  The section of the park was busy both Thursday and Saturday mornings.  For what it’s worth, it seemed like half the people at Disneyland overall had some kind of Star Wars t-shirt on.  It was like a Celebration with rides.

Attendance isn’t the only metric.  What really matters is whether people are spending money there and I can vouch that people were buying.  The lightsabers are $200 a pop alone.  There were merchandise I wanted to get but weren’t available, such as the japor snippet necklace and the Rey vest (sizes XS-L were sold out).  White kyber crystals are still sold out.  I saw signs everywhere limiting certain items to one per person.  People were packing the cantina and all of them got drinks.  Ronto’s Roasters did pretty steady business.

Just bear in mind that parks play the long game and it probably serves Disney’s long term interests to allow paying attendees and not just local APs the chance to experience Galaxy’s Edge.  Hell crowds would just make people angry they spent all of that money and couldn’t see or do a thing.

Now, here’s where I’m going to dish some advice to those of you who are planning to go either to the one in Anaheim or at WDW.  The WDW version is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so some of this won’t apply to the Mouse House East but I think a lot of it will.

Tip #1--Your best bet is on a weekday, first thing in the morning as the park opens.  If it’s an AP blackout date, that’s even better.  Remember, Disney is like con...you don’t come to sleep.

Tip #2--Stay at a Disney hotel to take advantage of Magic Hour.  I know, I know, they’re $$$ while there are many cheaper alternatives but if you really want to beat the crowds this is the way to do it.  Galaxy’s Edge will not be accessible during Magic Hour (at DL it’s just Fantasyland that’s open) but you can start lining up at the ropes in front of Frontierland and Adventureland.  While GE at DL has three entrances, they will send you the looong way through New Orleans Square and Critter Country when the park fully opens.  If you’re at WDW, stay at the Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, or Pop Century resorts...they’re the ones closest to Hollywood Studios though you’ll still have to take the Disney bus to get there.  (The Swan and the Dolphin are on Disney property but are NOT Disney resort hotels, so no Magic Hour.)  

Another perk to staying at a Disney hotel now is that as part of our travel package we all got free exclusive Galaxy’s Edge lanyards with a pin!

Tip #3--Ladies...I think with the exception of the First Order boutique and the cosplay items, I liked the a lot of t-shirts and stuff for kids more than the ones for adults!  So if you are on the small side, you might be able to fit in the bigger kids’ wear.  For instance I got a great Black Spire hoodie for $40 at Jewels of Bith...the adult hoodie was like 20 bucks more.  My mom liked it so much she got one for herself and my niece.  Note:  the merch you buy inside GE don’t say “Galaxy’s Edge” or have Star Wars logos.  If you want those, you’ll have to buy them in the regular Disney stores.

Tip #4--Oga’s Cantina.  Reservations are required so as soon as you plan your trip, go on the DL/WDW app and reserve right away.  I think now you can reserve up to 60 days in advance...if not, definitely 14 days in advance.  You are NOT guaranteed a seat.  You are given an area to hang out in (at the bar, at a table, or at a booth) and you are to remain there.  You can’t run and grab a booth for instance if a party leaves.  Your limit is 45 minutes and two drinks.  I will say though that service is fast (I guess most drinks are pre-mixed) and in our case, we didn’t even need to stay the entire 45 minutes.  I got the Cliff Dweller (I don’t drink) while my brother got whatever they call the beer and my dad got the teal-colored “white” wine.  My older niece got the blue milk with the Bantha cookie.  She gave rave reviews for both.  The younger niece got the stuff that came from the creature tank.  It sounds gross but she liked it.  There are no restrooms inside the cantina btw.  

Tip #5--Savi’s Workshop.  Again, reservations are required and they should be made as soon as possible.  The lightsabers are $199 and you pay when you check in.  The day I went they were running behind, so while my reservation was at 3:00, I didn’t actually get in the building until like 3:30.  The process takes about 20 minutes.  You are ushered into a shop and there’s a whole narrative and everything.  The “gatherers” have harvested scrap metal and kyber crystals and crafted lightsaber parts.  Based on the “theme” you selected at check in (stuff like “power and control” or “peace and justice”) you are given trays with parts to choose from and a crystal (blue, green, purple, or red).  Your guides are in character and sometimes it’s all earnest af, but then again so are the movies.  I found it surprisingly easy to put these together.  The “gatherers” put the blade in for you then you step forward, turn on the switch, and yay, you got a new lightsaber!  You get to wave them in the air and stuff.  On the way out you are given a free sheath bag to put it in.  If you don’t want to lug your new lightsaber on a plane or have to check it in, you can have it shipped home for $17 at the First Order boutique (though I don’t know if other stores will do it for you too).  

Tip #6--Smugglers’ Run.  The best time to go on the ride, since to date there are no fastpasses, is right when the park opens.  Thursday morning at 8:10 a.m. had the shortest wait, 15 minutes but I pretty much walked right onto the ride.  The next best option is going single rider, which is what my brother and I did the second time we went on it.  It was about half the regular wait time.  Have your camera ready to get that chess table photo op because you will get called right away for your “boarding group” (assigned with a color).  Two pilot, two shoot, two “engineer.”  The light up buttons make it easy to figure out what you have to do but accuracy is tough.  I piloted the first time, shot the second time.  The good news is I did not crash either time.  Which is miraculous.

Tip #7--Other food and drink.  Unfortunately I didn’t get the opportunity to eat at Docking Bay 7 or Ronto Rosters.  I’m told the breakfast wrap at Ronto Roasters is phenomenal.  Don’t expect typical Disney fare in Galaxy’s Edge; the closest it comes is the Star Wars popcorn.  No galactic churros or Mickey ice cream pops here.  In fact an in-character cast member and Chewbacca were really curious about our churros when we went into Galaxy’s Edge on Saturday.  My younger niece even tried to give Chewie a piece to try, LOL.  What you can get is blue milk and green milk.  We got one of each on Thursday to try.  Both were better than the notoriously sweet butterbeers at Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Tasty and refreshing on a hot day.  But I kinda think we all leaned more toward the blue milk.  In fact the nieces insisted on another round of blue milk when we returned on Saturday.  You can get the Aurebesh label soda and water at a variety of stands and at Docking Bay 7.  (Maybe Ronto Roasters too.)  They’re pricey but everything at Disney is 30-50% more expensive than they would be anywhere else.  And the Aurebesh bottles make for low cost souvenirs.

Tip #8--Characters.  Chewbacca and FO stormtroopers were around quite a bit.  I saw Vi Moradi twice and Kylo a couple of times (Chewie and Kylo get treated like rock stars), but I totally missed Rey.  My parents saw her though.  Characters here do NOT sign autographs, something my nieces found out the hard way when they tried to get them from stormtroopers.  LOL.

Tip #8--Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.  This is where you buy your holocrons and loose kyber crystals (only with purchase of a holocron).  They were still out of white crystals so I bought a red one.  When you put a red crystal in your Jedi holocron, Yoda warns you about the dark side.  Bonus:  the kyber crystals you buy here can be put in your lightsaber from Savi’s Workshop.  So if you buy both a holocron and a lightsaber, make sure you get a different color crystal for each so you can switch them around!  Here you’ll find a lot of Jedi cosplay, Leia cosplay, and the headdress Padme used in AOTC as part of her peasant disguise, among other goodies.  The stained glass portraits of Leia and Queen Amidala were stunning but they were kinda big and 95 bucks apiece.  They had a set of ceramic busts of everyone’s favorite mother-daughter duo for $55 but I didn’t feel like lugging those around at the time.  For older Star Wars fans, this is probably going to be your favorite store.

Tip #9--Other merchandise/shopping.  The First Order boutique is located right next to Kylo’s parked shuttle and across from the “milk” stand.  The Resistance has two carts at the entrance in front of the (unopened) Rise of the Resistance ride.  I kinda like that the underground Resistance is on the “outskirts” of the outpost while the conquering FO is right there in the center of town.  Makes sense for the narrative.  Savi’s and the store where you can build a droid (no reservation necessary...this was a hit with kids) are next to each other.  Everything else is in the marketplace in a series of smallish stalls.  Keep an eye out because nobody has signs.  (Note:  layout might be slightly different at WDW.)  

Tip #10--Wear a hat and sunscreen.  The marketplace is the only area in GE with shade.  The rest of it is out in the sun, so be prepared because in CA it’s easy to get a sunburn and in FL, it’s easier still.  Bring a rain poncho if you’re at WDW because of those hit and run thunderstorms.  

Tip #11-- You don’t have to be a passive tourist.  Some cast members get into it more than others but you’ll get more out of Galaxy’s Edge if you play along.  As Star Wars fans, you’ll get the lingo (for instance they do call kids “younglings” and talk about money as credits) so that’s no problem.  When you’re inside of Galaxy’s Edge you can go on the DL/WDW app and activate your “datapad” and scan stuff at various locations.  My brother did this with his phone while we were poking around and you can earn rankings and stuff within the different factions.

Overall I think what Galaxy’s Edge is now is just the beginning.  Rise of the Resistance opens this winter at both parks and from what I’ve heard, more attractions and shows are in the works.  Personally, I’d love a hair braiding station where you can get your hair done like Leia or Rey or Battle of Geonosis Padme since that’s probably her easiest style!  I want a Reylo night time show!  But it’s absolutely worth visiting as it is.  You can easily spend half the day or longer there, depending on how much you want to do.  Few Star Wars or Disney experiences will ever top entering Galaxy’s Edge, huffing and puffing from having to go up and down hills, hearing the music over the loudspeakers and the cast members and various characters coming out to wave hello to everyone.  Even the stormtroopers.  I felt like I’d just finished the Batuu 5K!  And then seeing everyone gawk at the Millennium Falcon in front of Smuggler’s Run.  

[gffa]

Some varied Star Wars novels thoughts: - Still nervously metaphorically chewing my nails about that M&A book, I swear to god if it tries to recanonize the JA novels stuff (which DOES NOT WORK with TCW), I’m going to smite that thing out of existence.  And if it does the ~the Jedi just don’t know what family is~ I’m gonna cram Dark Disciple explicitly saying Quinlan saw the Padawans as happy squirmy little brothers and sisters, saw the Temple as home, saw the Jedi as family up its ass. I’m very curious to see if it’ll try to recanonize some characters (like Thrawn was similar to his Legends counterpart, but clearly different as well) because I’m not opposed to Bant or Tahl coming back!  Or if it’ll create new characters for Obi-Wan’s pre-TPM days! I’m unsure how I feel about it possibly being about Satine, because I don’t know where Gray stands on that as a ship, and I think it would need to be carefully done.  I like the ship, but I think it’d be really, really easy to mess it up, either take it too far or not far enough or just not quite get it right, unless you were really invested in both Obi-Wan AND Satine as characters.  (Because such a story in canon could so easily become All About Obi-Wan and ugh no thanks.  But I’m open to the idea if SW ever goes in that direction!) - Speaking of Dark Disciple, I finally started it!  I’ve talked with @glompcat a few times about it and I finally dug it up from the depths of my reader and I’m enjoying it so far!  There’s a T O N I want to talk about in it, some worldbuilding stuff, but also some absolutely H I L A R I O U S stuff. I’m not far enough to really talk much about how well it does with the story (though, the forward by Katie Lucas really got me all ~touched in the feelings place~), but I’m enjoying a Quinlan story far more than I thought I would!  The book makes me like his interactions with others a lot more than I did before and I’m kind of eager to see how he and Asajj play off each other, I feel like this is the Quinlan I really like! - I’ve been poking at Yoda: Dark Rendezvous and kind of enjoying it, too!  It always surprises me just how stark the difference between fanon!Yoda and canon!Yoda is (well, this is Legends, so this was never canon, but you know what I mean), when I wander off from reading fic and go read a book instead.  He’s really compassion and wise and humble and caring, he’s really the voice of LISTEN TO YODA HE’S SEEN SOME SHIT but also YODA DOES NOT THINK HE’S BETTER THAN ANYONE. BUT ALSO!!  FLASHBACKS OF DOOKU AS YODA’S PADAWAN!!!!  I WANT SO MUCH OF THAT!!!!  I have some things to say about Dooku’s point of view, but mostly it’s interesting to see his relationship with Yoda explored, it’s actually something I really want a lot more of! - Right now my favorite, though, is probably Lords of the Sith, because I have ~feelings~ about Darth Vader now and he is SUPER FUCKIN’ EXTRA in this book, but also there’s a strong subplot with Cham Syndulla and the other Twi’leks going on.  I think when I knew this book really had me is that it wrote a scene from the point of view of one of Cham’s lieutenants, one who had been formerly a slave, and explored her anger about it and what it was like for someone from an oppressed culture.  Star Wars is never going to go full grimdark about these things (THANK GOD, if I wanted grimdark, I’d go watch more Game of Thrones), but it’s explicitly clear that there’s a whole lot of rape and slavery and exploitation going on here and, boy, is it ugly. This is one of the few places I can think of that SW has really explored what that does to a Twi’lek and shown it through their eyes, how truly evil the Empire is to them, how sometimes it comes in the form of something almost banal or routine, how they act like they’re giving the Twi’leks a choice, but they’re not.  Like, that is a sentence I practically pulled word-for-word out of the book and I am LIVING for that storyline. Yeah, sure, I’m here for Vader and all, but getting that scene, even if that’s all there is to that part of the plot, it reminds me of just how good some of these books can be! - I listened to the Phasma audiobook and I’m reminded all over again how much I really, genuinely LOVED that book.  It’s so batshit and weird!  So perfectly Star Wars!  January LaVoy does a fantastic version of Phasma, her Vi Moradi took me a bit to get used to (softer than I imagined her) but I wound up really liking it, and it struck me all over again how explicitly clear it was about showing how horrible the First Order is, even through Cardinal’s eyes. It’s a story that really makes Phasma make sense to me, but I love that I came to care about Siv just as much as her, the structure of the story (as a story within a story) was enjoyable for me, I sped right through it a second time and enjoyed it just as much. - I’ve slid off the Aftermath trilogy a few times now, but I’m trying the audiobook version and it’s going better!  I think the more passive experience helps me get through the scenes of characters that I have no investment in (I want to like Nora and Sinjir, but I have no investment in them, so it’s hard!) and into the scenes with characters I do care about.  This does mean that I’m not taking caps as I read or having many thoughts about the stories being told here, but I’m willing to sacrifice that if I can just get through it.  (It’s not bad or anything!  It’s just not characters I already know, for the most part.) Maybe I’ll eventually read the book properly, but I feel like this one definitely does work better as an audio experience--the sound effects add a lot to this one. - Anyone else reading anything interesting lately or are we waiting for the Thrawn: Alliances book to come out?  (TOMORROW! :D)

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

Was tagged by @greenreticule to do this ask game! Thanks!

Rules: write your 10 favourite female characters from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 different people.

Just to warn you, I’m not a fan of picking favorites so don’t expect these to be definitive. In many cases, I just picked whoever I felt like.

Harry Potter: Bless you Luna Lovegood and your shamelessly weird ways, you got me through so much bullying because you were you and you were okay.

Star Wars: I can’t pick any at the moment so I’ll give a trio of underappreciated characters: Omi the dianoga who’s author took a basic monster and turned her into one of the most fascinating characters in Star Wars lore, Ishval who, despite me hating the book she came with struck a chord with her ruthlessness and compassion, and Vi Moradi, beautifully cunning rebel spy who also likes to knit.

Tamora Pierce: Daine. First one I read, fit right into my special interest. Seriously, she’s a full on biologist with magic, she’s kinda shy but that doesn’t stop her, likes animals more than people, I relate.

Waterfire: Serafina because damn that character arc, I loved the way she evolved from a frail academic into a compassionate leader who could nevertheless watch her own uncle be executed for the sake of her people.

The Tribe: Pen for being good and pure and an animal lover who was nevertheless tough as nails. Book 3 was hard to get through.

Marvel: America Chavez. Fell in love when first reading Young Avengers, doesn’t give a damn about the literal messiah of her people, flirts with lots of women, and kicks holes in reality. What more could you want?

Horizon Zero Dawn: Yeah, bit of a cheat since it’s a small fandom and she’s the main character but honestly her curiosity, her fortitude, her teenage snarkiness mixed with genuine wisdom and her subtle arc all made Aloy very memorable.

Historical Princess Series: Maeve for her character arc of wanting to be a ruler but eventually learning what she wanted was to be a ruler, and for her romantic arc where she did genuinely love the guy but they were too different to be compatible, which I found refreshing.

Lunar Chronicles: Winter. One of the more honest depictions of someone who is mentally ill even if it is a fantasy mental illness with consistent symptoms and a personality outside of it. I heavily admired her will and her cunning as well as her compassion.

RWBY: And who better to end on than a villain? Salem. So poised, deadly, eloquent, beautifully acted, interesting. Aware of the usefulness of others but still determined to watch it all fall, with a clear motive but still a mysterious past, maintains her poise but clearly has a temper, and her design and voice are fantastic. I can’t wait to find out more.

I tag @reyoflight, @mylordshesacactus, @elvencantation, @ribstongrowback, @dbundles42, @eyeloch, @darkdranzer88, @w3-4r3-th3-f1r3, @queenofalltheeverythings, and @greatlakesrebel. As always, don’t feel pressured to answer and if anyone else wants to do this consider it an invitation.

[aion-rsa]

How Star Wars Author Delilah Dawson Brings Galaxy's Edge to Life

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We talked to Star Wars author Delilah Dawson about Resistance spy Vi Moradi, and what it was like to step into the galaxy far, far away.

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Delilah Dawson has been a powerhouse Star Wars author since her novel Phasma told the radiation-soaked backstory of the First Order enforcer. Since then she has published several novels outside the Star Wars universe (most recently No Country For Old Gnomes with co-author Kevin Hearne).

She’s now part of Batuu history with her novel Black Spire, a tie-in to the Disney Star Wars land, Galaxy’ Edge. At New York Comic Con we sat down to talk with her about how Resistance spy Vi Moradi developed over the course of the two books, what it was like to step into the galaxy far, far away at a Disney park, and more.

Black Spire is available now from Del Rey. Dawson’s other most recent Star Wars book is The Skywalker Saga, a fairytale retelling of Episodes I through VIII, available from Disney Publishing. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Den of Geek: Black Spire is about Vi Moradi, who was introduced in the novel Phasma. How has she grown and changed since we saw her last?

Deliah Dawson: We brought Vi Moradi to life in Phasma because we wanted to tell a One Thousand and One Nights Scheherazade story, because the thing about Phasma is no one ever gets behind the mask. So all of the stories about her are … stories. Throughout Phasma, Vi is captured by a First Order officer named Captain Cardinal. She is tortured for information and it’s pretty rough, but she’s holding out, and in the end she manages to escape. But she’s been tortured, dehydrated, beaten, starved—it’s a rough time.

Then, we get to see her go back to the Resistance and see what happens between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. We get to see the Hosnian cataclysm and some of her healing, and then she gets sent to the planet Batuu, which is where Galaxy’s Edge is, to build a new kind of Resistance cell. Because as we saw after the battle of Crait, the Resistance needs warm bodies and hidey holes. That’s what they have the least of. 

read more: Poe Dameron Returns in The Rise of Skywalker Tie-In Book

When she arrives there, she’s accustomed to being a spy. She works alone, she infiltrates, she gets intel, she sometimes gets tortured, but she’s trained in withholding. So she suddenly has this new job, which is to build a Resistance cell.

The characters there start calling her mother hen, because she pulls this family together. It’s a very new experience for her. She is also dealing with trauma. That’s one of the things I wanted to talk about in this book that we don’t see a lot in Star Wars. We’re in the middle of the war. These people are veterans. And the war just isn’t ending. We get to see what it’s like for her finding a new purpose, finding a new family, and pushing through the various things that make life hard for pretty much anybody over 30. 

The other main character is Cardinal, Vi’s former enemy. What is the heart of his story in Black Spire? 

Cardinal is one of my all-time favorites. He’s my little cinnamon roll! When we were building out the story for Phasma, we said who would be Phasma’s foil in the First Order? And the first thought was a bigger, badder Phasma! But there isn’t one. The idea is he firmly believes, at least in Phasma, that the First Order is the answer. He was saved by them when he was starving to death, after a life of slavery. He was given good food and a warm place to sleep for the first time. Throughout Phasma he learns all of that is a lie and they don’t have the populace’s best interest at heart. 

You don’t have to read Phasma to read Black Spire, but it does build a foundation for the main characters. 

When we see Cardinal again, he’s broken. He’s lost his life’s purpose, his family, everything he was working for. He realizes he was basically training murderers. He’s also been stabbed by Phasma and bacta can’t fix the poison. 

So he’s trying to find his purpose, along with this woman who he recognizes that he tortured. So he’s a pretty messed up guy. I love seeing these characters with history, and how, realistically, people have to work with other people that are maybe not the person they want to work with. You have to look these people in the eye and go on. Respect is still something to build a relationship on, even if you have nothing else.

What was your experience with Batuu via Galaxy’s Edge before you wrote the book? Had you visited the park?

I had a very big dossier of information with several maps that were too small for me to read them! And they couldn’t be blown up, and they were watermarked with my name. So my experience with most of the book was begging them: I am an hour away from Orlando, let me see a miniature version or show me a map I can read! So they did the best they could. Once, they sent a map that was a half inch bigger, and I was like, no! 

But they were so gracious as to let me come to the soft opening of the Disneyland Galaxy’s Edge—Batuu West, as we call it—and so after exploring the world and taking some notes I got to go back to my document and do one final edit. Super helpful not only for the walkthrough, but also for things I had read a description of and I had pulled out certain details where I had read their description and put it into my story, and I had been wrong. In Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities there is a chandelier, and from it are hanging Ithorian wind chimes. The way they described it, I took and described it in my own words. But when I got there I realized I did a bad job! So I got to fix that. 

The Den of Antiquities is an incredible place, but the list of items they had provided to me were not what caught my eye when I actually walked in. I was able to look at the things that literally caught my eye and put those into the narrative to reflect more of what the reader will experience. Which was incredible! There’s nothing like the land and capturing that feeling of loving Star Wars and then living it. 

The theme of hope and resilience was important in this book. What does that mean to you personally?

Black Spire is a book that had to serve many masters, but every book I write, whether it’s my creator-owned work or in an IP sandbox, has to have a heart and a theme. It has to mean something. One of my favorite shows right now is Brooklyn 99. I can’t go to sleep without a TV on, so I watch the shows that I love and that are comfortable over and over again. It’s a show that is warm, funny, has that found family. It’s about damaged people who love and support each other. And it never punches down. So I wanted to do the Brooklyn 99 of Star Wars. 

The people of Batuu don’t think of themselves as heroes. Most of them don’t even believe that the Resistance and the First Order exist. So Vi has to explain to them that trouble has never come their way, but it’s going to and they have to be ready. There’s one character who says straight up they’re not strong enough to help. And Vi has to convince her, yes, you are, that’s what a hero is: someone who feels the fear and does it anyway. 

On the flip side of that, this is also a book involving war and torture. What is your approach when writing the darker tone? 

In any Star Wars book, no matter how sweet it is, when the First Order shows up things are going to get dark. There’s actually a note from one of my editors that said “I am concerned you think about torture this much.” 

I knew we needed a torture scene. I had to find something new that no one had done before, but was still at a Star Wars level of violence. I was very adamant that there not be any implied or threatened sexual violence, so that was off the table immediately. So I went for the eyes with this one. 

My brand is whimsical and dark. I’ve done some horror books, and Phasma is a pretty dark book. So when there had to be darkness there was, and I tried to temper it with moments of light and mercy to give the reader some breathing room in those scenes. The First Order character I created for this book, Wulfgar Kath, was another case where I was looking for something new in Star Wars. So he’s a First Order officer that is very fastidious. He gets a ping from General Hux when he’s working out in the officer’s mess, which he does at night so he doesn’t have to talk to anybody. And he won’t answer until he’s finished his set. He’s that kind of fastidious, sociopathic character, like Hannibal without the style. He will beat you senseless and then put his hair back in place. 

Phasma was a much grittier book. Was it easier or more difficult for you to write a more hopeful one? 

They’re both sides of my personality and my experience. Every book I write relates to what I’m experiencing in the moment. While I was writing this book I pinched a nerve, and I had to write a lot of the book on my back, on a heating pad, with a special setup. I was in a lot of pain. The line in there where someone says to Vi after her ship crashes “You have the spine of a 90-year old woman,” that’s what my doctor said to me that day. The pain and the trauma is part of me, and when that comes through in the books, that’s because it’s a part of me, and I think that’s important to show in books. 

But I also have a family and play with my kids and my dog and have a really nice life, so I think those are balances that most readers will have in their lives. 

How is the process of writing a tie-in novel different from writing a creator-owned work? 

With IP you’re in someone else’s sandbox. You have to love it—I don’t think you can write Star Wars if you don’t love it and haven’t been internalizing it forever. I think of Star Wars as history. It’s more real to me than Herbert Hoover and William Howard Taft. So I’m already there. I write a lot of IP, and I feel like it’s something I’m good at because when someone gives me parameters I don’t think I’m stuck in a box, I think there are so many things I can do inside this box.

With Star Wars, I don’t just start writing at home. There is a process with a group of people. We develop an outline, and I don’t start writing until I have an outline that is probably 14 pages single spaced. Then I work from there. I can’t randomly deviate from that outline, although there’s always some room to play with day to day stuff like the Indiana Jones sequence in this book, which you’ll know if you’ve read it. That was one line in the outline and ten thousand words of this experience Vi goes through. When you get to the line for Rise of the Resistance [the ride], you’ll hopefully see some of the places Vi goes. But that I can play around with.

But when I write for myself, I have to know the main character, the beginning, the instigating factor, the main conflict, the climax, and the ending. I leave a ton of room to play around. But in Star Wars we don’t get quite that much room. 

With Star Wars books, I usually get one to two months. With my own books I get up to three months. 

Megan Crouse writes about Star Wars and pop culture for StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider, and Den of Geek. Read more of her work here. Find her on Twitter @blogfullofwords.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Interview

Books

Megan Crouse

Oct 14, 2019

Star Wars

Del Rey

NYCC

NYCC 2019

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[dakotadanger]

Phasma details the history of Captain Phasma, one of the more mysterious characters in the First Order. The tale is told by Vi Moradi, a Resistance spy, to her captor, Captain Cardinal. The story in the past that takes Phasma on a journey from a struggling tribe on a dying planet to becoming a trusted soldier in the First Order. The story in the present shows Vi trying to convince Cardinal that Phasma is dangerous - but that she also represents the true values of the First Order. 

Captain Phasma is one of my favorite new Star Wars characters, and this was one of the better Star Wars books I’ve read. It has me even more stoked for The Last Jedi.

[queer-starwars-bracket]

Queer Star Wars Characters (Round 2): Well Known Match 5

Lando Calrissian | Identity: Pansexual | Media: Solo WoG

Sigh, I’m sure you all remember this clusterfuck. During the promotional tour for Solo, the screenwriter Jon Kasdan established Lando as pansexual, seemingly because of his attraction to L3-37 and did some pretty textbook queerbait about Lando x Han. Unlike other instances of authors clarifying what specific identity they intended or that the subtext audiences were seeing is entirely intentional, this is more the maligned “Making a character queer just in marketing”. 

Despite the good track record for queer representation in Star Wars publishing, there has been almost no follow-up to this. Lando has appeared a bit since then, and all his flings have been with women. The only exception was that he featured in the 2021 Pride Variant covers. 

Vi Moradi | Identity: aro/ace | Media: Galaxy’s Edge

Vi Moradi is the first and so far only character who originated in Star Wars publishing to appear in the Disney parks. A Resistance spy, she was created for the novel Phasma. Leia Organa tasked her with uncovering the backstories of prominent First Order members. Her interrogation by the First Order stormtrooper trainer Cardinal serves as the frame narrative for the novel. It ends with Cardinal realizing that the values he thought he was serving with the First Order was false and the cruelty of Phasma is its true face. He helps his former captive escape, being injured on the way.

While Deliah S. Dawson was writing Vi Moradi, the imagineers decided to use her as a character in Galaxy’s Edge. Thus she came back for the novel Galaxy’s Edge Blackspire where she and Cardinal are forced to work together to create a Resistance base on Batuu, cut off from any wider support. The novel is a rare accurate depiction of the PTSD and disability that comes from torture. It also established VI as the first aro/ace character in Star Wars. 

Vi is both a very skilled spy and organizer, good at bringing out the strength of people around her. She is a walk-around character in the park, acting out the same storyline about Kylo Ren arriving on Batuu every day, improvising based on guest interaction. Getting to talk to her was my favorite moments of my visits to Galaxy’s Edge. 

[caitsbooks]

TIPS FOR GALAXY’S EDGE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD – VISITING BATUU + BUILDING A LIGHTSABER

I know this blog is usually only about books, but I just went to Disney World in Florida and I need to talk about it.

I’m a die-hard Star Wars fan, and I’ve been counting down the days for Florida’s Galaxy’s Edge to open since it was announced. So naturally, when I had the opportunity to go to the Annual Passholder Preview Event- I jumped.

If you’re planning on going to Galaxy’s Edge after it opens, read more for some tips to make the most of your visit to Batuu.

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Keep reading for all of my tips! 

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1. MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS!

I cannot stress this one enough. Reservations have already opened up on Disney’s website for Oga’s Cantina, Savi’s Workshop (where you can build your own lightsaber), and the Droid Depot. If you want to do any of these experiences, make those reservations as soon as you can!

There might be standby available when you go, but don’t count on it. During the previews, some people were able to get into Savi’s Workshop without a reservation, but they had to wait over an hour to do it. Don’t waste your time waiting! Save the stress and make the reservation early!

2. KNOW THE LANGUAGE

Batuu is a planet in a galaxy far far away, which means there are some phrases you may not recognize. For example, you pay for things in Galactic Credits, not US dollars. Luckily, 1 Galactic Credit = 1 US Dollar so there’s no need to do any unnecessary math. How convenient.

Here’s a little cheat sheet to help you out with some other phrases you’ll hear most often:

“Bright suns” – Hello (Good morning)

“Rising moons” – Hello (Good evening)

“Til the spires!” – Goodbye

“Data pad” – Phone

“Holoscan” – Photo

One last thing- lightsabers are illegal on Batuu, so if you’re looking for Savi’s Workshop where you can build one, ask a Cast Member where to get scrap metal. They should point you in the right direction.

3. KEEP YOUR EYE OUT FOR CHARACTERS

In Batuu, you’ll find many familiar faces roaming around the outpost. Chewie, Rey, Kylo Ren, and Vi Moradi can all be found wandering around. There are no official meet and greets, but if you happen to run into a character, you can always ask for photos.

I got to meet Vi coming out of Savi’s workshop, and it was amazing. Plus, Stormtroopers stopped to question me several different times. They even begrudgingly let me get a photo with them.

4. TALK TO CAST MEMBERS

Don’t just focus on finding characters- each Cast Member has created their own character that they play, with their own backstories and allegiances.

One of my favorite things was seeing the different reactions to my service dog in training, Laia. Apparently there are no dogs on Batuu, so I got a lot of questions about what she was, and some people just chose to refer to her as different creatures (my personal favorite was womp rat).

5. TRY TO PILOT THE FALCON

The Millenium Falcon ride is basically what you get if you combined Star Tours with Mission Space. The queue takes you through Ohnaka Transport Solutions, where you can get a great view of the Falcon and of Batuu. There’s also a very impressive Hondo animatronic!

However, the real tip here is about the positions you can get in this ride. The cockpit fits 6 people- 2 engineers, 2 gunners, and 2 pilots. You’ll be given a card with your role on it. I highly recommend trying to pilot the Falcon if you can. The best way to increase your chances of being pilot is by being one of the first two people handed cards for your group. However, if you’re flying single rider, this may be hard to control.

Pilot isn’t the only good position though! I loved being engineer as well because it gives you a great view of the entire cockpit. I haven’t tried gunner yet but I’ve heard good thing about that as well. It’s really up to what you are looking to get out of the experience.

Bonus tip: Try to be right pilot. You get to make the ship jump to light speed!!

6. PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME

If you plan on building a lightsaber or droid, and are as indecisive as me- do your research! Galaxy’s Edge isn’t cheap. Lightsabers cost $200 plus tax, while droids are $100 plus tax. Make sure you know what you want before you arrive. You don’t need to have it perfectly mapped out, but you might want to have an idea of what you want.

I built a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop, and when I arrived I had to choose between 4 different “themes”: Peace and Justice, Power and Control, Protection and Defense, and Elemental and Nature. Once you pick a theme, you get a pin to match it. Inside the room where you build, you are then given 10 pieces of “scrap metal” that match your theme, and you can choose 5 of them for your lightsaber. I researched this heavily before I went to Disney, so I had already narrowed down what I wanted, and it made the whole building process go very smooth.

Also, think of what kyber crystal you might want. You have the option of green, blue, violet, and red, but you can always stop at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities to buy whichever of those you didn’t pick, plus white or yellow.

7. ENJOY IT!

Take a moment to just take everything in. Disney spent a lot of money on this park, and it shows. From the details in the marketplace to the resistance area, there’s always something interesting hidden in plain sight.

This is definitely one of Disney World’s most immersive lands. You will truly believe you’re on a distant planet the moment you step through the tunnel and into Batuu.

Are you planning on visiting Galaxy’s Edge? What are you looking forward to the most?

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[absolxguardian]

What we can piece together about the plot of Star Wars: Restiance

Most of the article focuses on Filoni and the other producers, plus confirmed voice actors. We have a premise and these two paragraphs to use when it comes to narrowing down exactly what the plot might be:

StarWars.com is thrilled to announce that production has begun on Star Wars Resistance, an exciting new animated adventure series about Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order. It will premiere this fall on Disney Channel in the U.S. and thereafter, on Disney XD and around the world. Featuring the high-flying adventure that audiences of all ages have come to expect from Star Wars, Star Wars Resistance — set in the time prior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens — will feature the beloved droid BB-8 alongside ace pilots, colorful new characters and appearances by fan favorites including Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma, voiced by actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, respectively.

Here’s the thing about Kazuda’s job description, it matches Vi’s intelligence job perfectly. They’re probably in Vi’s unit. She was a mercenary hired by the Resistance, however, the use of the word “recruited” implies that Kazuda enlisted rather than being a mercenary. However, one of the jobs Vi was assigned, beyond more traditional intelligence, was finding out the backstories of key First Order members. We know she traveled to Parnassos to research Phasma, and from Arkanis being on her navicomputer, we can assume she looked into the pasts of the Huxes and/or Carise Sindian. If Kazuda was assigned to look into Snoke’s past, it would be a really interesting way to do it. Rather than a book or series of comics in the form of flashbacks chronologically showing Snoke’s past (although I’d want that as well), we get more and more scraps of information along with the characters, allowing us to refine our theories before we get the basic premise of Snoke’s identity/past confirmed.

Despite Vi’s skills being more similar to that of a spy rather than that of a pilot, however, she was considered one:

“Good. Just a quick sweep of the area. We’ve heard rumors of First Order ships there, and it’s vital that we know if they’re true. If you see anything, be ready to jump. We’ve had several pilots go missing.”

 “Bet they weren’t as fast as I am.”

Leia sighs, sounding every year of her age. “It’s not necessarily about speed, but if they come back, you can race them in the Five Sabers. I’ll buy you a ship. For now, just a quick sweep and then home. I need those reports.”

And Leia’s reference to other pilots confirms that Vi is not the only member of the Resistance intelligence unit, while Vi’s boasts make it sound like she does have good piloting skills.  As for the ace pilots that could be in the series (of course there could obviously be new ones, but “fan favorites” could also be characters included from the new interconnected EU):

Hera Syndulla: Hera seems like an easy choice, but due to her rank as a flight instructor in the Aphra comics, I think it’s more likely that she’s the unnamed pro-Resistance female head of the Ganthel Flight School that sent Jo Jerjerrod to the Resistance. She could also redirect Kazuda from joining the NRDF to the Resistance.

Jacen Syndulla: If Jacen didn’t go to Luke’s school, it’s pretty likely he’ll show up in the show as one of the ace pilots. However, since he doesn’t show up in the Poe Dameron comic (wherein Black Squadron is made up of the best pilots in the Resistance) something would have to happen to him. 

Vi Moradi: I’ve already talked about this, but the Phasma book never really got a chance to show off Vi’s piloting skills, but she could be one of Kazuda’s team.

Joph Seastriker: Joph was a member of the Resistance from the very being. Despite being referenced in the Join the Resistance series (which is concurrent to the Poe Dameron comics), there’s a disturbing lack of him appearing anywhere other than Bloodline, despite the fact he and Greer would probably be Leia’s right hand before Poe. Either way, he’s a good contender for appearing. 

Greer Sonnel: Greer is in a similar situation to Joph. Although with her bloodburn, it’s pretty likely a dogfight could kill her without her being shot. Either way, if this series is closer to Bloodline rather than the comics, she could easily appear. Greer is also an exceptional pilot.

Temmin “Snap” Wexley: Joph vouched for Snap to be one of the first people to join the Resistance. With him appearing in the poe dameron comics, TFA, and Aftermath, it seems pretty likely that LucasFilm likes giving him big roles across the EU. And since he was part of black squadron, he would count as an “ace pilot”

Zari Bangel: Zari is another NR pilot Joph vouched for. She also appears briefly in the Poe Dameron comics. The end of Bloodline says Joph has a list of NR pilots ready to fight that he trusts, but since I don’t have a searchable digital copy of Bloodline, I’m having trouble finding the scene where Joph talks with other pilots, so I can’t throw out some more names. We also don’t know Zari’s skill, so she might not count as an ace pilot.

Jessika Pava: Jess has the skill to count as an ace pilot, but we don’t know when she joined the Resistance. Still she’s a pretty good candidate.

L’ulo L’ampar: If I’m right about this taking place well before the Poe Dameron comics, he’ll be alive enough to be a character. He’s another member of Black Squadron, so we got the skill part down.

Kare Kun/Poe Dameron: Poe has been confirmed to appear in Resistance. Although we don’t quite know when Poe and Kare joined the Resistance, the Cold War between the First Order and Resistance had already been well established. I think when Poe does appear, he’ll be a new recruit. We know that the second part of his Before the Awakening story takes place pretty close to the start of the Poe Dameron comics, so I’d put my money on a lot of series taking place between those two events. 

[michaelpatrickhicks]

Review: Phasma (Star Wars) by Delilah S. Dawson [audiobook]

My rating: 4 of 5 stars My original PHASMA (STAR WARS) audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer. After writing the Star Wars short story, The Perfect Weapon, Delilah S. Dawson returns to a galaxy far, far away with the full-length novel, Phasma. I’m a fan of Dawson’s work, and it’s great fun seeing her playing around in one of my favorite cinematic universes and helping to build and expand upon the new canon of expanded universe tie-ins centering around the trilogy of Star Wars films. After being captured and taken aboard an Imperial ship, Resistance fighter Vi Moradi engages in a battle of wits with a crimson-clad Stormtrooper named Cardinal. He wants information on Captain Phasma, which Moradi possesses, and as the interrogation unfolds she shares with him the true story of Phasma – who she is, where she’s from, and the lengths she will go to in order to survive. Dawson does a superb job painting a vivid portrait of Phasma, giving this character an engaging history and motivation. While the filmic depiction of Phasma in The Force Awakens was fairly forgettable, her novelized origin story is far from it. Dawson takes us around the apocalyptic world of Parnassos and the Scyre clan Phasma has sworn allegiance to. What emerges from this, in the wake of a crashed Imperial ship and the rescue of its crew by Phasma and her fighters, is a story of survival in a harsh desert world where life is short and brutal, and survival and murder often go hand in hand. Dawson puts a decidedly Mad Max-style spin on her Star Wars story here, and it’s a welcome change of pace. My only wish/hope is that we get to see more of Vi Moradi in the future. Although Moradi is our gateway into Phasma’s history, there’s not a lot of room for her to shine elsewhere with so much of the narrative space occupying a time ten years in the past. Phasma becomes wonderfully fleshed out and whole, and is certainly a more engaging character here than in her (thus far) single movie appearance, but I really wanted to learn more about Moradi as the book wore on. She’s an engaging Resistance fighter and Dawson does such a good job writing Moradi and her repartee with Cardinal that it’s impossible not to want more of her, or for her to be the singular narrative focus. On the narration front, January LaVoy does a terrific job bringing Phasma, both the book and the character, to life. This was my first time listening to LaVoy’s work and I was suitably impressed. She keeps the pace moving nicely and adopts an array of inflections to separate character’s dialogue. As is typical of other Star Wars audiobook productions, the narration is accompanied by a host of sound effects and music, helping to amplify the urgency of the narration or underscore the more emotionally resonant beats. The various audio elements work together to create a highly polished and well-produced audiobook, and one that fits firmly within the stylistic realm of the Star Wars universe. View all my reviews

[gffa]

Scattered Star Wars novels thoughts: - I have listened to an hour and a half of the Thrawn: Alliances audiobook, someone please tell me to stop torturing myself with this thing.  It’s not even that it’s a bad book imo, but that it wasted so much potential!  TELL ME TO NOT SPEND ANOTHER TWELVE HOURS ON THIS ONE. That said, re: the audiobook specifically, WHOA, Marc Thompson nailed Thrawn’s voice/Lars Mikkelsen impression, that is some spot on voice acting!  His Padme sounds pretty much like all his other female characters unfortunately and his Anakin sounds like a slightly softer version of his younger characters (I’m thinking especially of Temmin) and I really like that choice, it feels like it’s a little closer to Hayden!Anakin than Matt!Anakin (who does a fantastic job, but when that’s often times the ONLY version of Anakin we see in stuff anymore, I start getting really wistful about movie-based prequels stuff, like, no, TCW wasn’t the only good prequels stuff!) but it is still hard to put it together with the Anakin in my head.  And his Vader is surprisingly flat, like, I would have thought the barest special effects for that would have been easy?  But it’s just a deep voice impression! I feel like Thompson’s roles are often like that, it’s very hit and miss.  I love his book readings, he’s the go-to guy for a reason, but you know what I wish they’d do more often?  Get the various voice actors together for different roles.  I realize that’s probably a lot more work than they want to do, paying multiple people for the same book, but there was one I listened to recently (which I cannot remember for the life of me now) that got Thompson for his Han voice and January LaVoy for her Leia and it was FANTASTIC. I keep wishing that that’s what they’d do with this book--get LaVoy for Padme, get Thompson for Thrawn, get a different actor for Anakin, get some special effects for Vader, and it could be really great.  Though, I recognize that the audiobook versions probably aren’t as much of a priority, but still!  I want to treat them like audiodramas instead!  Cater to what I want, LucasFilm!  And while we’re at it, give me more animated TV series novelizations!  Of Rebels AND The Clone Wars!  AND A PONY!! - I finished Life Debt and I’m giving myself a little time to let it breathe before tackling Empire’s End--and maybe hoarding the last of it, because I’ve come to love these characters a lot.  ;__; That’s one of the really big downsides of the expanded universe stuff--there are all these incredible characters that I get really invested in and, so often, they’re just there for a brief time and we never know what happens beyond that.  I’m still sad that we haven’t gotten another book with Vi Moradi.  I’m still sad that we haven’t seen any sign of post-Rebels’ Ezra getting to tell us what happened.  I’m still sad that Eli Vanto was only in the one book so far.  I’m sad that Sinjir and Jas and Norra and Jom probably won’t be in any more novels after this, that I’m lucky to have gotten three of them!  I still want more of Iden Versio and we’ll probably never get much more than a cameo from her after this. I’ll keep reading and keep getting invested in these characters, the more there are, the more populated this galaxy feels, and some of them do keep showing up.  Like getting to see Sana in Last Shot was a lot of fun!  I have no doubt Rae will turn up in lots more things!  I just want more of these characters, too!  I know we already get, on average, like three or four books a month from all across Star Wars, but I WANT MORE, PLEASE. - One thing I realized about halfway through Life Debt is that, I CANNOT, for the LIFE of me, unsee Sinjir as Dorian Pavus.  The darker skin and accent definitely felt reminiscent of him, but then the second half of the book made several mentions of the very noticeable mustache and now it’s ALL I CAN SEE and I’m half wondering if that wasn’t the inspiration. - I liked the ending of the book a lot!  It reminded me of ESB in how much it felt like the middle piece of a trilogy, that it ended on such an explosive note and how much shit is going down.  I certainly didn’t expect everything to blow up the way it did in the last parts of the book! I’ve also really come around on Norra and I think a lot of that has to do with how much shit Temmin gives her that’s not really her fault, so it eases up the strain I was feeling on her in the early parts of the first book. I’m really enjoying the vague Rae - Leia counterparts-of-their-respective-organizations stuff, too!  Both are sort of the face of their side, but aren’t really the one at the head, both are feeling like outsiders in this fight that they’ve given everything to, that the organizations are going in directions that make them furious, because they both deeply believe they’re right. It makes me wonder how much this is meant to be negative images of each other or how much it’s meant to be a true parallel, that both of them are worthwhile people, but are putting forth some not-so-great ideas, Rae with the Empire and Leia with her inability to recognize that a government is different from a Rebellion. - I’m 4/5ths of the way through the Solo novelization and I think there’s a lot to be said about how I’m just not as invested in Han as a character, so the little details kind of slip by me.  But it’s also fairly light as a novelization (in comparison to my favorites, but also it’s not the lightest I’ve read, either!) and so I was dearly looking forward to some Qi’ra insight, but there’s not really that much?  The hints at what she went through are really interesting and I’m hoping that the climax of the story will give me more to work with, but this is definitely not going to be another TLJ novelization or even a Thrawn: Alliances level of I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SAY. I’m sad that it feels like the book never read Most Wanted, because the junior novelization had a mention of Tsuulo (so far that was the most notable thing about it, but I think I’m only like three chapters in, so that’s not much time yet) that absolutely DELIGHTED ME, but the adult one hasn’t mentioned him or much outside of what was already there in the movie, so it does feel kind of light and disconnected, but it’s still worth the read to me.  And I do think that the novelization’s version of the Imperial hearing scene was WAY funnier than the actual deleted scene, it nailed the timing of it in a way that not even the movie’s delightful acting could for me.