#mirax terrik horn

[legends-expo]

Happy birthday to Michael A. Stackpole! Author of the widely-loved X-wing series, he introduced us to favorites such as Corran Horn, Tycho Celchu, Ysanne Isard, and more; it's impossible to oversell his contributions to the EU.

[jerryb2]

The Importance of the Lightsaber

What follows is a series of excerpts from the novel I, Jedi by Michael A. Stackpole:

The lightsaber, while an elegant and deadly weapon, was not that complex. Getting the parts to put one together was not difficult at all. To serve as the hilt, for example, I salvaged the throttle assembly and handlebar tube from a junked speeder bike. 

(...) I got the dimetris circuitry for the activation loop from an old capital-ship-grade ion cannon fire initiation controller (...) The recharger port and wiring came from a comlink. A milled down Tri-fighter laser flashback suppressor became the parabolic, high-energy flux aperture to stabilize the blade and I pulled the dynoric laser feed line from the same broken laser cannon to act as the superconductor for energy transference from the power cell to the blade. 

Buttons and switches were easy to find, and dear old Admiral Tavira, with her gift of the brandy decanter and snifters, provided me all the jewels I needed to make half a dozen lightsabers.

(...) Before I could figure out how to put Tavira off for another month, Elegos decoded an annotation to the instructions for constructing lightsabers. It turned out that during the Clone Wars, Jedi Masters developed a way to create a lightsaber in two days. Nejaa included this method, noting it was to be used only in times of pressing need, but not in haste. I read it over and felt a certain peace settle upon me. I knew the words had not been written for me, but they sank deep into my core. Urgency without panic, action without thoughtlessness.

(...) I sat in the middle of the floor, with the parts for the blade laid out in a semicircle around me. I studied each one and used the Force to enfold it and take a sense of it into myself. My hands would fit the pieces together, but I wanted the parts to mesh as if they had been grown together. The lightsaber would be more than just a jumble of hardware, and to make it I had to see the parts as belonging together.

I fitted the activation button into its place on the handlebar shaft and snapped the connectors into the right spots on the dimetris circuit board. 

I worked that into the shaft itself, then inserted a strip of shielding to protect it from even the slightest leakage from the superconductor. Next I snapped into place the gemstones I was using to focus and define the blade. At the center, to work as my continuous energy lens, I used the Durindfire. That same stone gave my grandfather’s blade its distinctive silver sheen. 

I used a diamond and an emerald in the other two slots. I wasn’t certain what I would get in the way of color tints from the emerald, and with the diamond I hoped for a coruscation effect.

Onto the end of the hilt where the blade would appear I screwed the high-energy flux aperture. It would carry a negative charge which would stabilize the positively charged blade and provide it a solid base without allowing it to eat its way back through to my hands. 

(...)  I clipped the discharged energy cell in place, then connected the leads to the recharging socket. 

I screwed the recharging socket into the bottom of the hilt, but didn’t fasten on the handlebar’s original butt cap that would protect it because I needed to charge the power cell for the very first time. 

In what amounts to just a handful of pages in a singular book, Stackpole so vividly describes not only the physical process of constructing a lightsaber, but the spiritual essence of what it means to be a Jedi, in its purest form: 

(...) With my finger poised on the transformer button that would start the energy flowing, I drew in a deep breath and lowered myself into a trance. I knew that manipulating matter sufficiently to meld the part and forge the weapon would have been all but impossible for anyone but a Jedi Master like Yoda, but doing just that as part of the construction of a lightsaber had been studied and ritualized so even a student could manage it. It was very much a lost art, a link to a past that had been all but wiped out, and by performing it I completed my inheritance of my Jedi legacy. 

I hit the button, allowing the slow trickle of energy to fill the battery. I opened myself to the Force and with the hand I had touching the lightsaber’s hilt, I bathed the lightsaber with the Force. As I did so subtle transformations took place in the weapon. Elemental bonds shifted allowing more and more energy to flow into the cell and throughout the weapon. I was not certain how the changes were being made, but I knew that at the same time as they were being made in the lightsaber, they were being made in me as well. 

In becoming a conduit for the Force for this purpose, the final integration of the people I’d been occurred. The fusion became the person I would be forever after. I was still a pilot: a little bit arrogant, with a healthy ego and a willingness to tackle difficult missions. I was still CorSec: an investigator and a buffer between the innocents in the galaxy and the slime that would consume them.

And I was Jedi. I was heir to a tradition that extended back tens of thousands of years. Jedi had been the foundation of stability in the galaxy. They had always opposed those who reveled in evil and sought power for the sake of power. People like Exar Kun and Palpatine, Darth Vader and Thrawn, Isard and Tavira; these were the plagues on society that the Jedi cured. In the absence of Jedi, evil thrived. 

In the presence of just one Jedi, evil evaporated. 

Just as with the lightsaber, the changes being made in me were not without cost. What the Force allowed me to do also conferred upon me great burdens. To act without forethought and due deliberation was no longer possible. I had to be very certain of what I was doing, for a single misstep could be a disaster. While I knew I would make mistakes, I had to do everything I could to minimize their impact. It was not enough to do the greatest good for the greatest number, I had to do the best for everyone. 

There was no walking away from the new responsibility I accepted. Like my grandfather I might well choose when and where to reveal who and what I was, but there was no forgetting, no leaving that responsibility and the office. My commitment to others had to be total and complete. I was an agent of life every day, every hour, every second; for as long as I lived, and then some.

(...) I nodded and brandished the lightsaber. I punched the button under my thumb, giving birth to the silver blade 133 centimeters in length. 

“A lightsaber and robes. Looks like a little justice has arrived on Courkrus, and it’s about time.”

This is what almost everybody gets wrong about the Jedi - never mind the Prequels, the Sequels, or the vast majority of EU novels - the Jedi are an absolute good. They are life. They bring order to chaos. Every moment of their lives is spent, their spirits grappling against the disorder of a universe torn between Dark and Light.

If you haven’t read I, Jedi, you might consider picking it up.

As I’m sure many of you have already deduced, the accompanying images are of my own personal Corran Horn lightsaber. I’ve just recently finished a complete overhaul and rebuild of it, and I just had to show it off. I’ll be posting more info & pics about it soon, but I want to address one key aspect of saber building here, as it pertains directly to my own personal journey and growth.

This portion of the book holds incredible significance for me; it allows me to imagine, however briefly, that I’m undertaking a similar spiritual ritual, imbuing my own sabers with the same energy that Stackpole so flawlessly describes here. It’s so rare to feel so seen and be so moved by a piece of fiction. For the discerning Sabersmith, it’s very much like Corran says: 

I knew the words had not been written for me, but they sank deep into my core.

Thank you for this book, Michael. 🥂

[incorrectstarwarslegendsquotes]

Corran Horn: Excuse me, you need a license to be that cute. You're way over the legal limit. I'm gonna need to see some registration 🚔🚨 Mirax Terrik: Oh, no! I'm sorry officer. I seem to have left my purse at home. I don't have my license or registration. 😭 Corran Horn: 💥POW💥POW💥POW💥POW💥POW💥POW💥POW💥POW💥 *reload*

[from-a-legends-pov]

Star Wars Legends Spotlight: The Wedding of Luke and Mara

In this last week of writer signups for the From a Legends Point of View fanfiction event, we’ll be celebrating Legends by spotlighting some key events, characters, and moments from the Legends continuity.

Writers: Help us add to the story! Sign up to write for the From a Legends Point of View fanfiction event now through June 2. Together, we’ll build a collection of Star Wars Legends fanfiction set during the time of the Original Trilogy. Use our Signup Form to pitch your story concepts (Signup Guidelines available here) and please encourage your favorite writers to participate!

Our first spotlight is the wedding of the galaxy’s most eligible Jedi bachelor, Luke Skywalker, with former Emperor’s Hand and current Jedi Master Mara Jade in 19 ABY on Coruscant.

Why is this important?

Luke and Mara are in many ways the power couple of Star Wars Legends (along with Leia Organa and Han Solo). While Leia and Han were shown as a committed couple by the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker spent a fair amount of the Legends continuity in various ultimately doomed love affairs. Mara Jade, one of the most prominent characters to originate in Legends, was introduced in the Thrawn trilogy and clearly had some chemistry with Luke from the start, as well as going on her own journey from Emperor’s Hand to smuggler to Jedi knight to Jedi master before ending up with Luke.

How does it happen?

The engagement takes place toward the end of Timothy Zahn’s novel Vision of the Future, appropriately happening in the middle of a life-or-death situation. The room they are in is filling up with water, and Luke asks Mara to marry him. She says, “You mean, if we get out of this alive?” and he says, “I mean regardless.”

The wedding and the leadup take place in Star Wars: Union, a four-unit comic series written by X-Wing series writer Michael Stackpole. Most of the series deals with the more mundane events leading up to any wedding— choosing a dress, the bachelor / bachelorette parties, the wedding itself, and moments from the reception— but the happy couple being who they are, of course there is danger, intrigue, and shenanigans. There are actually two weddings: a Jedi wedding only attended by members of the Jedi Order early in the series, and a formal wedding that serves as a major event for the New Republic.

The Jedi portion of the wedding largely goes off without a hitch, but the New Republic ceremony is where the shenanigans come in.

We see Mara attempt to “say yes to the dress” only to be confronted with some of the worst fashion crimes imaginable, then find her dream designer out in the alley, having been originally prevented from preventing her designs by her evil boss.

Luke’s bachelor party at the Red Rancor (attended by Han Solo, Wedge Antilles, Chewbacca, Gavin Darklighter, Talon Karrde, Wes Janson, Derek “Hobbie” Klivian, Tycho Celchu, Kam Solusar, Corran Horn, Booster Terrik, and Lando Calrissian) ends in a bar fight instigated by a Moff who is trying to kill Luke / prevent the wedding.

Meanwhile, the women (Mara, Leia, Tionne Solusar, Winter Celchu, Mirax Terrik Horn, and Iella Wessiri Antilles) have a spa day and then kick some ass in a slingball game.

The day of the ceremony is a major New Republic event, with people like Mon Mothma in attendance and Admiral Ackbar presiding. A Moff is determined to interrupt the ceremony and violently prevent the festivities, but Chewie, the Jedi, and the Rogues take care of that while those with parts in the ceremony carry on. Meanwhile, Booster Terrik has been tasked with keeping the children quiet during the ceremony, including his grandson Valin Horn as well as Myri and Syal Antilles and Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin Solo.

Finally, we see the happy couple wed:

…And various other couples at the ceremony get nostalgic about their own weddings as they enjoy the reception.

[magnetarbeam]

Fic I'll never write: Han, Mirax and Jag's informational video that warns people of exactly what they're getting into by marrying a Jedi, and some expert tips for Dealing With It.

[my-last-brain-cell-is-socrates]

Okay hear me out...

A television series based on the X-wing books... created by the same team as Andor. Tony Gilroy would do all these characters and plot lines justice, I just know it.

I rest my case

[slyandthefamilybook]

I hate how every single woman in the series is Corran Horny for Corran's Horn

this man is as bland as oatmeal on saltines covered in flour

[redtworoguethree]

Those bits are gold for sure! I also really like the bit where Mirax Terrik takes Wedge to task for daring assume he doesn’t have an ego as well. Though she does confirm that to his credit he does keep it under control most of the time.

My favorite part of reading the x-wing books so far is when Wedge embarrasses tf out of Corran for thinking he's a special little guy in a Humble, Mostly Internal and Unspoken kind of way, and Wedge just obliterates him. God! I wish Wedge Antilles would publicly humiliate me for my poorly concealed hubris!! Yes, I know that says things about me. Leave me alone

[tahiriveilasolo]

Why do pairings in Star Wars have to be so tragic?

Nomi Sunrider x Ulic Qel-Droma: not even mentioning that Nomi was a widow…the Sith War ruined everything, and after the war someone insignificant murdered a great man redeemed

Revan x Bastila Shan: Revan gone for 300 years, leaving a wife and a not-yet-born son behind

Anakin Skywalker x Padmé Amidala: Anakin fell to the dark side, Padmé died of a broken heart

Han Solo x Leia Organa: two children died, one of them had even waged a war once

Luke Skywalker x Mara Jade: Mara killed by her nephew

Anakin Solo x Tahiri Veila: Anakin died in a war, leaving a love never realized

Jacen Solo x Tenel Ka Djo: Jacen fell to the dark side, the relationship ended in warfare

Corran Horn x Mirax Terrik: two children gone mad and were carbonized for a while

The list goes on…

[jadecrusades]

Star Wars Customizable Card Game promotional and play cards. “Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy.” January, 2001.

Decipher’s Reflections II: Expanding the Galaxy series brought a handful of Expanded Universe characters to life including Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Talon Karrde, Corran Horn, Mirax Terrik, Dash Rendar, Prince Xizor, and Guri. Decipher also created an exclusive 5”x7” Promotional Oversized “Signature” Card depicting Mara, Talon Karrde, and Corran Horn for the summer ‘01 convention circuit. Model Shannon (Baksa) McRandle portrayed Mara Jade, while Timothy Zahn was made up to depict Talon Karrde, and Michael Stackpole was costumed to resemble Corran Horn. Stackpole had these memories to share on his blog:

The stuff done in a photostudio is really magic. At first glance, the guys they got for Corran and Karrde were right, in general. Good on the overall dimensions, hair color, eye color, etc., but they were just guys off the street. Then the hair and makeup folks went to work. Karrde got a wig and a full makeup job, which sharpened his features and totally changed him. By the end of the process - during which Tim's camera was clicking almost incessantly - I was believing the guy was Talon Karrde.

Once Karrde was made up and costumed, he was taken onto the photostage and lit. That's a fascinating process. If they put a yellow filter on a light, the light is considered "hot." A blue filter makes it "cold." The art director, photographer and photographer's assistant all discussed and debated, pulling lights this way and that, setting them up at angles, getting the model to look here or there. Then they took test Polaroid shots and digital shots and finally agreed that things were right. It was almost anticlimactic when the shooting got done, but the results were great. Talon Karrde lived.

Shannon Baksa actually did Corran's makeup, then he got lit and shot. One of my concerns had been that the model was a bit older than Corran would have been at that point, but the makeup and lighting slashed 15 years off him. And the models, they put up with a lot. At one point, while folks were off debating how Corran should be lit, the guy who had done Karrde's makeup commented that Corran was just sitting there rock-still. Corran said, "I'd move, but I'm afraid they'd have to re-light me."

[legends-expo]

Panel Announcement: In Conversation With Michael Stackpole

Join the king of X-wings himself, Michael Stackpole, as he discusses his numerous contributions to Star Wars books and comics, including everyone's favorite Corellian Jedi, Corran Horn!

Don't miss the celebration of all things Expanded Universe this weekend at the Marriott Convention Center in Burbank, California!

Buy tickets now at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/legends-consortium-2023-tickets-541786186067

Full Schedule: https://legends-con.com/guests-programming/

[ainyan]

Get to Know Me!

Share your wallpaper

My wallpaper switches between a bunch of XIV screenshots, but here's what's displaying currently on my main work monitor (out of 4):

The last song you listened to: Pilgrimage, from the Endwalker patch 6.1 Soundtrack (from Aglaia). 

Currently reading: On my phone: Wolf-Speaker, by Tamora Pierce. On my computer: Emliy Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett. On my iPad: The Legend of Huma, by Richard A. Knaak.

Last Movie: The last movie I watched was Spider-Man: No Way Home. I, uh... don't watch a lot of movies. >.>

Craving: Honestly? I'm craving salmon, but it's too expensive right now. :(

What are you wearing right now? I'm at work, so a pair of loose capris, a turquoise blouse, my N7 Elite hoodie, my Sith lanyard with all my video game pins, and a pair of comfy sandals.

How tall are you: 5'1" on a good day.

Piercings: Three in my ears, but I'm hoping to get several more this summer (depending on circumstances).

Tattoos: None.

Glasses? Contacts? Glasses. I can't wear contacts.

Last drink: Water!

Last show: Abbott Elementary (I'm several weeks behind, don't spoil me)

Last thing you ate: A SweeTart heart <3

Favorite color: I prefer jewel tones, so emerald, sapphire, amethyst. I'm a huge, huge fan of peacock colors.

Current obsession: FFXIV, natch

Unrelated obsession: Destiny 2

Any pets: Three! Two cats, Momo (one orange braincell) and Byakko (grey tiger tabby), and a dog, Inari (my Askii - half-Husky, a quarter Akita, a quarter mix).

Do you have a crush on anyone? Besides my husband of sixteen years and my partner of twelve? A few video game characters. Other than that, not really. I'm pretty poly-saturated right now and haven't even been looking.

Favorite fictional character: I mean, Thancred. Theron. But if you're looking for someone not video game related, probably Thrawn or Corran Horn. General Leia. Mirax Terrik. I'm pretty simple; I like spies, pilots, and strong-willed women.

The last place you traveled: Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tagged by: @sasslett

Tagging: @eorzeashan, @thelealinhypehouse, @sayonaramidnight, @starrysnowdrop, @irisopranta, @lilbittymonster, @lilvulpix-alex, and anyone else who would like to share! I know this is more OOC than fanfiction, so don't feel compelled to share if you don't want to <3

[incorrectstarwarslegendsquotes]

Mirax Terrik: Talk to your friends about your feelings, dudes. Especially dudes. Talk to your friends about your feelings. Corran Horn: Hey, Ooryl? Ooryl Qrygg: Yes? Corran Horn: Everything is fine. Ooryl Qrygg: Corran Horn: Mirax Terrik: Corran, last week you said you were drowning-

[from-a-legends-pov]

Star Wars Legends: Poll of the Week — You said WHAT?

Legends is filled with smooth talkers and brilliant strategists, but there are plenty of times when characters display a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Which of these moments is your favorite instance of “open mouth, insert foot” for a Legends character?

During a post-mission discussion on the Mon Remonda, Wraith Squadron pilot Elassar Targon comments that General Han Solo has been “running scared” from Warlord Zsinj, right before Solo turns his chair around to reveal his presence. Elassar then spends the next several days begging his squadmates to use their special skills to murder Elassar so he doesn’t have to endure the embarrassment (X-Wing: Solo Command)

Based on a brief conversation on comms with the new leader of Twin Suns Squadron, Wes Janson decides she has a nice voice and asks Wedge and Tycho if she is hot and single, clearly interested in pursuing her…only to learn (after a fair amount of teasing on their part) that she is nineteen-year-old Jaina Solo, daughter of his Rebellion colleagues Han Solo and Leia Organa (The New Jedi Order - Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand)

In the middle of a battle over the Katana fleet, Borsk Fey’lya admits to Talon Karrde and Leia Organa Solo that he only pretended to care about the New Republic military as a means to gain political power and does not care if Rogue Squadron and others in the battle die, as “anyone not on my side is my enemy” – not realizing that Leia has turned on the internal and external comms systems, broadcasting Borsk’s admission that he doesn’t care about the military…to the military (Dark Force Rising)

Wes Janson asks Reina Faleur on a dinner date; when she demurs that she has a date already, he encourages her to break it to go out with him, but she tells him “Captain Antilles wouldn’t like it” – as the date is with Wedge (X-Wing: Rogue Squadron #32, Mandatory Retirement part 1)

Corran Horn tries to play tough guy while bargaining for a cache of weapons on Tatooine, telling his opponent, “That’s Mirax Terrik, Booster Terrik’s daughter. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go.” When the man laughs in his face and Corran wonders why that didn’t work, Mirax reveals that the man he’s attempting to intimidate is Booster Terrik (X-Wing: The Bacta War)

Let’s create more Legends moments together! Follow @from-a-legends-pov and come join us for From a Legends Point of View, a fanfiction event where we’ll be building a collection of fics featuring Star Wars Legends characters (including OT characters) during the time of the Original Trilogy. Writer signups are open now — use our Signup Form to pitch your story concepts (Signup Guidelines here), check out our Event Overview and FAQ for more information, and encourage your favorite writers to participate! Signups are open through June 2.

[magnetarbeam]

If Star Wars Husbands Took Their Wives' Last Names

Han Organa: It sounds weird, but at least it makes more sense than Princess Leia taking the last name of a smuggler.

Luke Jade: No, because Mara's original last name doesn't correspond to an actual family. Palpatine could have made it up, for all we know.

Corran Terrik: Booster would probably feel a little better about it.

Kell Sarkin: It has a nice ring to it.

Wedge Wessiri: I associate his badass feats too closely with "Antilles" for this one to really land, but least AO3 tags wouldn't have to distinguish between Syal Antilles Fel | Wynssa Starflare and Syal Antilles | Lysa Dunter.

Did Winter have a last name before she married Tycho? I've seen "Winter Retrac" in some circles, but I have no clue where that comes from.

Jagged Solo: Sounds really weird until his first name is abbreviated to Jag, which is done 95% of the time anyway, and then it sounds really cool.

[corelliaxdreaming]

Title: Before You Hurt Yourself Fandom/Setting: Star Wars Legends, pre (?) NJO Characters/Ships: Corran Horn/Mirax Terrik, Valin Horn Rating: G Words: 489 Summary: A warning flutter in the Force draws Corran to the room he shares with Mirax - and what he sees there stops his heart cold. Two-year-old Valin stands there holding Corran’s lightsaber in his hands. Note: For a comment_fic prompt: "Star Wars, any + any, give me that before you hurt yourself."

( Before You Hurt Yourself )