5/5 Rancors - The year was 1990. Return of the Jedi was now seven years behind us and the last remnants of Star Wars toys had been swept away at bargain-bin prices. There was no real indication that George Lucas would ever move forward with another Star Wars picture in our lifetimes. It was a dark time for fans.
Into this void came a Star Wars book from Timothy Zahn titled Heir to the Empire, promised to be book one of a trilogy. It stormed up the bestseller charts and into many fans' hearts. Zahn delivered an exciting, rambunctious tale set five years after Return of the Jedi, full of familiar faces and introducing several new ones who would play immensely significant roles in the EU, most notably Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.
The trilogy mentioned a project in the Old Republic era named Outbound Flight. While it gave some tidbits concerning this ill-fated expedition, there wasn't much detail. Years later Zahn wrote Survivor's Quest, in which Luke and Mara enter the ruins of Outbound Flight on a mission of discovery. Finally, with the publication of Outbound Flight, we get the full story of what happened to the project and light is shed on Thrawn's origins.
Zahn skillfully weaves in the prevailing themes of the prequels; the Trade Federation is involved, Sidious is up to his usual scheming and has reasons for wishing Outbound Flight serious harm, and our favorite master-apprentice pair Obi-Wan and Anakin manage to worm their way into the narrative. Even though he is at times almost obnoxiously omniscient, Thrawn is a favorite character of mine. He is truly a villain who would never regard himself as an evil man; indeed, he has very firm beliefs and a strong moral code. Still, he is written in such a way that it is believable he would choose to partner with the future leaders of the Empire rather than the bloated and failing Republic government.
The main characters such as Jorj Car'das and his crewmates, Vicelord Kav, and Kinman Doriana are interesting enough, but the real standouts of the tale besides Thrawn are Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth and his Padawan Lorana Jinzler. C'baoth is arrogant, condescending, extremely strong in the Force and probably well on his way to tapping into the Dark Side; however, it's hard to shake the feeling that a Jedi like him might have caused Palpatine some serious problems. Some of his statements seem overtly aggressive and very un-Jedi-like, but the Jedi way is one that is soon to fail to protect the galaxy. It's very clear why Sidious wants him out of the way.
Lorana Jinzler is a nice counterpoint to the polished and confident Jedi we are used to seeing and reading about. She is a fundamentally good person but being under the thumb of a domineering master has restricted her growth as an independent person and hampered her path to Knighthood. I found her and Thrass' (Thrawn's brother) efforts to save the remnants of Outbound Flight at the end extremely moving; Zahn effortlessly achieves a cinematic feel to the climax where I can see a movie practically playing in my head.
I was struck by how differently Anakin was written in this book compared to Rogue Planet. In that book he was still a child and acted the part. In Outbound Flight I realized that I was picturing a younger Hayden Christensen rather than an older Jake Lloyd. Neat transition and appropriate since three years elapse between the stories.
Great story overall. I can't help but chuckle watching Thrawn's plans fall into place, and the fact that at the end not everything goes exactly as he had thought it would adds a needed believability to his military capabilities. Now I'm eagerly anticipating reading Survivor's Quest way down the Rancors Love to Read road!
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