Today we bring you another User Generated Editorial from our forums, this time in the form of an opinion piece from banania called “Fitting, Respecting, Imagining“. While our site reviewers love the new comic series Star Wars: Invasion! (Dark Horse’s take on the New Jedi Order era), others haven’t been as happy with it, and after the break you’ll get a feel for why. And once you’ve read the editorial, why not go to the discussion topic and give your own opinion?

Fitting, Respecting, Imagining by banania

I know. This is what we call in France “a sword stroke in water”, somehting useless, empty words. And look, I don’t care.

Fitting

These days, I’m re-reading the New Jedi Order series; currently on Dark Tide. NJO is definetely my favourite era in Star Wars universe, what I would call the most epic and formidable serie of the Saga. I guess I’m in love.

As anyone else here, I’m sure my love brought with it fear - in which way Invasion would sooner or later hurt me. I was hoping it would not be right in the first arc of the new comics serie. Damn, IT IS. Reading Vector Prime, I was telling myself: “ok it DOES fit”.

Let’s assume Refugees (the first comic arc) takes place after VP. Let’s keep in mind that there’s two standard months between VP and Dark Tide.

Here’s a list of the points fitting :
- Kyp Durron doesn’t have anymore his Avengers Squadron and lags at the Academy. Why not ? He keeps telling Jedi should be used as weapon, mostly. Ok, here, this is the Kyp of the early war.
- We don’t see Han Solo at all. Great, he’s mourning Chewbacca, and everyone is, especially Anakin. Han has not yeat forgiven to Anakin, good point.
- Mara is ill and Luke takes great care that she rests.
- No Praetorite Vong, they are all destroyed.
- Jaina is not in Rogue Squadron yet.

But, NO, it doesn’t fit :
- in Onslaught, the New Republic and the Jedi are just STARTING to know the Yuuzhan Vong and they’re technology. So how could Le’ung know about Chazrach ?
- the New Republic Senate refuses to let the army conducts evacuations and war strikes until the end of the book. Artorias, Rychel evacuations could not possibly happen before Dantooine. And THAT’s the strange point : because Artorias and Dantooine are on the way the YV are using to conquer Dantooine.

Look at The Essential Atlas maps, remember how little you knew about YV when Dark Tide was released (as the heroes knew little) and re-read some of the novels and you’ll SEE that all of this CAN’T FIT.

Put Refugees after Onslaught, and it does not fit, because Jaina should be on Rogue Squadron and not at the Academy and if you re-read Ruin, you know that the Jedi went on NO MISSIONS between the two DT novels. These are just two examples, but believe me, you could find a lot more.

Respecting

This brings me to the edge of the water. I’m here with my sword trying to strike at something I can cut, but, hey, I don’t mind.

My fearful expectations disappointed me when I believed Refugees respected VP.

The same fearful expectations came back this week, reading DT. I’m feeling betrayed.

So here we are, all-NJO fandom looking at Randy Stradley crying “Hey why couldn’t I make some money with NJO ?”. Well, I’m sure DH can, don’t worry. “Don’t be ironic on me Banania, you know Del Rey stole us the idea in 1999 !”.

Now watching you getting out of the sandbox Randy, I would say : c’mon, you wanna play at who-the-first-did-what ? I was the first entering the NJO era, and even though it’s been ten years, I can assure you that my memory is still vivid and quite intact. Respect the fandom. Don’t try to re-invent this wonderful story because of you avengeful feelings, don’t try to steal us OUR New Jedi Order.

Yeah, this is not and never will be yours. This is ours.

Imagining

I can imagine. Can you, Randy, Wilson, Taylor ?

Ten years ago, I already could imagine YV creatures. Novelists know how to write a description. Since it was a good surprise to see Vongforming, Chazrach, Tu-Scart or Sgauru drawings, I’m wondering : can’t you do SOMETHING more ?

We already had refugees, Selcore, Ryns, Dubrillion, Hutts, Dantooine, Ithor, Duro, Talfaglio. And here you come in interviews claiming “Liste this is great ! Our story is far more different than the DR ne, cos’ there’s refugees ! hey hey !”

Uh… WTF ? We already had evacuations.

Three issues, and I can’t see the point. I don’t see anything new, anything different from the DR-NJO. Just wrecking it. Not improving it.

One more point : I really don’t care for people who have not read the novels. NJO is basically the novel. When you begin to acknowledge that you’ll fill the blanks NJO novels let. New faces, new stories…

Writing scenarios is not my job. So here are some ideas I would like to see on paper : an all-YV plot including different Elite Casts and Shamed Ones, new Vong creatures (c’mon THIS IS EASY), Imperials & Kir Kanos, Peace Brigaders, Antarian Rangers…

This, I could imagine.

The point is : can you ?