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Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted (Rae Carson)

B. Kline — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:01:50 +0000

Star Wars Most Wanted by Rae Carlson

Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson offers fans of the galaxy far, far away a thrilling prelude to the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Set on the gritty streets of Corellia, the novel delves into the early lives of Han Solo and Qi’ra, two characters whose destinies are intricately linked.

Good Reads Back Cover

The back cover synopsis on GoodReads:

Set before the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Han and Qi’ra don’t have a lot in common other than not having a lot. They’re street kids on the industrial planet Corellia, doing whatever it takes to get by, dreaming of something more. They each jump at a chance to prove themselves in the perilous world of Corellia’s criminal underbelly, only to discover they are on the same mission for the same unscrupulous boss. When the job goes disastrously wrong, Han and Qi’ra are on the run–from pirates, a droid crime syndicate, the Empire, and their boss–and will have to learn to trust each other if they are going to survive.

GoodReads – Star Wars: Most Wanted

Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted by Rae Carlson

(I listened to this on audiobook via Libby. I also then read the in print version as well for comparison’s sake.)

Plot Overview

The story centers on Han and Qi’ra before they became the figures we know from the Star Wars saga. They are both “scrumrats,” orphans who must rely on their wits and street smarts to survive in the criminal underworld of Corellia. Their ultimate goal is to escape their oppressive circumstances and find freedom beyond the stars. But when a heist goes wrong, the two must team up to survive against the odds, racing against time to outmaneuver rival gangs, corrupt officials, and the ever-looming presence of the Empire.

Character Development

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of Han and Qi’ra as complex, multifaceted characters. Han is the scrappy, reckless dreamer we’ve come to expect, but Carson gives him layers of vulnerability and determination that make his journey all the more compelling. Qi’ra, on the other hand, is cunning and ambitious, yet haunted by the harsh realities of her world. The dynamic between them is electric, filled with tension, camaraderie, and a touch of romance.

Themes and Setting

Rae Carson does a masterful job of immersing readers in the seedy underbelly of Corellia. The city is portrayed as a living, breathing entity—grimy, dangerous, and full of opportunities for those daring enough to seize them. Themes of survival, loyalty, and the quest for freedom resonate throughout the novel, making it more than just a simple adventure tale. It’s a story about the choices we make, the people we trust, and the lengths we’ll go to achieve our dreams.

Writing Style

Carson’s writing is brisk and engaging, perfectly suited to the fast-paced nature of the story. She captures the voice of the Star Wars universe with ease, balancing action, character moments, and world-building in a way that feels true to the franchise. Her ability to convey the inner thoughts and emotions of Han and Qi’ra adds depth to the narrative, making their journey not just one of survival, but of self-discovery.

Final Thoughts

Star Wars: Most Wanted is a must-read for fans of the Star Wars saga, particularly those interested in the backstory of Han Solo and Qi’ra. Rae Carson has crafted a tale that is both exciting and emotionally resonant, providing new insights into these beloved characters while staying true to the spirit of the franchise. Whether you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan or just looking for a gripping adventure, this book delivers on all fronts.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
Global GoodReads Rating: 3.76 (as of 7.25.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Other Book Reviews

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

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Star Wars:

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Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

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Zelda:

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Space Balls:

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The Simpsons:

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Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

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HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

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Book Review: Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders

B. Kline — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 20:16:39 +0000

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders

Book Review: Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders

The other day we reviewed the first book of the series – Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland.

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price is the second installment in the Flight of the Falcon series and is written by Lou Anders. It’s a rollicking, swashbuckling adventure set in the galaxy far, far away, with a particular focus on one of the most notorious scoundrels in Star Wars lore: Hondo Ohnaka, the space pirate with charm, wit, and no shortage of tall tales.

GoodReads Back Blurb

All-new adventures starring Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Hondo Ohnaka aboard the Millennium Falcon!

Hello, my friends! It is I, Hondo Ohnaka, greatest pirate in the galaxy, hero of the Rebellion, and if you believe that Obi-Wan Kenobii guy, a villain, too. But what did he know?

I am here to tell you stories of that most amazing ship, the Millennium Falcon, including my very first time on board and a few occasions when I actually flew the Falcon myself! And I did a great job of it, too. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Oh, there might be a familiar Wookie in the stories. And that Han Solo guy. He had a way of popping up. And some other people you may know. And some you may not.

So hang on tight, because this adventure is traveling at lightspeed and it’s going to be a wild ride!

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders – GoodReads

Book Review

Plot Summary: The novel revolves around Hondo’s adventures with the iconic Millennium Falcon. Hondo recounts his wild escapades to Bazine Netal, a spy who is seeking to learn more about the Falcon’s whereabouts. Through a series of flashbacks, readers are taken on a ride through time, revisiting different points in the galaxy’s history where Hondo, in true pirate fashion, becomes embroiled in various schemes that involve the famous ship.

Character Focus: Hondo Ohnaka is undoubtedly the star of the show. His humor, opportunism, and rogue-like charm shine throughout the book. Anders nails Hondo’s voice, capturing his eccentricities perfectly—whether he’s boasting about outwitting Imperial forces or narrowly escaping danger through clever trickery. Fans of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels will be delighted by how the character leaps off the page, maintaining the essence that made him a fan favorite.

Although Hondo takes center stage, Pirate’s Price also gives us glimpses of Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Falcon herself, which is portrayed as a kind of mystical, legendary ship that has lived through countless escapades. There’s even a brief cameo by Rey, linking the story to the sequel trilogy’s timeline, which adds a layer of continuity.

Writing and Pacing: Lou Anders crafts a fun and fast-paced narrative. The story moves quickly from one escapade to the next, almost like a series of mini-adventures tied together by Hondo’s storytelling. The pacing is energetic, which makes the novel hard to put down—perfect for younger readers or anyone looking for a lighthearted romp through the galaxy. Anders’ writing is accessible and full of humor, especially in Hondo’s voice, which is both comical and engaging.

The dialogue is a highlight, with Hondo’s quips and self-serving bravado creating a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. The story structure—being told through Hondo’s unreliable narration—adds a layer of charm, as you’re never quite sure if Hondo is telling the whole truth or embellishing his exploits for dramatic effect.

Appeal for Star Wars Fans: For fans of Star Wars lore, Pirate’s Price serves as a fun side story that enriches the universe’s vast narrative. It doesn’t delve into deep, galaxy-altering events, but it does offer a more intimate look at the everyday chaos of the galaxy, focusing on the smaller, personal adventures of its characters. If you’re familiar with Hondo from the animated series, this book will feel like an extension of his character, and fans of the Millennium Falcon will enjoy seeing the ship woven into another set of stories.

Conclusion: Star Wars: Pirate’s Price is an enjoyable, lighthearted adventure that’s perfect for younger readers and die-hard fans of Hondo Ohnaka. It’s a story packed with humor, charm, and classic Star Wars adventure, though it doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you’re looking for a fun read that celebrates one of the franchise’s most entertaining characters, this book will certainly deliver.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
Global GoodReads Rating: 4.02 (as of 7.16.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Hondo’s larger-than-life personality and the fast-paced storytelling make Pirate’s Price a delightful addition to the Flight of the Falcon series.

Other Book Reviews

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

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Book Review: Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland

B. Kline — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 19:50:01 +0000

Book Review: Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland is the first of two installments on the Flight of the Falcon series. (Look for the book review for the second installment in a bit.)

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck, the first book in the Flight of the Falcon series, brings us on an exciting adventure with none other than the galaxy’s most charming gambler, Lando Calrissian. Written by Justina Ireland, this middle-grade novel is a fast-paced, action-packed story that explores Lando’s life as a rogue pilot, highlighting his wit, cleverness, and occasional brushes with morality.

As the inaugural book in the Flight of the Falcon series, it sets the tone for what readers can expect: engaging characters, high-stakes missions, and the legendary Millennium Falcon at the center of it all.

GoodReads Back Blurb

An all-new adventure starring Lando Calrissian and L3-37 onboard the Millennium Falcon. When Lando Calrissian gets caught smuggling on the planet Hynestia, the queen agrees to let him go if he delivers something called the Solstice Globe to the Empire on her behalf. Lando is relieved that his punishment is a simple delivery mission — but things are not as simple as they seem. The queen’s daughter, Princess Rinetta, has stowed away on the Millennium Falcon and demands that Lando and L3-37 take the globe back to its home planet, which needs the globe to survive. Now Lando has to choose: do what’s right or do what’s best for Lando? If he’s lucky enough, he just might be able to do both…

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland – GoodReads

Plot Overview:

The story kicks off when Lando, piloting the Millennium Falcon long before Han Solo won it from him, gets roped into a royal mission on the planet Hynestia. His job? Transport a priceless, sacred artifact known as the Solstice Globe to the Empire. However, Lando being Lando, nothing goes quite according to plan. Enter Princess Rinetta, the young, determined heir to Hynestia’s throne, who becomes Lando’s unexpected ally as they work to avoid the Empire and save her people from oppression.

Throughout the book, readers are treated to a series of twists, betrayals, and daring escapes as Lando and Princess Rinetta face peril and moral dilemmas, all while piloting the iconic Millennium Falcon across the stars.

Lando Calrissian: Scoundrel with a Heart

What makes Lando’s Luck shine is the characterization of Lando himself. Justina Ireland captures his charisma and smooth-talking ways perfectly, balancing his opportunistic nature with a deeper sense of loyalty and justice that only emerges when he’s pushed into a corner. He may be motivated by self-interest, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that even Lando can’t resist doing the right thing when it really matters.

The banter between Lando and L3-37, his co-pilot droid, adds humor and depth to the story. L3’s sharp wit and rebellious spirit are great counterpoints to Lando’s smooth charm, making their dynamic one of the book’s highlights. If you enjoyed their relationship in Solo: A Star Wars Story, you’ll love how it’s further developed in this book.

Princess Rinetta also plays a pivotal role. Her growth throughout the novel is subtle but important, as she learns to navigate the complexities of leadership, diplomacy, and sacrifice. Together, she and Lando form an unlikely but effective team, and their dynamic is one of the book’s core strengths.

Accessible and Action-Packed

As a middle-grade novel, Lando’s Luck is written in an accessible style that will appeal to younger readers and casual Star Wars fans. The plot moves quickly, with plenty of action sequences, from blaster shootouts to high-speed chases in the Falcon. Justina Ireland keeps the story tight and focused, making sure there’s never a dull moment. The stakes are high, but the tone remains lighthearted and adventurous, perfect for readers looking for a fun, fast read.

At the same time, seasoned Star Wars fans will appreciate the way Ireland weaves in familiar elements of the galaxy without bogging down the story in heavy lore. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the saga, you’ll find plenty to enjoy, especially when it comes to Lando’s swashbuckling style of problem-solving.

Themes of Choice and Consequence

Though it’s a fun and light adventure, Lando’s Luck subtly explores deeper themes of choice, responsibility, and morality. Lando’s constant tug-of-war between doing what’s easy and doing what’s right serves as a relatable moral compass for younger readers. The narrative doesn’t preach, but it does present tough decisions that the characters must face, making it a story not just about adventure, but also about growth and integrity.

Princess Rinetta’s struggle to save her people and find her own voice as a leader parallels Lando’s journey of self-reflection, showing that even the galaxy’s most charismatic scoundrel is capable of change. This exploration of moral choices elevates the book from simple adventure fare into something with a bit more weight, especially for young readers learning about ethics and personal responsibility.

Verdict: A Fun and Engaging Star Wars Adventure

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck is a fun, fast-paced adventure that perfectly captures the spirit of its titular hero. Justina Ireland does a fantastic job of bringing Lando Calrissian to life, complete with all his wit, charm, and mischief. Whether you’re a young reader or a long-time Star Wars fan, this book offers an enjoyable look into the galaxy’s seedier side, with plenty of heart and humor to balance the action.

If you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable read filled with adventure, moral dilemmas, and a dash of roguish charm, Lando’s Luck is worth adding to your reading list.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
Global GoodReads Rating: 3.47 (as of 7.10.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Lando’s daring escapades, paired with Justina Ireland’s snappy storytelling, make this an absolute must-read for fans of the galaxy’s smoothest gambler.

Other Book Reviews

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire Trilogy: The Star Wars Sequel We Almost Got

B. Kline — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 01:32:04 +0000

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire Trilogy: The Star Wars Sequel We Almost Got

A deep review of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command

There are books that continue a story, and then there are books that change what people believe a story can become.

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy belongs firmly in the second category.

The original Thrawn Trilogy novels and their “Legends” editions.

Published between 1991 and 1993, the trilogy—Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command—was not simply another collection of Star Wars novels. It was the literary bridge between the original trilogy and the enormous Expanded Universe that followed. More importantly, it demonstrated that Star Wars could continue beyond Return of the Jedi without simply repeating the movies.

That achievement is easy to underestimate today.

Modern Star Wars audiences live in a universe where television series, novels, comics, video games, reference books, and films have been telling stories across multiple eras for decades. In 1991, that ecosystem barely existed. Heir to the Empire arrived years after Return of the Jedi, at a time when the future of Star Wars was uncertain and new stories involving Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa were comparatively rare.

The book became a New York Times bestseller and effectively kicked open the door for the modern Expanded Universe. StarWars.com has itself described the novel as the work that “jumpstarted” the Expanded Universe publishing program.

And it did so by introducing one of the most enduring characters in Star Wars history:

Grand Admiral Thrawn.

But Thrawn is only part of the reason the trilogy works.

The real achievement of Zahn’s trilogy is that it understands something fundamental about Star Wars: the Empire did not disappear when the Emperor died.

The Death Star was destroyed.

Darth Vader was dead.

Palpatine was dead.

But governments, militaries, ideologies, grudges, economic interests, criminal organizations, old loyalties, and millions of ordinary people remained.

Zahn takes that simple idea and builds an entire post-Return of the Jedi galaxy around it.

And more than thirty years later, the trilogy remains one of the most impressive pieces of Star Wars fiction ever written.

What Is the Thrawn Trilogy?

Timothy Zahn’s original trilogy consists of:

Heir to the Empire (1991)
Dark Force Rising (1992)
The Last Command (1993)

The story begins approximately five years after Return of the Jedi. The New Republic has defeated the Emperor but is still trying to transform a military rebellion into a functioning government. Meanwhile, remnants of the Galactic Empire remain scattered throughout the galaxy.

Into this unstable political situation steps Grand Admiral Thrawn, a brilliant Imperial strategist who has survived the collapse of Palpatine’s regime.

Rather than introduce another Sith Lord or another planet-destroying superweapon, Zahn creates a different kind of antagonist.

Thrawn doesn’t need the Force.

He doesn’t need a Death Star.

He doesn’t even particularly need to hate the heroes.

He simply needs to understand them better than they understand him.

That distinction is the foundation of the entire trilogy.

Why Heir to the Empire Was So Important

Original Heir to the Empire paperback cover

Before discussing whether the trilogy is actually good, it is worth understanding what it accomplished.

Heir to the Empire premiered in May 1991 and immediately reached the top of The New York Times bestseller list.

That is remarkable for a licensed science-fiction novel.

The novel effectively told readers:

The story isn’t over.

Luke Skywalker could still be Luke Skywalker.

Han Solo could still be Han Solo.

Leia could still be Leia.

The Empire could still be dangerous.

And the galaxy could become much larger without becoming unrecognizable.

Zahn’s assignment was enormous. In an interview decades later, he explained that he received the offer unexpectedly in 1989 and had never written a trilogy before. He initially had to figure out how to tell one 300,000-word story across three books.

The result became the foundation for what would eventually be called the Star Wars Expanded Universe, later reclassified as Star Wars Legends.

That historical distinction matters.

Today, the original Zahn trilogy is officially part of Star Wars Legends, rather than the current Disney-era continuity. But its influence did not disappear when the continuity label changed.

Thrawn survived.

Mara Jade survived.

The idea of the post-Endor New Republic survived.

And, eventually, Thrawn himself returned to modern Star Wars canon.

The Most Important Thing Zahn Understands About Star Wars

Timothy Zahn (juxtaposed by Grand Admiral Thrawn)

The easiest way to write a bad Star Wars sequel is to assume the only thing people want is another Star Wars movie.

Zahn doesn’t make that mistake.

Instead, he asks:

What happens after the heroes win?

That is a much more interesting question.

The original trilogy is fundamentally a story about overthrowing tyranny.

The Thrawn trilogy is partially about discovering that overthrowing tyranny is much easier than replacing it.

The New Republic has inherited a galaxy that has been ruled by the Empire for decades.

It has to govern.

It has to negotiate.

It has to rebuild.

It has to convince former Imperial citizens that it isn’t simply another temporary government.

It has to deal with military commanders who don’t want to surrender.

It has to manage rival political factions.

It has to figure out what happens to the Imperial military.

And all of that has to happen while an enemy is actively trying to destroy it.

This makes the trilogy feel surprisingly mature.

The heroes aren’t simply fighting evil.

They’re trying to build something.

Heir to the Empire: The Perfect Introduction

The original Thrawn trilogy covers

The first novel is easily the most iconic of the three.

It introduces the central conflict, establishes the new political landscape, introduces Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, brings Thrawn onto the stage, and establishes the trilogy’s larger mythology.

Most importantly, it doesn’t waste time explaining things the reader already knows.

Zahn assumes you know who Luke Skywalker is.

You know Han Solo.

You know Leia.

You know Chewbacca.

You know the Millennium Falcon.

You know what the Empire is.

That allows him to spend his pages expanding the universe rather than rebuilding it.

And the expansion is considerable.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn is the character who immediately grabs the reader’s attention.

He is one of the best villains ever created for Star Wars, largely because Zahn understands that villainy does not have to mean theatrical evil.

Darth Vader is terrifying because he is physically imposing, emotionally damaged, and nearly supernatural.

Palpatine is terrifying because he is manipulative, sadistic, and politically brilliant.

Thrawn is terrifying because he is competent.

That sounds simple.

It isn’t.

Competent villains are difficult to write because a writer must convince the audience that the villain is genuinely smarter than the heroes without simply making everyone else stupid.

Zahn generally succeeds.

Thrawn studies art.

Not because he is trying to become cultured.

Not because he wants to impress people.

He studies art because he believes artistic expression reveals the psychology and worldview of a civilization.

If he understands how a culture thinks, he can anticipate how its military leaders might behave.

That gives his military genius a distinctive intellectual foundation.

Thrawn doesn’t merely ask:

“What will the enemy do?”

He asks:

“Why does the enemy think the way it does?”

That is much more interesting.

Thrawn Is Not Darth Vader

One of Zahn’s smartest decisions was refusing to turn Thrawn into Vader 2.0.

There is no lightsaber.

No Force lightning.

No helmet.

No melodramatic breathing.

No attempt to recreate the emotional relationship between Luke and Vader.

Thrawn is an entirely different kind of antagonist.

In fact, one of the trilogy’s greatest strengths is that Thrawn can respect his enemies.

He doesn’t necessarily hate Luke.

He doesn’t need Han to suffer.

He doesn’t spend his time talking about how evil he is.

He is an Imperial because he believes in order, hierarchy, and the effectiveness of the Imperial system.

That makes him much more intellectually interesting.

And Zahn creates a fascinating contradiction in him:

Thrawn is often more honorable than the system he serves.

He can respect competence even in an enemy.

He can reward creativity.

He understands military discipline.

His subordinates generally respect him rather than merely fearing him.

That creates a very different atmosphere from Palpatine’s Empire.

It also makes Thrawn’s eventual defeat considerably more satisfying.

The Problem With Thrawn

Thrawn is not perfect as a character.

The biggest criticism of the character is that Zahn sometimes makes his genius feel almost supernatural.

The famous art-analysis concept is clever, but the novels occasionally push Thrawn’s predictive abilities so far that it can feel as though he is solving the plot because the author has given him an exceptionally powerful analytical ability.

There is a fine line between:

“This character is incredibly intelligent.”

and

“This character is always correct because the story needs him to be.”

Zahn occasionally crosses that line.

Still, Thrawn works because his intelligence is usually presented through action rather than endless declarations about how brilliant he is.

We see him analyze.

We see him make decisions.

We see the consequences.

And we see other characters struggle to figure out what he is doing.

That is far more effective than simply having characters constantly announce:

“Thrawn is a genius!”

Mara Jade: The Other Great Invention

If Thrawn is the trilogy’s greatest villain, Mara Jade is arguably its most important original character.

Mara enters the story with one of the most immediately compelling premises imaginable:

She has been ordered to kill Luke Skywalker.

Not because Luke personally wronged her.

Not because she is a Sith.

But because she was once the Emperor’s Hand.

She served Palpatine directly, and the Emperor’s death destroyed the structure around which her identity had been built.

That makes Mara more than an assassin.

She is a person trying to figure out who she is after the person who defined her life has died.

This is one of Zahn’s strongest character concepts.

Mara Jade and the Question of Identity

The original trilogy contains a great deal of mythology about destiny.

Luke is Vader’s son.

Leia is Luke’s sister.

Vader is redeemed.

The Jedi return.

The Sith fall.

Zahn approaches identity from another direction.

What happens to someone whose entire identity was created by an authoritarian regime?

Mara has to confront that question.

She knows herself as the Emperor’s Hand.

Then the Emperor dies.

What is she now?

Her hatred of Luke is therefore partly personal, but also existential.

Luke represents the end of the world that created her.

Killing Luke would, in her mind, somehow restore meaning to her life.

That makes her eventual relationship with Luke much more interesting than a simple enemies-to-friends storyline.

It is about learning to redefine oneself.

Mara’s Relationship With Luke

One of the trilogy’s best long-term ideas is that Luke and Mara don’t immediately become friends.

Their relationship is antagonistic, uncomfortable, distrustful, and occasionally hostile.

That is exactly how it should be.

Mara has legitimate reasons to hate Luke from her perspective.

Luke has legitimate reasons not to trust her.

Neither character can simply flip a switch.

Instead, their relationship evolves through repeated encounters.

Mara gradually discovers that Luke is not the monster she imagined.

Luke gradually discovers that Mara is not simply an Imperial assassin.

That relationship became enormously important to the subsequent Legends continuity, eventually leading to Luke and Mara marrying and having a son.

Even if a reader knows where the relationship ultimately goes, the trilogy’s handling of their initial dynamic remains effective.

Talon Karrde and the Criminal Underworld

Another excellent decision is Talon Karrde.

Karrde is not a Rebel.

He isn’t an Imperial.

He isn’t a traditional hero.

He’s a smuggler.

And he is exactly the kind of character a post-Return of the Jedi galaxy needs.

The movies give us the impression that the galaxy consists largely of two sides:

Empire vs. Rebellion.

Zahn realizes that this isn’t how a functioning galaxy would actually work.

There are people who simply want to make money.

There are criminals.

Traders.

Smugglers.

Mercenaries.

Neutral systems.

Local governments.

People who don’t care who wins so long as they survive.

Karrde represents that middle ground.

And Han’s interactions with him allow Zahn to explore something particularly interesting:

Han Solo is no longer the galaxy’s most important smuggler.

That’s a subtle but important evolution.

Han has become a political figure.

He is married to Leia.

He is connected to the New Republic.

His old world hasn’t disappeared, but he has moved beyond it.

Han Solo Gets to Be Han Solo

This is one of the areas where Zahn deserves enormous credit.

Han is difficult to write.

Too serious, and he stops being Han.

Too jokey, and he becomes a parody of himself.

Zahn finds a surprisingly good balance.

Han is older.

More responsible.

More politically important.

But he is still sarcastic, impulsive, stubborn, and occasionally reckless.

The same applies to Leia.

Zahn doesn’t freeze the original characters in carbonite.

They have changed.

But they haven’t become different people.

That distinction is crucial.

Leia Organa Is Perhaps the Trilogy’s Most Underrated Character

Leia may actually benefit more from the trilogy than any other member of the original trio.

She isn’t simply “Han’s wife.”

She isn’t simply “Luke’s sister.”

She is a political leader.

She is an ambassador.

She is pregnant with twins.

She is connected to Vader.

She is trying to help establish the New Republic.

And she becomes deeply involved with the Noghri storyline.

Zahn gives Leia something the films sometimes struggle to provide:

a sustained political role.

She isn’t merely fighting battles.

She’s helping determine what the post-Imperial galaxy will look like.

That makes her character feel like a natural evolution of the woman who stood up to Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin in the original trilogy.

The Noghri Storyline

The Noghri are one of the trilogy’s most effective additions to the Star Wars universe.

They are a species whose homeworld was devastated during the Galactic Civil War.

The Empire, through Darth Vader, exploited their loyalty by presenting itself as the savior of their people.

The Noghri subsequently became elite Imperial assassins.

The brilliance of the storyline is that it isn’t simply about defeating an enemy.

It is about uncovering a lie.

Leia discovers that the Empire’s relationship with the Noghri is built upon manipulation.

That storyline reinforces one of Zahn’s central themes:

Empires survive through stories as much as through armies.

The Noghri believe the Empire saved them.

Once that belief collapses, the political relationship collapses with it.

This is an unusually sophisticated idea for a Star Wars novel.

The Katana Fleet and the Mythology of Lost Power

The second major piece of mythology is the Katana fleet, often called the Dark Force.

The concept is simple and wonderfully Star Wars:

A massive fleet of powerful warships disappeared decades earlier.

Now someone has found it.

Whoever controls it could dramatically alter the balance of power.

This is essentially a treasure hunt mixed with a military arms race.

But it also serves another purpose.

The Katana fleet demonstrates that military power is not the same thing as political legitimacy.

The New Republic is trying to build a government.

The Empire is trying to rebuild its military.

The smugglers want to survive.

And everyone wants access to the same strategic resource.

That gives the second book a more political and economic flavor than the first.

Dark Force Rising: The Middle Chapter That Actually Works

The middle book of a trilogy is often the weakest.

It has to expand the story without resolving it.

It introduces complications.

It shifts characters around.

It creates a bigger climax that someone else gets to finish.

Dark Force Rising avoids many of those problems.

It feels like a genuine escalation rather than filler.

Thrawn becomes more dangerous.

The New Republic becomes more unstable.

The mystery surrounding the Katana fleet develops.

Luke’s Jedi storyline becomes increasingly important.

Mara continues her complicated relationship with Luke.

And the political situation becomes increasingly tangled.

One of Zahn’s strengths throughout the trilogy is his ability to make multiple plotlines eventually collide.

The story can jump from military strategy to political negotiations to smuggling operations to Jedi mythology without feeling as though you’re reading four unrelated books.

Joruus C’baoth: The Trilogy’s Most Interesting Weakness

If Thrawn is the trilogy’s greatest strength, Joruus C’baoth is probably its most divisive element.

C’baoth is a dark mirror to the Jedi ideal.

He has immense Force abilities, but his understanding of the Jedi is warped by arrogance, obsession, and authoritarianism.

He doesn’t merely want to teach Luke.

He wants to control him.

That distinction matters.

C’baoth believes that the Jedi should rule because they possess superior power.

This creates an ideological counterpoint to Luke.

Luke is trying to rebuild the Jedi Order.

C’baoth represents what happens when Jedi power becomes separated from humility.

C’baoth vs. Thrawn

The relationship between Thrawn and C’baoth is one of the trilogy’s most enjoyable elements.

They are both intelligent.

They are both ambitious.

They are both dangerous.

And they fundamentally do not trust one another.

Thrawn believes in calculation.

C’baoth believes in power.

Thrawn manipulates systems.

C’baoth manipulates minds.

Thrawn wants the Empire restored.

C’baoth wants something much more personal.

Their alliance therefore feels inherently unstable.

It is essentially two predators temporarily hunting the same prey.

Eventually, one will turn on the other.

The reader knows this.

The characters know this.

And that makes their scenes crackle.

The Last Command: Bringing Everything Together

The final novel is where Zahn’s long-form plotting pays off.

The trilogy’s various elements finally converge:

Thrawn’s military campaign
Mara’s personal conflict
Luke’s Jedi development
Leia’s political role
Han’s efforts to build alliances
The Noghri
The Katana fleet
C’baoth
The New Republic
The Imperial remnants

That is a lot of moving parts.

Yet Zahn largely keeps the machine running.

The final book feels like a genuine conclusion rather than simply the third installment.

Thrawn’s Greatest Strength Becomes His Greatest Weakness

One of the smartest things about the trilogy’s ending is that Thrawn does not lose because someone suddenly becomes smarter than him.

He loses because his worldview has a blind spot.

Thrawn is exceptionally good at analyzing cultures, militaries, and individual behavior.

But his dependence on his own analytical framework creates vulnerabilities.

The Noghri storyline becomes particularly important here.

Thrawn’s problem isn’t that he lacks information.

It’s that he misunderstands the significance of the information he possesses.

That is much more satisfying than defeating him through a bigger explosion.

Thrawn’s Death Is Surprisingly Anti-Hollywood

One of the most memorable things about The Last Command is that Thrawn’s ultimate defeat is not some giant lightsaber duel.

There is no dramatic showdown between Thrawn and Luke.

No Force battle.

No heroic speech.

No gigantic explosion that kills him.

Instead, his death is connected to the Noghri and the betrayal of the relationship the Empire believed it controlled.

That is perfectly appropriate.

Thrawn is defeated not because he isn’t intelligent.

He is defeated because intelligence cannot compensate for every blind spot.

His final words are famously understated.

And that is exactly right for the character.

The Trilogy’s Real Subject: The End of an Empire

Despite the spaceships, lightsabers, blasters and military campaigns, the trilogy isn’t really about whether the Empire wins.

It’s about what happens when an empire dies.

That’s why the books remain interesting.

The Galactic Empire wasn’t simply Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.

It was millions of bureaucrats.

Soldiers.

Officers.

Politicians.

Businesses.

Governments.

Citizens.

Propaganda systems.

Economic structures.

And cultural assumptions.

Destroying Palpatine does not destroy all of that.

Zahn understands this.

The New Republic therefore has a much harder task than simply defeating the remaining Imperial fleet.

It has to convince people that the Empire’s worldview is no longer inevitable.

Order vs. Freedom

This leads to one of the trilogy’s most interesting philosophical themes.

What is preferable: order or freedom?

The Empire offers order.

The New Republic offers freedom.

But freedom is messy.

Democracy is inefficient.

Coalitions argue.

Politicians compromise.

Military decisions take time.

People disagree.

The Empire can simply issue an order.

That makes Thrawn’s argument more compelling than a cartoonish “Empire bad, Republic good” interpretation would allow.

The trilogy doesn’t seriously argue that authoritarianism is morally superior.

But it does acknowledge why authoritarian systems can appear attractive.

Especially after years of chaos.

That is a mature observation.

The New Republic Is Not Automatically Competent

Another excellent feature of the trilogy is that the heroes don’t suddenly become perfect because they won.

The New Republic has problems.

Lots of them.

There are political divisions.

Military disagreements.

Competing interests.

People who served the Empire and now have to live under the new government.

People who fought the Empire but don’t necessarily agree about what comes next.

This is exactly what a realistic postwar government would look like.

And it gives the story stakes beyond:

“Can Luke beat the bad guy?”

The question becomes:

Can the New Republic survive long enough to become a real republic?

Luke Skywalker Has a Different Problem

Luke’s central challenge isn’t defeating Vader anymore.

It’s figuring out what comes next.

At the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke is essentially the last known Jedi.

That’s an enormous burden.

He knows almost nothing about rebuilding the Jedi Order.

He has limited training.

He has no established institution.

No senior Jedi Masters.

No library.

No functioning temple.

No tradition he can simply inherit.

So Luke has to become both student and teacher.

This is one of the trilogy’s strongest character ideas.

Luke isn’t merely trying to become a better Jedi.

He is trying to determine what the Jedi should actually be.

Zahn’s Understanding of the Force

Zahn’s treatment of the Force is less mystical than some later Star Wars storytelling.

He is interested in the Force as a discipline.

Something that requires training.

Control.

Knowledge.

Self-awareness.

C’baoth represents the danger of power without emotional restraint.

Luke represents the possibility of rebuilding the Jedi around a healthier philosophy.

That makes the Force storyline feel connected to the trilogy’s larger political themes.

The Empire abuses political power.

C’baoth abuses Force power.

The New Republic is attempting to create a healthier political system.

Luke is attempting to create a healthier Jedi system.

The parallels are deliberate and effective.

Zahn’s Writing Style

One reason the trilogy remains readable is that Zahn writes with considerably less ornamentation than some modern fantasy and science-fiction authors.

His prose is functional.

Clear.

Fast.

Sometimes almost aggressively efficient.

He is interested in:

dialogue
strategy
character interaction
information
cause and effect
plot momentum

That makes the books extremely approachable.

You don’t have to be a hardcore Star Wars fan to understand what is happening.

At the same time, there is enough technical and political material to reward longtime fans.

This is probably one reason the books have remained so accessible.

They are nerdy without requiring the reader to be a nerd.

The Dialogue

Zahn’s dialogue is one of his strongest tools.

Han sounds like Han.

Leia sounds like Leia.

Luke sounds like Luke.

Lando sounds like Lando.

But Zahn also creates distinct voices for his original characters.

Thrawn speaks with controlled precision.

Mara is guarded and aggressive.

Karrde is charming, pragmatic, and slippery.

C’baoth speaks with increasingly disturbing certainty.

Pellaeon serves as an excellent audience surrogate for Thrawn.

That last point is particularly important.

Captain Gilad Pellaeon is often the person standing next to Thrawn while Thrawn explains what he is thinking.

This could easily become clumsy exposition.

Instead, Pellaeon provides the reader with someone who is intelligent enough to understand Thrawn but not so intelligent that he immediately understands everything.

In effect:

Pellaeon is the bridge between Thrawn’s brain and the reader’s brain.

The Trilogy’s Greatest Structural Strength: Everyone Has a Job

A common problem with ensemble stories is that characters become redundant.

Zahn avoids this surprisingly well.

Luke is the Jedi.

Leia is the diplomat.

Han is the improviser and military operative.

Lando is the entrepreneur.

Mara is the outsider with intimate knowledge of the Imperial system.

Karrde controls the criminal and smuggling network.

Thrawn is the strategist.

Pellaeon is the military subordinate and interpreter.

C’baoth is the Force-based wild card.

Each character occupies a different functional role.

This is why the story can become large without becoming completely incoherent.

The Galaxy Feels Bigger

Perhaps the greatest compliment one can give Zahn is that he makes the Star Wars galaxy feel significantly larger.

The original films give us glimpses of an enormous universe.

Zahn starts filling in the blank spaces.

There are worlds with their own political concerns.

Smuggling organizations.

Species with complicated relationships to the Empire.

Imperial factions.

New Republic bureaucracies.

Military strategists.

Old Jedi secrets.

Lost fleets.

Ancient history.

The universe suddenly feels like a civilization rather than a movie set.

That was arguably the Expanded Universe’s greatest accomplishment.

And Zahn was the person who demonstrated how to do it.

Where the Trilogy Shows Its Age

A serious review shouldn’t treat these books as flawless.

They aren’t.

The trilogy is more than thirty years old.

Some of its assumptions, terminology, pacing, and characterization reflect the science-fiction publishing culture of the early 1990s.

There are also moments when Zahn’s prose becomes repetitive.

Thrawn’s genius can occasionally feel overstated.

Some supporting characters are more functional than fully developed.

The political material sometimes moves in dense blocks.

The trilogy also has the characteristic problem of many long-form science-fiction series:

there is a lot of information.

If you’re coming directly from the movies, the sheer number of names can be intimidating.

There are new planets.

New species.

New ships.

New organizations.

New political figures.

New Imperial officers.

New Force concepts.

And new historical references.

The books expect you to keep up.

Fortunately, once you get into the rhythm, the information becomes part of the fun.

The Trilogy’s Relationship With the Original Films

The best thing Zahn could have done was not try to rewrite the original trilogy.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he treats the films as historical events.

That sounds obvious, but it is actually an important distinction.

The Battle of Yavin happened.

The destruction of the Death Star happened.

The Battle of Endor happened.

Vader’s redemption happened.

The Emperor died.

Now everyone has to live with the consequences.

This approach makes the trilogy feel like a genuine sequel rather than a reboot.

Why the Books Don’t Feel Like Fan Fiction

There is a particular danger with writing a licensed continuation.

You can become so obsessed with the original material that every chapter turns into a greatest-hits collection.

Zahn largely avoids that.

The original characters are important, but the plot isn’t dependent upon nostalgia alone.

Thrawn could not have existed in the original trilogy.

Mara could not have existed.

Karrde could not have existed.

The Noghri storyline could not have existed.

The Katana fleet could not have existed.

And yet all of these elements fit naturally into the universe.

That is the mark of successful world-building.

The Biggest Question: Is It Still Good?

Yes.

But perhaps not for exactly the reasons it was good in 1991.

If you read Heir to the Empire today expecting it to function as the secret fourth Star Wars movie, you may occasionally be disappointed.

The technology has changed.

The franchise has changed.

The Expanded Universe has been reorganized.

Some of the lore has been superseded.

And Thrawn himself now exists in multiple versions.

But read the trilogy as what it actually is—a tightly constructed science-fiction adventure about the collapse of an empire and the struggle to build a new government—and it remains remarkably effective.

The books are entertaining.

They are intelligent.

They are ambitious.

And, importantly, they understand the characters.

The “What If?” Factor

Of course, no discussion of the Thrawn trilogy can avoid the alternate-history question:

What if these books had become the basis for the Star Wars sequel films?

It is an irresistible thought experiment.

The trilogy already has:

Luke rebuilding the Jedi
Leia and Han as a married couple
A new generation of Force-sensitive children
An Imperial remnant
A major Imperial villain
Political instability
New worlds
New characters
A mystery surrounding the future of the Jedi
A conflict over the legacy of the Empire

That sounds remarkably similar to the ingredients a sequel trilogy would eventually need.

But the books were never written as movie scripts.

And turning them directly into films would not necessarily have worked.

The trilogy is too dense.

There are too many characters.

Too many subplots.

Too much political material.

Too much internal exposition.

A cinematic adaptation would have needed enormous restructuring.

The better way to think about it isn’t:

“These books should have been Episodes VII–IX.”

It’s:

“These books demonstrated that Episodes VII–IX could exist.”

That is a much more important achievement.

Legends vs. Canon

The Disney-era restructuring of Star Wars continuity in 2014 changed the status of Zahn’s original trilogy.

The books are now categorized as Legends.

That means they are no longer part of the primary continuity established by the post-2014 canon.

But “Legends” doesn’t mean irrelevant.

Quite the opposite.

Thrawn eventually returned to the modern canon, beginning with Zahn’s 2017 novel Thrawn. Official Star Wars material continues to identify the character as one of Zahn’s most enduring creations.

And this is one of the strangest and most satisfying things about the trilogy’s legacy:

The story that was removed from canon produced a character who was brought back into canon.

That is a testament to the character’s staying power.

Thrawn’s Legacy

Thrawn is no longer simply a character from a 1990s novel trilogy.

He has become one of the defining antagonists of Star Wars.

His influence extends into modern books, animation, and live-action storytelling.

But there is an important distinction between modern Thrawn and the original Thrawn.

The original character was introduced almost fully formed.

There was no elaborate origin story.

He arrives as an established Imperial Grand Admiral.

We don’t need to know everything about him immediately.

That mystery is part of his appeal.

Later stories naturally complicate the character.

But the original trilogy remains the purest expression of the concept:

What if the Empire had a military genius who wasn’t a Sith, didn’t need the Force, and wasn’t interested in theatrical villainy?

That question produced one of the best villains in the franchise.

What Makes the Trilogy So Re-readable?

The trilogy rewards rereading because the story isn’t only about what happens.

It’s about why things happen.

The first time through, you’re watching Thrawn’s plans unfold.

The second time, you notice the setup.

You see why certain characters are introduced when they are.

You notice the importance of Mara’s relationship with Luke.

You understand the significance of the Noghri.

You see how the political pieces are positioned.

You recognize the Katana fleet’s function in the larger conflict.

And you begin to appreciate how carefully Zahn moves pieces around the board.

That is one of the best compliments you can give a long-form adventure novel.

The story becomes more interesting when you already know the ending.

My Biggest Criticism

If I had to reduce my biggest criticism of the trilogy to one sentence, it would be:

Zahn occasionally trusts Thrawn’s brilliance more than the reader needs him to.

The character is so obviously intelligent that the narrative sometimes over-explains his intelligence.

There are moments where the mystery would actually be stronger if Thrawn simply made a brilliant decision and moved on.

We don’t always need to know exactly how many layers of strategy he has considered.

Sometimes letting the reader wonder is more powerful.

Similarly, C’baoth occasionally becomes so unhinged that he moves from fascinating psychological antagonist to fairly conventional madman.

Neither problem destroys the trilogy.

But both keep it from being quite as perfect as its reputation sometimes suggests.

My Biggest Praise

My greatest praise is almost the opposite:

Zahn respects consequences.

The original trilogy ended with the Emperor’s death.

Zahn asks what that actually means.

The Empire fragments.

The New Republic struggles.

People who served Palpatine have to decide what comes next.

People who fought the Empire have to figure out how to govern.

Luke has to figure out what the Jedi should become.

Leia has to figure out how to use her political power.

Han has to reconcile his old identity with his new life.

Mara has to discover who she is without the Emperor.

Thrawn has to figure out how to defeat an enemy that is politically different from the Empire he understands.

These are consequences.

And consequences are what make a fictional universe feel alive.

Ranking the Trilogy

1. Heir to the Empire

10/10

The most iconic book and probably the most immediately entertaining.

It introduces Thrawn, Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, the Noghri, and the post-Endor political landscape while bringing back the original heroes.

It feels like discovering another chapter of Star Wars.

2. The Last Command

9.5/10

The most satisfying payoff.

All of Zahn’s major pieces finally collide, and Thrawn’s campaign reaches its conclusion.

The final confrontation between Luke, Mara, C’baoth and Thrawn’s forces gives the trilogy the conclusion it needs without simply repeating the climax of Return of the Jedi.

3. Dark Force Rising

9/10

Probably the most underrated installment.

It doesn’t have the novelty of Heir or the payoff of The Last Command, but it does the difficult middle-book work extremely well.

The Katana fleet, political intrigue, Imperial maneuvering, Mara’s development, and Luke’s Jedi storyline make it essential rather than transitional.

Overall Rating

9.5/10

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy is one of the rare licensed-fiction series that transcended its original purpose.

It isn’t merely good Star Wars.

It is good science fiction.

It understands military strategy.

It understands political instability.

It understands character development.

It understands the importance of consequences.

And most importantly, it understands that the best way to expand a fictional universe is not necessarily to make everything bigger.

Sometimes you make it deeper.

Final Verdict: The Empire Strikes Back—Again, But Differently

The greatest achievement of the Thrawn trilogy is that it doesn’t try to replace the original Star Wars trilogy.

It continues it.

That’s a subtle difference.

The original films are fundamentally mythological.

Luke becomes a Jedi.

Vader is redeemed.

The Emperor falls.

Good triumphs over evil.

Zahn’s trilogy begins after the myth has ended.

Now comes the hard part.

What do you do with the galaxy you just saved?

That is why Heir to the Empire remains so compelling.

The Death Star is gone.

The Emperor is gone.

Vader is gone.

But the Empire is still there.

And somewhere in the Unknown Regions, a blue-skinned Grand Admiral is studying paintings and quietly figuring out exactly how to destroy the New Republic.

That is a fantastic premise.

Thirty-five years later, it is still a fantastic premise.

Timothy Zahn didn’t simply write a sequel to Return of the Jedi.

He proved that the galaxy could keep going.

And for an entire generation of Star Wars fans, that galaxy became every bit as real as the one they had seen on the screen.

The Thrawn Trilogy isn’t merely one of the best pieces of Star Wars Legends. It is one of the foundational works of Star Wars outside the films—and arguably the book series that taught an entire generation how big the Star Wars universe could actually be.

On a Personal Level

In 2013 with my third daughter on the way, my wife gave me full blank check on naming her. First name at least anyway. Wanting to pay homage to my love of Star Wars, but not wanting to be “obvious” in my name choice with LEIA or PADME or even MON MOTHMA (can you imagine that?), and having loved this trilogy so much in High School, I decided on naming her MARA. Same spelling obviously (as we have come across a few MAURAs over the years). Of course soon after this, Disney buys out Star Wars from George Lucas and un-writes the entirety of the Bantam and Del Rey continuities, removing the EU (Expanded Universe) and removes the existence of Mara Jade. Thrawn has made it to the screen and other books, some of the side stuff has as well, (like Rukh, dreadnaughts, etc.), but Mara Jade has yet to come back into the new continuity and its looking less and less likely. These things happen, but I’ll still always enjoy these books and what they have meant to me and millions of others around the world throughout the 30 some years. Cheers all!

-B. Kline

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Mario:

Beer Review: Level Up (Idiom Brewing)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Jason Voorhees / Friday the 13th:

Other:

Follow The Beer Thrillers

For more updates on Pennsylvania brewery news, closures, openings, and expansions, follow The Beer Thrillers on social media and subscribe for the latest articles on the state’s ever-evolving craft beer scene.

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

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You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server).

We also now have a SLACK channel – which acts as a hybrid chat room, message board, Reddit style; workspace and posting area for us. You can hang out with us there and chat about all kinds of things – not just beer, but “off topic” things like movies, TV, books, podcasts, hiking, sports, and more! Join us at: The Beer Thrillers on SLACK.

We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written. The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of May 2025.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

May the Fourth Be With You (2023)

B. Kline — Thu, 04 May 2023 13:30:00 +0000

May the Fourth Be With You

Yes, its that time again! Fourth year running of us mentioning it. (We started the blog in late May of 2019, so we’ve only gotten to tackle May the Fourth in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 now.)

Its that day again. A nerd day of celebratory and galactic proportions. A day to jump on Nintendo Switch Online, on LEGO.com, on Star Wars.com and who knows how many other fan sites and branding sites to get tons of Star Wars related deals.

By now I’m sure you’ve seen it all over Facebook already, every brewery from near and far posting a picture of their workers in costume or a Star Wars movie still with a beer on the picture, usually with the branding of “May the Fourth Be With You” somewhere on the image.

I bet you are probably even within about a 20 mile radius of a brewery or bar doing “Star Wars trivia” tonight.

Its also a day here to celebrate Star Wars in general, and on The Beer Thrillers we are definitely doing that! We definitely love covering Star Wars here on The Beer Thrillers, and I think it shows with our sheer number of Star Wars themed beer reviews, Book of Boba Fett review, and even Star Wars book reviews. On our Facebook page you can find us often linking and sharing to various new beer releases by different (somewhat nearby for me) breweries that are Star Wars themed.

So with the idea of the fact that nearly every brewery is doing some kind of Star Wars themed day or releasing a Star Wars themed beer, I’m going to present a small list of near – ish to me places doing Star Wars beer released themed for this year’s May the Fourth Be With You. (I’m not going to run down a list of every place doing just Star Wars trivia, but the breweries that are at least doing a Star Wars themed beer release, or have a Star Wars themed beer on their menu. And of course, if I miss any, be sure to mention it in the comments section.)

May the Fourth Beer Releases

Star Wars meme our friend Josh at Master Mind X Studios made up for us.

Yes, its that time of year when brewers take their beers they’ve made, and decide to give it a Star Wars themed pun and shoot it out on May 4th or nearby arounds to great critical acclaim (and for people like me, who love Star Wars, to grab up and drink up).

(This is also when the mulers come out in droves, charging you 80$ for two four packs that are being sold for 22$, and willing to ship. I have stretches of DMs from yesterday of Floridians telling me “its totally the acceptable price to sell 40$ for a 4 pack”, and even though S&H doesn’t go up if you ship 4 or if you ship 8, still charging 40$ per pack, so 80$ for 8 beers.

Yea, actually, don’t get me started about the insane DMs I got from mulers and re-flippers specifically from the Miami area, trying to get me J. Wakefield Beers of their Star Wars release. I even had one guy DM and tell me that 105$ for a mixed four pack [two of one beer, two of the other], is a very generous offer.)

(Various Facebook posts about Star Wars themed beer releases.)

Star Wars Day Beer Releases

There is a lot of Star Wars day beer releases for today, the biggest notable one is typically RAR Brewery. Who does a Star Wars themed Out of Order beer release every year. This year they are releasing five Out of Order Star Wars themed beers.

RAR Brewing – Out of Order Star Wars

The RAR Brewing Company Out of Order series is one of their most notable series, and they typically do thematic four, five, six pack releases.

(For the full article click here: RAR Star Wars Day Drop)

This year is a five – pack (not a typical four pack or six pack) that contains two old favorites as well as three new ones; also a new glass and a new ‘mood mat’.

The beers in this year’s drop are:

Out of Order: Sith Sauce (new)
Out of Order: Going Somewhere, Solo? (new)
Out of Order: Blue Milk (returning)
Out of Order: Droid Juice (returning)
Out of Order: Who’s Scruffy Looking? (new)

We have reviewed both the Blue Milk (first batch) and the Droid Juice before. You can find those reviews here:

Mispillion Brewing – Vader

Mispillion Brewing Company is re-releasing Vader for May 4th.

You can find our review here:

Beer Review: Vader (Mispillion Brewing Company)

Neshaminy Creek Brewing – Bantha Fodder

Neshaminy Creek Brewing is releasing a Vienna Lager (German Style Lager) called Bantha Fodder today.

It’s time for MAY THE 4TH STAR WARS TRIVIA NIGHT! We’re pre-gaming our Revenge of the Sixth festivities with a night to flex your intergalactic intellect TONIGHT at 7pm. We’re also tapping Bantha Fodder – our new Spring Bock that is a Croydon Taproom exclusive.

There will be 3 rounds of 10 questions sure to test all you moof milkers out there! Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 teams and the team with the best name so you better come correct. Don your best Star Wars gear and enjoy the soothing sounds of the Cantina Band on repeat! Our friends from the Moocheeze Food Truck will be here all night with a menu full of galactic goodies too. This IS the event you’re looking for.

And tickets are still available for Saturday’s Galactic Empire show – fulfill your destiny and get yours today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/569816385147
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company – Facebook Post

Magnify Brewing – Blue Milk

Magnify Brewing Company is releasing their Blue Milk (Smoothie Sour Ale).

Black Flag Brewing Company – Nerf Herder

Black Flag Brewing Company is re-releasing Nerf Herder (as well as also releasing a Zelda themed beer called Mouteka’s Mask, a parody of Majora’s Mask.)

Bolero Snort Brewing Company

Bolero Snort Brewing Company is going all out. They are releasing in cans – Rancow Attack and Ahsocow. They are also having the following on draft:

New To The Taps

Never Tell Me the Odds Sour – Fruited

6.1% ABV

Zoochberry Surprise inspired Sour Ale with Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, Graham Cracker, Cheesecake and Vanilla

12oz Draft $8.50

4pk 16oz To Go $20.00

Try Not Do Or Do Not There Is No Try Sour – Fruited

5.8% ABV

Cliff Dweller inspired Sour Ale with Ginger Ale, Orange, Pineapple, Coconut Cream and Lime

12oz Draft $8.50

4pk 16oz To Go $20.00

Rancow Attack IPA – New England

6% ABV

Thiol Amplified Hazy with Phantasm, Galaxy and Strata fermented with some sleek new thoil enhancing yeast! Watch out for an attack on your taste buds!

8oz Draft $5.00

16oz Draft $8.00

4pk 16oz To Go $18.00

Coruscant Crusher Gluten-Free

4.5% ABV

AKIRAN INSPIRED VIOLET SELTZER WITH LAVENDAR, ORANGE ZEST, CLOVE AND GRAINS OF PARADISE

12oz Draft $8.50

32oz Crwl $15.00

I Have Spoken Stout – Imperial

11.3% ABV

Mando Uj’alayi Cake inspired barrel aged Imperial Stout with Toasted Walnuts and Hazelnuts, Cinnamon, Black Peppercorns, Dried Currant and Orange Zest

5oz Draft $5.00

500ml To Go $19.00

Maz Kowata’s Watering Hole Crispy Fizz Lager – Other

4.5% ABV

PHOTON FIZZ INSPIRED AQUA LAGER WITH GINGER BEER, LIME, ROSEMARY

11oz $6.00

32oz Crwl $14.00

Dagobah Downpour Sour – Other

6% ABV

BLURRGFIRE INSPIRED SOUR ALE WITH LEMONADE, LIME, POMEGRANATE AND HABANERO

12oz Draft $8.50

32oz Crowler $16.00

Ahsocow Sour – Fruited

5.8% ABV

Sour Ale with Orange, White Chocolate and Vanilla Beans

12oz Draft $8.50

4pk 16oz To Go $20.00
Bolero Snort Brewing Company – Now on Tap

Second Sin Brewing Company – Obi Wan Jabroni

In probably my favorite mash up; Second Sin Brewing Company (Bristol, PA) is releasing Obi Wan Jabroni. A mash up of The Rock and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Crooked Crab Brewing Company – Crabdalorian

Always enjoy the pun twists like this one – Crooked Crab is releasing the “Crabdalorian” today in celebration of Star Wars Day / May the Fourth Be With you. (Similarly, Tattered Flag in the past released “The Pandalorian“.)

Brewery Fire – Hoth: Mangalorian

We’ve covered Brewery Fire’s “The Mangalorian” before, but this is a new take on it. A Cold IPA version of it, appropriately titled: Hoth: The Mangalorian.

Allusion Brewing Company – Stay on Target

Our Battle of the Breweries 2023 champion – Allusion Brewing Company – still has their “Stay on Target” on draft.

Divine Barrel – I Did It For the Wookie

Divine Barrel has a re-release of their “I Did it For the Wookie” beer.

Bottle Logic – Three Releases

Bottle Logic Brewing Company is releasing three beers for today, but as of time of writing, they have only announced two. “Tatooine Sunset” and “Unlimited Power”.

J. Wakefield Beer

The last I’m gonna highlight here is J. Wakefield Beer’s two releases for today. Dagobah Downpour and Max Rebo’s Sour Ale. Who doesn’t love Max Rebo? Honestly. Coolest musician ever. Other than maybe Droopy McCool who was a Jizz Whailer. (And yes… thats a real term in Star Wars before you get mad at me!)

Help A Brother Out

Here’s gonna be my call out. Help a Brother Out! If you ever see a Star Wars themed, Futurama themed, Zelda themed, Lord of the Rings themed, Seinfeld themed, Simpsons themed, pretty much anything nerdy pop culture themed, beer, shoot me a message. Maybe we can work out a deal or sale or trade or something.

Always looking to get my hands on Star Wars and other nerd themed beers to review for the site / blog. So if you know of any – let me know! I wanna check them all out!

(An incomplete list of beers I’m looking for on BeerAdvocate – ISO – Star Wars Themed Beers.)

Star Wars Timeline

Just a quick fun video, if you are interested in the complete timeline of Star Wars up to this date, here you go.

https://youtu.be/BvL68ZwWIHQ

A Highlight of Our Star Wars Beer Reviews

May the Fourth be full of memes

(Some of the following comes from my “May the Fourth Be With You” 2022 article and 2020 articles.)

In this article, I broke down what Star Wars Day is (May the Fourth) and discussed what Star Wars articles I had written up to that point. (Don’t worry, there have been PLENTY of new Star Wars content since then.)

Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet)

This is the Way by Broken Goblet

One of the first Star Wars themed beers I reviewed here on the blog, and one of our most popular beer review articles. A good friend (Roy Ge) picked it up for me and Drew to drink at his place while we did a podcast about The Mandalorian. Was an absolutely wonderful beer. They have released a few variants since. One of which I am covering in the upcoming weeks with the Obi-Wan Kenobi show.

Beer Review: This is Nut The Fluff You Are Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)

This is Nut the Fluff You Are Looking for by Fourscore Beer Co.

Picked this big bad boy of a bottle up when I was in Gettysburg with Ming and Don and brought it back to drink with Drew. As you can see on the blog, you’ll be able to find several Fourscore Beer Co reviews (you can even find Amy’s latest beer review right here – Phantomania). They are a phenomenal brewery that loves delving into Star Wars themed beers. We just picked up a four pack of soft swerves from them that were Star Wars themed, and can’t wait to dive into them here for the blog.

Beer Review: Out of Order – Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order: Blue Milk by RAR Brewing

One of our most popular articles on the blog (right up there with our yearly March Madness tournament posts, our review of Yuengling’s Hershey Porter, and with the Broken Skulls IPA by Stone Cold). This was the first of the Out of Order series I’ve reviewed, and it was a solo one they originally did, but then brought back when they did their Star Wars release in 2021. You’ll find others from that series down below.

Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)

Wookie Monster by Fourscore Beer Co

Another excellent beer, and another Star Wars themed beer by Fourscore Beer Co. Had to work to get this one because I missed out on their initial release and it sold out quickly. Got it through a trade chain through the Central PA Whalerz group, and was I ever so grateful. Delicious beer.

Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)

The Pandalorian by Tattered Flag

From our good friends at Tattered Flag comes this mash-up parody beer called The Pandalorian. This is a very juicy, tasty New Engand IPA that hit the spot on a warm sunny day in November. Soon after my trip back from Indianapolis, (as you can tell by the Vonnegut glass), I got lucky and still had some nice warm November days, and I took full advantage of it laying out and drinking in the sun while reading.

Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)

Java the Stout can art by Jackie O’s Brewery

One of the beers I picked up on my trip to and from Indianapolis was Java the Stout by Jackie O’s. It was a delicious stout that “lived up to its name”. Also, the can art is absolutely phenomenal. Its worth checking out just for that.

Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort)

This is the Whey by Bolero Snort

One of the first Star Wars themed beers I’ve reviewed by Bolero Snort, and a fantastic beer. The other was BoBull Fett and I reviewed that for the premier episode of ‘Book of Boba Fett‘.

Beer Review: The Mangalorian (Brewery Fire)

The Mangolorian by Brewery Fire

In early January I hiked with Ming in the Catoctin Mountain area of Maryland. Afterwards we stopped at Brewery Fire and I picked this up to go. This was my May the Fourth review last year. Wonderful beer, and a great brewery that loves their nerd and pop culture references.

Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolero Snort)

BoBull Fett by Bolero Snort

Another beer review from Bolero Snort, and this time a crowler. We traveled out to New Jersey to pick this up the day of the premier for Book of Boba Fett and then reviewed it for the show as our first of the weekly beer reviews for our “Star Wars Wednesdays”. A fantastic beer.

Beer Review: Out of Order – Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing)

Tatooine Tart by RAR Brewing

Back to RAR Brewing and their Out of Order series. Part of their Star Wars batch of the Out of Order series (along with Blue Milk making its return). Jabba’s Palace scene on the background on the computer from Return of the Jedi. As you can also see with the BoBull Fett beer review, the beginning of all the Star Wars LEGOs being shown in the beer pics.

Beer Review: Out of Order – RAWRGWAWGGR (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order – RARWWARRGGRGR by RAR Brewing

On a cold wintery snowy day in January (January 19th), and another Star Wars Wednesday, I took this Hoth like scene pic with another great Out of Order series beer from RAR Brewing.

Mead Review: The Meadalorian (Space Time Meadery and Cidery)

The Meadalorian by Space Time Meadery and Cidery

Our first Mead review on the blog, and it was a fantastic mead. Check out Space Time Meadery and Cidery if you are in the Scranton PA area. You won’t be disappointed.

Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co.)

Let the Haze Flow Through You by Black Flag Brewing Co.

One of several Black Flag beers we’ve covered on the blog. A top notch brewery we love to hit up whenever we’re able to in the Maryland area. (Its about an hour and a half – plus – drive from our location near Harrisburg.) It has quickly become one of Amy’s favorite breweries. In the background you an also see Troeg’s Double Nugget Nectar which we have reviewed as well.

Beer Review: Wookies and Cream (Tall Tales Brewing Co.)

Wookies and Cream by Tall Tales Brewing Co.

On another of our brewery trips (this time making our way from Burley Oak over to Cushwa for their 5th Anniversary Brewfest) we stopped at Tall Tales Brewing Co, where I couldn’t help trying out a Star Wars themed beer… especially a stout!

Beer Review: Out of Order – Droid Juice (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order – Droid Juice by RAR Brewing

Back to RAR Brewing’s Out of Order series for our next Star Wars beer review, another of our weekly Book of Boba Fett “Star Wars Wednesdays” beer reviews. A wonderful sour from RAR in line with their others from the series (and their Out of Order series as a whole).

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

Seeing all the different brewery releases everywhere on a day like this always gives me big time FOMO feelings. Like I’m missing out on a ton of beer. I have reigned that in a lot in my older years, I no longer due to line waiting, and I tamper down mule buying too much (doing more per cost, not willing to give mules a ton of extra money, etc.). Because deep down we all know – beer is beer. As long as you enjoy the beer, it could be called “Zapp Branigan’s Fart” or it could be called “The Death Star IPA” or “IPA”, and it would all taste the same. I think its good to keep that all in perspective when getting that “FOMO” feeling.

Thank you everyone for checking this out.

Also, make sure you stay up to date on the latest of the Founders Brewing Company’s current ‘saga’:

Today (obviously) is May 4th. “May the 4th Be With You.” Anyone planning on doing any fun silly Star Wars stuff? Any breweries you are hitting up for some fun beer releases?

Lots of places are turning their normal Thursday night trivia into “Star Wars Trivia” nights.

So what all are you getting into?

Then, Friday is Cinco de Mayo (May 5th). And THEN – its the Craft Brewers Conference May 7th – May 10th. What a busy grouping of days!

Thank you for reading everyone. We are gearing up for the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) this upcoming week. We are traveling down Saturday and Sunday, and going to be at the conference late Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

We are totally psyched and cannot wait.

Will you be there? What do you hope to see, learn, do? Anything cool we should check out? Let us know in the comments!

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

May the Fourth Be With You (2022)

B. Kline — Wed, 04 May 2022 14:41:29 +0000

May the Fourth

Star Wars and The Beer Thrillers

Let’s show off that full range of articles we’ve covered here on The Beer Thrillers about Star Wars. And yes, there is certainly a lot! (You can use the search function on the right hand side of the blog to find all of our articles of any type you want, put in ‘Star Wars’ into the search function, a whole host of Star Wars beer reviews, book reviews, and general articles will pop up.)

(To go to the articles, click on the linked headline, and it will take you directly to the article you want to read.)

First up on our look back over various Star Wars articles, let’s talk about my 2020 post discussing May the Fourth.

May the Fourth (2020)

May the Fourth be full of memes

May the Fourth (2020)

Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet)

This is the Way by Broken Goblet

Beer Review: This is Nut The Fluff You Are Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)

This is Nut the Fluff You Are Looking for by Fourscore Beer Co.

Beer Review: Out of Order – Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order: Blue Milk by RAR Brewing

Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)

Wookie Monster by Fourscore Beer Co

Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)

The Pandalorian by Tattered Flag

Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)

Java the Stout can art by Jackie O’s Brewery

Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort)

This is the Whey by Bolero Snort

One of the first Star Wars themed beers I’ve reviewed by Bolero Snort, and a fantastic beer. The other was BoBull Fett and I reviewed that for the premier episode of ‘Book of Boba Fett‘.

Beer Review: The Mangalorian (Brewery Fire)

The Mangolorian by Brewery Fire

Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolero Snort)

BoBull Fett by Bolero Snort

Beer Review: Out of Order – Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing)

Tatooine Tart by RAR Brewing

Beer Review: Out of Order – RAWRGWAWGGR (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order – RARWWARRGGRGR by RAR Brewing

On a cold wintery snowy day in January (January 19th), and another Star Wars Wednesday, I took this Hoth like scene pic with another great Out of Order series beer from RAR Brewing.

Mead Review: The Meadalorian (Space Time Meadery and Cidery)

The Meadalorian by Space Time Meadery and Cidery

Our first Mead review on the blog, and it was a fantastic mead. Check out Space Time Meadery and Cidery if you are in the Scranton PA area. You won’t be disappointed.

Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co.)

Let the Haze Flow Through You by Black Flag Brewing Co.

Beer Review: Wookies and Cream (Tall Tales Brewing Co.)

Wookies and Cream by Tall Tales Brewing Co.

Beer Review: Out of Order – Droid Juice (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order – Droid Juice by RAR Brewing

Book Reviews

We’ve also covered a few Star Wars book reviews here on the blog. Which you can find below:

Neeeerrrrrrrrrrrdddddddssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have no fear, we are plenty nerdy here at The Beer Thrillers, and there is no shortage of supply of nerd related beers. We’ve covered everything from Space Balls to Game of Thrones to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Mario, and more. You can find a full list here below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Seinfeld:

Other:

Star Wars Beer Discussion

For more Star Wars beer discussion, you can check out the threads created in the Beer Advocate’s forums and on Reddit:

…and more!

You can also check out the Star Wars Day events going on at Erie Ale Works by going to their event page here:

Star Wars Day at Erie Ale Works

Or checking out our article here:

Star Wars Day Fun at Erie Ale Works

Star Wars also posted on Twitter that they will be dropping another Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer, you can read the tweet here:

https://twitter.com/obiwankenobi/status/1521746447200305153

Thanks For Reading

As always, thank you all so very much for reading, and leaving messages and comments. I greatly appreciate it. Always love hearing from everyone. Its great to know that people are reading what we’re writing and putting out here. So please let us know!

And cheers and May the Fourth (Force?) Be With You!

-B. Kline

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Book Review: Guardians of the Whills (Greg Rucka)

BKline — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 12:55:00 +0000

Guardians of the Whills by Greg Rucka

Disney Canon

Before jumping into the review of this, let’s delve a bit into the Disney Star Wars canon versus the old (now labeled Legends) Expanded Universe canon. This came out around the time of Rogue One (or soon after) and was made to work with the other similar Young Adult (and Adult and even Children’s) literature to work as a larger ‘tie-in’ with the movie. Disney’s Canon (outside of the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy) is pretty vastly different than the old school Legends canon.

This is primarily due to the sequel trilogy and its involvement and change of everything fundamentally post – Endor. They have brought back some aspects of the old canon and integrated it into the new canon, but obviously tweaked, and altered from its origin. The sects and followers of the Force and Jedi is one such example. In the new canon this is represented over some different various sects, religious or not, and followers.

Fast forward to Rogue One and the kyber crystals being more used in the canon, and here we have the introduction of Baze and Chirut who are former Guardians of the Whills who looked after a kyber temple in Jedha. This is one of the few aspects of the new canon that I actually appreciate over the old, or at least as in addition to the old canon. I think there is a lot of story elements and ideas that they can go with and use this for.

Guardians of the Whills

“The Force is with me,
And I am one with the Force;
And I fear nothing,
Because all is as the Force wills it.“
―The Guardian’s Mantra
Guardians of the Whills – Wookiepedia

The above mantra is the one that Chirut repeats to himself several times throughout the movie – Rogue One, as well as he does in various other books / comics / etc that he appears in (like in the novel Guardians of the Whills).

The Guardians of the Whills, also known as the Guardians of the Kyber Temple, were a religious order that existed at least a few years before the Invasion of Naboo. The Guardians later acted as a resistance group^[1] of monks active in the Jedha City on Jedha during the Imperial Era. They traditionally handcrafted the lightbow, a complicated form of bowcaster native to Jedha, such as the one used by Chirrut Îmwe during the Battle of Scarif.^[3] The Guardians protected both the Temple of the Kyber and pilgrims who visited it.
Guardians of the Whills – Wookiepedia

For more information be sure to check out the Wookiepedia page above. Just be careful, the Wookiepedia is a massive rabbit hole (or insert Star Wars themed animal here, gundark hole? sarlaac hole? etc.) that can literally take you hours to crawl back out of. I’ve found myself doing that. Clicking one article to go to another to go to another, after another, after another. Good luck, and May the Force Be With You to see your way back out.

Book Review

Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s dive into the book and give it an actual review.

GoodReads blurb:

Baze and Chirrut used to be Guardians of the Whills, who looked after the Kyber Temple on Jedha and all those who worshipped there. Then the Empire came and took over the planet. The temple was destroyed and the people scattered. Now Baze and Chirrut do what they can to resist the Empire and protect the people of Jedha, but it never seems to be enough. When a man named Saw Gerrera arrives with grand plans to take down the Empire, it seems like the perfect way for Baze and Chirrut to make a real difference and help the people of Jedha. But will it come at too great a cost?
Guardians of the Whills (Disney Canon – Star Wars Junior Novel) (GoodReads)

This is a ‘young adult’ novel, or a ‘junior’ novel, its relatively short, it has pictures, and pages that are just quotes at each chapters. Its a smaller square hardcover novel. The little poems or philosophies or quotes we get at each chapter add to the universe and the scant knowledge we have of the various Force followers / sects / etc. Its 234 pages and with the larger font, the smaller hardcover size, and the chapter breaks, etc, its a quick read.

One of the complaints about the movie Rogue One was that the characters come off as flat or more plot device based, or woodish and cardboard; this novel goes a long way to providing some insight, some background, and some added backstory to Baze and Chirrut. Arguably two of the more interesting characters to come out of the movie. (I mean, who doesn’t like a Force monk and his gruff buddy who’s given up his religion?)

In many ways this is a study of an odd – couple that have a lifelong friendship despite (or because of) their differences. Chirrut, ever the space Monk, the tidy one, the philosophical, religious, theologian, the clean, the perfunctory, and blind man of faith is juxtaposed by Baze who is gruff, uncouth, rough, harsh exterior yet with a heart of gold, a man of the streets rather than a man of learning or belief. One who has kept his faith despite all that has happened to him, and a man who has lost his faith due to all that has befallen him and his friend.

Baze and Chirrut act as a form of Robin Hood style do gooders, vigilantes on more of a mission of righting wrongs rather than killing for purpose, but as the Empire starts leaning heavier and heavier on the city, squeezing it for all of their kyber crystals; they find themselves working with Saw Guerrera and forming an alliance they rather not really be making with him.

This is a good strong character heavy and introspective novel on two different and interesting characters; especially for a junior / young adult novel. There is some actual sequences (the various little skirmishes in the streets, some other attacks, etc.), but for the most part, this is a drama that plays out in the heads and actions of our two Rogue One characters (Baze and Chirrut). And its done quite well.

Greg Rucka does a good job of getting into these characters, what makes them tick, their differences, their commonalities, their motivations, and leaves them in a good place for the start of Rogue One. This works as a wonderful set up to the movie for these characters.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
Global Average GoodReads Rating: 3.83 (as of 11.2.21)
My LibraryThing Rating: ****

The Beer Thrillers and Star Wars

For more Star Wars content here on The Beer Thrillers, check out the following:

So far, so good, with the November day to day posts. Two days done so far, and two completed. Yesterday we kicked it off with a Beer Review of Life Sentence by Tattered Flag. Who knows whats in store for tomorrow – the 3rd – and beyond. Be sure to check back and check in often as we kick off this month of daily posts!

(Today’s was a bit of an interesting one, I had about 90% of the article written before I had to leave for work at 9:15AM, worked 10-7PM, stopped at the local high school to vote, and then came home and finished the article. I’m sure there will be plenty more articles and days like this ahead in this November.)

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Book Reviews: The Jedi Path and The Book of The Sith (Daniel Wallace)

BKline — Wed, 05 May 2021 01:25:00 +0000

Star Wars: The Jedi Path and The Book of the Sith Deluxe Edition by Daniel Wallace

May the Fourth Be With You! (or Star Wars Day) continues here on The Beer Thrillers with our second post of the day, and our second Star Wars themed post. Earlier in the day we uploaded our beer review of “The Mangalorian” by Brewery Fire. You can check that out here: Beer Review: The Mangalorian (Brewery Fire). You can also see last year’s May the Fourth Be With You (2020) article here: May The Fourth Be With You!

Not too surprising here on The Beer Thrillers, some of our more popular blog articles are Star Wars themed articles. Some of our most viewed articles are Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery), Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing), and Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet Brewing Company).

I found this deluxe edition relatively cheap at 2nd and Charles in Harrisburg – at the Harrisburg East Mall. For only 15$ in store, with the original price being something like 50$. Score.

Wookiepedia

When discussing anything Star Wars, one of the first steps is to visiting the Wookiepedia. It is the Star Wars equivalent of the Wikipedia, and honestly, might be more in depth and more accurate than the actual Wikipedia. (Scary as that may be.) The Wookiepedia is the definitive source for anything (and everything) in Star Wars lore, its ran by the most devoted fans and aficionados, and covers both the new Disney Canon as well as the old Expanded Universe or Legends or EU.

So, using the Wookiepedia, let’s look at a quick synopsis of the deluxe set:

Star Wars: The Jedi Path and Book of Sith Deluxe Box Set is a hardcover boxed set from Chronicle Books that collects The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force and Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side, both written by Daniel Wallace. Exclusive to this set are two specially commissioned artwork prints by Gustavo Mendonca and Derek Thompson. The set was published on August 12, 2014.
Publisher’s Summary: This box set brings the light and dark sides of the Force together for the first time. The Jedi Path is the ancient training manual that has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi, including Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Luke Skywalker. They have handwritten their comments into this text, the only remaining copy in existence. Book of Sith is a compilation of six legendary dark texts gathered and bound together by Darth Sidious, and featuring comments from Darth Vader, Mace Windu, Darth Maul, and others. This deluxe edition contains an exclusive portfolio with two prints, each depicting a prominent figure from either side of the Force. With these two titles, students of the Force can study and more fully understand the complex powers of good and evil.
The Jedi Path and Book of the Sith Deluxe Set – Wookiepedia

Legends vs. Disney EU

Legends or the old EU vs. Disney EU or Disney Universe or the NU (New Universe), is a hot topic for many (read: most or all) Star Wars fans. In 2012 Disney bought Star Wars, altering the Star Wars universe completely from that moment on. They soon after announced that the old EU (the books popularized by Timothy Zahn, Matthew Woodring Stover, Michael A. Stackpole, Aaron Allston, Karen Traviss, and many many many many others) would be reduced or changed or eliminated to what they called “legends” status. Moving forward, the new canon would start with just the six movies (the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy) as well as the second Clone Wars show and movie that started it (not the little five minute Cartoon Network clippings, but the full show). Since then, they added that the books, the sequel trilogy, and other shows (Rebels, The Mandalorian), etc, etc, etc, would all be part of a new canon and be on par with each other. (Ie. A movie can’t contradict a book, etc.)

So I find this book a bit interesting. Its written using the old Expanded Universe and written in a non-fictional way, but set in the universe of the old Expanded Universe, but its release date is 2014; which puts it two years after the Disney buy-out.

The Jedi Path

This deluxe set has two books in one, the first book is The Jedi Path and the second book is the Book of Sith Secrets. I’ll start with The Jedi Path. The Jedi Path is primarily an instructional handbook for a new padawan working his way up through the ranks of the Jedi. It’s got margins with notes by people such as Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Ahsoka, and even Luke late (post New Jedi Order).

The book goes into all the different facets of Jedi culture. How padawans are selected, how there is different sects and groups, how those who fail their Jedi tests are placed in the AgriCorps and other such groups. It goes into the different force abilities and powers. How Lightsabers are created. Holocrons and other Jedi related instruments and devices. It goes into the different fighting stances and their names. Jedi ships and vehicles. Pretty much all the minutia of the Jedi culture.

It does break down the Jedi philosophy…. …but only slightly, and only surface deep. Which is a bit disappointing. As this is something I’d like to have seen explored much more. Now, granted, these two books are aimed for Middle School or near – abouts aged children, I can understand some of that. So the philosophy is rudimentary and cursory but it at least provides a springboard for interested children. You do get the idea of how Hindu and Buddhist cultures influence Lucas’s idea of the Jedi, and how this has changed, morphed, and warped with the many numerous authors and other people who have worked the Star Wars brand.

This is an ok read, nothing that seems exceptional, and nothing that is ‘required reading’, and any massive Star Wars nerd will already know or nearly know all of the information provided.

Book of the Sith

I found the Book of the Sith to be a lot more interesting. Probably speaks to my darker aspects of my soul and spirit and mentality huh? I dunno, then again, I was always into Chaos for Warhammer 40K…. so who knows. Big shrug. I just find the Sith much more interesting when you get to pick them apart (unless their boring plain mustache twirling villains), and less hypocritical than the Jedi. Which, the hypocritical portion should make the Jedi more interesting, but they never delve into it, and the Jedi are never given too much introspection to make them that interesting; whereas the Sith seem to live in introspection.

Just like The Jedi Path; Book of the Sith dives into all the minutia of the Sith history. Which is a bit more complicated and interesting. Its fractured and broken, with sects and groups, and dynamic changes (like when Darth Bane rises and changes the lineage to the Rule of Two).

So there is a lot more going on with this book than the Jedi book. The margins has inscriptions from Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, and Asajj Ventress. Sidious is the most used and the most interesting for the margins notes.

Where as the Jedi is more of a metaphysical statement of the Force, the Sith are more of a magical element to them. They employ talismans, spells, they make use of things – like blood, items, etc, where as the Jedi sometimes just use their minds or small hand gestures. For these reasons also, I always found the Sith to be more rich, and interesting, an fascinating, especially in the grander scheme and mythos of Star Wars. Backstory on Plagueis, Sidious, Tenebrious, Bane are all far more interesting to me than the backstory of Yoda or Mace Windu. Likewise, greyer characters like Asajj, Dooku, Qui-Gon, Quinlan Vos are also far more interesting than the Jedi Councer members (Plo Koon, Depa Bilapa, Yaddle, Yareal Poof, etc.).

Conclusion and Ratings

Both books are interesting, but fall in a weird market area. Right now, their not canon anymore due to being Legends based. They are also designed for those who either 1) don’t know much about Jedi or Sith and thus want to learn more, or 2) the completists who want to know EVERYTHING… but already know 98% of this book. It is interesting, and there is stuff to learn and glean from, and its written very well. I enjoyed it for what it is, and you can’t have much more expectations than that when it comes to Star Wars anyway.

Ratings:

The Jedi Path:
My GoodReads Rating: ***
My LibraryThing Rating: ***
Global GoodReads Rating: 4.35 (as of 5.4.21)

The Book of the Sith:
My GoodReads Rating: ***
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5
Global GoodReads Rating: 4.10 (as of 5.4.21)

Thank you all for reading. Hopefully you had a wonderful May the 4th Be With You or Star Wars Day. Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, so rest your livers up and enjoy. Be safe and go out and get that vaccination so we can get closer and closer to normalcy!

Cheers!

-B. Kline