To be honest, I've never devoted much thought to Star Wars in general and to Leia in particular, but I really enjoyed reading the analysis in this thread. Good job at picking the WotW, Emilia.
Woman of the Week #4 - Princess Leia!
- Thread starter { Emilia }
- Start date
I haven't seen Star Wars since I was a kid, but I remember really liking Leia; she encompassed a lot of what I wanted to be as a little girl. She was a the pretty princess so many little girls wanted to be, but she was also intelligent, tough, and brave, all while remaining feminine. It was a stark contrast to the majority of female characters I came across who always seemed to be Either Or...either pretty or smart, either feminine or brave, either wearing a dress or carrying a laser gun. Leia, to me, was a good role model for a little girl whose passions included tutus and making bows and arrows. I don't know if my perceptions of the character would be the same as an adult -- maybe it's time I watch Star Wars again.
I don't know what he looks like. I just know he herds nerf.
And yeah, awesome choice for this week Emilia. I wish I had known before this that you were such a huge Star Wars fan! To quote the Dark Lord of the Sith himself: "Impressive. Most impressive!"
It's actually quite evident in the original SW. Fisher was not insignificantly-endowed, so it's kind of like watching two frisky puppies tussling under a white bedsheet for most of the movie.
That is why I vastly prefer the look and feel of the old movies to the aesthetics of the prequels. The grey, rugged, "used" look of the models is so much better than the overly colourful, shiny CGI in the prequels.
I know, right?!
I meant to ask about this sooner, but forgot. Which later books by Zahn did you buy? Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future? I'm just curious, because Zahn's recently written a couple more books featuring Mara in a major role. The first is called Allegiance and the second is Choices of One. They're both set between ANH and TESB and feature Mara's early missions as the Emperor's Hand. No Luke/Mara material as far as I can recall, but I thought they still might interest you.
You're my hero of the day! I really hadn't heard of those which proves how out-of-touch I am with the Star Wars fandom these days.
I only read Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future. I just went ahead and ordered both Allegiance and Choices of One!
I'm open to more suggestions by the way.
I read a few back in the 90s but then stopped when I realized how fucking terrible some of those were. I'm looking at you, Kevin J. Anderson. I thought the Jedi Academy stuff was abysmal. I'm also not interested in any "Young Jedi" or later stuff. Is there anything that stands out?I suppose once in a while some entertaining escapism can be fun!
Well, you're right that a lot of the other Star Wars novels out there are pretty terrible. I've kind of drifted away from them in recent years for that very reason.I'm open to more suggestions by the way.
I suppose once in a while some entertaining escapism can be fun!
Generally you should be okay as long as you stick with Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole, Aaron Allston, and Matthew Stover. The X-wing series by Stackpole and Allston (starting with X-wing: Rogue Squadron) is pretty solid, but it focuses primarily on Wedge Antilles and a bunch of original characters, not so much on Luke, Leia, or Han (although Han does feature prominently in one book).
If you're looking for a story that primarily focuses on Leia, there's Tatooine Ghost by Troy Denning. It takes place a few months before the Thrawn Trilogy and is mostly about Leia learning about who her father was before becoming Darth Vader, and coming to terms with being Vader's daughter. My memory of it is a bit hazy as it's been a few years, but I remember it being decent--nothing amazing, but not terrible either. Denning writes Han and Leia pretty well. I wouldn't recommend any of his other books, though. They either require a lot of background knowledge or they're just terrible.
If you want to learn more about Han in the years prior to ANH, there's the Han Solo Trilogy (The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn) by A. C. Crispin, which IIRC was received pretty well by fans.
Stackpole's I, Jedi takes place around the same time as Anderson's Jedi Academy Trilogy but is much better, IMO, but again it focuses on an original character and not one of the Big Three. One of my favorite Star Wars books is Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover. It's about Luke's last mission as a member of the New Republic military and his decision to resign and focus his efforts on rebuilding the Jedi Order.
Timothy Zahn has also written another novel called Outbound Flight, which details a lot of backstory involving Jorus C'baoth and the Outbound Flight Project, as well as Thrawn as a young military officer. And I can't believe I forgot to mention this earlier, but he also wrote a sequel of sorts (though I think it was actually written first) to that called Survivor's Quest, which stars Luke and Mara as a married couple. They discover the remains of Outbound Flight and investigate what happened to it.
Not only was Leia a terrific character over the course of the OT and did she manage to exhibit more strength and courage than most of the male characters of those films, but she had what in my opinion is one of the four or five best pieces of John Williams soundtrack music in any of the six films of the Saga.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KBygZLzsbs[/yt]
I loved this music as a child. I love it as a grown adult. I'll love it until the day I die. Not only is the melody so evocative of Carrie's character and the pivotal role she plays in the timeline of the OT, but the music always invokes such strong and wistful emotions in me. It takes me back to important moments in my childhood and all the wonderful memories associated with the Star Wars movies, friends and family.
Music like this is ingrained into the very DNA of my soul, and I thank people like Williams, Fisher and Lucas for inspiring and creating it. The world today is a more interesting and cooler place because of Star Wars and the orchestral music that accompanies and surrounds it.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KBygZLzsbs[/yt]
I loved this music as a child. I love it as a grown adult. I'll love it until the day I die. Not only is the melody so evocative of Carrie's character and the pivotal role she plays in the timeline of the OT, but the music always invokes such strong and wistful emotions in me. It takes me back to important moments in my childhood and all the wonderful memories associated with the Star Wars movies, friends and family.
Music like this is ingrained into the very DNA of my soul, and I thank people like Williams, Fisher and Lucas for inspiring and creating it. The world today is a more interesting and cooler place because of Star Wars and the orchestral music that accompanies and surrounds it.
^I just want to say that I love everything about that post. It really was just lovely to read. 
Tell me about it. Why would anyone let a woman who has received the thumbs down into the Imperial Senate?
My second grade teacher was named Sarah Walker. She was my first crush.
She could do epic arithmetic in her head. It was hot.
She could do epic arithmetic in her head. It was hot.
I really like those two quite a bit. In terms of smart fiction that's Star Wars I always suggest Cloak of Deception which takes place before TPM and beautifully explores the corruption and lethargic attitude in the Republic. It's one of those tie-ins that goes from being a good Star Wars book to just being a good book.
I'm one of a handful of people who loved the New Jedi Order series but I've not cared for what's come after them, I'm afraid.
I've not read a Star Wars novel in a while and should pick up one. What's a recent solid one?
^
Darth Plageuis.
It tells the story of Palpatine's/Sidious's old master as well as Palpatine's steady rise to influence and power within the Republic in the years leading up to the Naboo Crisis and his election as Supreme Chancellor. I really enjoyed it for all the holes it helped fill in the Palpatine backstory even if the novel was probably a little bit longer than it needed to be.
Darth Plageuis.
It tells the story of Palpatine's/Sidious's old master as well as Palpatine's steady rise to influence and power within the Republic in the years leading up to the Naboo Crisis and his election as Supreme Chancellor. I really enjoyed it for all the holes it helped fill in the Palpatine backstory even if the novel was probably a little bit longer than it needed to be.
Considering my username I should probably check that one out. 
Thanks for the suggestions. Specially these last two sounded quite interesting.
Ah, yeah. That one I've read. I remember it being quite good. Their interactions as a couple were worth it and I think there was also some interesting (overdue) character development for Mara who came to terms with the fact that she's one of the "good guys" now.
Oh yeah, I'll agree with that. I still love the OT's music even though the music for the prequels does nothing for me.
There are certainly things to be proud of in life. Not ever having watched an episode of "Chuck" is not one of them.
We're on a Star Trek board. Acting all high and mighty because you've never watched a show that was all about celebrating nerd culture and had many memorable characters doesn't impress me and seems quite arrogant and petty.
I don't particularly care for your attitude considering neither Star Trek nor Star Wars or Chuck were written by James Joyce. Also: Don't mess with John Casey.
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