Vector Prime

by R. A. Salvatore

  SS: Some authors I knew and recommended to Lucasfilm; some came to me, and I had to read their work before recommending them to Lucasfilm. Of course, it’s well known that, for a variety of reasons I won’t go into here, we only use established, previously published, professional writers.

  Once an author is recommended to Lucasfilm, Sue reads a sample of his or her work and makes the final decision to approve using that author or not. The writers had a lot of freedom, provided they didn’t contradict existing continuity and that they hit the major plot points we required to keep the overall story arc moving along.

  SR: For instance, we told Troy Denning that Anakin’s demise was a part of his book, Star by Star, but he created the setting and action. The same was true with Bob and the circumstances of Chewie’s death.

  JL: At times it was like: “Start at A, go to B, then C, and make certain to wind up at D—but we don’t care how you get there.” Lucy, Sue, and Howard did request that we stick with existing worlds and make use of established Star Wars species, critters, and items whenever possible. Still, several characters had to be invented from whole cloth: obviously, with the exception of Nom Anor, all the Yuuzhan Vong. Because the invasion route had been determined early on, settings were often dictated by the needs of the story arc, but typically writers had a lot of freedom in that area. Given that we were dealing with Episode 1’s new revelations about the Force, as well as with an extragalactic species against whom the Force couldn’t be used, there were many, many discussions about the Force, right up to the end of the series.

  DR: How did your ideas about the Force change over the course of the series? How much was preplanned and imposed from the outset, and how much evolved as the series was written, shaped by the demands of plot and character? I’m thinking specifically of Vergere here.

  JL: Vergere was created at the onset to serve as Anakin’s, then Jacen’s, mentor. At a story conference at Skywalker Ranch in March 1999, we saw a way to insert Vergere into Greg Bear’s novel, Rogue Planet, and thus tie the prequel era to the New Jedi Order. Subsequently, Greg’s novel assumed even greater importance to the NJO and became the focus of Sean Williams’s and Shane Dix’s Force Heretic trilogy. Vergere was also designed from the start to be an unorthodox teacher. Our intention was for her to serve as a voice for the Republic-era Jedi and in that capacity answer some of the questions Luke had been pondering for most of his adult life. We also wanted Vergere to demystify the Force, or at least convey a sense that the ability to use the Force was not simply an accident of birth. In Traitor, Matt Stover not only ran with these ideas, but took them beyond our wildest imaginings.

  SS: I personally would like to see the Force return to the more mystical life force we saw in the first three movies, but in the end, the plot and the characters are more in charge than I am, and they moved in that direction naturally.

  LW: But you know, we didn’t really change anything about the Force. It’s more how the Jedi understand, think about, and use the Force. That definitely evolved as the series was written.

  SR: Well, it had to be that way. I mean, all the original Jedi were wiped out by Vader and Palpatine. Luke’s training by Yoda was never completed. So Luke has always had questions about the Force, as have all the Jedi trained by Luke. Vergere was a bridge back to the earlier Jedi. And she’d taken her understanding of the Force in new directions, too, because of her long experience with the Vong.

  DR: I’m still not sure I understand how the Vong can be immune to the Force.

  SS: Me, neither . They’re not exactly “immune” to the Force, though—they just can’t be “sensed” through the Force.

  SR: This is all explained in The Unifying Force, never fear!

  JL: Our original idea was to give the Yuuzhan Vong dark side powers and test the Jedi in a way we imagined the Republic-era Jedi had been tested. When that proved unworkable, we began to wrestle with the idea of making the Vong immune to the Force, which of course led to countless discussions about midichlorians and the possibility that the Force was peculiar to the Star Wars galaxy.

  All this was admittedly muddled, and almost every writer had a slightly different take on the notion of “immunity.” The basic idea was that the Vong could not be perceived through the Force and therefore were not susceptible to certain actions by the Jedi: very much in the same way that Toydarians, Hutts, and other species are immune to Force suggestion, and Tim Zahn’s ysalamiri are capable of repulsing the Force. At the conclusion of the NJO . . . but perhaps I should leave that discovery to readers!

  DR: Who came up with the idea of a biologically based technology and a culture with a fanatical aversion to machine technology and a value system and sadomasochistic theology based on conquest, violence, sacrifice, and pain?

  SS: Bob Salvatore invented the biotech concept, which we liked. We built on that to come up with the fanatical aversion to machine technology. We kind of liked the flip-flopping of the way it had been in the original movies: there, the high tech was mostly in the hands of the bad guys, while the good guys wore homespun and seemed much more low tech. So here it’s the reverse: the good guys are high tech, and the bad guys seem more low tech, although they’re really just “different tech.” The sadomasochistic theology was not planned, and while we tried to pull back on it, not stress it so much (we really wanted it only to be the extra-fanatical Domain Shai—of which Shedao Shai was a part), it took on a life of its own.

  JL: the time of the first story conference, I had just returned from an extended trip in Mexico and Guatemala, and during the brainstorming sessions, Del Rey editor Steve Saffel wondered aloud if the Aztecs or Maya might serve as models for the Vong. We began to work with this by imagining a kind of organic-tech Aztec society with a pantheon of gods, rituals of automutilation, a rigid caste system, and a hatred of machines.

  We weren’t out to reinvent the wheel. We were simply trying to come up with villains who had the potential to become as interesting as Palpatine and Darth Vader. Our original conception of the Yuuzhan Vong expanded in all directions after Bob Salvatore, working from scant notes, gave them an actual look and created examples of their wondrous biotech. Mike Stackpole was largely responsible for the system of ranks, and we borrowed heavily from Central American mythology in creating the pantheon of gods. Kathy Tyers and Greg Keyes contributed immensely to this process, further defining the warrior and shaper castes and in enlarging the Yuuzhan Vong menagerie of creatures. Yuuzhan Vong words and phrases accrued as the series progressed.

  DR: Were you ever concerned with the possibility that you were creating a threat far greater than Palpatine and Vader—an enemy more evil and hence, in a way, minimizing the heroism of the original series after the fact?

  SR: We needed something that really strained the resources of the New Republic and could have dire consequences for the galaxy. Something that caused a rift in the Jedi Order, something overpowering. But I don’t believe it minimizes the heroism of the original series at all. It expands it and shows the Jedi reacting to this enemy force in ways they never had to in the time of Palpatine.

  LW: I was more worried that fans wouldn’t find our alien invasion original or interesting. I’ve been happy to find that this isn’t the case.

  SS: I don’t feel that the Vong are a greater threat than the Emperor and Darth Vader. Different, yes, but not more evil—in fact, it can be argued that the Yuuzhan Vong are less evil, because they are acting from some kind of moral stance, even though it’s not a morality we agree with. The Emperor, on the other hand, was acting thoroughly without morals—out for his own ambition alone.

  DR: Would you agree that the NJO series is Jacen’s story—the tale of his coming of age, and the passing of the Jedi crown, as it were, from Luke to Jacen?

  SR: Absolutely. It was our intention from the beginning to make this Jacen’s story, ultimately.

  LW: Jacen is the focus of the NJO, but I don’t think that makes it his story exactly. Or not only his story. Just as the fil
ms are about Anakin’s rise, fall, and redemption through his son, so, too, we wanted the books to be multigenerational, with a strong role for both the original cast from the films and the children of Han and Leia—who are, after all, the future.

  SS: I would add that Jacen isn’t taking the “crown” from Luke. If anything, he is serving as a catalyst to help Luke grow into his next level of leadership.

  JL: To me, the NJO is about the evolution of the Jedis’ perception of the Force and the rise of a new generation of Jedi Knights to be the vanguard in allying themselves with a more inclusive, more unifying vision of the Force.

  DR: Looking ahead to the upcoming Clone Wars series, what are the lessons you’ve learned from NJO that will help make Clone Wars an even better experience for editors, writers, and, most of all, readers?

  LW: We learned that collaboration is good. And we learned that it’s a good idea to keep doing things that are unexpected in order to keep fans interested. But that said, Clone Wars is not going to be a rerun of the NJO—we are doing something new. Where NJO was a story that appeared only in Ballantine novels, with the Clone Wars we are coordinating a variety of stories that will be published in adult and middle-grade books, comics, and short fiction. We are also looking at great war literature for ideas and themes and are telling Clone Wars stories from different points of view—some lighthearted, some introspective, some battle-oriented, et cetera. So rather than tell one sequential story line, they will be published as a broad mix of stand-alone, but sequential, stories that reflect various facets of what war is about.

  SR: The Clone Wars series is awesome! Readers will get to know the characters from the films in more depth, adding to their enjoyment of Episode III. The comics will have one-shot issues focusing on Jedi Masters and their place as generals in the war, as well as a monthly series going into the war in more detail. The games, eBooks, Cartoon Network animated shorts—all will tell tales set in the Clone Wars era, adding color and dimension to the characters.

  LW: Star Wars has always been a blurring of film with print publishing, video games, toys, and a variety of other platforms from which the saga has unfolded. We can all thank George Lucas for creating a world with such depth and then allowing us to play in it! I also thank the great group of talent I have been lucky enough to have worked with, who have expanded the original Star Wars stories into multiple product categories and formats in such brilliant ways.

  SS: Fans who experience all aspects of these projects should get the widest experience of the Clone Wars saga, but people who only like to read books, or play video games, or surf the Web will also get satisfying experiences. You won’t be lost if you pick up a book but haven’t played the video game!

  It’s going to be a huge challenge, though. How do we set all these stories during/against the Clone Wars without being relentlessly about war, which I suspect people are even less interested in now that we’ve had a real one going on? On the other hand, I think people look to art and entertainment not just to escape the events of the real world, but to help them process those events in a safer setting. That’s our challenge and our responsibility—to be sensitive to the needs of our audience.

  DR: Are there any plans to take up the saga again from where NJO leaves off?

  LW: Unclear the future is.

  SS: We’re toying with the idea, but we haven’t come to any definite conclusions yet. There are still lots of possibilities for tales within the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

  DR: What was your favorite experience in working on this project?

  SR: I have so many—I absolutely adore working with Shelly Shapiro! She is a rare individual, and I treasure our working relationship. I’ve had fun with brainstorming book titles. I think overall my best feelings came from seeing the books in print and holding them in my hand, remembering conversations with authors and coworkers, et cetera. The journey is the goal, and I really enjoyed the journey!

  LW: Collaboration is exciting, fun, and what it is all about. The overwhelming fan response has been the icing on the cake.

  SS: I’d say getting to actually do creative brainstorming was my favorite experience. Getting to know some new authors and becoming part of the Lucasfilm team with Sue Rostoni came awfully close, though.

  JL: I’m with Shelly on this one—the brainstorming sessions with editors and authors, and getting to know and work with Shelly, Sue, Lucy, Howard, Kathleen, Mike, Bob, Greg Bear, Greg Keyes, Kathy, Aaron, Troy, Matt, Walter, Elaine, Sean, and Shane. The story conferences at Skywalker Ranch, where so much creative activity was being poured into the prequel films. The challenge of helping to coordinate such a vast undertaking. Attending Celebration II . . .

  DR: What was your least favorite?

  SR: My least favorite experience was reading the letters we received from the fans reacting to Chewie’s death, and then talking with Bob Salvatore, trying to help him cope with the fans’ vehemence while he was in the middle of profound grief over his brother’s passing. I surely didn’t know that our readers could be so ugly and brutal about anything, let alone the heroic death of a fictional character.

  LW: Absolutely. The attacks on Bob for the death of Chewie are something I wouldn’t want anyone to go through again.

  SS: Dealing with nasty fan mail and watching my authors get bashed on various Internet boards because some fans didn’t agree with the direction their favorite universe was taking. Definitely not my favorite part of the job.

  JL: I’m coming at this from a different angle, although I certainly agree about Bob. Committee control can present problems for a writer: what one person might applaud, another might deride. Sometimes it seemed as if there were too many cooks in the kitchen, too many viewpoints, often at odds with one another. As you grow close to a project, there’s a tendency to want to exert control. But with a series like the NJO, you can’t afford the luxury of becoming too attached to your characters, your dialogue, or story lines, because you’re essentially playing in someone else’s backyard, where a strict set of rules apply.

  I wish that there had been more time for direct contact among the authors, to ensure that characterizations remained as consistent as possible. With so many writers working at the same time—often under the gun—and the need for manuscripts to be read and approved by people at Del Rey and Lucasfilm, it was difficult to keep everyone apprised of last-minute changes.

  I also wish that some of the readers had exercised more patience and trust in what we were attempting to do. Every series, whether literary or televised, may seem to have weak or unfocused installments, but that’s sometimes the result of a roll of the dice when everyone is working to honor a larger design.

  But these are petty complaints. On the whole, the NJO was a grand adventure.

  SR: You know, we had some doubts at the outset of the NJO, considering the size of the project we were taking on and everything. Would readers stick with us over nineteen books? Would the editorial team lose their minds? I’m very happy that the readers have enjoyed the books and have been so enthusiastic.

  DR: What about the editorial team?

  SR: comment!

  During the early stages of the New Jedi Order, an introductory “bible” was compiled, so that authors (and editors) would have an ongoing reference source to share as the series developed. This “bible” included a brief outline of Star Wars “style” (such as the “Force” is always spelled with an uppercase F, and no swear words are allowed), an explanation of the premise of the series, a synopsis of the story arc as originally conceived, and a sort of dictionary/encyclopedia of all creatures, characters, hardware, and so forth, invented for the series. Of course, all this information continued to evolve and mutate as the series went on and individual authors added to the mythos. What follows is an excerpt of the “Yuuzhan Vong” section of that early “bible,” describing the alien enemy culture and background. It is no longer entirely accurate, but it offers a glimpse at what went into planning such a huge, multibook, multiauthor seri
es.

  THE YUUZHAN VONG

  The Yuuzhan Vong are humanoid aliens. Taller and heavier that humans, they have naturally sloping foreheads, bluish sacks under the eyes, and less hair on the face and the scalp. Elites are tattooed and disfigured, in accordance with religious ideals. Theirs is a strict caste-based society. They are fanatical worshipers of a pantheon of sacrifice-demanding gods whose demands and prognostications are disseminated by the priest caste, under the leadership of a supreme overlord and his minion. Their technology is biology-based, organic, and they consider “dead” machines a blasphemy (they particularly hate droids, for their sacrilegious imitation of life).

  On the one hand their bio-tech is incredibly refined, while on the other it is terrible when it meets obstacles. It is likely that the Yuuzhan Vong inherited most of what they have, but don’t really know how it works, or how to modify it very easily, and their science is atrophying in the face of effective technology. Therefore, there is tension among the traditionalists—who never question or try to expand on the precepts of the past—and the young radicals, who insist on “blasphemous” experimentation and seeking new understanding.

  Millennia of warfare destroyed most of the habitable worlds in their home galaxy, so a convoy of worldships was sent out in search of new habitable worlds in other galaxies. For generations, they have wandered the space between galaxies, searching for the new home promised them by their gods. For a long time the travelers lived comfortably on their worldships, but at last the ships began to fall apart, disillusion with the unending search for their new home began to set in, and dissension grew among the ranks.

  Newly developed scout ships were launched. Of these, one returned with a message of hope: a planet with a world consciousness and “living ships” had been discovered—Zonama Sekot, the “rogue planet” in the bridge novel of the same name—similar to their original homeworld. Seizing on this discovery, the supreme overlord claimed to have a vision that the Yuuzhan Vong “promised land” had been found. In fact, though, this pronouncement was more a way for the supreme overlord to regain full control of his disaffected priests and underlings.