This is my weekly journal. This is where one will find a glimpse into the niceties of the Expanded Universe- the quirky, intriguing, yet easily missed twists and turns of my journey.

I will continue to update this particular blog post every week, sharing the progress of my exploits. Please check back regularly for updates.

August 3rd, 2009
2 years BBY

Had an interesting two weeks. Went to the Comicon last week. Quite the experience. Managed to have a conversation with one of the Del Rey staffers about the new Clone Wars cartoon and the continuity hellhole it created. While there was no direct comment, it will suffice to say that Del Rey does not seem pleased.

Then I got an opportunity, during the Star Wars Day panels, to ask Dave Filoni himself (director of Clone Wars) the same question. Basically, he said he doesn't feel "beholden to the continuity" and blamed George Lucas for forcing in his ideas. Far be it from me to tell Lucas what to do with his own creation.

Once I got back, I finished reading Han Solo At Stars' End. Awesome book- check out the review: http://bravingsw.blogspot.com

Next up is the rest of The Force Unleashed. Then I'll back track for a bit and read the firts two installments of the new free e-book Lost Tribes of the Sith by John Jackson Miller. I'm excited about that because this e-book is technically the third oldest piece of EU material, timeline-wise (7000-5,000 years BBY).

July 20th, 2009
5-2 years BBY

My recent exploits have been rewarding. It's wonderful to feel the magic of the GFFA once again, after my own personal "dark times" with the Ewoks and Droids cartoons. The overarching theme of the past week has been the birth of the Rebel Alliance.

Shortly before I began recording my travels, I had finished the Droids Omnibus by Dark Horse Comics. Apparently, R2 and 3PO, who were left in Episode III under the care of Captain Antilles, were lost in an escape-pod test over the Karthakk system. This omnibus (and the Nelvana cartoons) chronicles their adventures at this time, though I'm not sure how they'll be recovered by Antilles. I have to say, I'm thoroughly impressed by this Dark Horse collection.

Moving on, I finished the first six chapters of Rebel Dawn, the last book of the Han Solo Trilogy by A.C. Crispin. Without a doubt, this book is turning out to be one of my favorites. Take Han, Chewie, Boba Fett, Jabba, and Prince Xizor, put them all into one pot, and you've just gotten into my top 5 before I've even finished! Han finally wins the Millenium Falcon from Lando and Bria Tharen (his love interest) is roaming the galaxy, trying to unite rebel movements. It also ties in well with the events of The Starcave of Thonboka, the last Lando trilogy book (always a plus for good connections).

Just finished the first third of The Force Unleashed. The book and comic are good, but you need to read both of these as well as play the game to get the full, and much better, experience.

In terms of minutia, I finished up the Princess Leia Diaries (SW Tales Volume 3), ending with Princess Leia as the youngest Imperial senator (and already aware of her father's dream of a Rebel Alliance).

Also threw in a couple of short stories. First, one about young Luke and "sand surfing" on Tatooine, via the Movie Trilogy Sourcebook. Kinda kool, and sets up the competition between Fixer and Biggs (Luke's friends), but no need to worry yourself on it. Also, read a couple short stories, in the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, about some of the first attacks by the Empire on rebel groups in the Atrivis sector. This sets up the legacy of Mon Mothma as an Alliance leader.

So far so good. Rebel Dawn, The Force Unleashed, and the short stories about the alliance birth are meshing extremely well!