In the BC&T forum, author Troy Denning has set up a thread to answer questions about the finale to the Legacy of the Force series, Invincible:
Troy answers Twelve Invincible questions--SPOILERS herein!!
with this opening post:
Hi Folks,

Normally, I let my stories speak for themselves, and I'm going to continue doing that with INVINCIBLE. But, not being totally out of touch, I've noticed that INVINCIBLE has generated some strong reactions. So I thought you might appreciate the chance to ask about some of the reasons behind some of the choices I made.

Unfortunately, my time is limited, so I'll only be able to answer two or three questions a day, and probably not more than a dozen total (since I'll be heading back out on tour soon). With that in mind, please:

1) Limit yourself to one question.
2) Don't ask a question that's been asked already.
3) Don't try to argue a point.
4) Be polite, to me and ESPECIALLY to each other.
5) Please don't be offended if I don't answer YOUR question--sometimes I just don't know the answer, sometimes I can't reveal the answer, and sometimes I just don't have time.

Thanks!

There are many more questions than answers, and as the thread grows in length the answers are becoming increasingly difficult to find. Because of this I decided to start up a blog setting out the questions and answers.

First Q & A: "Why did Jacen have to die ? and why in the way he did "

Sue has already answered the first part of this question in the VIP thread, so I'll direct you there for an answer. I'm not sure what you mean by the second part , so I guess all I can say is that the elements of the battle were planned fairly carefully to encourage readers to really think about what was happening.

Second Q & A: "Why after a nice setup for something from Tycho Celchu and risking his life to get back in place on the Anakin Solo possibly as a spy, was that never utilized nor said what happened to him?"

Again, I think Sue has already answered this in the VIP thread, so I'll be brief: basically, I didn't need him to advance the plot of Invincible, and I never force a character into a story where he doesn't serve a need.

Third Q & A: "After her development throughout the series, and ,most particularly, her heavy role in the last book, why did you choose to have Niathal (and the semi-intertwined end of the Confederation conflict plot thread) occur almost completely "offscreen"?

(I felt the book was a great stand-alone read but, since it focused almost entirely on the Jacen/Jaina plotline to the exclusion of others, it was a little underwhelming as a series finale- and it was the lack of Niathal and the Confederation conflict that was most glaring in that regard, which is why i ask) "

Actually, I'm going to reply to your comment rather than your question, since I think that goes more to the heart of what you're asking.

Early in the writing of INVINCIBLE, it grew obvious to me that I was faced with two mutually exclusive choices: write a sweeping epic across the entire canvas of the war, or write a tightly-focused adventure story about Jaina hunting down her brother. It was impossible to do both, since the sweeping epic necessarily meant that I'd be spending most of my time away from Jaina and Jacen, writing about characters and places that had nothing to do with the Twins' showdown.

Given that the central focus of the whole series has been the conflict between Jacen and his family (especially its effect on Ben), and that REVELATION had just finished narrowing that focus down to Jaina and Jacen, I felt that the choice was absolutely clear. INVINCIBLE had to be Jaina and Jacen's book. It had to focus on their showdown and fly like a missile to the climax, and anything that didn't contribute to that just didn't belong in the book.

Fourth Q & A: "I know the dramatis person referred to Tahiri Veila as a Sith and she told Ben she was one, however in your opinion was she really a Sith or was she simply making bad choices while at the same time getting strung along by Jacen? The reasons I ask is because her actions seemed to contradict her being a Sith. She never really seemed to embrace it. It could be argued that she killed someone, but in the same series so did Luke."

This is perilously close to commenting on the actual text, so I'm going to be a bit vague and say that I find your reading entirely reasonable.

Fifth Q & A: "I'm intrigued by a theory that's been put forth elsewhere, on TheForce.net boards--Was the "Mine" vision in Inferno meant to link up with Luke's "And it's not your responsibility to worry about those lives. Its mine-- mine, Jedi Solo. Is that clear?" line in Invincible, and imply that if Jacen had not killed Nelani and fallen, Luke would have fallen to the Dark Side instead (explaining why Jacen saw himself doing battle with Luke in all possible futures if Nelani survived in Betrayal)?"

Again, this is getting pretty close to commenting on the text itself, rather than my thought process in writing it. So I'm going to limit myself to saying that yes, the use of the "white eyes' symbols (and everything related to them) has been entirely conscious. Beyond that, people will have to make up their own minds about what it all means--bearing in mind, of course, that symbols usually express something that can't quite be put into words.

Sixth Q & A: "Why did Jacen accept the use of the Nano Virus? Even Verege thought it was wrong to use biotechnology (Alpha Red) to kill beings which was who Jacen was trying to follow. Or was that supposed to be a sign Jacen was becoming darker than Verege had been? Thanks."

Again, this is actually asking me to comment on the meaning of the text itself, but bear in mind that Alpha Red was indiscriminate, while the nano-killer was very precisely targeted.

Seventh Q & A: "Could you perhaps go through the reasons you decided to make Daala the Chief of State? It seems very strange to me since - even if she has mellowed and repaired her reptuation in the interim - as readers we never see this. I'll be honest - my first thought was that "thunderous applause" was a reference to Palpatine's decree regarding the formation of the Empire.

Am I offbase there? "

I've read several of your posts in different places, Becca, and they seem mostly on-target to me. Hindsight being 20/20, I do think that Daala's selection as CoS could have used some heavier foreshadowing, and perhaps even a scene or chapter showing exactly how/why she was chosen for the post (remember--she wasn't elected). At the time, I didn't want to take the camera away from the central conflict, but in retrospect, I think a little detour into Daala-land would have probably have served the central story just fine. Live and learn!

As for the thunderous applause--I guess whether it was a reference to Palpatine or an echo will depend on what kind of ruler Daala becomes in future books. I'm looking forward to finding out!

Eighth Q & A: "Why so little emotion between Jaina and Jacen during their battles? . . . as I was reading the first and second battles, all I could ask myself was why was Jaina not more heartbroken about this? . . . why didn't we see Jaina more broken up about having to fight him?"

Jaina, I'm glad that answering these questions may help you, well, accept the events in INVINCIBLE. I know what a fan you are of the character, so I was really very sad to see such a negative reaction in your posts.

And, I must say, puzzled. I'm an fifty-year-old guy who's seldom accused of being sentimental, and I've got to tell you I cried buckets when I was writing the flashbacks and the battle scenes--and every time I read them afterwards. So it's been mystifying me that you felt the book was unemotional.

But your question here is shedding some light. Basically, I think you're wondering why Jaina wasn't broken up and crying during and before the fight, right? The answer is simple: because that would have gotten her killed. Worse, she would have failed. Quite simply, she couldn't let herself be too emotional until the job was done, because being emotional might make her hesitate, and if she hesitated, she was dead.

I thought that was made pretty clear in the chapters where she was thinking about what it was going to take to defeat her brother, and that's the reason she was so emotionally restrained before and during the battle. But afterwards, when Jag found her holding Jacen's head in her lap, she was crushed--at least for me--and she was still mourning even in the epilogue.

I don't want to say much more, except to add that, generally, I try to show character emotions through their actions, rather than tell readers what a character is feeling through narrative summary or internal monologue (which I suspect you may prefer). You might want to take another look at the flashbacks with that in mind--that's where I tried to show the reader what was going on deep in Jaina's mind as she prepared to go after Jacen.

Hope that helps!

Ninth Q & A: "My question is why you or someone involved in LOTF felt it necessary to make Zekk go missing? I am not criticizing it, I just don't understand how it fit into the storyline or if it will in the future."

Basically, every quest requires a great sacrifice, and Zekk was what Jaina had to sacrifice to get to Caedus. (In non-mythic terms, he wasn't going to let her attack the Solo alone, and she wasn't going to turn back. Not being nearly the pilot she was, he just couldn't make it inside.)

As for why Zekk went missing--I just couldn't bear to kill one of my favorite characters. Or maybe Shelly and Sue couldn't bear to let me kill him . . . it all gets so blurry in the rearview mirror.

Tenth Q & A: "simple question, why was it so short?"

It didn't seem short to me--the ms. was 105,000 words, which makes it about the same length as a lot of my other SW novels (not SBS!). But, to tell the truth, lengthening a book is the last thing I think about when I write a story. I'm actually trying to tell the story in as few words possible, because that almost always makes a book more engaging and compelling. So I'm constantly looking for ways to do more with less--trying to accomplish two or three things in a single scene, trying to trim lazy language and cut out scenes that don't advance the plot. If I'd included all the stuff I cut out of INVINCIBLE, it would have been a LOT longer--I'm just not sure anyone would have thanked me for it.

Another reason that it seems short, I think, is the tight focus. It's about ONE thing--Jaina hunting down Jacen--and it turns out that I only needed 105,000 words to tell that story.

That's all for now--I've already spent more time than I should on this first session, but I enjoyed answering your questions. More later--though maybe not so many at one sitting!

Eleventh Q & A: "Having read and reread the scenes and references many times, it seems to me you were very creative in finding ways to never actually specify which of Jacen's arms Jaina cut off. Which leads me to think it was a deliberate decision on your part, when it would have been rather easy (and perhaps even more natural) to clearly indicate right or left.

My question - What was your reason for choosing to write about Jacen's missing arm in this way?"

Hmmm--it's just preference. When I'm reading a description, directional references actually jar me out of the story for a moment, so I tend to avoid using them when I write.

Twelfth Q & A: "The Imperials dropped a bunch of nanokiller targeting Fett's DNA on Mandalore. My question is, how does this impact the surviving clones of Clan Skirata and any clone offspring? I know that Clan Skirata's homestead was far north and rather remote, but that doesn't prevent it from reaching them. Another problem for individuals with clone DNA would be trapped air in the ventilation systems of a starship spreading the nanokiller offworld, regardless of its need for sunshine every three or four days."

Okay, first a caveat: anything I say here is strictly conjecture. When/if somebody writes a story set on post-Invincible Mandalore, however they decide to handle the nanokiller takes precedence.

That said, I'd think the clones themselves would be at risk, since their DNA is identical to Fett's (ignoring the possibility of spontaneous and/or disease-driven mutations). However, clone offspring would be safe, since the nanokiller was very narrowly targeted and they don't share Mirta's mother's DNA.

Any nanokiller trapped in ventilation systems wouldn't be a problem at all. The sterilization procedures required to keep the air clean would probably destroy it, and even if they didn't, there wouldn't be enough available to reach a deadly threshold (remember, it's non-replicating).

Q & A 13: "Why wasn't anything emotional wise resolved? I know you tried to focus it on the tragedy of Jacen dieing, but in many ways you left many things unresolved. I mean, we didn't see anyone's reaction on Jacen's death, or Daala being Chief of State, or Boba's reaction to the nanovirus. Or even Tenel Ka's reaction to giving up Allana."

That was primarily due to the tight focus on the Jaina/Jacen showdown. The only POVs in the book were Jaina, Han, and Ben. So it wouldn't have been possible to show, say, Boba's reaction to the nanokiller without introducing a new POV at the end of the story--and I just didn't think it was appropriate.

But you did see Jaina's reaction to most of those things, and she was the primary viewpoint character. You also saw Leia's reaction, when she tells Han that Jaina got Caedus (though there wasn't time to dwell on it, as they were going into battle at the time.) And Han's fury at the end of the book wasn't entirely about what he thought had happened to Allana--though this wasn't specifically stated because those sections were written from Han's viewpoint, and--Han being Han--he was more than a little blind to his own feelings.

Q & A 14: "The one question we have as a group is this: What have you got against Mandalorians? It feels that, with this one book, you've almost completely obliterated the efforts put forth to humanize the culture, to say nothing of certain individual members. No, they're not the Jedi, they're not the Sith, they're not Force-uers of any kind (for the most part), but does that really mean they're not deserving of some modicum of respect?"

Where to begin? First, I actually think the Mandos and their culture are pretty cool. I happen to prefer my Mandos with a bit of an edge, that's all. Nobody's trying to `obliterate their humanity.'

One of the cool things about a series like this is you get to see the story from different perspectives. Karen presented the "Mando take" on the Jedi, especially in Revelation. In Invincible, I presented the "Jedi take" on the Mandos. Needless to say, they're pretty different views. Is it possible that what you're interpretting as disrespect is really a matter of POV?

If, however, you're really upset that the Mandos suffered as a consequence of involving themselves in the war, there's not much to say. That was kind of the point for everyone. You go to war, you lose. Period. That applies to the Mandos as much as it does the Jedi or the GA.

And if you're upset that the Mandos weren't depicted as the toughest guys on the block--well, call me crazy, but I still think that particular honor belongs to the Jedi. The Mandos just might be second-toughest., though.

Q & A 15: "Were there time constrains upon you that we are not aware of that affected this? Or were there other factors?"

Not at all. Del Rey and LFL are tremendously patient and great about giving an author the time needed to do his best. Failings are strictly my own.

Q & A 16: "in your opinion...who would've won in a straight up fight with no distraction's?"

Boy, that's a tough one to answer--and not one that I'm sure can be answered. First, I assume you're talking about Jaina/Jacen rather than Luke/Jacen. But, really, it doesn't matter. As any good martial artist can tell you, being the best doesn't mean you can't be beat. On any given day, an inferior combatant with superior tactics (or sometimes just better luck) can beat a stronger, more skilled adversary. So, do I think Jacen was the stronger adversary? Probably. Do I think that meant he couldn't be defeated--I think you have the answer to that!



Q & A 17: "I also really liked how you applied shatterpoint to objects. Jacen using it to shatter beskar was perfect. How did the idea come about?"

I'm a fan of Shatterpoint (the novel) and really liked the idea of there being a precise point of vulnerability for seemingly impossible situations. In fact, I liked it so much I may be guilty of remembering something that wasn't even in the book . . . and no, I'm NOT going to go look this up, since it really doesn't make a difference. But I thought I remembered Mace using the ability (or something like it) physically a couple of times (without actually calling it shatterpoint). Maybe it's there and maybe it isn't--what's important is that it's the same idea, applied physically. I needed something like that, and I just didn't want to make up a new Force ability when an old one (or a variation on the theme) would do just as well.

There's also a related question somewhere that I can't find right now, but which basically asks why teach Jaina the power when she doesn't use it in the final battle. I must admit to being caught here: in the first few drafts of the battle, Jaina DID use the shatterpoint to blast Jacen pretty seriously, but it kept coming across as "Shatterpoint ex machina," so I had to cut that part of the fight. But I still liked the scene where she used it in her training, and I have a feeling it may come in handy for her sometime in the future. (Please don't read anything into that--I'm just saying it's the kind of thing the Sword of the Jedi should know.) So I decided to keep it in the earlier chapter.

Q & A 18: "Was it a deliberate choice to use a small amount of environments? Or was it a purposeful homage to the original trilogy?"

You know, until you asked the question, I hadn't even thought about the number of environments. So I guess it wasn't deliberate! Those are just the environments needed to tell the story--though it's probably wise to distinguish between environments and locations. (For example, Nickel One had several different environments--interior, surface, transportation tunnel, hangar--and one location: the asteroid.)

Q & A 19: "Was it true that you had to kill Luke for some minutes and seconds and then bring him back?
If you were only killing off Jacen/Caedus than why
Luke? "

Sorry, I don't understand what you're referring to. Do you mean the section in Inferno where everyone thought Luke was dead for a while? If so, Luke never actually died--he just made it seem like he was, so that he could sneak aboard the Anakin Solo to sabotage the long-range turbolasers being used to bombard Kashyyyk.

Q & A 20: "I do have a question related to the tight POV. Take for instance the last scene between Zekk and Jaina. We see Zekk's actions from Jaina's POV, and her interpretation of his intentions/mindset are tainted by her state of mind and their history. When you write a scene like that do you generally have a good idea of what the other character is "thinking" or intends? Do you create in your mind a secondary POV that the reader never sees?"

I always try to have a pretty clear idea of what every important character in a scene is thinking and what they're trying to accomplish. I think that's the difference between "wooden" scenes in which the plot just kind of clunks along, and more organic scenes in which it grows out of what came before. I usually don't write a separate version of each scene from different POVs, though, unless something feels off to me and I want to explore other takes.

Q & A 21: "You were one of the first NJO authors to bring the characters from the Young Jedi Knights books into the limelight, which was a brilliant move, as they were poised to be the next generation of heroes. At the end of Legacy of the Force, however, the majority of them are dead. I guess my question is, then --- do you think that there is enough of a next generation left that, in ten years (in-Universe, so, by 50 ABY), the torch can be passed? Or do you feel that the question is moot, and that the books should continue to be about Han, Luke, and Leia?"

Speaking more as a fan than a writer (i.e., I probably don't know much more than anyone else about what the GFFA will look like in 50ABY), I do think there are enough young knights left to carry the torch when the time comes. We still have Jaina, Lowbacca, Tahiri, Raynar, etc. who were actually in the YJKs books, plus "new" charactes like Ben and Tesar Sebatyne, and the children of some of the other Jedi (the Horn kids, for example). That's more than enough to build a story around--and don't forget that we can write more into the story, if need be.

As for the second part of your question, again speaking as a fan, I guess I'm not that eager to see the big three put out to pasture. I still enjoy reading (and writing) about Han, Luke, and Leia, and their characters are still developing in very interesting ways. So my preference (again--don't read anything into this, I'm just giving my opinion as a fan) would be to see a rough balance between the old and the new, with the big three still taking leadership roles, but with some stories/storylines that focus on the younger generation (in much the same way Invincible's focus was on Jaina, Jacen, and Ben).

Q & A 22: "Do you think that Jacen ever created his own Sith Holocron? If so, do you think we will see it at one point in the future of the EU?"

This is an interesting question because it illustrates something you have to worry about as a SW author. One of the things that I try very hard NOT to do is dictate future storylines, especially when it's not important to my own story; e.g. suppose one of us (Aaron, Karen, or myself) had explicity said that Jacen HADN'T created a holocron. That would mean that all of the knowledge he had assembled on his five year journey was lost, which would pretty much rule out anyone else writing a story that relied on that knowledge. On the other hand, if we had said that he HAD created a holocron, then a lot of readers would be expecting it to show up sometime soon, which means that we would almost have obligated someone to write a story about it--and if that didn't fit with the direction the powers-that-be wanted to take the books in the future, there would be this plot point left hanging . . . so, you see, it's all a balancing act. By not mentioning something, or spelling it out before it has to be spelled out, we leave more options open for the future. That's usually the best course for the writer to take, I think, because you always have to remember that the EU is so much bigger than the part you're creating . . .

So, do I THINK Jacen created a Sith holocron? We'll see . . .

Q & A 23: "The Dark Nest trilogy was published in July, Sept. and Dec. of 2005 while Betrayal was published in June 2006. Assuming it took you approximately 8 months to write the Dark Nest trilogy, that places the roots of Jacen's fall to around the Fall of 2004.
So, was Jacen's fall to the dark side really planned out as far back as 2004?"

I started to think of Jacen as having lost sight of the light side almost as soon as I read TRAITOR. By the time I wrote TJK, I very clearly felt in my own mind that Jacen had fallen to the dark side, (though it remained to be seen whether that fall was a result of the events in TRAITOR or of what he discovered on his five year journey). I was about halfway through TUQ when we decided to write LotF, and that was when it was decided that Jacen's fall was all the way to becoming a Sith.

Q & A 24: "I loved the book, but I'm left feeling confused about Jacen's entire journey. Was there any credence/merit to his choices to bring about peace to the galaxy, or was he simply duped by Lumiya from day one, tricked through clouded Force visions and cleverly disguised lies? In this novel, it appeared that Luke was confusing/clouding Jacen's future Force visions, so is this what Lumiya had been doing to him all along?"

As a wise Jedi Master once said, the future is always in motion. I'm tempted to say more, but am going to hold my tongue . . . that's really for you, the reader, to decide. As for whether there was any merit to Jacen's attempts to bring peace to the galaxy, we'll just have to see what the future holds. I'm looking forward to it as much as you are . . .

(Other Q&As will be added after they have been posted)

(you can read my thoughts on Invincible here)