#Jaster is that grandparent who everyone loves best

[batshieroglyphics]

Sunday Six

Right, I’ve just (finally) finished the timetravelling Jaster fic that came up and bit me in the arse hard enough it distracted me from my JangObi soulmate AU. I’m intending to post the first chapter for Star Wars Day, but, while I’m thinking of it, let me schedule a Sunday Six, lol:

"Now the entire command class is spoilt," Seventeen grumbled once they were on their way to Jango's flat, Fox walking at Jaster's side with a bounce in their step and a rather satisfied smirk on their face.

"You're just jealous you didn't get a hug," Fox said, clearly delighted.

"I do not require hugs," Seventeen snarled, turning to shoot a truly impressive glare over their shoulder.

Fox shuffled sideways and half-hid behind Jaster.

"Seventeen can have a hug when they want one," Jaster said, grateful for the cover of his buy'ce, as it hid him rolling his eyes. He'd always heard that the best part of bu'ade, was that you could give them back to their buire when you'd hit the point where strangling them seemed like a good choice. Unfortunately, that was...less than true in his case.

Mando’a: buy’ce -- helmet bu’ade -- grandchildren buire -- parents

[lizardguyaaron]

Lizard Reviews: Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first of hopefully many reviews where I talk about various books, movies, comics, video games, and whatever. For my first review, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite Star Wars Legends books of all time. It’s a book that I absolutely adored as a kid, and I recently picked up a reprinted copy of it about a week ago. So without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters is an anthology comprised of five short stories, each one detailing one of the infamous bounty hunters that appeared on the bridge of the Executor, Darth Vader’s flagship, in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Each short story was written by a separate author, so I’m going to be breaking each story down separately in order to give each one the proper attention it deserves.

Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88:

This is the first short story in the novel, and as the title suggests, it focuses on the assassin droid bounty hunter IG-88. The story details IG-88′s creation, his escape from Holowan Laboratories, his takeover of the droid manufacturing planet of Mechis III, and finally his attempt at taking over the Death Star II. Written by Kevin J. Anderson, this is definitely one of the stranger stories to start with. Anderson explores the idea of IG-88 achieving sentience and attempting a droid takeover of the galaxy, while using bounty hunting as a front for his activities. Anderson also introduces this idea of IG-88 occupying four different droid bodies, all named A through D. These ideas seem good on paper, but they take a turn for the truly odd when Anderson has IG-88 take over the Death Star II’s central computer. From here, it becomes immediately clear that Anderson has written himself into a corner. The idea of having IG-88 take over the Death Star II is interesting, but it’s ultimately a dead end when you realize that Anderson is constrained by the events of Return of the Jedi (1983). It makes me wonder why he even bothered to go this route in the first place, considering that there’s only one way that the story can now end. I definitely think that this story would have benefited from a different ending, perhaps one that doesn’t feel like Anderson took the easy way out in ending IG-88′s story. As a result of this story decision, I do have to rank this story lower on my list than the others. 

Payback: The Tale of Dengar: 

Written by Dave Wolverton, “Payback” focuses on Dengar, the bandaged human bounty hunter. In this story, Wolverton portrays Dengar as a bounty hunter who is out for revenge against the Imperials who turned him into a killing machine following an accident, as well as Han Solo for causing the accident in the first place. During one of his hunts, Dengar runs into an alien woman named Manaroo, whose species possesses a unique technology that allows them to share their emotions, and the two gradually fall in love during Dengar’s hunt for Han Solo. I will say that this story surprised me in the best way possible. Dengar was a character that I never had a particular interest in, but Wolverton writes the character in such a way that makes the reader empathize with Dengar. After a certain point, you actually start to root for Dengar and hope he succeeds in his hunt despite the fact that we know he loses out to Boba Fett. All in all, I have to say that “Payback” is probably my favorite short story in the novel.

The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk:

If “Payback” made me care about a hunter that I normally have no interest in, then “The Prize Pelt” by Kathy Tyers made me feel like my favorite Star Wars character, Bossk, had been completely wasted in this story. “The Prize Pelt” is a story about how Bossk was foiled in his attempts to catch Han Solo and Chewbacca by a pair of bounty hunters, Chenlambec, a Wookiee, and Tinian I’att, a human. While I think the idea might have been there, it’s Tyers’s execution of the story that bothers me. The biggest problem here is that Bossk, frequently considered to be second only to Boba Fett, is easily outsmarted and outmaneuvered by Tinian I’att, a novice bounty hunter studying under Chenlambec. Not only do I find it hard to believe that a long-time professional bounty hunter like Bossk is outsmarted by a novice, but it’s the fact that Tinian I’att feels like a Mary Sue style character. I don’t like using the term “Mary Sue” as I feel as though it’s become bastardized in recent years (particularly by the Star Wars fanbase), but I do feel it is applicable here. Tinian is an heiress to a weapons manufacturing company, lost her parents, grandparents, and fiance (who is Force-sensitive) to the Empire, but is quite easily able to concoct several plans to outsmart Bossk, who again has been hunting far longer than she has. So we have the tragic backstory component and the ridiculously high skill level component, which are both necessary for a Mary Sue character. All of this seems to come at the cost of dumbing down Bossk, and frankly making him seem like an idiot. While I did honestly enjoy the cat-and-mouse elements of the hunters all trying to outsmart each other, it’s the dumbed down Bossk and overly capable Tinian that really ruin this story for me, and I feel as though there were probably better ideas for a Bossk story. Overall, this was probably my least favorite story in the novel.

Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM:

Written by M. Shayne Bell, “Of Possible Futures” tells the story of why the Gand findsman Zuckuss and protocol-droid-turned-hunter 4-LOM are after the reward on Han Solo and The Millenium Falcon. In a similar vein to the “Payback” story, Bell paints Zuckuss and 4-LOM in a sympathetic light, a stark contrast to the outright villainy we see from IG-88 and Bossk. In this story, Zuckuss and 4-LOM need the reward money in order to afford a new set of lungs for Zuckuss, an ammonia-breathing Gand who accidentally was exposed to oxygen during a hunt gone bad. 4-LOM, on the other hand, stays by Zuckuss’s side in order to learn how to use intuition to determine possible futures that their prey may take. I really like this story, and how it shows us that not all of the bounty hunters are outright villains. We’re given a very real world motivation for why the duo need the money, and needing money for life-saving healthcare is something that a lot people can relate to. Furthermore, I like how Bell ends this story on a hopeful note, with Zuckuss getting the medical care he needs, 4-LOM beginning to learn how to see into the future, and the duo joining the Rebellion to help liberate Han Solo from Jabba’s Palace. While I really do enjoy this story, I think it lands firmly in the middle for me, and that’s due to the pacing. Bell can be a bit slow at points and that sometimes drags down the story. That being said, it’s certainly better than some of the other entries such as “Therefore I Am” and “The Prize Pelt”.

The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett:

The final story in the novel, written by Daniel Keys Moran, details the origins, fall, and return of the most infamous Star Wars bounty hunter, Boba Fett. I think this story stands out from the others not because it’s simply about Boba Fett, but because the writers of the early EU had some very different ideas about Boba Fett’s origin than what George Lucas ultimately gave us in Attack of the Clones (2002). Instead of being a clone of Jango Fett, Boba Fett in this story was originally a Journeyman Protector of Concord Dawn named Jaster Mereel, who was stripped of his title after committing heinous offenses in the name of his twisted sense of morality. It’s a very stark contrast to what we ultimately got, and it’s interesting to see how these details of Boba Fett’s life were retconned. This story is where we first get the concept that Fett wasn’t a true Mandalorian, but somehow acquired the armor and gear (an idea later canonized but reworked to fit the prequel origin in the Disney-era). What I also like about this story is that Bell made Boba Fett��s infamous escape from the Sarlaac have long-lasting consequences in the character later in the story. As a result of being partially digested, Fett is missing his right leg and has cancer, resulting in him completing hunts with increased difficulty. We also get snippets from Han Solo’s point of view, and things ultimately come to a head when Fett attempts to carry out one last hunt against his nemesis. I like this story for being an early attempt at trying to demystify Boba Fett. While the story is no longer canon, I think it definitely is worth a read if you’re a Boba Fett fan. That being said, I do think this story ranks as my second favorite for two reasons: first, it doesn’t quite hit the emotional highs that “Payback” reached, and second, there’s a scene between Boba Fett and Leia in Jabba’s Palace that I found rather unnecessary. Overall, it’s in a solid second place for me.

Final Thoughts: 

Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters is definitely a fun read. While the stories in it can be pretty hit or miss, it’s certainly a fun novel that offers some unique insight into the bounty hunters that only appeared for a moment in the films. If you’re a fan of bounty hunters like I am, then definitely give this book a shot. If you’re new to Star Wars and want to get into the Legends timeline, this is a decent place to start since it features characters and moments from the movies. The novel certainly holds a special place in my heart. But despite that, the hit or miss nature of the stories is what causes it to lose points for me.

Overall, I give this novel a 3.5 out of 5.