TOPIC: Splinter of The Minds Eye

Who remembers this one? Huh?

For the longest time after Star Wars left the theater, the only way I had to relive any of it (in this pre-video era), was to put on the sound track album (yes album...not CD) with my headphones on, close my eyes, and imagine the scene going on. It did the trick, but was not always enough to scratch the Star Wars itch.

Imagine my unbridled joy when I saw there had been a novel written that continued the story! Set immediately following the events of the destruction of the Death Star, it was like a dream come true! I mean without an opportunity to see the movie again, having a new story that continued where the original left off was fantastic.

Now, I don't actually remember a whole lot of the story (though I intend to read it again when I get the chance), but I do remember that I liked it a lot. I also recall that this sequence of events did bring him face to face with Vader. If it were canon, this might have been where he learned that Luke was not just some Jedi-wannabe, but in fact his own son whom he thought had died almost 20 years before. Since it was relegated to Legend status, it should make for an interesting read, but nothing you could expect to see referred to elsewhere in the Lucas-verse.

The other thing I recall about the book was that it painted a pretty convincing picture that Luke was a very powerful force user with unfathomable, yet untrained/untapped potential. We kind of see this in the movies that followed, though no Jedi other than Yoda was ever shown doing anything of an epic nature that would really underscore their true power. Even Anakin in Episode III. They paid a lot of lip service to how strong he was, but never really show it. Anyway, more about that in the Episode III dialog I am contemplating.

I plan to re-read this book, mainly because I remember it being a fantastic story. Of course, I was a lot younger then, so it might not seem as great now. However, I use the fact that I still love Star Wars just as much, if not more than I did then, so even if it is not a literary epiphany, it is still Star Wars which automatically gives it a pass on most things.

Anybody else have recollections of this book?

If I remember correctly, during the Luke vs. Vader duel, Obi-Wan ' s force ghost takes possession of Luke which is how he bests Vader. Which is why in Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan says to Luke, "if you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere." An incredible reference if you choose to believe it was giving a nod to that book.

I have many! This was the second EU book I ever read, with the first being "Shadows of the Empire". Dash Rendar was so cool! Anyway, Andi-Jae is right in that Luke is guided by Obi-Wan's spirit, but his power was also augmented by the Kaiburr crystal which is really the subject of the book. And now I spoiler tag, just in case?



Great book! As is most of the EU. Personally, I have so many DECADES invested in Star Wars lore and literature that I cannot simply throw it away. To me, it will always be canon and TFA is "Alternate Universe". Cool in its own right, but not what I choose to believe.

Thanks for the nostalgia trip, Brax!

I also remember this book.

Spoilers follow.



If memory serves the crystal Luke and Leia found was in the possession of of a relatively weak force sensitive old woman, and the crystal rather significantly enhanced a force user's power. (Luke under its influence was able to heal wounds/burns Leia had acquired. ) As I recall they left the thing on her possession.

I also remember a trilogy of novels featuring Han Solo (I still have a copy of these) and another featuring Lando during the time he owned the Falcon.

Anybody else remember these?

I'm pretty sure those trilogies are sitting on my bookshelf somewhere. A lot of the specifics are hazy at this point. But I still remember the Sabacc game where Lando lost the ship. Very tricksy that Han.

Darth Vexing wrote:
I LOVED those! Han Solo at Star's End and whatever the heck the other two were called. I was talking about these with my son in the shop just Sunday.

He and I are building our own Chopper (from Rebels) and he had put together a few small, random scraps to make a mini droid. That sparked the memory of Blue Max the little droid that rode inside of the larger droid in those books.

I'm going to amazon to see if I can find them now

Update from Amazon:

Han Solo at Stars' End, Han Solo's Revenge, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy

They even have the cover art that I remember from 79'

Any guesses as to what I just ordered?

My son is going to love them

Yeah, they are a part of my paperback library. All 3 novels in one book.

The other thing I think I remember about Splinter--and I could be misremembering this--is that there's a hint that Leia is Force-sensitive as well. I believe that book was the first time where that concept appeared.

On the other hand, I could be misremembering--it's been a while.

I still remember the Yuzzem, though.


raphos wrote: Actually, that's a different trilogy. There were two prequel trilogies written during the '80s--one for Lando and one for Han--which were never officially part of the EU. In the '90s, Anne Crispin wrote a new Han prequel trilogy, which was part of the EU; that's where the sabacc game showed up. The thing I like best about her trilogy, though, is that in them she refers to the events of the other two trilogies, sort of retroactively bringing them into the EU. Based on canon policy at the time, she could have completely ignored them, but she chose not to. I think that's awesome.

She was also, to my knowledge, the first person to explicitly split "you've got a lot of nerve after what you pulled" and "YOUR ship? I won her fair and square!" into two completely separate events. I think their reactions in ESB make more sense her way, but I feel like a lot of people (myself included) interpreted those as both being about the same event--Han somehow cheating Lando out of the Falcon, and Lando still being bitter about it--prior to that trilogy.

I suppose one might consider her taking up Luke's saber against Vader a slight sign of force sensitivity, especially in that she didn't cut off all her own limbs. Most of what I remember about Leia in the book is her being so full of piss and vinegar. Which I liked, really. It continued her "not a demure princess" personality from ANH. Of course there were also the *cough* weird *cough* moments between her and Luke. Oh what Alan Dean Foster didn't know at the time...

Thanks for the memory jog! I have both Han trilogies, but I haven't read them in forever. I do remember her splitting up the Han/Lando events though, like you said.

Man I wish I had the time to re-read all my EU books.

raphos wrote: To be fair, Luke and Leia didn't know at the time either. (Unless you believe her "somehow I've always known" line in ROTJ, in which case, some of her behavior in earlier movies is kind of creepy.) I've heard that at that point, Lucas was still intending to make Luke and Leia a couple, and only changed that because Han was such a fan favorite; that may just be an urban legend, though.

Yes, it's very hard to know what to believe. There are so many theories out there. I've also heard that Lucas always knew they were brother and sister. Which again, makes you wonder at some of his choices in ANH and ESB. But let's be honest, everything in the movies is tame when compared against fanfic. That stuff gives me the shivers.