Between my Ep. III re-write, my Superman trilogy, and the two or three original stories I want to write, it’s likely going to be quite awhile before I begin work on a sequel trilogy re-write. But an alternate ST is most definitely what I’m working towards; all the SW stories written thus far – all the SW stories to be written – have just been precursor to that. My ST will be my farewell letter to SW fan-fiction; it will be the conclusion to the saga I have been working on over a decade, and I will have no wish or desire to continue in that universe henceforth.
But there’s a question nagging at me: What is to be the story for my ST?
For years now, I had a specific vision in mind. The timeframe: 40-44 ABY. The setting: the post-war New Republic/Imperial Remnant. The main character: Anakin Solo. The plot: A restored Sith Order – in command of a clone army left over from the Clone Wars – would emerge from the Unknown Regions to invade the New Republic/Imperial Remnant. In essence, this ST would take aspects from the New Jedi Order and Legacy of the Force series’ and rework them into a proper story which would finally see the conflict between the Jedi and Sith resolved for all time. But then arose some problems.
Problem #1: I’d have to read the entire NJO and LOTF books to know what to take from them, then I’d have to fit the pieces together in a way where they worked flawlessly together. I’m not keen on reading those books, anyway, plus all that puzzle-building? It’s far too much work; I don’t think I could manage it.
Problem #2: This ST would start off with Han & Leia having three fully-grown children and Luke being married to Mara Jade. For readers immersed in the EU, this would be no problem; they’re already familiar with the characters and need no introduction. But what about readers who don’t follow the EU closely? I want my ST to be accessible to everyone. How do I introduce these characters who clearly have a lot of history behind them without resorting to a load of exposition? Perhaps a strong writer can do the job, but I don’t believe I’m that strong a writer.
So even though I believe the story of this ST is a great one and would serve as an excellent conclusion to the story begun in my PT, I fear it may have to be abandoned for a simpler narrative.
Now we come to my alternate, alternate ST. Why not take elements from the Thrawn Trilogy, the Dark Empire Trilogy, the Jedi Academy Trilogy, and work them into a single trilogy of the rise of Luke’s New Jedi Order and the fall of Palpatine’s Dark Side Elite? Here’s what I’m picturing:
The timeframe: 11-13 ABY. The setting: the cold war-era New Republic/Imperial Remnant. The plot: As Luke begins searching the Galaxy for prospective apprentices, the Dark Empire – an Imperial faction which has been hidden away in the Deep Core the past several years – emerges. The Dark Empire – ruled by the Dark Side Elite, their fleet commanded by Grand Admiral Thrawn – attacks the New Republic and the cold war turns hot again. As the Imperial and Republic Starfleets clash, the Dark Side Elite – led by the mysterious Dread Lord Caedus – seeks to summon the spirit of Palpatine back from the netherworld of the Force and incarnate him in a new body. But no ordinary body will do; Palpatine can only be reborn in the body of a Skywalker. Leia just so happens to be with child. Thus Caedus makes it a top priority that she be captured and brought to the Deep Core world of Byss.
That’s what I have so far. Should I go with it? Should I stick to my original ST storyline and figure out how to work around its problems? Thoughts? Ideas? I welcome anything anyone has to give me.