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Star Wars Lightsider by Tom Veitch (LEAKED)

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About damn time.

“The Anarchists are right in everything; in the negation of the existing order and in the assertion that, without Authority there could not be worse violence than that of Authority under existing conditions. They are mistaken only in thinking that anarchy can be instituted by a violent revolution… There can be only one permanent revolution — a moral one: the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself.”

― Leo Tolstoy

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I am one of those people cleaning up the book 😃

After being beaten and battered by prequel hate, I promise not to be that to the next generation.

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yoshif8tures said:

It’s done and in the wild

That was reply was so quick I didn’t even see it until today! 😃
 

I found a 71 page “Lightsider - edited 01/11/22” google doc of it:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e4zqewxiNd0J6x6jMh2GGJStDfK506CFZ-8X5ZJfpeY/edit

^ Is that the same as dgraham414’s cleaned up version?
 

Edit: I’ve also found a 65 page google doc version, with a chapter/menu system running down the left side of it:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NZ8YLOzC5anaCq2X5U5RlvcBRBV4EQT2O-o3UvrBIJ0/edit
 

and a docdroid pdf version, dated 8.25.97, with cover art, with some badly copied scans of what looks to be the original?:

https://www.docdroid.net/81125jE/lightsiderpdf-pdf
 
 

There is also this 5 minute YouTube video by Quinlan Vos, for 2 custom-made hard copy versions of the Lightsider novella:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjL1yj2dCBI

 

I really like the cover art for Lightsider, old style EU, as it should be!

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Marooned Biker Scout said:

I really like the cover art for Lightsider, old style EU, as it should be!

It’s not bad, but it’s a collage. That Luke comes from the cover of a Dark Empire trade paperback, and that Kam comes from the New Essential Guide to Characters.

“The Anarchists are right in everything; in the negation of the existing order and in the assertion that, without Authority there could not be worse violence than that of Authority under existing conditions. They are mistaken only in thinking that anarchy can be instituted by a violent revolution… There can be only one permanent revolution — a moral one: the regeneration of the inner man. How is this revolution to take place? Nobody knows how it will take place in humanity, but every man feels it clearly in himself. And yet in our world everybody thinks of changing humanity, and nobody thinks of changing himself.”

― Leo Tolstoy

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Superweapon VII said:

Marooned Biker Scout said:

I really like the cover art for Lightsider, old style EU, as it should be!

It’s not bad, but it’s a collage. That Luke comes from the cover of a Dark Empire trade paperback, and that Kam comes from the New Essential Guide to Characters.

Oh, I didn’t know that. I’d guess whoever doing the project didn’t have the $$$ to pay for any new art?

I think it may be a cover that fans put together years ago for it? It also appears here, at Matt Wilkins EU website, from 2022:

https://www.theexpandeduniverse.com/post/star-wars-lightsider
 

Matt Wilkins’ 5 minute YouTube video review on Lightsider from 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqABvxO5bCc

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Someone on the StarWarsEU reddit put together a couple of interviews from Tom Veitch talking about Lightsider. Plus some comments from Bob Cooper, editor at Dark Horse at the time. All from 1995/96:
 

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/yk1y70/the_lightsider_interviews

 

and some fans’ thoughts on Lightsider:

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/yizuo1/my_thoughts_on_the_novella_lightsider_by_tom

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Those Lightsider interviews with Tom Veitch are interesting to read. The 1996 interview where he talks about the Lightsider game, especially:
 

Question: “Can you tell us anything about the Lightsider project? What is it?”

Veitch: "Lightsider is a short novel I wrote, that was originally supposed to be a Star Wars novel illustrated by Dave Dorman. In the process of writing this book I invented a game that Jedi play, using the Force, called “Lightsider”. The game turned out to be quite good, I think. After I had finished creating it, I realized that it would make an excellent computer game, sort of like Myst, but different in many significant ways. In fact I may have invented a new genre of computer games. So as we were negotiating a contract I asked Lucasfilm if they could put in a clause which would allow me a royalty of some kind if they ever decided to make a computer game out of Lightsider.

Well…it turned out I pushed their button on that one. They told me it would be impossible to agree to such a royalty, and that I was way out of line asking for one! They said they don’t do business that way – they acquire all rights when you do a project for them, and you are paid only for the original project. So I elected not to sell them Lightsider, because the gaming concept was just too strong. I am in the process of marketing it elsewhere right now. The curious thing, from my point of view, was the vehemence of their reaction to my request. They could have just said “no”, and that’s that. But it was as if I had poked a scorpion with a stick or something.

Ahh…but life is sweet, and it goes on forever. The power of the Force is great, my friends. Do not fear the Emperor. Do not tremble before the minions of the dark side. Realize the Lightside of the Force, live in the Force, and the Force will be your support and your strength, even in the face of great adversity. 😉 May the Force be with you!"
 

Has anything about the Lightsider game itself surfaced recently? https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightsider

Or is there anywhere that has more detailed information on the game?

The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.

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It would be cool to find more out about the game, like how would it have worked as a computer game, and could it have been adapted to work outside of the Star Wars universe? Would it still hold up today?

Hopefully we’ll see some more on this one day soon.