The Force Unleashed II

I've been reading random Star Wars fiction lately. I tackled The Force Unleashed novelizations, both original and sequel, in my free time over the past couple days.

TFU is largely forgotten by now. The games pioneered fun new gameplay, at least where Star Wars games were concerned. I felt the plot of the first game suffered, though.

Darth Sidious may as well have been called Darth Senile. His motivations for allowing Vader to train Starkiller are nonsensical, when you consider that they already commanded elite storm trooper teams and low-classed Force sensitives to do their dirty work. You might say Starkiller's main purpose was to root out rebels. The problem being that none of the senators were rebelling until Starkiller (under Vader's orders), went out of his way to inspire them to do so.

Let's say that Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Bel Iblis WERE subverting the Empire before TFU (which was canon for years). Why couldn't Sidious use a bit of political maneuvering to expose them? Why did he have to go through all the trouble of nursing yet another viper?

Sidious and Vader essentially created a problem so that they could solve the problem. I guess they were bored.

I hoped the novelization would answer some of the foggier points of the plot. The author never does. He never even makes the attempt.

The story did have its strengths. Juno's character development was great. I felt for her. I even felt for Starkiller to some extent, even though he at times seemed willfully naive or plain dim.

I wasn't expecting much when I started reading the sequel. But miraculously enough?

Vader's motives were understandable and straight-forward, without the needless twists. Clone-Starkiller's goal of finding Juno was obsessive but sympathetic. Juno's progression from an Imperial to where we see her in TFU2 is organic, believable, and intriguing. We see the distinct diplomatic styles of the rebel leaders Bail, Ackbar, Kota, Mothma, Iblis, and even Princess Leia herself. We meet Tarkin and learn why the Alliance is a personal sore spot for him.

TFU2 is where the PT atmosphere finally begins to mold into the OT. It's the true "child", if you will, of those two breeds.

Strange to say this. I believe it's an underrated story.

As a sort of evil genius myself I can appreciate the stratagem.

Those Senators would probably rally behind someone in the future (someone like Luke or Leia) so Palpatine is throwing a controlled catalyst into the Petri dish of potential traitors.

He creates a designer hero with pre-attached puppet strings.

If the Senators stay loyal Palpatine has nothing to worry about from them. If they fall for the bait he can lead them with his puppet to a luxury cell on the new Death Star (proving it's cost effectiveness beyond the planet smashing).

Hubris leads him to believe that even the cock-up was a victory of sorts.

I would have created a moon-sized planet shrinker myself, maybe in black and sort of worrying in shape (that's always a memorable feature in a weapon of mass destruction).

I never played the TFU game or read the novelization, though I read the comic adaptation (the cool black-armoured Royal Guard with the lightsaber pike aside, I found it lame).

Frankly, I think the entire storyline is wrongheaded and I have no interest in any version of the sequel whatsoever.

Bingowings said:

As a sort of evil genius myself I can appreciate the stratagem.

Those Senators would probably rally behind someone in the future (someone like Luke or Leia) so Palpatine is throwing a controlled catalyst into the Petri dish of potential traitors.

He creates a designer hero with pre-attached puppet strings.

If the Senators stay loyal Palpatine has nothing to worry about from them. If they fall for the bait he can lead them with his puppet to a luxury cell on the new Death Star (proving it's cost effectiveness beyond the planet smashing).

Hubris leads him to believe that even the cock-up was a victory of sorts.

I would have created a moon-sized planet shrinker myself, maybe in black and sort of worrying in shape (that's always a memorable feature in a weapon of mass destruction).

I can almost see that (your explanation for Palpatine's logic... not sure about the planet shrinker). But it's the definition of overkill. Starkiller says that Sidious and Vader allowed him to destroy Imperial property and slaughter what are probably thousands of troopers and officers in his career to "sell the deception". They're wasting vast resources that makes the Death Star's construction look frugal.

It's a galactic empire, resources shouldn't be an issue.

I think this is the cardinal error of ROTJ.

The Imperial Fleet there would be a tiny subsection of the ships available to the Empire.

The troops in the Endor land battle would be the normal troops defending such an installation.

The should be building a Death Star for every regional territory at the same time.

Palpatine owns everything and everybody so why the uncharacteristic lack of ambition?

You think the space battle should have been more epic, or the ending less definite on the Empire's defeat?

Yes and Yes.

imperialscum said:

Bingowings said:

I think this is the cardinal error of ROTJ.

The Imperial Fleet there would be a tiny subsection of the ships available to the Empire.

The troops in the Endor land battle would be the normal troops defending such an installation.

There is no error. You just made it up yourself. There is no indication what so ever that the fleet stationed at Endor wasn't in fact just a fraction of the navy. And it is pretty obvious that the troops we see on Endor were not an entire imperial army but rather just a company-sized unit guarding the back entrance.

Fnah...Fnah!

No it's the normal guards plus an entire legion of the Emperor's Sardau...best troops

A legion is 3000-6000 troops.

Bingowings. You may enjoy the Thrawn Trilogy and Dark Empire. The Empire's defeat is undermined in both. They make a full return with Sidious at the helm in DE.

I enjoyed it *sigh* when it was published though Luuke Skywalker is a really silly name.

Dark Empire is as silly as ROTJ though.

Dark Empire is as silly as ROTJ though.

That's disappointing. I've read Thrawn, but not DE yet. Seems to be a divisive series.

It looks great but it reads like FNWNK and like the OT it has a rush to the finish ending that doesn't even look as good.

Referring to Palpatine as Sidious? That's a paddlin'.

I think it sounds cool. Maul and Tyranus are a different story.