Star Wars Comics: The Sith War #3-5, Heir to the Empire #2-3, Boba Fett

My Recent Reads

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #3: The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma

Originally Published October 17, 1995

Writer: Kevin J. Anderson

Artist: Dario Carrasco, Jr.

In-Story Timeline: 3996 BBY

via Wookieepedia

• Ulic is on trial for his offenses against the Republic since he turned to the Dark Side.
• Meanwhile, on Yavin 4, Exar Kun orders his apprentices to go kill their own Jedi Masters in order to clear the way for the rise of the Sith.  He sends Crado and Oss Willum to take out Master Thon.  He goes himself to confront Master Vodo.
• Mandalore, unimpressed by Aleema's betrayal of Ulic and determined to stay loyal to the latter, shows up on Yavin 4 asking for help for Ulic.  Kun reluctantly agrees.
• Cay argues for his brother.  Nomi Sunrider argues against him.
• Kun interrupts the proceedings, frees Ulic, then the brawling ensues.
• Kun kills Vodo and runs off with both Ulic and Mandalore.

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #4: Jedi Holocaust

November 1, 1995

Anderson/Carrasco

via Wookieepedia

• Ulic learns of Aleema's betrayal.  He assigns her to lead their next attack with a wink to the reader: he expects her not only to fail but to die trying.  It's the lesson we all learned from the Godfather movies: keep you friends close, keep your enemies closer.
• Nomi, her daughter Vima and Sylvar go to Ambria to visit Master Thon.  They are attacked by Crado and Oss Wilum, Kun's minions.  The good guys win this round.
• However, across the galaxy, Jedi Masters are dying at the hands of their own former pupils.  
• Indeed, Aleema is successful in her attack on Kemplex IX but in the aftermath, both she and Crado are killed by a supernova.

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #5: Brother Against Brother

December 19, 1995

Anderson/Carrasco

via Wookieepedia

• The supernovae (yup, that's plural) set off by Aleema in the last issue are threatening Ossus.  The Jedi and Republic evacuate the planet along with the artifacts in its Jedi library, the latter also a precaution against the impending Sith invasion.
• Ulic, Kun and their followers arrive, intending to loot the library.  Cay battles Ulic, still hoping to bring him back to the Light Side.  Kun battles Ood Bnar.
• In a cool connection with the Dark Empire stories set thousands of years later, Bnar loses but transforms himself into a tree in order to protect a stash of lightsabers.
• Cay is killed by Ulic.
• When Nomi arrives on the seen, she uses her own powers to strip Ulic of the Force.
• Neat trick!

Heir to the Empire #2

November 7, 1995

Mike Baron/Olivier Vatine and Fred Blanchard

Based on the novel of the same name by Timothy Zahn

9 ABY

via Amazon

• Admiral Trawn and Jedi Jorus C'Baoth are hunting the Skywalkers.
• Luke is training Leia.
• Han and Leia are heading Bpfaash to head off an Imperial attack.
• Luke heads to Dagobah where he has a vision of a mysterious woman snatching away his lightsaber.
• Things on Bpfaash go poorly and Han races to get Leia back to safety.  Once they're in space, they head towards the new digs of an old friend: Lando.
• They make it to Lando but the Imperials have successfully followed them.

Heir to the Empire #3

December 12, 1995

Baron/Vatine and Blanchard

via Wookieepedia

• Luke falls in with Talon Karrde and his band of smugglers, including Mara Jade.  She hates him but he doesn't know why yet.
• Han sends Leia and Chewbacca to Kashyyyk, believing Leia will be safe on the Wookiee home world.
• All Star Wars stories improve with the addition of Wookiees, the more the better.  Yup, even The Star Wars Holiday Special.  Sure, it's terrible.  It would have been even worse without Wookiees.
• The ever-clever Thrawn anticipates the plan and sends his Noghri minions to Kashyyyk to hunt Leia down.

Boba Fett: Bounty on Bar-Kooda

December 5, 1995

John Wagner/Cam Kennedy

via Wookieepedia

• The first Boba Fett-devoted comic book.
• Fett, resurrected in the Dark Empire series, is hunting a magician for Gorga the Hutt.
• Not too impressed with this one.  To be honest, I've never been particularly enchanted by the Boba Fett story.  Sure, he looks cool and he's always been a merchandising gold mine.  But the efforts to build a broader narrative around him nearly always fall flat for me - feels like they're trying too hard.  Yup, even with the clone troopers.

Star Trek: Clues

Episode: "Clues"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 4, Episode 14

Original Air Date: February 11, 1991

via Memory Alpha

The entire Enterprise crew, except for Data, is rendered unconscious when the ship, supposedly, goes through a wormhole.  Data tells them all they were out for 30 seconds but evidence indicates it was likely longer than that.  Could Data be lying?  If so, why?

"Clues," as the title suggests, is basically a mystery story.  It's not exactly a time travel narrative so I can't dismiss it with my usual objections.  It tends to do well on the best episodes lists.  I'm not quite there but I can acknowledge the general fun and the "solution" is certainly an inventive one.

A point of discussion for those who know the story: Data violates Picard's order in the end despite all of the absolutes in place.  It's interesting that Data is willing to sacrifice himself but not the rest of the crew in order to comply.  It is the Asimovian choice.  Data is usually not held to the Three Laws but here he follows them.

For those not familiar with Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics:

First Law

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law

A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

Third Law

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

"Clues" introduces the character Ensign McKnight, played by Pamela Winslow.  This is her first of three appearances.  Winslow was born in Maplewood, New Jersey.

Most of Winslow's success came on stage.  She was the original Rapunzel in the Sondheim musical Into the Woods, also performing the role on the television airing of the show.  Her other prominent, though not originating, Broadway roles were Babette in Beauty and the Beast and Lucille in Meet Me in St. Louis.

Squid Mixes: Lemon Drop

A lemon drop is sort of a deconstructed cocktail.  You pour citrus-flavored vodka (I used lemon) into a shot glass.  You cover a lemon wedge with sugar.  You drink the shot, then shove the lemon in your mouth.  I first had one at a Tequila Twister party in college, then never again until now.  I got my recipe from The Architecture of the Shot by Paul Knorr.

"This is your idea of fun?" my wife asked, rolling her eyes.  She indulged me nonetheless.

I'm in need of new direction in the cocktail hobby.  I'm not displeased with the current paths I'm following but I feel I have, to this point, paid less attention to a critical element: visual presentation.  So far, we've explored lots of drinks that were fun to consume and that is, of course, the whole point.  But mixology is also a visual art form.  Shots seem like a good place to start with learning to layer liquors and so forth.  If nothing else, from the recipes I've perused so far, it's a great way to build up the color palette.  

As for the lemon drop, yes, I'd say it is rather fun!  I mean I don't see myself developing a steady habit with them but that wasn't really what I was after.

Star Wars Comics: The Sith War #1-2, X-Wing Rogue Squadron #3-4, Heir to the Empire #1

My Recent Reads

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #1: Edge of the Whirlwind

Originally Published August 15, 1995

Writer: Kevin J. Anderson

Artist: Dario Carrasco, Jr.

In-Story Timeline: 3,996 BBY

via Wookieepedia

• Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Dorma are out to conquer the galaxy for the Sith.
• Kun is on Ossus training young Jedi but he's really trying to find a Holocron in the great library on that world.
• Ulic is the Sith's military leader.  He encounters the Mandalorians.  I don't know enough about the novels to say whether or not this is the first appearance of any Mandalorians besides Boba Fett but it could be.
• Ulic defeats the leader, Mandalore the Indomitable, in a duel, earning his devotion as well as that of his followers.

Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #2: The Battle of Coruscant

September 19, 1995

Anderson/Carrasco

• Ulic's forces attack Coruscant, the capital of the Republic.
• Exar Kun finds his Holocron and also wins a loyal disciple, Crado.  He successfully enslaves his other Jedi followers, hiding his loyalty to the Sith from them.
• Aleema Keto betrays Ulic during the attack on Coruscant, ordering both Krath and Mandalore forces to withdraw.
• Ulic is left vulnerable to the Jedi who have come to defend Coruscant, including Cay and Nomi.  
• Ulic is captured.  The Supreme Chancellor declares he will be tried and sentenced to death.

X-Wing Rogue Squadron #3: The Rebel Opposition, Part 3

September 26, 1995

Michael A. Stackpole and Mike Baron/Allen Nunis

4 ABY

via Wookieepedia

• Tycho is assigned to join a TIE-Fighter squadron in an attack on the Rebels, putting himself in a tricky position: kill his own friends or blow his cover.
• The decision is made for him.  An X-Wing piloted by his own R2 unit shoots him down.  Or at least he thinks it was his own R2.  It was actually Winter.
• He survives, though.
• Vance Rego, initially posing as a member of the underground, captures Janson and Winter (believed to be Princess Leia) with Stormtroopers in tow.

X-Wing Rogue Squadron #4: The Rebel Opposition, Part 4

October 31, 1995

Stackpole and Baron/Nunis

• Tycho is rescued by Imperials who still believe him to be on their side.  He ends up in the same transport back to Moff as Winter.
• Vance returns to the Rebels who still believe him to be on their side.  He tells them of "Leia"'s capture and encourages them to go rescue her.
• Tycho flies with the Imperials again but turns on them, alerting Wedge to his identity.  The other TIE-Fighters in his squadron are shot down.
• Meanwhile, in the rescue party, Elscol discovers Vance's betrayal.  Vance mistakenly believes he had killed Groznik, Elscol's Wookiee friend, who now returns to throw Vance out of the jeep, presumably to his death.  He actually survives the fall but then gets his arm torn off by a ronk.
• Nothing in the text confirms that Vance dies from his injury but it is the last time he appears in this or any other story.
• Winter is successfully rescued and Moff Tascl is captured.  
• The Rogues leave for Mrisst with their new friends, Elscol and Groznik.
• So ends the arc.  So far, this is an excellent series - my favorite so far.  I look forward to the next arc.

Heir to the Empire #1

October 1, 1995

Baron/Olivier Vatine

Based on the novel of the same name by Timothy Zahn

9 ABY

• The first of six issues adapting Zahn's novel, first published in 1991.
• As such, it is the first comic book appearance for two of the most important characters in the Star Wars Expanded Universe: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

Thrawn via Wookieepedia

Mara Jade via Wookieepedia

• The story is set just before and is, at least so far, compatible with the Dark Empire series.
• As such, Leia is still pregnant with the twins.  Luke's quest to increase the Jedi ranks is just beginning.
• Thrawn is the last of the Imperial warlords and he is not going to go quietly.  He is preparing to attack the New Republic.  He and his sidekick Captain Gilad Pellaeon, enlist the help of Jorus C'baoth, the clone of a fallen Jedi Master.  
• This franchise is really into clones!

Star Trek: Devil's Due

Episode: "Devil's Due"

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 4, Episode 13

Original Air Date: February 4, 1991

via Memory Alpha

Our heroes respond to a distress call on Ventax II.  Ardra, a devil-like deity figure, has taken control of the planet and, in turn, manages to ensnare the Enterprise as well.  Picard believes Ardra is an impostor and sets out to prove it.

The episode is both praised and criticized for echoing The Original Series.  Kirk and company encounter a godlike con artist in "Who Mourns for Adonis," for instance.  The similarity is not coincidental.  The story for "Devil's Due" was originally intended for Star Trek: Phase II, a never-launched sequel series in the late '70s.  This is not the greatest episode, especially after two such strong ones, but I rather like seeing Picard work his way through a Kirk story.  Plus the courtroom scenes are genuinely fun, especially the interplay between Picard and Data, who is chosen by both sides as a neutral arbiter.  

It certainly doesn't hurt that Marta DuBois is glamorously beautiful.

Acting Notes

via Magnum, PI Wiki

Marta DuBois played the role of Ardra.  She was born December 15, 1952 in David, Chiriqui, Panama.  Most of her acting work was in television.  She was the female lead in the TV movie series McBride and also had a recurring role on Magnum, P.I.  In addition to Trek, her guest appearances include The A-Team, L.A. Law and Matlock.

DuBois passed away in 2018 of a brain aneurysm.  

On the Coffee Table: Flight

Title: Flight, Volume One

Editor: Kazu Kibuishi

via Amazon

Flight is a comic book anthology series edited by Kazu Kibuishi, writer and artist of the Amulet series.  Volume One is the first of eight books.  Kibuishi's plan was to feature the work of young, innovative creators.  While he didn't intend a theme, the series title definitely inspired the contributors as many of the works involve flight.  There are 23 stories collected in this first installment.

The artwork is generally stunning, though for me the stories were just okay.  None is very long and maybe that's the issue for me - not enough to latch on to.  The highlights for me were "Paper and String" by Jen Wang, a story about two young women and a kite, and "The Bowl" by Clio Chiang, a tale about a fisherman who's turned into, you guessed it, a bowl.  I especially appreciated the Northwest Native American art style employed for the latter story.

Squid Mixes: Golden Dragon

A golden dragon combines brandy and yellow Chartreuse with a lemon twist for garnish.  I got my recipe from The New York Bartender's Guide.  The brandy brings out an anise flavor in the ever-surprising Chartreuse.

The drink is intensely yellow.  Actually, it's the Chartreuse that is.  I wish the green Chartreuse held its color so well but alas no.