Hey folks. I thought this post from another thread would interest you guys:

• "Any plans for a reference on the Alderaan War Ships?"*

+I'm always on the look-out for opportunities to use seemingly contradictory references. I haven't had much success integrating the non-pacifist Alderaan references from earlier sources, though. For instance, I had intended for Grand Admiral Josef Grunger to be an Alderaanian Marine at a point earlier in his career. This was ultimately cut from the GAs article, though his Alderaanian heritage made it into a Fact Files card, I believe.

Take care,
Abel+

Hey folks! Thank you for the warm reception.

Nex:

Did the Emperor choose a new GA after Tigellinus switched over to a more political role, and dropped the Grand Admiral title?

It was our intention that the Insider article be all encompassing concerning the original GAs, and thus it's our opinion that no GA was appointed to fill Tigellinus' position after he became a Grand Moff. I believe Dan intends to take an official stance on this in an upcoming project.

Back to Grand Admirals, How did Makati die? In the Insider it only says he "met his end."

Dan and I have been called out on this repeatedly. Makati's fate was intentionally left ambiguous. Makati was the only other GA besides Thrawn that Tim Zahn had referenced himself, and therefore Dan and I thought it was only fair to allow the inventor of the Grand Admirals tell the tale of Makati taking the Final Jump if he so chose.

Take care,
Abel

Halagad:

It's nothing too exciting, but a GA (Takel) does get a quick reference in the Mandalorian article.

Yep. That leads me to my next question, since I don't have the Marvel comics - when did Dala die? It had to be before Endor, because Grunger had staged his coup in the Mandalore sector by then.

I agree Tresk. Dan did a great job of coming up with a unique background for Declann.

So did you guys divide up the Grand Admirals and each of you did six, or was it just happenstance that Dan did most of the work on this one?

Indeed. In an issue of Dark Horse's Empire series, perhaps?

Probably our best chance; I don't think the novels are going to be swinging in the direction of the Rebellion or early NR anytime soon.

Tresk Im'nel:

*I chanced upon a copy of SWAJ 1 Vol. 11: the one with Command Decision! And Spare Parts by Pablo Hidalgo, but that's off-topic. It was the only SWAJ he had left lying around. Quite a lucky find, IMO. *

Ah.the first Star Wars rpg product I ever bought. Spare Parts was the only story, up until that point, that was kind of story I'd been craving as a fan a long time fan.

Nex:

I'd like to see (ex)Grand Admiral Grant show up with the Galactic Alliance. He left Imperial service and retired. According to Insider, he would have like to have squared off against Thrawn, but the NR never contacted him. He's (presumably) still alive, so I'd like to see him.

You just might get your wish, Nex. I was going to finish off Grant in the Mandalorian piece to tie up that loose end, but after talking with Dan Wallace, he came up with a a very cool idea for the Last Grand Admiral's last stand. Hopefully we'll see that some time soon.

Take care,
Abel

I like GDV. There's a blatant ref to Vader's glove in the new Mandalorian piece.

Well, I can't say that I like it, but I do think it doesn't get the proper respect it deserves. I mean, if The Crystal Star and Planet of Twilight are part of continuity, there's no excuse for GoDV not to be.

As for the ref, that's no surprise, given that you put Gargon in the Mandalore sector in SWI#66 . . .

Me too. They wouldn't be Grand Admirals at that point, but we can see what events led them to be identified as superior to their peers.

Indeed. At the very least, we should see Il-Raz's role in COMPNOR shown.

Anyway, you might want to drop by the Asset Tracking thread and offer Kaelis a heartfelt apology for you and Wallace destroying the SSD Aggressor, forcing him jump through more hoops than you can shake a stick at trying to reconcile the continuity errors it caused.

. . . or not.

Tresk Im'nel:

*Same here. I also wonder why Grand Admiral Grant doesn't seem to have a first name. *

Dan has said it was unintentional, but it definitely served as one more way to make the GAs distinct.

Ah, that's what I thought. I think having a Force-sensitive Grand Admiral was a pretty neat idea. I hope Declann appears in some of the (presumably) forthcoming novels set in the EP III-ANH gap timeframe...

Me too. They wouldn't be Grand Admirals at that point, but we can see what events led them to be identified as superior to their peers.

Unless you count Pitta. He was part alien, after all...

I think he prefers the term, "near-human."

*"Indeed, mental instability is a given, along with some deep-seated insecurities.

Lots of psycho depth for writers to mine. "

Yes. Although I think Takel might be even more interesting in that regard... *

Indeed.

Howdy folks. This is Abel G. Pena, one of the co-writers of the Grand Admirals article in Insider #66 from which most of the known info on the GAs is derived. It's nice to hear how much some of you enjoyed what Dan Wallace and I did with the "other" GAs. If you liked this piece, you might also want to check out my most recent project for Insider #80 The History of the Mandalorians, hitting newsstands now. Illustrator Joe Corroney and I again collaborate for this one.

I'll comment on some of the posts I've found here.

jSarek:

Heh, thank you for starting a topic on one of my favorite parts of the EU. I've put a lot of research into it, and the fruits of my labor can be found on my Imperial Grand Admirals website. It also has healthy biographies of Thrawn and Pellaeon, to boot.

Nice site!

Back in a second. ~ Abel

you just had to get Winter in there somehow, didn't you?

:^O

You know me too well. I have to admit, even though she's my favourite EU character, she does have one of the least creatively-chosen names in the EU...

I'm sure it's supposed to be "Grunjer." I wouldn't credit the Davids with being more original than that.

LOL! Good point. I just think the more Germanic pronunciation goes well with the spelling of his first name. I even go so far as to assume the "j" in Josef is pronounced as "y," but that may be crediting the Davids with more creativity, etc...

other than those that Zahn cooks up . . . C'baoth? Ick!

LOL! That one's always left me shaking my head. And then he goes and uses something really exotic like Winter...

Tresk:

Could it be that Takel wore gloves normally associated with lower-ranking officers so that his hands wouldn't give him away as a spice user? Just a thought....

That's actually a really cool thought.

I hear he gets a mention in the Mandalorian article in the new Insider. I hope my local stores get that issue soon . . .

That's always been my assumption, too. Although I wonder if it's supposed to be pronounced as in "grunge," because I tend to make the pronunciation "Groon-ger" or "Groong-er" with a hard "g" (as in "go" or "game") and the "u" pronounced as a doulble-"o"... But maybe it is "Grunj-er..."

I'm sure it's supposed to be "Grunjer." I wouldn't credit the Davids with being more original than that. Seriously, though, human names (other than those that Zahn cooks up . . . C'baoth? Ick!) in Star Wars typically follow English pronunciation schemes, even when they're not English words. I doubt Grunger would be an exception.