what I really mean to ask is, with some major characters being killed off recently, have you started to develop some new characters and/or are you going to reintroduce some older characters for future novels so that we have a greater cast to get to know and love before they are all killed off by legacy?

I can't speak for the editorial end of things, but I can for myself and perhaps, by extension, for some of the other writers in the program.

Throughout my association with Star Wars, I've introduced new characters at every reasonable opportunity. It's not so that there will be "meat for the grinder" but because it's a huge universe and I think that a steady stream of new faces, used judiciously, serves as a constant reminder that there are people, places, and concerns out there other than just those in the immediate vicinity of Han, Luke, and Leia.

Some of the characters I've introduced in the course of the LotF series (and not killed) include Admiral Cha Niathal, Dr. Seyah, Seha, Denjax Teppler, Captain Uran Lavint, and Kolir Hu'lya. And though (obviously) I didn't create them, I was first to use Syal and Myri Antilles as adults.

And all the writers on the series have done this sort of thing.

I hope several of my original characters end up being developed and reintroduced as need arises. (I am not, however, aware of any of them being groomed to fill specific roles vacated by the recently-deceased.)

And it couldn't hurt for the readers to let us know which new characters they really want to see in the future. (A good friend of mine informs me that she's the world's biggest Denjax Teppler fan. I never would have guessed that he had any fans if she hadn't told me.)

Anyway, it's about time for me to bow out and return to my troll cave. But I've re-started my starwars.com blog, so people can also visit me there.

I have to add a big THANK YOU to all the authors who stick Kyle Katarn in the stories. Finally he has some book cred!

As far as Tycho goes I totally understood what he was doing. I figured that one, he was covering his butt, and two he was doing his duty. He also knew that he could tell the whole fleet about the Jedi on board and there just was not much they could do about it. Heck look at TPM, two Jedi didn't have much trouble, not to mention a whole Jedi boarding party.

Thank you as well for the Wraith Squadron hints that were in there. I hope we get to see some of them pop in more in future books! My WS books are wearing out!

Sue, is there a chance for a books or series of books on Jacen's 5-year journey of learning force abilities. Dark Nest and LOTF did good jobs at showing alot of what he has learned in terms of skills but I think alot of fans would agree theres more story material there. A comic or e-book could work too. Sorry if this was asked before(I can never bring myself to backtrack more than a few pages).

I have a question about the tassels. How did you come up with the meaning behind them all? Did they all have relevant meanings, or did they just sound interesting at the time? Could some of them been referring to other Sith in the EU or were they all intended to refer to Jacen?

Most of the tassel meanings were derived from statements made about or by Sith characters in the movie and in EU materials over the years, though often their language was altered to make them more ambiguous or to make them more directly applicable to Jacen. Often, the underlying statements referred to Sith in general rather than to specific Sith characters.

It's important, though, not to attach too much importance to the tassels, as some seem to have done. The tassels were a MacGuffin in the classic Alfred Hitchcock sense -- a contrivance that sets events into motion, that has no other purpose than to do so, and that, having done so, can be discarded and forgotten. The tassels served that purpose for me in a meta-sense, and in the story sense they served that exact function for Lumiya. Their purpose to her was to determine whether Jacen had enough education to detect their relevance and comprehend or rapidly learn their meaning. Since the answer was yes, Lumiya knew Jacen could remain a candidate for Sithhood.

All that having been accomplished, the tassels can and should be forgotten.

~~~~Spoilers ahead.

Are there any plans to explore the five years after NJO? I for one want to see Stover write a book about his journey, just because he was killed off doesn't mean he has to be abandoned as a character. I mean, Luke is technically dead right now, that hasn't stopped anyone from still using his character.

Either way I think we should see Jacen as a force ghost since he knew more about the force than anyone. I think it would be unbelieveable for him to not appear as one, given all his knowledge.

To maximize the odds that something like this could happen in the future, all you have to do is convince everyone at Lucasfilms and Del Rey that such a series would be impossibly cool, hugely profitable, and a pleasure for everyone involved to work on. Simple, no? Let me know when you've done it.

With all the video game tie-ins that are hugely successful I fail to understand why the X-pansion of the X-Wing series hasn't happened yet, other than they've had the author of the coolest Star Wars book ever - SoA - tied up writing LotF. X-wing books, X-wing video games, X-wing figurines, toys, comics - the potential for profit seem endless. And a pleasure to work on? No brainer, the powes-that-be would be hard-pressed to find a fan who doesn't have a fond memory of the X-wing series. Who wouldn't want to work on it and have fun doing it?

Anyone who can't answer with a "yes" just needs some ryshcate.;\

To maximize the odds that something like this could happen in the future, all you have to do is convince everyone at Lucasfilms and Del Rey that such a series would be impossibly cool, hugely profitable, and a pleasure for everyone involved to work on. Simple, no? Let me know when you've done it.

Oooh, oooh!!! Raise's hand, jumps around, waves frantically!! I'm in, I'm in - I'll buy whatever you want me to...beg whoever you want me to beg...is there a bribery fund somewhere? Food maybe? Homemade buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in choclate)?

Rogues with Luke on an adventure - that's what I dream about!

*Hey Aaron --

Nice to see you here.*

Thanks, Sue. I probably can't stay for long, but if you ever get mobbed by "What the hell was Aaron +thinking+?" questions here, just drop me a line. I'll run in and draw the heat.

*I'd like to make a witty comeback, but I'm afraid too many would take me seriously! *

I'll insert my own witty comeback in your stead and laugh heartily over it :^O

Sue, Given that we concluded LOTF and we now have the MF book coming out. Without saying too much, is there a decent possiblity that we can have another series with the Big 3? I'm going to tell you that even though some fans might not agree with me, I believe that the NJO, Swarm War and LOTF eras are one of the best. I mean you guys litterly moved the timeline forward and introduced so many topics that not even the entire line of Bantam books were able to do. And when you add the Legacy comic books, this era is just unbelievable.:)