Dark Force Rising
Encyclopedia
Dark Force Rising is a 1992 novel, the second book in the Thrawn Trilogy
by Timothy Zahn
.
, the Old Republic
had constructed a fleet of 200 Dreadnaughts (huge forerunners to Imperial Star Destroyers) that were highly automated. This reduced their crew complement from 16,000 to 2,000 without diminishing their firepower. The flagship of this fleet was the Katana and hence became known as the Katana fleet. Unfortunately, a virus infected the crews of the entire fleet and drove them insane. The madness caused the crews to "slave" the controls of all the ships in the fleet to the Katana and then send the entire fleet into hyperspace towards some unknown destination. The Katana fleet was never seen again.
Through a lucky accident, which occurred years ago, Talon Karrde may be the only person alive who knows where the Katana fleet is located. Unfortunately for him, he and his smugglers have double-crossed the Empire
and are currently under a death threat. Will Karrde sell the secret of the Katana fleet to Grand Admiral Thrawn
to save his life and the lives of his staff? Or will he be noble and turn the location of the Katana fleet over to the New Republic who also desperately need the warships?
Meanwhile, Thrawn works to make use of the storehouse of weapons and technology that the Emperor had hidden on the planet Wayland. The cache even includes a set of Spaarti cloning cylinders left over from the Clone Wars. No matter how Thrawn makes use of this technology, it will not bode well for the New Republic
.
Elsewhere, Joruus C’baoth, an evil Jedi
Master, uses the Force
to summon Luke Skywalker
. Luke responds to the summons and begins instruction with C’baoth. Will Luke recognize that C’baoth follows the path of the dark side
before C’baoth can turn Luke down that evil path?
Leia shows the Noghri how they have been exploited by the Empire, and convinces them to support The New Republic.
A great deal is revealed about Mara Jade
and her dealings with Palpatine
. We also begin to see an attraction developing between Luke and Mara that will not be carried to its conclusion until the Hand of Thrawn Duology. Naturally, there are a great number of barriers to overcome in any such relationship since Mara is still pulled by the Emperor's final command, "You will kill Luke Skywalker."
created for this novel a role-playing game
sourcebook that expanded on Zahn's characters, locations, weapons, and other facts.
The Thrawn trilogy
The Thrawn trilogy, also known as the Heir to the Empire trilogy, is a series of best-selling novels written by Timothy Zahn. The novels are set in the Expanded Universe of the Star Wars galaxy approximately five years after the events depicted in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the...
by Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn
Timothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is the author of nine Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, including seven novels featuring Grand Admiral Thrawn: the Thrawn Trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn duology, Outbound...
.
Plot
Prior to the Clone WarsClone Wars (Star Wars)
The Clone Wars are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , but no details are given , and the wars themselves are not featured until the series' fifth and sixth...
, the Old Republic
Old Republic
Old Republic may refer to*Star Wars: The Old Republic, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based in the Star Wars universe*Old Republic in the Star Wars universe; see Galactic Republic*Old Republic International, a Fortune 500 company...
had constructed a fleet of 200 Dreadnaughts (huge forerunners to Imperial Star Destroyers) that were highly automated. This reduced their crew complement from 16,000 to 2,000 without diminishing their firepower. The flagship of this fleet was the Katana and hence became known as the Katana fleet. Unfortunately, a virus infected the crews of the entire fleet and drove them insane. The madness caused the crews to "slave" the controls of all the ships in the fleet to the Katana and then send the entire fleet into hyperspace towards some unknown destination. The Katana fleet was never seen again.
Through a lucky accident, which occurred years ago, Talon Karrde may be the only person alive who knows where the Katana fleet is located. Unfortunately for him, he and his smugglers have double-crossed the Empire
Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
and are currently under a death threat. Will Karrde sell the secret of the Katana fleet to Grand Admiral Thrawn
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a fictional character and major antagonist from the Star Wars galaxy. He first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, published between 1992 and 1994...
to save his life and the lives of his staff? Or will he be noble and turn the location of the Katana fleet over to the New Republic who also desperately need the warships?
Meanwhile, Thrawn works to make use of the storehouse of weapons and technology that the Emperor had hidden on the planet Wayland. The cache even includes a set of Spaarti cloning cylinders left over from the Clone Wars. No matter how Thrawn makes use of this technology, it will not bode well for the New Republic
New Republic (Star Wars)
The New Republic is a government in the fictional Star Wars universe.When the Rebel Alliance re-established the Old Galactic Republic after the downfall of the Galactic Empire, it became known as the New Republic, just as the original Galactic Republic had become known as the Old Republic by that...
.
Elsewhere, Joruus C’baoth, an evil Jedi
Jedi
The Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
Master, uses the Force
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
to summon Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
. Luke responds to the summons and begins instruction with C’baoth. Will Luke recognize that C’baoth follows the path of the dark side
Dark side (Star Wars)
The dark side of the Force is a prominent moral, philosophical, and psychic concept in the Star Wars universe. It is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and appears in all subsequent Star Wars fiction...
before C’baoth can turn Luke down that evil path?
Leia shows the Noghri how they have been exploited by the Empire, and convinces them to support The New Republic.
A great deal is revealed about Mara Jade
Mara Jade
Mara Jade Skywalker is a fictional character in Star Wars Expanded Universe books, comic books, and computer games. She is also wife to Luke Skywalker, and mother to Ben Skywalker. In the different video games, she is voiced by Heidi Shannon and Kath Soucie.-Concept and development:Mara Jade was...
and her dealings with Palpatine
Palpatine
Palpatine is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Star Wars saga, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films.Palpatine first appeared as the unnamed Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1980 film Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back...
. We also begin to see an attraction developing between Luke and Mara that will not be carried to its conclusion until the Hand of Thrawn Duology. Naturally, there are a great number of barriers to overcome in any such relationship since Mara is still pulled by the Emperor's final command, "You will kill Luke Skywalker."
Characters
- Luke SkywalkerLuke SkywalkerLuke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
- Han SoloHan SoloHan Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...
- Leia Organa Solo
- ChewbaccaChewbaccaChewbacca, also known as Chewie, is a character in the Star Wars franchise, portrayed by Peter Mayhew. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
- C-3POC-3POC-3PO is a robot character from the Star Wars universe who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games...
- R2-D2R2-D2R2-D2 , is a character in the Star Wars universe. An astromech droid, R2-D2 is a major character throughout all six Star Wars films. Along with his droid companion C-3PO, he joins or supports Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi in various points in the saga...
- Lando CalrissianLando CalrissianLando Calrissian is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...
- Wedge AntillesWedge AntillesWedge Antilles is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is a supporting character portrayed by Denis Lawson in the original Star Wars trilogy. Antilles, also called the "greatest ace" pilot in the Rebel Alliance, also appears in the Star Wars Expanded Universe and is the lead...
- Mon Mothma
- Admiral AckbarAdmiral AckbarAdmiral Ackbar is a fictional character in the Star Wars science fiction saga. A member of the amphibious Mon Calamari species, Ackbar was the foremost military commander of the Rebel Alliance who led major combat operations against the Galactic Empire and was later integral in the formation of the...
- Grand Admiral ThrawnGrand Admiral ThrawnGrand Admiral Thrawn is a fictional character and major antagonist from the Star Wars galaxy. He first appeared in Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, published between 1992 and 1994...
- Joruus C'baoth
- Rukh
- Khabarakh clan Kihm'bar
Sourcebook
Like the other books in the series, West End GamesWest End Games
West End Games was a company that made board, role-playing, and war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974 in New York, but later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania...
created for this novel a role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
sourcebook that expanded on Zahn's characters, locations, weapons, and other facts.