Welcome back to Brennan’s Breakdowns of the new Star Wars novel Supernatural Encounters, potentially the final novel in the Expanded Universe for a little while. Today we are delving into the meat of Supernatural Encounters, finally reaching Book One: The Trial! In the previous episodes of this series we covered the Introduction and the Prologue, and now we have made it into the first book of 6. Supernatural Encounters is divided into 6 separate “books” within it. And Book 1 contains the first 8 chapters  of the novel. In today’s episode we will cover Chapter One, which is subtitled Division and Debate. Chapter One spans pages 21-27, making it a total of 6 pages. Before we get into the text today, here is your obligatory spoiler warning! With all that said, let’s delve into some Supernatural Encounters! Before we get into the core of the chapter, there is a quote on page 21 from an individual named Yman Veli’kosyk. The name of this individual makes me think he’s either a Caamasi or a Bothan, as typically both of those species have similar sounding names due to the mix of vowels and apostrophes. Yman Veli’kosyk’s quotation is, “The authorities in astronomical chronology made their calculations and announced their expert results. The authorities in pottery took the results of the specialists’ computation as a firm base on which to build. Authorities in the history of art, religion, philology, and history in general followed. Difficulties were swept away. Thus there came into existence an elaborate, entrenched system, rooted in fallacy, that bears very little resemblance to the real past.” - which is apparently from Yman Veli’kosyk’s in-universe book titled Mortals in Amnesia: Vol VI: The Test of Time. While I try not to use the end notes in making these videos, as I prefer to find the references myself, the Supernatural Encounter’s so-called “Infernal Endnotes”, revealed that this quote by Yman Veli’Kosyk was inspired by a real world quote from a real world book called Peoples of the Sea: A Reconstruction of Ancient History. This book was written by a real world Russian pseudoscientist, pyschoanalyst, and writer named Immanuel Velikovsky, which explains the inspiration of the naming for Yman Veli’Kosyk. I think it is so cool to learn about the real world inspirations for portions of Supernatural Encounters. Before I get into the lore reference connections from page 22 and onwards, I will briefly summarize what happens in the chapter. This portion of Supernatural Encounters describes the second hour of the second day of debate amongst the previously mentioned Historical Council. What are the Historical Council meeting to debate? To debate the validity of the manuscript that Arhul Hextraphon barely managed to get out and distributed before his murder. And the Historical Council has convened to debate whether or not to release the manuscript to the public. In this chapter, we get to hear arguments from the proponents and advocates for Hextrophon’s work; as well as the naysayers and doubters who don’t want to see the controversial manuscript released. On the very first line of chapter 1, we get our first reference of the chapter, as we begin with an astonished question from Ulm-Aaa-Janzikek of the Historical Council upon hearing that Arhul’s body was found to be drained of blood. Ulm-Aaa-Janzikek was a character first mentioned in West End Game’s 1993 resource guide, Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook by Michael Allen Horne. Janzikek was referenced in that guidebook as an in universe author, though his species wasn’t revealed until Supernatural Encounters. In this opening paragraph, Janzikek is revealed to be a Tiss’Shar. The Tiss’Shar have appeared throughout the Expanded Universe, in a ton of source material, RPG material, and even comics. But their first appearance goes all the way back to Brian Daley’s Han Solo at Star’s End. Janzikek isn’t just a mere Tiss’Shar but is revealed to be a member of a rare subspecies of Tiss’Shar. The rare Isk-ar subspecies, known for their translucent scales. Janzikek being of the Isk-ar subspecies is another reference, as the Isk-ar subspecies were first mentioned in Ultimate Alien Anthology from Wizards of the Coast. It’s awesome to get Janzikek’s species finally clarified, with some super cool connections. And it’s cool to know that Janzikek made it onto the Historical Council as well. The work Janzikek is known for is referenced here, as he authored Minds and Perceptions: A Comparative Study of Persuasive Techniques During the Galactic Civil War. Which is stated to be an incredibly influential work. The book appeared alongside Janzikek for the first time in The Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook, as well as having an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. Janzikek’s character is given as tenacious, observant, outspoken, and quick to conclusions. He’s an incredibly fun character, and will be featured prominently in the pages to come. I think it’s so cool that instead of making a new character for Janzikek’s role, Joe Bongiorno took a preexisting obscure character and really fleshed them out into a super interesting character. Janzikek’s question regarding the nature of Arhul’s death is answered next by another important character. Voren Na’al one of the most prominent characters in Supernatural Encounters, first appeared in Galaxy Guide 1: A New Hope, as an in-universe writer and historian, who wrote all the Galaxy Guide books in-universe as well as numerous other in-universe articles from West End Games source material. Voren Na’al’s name was given to a previously unnamed Rebel Alliance character in A New Hope, portrayed by actor Derek Lyons. Voren Na’al was always portrayed as a very close friend, protege, and eventual colleague to Arhul Hextrapohon in West End Games material, and that trend was continued in Supernatural Encounters. Voren mentions that the eery circumstances around Arhul’s death were kept out of the media by the Chandrilan authorities. And it also establishes that Voren is now one of the leading members of the Historical Council. We’re proud of you Voren! Voren goes on to mention that the reports on Arhul’s death’s odd circumstances took so long to be revealed, in part due to The Swarm War breaking out recently. This takes place in 38 ABY, chronologically just after The Swarm War as depicted in The Dark Nest Trilogy by Troy Denning. It’s really cool that the conflict got a namedrop here! We are next introduced to a character named Abric Hanapen. I don’t believe we’ve met Abric Hanapen anywhere prior in the EU, though there is a small time ship thief named Abric featured in Timothy Zahn’s Dark Force Rising. I don’t think the petty ship thief Abric is the same character as Historian Abric though. Abric Hanapen is a member of the insectoid Velmoc species, which is a cool reference to issue 49 of the original Marvel Star Wars comic. The issue titled “The Last Jedi” by Mike W. Barr explored the Velmoc species and homeward, so it was awesome to get a call back to those original comics. Hanapen offers a rather venomous view of Arhul and casts doubt on the legitimacy of Arhul’s writing. Calling into question why a supernatural demise validates Arhul’s Supernatural Encounters. Here is where another returning character appears, as Mungo Baobab retorts Hanapen’s statements. Mungo Baobab first appeared in an episode of the Star Wars Droids cartoon called “Tail of the Roon Comics”. He would go into appear in 3 subsequent episodes, the TV Special episode The Great Deep, 2 Droids picture books, and even a short story; as well as being featured in heaps of source material. Mungo even had an action figure back in the day, and he’s a personal favorite character of mine. Supernatural Encounters mentions that he is aged by this point in time, but I was shocked at just how aged he was. After doing research his birthdate is listed as being in 45 BBY (Which according to Wookieepedia comes from information from The Droids Re-Animated Part 2 Article from starwars.com, which established that the character Auren Yomm was 15, and hadlfthe age of Mungo when they first met in the Droids cartoon, meaning Mungo was 30 in Droids. The RPG Magazine Polyhedron #170 contained an article by Abel G Peña which established that the Droids cartoon took place in 15 BBY, meaning Mungo was thus born in 45 BBY. Crazy connections and jumps to get that age.) With the complicated process of getting Mungo’s birth year out of the way, Supernatural Encounters takes place in 38 ABY, which means for all you math whizzes that Mungo Baobab is officially around 83 years old in this story. I love that Mungo Baobab, despite his age is still written as having a passionate energy to him. His energetic report to Abric results in a reprimand from a longtime member of the council and yet another returning character. Donn Gulek is an obscure historian from yet another piece of West End Games material. Donn Gulek’s sole prior EU appearance was in the West End Games sourcebook Cracken’s Threat Dossier. Which established that he was a male Historian and Chief at the Keller Institute of Galactic History. Donn Gulek has an article attributed to him in-universe titled “Ten Years After: Notes on the Mature Organizational and Administrative Structure of the New Republic" an article that Voren Na’al assisted him on. Aside from that information, Donn Gulek is pretty much a blank slate prior to his appearance here in Supernatural Encounters, which takes the opportunity to flesh him out. Our next reference is in relation to Donn Gulek, as it mentions that as of 38 ABY, Gulek is still the Chief Historian of the Kellmer Institute of Galactic History. This means Donn Gulek has served for at least 21 years as Chief Historian. The Kellmer Institute of Galactic History was mentioned first in Cracken’s Threat Dossier as well, though it would later go on to appear in Walter Jon William’s The New Jedi Order: Destiny’s Way, making this the 3rd EU mention or appearance of the Institute. We learn that Mungo is retired from active participation on the Historical Council and no longer possesses voting power, so is just there as an honorary member. And here is where we get the return of another EU character. Auren Yomm Baobab first appeared in an episode of the Droids cartoon titled “The Room Games”. She appeared in subsequent episodes, before making an appearance in the short story Lando Calrissian: Idiot’s Array, which established that she married Mungo Baobab. Auren is now 68 years old in Supernatural Encounters, which makes note of their marriage still existing. Next we get a reference in a little reminiscence from Mungo, where he thinks on his time on Roon fighting Governor Koong. Both the planet Roon and Governor Bisad Koong first appeared in the Droids cartoon; and both would go onto appear in numerous EU reference material. Another neat connection back to the 80’s cartoon, we love to see it! We also get a connection to Dark Empire, as Voren Na’al thinks to himself that the Historical Council can behave like wild Neks. This is a reference to the Neks also known as Cyborrean Battle Dogs which first appeared in Dark Empire. Nek Battle Dogs would go onto appear prominently within the EU, so as always it’s a nice touch to see them pop up again here. We are then reintroduced to the concept of Supernatural Encounters, Arhul’s manuscript written account; exists in the Star Wars universe. In a similar fashion to The Journal of Master Ghost-Dural, The Book of Sith, or The Jedi Path. In universe Supernatural Encounters by Arhul Hextrophon goes by several names. We learn it has been called The Cosmic Wars of Ancient Skyriver; The Last Days of Arhul Hextrophon, Supernatural Encounters; or simply Hextrophon’s Manuscript. In my opinion, the numerous in-universe titles continue to add in a beautiful way to the mystique surrounding the work. We then get a reference to the NewsNet accusing the council of suppressing Supernatural Encounters. The NewsNet is essentially a branch of the HoloNet that deals with News. The NewsNet was featured prominently in a large body of West End Games source material; specifically and quite prodigiously in all of the Adventure Journals which has a specific article series built around the NewsNet. We also get a Killik name drop which is both in the context of being an ancient species and having been a recent threat in The Swarm War; which is yet another Dark Nest Trilogy reference. We learn that the Historical Council is funded by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. The GA having made their first appearance in The New Jedi Order book series, its foundation being dealt with primarily in Destiny’s Way and The Force Heretic Trilogy. The GA rose from the ashes of the New Republic when it fell in the Yuuzhan Vong War. But the GA funding has apparently lead to some comparisons and concerns to the Empire and the next reference, COMPNOR. COMPNOR being the propoganda machine that wiped history and only sanctioned Imperial Propaganda that first appeared in the short story Payback: The Tale of Dengar by Dave Wolverton from the short story collection Tales of the Bounty Hunters. COMPNOR, which stands for Commission for the Preservation of the New Order would go onto appear heavily in West End Games material and throughout the wider EU all the way up until the EU’s end. This is a great reference, and I’ve always loved and been fascinated with the concept of COMPNOR. So I was thrilled to see a nod to it here. After the nod to COMPNOR, our next reference is found on the beginning of page 24, where we’re reintroduced to a returning character named Tchaka Marshall. Tchaka Marshall appeared as Tchaka, without the surname in Han Solo at Star’s End by Brian Daley. In that novel, he was presented as a young man, and student at the University of Kalla who had disappeared. His Uncle, Rekkon who is also referenced here with a Supernatural Encounters namedrop, searched for him with the help of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Bollux, and Blue Max; and would eventually recover his nephew; but sadly perished in the process. It seems Rekkon’s sacrifice was not in vain as Supernatural Encounters established that the now grown up Tchaka is a senior professor at Kalla University. Another awesome reference, and I love how all these obscure academics and historians are pulled into this novel and fleshed out. In the paragraphs covering Tchaka, Rekkon, and Calla University, we also got mention to the Roundtree System of the Galaxy, from which Reckon hailed from. Roundtree’s first appearance was in West End Game’s Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook and It would later get a spot in The Essential Atlas. On the added surname of Marshall, to both Tchaka and Rekkon, Joe Bongiorno notated his decision with an anecdote in the endnotes which says the following: “the surname Marshall I added to play on the similarity between Tchaka and Cha-ka, the Pakuni character who became part of the Marshall family in the American children’s TV series Land of the Lost (Sid and Marty Krofft/CBS, 1974-77). Given that there’s a Pakuuni planet (Star Wars: TIE Fighter, LucasArts), it seemed a not inappropriate homage”, which are some super in depth connections and homages to be sure. We are treated with yet another reference in the next statements, which comes from another returning character, the Mrlssi scientist Dee Savyest, who first appeared in X-Wing Rogue Squadron issue number 7, a part of the Phantom Affair arch. In the comic he was mentioned as working at the Mrlsst Trade and Science Academy, and Supernatural Encounters establishes that he has now ascended the ranks to being the Head of Research there. The Mrlssi species in which he’s a member of first appeared X-Wing Rogue Squadron issue number 5, and went onto appear prominently in West End Games and Wizards of the Coast source material. Reina Solov is the next familiar face we encounter, who is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Byblos. Both Reina Solov and her profession at the university were first mentioned in Peter Schweighofer’s Platt’s Starport Guide from West End Games. She mentions something called the SD’s, a new concept which stands for Spurious Directories, and refers to events that the Historical Council can’t confirm or deny actually happened in the history of the galaxy, but they can’t find reason enough to say they did concretely happen due to other events conflicting with those events. The SD’s are files the Historical Council keeps of fanciful tales that could have happened. I believe this is a deeper reference here, as SD also could stand for secondary-canon, an out of universe concept that was a tier below Continuity Canon also known as C canon in the hierarchy of canon tiers of the Expanded Universe. Secondary Canon or S canon were works that didn’t fully fit with the continuity, meaning it gave room for them to occur within continuity, but room for elements that contradicted other sources to be disregarded. S Canon was a massive grey area and an example of something that fit within S canon were the alternate video game endings, such as the Dark Side Endings to The Force Unleashed or Knights of the Old Republic. I believe that the in universe concept of the Spurious Directories are an equivalent to the out of universe concept of Secondary Canon. A genius little wink from Joe Bongiorno. Next we get a little kind of potshot reference that I absolutely adore. A touchy subject and name within the Fandom nowadays that will bring groans of despair to many within the 2023 EU fandom. Pablo Hidalgo. The man has done it all. Been an amazing champion of the EU and a celebrated figure and writer for it, whom I greatly admired. And now a man who has made himself one of the EU’s biggest critics on Twitter. Pablo is no stranger to controversy within the wider Star Wars community, becoming embroiled in drama with popular creator Star Wars Theory which resulted in a forced formal apology from him due to LucasFilm mandates, saying that there’s no market for the EU anymore because no one wants it, and quite disturbingly speaking out multiple times against Supernatural Encounters on Twitter over the years. At certain points in time Pablo has denied that he ever even worked on the project as well as repeatedly saying it wasn’t canon and was rejected from approval or interest by LucasFilm, despite multiple emails and correspondences showing that he was involved quite heavily at times within the project from an editorial perspective and that he represented a very interested party at LucasFilm on the project. Pablo’s recent venomous attitude towards Supernatural Encounters and the wider EU, is highlighted with a character appearing here in Supernatural Encounters in reference to him. A tuckerization acronym of Pablo Hidalgo, we are reintroduced to an in-universe character named Palob Godalhi. Palob Godalhi first appeared in the novel Rebel Dawn by AC Crispin. In that story, as a young man Godalhi is presented as being apart of the Tethan Resistance against the Empire. Now in Supernatural Encounters, as a much older gentleman, Palob Godalhi is now a historian and is thought of by Voren Na’al with this quotation from the book: “Historian Palob Godalhi had privately confessed to him that he felt the same way, and if it came down to a vote, as it likely would, he’d have to vote against publication by the Council.” So we get a little reference to Pablo’s outspoken adversarial nature to Supernatural Encounters, with his in universe character Palob Godalhi making his 2nd appearance and likewise being completely against the in-universe Supernatural Encounters manuscript. A perfect beautiful mirror reference that I just love so much! We get the return of Mammon Hoole from the Introduction to Supernatural Encounters and long before that, protagonist of Galaxy of Fear, as he roars against Savyest’s claims that the depiction of gods and demons is a fantastical myth and is a mere fable. Mammon Hoole’s boisterous tangent is impassioned and impressive, as he and Gulek have a tense exchange of viewpoints. Mammon makes reference to a character named Doctor Bowen of the Obroan Institute to make his point. Dr. Insmot Bowen first appeared in the starwars.com article The Essential Guide to Warfare Author’s Cut Part 1: The Celestials by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart. Bowen was renowned and respected but controversially had postulated comments on his theories of creative design by Celestial beings, something some on The Historical Council would rather forget. Bringing back obscure characters with a reference like this is a huge part of the genius that is Supernatural Encounters. Our next reference is to members of an institution called Lekua University, which is a reference to the planet Lekua V in the Centrality sector that first appeared in A Campaign Guide to the Centrality from Star Wars Gamer Magazine number 5 by Michael Kogge. The article established that there were several universities on Lekua V, and members of the university make an appearance here on the Historical Council. The Lekuan University was also mentioned in L. Neil Smith’s Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu. Next we get a reference to the Rakata species that first appeared in the Knights of the Old Republic video game. The Rakata are an ancient prominent species who appeared prominently throughout the rest of the EU, and were notably a major part of the Dawn of the Jedi comics. The historian who name dropped the Rakata is a professor named Roi Tenne. I believe Roi Tenne is an original character, but they are stated as being from the Obroan Institute of Archaeology, which first appeared in the Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy from Michael P. Kube-McDowell. The Obroan Institute of Obroa-Ski is a prestigious school that’s renown made it into a heap of various EU source material. Next we meet a new character, one Hectia Ruleth-Hoole, the newly established wife to Mammon Hoole. Hectia is only 4 foot 9 inches. So her height indicates she is perhaps not of the human species, but we don’t learn what species she is in this portion. Hectia is a botanist and outspoken member of the council. Seated with the is another new character, a geologist named Odin Grimar who is a member of the Devonian species. The Devaronians are prominent within the EU and date back to A New Hope. But it was the short story Empire Blues: The Devaronian’s Tale by author Daniel Keys Moran from The Tales from Mos Eisley Cantina that first fleshed out and established what the species was like. Always cool to get a Devaronian in there. Hectia showcases her tenacious spirit as she gets in a row with Hanapen and Janzikek. We learn that Hectia was apart of an anthropological Valkyrie Team with Odin, Odin’s sister Lorol, a Bothan named Hird Sohor, and a biology illustrator named Jippil Fiss. Only Odin and Hectia made it out of the Valkyrie mission, which ended up in complications with the Empire, and after a series of double crossings Hird ended up allied with the Empire, and Jippil and Lorol were dead. This backstory for Hectia was suggested with input from a top tier contributor on the book named Natalie Asplund according to the endnotes. Hectia’s tangent makes several more references, as she talks about how biographies and stories have been one of the most key ways that history has been recorded. She mentions that she can pull up and has access to Darth Maul’s Journal accounts. Which is a reference to the real world book Episode 1 Journal: Darth Maul by Jude Watson existing in-universe. Super cool to know it survived and made its way to the public. It’s a super fun little first hand account read and we get insight into new lore aspects of Maul’s trainings, failures, and his relationship with Sidious. Hectia also mentions that she could read Han Solo’s journal too, which is a reference to a real world book once again, this one being Journal: Hero for Hire by Donna Tauscher. This book was presented as an in-universe data pad that recorded a conversation between Han Solo and a B’ommar Monk while he was at Jabba’s Palace. In the account Han talks about his adventures that led to him being there. Again, super cool to learn that what we read there out of universe is accessible to the characters within the universe. Hectia next mentions personal diaries of Anakin Skywalker, which I believe there are several of Anakin’s first hand accounts throughout the EU. This probably is in reference though mainly to yet another real world book by Todd Strasser Episode 1 Journal: Anakin Skywalker, which saw Anakin as a young boy recounting his life on Tattooine and adventures on Naboo. Finally, and most interestingly, Hectia mentions the lover of the Despot Queen of Shikaakwa. This is a reference to the Dawn of the Jedi comics. Which features a character named Hadiya who was the Despot Queen and united the crime barons of Skikaakwa leading to a battle with the Je’Daii. A Je’Daii named Daegen Lok went undercover and became her lover under false pretenses, getting closer to her during the war until he eventually killed her. Daegen Lok is thus the lover that hectic makes reference too. I think a reference to Hadiya and Daegen is so super cool, and it’s interesting to hear that a journal was written by Daegan Log and that some 25,000 years later it is still accessible. Very cool stuff. It is mentioned then, midway through the final page 27 that after the COMPNOR information wipe it has been incredibly hard to untangle the propaganda from truth and discern the real events that occurred within the Clone Wars era. This is I believe a reference to the out of universe messiness of the clone wars era, with the clashing and conflicting Clone Wars Multimedia Project and The Clone Wars show. A clever way to show that even in-universe that area of history is a jumbled mess and it’s hard to figure out what actually happened where during that war. Which is a brilliant reference. Tenne and Hoole then have a little altercation in which Mistress Mnemos is once more name dropped as well as the Keeper, who we will learn much more about later on. Savyest jumps back into the debate fray and gets called a “vexing bird” by Hoole, which is something I found hilarious. Hoole mentions holobook sales which is a reference to the crystalline stores of information, known as holobooks that appeared throughout the EU, but were first featured in Attack of the Clones, as the glowing things on shelves in the Jedi Archives. With that last reference out of the way, the chapter ends with the debate room falling into another. Heated uproar. I hope you guys enjoyed this breakdown of all references and easter eggs in chapter 1 of Supernatural Encounters. This is everything I found and notated, but please let me know in the comments if I missed anything. Before I let you go though however, I have some really exciting news that I can share, that I received from the good people involved in Supernatural Encounters. The Supernatural Encounters Atlas Appendix by editor Corey Carter has been finished! I can personally attest to this, as I had the honor to take a peak at it. And I can say it’s a super exciting companion piece to Supernatural Encounters! From what I saw, it’s going to be super helpful and a must have for fans of Supernatural Encounters to get a little more information helpfully organized regarding Supernatural Encounters. Corey did a fantastic job, and it should be releasing not long from now, hopefully around this October’s Halloween. I’ll make a video about it when it’s released where we can take a look at it together! For those of you who wonder what The Atlas Appendix is, it’s essentially a list of every planet named or referenced in Supernatural Encounters, and there are plans down the road to continually update and add to it with new information, such as information from the eventual Hungarian Han Solo translations. I, for one am super thrilled about the project, and think Corey’s work is invaluable for the EU community! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for its upcoming release! Exciting times for sure! With that little news blurb out of the way, I’ll see you guys next time when we delve into Chapter 2: Prelude and Contention! See you guys then!

Throughout the history of the EU, we see the Jedi Order rise and fall on numerous occasions, from the massacre at Katarr at the hands of Darth Nihilus, the devastating Order 66 at the end of the clone wars, very nearly by the Yuuzhan Vong and lastly at the massacre on Ossus in the Legacy era. Many iterations of the Jedi order have come and gone and while many may think that the Clone Wars era Jedi were at the height of their powers, I would say otherwise. Yes, they had larger numbers of Jedi active in the field but in terms of their connection to the force, their skills, their ideology and views of what it means to be a Jedi fall short compared to the Jedi Order established by Luke Skywalker. “Not the last of the old Jedi, the first of the new”, this was the last parting line from Ben Kenobi to Luke upon his transcendence to the netherrealm of the force and Obi wan was right. Upon Luke’s resurrection of the Jedi order, Luke had scarce knowledge of the tenants and ways of the old Jedi and thank the force that was the case. Luke thankfully did not carry over the dogmatic and narrow views of the old Jedi and even stated as much in the Jedi Path book. So why does this make Luke’s Jedi better than the previous versions? Let's get into that, so the biggest difference in Luke’s Jedi is the allowance of attachments, to have relationships and to have a family. Luke believed that attachments simply made one stronger and more determined as it was his attachment to his father that saved his life and his devotion to his friends that made him a great Jedi Knight. Jedi of Luke’s order were allowed to have these things to fight for and to make them stronger. Another reason Luke’s Jedi are superior lies in how Luke trained his students. Instead of a very rigid structure, Luke simply taught the basics of the force and how to open oneself to it as well as the basic tenets of lightsaber combat, after that, Luke allowed his students to explore and discover the force in their own way. Luke wanted his students to learn how the force felt to them and how they best connected to it. This allowed Luke’s Jedi to have a stronger connection to the force and a deeper understanding of it, allowing them to become more powerful and more intune with the currents of the living force. It should also be noted that Jedi could get further training under a master such as when Luke personally trained Jacen and Anakin Solo while Mara Jade trained Jaina. Additionally, Luke’s Jedi were not only eligible to be Jedi if they were brought in as infants, people of any age and background could become a Jedi if they so choose. Streen for example was a rather older fellow but became one of Luke’s very first students. Jedi of Luke’s academy were also allowed to keep ties to their previous life and still devote time to being something other than a Jedi, such was the case with Jedi like Corran Horn and Jaina Solo who were both ace pilots in Rogue Squadron, as well as Jedi Knights. This certainly would have been beneficial for Anakin Skywalker while he was a Jedi. Luke’s Jedi also were not required to wear Jedi robes at all times, they could dress however they felt comfortable and usually wore their robes for ceremonial purposes. Luke did away with a lot of the pomp and circumstance of the old Jedi to make way for a more pragmatic and superior version of the Jedi, clear of vanity and dogma and able to focus on helping the people of the galaxy.

Welcome back to episode 2 of my new breakdown video script series of the new Star Wars EU Novel: Supernatural Encounters by Joe Bongiorno! In this series I go through the 1,050 page odyssey, chapter by chapter, and point out every reference and easter egg I spotted in the book. Today we will be taking a look at Supernatural Encounter’s Prologue, titled Prologue: The Life and Death of a Historian. Before we begin, I will briefly mention the obvious spoiler warning for those of you who have not yet read the Prologue to Supernatural Encounters, as well as urging you to take the time to go back and watch the first episode, which deals with the Introduction to Supernatural Encounters. With all that out of the way, let’s jump into the Prologue, which begins on page 15 and ends on page 20, though 2 of those pages are taken up by absolutely gorgeous art depicting an event from the prologue. Before I get into specific references and connection breakdowns, I will briefly summarize what the events of this section entails. We are introduced to Arhul Hextrophon via this beautifully written narrative portion, set in 38 ABY. We meet Arhul who is older in his life now, I would estimate him to likely be in his 50’s or 60’s by this point in time. Arhul is in his study mulling over his life and all he had accomplished in it. He thinks on many grandiose concepts, the value of the battle against evil, and whether or not all has been for nothing. He reflects on his time fighting against The Empire with the Rebels, and his time as a notable historian and archaeologist. As the night progresses, Arhul’s contemplative somber demeanor turns to an anxious nervousness, as he knows something is coming for him. Arhul is clearly fearful for his life by this time, but he attempts to remain calm as darkness literally comes for him. These beings are literal shadows that serve a greater currently unseen threat. They are furious with Arhul for learning knowledge that only the Celestias had known and for publishing it as a manuscript and distributing it into the Galaxy days prior, (as we learned from the introduction, he distributed the manuscript via Q9-X7 and Mistress Mnemos among others). Arhul seems to have been anticipating this encounter with the shadow beings, and they attempt to possess him, so they can discredit his work, making him appear like a lunatic, which would thus keep their master’s existence secret by invalidating Arhul’s work’s revelations. Arhul refuses to become their puppet, knowing this was seal his fate. As the shadows envelope him, he sees a mysterious man within the shadows in clothing that is of the prior century, this is when Arhul knows no more and dies. There’s a ton of references within these portions, particularly during Arhul’s musings, and I must say, this Prologue is written in a breathtaking manner and had me on tenter hooks. The tension is palpable here, and it builds slowly, allowing the reader’s dread to build with Arhul’s. The first reference we find is in the opening quotation that is placed before we get into the main text. The quote reads, ““For what they have done and continue to do, I see no limit to the horror to which Mankind is heir… Men hovering forever on the brink of secret, abyssal oceans of supernatural terror, severed from the next world by a thin veneer which will soon be rent.” This quotation is attributed to something called The Journal of Lord Nyax. Lord Nyax is essentially the boogeyman of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, a Corellian legend about a powerful man from the shadows who would kidnap children. The legend was often based on actual exploits of Darth Vader’s that were incorporated into the in-universe folklore. Eventually violent and dangerous cults sprung up, of individuals who followed the mythic fictional Lord Nyax legend, so I assume this journal is probably written by one of the cultists who followed the legend of Lord Nyax. The myth of Lord Nyax was first mention in The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand. The next thing I noted, as we follow Arhul’s brooding contemplation on his final night, comes in the form of his observation of the moonlight. As the moon shines down on the fields around him, Arhul notes the chicory and lyris that grow in the fields on Chandrila. Chicory are a real world plant, that can be found on several continents, the plant sports pretty blue flowers. The Lyris is our next notable reference, as the lyris was a type of flower first mention in The Dark Nest Trilogy, specifically in The Joiner King by Troy Denning. Now we know that Lyris grow on at least Chandrila. And for any avid botanist Star Wars EU fans, we now know that chicory grow in a galaxy far far away as well. Arhul reflects on the many heroes he had known over the years, such as Mon Mothma who he thinks of as notably departed, which is a reference to her death in 24 ABY (12 years prior) as first mentioned in The New Essential Chronology. During his brooding Arhul drinks a type of whiskey called Segir Reserve, which as far as I can tell is not from any prior source, so this beverage makes its first appearance here. Next Arhul reminisces on the words of a Lurmen Chieftain whom he once interviewed. The quote being, “War only feeds the violence, engorging the bloated death-worm that cares nothing for ideologies or sides.” The Lurmen species also called Mygeetans are a primitive furred sentient species that first appeared in season 1 episode 13 of The Clone Wars television series, an episode called “Jedi Crash”. The Chieftain whom Arhul spoke to is revealed to be Wag-Too. Chief Wag-Too first appeared once again in The Clone Wars episode “Jedi Crash”. But in that episode he was not a chief, but a young member of a Lumen tribe, and the son of the current Chief during the Clone Wars era, named Tee Watt Kaa. I think that it’s super cool that Supernatural Encounters establishes that by Arhul’s time, Wag-Too had succeeded his father as the next Lumen Chieftain. However, Wag-Too’s words that Arhul recalls, are not Wag-Too’s own words. Wag-Too was quoting from an unnamed Sylphe King’s writings, this unidentified King being the monarch of the planet Sainte-Evanëflore. The humanoid botanical Sylphe species first appeared in Issue number 2 of the French role-playing magazine Avalon, and their home planet Sainte-Evanëflore first appeared in the Star Wars article: Quatre nouveaux profils pour Star Wars, which was featured in another French role-playing game magazine, this one being Casus Belli issue number 95. This is a super deep cut lore reference, and I absolutely adore it. But Arhul’s thoughts and reflections on these quotes regarding war, leads his thought process to yet another reference. The Sylphe King’s writings reminds Arhul of a passage from an in-universe book called “The Challenge of Peace”, a book written by the Nuiwit Council of Elders. The Altorian Nuiwit’s were a primitive sentient reptilian species that first appeared in Galaxy Guide #2: Yavin and Bespin. The Nuiwit’s governing body, known as the Council of Elders was first mentioned in Galaxy Guide #4: Alien Races, the revised edition. The passage from the Nuiwit Elders says, “In war, there is no good and evil, only spilt blood and shattered bones.” Arhul then recalls another quote, this one being from the ex-Rebel, turned City of Dreams founder Cody-Sunn Childe. The character referenced, Cody Sunn-Childe, originally comes from the original Marvel comic series, specifically appearing in issue number 46. Cody is portrayed as a pacifist in that comic book issue, and the quotation recalled here by Arhul reflects that, as he denounces war with his words, “The most fervent expression of the Father of Shadows, serving nought but him and those who serve him.” Arhul then ponders on if the Rebels had wasted their time in the time he spent with them fighting the Empire. He notates that Emperor Palpatine was evil incarnate from his perspective, and believes that trying to dethrone him justified their fight. Arhul’s musings are interrupted by what I think is another connection, as a mournful Silverwing’s call pierces the night and his thoughts. There is a TIE Fighter squadron called SilverWing Squadron that appeared briefly in a West End Games sourcebook, The Far Orbit Project by Timothy S. O’Brien. I assume that squadron is named for this animal that we see here for the first time, if intended, a neat little reference. Arhul reflects on his easy going upbringing, followed by a horrific event that forced him into joining the Rebels, a catalyst that will be expanded much more later on. Arhul finishes his glass of sequir reserve and drinks something next that is called saqua, which I believe makes its appearance for the first time here. The new beverage Arhul consumes is drank out of a tulip-shaped snifter. A snifter is a real world glass, and the dictionary gives its definition as “a short-stemmed goblet with a bowl narrowing toward the top.” Arhul describes the snifter as tulip-shaped, implying the real world tulip flowers exist somewhere within the Star Wars universe. I believe this is the first in-universe mentions of snifters and tulips here. As Arhul tugs on his stubble, he notices the crystal skull that he has on the desk in his study. Crystal skulls have a long and nuanced history in Star Wars. Dating back to the visual depiction of a crystalline skull on the cover of Brian Daley’s Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. The cover features a crystal skull, though such a skull does not appear in the novel itself; the skull on the cover is in reference to both Xim the Despot being dead and the mytag crystals which he had stockpiled. The crystal skull itself does not appear. In episode 22 of The Clone Wars television series, the season 3 finale; an unidentified alien’s elongated crystal skull is seen to be among the many trophies of Trandoshan Hunter Garnac. The episode titled, “Wookiee Hunt” makes reference to the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; as the skull seen in the episode is identical to that of the alien crystal skull featured in that film. This Star Wars Indiana Jones reference is a very interesting preexisting lore Easter egg to Indiana Jones, and Supernatural Encounters will expand upon the already present Indiana Jones references. The skull on Arhul’s desk is most likely the one displayed in The Clone Wars show, as the show’s skull actually exists in universe, and doesn’t simply adorn a cover. As the darkness closes in on him, Arhul once more notes the scenic hills upon which the loosestrife and iris are growing there. Loosestrife is a real world plant, making its first appearance in Star Wars here. The iris is a real world flower, that is actually already in Star Wars, with the Rigellian Iris that was first mentioned in Sean Stewart’s novel: Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. This iris may be a different kind, or perhaps it is the same as the Rigellian Iris indigenous to Rigel 7. Arhul is then confronted by the creatures made of shadow that creep into his library. The creatures claim they are The Emissaries of Shadow, and they refute Arhul’s claims that he knows what master they serve. The ghouls then mention Dread Typhojem, a Sith deity that made a previous published appearance in The Book of Sith by Daniel Wallace, who was seeking to tie his sourcebook into the drafts of Supernatural Encounters. Typhojem was established to also be known as The Left Handed God. The moniker or title, The Left Handed God, was first mentioned in the comic book story “The Pandora Effect” by Alan Moore, which was included in The Empire Strikes Back Monthly Magazine number 151. The beings mention they are not the pawn of the rulers of planets Xanthiir and Oozultharoum, two planets that are apart of the anti-Force, and will be expanded upon later on. These dark, and eery planets made their first appearance here. This is when the shadow creatures swirl around Arhul and he is no more, murdered by tyrannical forces of darkness. That wraps up my breakdown for Supernatural Encounters: Prologue: The Life and Death of a Historian. Let me know in the comments if I missed any references, easter eggs, or other connections. Join me next time when we cover Chapter 1: Division and Debate! See you then!

Hello there everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Brennan and I’m an EU fan who operates the YouTube channel Quinlan Vos. After the new Star Wars EU Novel, Supernatural Encounters released, I decided to make YouTube videos breaking down all the easter eggs, references, and connections in a section by section series of analysis videos. To do this, I had to write extensive scripts for the videos. Rather then throw the scripts  immediately out, like I do with my other video scripts, I contacted Mr. Matt Wilkins, to ask if he wanted to throw these scripts up on the site with my notations and script breaking down the new book. And to my delight, he thought it was a cool idea. So here is the first of the text version of my video breakdown series. Hope you guys enjoy! Welcome to the video script for Episode 1 of Brennan’s Breakdowns of Star Wars Supernatural Encounters. A series where I go through the 1,050 page behemoth, chapter by chapter, and point out every reference and easter egg I spot in the book. This series is going to take a long time and a ton of research and editing, so I hope you will enjoy the journey we are about to embark on. Before we go any further I will mention the obvious: Spoilers for Supernatural Encounters, so if you want to read Supernatural Encounters without knowing any of the connections or spoilers, stop right now, and come back after you’ve completed the first portion. Before we delve into the text itself, let’s start off by talking about what Supernatural Encounters is. I’ve done a few videos on the channel in the past about Supernatural Encounters, so I expect everyone here will know what it is, but just in case, here’s what Joe Bongiorno wrote about the behind the scenes history of the work: -What's the behind-the-scenes history of the Encounters duology? "Cult Encounters of the Star Wars Universe" and “Supernatural Encounters of the Star Wars Universe” were originally intended to be published as articles in Star Wars Gamer magazine, as followups to "The University of Sanbra Guide to Intelligent Life: The Marvel Series" in Star Wars Gamer (2000), an in-universe article Rich Handley (my co-author of Cult Encounters) and I wrote for the first issue of the magazine, with illustrations by Joe Corroney. Although Rich and I received the greenlight from Lucasfilm, only “Cult Encounters” was far enough along when Star Wars Gamer ended in 2002. They were later conceptually reworked as "Cult Encounters: Excerpts from the Last Days of Arhul Hextrophon" and Supernatural Encounters: The Trial and Transformation of Arhul Hextrophon, novellas that had been intended for publication on the Star Wars Hyperspace service, a Lucasfilm exclusive content initiative for which several articles, novellas, and short stories had been commissioned, such as Rich Handley's “Lando Calrissian: Idiot's Array” in 2008. The framework of Supernatural Encounters was first written at the end of 2007. Pablo Hidalgo, an old colleague from my West End Games (and SWFA) days, who was then in charge of the Star Wars site, approved it for publication on Hyperspace. I signed a licensing agreement and a tax form and proceeded. A work of this nature--involving the ancient past--required a lot of work, research, and editing to make sure everything was right, and I was given the time time to continue working on the manuscript until it was put on the schedule. Work on Supernatural Encounters was yet ongoing when, in 2010, it was abruptly announced that the new management at LFL were discontinuing Hyperspace. Since CE and SE were never cancelled, it was hoped that they would find a new home elsewhere and I continued working on the manuscript. In the interim, creations original to the Encounters duology were incorporated into other works by my colleagues. Ampotem Za was added in the 2007 Hyperspace article “Aliens of the Empire,” by Abel G. Peña and Rich Handley. The Rozzum and Typhojem found their way into the Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide and Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side, by Dan Wallace. Then, in late 2015, Rich Handley and I approached Lucasfilm regarding the Encounters duology, as they had expressed interest in publishing the works on the new Star Wars Blog. Matt Martin (of the Lucasfilm Story Group, who then ran the site) and Dan Brooks (who ran the Blog) approved the works for publication, with the plan being to publish them in parts due to the length of Supernatural Encounters. I suggested an alternative means: posting them on my personal website as Abel G. Peña had done with SkyeWalkers, which had been published earlier that year. They could then be linked to or embedded in the Blog. They approved this and my plan to further edit the works over the coming months to ensure they were up-to-date. And here’s what he said about its licensing: Yes; I filled out the requisite legal documents (a CA-587 form, which is called a Non-Resident Withholding Allocation Worksheet and W-9 tax form) when the stories were first approved for publication by Pablo Hidalgo, the same licensing process I went through for my previous contributions to the Expanded Universe. There isn't any Lucasfilm licensing process beyond this.  The 2008 and 2013 emails between me and Lucasfilm which attest to the veracity of this can be read here. Now that we have an in depth understanding of what Supernatural Encounters is, from its original conception as a short story novella, that has now blossomed into a 1,050 page epic odyssey; let’s delve into the actual text. Before we get to Chapter 1, or even the prologue, first we have to take a look at the Introduction, which encompasses pages 12-14. We start with a paragraph quotation from an unspecified date, I assume a quotation from ancient times, that reads: “Over the Spirits of Mortals spread the Mantigrue Wings of Colossal Monsters and all manner of murky things that prey upon the heart and soul and body. Yet it may be, in some far day, the Shadows shall fade and their Dark Father be chained forever in his Abyss. Till then, Mortals can but stand up stoutly to the monsters in their own hearts and without, and with the aid of the Supreme Maker, he may yet triumph.” From The Teachings of the Dai Bendu, by Brother Rowade. In this paragraph we get our first reference, with the mention of the Mantigrue creature which are also known as Condor Dragons. The Mantigrue originally appeared in The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense picture book, afterwards appearing in the Ewoks cartoon and in the Galaxies MMO video game. The Mantigrue is a creature native to Endor, so it is interesting that brother Rowade would be aware of an obscure Endorian creature for his analogy. We also get a reference to the Order of Dai Bendu, an ancient sect of Force Users who were precursors to the Jedi Order. The Order was founded before 37,453 BBY; and appeared in many EU sourcebooks as well as a prominent spot in the Dawn of the Jedi comic book series. Moving onto the true beginning Introduction of the book, we jump into 38 ABY, 2 years after the end of the Dark Nest Trilogy with the book’s introduction. An introduction that is in-universe, as it is revealed to be Mammon Hoole’s 2 page introduction to the history of Arhul Hextrophon’s in-universe writings and memoirs about his experiences, titled “Introduction to the Expanded Edition”. This is another amazing reference, as Mammon Hole is a main character featured in the Galaxy of Fear books who popped up in a ton of source material. A renowned Shi’Ido geneticist Hoole has an incredibly in-depth historical knowledge of the galaxy. The man he writes about, Arhul Hextrophon, the main protagonist of Supernatural Encounters is a character that was first featured in West’s End Games Star Wars Sourcebook. Arhul would later go onto appear in further West End Games material, shown to be a in-universe writer and avid historian; before Leland Chee retroactively named him as a previously unidentified character in the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. A Rebel who was seen during the Medal Ceremony at the end, played by Nick Joseph. Moving further into Hoole’s introduction, he describes the history of historian Arhul Hextrophon’s writings, explaining their origin, and how they were written and revised at 3 different times, after Arhul’s trip to Otherspace 3 years prior in 35 ABY. The original writing, shaving of content, and then reapplication of cut content from Arhul’s written account is a reference that reflects the real world writing process of Supernatural Encounters that Joe Bongiorno went through in writing the book, which is quite clever. We also get the reference to Otherspace, an alternate dimension filled with horrors that originated from the West End Games sourcebooks. Mammon Hoole mentions that the manuscripts were found at the house of Arhul Hextrophon, after his apparent death, on Chandrila. Chandrila being a prominent planet seen throughout the EU, that originated in The Star Wars Sourcebook, perhaps best known for being the home planet of Rebel Alliance Leader Mon Mothma. Mammon Hoole also mentions the primary sidekick of the book in the opening introduction, Arhul’s droid companion Q9-X7. Q9-X7 is apart of the Q9-Series of Astromech Droids, which made appearances in The Corellian Trilogy and later New Jedi Order. The Q9 series were considered to be extremely advanced and high tech; yet experimental. Despite the Q9 line of Droid appearing in several EU sources, this was the first appearance of this specific model, Q9-X7. Mammon Hoole goes on to mention that Arhul and Q9 collaborated in archiving the written accounts via Mistress Mnemos and a new character named Professor Misqa Tonique. Mistress Mnemos is an AI supercomputer that was associated with the Rebels… that first appeared in Russ Manning’s LA Times Magazine comic strips; the first appearance in the strips being in The Gambler’s World arch. Next Mammon Hoole notes that The New Republic Historical Council finds Arhul’s works to be incredibly controversial for their potentially galaxy changing revelations. The New Republic Historical Council is a group associated with the New Republic and the New Jedi Order; that appeared in The New Essential Chronology, the Book of Sith, and The Written Word Hyperspace articles. They essentially existed to attempt to unravel the Galactic Empire’s information wipe and muddling of history with propaganda. Mammon Hoole then makes mention of an adventurer and Black Market dealer who managed to obtain and leak the Historical Council’s heated debate over Arhul’s texts, as he was present for it; a leaked transcript that will be included in the following text. The adventurer is a character named Myk Bidlor, a character that first appeared in The Han Solo Trilogy: Rebel Dawn by AC Crispin. The character from Rebel Dawn is a tuckerization of Mike Beidler a writer and editor who has worked on several Star Wars EU works, such as Empire’s End or Lightsider. Mammon Hoole’s introduction goes on to note that Arhul’s written accounts tracking his adventure through the stars, visions of the origin of the galaxy, and the transcript of the two days of The Historical Society’s debate over the writings accuracy, have been meticulously compiled and organized by a plethora of doctors. The doctors are named Rygel Lawlins, Wes Adod, Trace Piskem, Royce Crater, Aryn Hort Thorn, Raphe Nahys, Obern Wentham, Grigem Etchill, and Watkins Milt. All of these Doctors are tuckerizations of the real world editors of Supernatural Encounters, I think its cool to learn that a team of characters in-universe, named for the real world editors and assistants; worked with Mammon Hoole to assemble the in-universe book. It is pretty easy to unscramble the names, Watt Milkins is a tuckerization of Matt Wilkins, Rygel Lawlins is Kyle Rawlings, Wes Adod is Edward Dodds, Trace Piskem is Patrick Maes, Royce Crater is Corey Carter, Aryn Hort Thorn is Harry Thornton, and Grigem Etchill is Greg Mitchell. I am still not sure who Raphe Nahys or Obern Wentham are though. Another extremely interesting piece of info gleamed from the introduction by Mammon Hoole, is that the illustrations within Supernatural Encounters are in-universe art pieces based on sketches that Arhul himself stored within Master Mnemom (A new character, who will later be revealed as a companion supercomputer to Mistress Mnemos). The sketches Arhul made were turned into full color epics by characters named Dirc Ch’los and Claudius Gemulo, who are apparently famous artists in the galaxy. The characters are tuckerizations of the real world illustrators Chris Cold and Guillaume Ducos. We also get an important piece of information, Arhul wrotee down additional scribbled notes in the margins of the pages of his writings. These are called “Hexnotes”, by Q9; and will be important for later on. Hexnotes essentially give additional historical information and context to the narrative of the story, essentially editor’s notes by Arhul on his own book. With that Mammon Hoole signs off from his narrative portion of the story, though don’t fear Galaxy of Fear fans, we will see him again in the pages to come. However, that wraps up every easter egg and lore reference I found of note in the 3 page Introduction of Supernatural Encounters. Thank you everyone for watching, and let me know if I missed anything! I hope you will all join me next time when we jump into the next part: Prologue: The Life and Death of a Historian.

By Lance Leibrock Gray Jedi are possibly one of the most polarizing concepts in the Star Wars mythos. Some people love them, and some hate them. But there are bigger questions that I think need answering: are they even canon? Were they even an official concept? Well, they’re not canon currently, at least since the Disney reboot, but we aren’t concerned with that. Are they canon to the EU? I think this answer is quite complicated and deserves a proper rundown. The first use of the term “Gray Jedi” occurred in Star Wars Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War as a descriptive term for Qui-Gon Jinn. Now, at that time, the definition was radically different from what it is now. Back then, the term was referring to Qui-Gon in reference to his frequent disagreements with the Jedi Council, not that he dabbled in both sides of the Force without succumbing to either side, which is the modern understanding of the term. Even if you don’t think this definition of the term suits Qui-Gon perfectly (I’ve heard some good arguments for this), it’s really a term that’s almost a pejorative term in-universe used by Jedi. Jedi Master Tyvokka accused Qui-Gon of being Gray and his concerns over it. Just because an in-universe character makes a claim about another doesn’t necessarily make it true. However, I don’t see anything narratively wrong with Gray Jedi in this respect, and whether you believe Qui-Gon was a Gray Jedi (according to this definition) or not, it’s undeniable the term and concept is canon to the EU, and it doesn’t present anything contrary to the established lore. The more common understanding of the term comes from Knights of the Old Republic, an RPG video game released in 2003. Jolee Bindo, who was one of the companions to the player character, is a self-described Gray Jedi who dabbled in both sides of the Force without falling to either side. Star Wars: Legacy and the Jedi Academy Training Manual also both include excerpts about Gray Jedi, and they use the exact same definition Jolee gives in KOTOR. The latter source also states that a “true” Gray Jedi is one who does not belong to any Force tradition and operates independently, using both the light and dark sides of the Force. Since then, though, the Lucasfilm Story Group have gone to claim that this concept of Gray Jedi is contrary to George Lucas’ view of the Force, which is if you continue using the dark side long enough, you will be corrupted by it. Matt Martin, a member of the Lucasfilm Story Group, has gone on to say the following: "That sort of goes against what Star Wars is all about. The dark side corrupts." Now, I don’t disagree with Matt here, but I do disagree with the idea that it’s “just a fan thing,” which is where I want to get at with this article. If you look at the rest of the Twitter thread Matt was having with a fan, he claims that it’s a fan thing and isn’t official. Rather you like the concept of Gray Jedi is one thing, but it’s undeniable that it was once a part of the official continuity of Star Wars, via Expanded Universe material. As shown earlier, there are numerous sources that refer to Gray Jedi, with all three of the following definitions: 1. Jedi who operates independently of the Council and/or frequently disobey the Council. 2. Jedi who dabbles in both sides of the Force without succumbing to either side. 3. Force-users who act independently from all Force-based traditions and dabble in both sides of the Force. Now, in my personal view, the latter two definitions were never truly shown in the EU because they can’t really exist, just as Matt Martin says. Let me explain. The Imperial Knights in Legacy are the epitome of not being Gray Jedi, despite the Jedi Order thinking they are (this is a common theme as we will see). The Knights were light side users who had a strict allegiance to defending the Emperor using the light side. Many of them were even former Jedi. If you read the Legacy comics, there’s really no examples of Imperial Knights dabbling in both sides of the Force. They’re clearly light side users, and the Jedi accusing them of being Gray is probably because the Imperial Knights do not follow the Jedi’s strict dogmatic view of the Force, much like Tyvokka in Republic. The Jedi also claim that the Jensaarai were Gray Jedi, though this isn’t particularly true either. The Jensaarai, who were created by a former Jedi, did blend the teachings of the Jedi and Sith, though they did stay true to the light side of the Force. Blending Jedi and Sith teachings does not make one Gray; these are religious institutions, not sides of the Force. Even then, one can find wisdom in Sith teachings, and, if combined with the teachings of the Jedi, you can still stay true to the light, and that’s exactly what the Jensaarai did. As shown earlier, the Jedi are constantly accusing others of being Gray Jedi just because they don’t follow their exact philosophy of the Force; that doesn’t make it true. Lastly, Jolee Bindo, the character who started this controversy, really isn’t a proper Gray Jedi either. He’s clearly an old hermit who has been living in the Shadowlands for too long; he uses nearly exclusive light side powers, even threatening to betray the main character of KOTOR if they turn to the dark side, yet they won’t betray them if they stay with the Jedi. He clearly identifies with the light side; perhaps his years fighting Exar Kun’s Sith and seeing the strange wilderness of the Kashyyyk Shadowlands traumatized him, but there’s no way he’s a true Gray Jedi, at least with what Jolee himself describes. In conclusion, while Gray Jedi may not be exactly as George Lucas envisioned, what is certain is it is not a mere idea from fan fiction. Truly, it was a part of the official Star Wars canon at one point, and it is an official concept, despite there not being any true examples of it. Regardless, I hope this article can rid any confusion some may be having about Gray Jedi. Yes, they were an official concept. Long live the Expanded Universe!

Argovia System (S-14) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Argovia A temperate world of mountain ranges, forests, and wetlands shrouded in mist and rainstorms, Argovia was a remote planet rich in natural resources. During the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire established a complex on the planet to excavate the minerals and ores, as well as be a regional observation base for their vast galactic network of sensor arrays. Imperial forces attempted to restrict movement in the sector, however, their blockade was broken, and the command center destroyed by Rebel forces, leading to hyperlane routes reopening shortly thereafter. Following the collapse of the Empire, it is unclear if Argovia declared neutrality, or joined the New Republic or other galactic governments.

Bria Tharen grew up in the southern parts of the planet Corelliain a wealthy family.  At a very early age, Bria’s parent arranged for her to marry Dael Levare. However, Bria broke off the engagement as she wanted to study ancient art and archeology at the University of Coruscant. When she was seventeen, she attended a religious revival and experienced the “Exultation.”  It was a harmonic stimulation of the brain's pleasure center performed by t’landa Til “priests.”  Like many before her, Bria misunderstood the sensation for a higher truth.  She sold her jewelry to board passage on a pilgrim ship but became a slave to the Hutt's spice factories when she landed on Ylseia.  She was stripped of her name and called Pilgrim 921.  Bria clung to her illusions about the Ylseia regime until a spice pilot showed her the truth about the Hutt named Han Solo.  She escaped the planet with Solo’s help, and they eventually became lovers.  After they made it to Coruscant, Bria left Han.  She was experiencing a lingering Exultation withdrawal and needed help to beat the addiction. She would join Garm Bel Iblis’s Corellian resistance movement and quickly move up the ranks. She would see Han Solo occasionally but would not approach him for fear of them rekindling their relationship. Bria would start her rebel attack force, the Red Hand squadron, which she would lead from the bridge of the corvette “Retribution.”  Her Rebel superiors were often shocked at the Red Hand squadron’s brutality toward slavers. After the official formation of the Rebel Alliance, Bria set forward a plan that would wipe out the Ylseian factories and simultaneously enrich the struggling Rebels.  She forged a deal with Jabba the Hutt that enabled Rebel soldiers to join with Nar Shadaa smugglers in a successful raid on Ylseia.  Han Solo would join with Bria, and the two would fight together once again.  Their relationship seemed also to be rekindling again.  This would struggle when Bria double-crossed the smugglers, taking all the spice to aid the Rebel Alliance in capturing the Death Star plans. Bria’s Red Hand Squadron received the Death Star schematics on the ground at Toprawa and sent them quickly to Princess Leia Organa on the Tantive IV.  Bria, knowing she would be tortured if captured, decided to swallow poison and ended up dying a martyr.  Her sacrifice would not be in vain, as Rebels could mount an attack on the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.  And, due to Solo's aide, Luke Skywalker delivered the destructive blow that obliterated the space station.

Apoka System (R-14) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Apoka Apoka was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Thrynka System (R-14) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Thrynka Thrynka was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Dohlban System (R-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Dohlban Homeworld of the bipedal Guineo species, Dohlban was a remote world used by criminal organizations or Hutt crime lords as a source of laborers or brutes.

Leresen System (R-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Leresen Homeworld of the Leresai species, Leresen’s position in the New Republic came into controversy in 19 ABY after its attack on the Bothans over the Caamas Documents crises. It is unknown if the Lerasai were reprimanded for their hostilities toward a fellow New Republic member. Ord Dycoll System (R-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Ord Dycoll (destroyed) Originally a Republic world dating back to at least 12,000 BBY as an ordinance depot stronghold on the frontier of Republic space, Ord Dycoll came under Imperial control during the Galactic Civil War. Located in a backwater part of Imperial territory, the planet was destroyed when a massive, ancient mining vessel appeared in orbit. The station’s automated programming was accidentally activated by investigating Imperial forces, causing the ship to burrow into the planet. What remained of the planet formed into an asteroid field. Udrin Cara System (R-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Udrin Cara Udrin Cara was a remote world that housed a secret Imperial military research center during the Galactic Civil War.

Dorajan System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Dorajan Dorajan was a remote jungle world that saw little galactic traffic. Dractu System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Dractu Homeworld of the humanoid Dractuvian species, Dractu was a minor world in the region, adorned with fervent forests, mountain ranges, rolling plains, and oceans. During the waning decades of the Republic, Dractu was a major agriworld for the sector, remaining neutral in galactic affairs. Imram System (R-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Imram Colonized by Republic settlers as early as 15,000 BBY, Imram was on the frontier of Republic space, causing it to come into conflict with the Hutt Cartel. Many conflicts broke out, and the planet shifted control many times, but ultimately resulted in remaining in Republic control; however, the conflicts on Imram curbed Republic expansion in the region for millennia. Lannik System (R-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Lannik Homeworld of the bipedal humanoid species of the same name, and often improperly associated with Jedi Master Yoda’s species, Lannik was a terrestrial world with vast rocky deserts, lush hinterlands, and sparce lakes and small oceans. Historically ruled by a hereditary monarchy, Lannik was first discovered by Republic scouts as early as 17,000 BBY. Though a Republic member, Lannik was a victim of the xenophobic Pius Dea Crusade in 11,198 BBY. Warfare returned to the world when it was conquered by Sith forces during the Great Sith War in 3,996 BBY. Decades later, during the Jedi Civil War, Republic forces were successful in protecting Lannik from Sith assaults, likewise remaining a stalwart Republic ally during the Clone Wars millennia later, despite anti-Republic terrorist activity on the planet come the waning decades of the government. Lannik remained neutral for the first couple decades of the Galactic Civil War, joining the New Republic as a stronghold world around 7 ABY. The planet was momentarily subjugated by the Yuuzhan Vong during their invasion of the galaxy, and it is assumed they retained neutrality following the end of the war.

Aida System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Aida A mineral-rich desert world, Aida was a remote world sparsely populated as an Imperial mining colony during the Galactic Civil War. Lomabu System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   five unnamed planets (presumably Lomabu I, II, IV-VI) o   Lomabu III §  one unnamed moon/satellite Originally the homeworld of the Lomabuan species, Lomabu III was primarily an oceanic world landscaped with long, narrow island archipelagos. During the Galactic Civil War, the planet was subjugated as a penal colony by the Galactic Empire and the native Lomabuans were depopulated into extinction by 3 ABY. Makeb System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: Makeb’s Sun ·        Orbits: o   Makeb A tranquil oceanic world, Makeb’s unique gravitational anomalies allowed for massive mesas and plateaus to extend out of the ocean and into the upper levels of the atmosphere. These geographical developments were large enough to build large cities and ports on the fervent tops. Located in a remote part of the sector, Makeb was not discovered until the onset of the Mandalorian Wars in 3,976 BBY. The planet was originally settled by marooned Republic refugees fleeing the war. Makeb entered the galactic community less than a century later, having built a successful civilization that remained independent for centuries. In 3,638 BBY, during the Galactic War, the Hutt Cartel invaded the planet to lay stake in its mineral deposits. Unbeknownst to other galactic governments, the Sith Empire had secretly been experimenting on the planet’s core, causing devastating geological phenomenon that rendered the planet inhospitable. Almost a decade later, the Sith were driven from the planet by the Eternal Alliance, leaving the world isolated once more so that nature could once again rebalance the planet’s core.

Dressel System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Dressel o   Dressel Asteroid Belt Homeworld of the humanoid Dressellian mammalian species, Dressel was a temperate world of forests, savannahs, and rainforests situated on small continents and large island archipelagos surrounded by vast seas and oceans. Discovered by Bothan scouts around 200 BBY, Dressel remained neutral until it was occupied by Imperial forces in 10 BBY, leading to the Dressellians fiercely supporting the Rebel Alliance and subsequent New Republic. Dressel was temporarily occupied by Yuuzhan Vong forces before returning to the Galactic Alliance. Feraleech System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Feraleech Feraleech was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Nooli System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Nooli Nooli was a remote world that joined the CIS during the Clone Wars. Following the war, Nooli remained one of the last Separatist holdouts until it was conquered by Imperial forces during the early years of the Galactic Civil War. Ursellin System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Ursellin Ursellin was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic.

Aikhibba System (P-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Aikhibba Aikhibba was a remote planet controlled by the Hutt Cartel during the Galactic Civil War. Beris System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Beris Beris was a remote world that joined the Galactic Alliance at some point during the Yuuzhan Vong War; however, during the Second Galactic Civil War, the planet seceded and joined the Corellian Confederation. Denebrilla System (P-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Denebrilla Denebrilla was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Hoylin System (P-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Hoylin Hoylin was a remote world that remained independent throughout galactic history. Mendacia System (P-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Mendacia Mendacia was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Phr’sha System (P-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Phr’sha Phr’sha was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic.

By Lance Leibrock Part Two of this series focuses on the Imperial Remnant, which was the reorganized true Empire under the leadership of Admiral Daala and Vice Admiral Pellaeon (later Grand Admiral). During this period, which lasted from 12 ABY to 44 ABY when it was reorganized again as the Fel Empire, the Empire became fairly isolationist. Pellaeon would annex weaker Imperial splinter groups and would declare Bastion as the new capital of the Remnant, which was once part of Pentastar Alignment-controlled space. The Remnant would have a peaceful yet uneasy relationship with the New Republic, and this period of Imperial history would only be the infancy of a future golden age for the true Galactic Empire. 2. The United Warlords Fleet (12 ABY) • This short-lived fleet was the name of the faction of Daala and Pellaeon’s united fleet after the destruction of the various warlords at Tsoss Beacon. Daala and Pellaeon attempted to attack Yavin IV, but they failed. Daala, depressed after another loss, promoted Pellaeon to admiral and relinquished command of him. Under Pellaeon’s leadership, the United Warlords Fleet abandoned the Deep Core and made alliances with various Mid Rim worlds. Pellaeon would conquer Orinda and reestablish the UWF as the Imperial Remnant, where he would reestablish the capital of the Remnant on Bastion in the Outer Rim. This fleet would form the prominent military of the Imperial Remnant during its early years. 3. The Imperial Remnant (12 ABY- reorganized in between 44 and 127 ABY as the Fel Empire) • Early years: In the early years of the Imperial Remnant, Pellaeon made several moves that had numerous benefits. First, he pulled fleets from the Deep Core into the Mid Rim and Outer Rim. He established a Council of Moffs, and then successfully expanded Imperial borders through the Orinda campaign. They annexed the Pentastar Alignment, an Imperial faction created by Ardus Kaine, after Kaine was killed by the New Republic. This annexation allowed Pellaeon to establish the Imperial capital on the world of Bastion in the Outer Rim. Pellaeon would then continue fighting the New Republic. • Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty (19 ABY): As the war carried on, the Remnant would be reduced to only eight sectors. After this realization, Pellaeon decided to make peace with the New Republic. Aboard the Chimaera, Pellaeon’s flagship (and Thrawn before him), the Grand Admiral met with Ponc Gavrisom, the acting Chief of State of the New Republic, and the treaty was signed, thus bringing an end to the Galactic Civil War. • The Yuuzhan Vong War (28 ABY): For the majority of the Vong War, the Imperial Remnant stayed out of the war. However, when the Yuuzhan Vong attacked Bastion, the Remnant had no choice but to join in the war. They joined the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, the successor state of the New Republic, along with the Smuggler’s Alliance and the New Jedi Order. The Remnant’s assistance towards the end of the war allowed the Yuuzhan Vong to finally be destroyed. Shortly after their defeat, Pellaeon retired. • The Second Galactic Civil War (41 ABY): Pellaeon would return to Imperial service as war erupted between the Confederation and Darth Caedus’ controlled Galactic Alliance. Pellaeon refused to join Caedus, which led to his subsequent assassination, and Drikl Lecersen became the de facto leader of the Remnant. He would attempt to create a nano virus that would wipe out those of Hapan ancestry, but he failed, and the GA punished the Remnant with an ultimatum: face war crimes or install Jagged Fel as Head of State. • The Empire Strikes Back (44 ABY): After the war, the Imperial Remnant would reorganize itself back into the Galactic Empire, and Jagged Fel would ascend as Emperor. Under his leadership and the leadership of his descendants, the Fel Empire would grow to be just as powerful as the Galactic Alliance and would be a complete and total restoration of the old Galactic Empire.

Chokan System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Chokan Chokan was a remote planet that housed a small Imperial garrison during the Galactic Civil War. Chroma Zed System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Chroma Zed Homeworld of the humanoid worm-like Chroman species, Chroma Zed was a lush world of forests, mountains ranges, rainforests, and vast lakes and oceans. Discovered by Republic scouts early in the government’s history, the planet saw little development and eventually came under the control of Hutt Space. During the Clone Wars, the Republic attempted to reclaim Chroma Zed from the Hutts, but all endeavors failed. It wasn’t until the Galactic Civil War when the original borders were approved, and the planet became an Imperial world. Later in the war, the planet shifted to New Republic control, remaining a member through its reorganization into the Galactic Alliance, before coming under jurisdiction of Darth Krayt’s Sith Empire by 127 ABY. Dalonia System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Dalonia Dalonia was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Deneba System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Deneba A mountainous, desert world, Deneba was a minor Republic planet in 3,9996 BBY at the onset of the Great Sith War. The planet had ties with the Jedi, who used it as a location for their conclaves of leaders. It was here that the Sith cult, the Krath, attacked the Jedi, instigating the Great Sith War. Maerdocia System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: Maerdocia ·        Orbits: none Maerdocia was an empty system and naming convention for the sector. Ogden Minor System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Ogden Minor Ogden Minor was a remote jungle world that, due to its savage terrain, saw little galactic traffic. Shador System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Shador §  five unnamed moons/satellites Homeworld of the Shadorians, Shador was a swampy and forested world that remained neutral during the Galactic Civil War. Due to its foul atmosphere, it was difficult for humans to breathe without portable breathing machines. Tarshan System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Tarshan Tarshan was a remote system that saw little galactic traffic. Thokosia System (Q-13) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Thokosia Thokosia was a remote system that was economically allied with the Hutt cartel.

Balowa System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Balowa Balowa was a remote planet primarily landscaped with large rainforests. Daalang System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Daalang Joining the Republic as early as 18,000 BBY, Daalang became a major Republic world in the region. During the Great Sith War and Jedi Civil War, Sith forces under the command of Sith Lords Exar Kun and Darth Revan were able to conquer the planet. Following the collapse of the Sith Empire, Daalang returned to Republic control until it was occupied by Sith forces again during the New Sith War nearly two millennia later. The Republic was unable to wrestle control away from the Sith, and following the war, the planet came under the domain of nearby Hutt Space. During the Clone Wars, Daalang came under Separatist control, eventually becoming a key Rebel base and New Republic stronghold during the Galactic Civil War. The planet was invaded by Yuuzhan Vong forces during their invasion of the galaxy, the planet’s fate remaining unknown following the war’s end.

Berason System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Berason Berason was a minor mining world in the region. During the Galactic Civil War, the Empire temporarily blockaded the planet due to its inhabitants supporting the Rebel Alliance. Eventually Rebel forces were able to break the Imperial blockade so supplies could be imported and exported. Nixor System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Nixor Homeworld of the Nixor species, the planet was temporarily occupied by Sith forces during the Great Sith War, circa 3,996 BBY. Following the collapse of the Sith, Nixor remained neutral throughout galactic history, wanting nothing to do with the Republic or the subsequent Empire. During the Galactic Civil War, Nixor became a haven for those who wanted to remain neutral. Teloc Ol-sen System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Teloc Ol-sen Teloc Ol-sen was a remote desert world that temporarily housed a Rebel cell during the Galactic Civil War. Before 2 ABY, the cell was massacred by a vigilante group and the planet was abandoned by the Rebel Alliance. Vidicx System (Q-12) ·        Sun/Star: unnamed ·        Orbits: o   Vidicx Vidicx was a remote system that was the site of a battle between the Rebel Alliance and unknown forces possibly aligned with the Galactic Empire. Little information about the assailants was gathered by Rebel intelligence agents.

Today is April Fool's Day and who better to celebrate than the entire creative team at Lucasfilm. For the past decade they've done everything possible to kill what was once a beloved franchise to many, into something completely unrecognizable today. Folks leave comments on my channel all the time from my early "Defending the EU" videos saying "Matt called it! Star Wars is DEAD!" Thanks. But to be honest, it didn't take a rocket scientist to see the direction the company was going in at the time. However, seeing what it's become today HAS been an entire shock to me. Some of the decisions made at the top make zero sense. Even Southpark nailed it with their episode from last year when they poked fun at Kathleen Kennedy and Disney in general for constantly pandering to an audience which is far removed from their core fans. Is Kennedy doing this on purpose? Oh course not. But she can't seem to find her footing among the fandom, which has largely abandoned her now and moved on to other interest. It's said to see such an ageless franchise come so low in only a decade. Let me be clear, I DON'T want Star Wars to die off in the minds of the public, but it's already too late for that. The younger generation cares less and less about the product. Most of the kids at my nephew's highschool can't even remember they last Star Wars movie they saw. And though they know some of the names of recent TV Shows, they've not watched a single one. Lucasfilm is losing their future audience and if they continue to make self destructive decisions it'll only get worse. Here's to hoping the fools at Lucasfilm have nothing to celebrate about today and return the franchise back to it's glory days once again. In the meantime, I'm finally going to watch the sequel trilogy this weekend. Oh wait.....April Fools.

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From the very beginning, Star Wars has been a trailblazer for strong and independent women in media, starting of course with our beloved Leia Organa, played magnificently by the late Carrie Fisher, she was a breath of fresh air in a time when women on screen were almost always the damsel in distress, wailing away while the hero came to their aid. Leia was an instant icon and showed that not only could she stand equal to her male counterparts but even lead them, as she is a pivotal leader in the Rebel Alliance and later Chief of State of the New Republic as well as a powerful Jedi Knight. The EU continues this trend of powerful women when we are introduced to some of the greatest written female characters in pop culture, most notably, the legendary Mara Jade. Mara was a groundbreaking character for the EU and is one of the most popular Star Wars characters ever and for good reason, she is fierce, fiery and stubbornly independent as well as incredibly powerful. Jaina Solo is another fantastic woman in the EU, she is a personal role model for me and has an amazing and complex story. Jaina is powerful, independent and just an all around badass. These aren’t the only phenomenal women in the EU and this article would be 100 pages or more if I talked about them all but we have so many great women in the EU with amazing stories like Bastila Shan, Jan Ors, Juno Eclipse, Tahiri Veila, Tenel Ka, Mirax Horn, Mirta Gev and so many more! This is one of the greatest things about Star Wars, it was ahead of its time and I am forever thankful to George Lucas and the amazing authors of the EU who created and shaped these amazing characters. The Expanded Universe is for everyone and it is so awesome to have amazing female characters that we get so emotionally invested in and just adore. Happy International Women’s Day and May the Force be with you!

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