Expounded Universe – System Mastery

That ended abruptly! Sure enough we get a chapter containing both Vader and Xizor, but... eh you'll see. Also there's some robots and some big-ish reveals, I suppose! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vader packs up and rides to join the party, Jax and company fight some crazy robots, and Xizor meets Nick Rostu, surely that's fantasic, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Honestly, I-5 isn't even super important here, we just think it's so funny how he keeps having a module for exactly what the group needs every time. Really, this is the "Xizor Makes His Move" set of chapters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Man is I-5 ever useful. But who's also a protocol droid with a weird gun hand that everyone wants to know about? I bet you all forgot about Bug Eyes, who is theoretically the MacGuffin of this production, and who JUST TURNED UP. Yeah! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well dang, this was episode 300? Then I guess we shall podcast in the shade. In today's episode Jax and the gang escape some droid police (DROID POLICE, BEEP BEEP BEEP) on flying Segways, while Rhinann whines and Nick Rostu... also kinda whines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh hey, this book has act breaks! And we just found what might be the only one! You can tell because I-5 finally finds Jax Pavan. Who is an asshole about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is a Jax-free space. We focus on Den, we check in with Nick Rostu, and somehow Kaird is still kicking around, but we aren't seeing what's up with Jax and Laranth. Also, Rhinan is making strong moves towards just ruining the Empire's public relations division. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finally Laranth turns up, and she brings with her something we were missing last time we did this series, an explanation of what a Gray Paladin is exactly (besides the lamest D&D character that your lamest gaming buddy won't shut up about). Meanwhile, Dhur is a reporter and Nick is apparently a gambler, but good news! Joyous news! It's not sabacc! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one new, and we'll still moving pieces into place, but hey Nick and Jax have met and headed off for a just-dudes sushi brunch, which if you think about it, Star Wars doesn't have nearly enough of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've met almost everyone we know we need to now! Just Laranth to go! But hark, we're meeting a subvillain for the book this time, and he hates Xizor, and now we're hearing that old classic Xizor bragging. Feels good to be home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh right, I just remembered that as much fun as Den and I-5 and laughing at Aurra Sing were, Jax Pavan is a dude what sucks. It's all coming back. Yes, that's right folks, welcome back to Coruscant Nights, the noir Star Wars. We're meeting a few new to us names today. Even Piell, Nick Rostu, and of course Jax are all running around the bowels of the city planet having remarkably similar adventures, all things considered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your burning questions! Answered! Our final thoughts on this book! Given! And the next book? Announced, baby! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Amnioid is Lema Xandret. Forget to say that in the episode, so it needed explanation here. Okay, we're wrapping it up! Another story in the can. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Definitely on the homestretch here, as some secrets are revealed and we start to see our Padawan/Sith Apprentice consider the merits of their respective other sides. Everyone's starting to unveil their big plans, but what of Dao Stryver? He's just flying around! What's that guy all about? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oh ho, so we've swapped masters and apprentices for a couple of little Jedi field trips, and the action is literally heating up with literal actual lava. Literally! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Look, I thought of that title like two months ago and I don't think we're ever gonna get it to line up perfectly, but I'll be damned if we don't use it! So in this episode Ula sort of takes control of the combine fleet, and that'll have to work! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This book is starting to seem like a big sifter designed to force our main characters slowly but inexorably into one party, and this is continuing here as Mandalorian Dao Stryver finally starts calling shots about the next steps to stop the hexes. How long can Hetchkee stick around? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Oh no, this one has sat a minute, my bad) Everyone must find their own way to figure out where the trail leads, and this episode is all about how they're doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And the action fires right back up! Is there something special in the space past where the books get better, because this is starting to remind us of Red Harvest with how much actual "doing shit" is happening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finally, a bunch of heroes get sent on a quest. Honestly this book is actually shaping up to match that Lucas quote about Star Wars rhyming like poetry, which is frankly wild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The grand battle plays on, though I think we're both getting fairly sick of Dao Stryver just being immune to absolutely everything. Meanwhile a few things are explained, a few folks are rescued, and we're seeing the seeds of our spy switching sides again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well well, we're already at a lightsaber fight. And get this, it's like three chapters of action sequence in a row! In a Star Wars novel this is considered something of an anomaly, as the middle of the books is normally utilized largely to introduce the identical cousins of background cantina characters or extending the page count. But not here! Here we're getting a fight! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The streams have begun to cross, but gently at first, as Ula Vii the reluctant spy has met everyone's instant favorite, JET NEBULA. Meanwhile, Ax does sith stuff, Shigar does jedi stuff, and Larin is apparently quite hot. Good for her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay, this one I remember. Our characters one by one begin to converge on Nal Hutta, the current homeworld of everyone's favorite big slug gansgters. No one meets anyone else yet though. We're saving that for sweeps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay, apparently I forgot to post this very important episode for a while and a half, between work trips and some ongoing medical drama, it just slipped my attention. I officially apologize. Also, I have no idea what happened in it. I don't even know what a moxla is anymore. Some sort of venomous thing, I trust. Please enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Star Wars! Specifically that special brand of Bioware-era Star Wars (like, they got their own era) set 4000 years before New Hope! Meet a bunch of new characters with forgettable fantasy names and also JET NEBULA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did we think? What did you want to know? What are we doing next? The elements? We answer all the questions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The climax is reached, can this book actually change anything or move any of the in-game story along? Will Bwonsamdi survive? Who rides what mounts? The elements? You better believe it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The penultimate episode dawns! A race begins as the Zandalari and Horde fight to stop the Widow's Bite from killing Bwonsamdi. You know what all those words mean, right? I sure do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, I'd love to tell you things are coming to a head, but we still don't know what that would look like. We are getting mentions of actual Shadowlands content though! That's neat! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, we know Shaw is still alive now, and meanwhile we settle the debate from the end of the last episode (Jef was right, weird) and see what's going on with Thrall and Ji now that they've arrived on the insurrection-torn shores of Zuldazar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay so I may have lost this episode for a few weeks. And that definitely means I forgot what's in there, besides that there was definitely some fairly intriguing Matthias Shaw romance. So hopefully you're into that! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this installment, we finally do what WOW must do, devote way too much time to Thrall. After he meets with the other people the game frankly could abandon for six expansions and everyone would be happy (obviously Tyrande and Malfurion), it's time for Zul'More Trolls (Hah, remember that? I'm so old) in Zuldazar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'd like to say that this is the start of a depressing trend of torture in this book, but at least the book seems aware of it, and it's just Alleria and Turalyon both times, so maybe it's part of the story and will be dealt with. We can hope it gets fixed instead of getting the 24 treatment. Meanwhile, Mathias Shaw is sailing along with Flynn Fairwind, who is actually from the games! And Nathanos is meeting up with Apari the Blood(?) Troll again for various dark purposes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yep, it's one of the classic staples of the WOW genre, That kind of justified torture that your favorite heroes just can't help but do, because of the greater good. Oh and also Zekhan meets Bwonsamdi and ... I'm sure there must have been a third thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In which we figure out who's likely to be our primary Horde protagonist, we send him on his way to adventure, and also Anduin continues to fret in well-known locations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sheesh, I thought we knew some stuff about World of Warcraft but we're completely in the weeds here. We don't know about Battle for Azeroth era trolls, and that's what we seem to have blundered into. Oh well, at least Bwonsamdi is cool. We're meeting some maybe-important Blood Trools, hanging out with Talanji, and meeting WOW's ultimate wife-guy energy man, Nathanos Blightcaller. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And we're back! Our new scene is set, it's split between Westfall and Ogrimmar, in which an author must deal with the dizzying array of world leaders available in the Battle for Azeroth era of a game at least a bunch of us were already starting to forget. You'll never forget such luminaries as Kiro, Caravan Leader of the Vulpera, right? I sure won't. Anyway, we barely even get an idea of what's about to happen here. Something about the elements being angry? You know how these are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All your questions answered! All our thoughts explained! And of course the next book, announced! I, uhhh, I let Jon pick again. I will always vote for the chaos option given the choice, you know this. What horrors are we due? You'll soon find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end is upon us! Or at least of this book. Once again a massive amount of stuff needs to be handled in just a few short pages, and this time, well, it kind of isn't! Do we at least finally figure out specifically what the deal is with Zonama Sekot? No! What fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new character has entered the arena, though we've been hanging out on them for a while now. That's right, it's time to meet Sekot proper, unravel some secrets of the past, and set up for the last 20 pages, where apparently, almost all of the stuff will happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And, as must happen in all these books when there's like 40 pages to go, the action kicks into high gear. Anakin, Jabitha (are we sure) and Ke Daiv are in one ship, Shappa Farr and Obi-Wan in another, and all the while our petulant pal Raithe Seinar is up in space being lorded over by Tarkin. All in all, a good time, with a good moment even! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tarkin arrives, Seinar fumes, Obi-Wan and Anakin finally encounter that most regular of EU traditions, the eleventh hour info dump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Man it has been a JOURNEY to get this thing to air. The ship is built and Ke Daiv attacks, I don't remember the rest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The shipbuilding begins! As Jabitha (that can't be right) leaves our heroes at the gate of the great factory, they meet new characters just in time for Anakin to start making it weird. Meanwhile, Seinar hangs out on his ship, and we hear about the comic misadventures of Ke Daiv, currently trying to buy a Sekotan ship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Anakin meets a little girl roughly his age, Obi-Wan is bored enough to start getting crabby, and Raithe Seinar is just having big old sips of other people's anger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our heroes emerge from the unexpected ball bath covered in the winnings of victory, which of course are more balls. Then a bunch of ball-related stuff happens. Luckily Seinar breaks in for one chapter to ... well sadly he just maintains that he is still heading towards the story from a distance, but at least he's not doing a ball thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an attempt to give Anakin some more depth, we introduce... more whines of his? I guess now he loves spaceships but hates spaceships. Anyway he's still a kid, we can let that slide. Our heroes slowly explore the city of Middle Distance, while Seinar begins his own set of dastardly contingency plans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's weird to be reading a book that is ostensibly full of weird surprises and decisions that necessarily go nowhere after Attack of the Clones came along and changed them, yet still keep running into stuff that is somehow important all the way to the Yuuzhan Vong crisis. But let's do it anyway! Today we finally land on Zonama Sekot and meet a couple very grumpy cult people. Also Raithe Seinar pouts a little but gets a cool new uniform and that cheers him up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another episode about shifting pieces into place for a story to happen, but still there's something here that's working for us. Not sure if it's the gay from space billionaire villain Raithe Sienar, the crazy polychaete alien Charza and his tidepool bioship, but something's just clickin' here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay, so now we know the bad guy of the hour! Raithe Seinar, starship engineer and generally rich weirdo, is apparently the right man for this job! Meanwhile our heroes absorb some info on Vergere before getting on a worm's tidepool spaceship. Honestly, respect for this guy's willingness to go crazy with the aliens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices