Zahn, Timothy
STAR WARS: Outbound Flight
Timothy Zahn
Del Rey/Ballantine Books/Lucas Books 2006
Hb 453 pages
ISBN#
0-345-45683-1
I’ve seen all of the STAR WARS films but this is the first book on the subject
I’ve read--and it was a good place to start. OUTBOUND FLIGHT is set in the
period of time when Anakin Skywalker is still in apprenticeship to Obi-Wan
Kenobi. Though these two characters do have roles in this book, they are not the
main players. The story of OUTBOUND FLIGHT is two-fold: the ship going outbound,
and the culture they run into.
OUTBOUND FLIGHT is the brainchild of a Jedi Knight with an ego problem. Master
C’baoth secretly wants to take as many Jedi and potential Jedi as he can, as far
away as he can, and mentor them in a new way of life. His stated goal, however,
is the exploration of the unknown. Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Imperial
Senate, supports Master C’boath’s proposal [because it will get rid of a lot of
pesky Jedi].
On the outer reaches of Republic space, a space trader [smugglers] gets caught
by an alien race so powerful that the humans aboard must allow themselves to be
captured in order to survive. The man Car’das meets Chiss Commander
Mitth’raw’nuruodo--someone you would not want to play chess with if your life
depending upon winning. Luckily for Car’das, the Chiss commander has problems of
his own that require Car’das as a living pawn instead of a dead intruder.
The story heats up when Darth Sidious sends a fleet of loyalists to destroy the
Jedi armada just as it enters deadly Chiss space.
I liked this book because the author remains true to the main storyline while
exploring new avenues at the same time. The expert skill of his storytelling
held my attention.
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