Spoilers SW: Skeleton crew discussion thread

[MarkB]

“Great Work” sounds sinister, even though the chancellor behind it was benevolent (or where they?)

Not necessarily sinister, but it does become so if everyone just refers to it by that name and nobody seems to know what it actually is.

There is a tendency in Star Wars to default to "devastating superweapon", let's hope they manage not to go there this time.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Not necessarily sinister

In the real world it’s the sort of terminology that tends to be used by totalitarianism. Great for some, not so great for anyone who happens to be in the way.

There is a tendency in Star Wars to default to "devastating superweapon", let's hope they manage not to go there this

Not all superweapons have to blow up planets. Control the currency and you can blow up any economy you target.

 

[pukunui]

I’ve not played the whole game, but there is a hidden high republic world in Jedi Survivor.

I have. It’s not that.

Spoiler

Tanalorr is a hidden world discovered by the Jedi during the High Republic era. They built a temple there, but the Nihil figured out how to get through the nebula protecting it, so the Jedi abandoned it. Cal figures hopes to use Tanalorr as a place where other Jedi survivors can hide from the Empire.

Re: At Attin’s “Great Work”, my guess is it’s one of the High Republic era’s Great Works plural. Here’s what Wookieepedia has to say about them:

“The Great Works were a group of projects undertaken by the Galactic Republic under Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh during the High Republic Era. The Starlight Beacon, a massive space station constructed on the frontier of the galaxy, was one of Soh's Great Works. Other Great Works that Soh had planned included the Republic Fair, construction of communications relays throughout the galaxy, the negotiation of a treaty between the Quarren and Mon Calamari, cracking the code on bacta cultivation, the Grand Renewal on Kwenn, and other technological innovations.“

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I have. It’s not that.

Spoiler

Tanalorr is a hidden world discovered by the Jedi during the High Republic era. They built a temple there, but the Nihil figured out how to get through the nebula protecting it, so the Jedi abandoned it. Cal figures hopes to use Tanalorr as a place where other Jedi survivors can hide from the Empire.

Re: At Attin’s “Great Work”, my guess is it’s one of the High Republic era’s Great Works plural. Here’s what Wookieepedia has to say about them:

“The Great Works were a group of projects undertaken by the Galactic Republic under Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh during the High Republic Era. The Starlight Beacon, a massive space station constructed on the frontier of the galaxy, was one of Soh's Great Works. Other Great Works that Soh had planned included the Republic Fair, construction of communications relays throughout the galaxy, the negotiation of a treaty between the Quarren and Mon Calamari, cracking the code on bacta cultivation, the Grand Renewal on Kwenn, and other technological innovations.“

So rather than looking at the Jedi and Sith as good and evil, look at them as law and chaos. Chancellor Lina Soh built a massive space station designed to bring order to the galaxy (whether it wanted it or not). Sound familiar?

 

[MarkB]

So rather than looking at the Jedi and Sith as good and evil, look at them as law and chaos. Chancellor Lina Soh built a massive space station designed to bring order to the galaxy (whether it wanted it or not). Sound familiar?

Yeah, it's kind-of ironic really. The Sith want to impose ironclad order upon the galaxy, yet they're inherently chaotic in that they can't countenance any significant competition - thus the whole Rule of Two, with its built-in expectations of mutual scheming and betrayal.

Meanwhile the Jedi are guardians of freedom in the galaxy, yet they're inherently regimented and controlled, not daring to freely express their emotions.

 

[Zardnaar]

I have. It’s not that.

Spoiler

Tanalorr is a hidden world discovered by the Jedi during the High Republic era. They built a temple there, but the Nihil figured out how to get through the nebula protecting it, so the Jedi abandoned it. Cal figures hopes to use Tanalorr as a place where other Jedi survivors can hide from the Empire.

Re: At Attin’s “Great Work”, my guess is it’s one of the High Republic era’s Great Works plural. Here’s what Wookieepedia has to say about them:

“The Great Works were a group of projects undertaken by the Galactic Republic under Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh during the High Republic Era. The Starlight Beacon, a massive space station constructed on the frontier of the galaxy, was one of Soh's Great Works. Other Great Works that Soh had planned included the Republic Fair, construction of communications relays throughout the galaxy, the negotiation of a treaty between the Quarren and Mon Calamari, cracking the code on bacta cultivation, the Grand Renewal on Kwenn, and other technological innovations.“

Megaprojects essentially.

Old legends material had heaps of lost colony words, megastructures and the RPGs had varying level of tech so a world could be feudal. Space age industrial etc.

The missing planets were "destroyed". That claim may or may not be accurate and orbital bombardment can "destroy" a world without physically blowing it up. Base Delta Zero iirc. Malak bombarding Taris in KotOR.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Chancellor Lina Soh built a massive space station designed to bring order to the galaxy (whether it wanted it or not). Sound familiar?

Yeah having read some of the High Republic books I don't think the authors missed this irony/similarity.

Lina Soh is herself a slightly ambiguous character, especially given her tendency to walk around with two gigantic telepathic alien super-lions. She's clearly meant to have her heart in the right place but her ideas tend towards the grandiose and her respect for the very democracy that brought her to power is... limited... in the way some US presidents are portrayed in fiction. She's also really poor at dealing with corruption and boy is there a lot of corruption in the High Republic!

This Great Work could be a variety of things, from like, an attempt to create a utopian meritocratic society (clearly failed if so), to some kind of "library world" (no sign of that but it could be the cause of the "treasure" rumours), to just the Barrier itself, as some kind of experimental planetary shield and/or cloaking device.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think we have established the barrier is a natural nebula.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Another question is the timing for these Great Works. The High Republic lasted for about 400 years, from 500 to 100 BBY. Lina Soh came into power in 234 BBY, so about 100 years before The Acolyte in 132 BBY, which showed the beginning of the end for the High Republic. She started all the Great Works, with Starlight Beacon being the first, having a formal dedication in 232 BBY. Now, while we know At Attin is taking part in one of these Great Works, was it and those other planets already hidden before that for other reasons, or were they all part of the Great Works and hidden post-232 BBY?

After reading up in Starlight Beacon, it was destroyed by the Nihil pirates only two years later, so I am thinking maybe these planets were not hidden until after that, to try and prevent their destruction also? Though as episode 3 tells us, only At Attin survived, so whatever methods were used did not work very well. So At Attin could have been in isolation for at little as 250 years, or as much as 400, if the hiding pre-dates Lina Soh and her Great Works.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

At Attin is taking part in one of these Great Works, was it and those other planets already hidden before that for other reasons, or were they all part of the Great Works and hidden post-232 BBY?

If the barrier is natural, then the location (of the treasury?) was chosen because the world was hidden, rather than hidden later because of the nihil.

The people of At Atan appear to think they still receive ships from the Republic, so someone is actively deceiving them.