The Random Post of Randomness

 Hello, readers! I hope the title caught your attention, as this week I have been super busy with my day job, and while I had time to do (some) photos, I have no time to write a review. However, I thought I would use this time instead to be a random post about random Star Wars topics. Back in the day I used to post on the CommanderBond.net forums, and one of my favorite threads was called "The Random Thread of Randomness". The rules were simple, just post something random. That's it! And since I have little time on my hands, I thought it would be fun to just wing it. At the end, I'll have a preview of upcoming Vintage Collection reviews. 

FAN FICTION IDEAS

1. Old Man Luke finds a way to go back to Endor shortly after the fall of Ben Solo, his purpose is to undo the events of just after Endor, and delay Leia and Han's wedding. He meets his younger self and together they go on a journey to rebuild the Jedi.

2. Rey goes back in time immediately after Episode 9, and meets Luke Skywalker on the planet Bakura in the Legends timeline.

3. Finn makes his way into the World Between Worlds and meets Luke Skywalker on the planet Pilio, along with Imperial Pilot Del Meeko.

4. An alternate reality Anakin Skywalker is sent to Endor via WBW (by Qui-Gon Jinn), and must contend with the hatred of the daughter he never knew, and as the one who is known as Darth Vader. Anakin helped Mace, and killed Palaptine, but lost Padme to Sith agents. (Anakin and Luke fight Abeloth)

5. High Republic Jedi Avar Kriss and Elzar Mann jump forward to the day Order 66 is issued, and help Yoda escape to Dagobah.

6. Ahsoka is back on Malachor after Endor when returning to the Sith Temple via the WBW. 

7. Yoda leaves with Luke to fight Palpatine while he duels Vader. Vader saves both Luke and Yoda as Anakin and kills Palpatine. Luke & Yoda rebuild the Jedi Order.

8. Rey goes back via the WBW thanks to Anakin and convinces Luke to go with her to Exegol to kill Palpy...(alternate ending to Episode 9, Rey ends up in post ROTJ era and helps Luke rebuild the Jedi Order)

MY STAR WARS ALTERNATE UNIVERSE 

Blending parts of Disney Canon and the old EU.

-Shattered Empire. Reworked from the comic book series starring Poe Dameron's parents. Big change with 4th part is Kes & Shara work with Luke.

-Inferno Squad
Commander Iden Versio
Lt. Cmdr Del Meeko


-Ahsoka has spent the OT on Malachor in the World Between Worlds. When Luke finds her shortly after Endor, they embark together to Vader's Castle to find other potential Order 66 survivors.

-Han & Leia wait to get married, and are separated most of the time immediately after Endor. Anakin Solo is born 5 years after Endor. 

-There is a great battle at Jakku 1 year after Endor but the Empire doesn't surrender. Fleet Admiral Rax is killed and the Empire fractures.

-The New Republic liberates Coruscant 18 months after Endor. The Empire flees to Had Abbadon, under the rule of Moff Gideon and his puppet Grand Vizier Sate Pestage. Grand Admiral Thrawn is the one pulling the strings of not only Rax but also Gideon.

-Anakin is the Chosen One, because through him not only is Palpatine defeated but his son Luke restores the Jedi Order while his daughter Leia helps rebuild a New Republic and becomes Chancellor.

-Snoke at first is an ally of Luke Skywalker and helps him to restore the Jedi Order. What Luke doesn't know is he's a failed Sith Apprentice of Darth Plaugeis and has powers beyond what Luke could ever imagine. He can also enter the minds of others across vast distances, as he has with Senator Viqi Shesh and Kel Omas. (Scrapped this, for now)

-The Knights of Ren have 3 main categories:
1. Red Blades
2. Reapers. Using bladed weapons made of cortosis and amphrik.
3. Snipers.
Knights of Ren are also marauders and small time warlords. They wear black, red and silver clothing and all wear armor. Sentries are their foot soldiers and they wear the same armor and outfits.

-Luke establishes a site on a remote planet (Ossus) for his Jedi Temple/Praxeum 4 years ABE (after the battle of Endor).

-Irek Ismaren is a deep cover Imperial agent sent to learn from Luke Skywalker. He is augmented with DNA from Anakin Skywalker and is the true "Heir" to the Empire in the minds of his handlers, Roganda Ismaren (his mother) and Moff Zsinj. (Scrapped this idea)

-Han Solo, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca form the Smuggler's Alliance 1 year ABE. Han serves as a liason representative on Chandrilla, later Coruscant while Lando uses the  recently
liberated Cloud City on Bespin as an official headquarters/outpost.

-Han Solo acquired the location of the Katana Fleet for the Rebels shortly after Yavin. Senator Garm Bel Iblis who had secured funding for the Rebels through the Imperial Senate had unknowingly acquired 6 Katana Fleet Dreadnaughts spear headed the refit of engines, shields, turboblaster batteries and hangar deck upgrades making all Dreadnaughts be able to carry at least 1 Squadron of fighters per ship. Of the 192 Dreadnaughts found, Rebel teams found 176 could still fly. Bel Iblis spearheaded the program with help from General Hera Syndulla under the code name Operation Final Victory. If the Rebels failed at Endor Bel Iblis would lead the new Rebellion against the Empire. Aiding them were Garazeb Orellios and Kallus. 

-Luke first meets Snoke at the ruins of an old Jedi Temple. He is unaware of his true intentions and even has Ahsoka fooled. He uses the name Gavin Bix. (Again, scrapped this idea, for now)

-Leia is able to see Anakin's spirit after she follows Anakin's path on Tatooine, and meets his childhood friends Kitster & Wald. She also fights Kiza, who wears the mask of Exim Panshard. Finally making peace with her father's legacy, Leia feels now is the time to marry Han and start a family. (4 years ABE)

-Mara Jade, who is in possession of Anakin and Luke Skywalker's old lightsaber recruits Luke to help her stop Kiza from getting back the mask of Exim Panshard and needs his help to destroy it. (I rejected this idea, for now. Might use it as a later story)




-After joining the Rebels, Han uses his reward money to enter a Sabacc tournament, along with Lando Calrissian to find Hoffner, a gambler who owes an enormous debt to a Black Sun Vigo, but also has the location of the Katana Fleet. After Han loses, he helps Lando buy back in and win the tournament. Hoffner thanks Han & Lando for helping him out and tells Han where the Katana Fleet is. Leia is impressed with Han (his main motivation for doing this). Mon Mothma places Garm Bel Iblis in charge of all 192 ships. 42 get pressed into immediate service while Bel Iblis will command the other 150 to serve as the Rebel Alliance's last hope should their fleet be decimated in battles. Bel Iblis has Hera Syndulla, Zeb and Kallus assisting him  and it explains their absence in the OT era. 

-Luke & Sgt Kreel battle on the surface of Jakku during the battle. Luke this time easily defeats Kreel, but offers him a choice: become a Jedi. Since Kreel served the Empire to make the galaxy a better place, he accepts Luke's offer and becomes his first student. Together, they help Norra Wexley and Rae Sloane stop Gallius Rax from destroying Jakku and what's left of the Imperial and New Republic ships orbiting the planet.

-Mara Jade was tasked with making sure Boba Fett dropped Han Solo off to Jabba the Hutt. She would even help rescue him from the Sarlaac pit. (POSSIBLE STORY)

-Palpatine privately feared Luke Skywalker and sent one of his most lethal Hands after him. Shortly before Han's rescue from Jabba's Palace, Luke and this Hand fought an incredible duel, with Luke's yellow bladed lightsaber getting damaged. He would then contruct his green bladed lightsaber and defeated the Hand in the rematch, who would be killed as a result of Luke reflecting back at him the large boulders he tossed at Luke.

-Grand Admiral Thrawn initially worked with Ezra Bridger in the start of their exile but once he knew where in the galaxy he was he abandoned him on a planet with an ancient Sith temple. Thrawn and the Chimera limped back to civilization just in time to learn about Endor.

-Sate Pestage became Grand Vizier after Palpy disbanded the Imperial Senate. Mas Amedda was demoted to spokesman as Palpatine slowly moved out non humans from positions of authority.


-Rebel Agent Tay Vanis receives word of the 2nd Death Star from his childhood friend, Imperial Agent Kyle Katarn. Along with his droid LE-914 (a feminine protocol droid), Vanis works with the Bothan spy net to confirm Katarn's story. Katarn learns he was played by Moff Jerec, and is unaware of Jerec's plans to eliminate Vanis. To save the last of the Bothan spies, Vanis sacrifices himself to allow their escape. His death is sensed by Kyle Katarn who at that moment discovers he could be a Jedi. (Loosely based of the Vintage Marvel Comics Star Wars series, but added Kyle because I felt this would be a good way to add him into my AU with him helping find the 2nd Death Star, instead of the 1st like he did in Legends)

-Lando Calrissian marries Tendra Risant, the daughter of Malcolm Risant, head of Risant Industries and one of the richest men in the galaxy, 3 years after Endor. At his bachelor party, Lando, Han, Chewbacca, Luke & Wedge Antilles were arrested on Corellia for starting a massive bar brawl. They are banned from that bar for the rest of their lives. 

-The Acolytes of the Beyond are Sith worshippers who have existed in secret for nearly 5 centuries. Palpatine found them and brought some in as members of his inner circle. They seek to preserve Sith artifacts and under the leadership of Dalen Kyree, who was in possession of the mask of dark side warrior Exim Panshard. Kyree was an advisor to Yupe Tashu who was the public face of the Acolytes but a servant to Kyree.  Tashu was also an advisor to Palpatine.

-The Knights of Ren made their presence known during the cartel wars. Ren played a big role in the war which happened between Prince Xizor's Black Sun and Dequc's Black Nebula. Crimson Dawn started the war, which Ren was happy to help start. As Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn collapsed, Ren and his Knights quietly stepped in. As the galaxy celebrated the Rebel win at Endor, Ren and his Knights killed off Xizor and Dequc and installed puppets to rule the respective syndicates. Ren becomes a player in the galactic underworld.

-5 years after Endor, and during the events of my Fan Fiction story 'The Choice', Ahsoka takes Sabine Wren, Rex and smuggler Nyx Okami to the Unknown Regions to find Ezra Bridger. 

COLLECTING THOUGHTS

1. The Epic Hero Series for Star Wars would interest kids and collectors if they went to the 9 POA the Marvel ones have. Definitely getting Luke, and maybe Ahsoka and Vader but that's it. I have a ton of the 5 POA figures that might fit in with these new 5 POA figures. 

2. Retro figures should be available in single cards, not the big box. With figures from The Phantom Menace coming, you won't be able to troop build Battle Droids. Hasbro is missing out on this, IMO. While I'm done with Retro if these were on single cards I would reconsider. And troop build Battle Droids! 

3. I'm almost done with Black Series and it feels great! Just have Shin Hati and Starkiller for the single figures and whenever the Heir To The Empire/Last Command multipack drops. 

4. While 2023 was great for the Vintage Collection, I hope 2024 is another strong year! The Ghost is coming, a new Jabba the Hutt, and a rumored theme wave from A New Hope featuring Leia, Vader, R2-D2 and a Stormtrooper. I doubt a big deal will be made of The Phantom Menace's 25th Anniversary but the 10th anniversary of Rebels will be celebrated well in the VC, highlighted by The Ghost and early series figures of Kanan and Zeb, plus a Lotal version of Ezra which I hope is like the Black Series Lothal Ezra, which is becoming one of my favorite Black Series figures. 

UPCOMING VC REVIEWS

The 1st photo is a bit of a teaser, as I've already reviewed one of those figures, and one I have decided not to review for now. That could change. And then there's Darth Revan! While I do like the figure, there are some things that could have been done to make him better. I found him at Fan Expo NOLA and have a couple coming, including the Jedi Revan. I hope to see if he can be used to make some customs, but I need the extras. So the 1st photo has the 1st figure I'll review, and I may need to take another one of that since I'm not really happy with it. Needed to zoom in closer. 

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