Darth Maul was a Sith Lord in the Order of the Sith Lords during the Invasion of Utapau. Once an apprentice of the Jedi Order, Maul fell to the dark side and was discovered by the Dark Lord in 41 BBY; the Dark Lord took Maul as his apprentice after the Dark Lord murdered his own master, an act that started the Apocalypse. Maul’s first mission was to seek out and kill Shmi Skywalker and her unborn son, Annikin Skywalker, as the Dark Lord believed that Annikin Skywalker was the Chosen One. Maul failed to kill them, and it was decided by the Dark Lord that they would one day turn Skywalker to the dark side and help him destroy the galaxy.

Years later, after the passage of the Republic Anti-Slavery Law in 23 BBY, Maul worked with Nute Gunray, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, to plan and implement the Invasion of Utapau in 22 BBY as a response to the law’s enactment. The planet’s queen, Sabé Arcadia, negotiated with Maul and Gunray for one month to end the blockade, but she failed and the Federation invaded the planet. Utapau fell under Federation control within days. Arcadia, however, escaped the planet, prompting Maul and the Guardians of Lettow to track her to Tatooine. There, Maul made it his mission to find both Arcadia and Annikin Skywalker. Maul and the Lettow launched an attack on the Ophuchi sanctuary where they unsuccessfully attempted to capture Skywalker.

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The Dark Lord was the former apprentice of Darth Plagueis, whom he murdered in Plagueis’ sleep to become the Dark Lord of the Sith in 41 BBY—a method of execution the Dark Lord later came to regret. This act prompted the beginning of the galaxy-ending Apocalypse, which would continue for at least nineteen years. As the Dark Lord, his power within the Force grew, and he held himself in high regard. He chose to communicate non-verbally, believing that speaking was too primitive for his immense power.

After Plagueis’ murder, the Dark Lord ordered Darth Maul, whom he took as his apprentice just after Plagueis’ death, to kill Shmi Skywalker and her unborn son, Annikin Skywalker; the Dark Lord believed Annikin was destined to be the Chosen One who would destroy the Sith. Maul failed to kill Shmi Skywalker on Tatooine and her son was born. The Dark Lord, therefore, chose to change his plans, deciding to one day capture the boy and turn him to the dark side of the Force.

The Dark Lord continued his reign through the invasion of Utapau in 22 BBY, during which time Maul attempted to find Skywalker on Tatooine in an effort to capture him as the Dark Lord planned.

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Malus Palpatine was the Senator of Utapau during the Invasion of Utapau. As Senator, Palpatine was involved in the failed plasma mining and refining contract between Utapau and the Trade Federation that led to the assassination of King Veruna Arcadia in 24 BBY.

Along with the king’s successor, Veruna’s daughter Sabé Arcadia, Palpatine was instrumental in the passing of the Republic Anti-Slavery Law. The passage of the law in 23 BBY ultimately led to the Federation blockading and invading Utapau one year later in the hopes of forcing the Republic to overturn the law. From Coruscant, Palpatine attempted to negotiate the end of the blockade, but all negotiation efforts failed.

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Today, August 29, 2010, Star Wars Fanon (swfanon.wikia.com)—the Star Wars wiki of fan invention—turns five years old!

The Star Wars Fanon wiki was founded by Neomessiah on August 29, 2005 as an offshoot of Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki, when a number of users were disappointed that they weren’t allowed to post their fanon and fan fiction content on the wiki. Five years and over 25,000 articles later, Star Wars Fanon is far and away the biggest fan fiction wiki hosted on Wikia, as well as the 18th biggest Wikia wiki overall. A number of other Star Wars Fanon wikis have been set up in non-English languages as well. Who could have guessed that Star Wars Fanon would’ve become that big?

Star Wars Fanon’s users—affectionately called Fanoneers, a combination of the word “fanon” and The Walt Disney Company’s Imagineers—have a remarkable ability to blend engaging prose, creativity, and their rampant imaginations to create entire new stories set within the vast galaxy far, far away, dating back thousands and thousands of years prior to the Star Wars films, and some even thousands of years afterward. Whole new eras in Star Wars have been created just from the imaginations of these fan authors!

The wiki boasts a number of official friends. Its oldest official friend is TheStarWarsRP.Com, a role-playing website hosted on vBulletin set nearly 13,000 years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The Star Wars Photo Novels Wiki has also been a friend for quite some time. Most recently, Star Wars Fanon added Darthipedia, the Star Wars humor wiki, as an official friend. Although not an official friendship, the fan fiction boards on TheForce.Net also graciously include a link to Star Wars Fanon! The wiki also has an official blog where anyone can track news about the wiki.

Star Wars Fanon has been spotlighted three times by Wikia, and was once described as a wiki that “brings out the true imagination of its users, and allows each user to fulfill their writing dreams.” This in and of itself is the goal of the Star Wars Fanon wiki!

Community development has become a major focus during recent times. The wiki boasts and impressive display of good and featured articles, as well as an original feature called featured works—showcasing the best of Star Wars Fanon’s fan fiction stories. Fanoneers can participate in FanonProjects—official community fanon series—work with other users unofficially, or even work on their own if they so choose. Community participation, though, is highly encouraged!

The wiki even has the annual Wiki Awards, not to mention the short story contests every few months. One of the wiki’s core philosophies is that you should write what you want not for awards but because it’s what you want to write, but awards can still be very gratifying!

As an always-growing wiki, Star Wars Fanon is constantly welcoming new Fanoneers into the fold. If you’re in the market for a place to spread your writing wings and make your own impact on the Star Wars galaxy, Star Wars Fanon is the place for you! Star Wars Fanon is a warm, helpful, and welcoming community that provides a free and open atmosphere for you to share the story you want to tell. We can’t wait to see what you have to share!

Be sure to head on over to Star Wars Fanon and share your birthday wishes today!

Antidar Williams was a male Human who served as a lieutenant in the Galactic Republic Judicial Forces during the Yinchorri Uprising. Antidar was born in 51 BBY on Barkesh, where he grew up hearing stories about his father’s adventures as a transport captain. Williams joined his father’s crew in 35 BBY, serving for nine years before enlisting in the Judicial Forces.

It was three years before Williams found the adventure he was looking for. The Republic and the Jedi Order entered into a war against the planet Yinchorr and the Yinchorri High Command. Williams, the lead pilot on the cruiser Acceptance, was tasked with supporting a Jedi strike team that would capture the High Command during the Battle of Uhanayih. The events of the battle, namely Antidar successfully crash landing the damaged Acceptance on the planet and rescuing the crew of the Radiant VII from Yinchorri hostage takers, earned him the Chancellor’s Service Medal.

Williams returned to civilian life for one year before being asked by Captian Maoi Madakor of the Radiant VII to serve as her co-pilot during an ambassadorial transport mission to the Trade Federation-blockaded Utapau in 22 BBY. The two Jedi ambassadors made it safely aboard the Federation command ship, but Williams and Madakor were killed when the Federation destroyed the Radiant VII. The events of Williams’ life were transcribed in the Journal of the Whills decades after his death.

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The Second Battle of Iridonia was one of the first major victories for the Galactic Republic in the first half of the Jedi Civil War. Planned initially as a raid on a supply base and intended to demonstrate that the invading Sith Empire was not invincible, it involved distracting the Sith military with a small-scale attack on a shipyard in the Roche asteroids prior to the main thrust on the Zabrak homeworld of Iridonia. The ground assault, conducted by the 3rd Marine Battalion under Captain Laera Reyolé, initially met with little resistance, quickly securing the facility and driving most of its staff and guards into the countryside.

As the command center fell, however, a small fleet of Sith warships dropped out of hyperspace directly overhead. The four Interdictor-class cruisers were initially unaware of the Republic presence, as they had originally intended to replenish their stores. Fortunately for the Republic forces on the ground, the task force of Rear Admiral Kedlis Hetton had been stationed behind one of the planet’s two moons as a contingency plan. With his warships and starfighters in ambush position, Hetton ordered his task force to attack the rear flank of the Sith formation while the two Aurek squadrons that had been assigned to combat aerospace patrol assaulted the vanguard. It was at this point that Bastila Shan demonstrated her mastery of battle meditation, guiding the Republic forces in space and on the ground to a decisive one-sided victory.

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The Dark Crusaders were a dark side organization that was dedicated to destroying the Jedi Order and ruling the galaxy. It was created by a group of individuals who split from the Jedi Order in pursuit of their own goals. This schism led to a conflict between the Jedi and the Dark Crusaders, which eventually led to the near utter defeat of the Crusaders and the displacement of the Jedi Order, who moved to Ossus as a result. The two factions developed a rivalry and caused many conflicts, nearly all of them for control of the Galactic Republic. By 1,000 BBY the organization had faded away in favor of the Sith, another organization of dark side Force users.

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Hello, I’m Atarumaster88, an Archivist on Star Wars Fanon. If you’re not familiar with that position, it means that I know a few things about fan fiction and I help out by promoting good fanfics on this wiki. Today I’m going to discuss the Summer 2010 Short Story Contest and provide some thoughts on the works that have been submitted for nomination.

First, though, I’d like to take a minute and compare the first contest to the current one.

By the numbers:

The first contest had:

• 25 separate nominations
• 12 unique stories
• 6 categories
• 9 authors

The second contest currently has:

• 38 separate nominations
• 18 unique stories
• 8 categories
• 13 authors

That’s a pretty sizable increase in numbers, so congratulations to the SWF community on their increased participation and good luck to all the participants.

Special congratulations to Darth Wylind and Unit8311 for making return appearances, nominating stories in both the first and second contests. Also a special note to Grand Admiral Harmon and Goodwood for submitting multiple stories in this contest. It takes a lot of work to write one short story, much less two or more.

Now, for the breakdown of those stories, going in order of the nominations page:

Star Wars: The Tragedy by Brandon Rhea. I’ve already reviewed this work before, so I’ll summarize briefly. The Tragedy tells the story of how Darth Sidious takes over as head Sith of the Alternative Star Wars Saga – though, in the Alternative Saga, he’s only known as the “Dark Lord,” with the author keeping him otherwise nameless. It’s set in 41 BBY and it’s actually pretty short for a Brandon Rhea work. I’d say the strengths of this work are its deep characterization and well-constructed plot twists. On the downside, it’s a bit melodramatic at places, especially the dialogue, and is a bit unorthodox in terms of portrayal of Sith Lords. Still, overall, Brandon Rhea’s first published short story is a good work and I give it a thumbs up. For my full review, see here.

Breakfast in Bedlam by Trak Nar. This story tells about the tale of deranged criminal Pepan Manja and some of the other inmates at the Bedlam Correctiona Facility and is set in 26 ABY. It’s a fast-moving tale of intrigue, murder, and malice, with a lot of plot twists. The intensity of the plot and wide variety of characters combined with some lighter moments work well to tell a good story, though it suffers from tense issues and some rushed scenes, as well as a bit of unnecessary social commentary. That said, I enjoyed Breakfast in Bedlam and it gets a thumbs up from me also.

The Real Empire by Station7. I can’t say that I’ve done more than skim this one. The parts of it I did understand I didn’t enjoy, so I’ll leave it at that and see if MPK has more detailed commentary to make. I’m pretty sure the author isn’t a native English-speaker, which probably contributes to that.

Star Wars: Death and Life by Goodwood. I’ve also reviewed this one, which tells the story of Laera Reyolé, a Republic Marine who is brought back by none other than Darth Revan after said Marine fails at playing hot potato with a Mandalorian grenade. The protagonist then has to deal with all the various emotional complications that come from alive after being dead for awhile. Strengths are that Goodwood does an excellent job with his prose, vocabulary, and description and Laera is a well-characterized protagonist. On the downside, the conflict is definitely muted and it seems to defy categorization in terms of genre. Thumbs up for this one, and my full review is here.

Coruscant’s Finest by Wylind. This story tells about Coruscant detective Kendra Mali and it fits nicely into the hardboiled detective story. Definitely a darker tale than the others in terms of writing as Kendra pursues a murderer whose identity I won’t spoil. On the upside, the plot doesn’t disappoint and it makes a pretty exciting mystery. More negatively, the author seems to rush scenes and the characterization is a bit shallow. I’ll give it a thumb halfway up.

Saber Battalion by Goodwood. This is an action story set during the Jedi Civil War, featuring Laera Reyolé again, this time leading a Republic Marine assault on the Sith world of Iridonia. Fans of the military-fic genre won’t be too disappointed, as there’s plenty of action, marine jargon, and other military adages. However, those with more literary leanings will be disappointed to find that it leans toward being a pure action story, with the potential for emotional conflict inherent in the story underdeveloped and a weak ending battle lacking in personality. I give this battalion a saber—I mean thumb—up despite these flaws.

Phantoms of the Past by Grand Admiral Harmon. It’s a story that tells of a conflict between the Jedi and Sith using familiar characters like Yoda and Anakin Skywalker, but in quite different incarnations. I did not finish this story, as it simply moves too fast for deep characterization, and though the dialogue is mostly serviceable, it’s not enough to really explain the obviously complex story the author is trying to tell.

Freedom by Sakaros. A short but gripping tale about a slave fighting a krayt dragon of all things in an arena to earn freedom for him and his lover. The author does a good job with his description of the fight and the characterization is detailed and executed well. On the downside, the description is minimal, though it works for the purposes of the story. Thumbs up.

Fail-Safe by Nightmare975. This story tells about a rogue general in the Republic starting a war with another planet against orders, as well as the Republic attempts to forestall a full-scale conflict. The plot is well-thought out and solid, on the plus side. Less positively, it doesn’t flow, the dialogue could use work, and I felt that a story of this magnitude deserved a longer and slower effort than something so short.

Vanguard of the Republic by Jedi Master 76. JM76 tells a war story set in the KotOR era centered on a hapless Rookie whose real name is Jhosua but nobody ever remembers that. Somehow, Jhosua managed to blunder his way into the Republic Army and a raging battle despite being a mostly terrible soldier. Okay, I’m being a bit harsh, but he’s no Sergeant York, much less Chuck Norris. You’ll have to read it to find out if he survives encounters with angry Sith, poor tactical decisions, and worse of all, crazy snake people. It’s well-written, displaying JM’s usual broad range of characterization while mixing in the grit of a war story. The critic in me reminds us all that the character isn’t quite as memorable and the story not as gripping as JM’s other, longer works. I’ve reviewed this story before and you can read it all here. Thumbs up.

First Impressions by Atarumaster88. Hey, that’s me. This story is set shortly before AOTC and focuses on Selusda Kraen, the protagonist of the Force Exile Series, as a young Jedi Padawan. It’s a lighter read compared to my other works, but since reviewing it would be sort of pretentious, I’ll point you to some other words by other people since I don’t have any full reviews of this one.

Cloak and Datapad by Atarumaster88. This story revolves around a Wraith Squadron mission and how it intertwines with a visit by Force Exile characters Sarth and Cassi Kraen on Hosk Station. It’s set in 10 ABY and as for reviews, I’ll let Solus do that in her own blunt manner.

Sith Civil War: Campaign Clone Extermination by Grand Admiral Harmon. This is another Jedi versus Sith conflict that tries to fit an epic war into all too few pages. More or less the same quality as the other story by this author, with serviceable dialogue but a rushed plot, and a lack of character development or dialogue.

Hard Code by Atarumaster88. A team of elite commandos combines with some of the Force Exile prima donnas on a risky infiltration mission. But when plans go awry, it’s up Dex Naresco, a soldier with a hidden vendetta, to pull them through. Will Dex be able to pull off his mission and fulfill his own wishes? You’ll have to read it to find out. No reviews available.

Deception on R’alla by Atarumaster88. The Kraen family, the central characters of Force Exile, are enjoying a happy vacation on R’alla when they start finding signs that there is more to the planet than meets the eye. The subsequent adventure features guest star Fiolla of Lorrd from the Han Solo Trilogy. No reviews available.

Compensation by Unit8311. This story tells the tale of a hapless Imperial inspector Varris Tralen, who’s basically a bureaucratic problem-solver. He gets sent into a totally ridiculous situation and forced to solve all kinds of moronic problems invented by overdone regulations. This story tries to be funny, relying on slapstick humor, snide comments, and gags to earn laughs. It’s pretty creative, and technically speaking, well done but I wasn’t really amused. I’ll give this one a thumb halfway up.

Jedi’s Digest by Gnost-Dural and Senatorial Aide Van Ishok. Best classified as a comedy of errors, this short story tells of some unfortunate Jedi trying to save his Master from the Killiks. I skimmed this one, because I’m not a huge comedy fan and this one was too rushed for me to follow the plot. It’s unorthodox, but in my humble opinion still needs work.

Through Her Eyes by Atarumaster88. This is a romance that focuses on Rhiannon Kraen, the daughter of Force Exile protagonist Selusda Kraen. You won’t find much in the way of action here, just love and a bit of emotional conflict on the side. Again, no reviews available.

As you can see, there’s plenty to read, and lot of varied offerings. Some of SWF’s best and most famous authors, including Brandon Rhea (Best Author 2008) and Jedi Master 76 (Best Author 2010), are taking part in this contest, but there’s lots of other content to explore as well. So, grab a chair, a cold drink, and sink into some of the short stories available in the contest. What better way to spend the hot, lazy days of summer, right?

Oh, and don’t forget to vote on and comment about your favorites. As for me, I’ll be looking for more candidates for featured work to nominate on the main page for month at a time. If you see something you think worthy of that award, just create an entry on the FWN page!

This is Atarumaster88 signing off and hoping you’ll find something to suit your fancy at the 2010 short story contest. Voting lasts until July 15^th, so get reading.

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This Star Wars Fanon blog entry was written by Atarumaster88, an Archivist on Star Wars Fanon. The opinions expressed in this entry belong to Atarumaster88 and do not necessary reflect or represent those of the Star Wars Fanon community and/or its users.

The Jedi Order, also referred to as the Knights of the Light, was a monastic peacekeeping order dedicated to studying and preserving the Force, specifically the light side of the Force. The Jedi Order was founded in 11,374 BBY, during the reign of the Galactic Republic, and it maintained operations throughout the remainder of the Republic’s tenure. The Jedi Order also spawned the dark-sided orders of the Sith and the Dark Crusaders.

The Jedi Order derived from the Ashta Matha Order, an ancient Tythonian based organization that formed from an agreement between Republic soldiers and Tythonian monks. The Order, then called the Ashta Matha Monks, renamed itself the Jedi Order after the liberation campaign the Knights used to free many worlds.

The Order moved to Ossus after a conflict between the Dark Crusaders and the Jedi resulted in the tainted destruction of their monastery. Several millennia later, in 3,996 BBY, the Jedi relocated to Coruscant after the destruction of Ossus at the hands of the Sith forces. The Jedi Order went through four periods of near annihilation at the hands of the Sith, almost being eliminated during the Great Schism, First Jedi Purge, Sacking of Coruscant, and Great Galactic War.

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The Battle of Uhanayih was the final battle of the Yinchorri Uprising. Following the previous battle, the Jedi Order located a hidden wartime Yinchorri High Command base on Uhanayih. The Jedi sent a strike team, accompanied by a fleet of five Galactic Republic Judicial Forces cruisers, to infiltrate the hidden base.

After the Republic Judicial Forces defeated a Yinchorri battle fleet in orbit of the planet, the Jedi strike team landed on the planet and entered the base. They took the Yinchorri High Command into custody once inside, effectively ending the war. However, an additional Yinchorri battle cruiser arrived in orbit once the infiltration was finished, downing the Republic cruiser Acceptance. The Acceptance crash-landed on the planet, during which time the crew of Radiant VII, including Captain Maoi Madakor, were taken hostage by the remaining Yinchorri forces. The surviving crew of the Acceptance, led by Lieutenant Antidar Williams, rescued the hostages and returned to Coruscant.

The following year, having been chosen due to their successful actions during the battle, Madakor and Williams ferried two Jedi ambassadors to Utapau, where the Jedi would attempt to end the Trade Federation blockade of the planet. The ambassadors were targeted in an unsuccessful assassination attempt, but Madakor and Williams were killed when the Radiant VII was destroyed.

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