The Unofficial Clone Wars Site

MICHAEL STACKPOLE INTERVIEW
(PART 2 of 2)

Best-selling author Michael A. Stackpole was one of the writers of the fan favorite X-Wing series. He also wrote I, Jedi and the New Jedi Order duology, Dark Tide I: Onslaught and Dark Tide II: Ruin. More recently, he penned the a Clone Wars short story for Star Wars Insider entitled "Elusion Illusion" featuring Jedi Knight Aayla Secura.

Stackpole's other credits include novels in the Battletech series and the Realms of Chaos saga. For a full list of his novels and other writings, visit his official site at www.stormwolf.com.

TUCWS: Thanks again for taking your time to talk with us, Mike.

MS: I apologize for the delay in answering the questions. Work and a lot of personal stuff has been soaking up my time.

TUCWS: For the most part, we've seen the Jedi as warriors who can lift objects, choke people and read minds mentally. In I, Jedi, you changed that by revealing that Jedi have certain strengths and weaknesses. Corran Horn and Nejaa Halcyon both cannot lift objects but they can re-direct energy fairly well. In Attack of the Clones, we see that Jedi can be killed in battle, despite their abilities. Can you elaborate on this?

MS: I think it is very important that Jedi not been seen as the Last Son of Krypton. They are human, have their faults, foibles and vulnerabilities. These things make them heroes because they overcome their limitations. I just try to reflect that in what I have characters do. Nejaa Halcyon gave his life to save his two friends. Corran would willingly have done that as well, and certainly Luke and others would do the same. Because they are not omnipotent, we know they can die, and this keeps the suspense going in the stories.

TUCWS: What does the title of your story, "Elusion Illusion" refer to?

MS: It's just a fun play on words, referring to the various use of illusions in the tale to conceal who is getting away from whom and why. I like doing that with titles—finding away to make them make sense, especially in light of the end of the tale.

TUCWS: Corellia is a planet that you've really added to. Can you talk a bit about the Corellian situation? How has it changed since you last visited in I, Jedi?

MS: To be truthful, I have no idea how it has changed, beyond the fact that the Black Fleet Crisis made changes. I, Jedi was set before that, as was a two issue comic story and, of course, "Elusion Illusion." While Corellia is well known, little is known about it, which is what I like. I can do things and the sands of time cover over the details, which minimizes conflict and continuity errors.

TUCWS: We learn later on in the Chronology that Caamas was later destroyed by the Empire. One of your main characters, Y'lenic It'kla, is a Caamasi, before Caamas was destroyed. Did that affect your perception of the character?

MS: I always knew Caamas would be destroyed, but its people have persevered despite the horrid fate their world and their species would face. I used that resiliency as the core for Y'lenic, and gave him a bit more enthusiasm than his comrades have after their homeworld's destruction. It's also weird, in Elusion Illusion, to have two characters who we already know are dead in the later era. That's always a bit spooky to write.

TUCWS: What was it like, drawing up a character that you knew would be deeply affected by the destruction of his homeworld later on?

MS: Again, you have to project what they were like before that time. In essence, you have to figure out WHY someone would want to kill them all. Once you figure that out, the core of their personality emerges and you go with it.

TUCWS: There is a quote in "Elusion Illusion": "Jedi are defenders of peace, councilors. We use your combat skills only as last resort, only when forced to." How do you think that the Jedi will fare in the war? They're being pressed into combat leading platoons of Clone Troopers.

MS: You're asking me to read Mr. Lucas' mind here, and I'm not a telepath. We do know that the Clone Wars turn out badly for the Jedi, or their aftermath does. I am mindful that Genghis Khan never wanted his best warriors leading troops because those warriors would expect others to do what they could. The Jedi are smart, and therefore should be competent leaders, but they might lack some of the ruthlessness that has to be part and parcel of a superior general.

TUCWS: Ylenic makes a point about pacifism becoming evil. Can you tell us about that and how it reflects Ylenic's views of the war?

MS: Y'lenic's point is that when pacifism becomes an excuse for inaction in the face of great evil, it is and of itself evil. Someone is selfishly preserving himself when he should be out helping others, cloaking himself in the banner of pacifism to hide his apathy or cowardice. In light of that, Y'lenic will do what must be done to win the war, but he won't go to excess. Being right in war is no excuse for committing atrocities.

TUCWS: Aayla just came out of the battle of Geonosis, where more than a hundred of her fellow Jedi were killed by the Separatist battle droids. How did this affect her in "Elusion Illusion" and will it in the future?

MS: In "Elusion Illusion" I think she was still somewhat in shock. Had she not been, she'd have seen through things a bit faster. As for how it affects her in the future, I don't know. She's an interesting character, so it will be fun to watch folks explore that aspect of her development.

TUCWS: You've written in almost every era of the Star Wars history. How is each era different from each other?

MS: I think things are fairly clear in that regard. We go from the elegance of a prosperous age, to a repressive time where outlaws and lawlessness grow—being exciting and yet threatening society. Once the Rebellion succeeds, there is a move to stabilize thing and return to the imagined golden age. The Vong spoil that. Oddly enough, if we look at Europe through the 20th century, you see much the same thing, though the time frame is stretched.

TUCWS: When writing the X-Wing series and I, Jedi, how did you see the Clone Wars? What information was given to you? And how does what you thought it was match up to what it is?

MS: We knew nothing more about the Clone Wars than anyone else did at the time I started writing the X-Wing novels. I really didn't waste much brainsweat on it. I just knew it had happened, a lot of Jedi had died since that time, and that was about it. My more immediate concern was making sure the stories grew out of the first trilogy of movies and aside from mentioning the Clone Wars in passing, they really didn't come into the picture.

TUCWS: Overall, how do you like it so far?

MS: I think the movies are visually stunning. I'm very much looking forward to the last one in the series. I hope it will tie everything together.

TUCWS: If given the chance, would you come back for another Clone Wars story? If so, what would you write about? What about some more X-Wing novels?

MS: I'd be happy to come back. What I would write would depend upon what was needed at the time.

TUCWS: Should the chance arise and you do write another novel, would the work that's been done in the Clone Wars affect how you write it? In some of your X-Wing novels, we see some references to the Clone Wars, so would we see more of this, or the same. Hypothetically, of course.

MS: The new films already made their mark on my books. The lightsaber duels the Dark Tide books were pure Ep. 1. Certainly, as the history becomes crystallized, there would be references worked in, but only if they contribute to the tale.

TUCWS: What was your initial reaction to watching Attack of the Clones? How well do you think that they started up the Clone Wars, and are you reading the Clone Wars material as it comes out?

MS: There were parts of Clones that I liked, and parts I did not much care for. I thought the CGI material of the battles was great. Finally we have the tools to make science fiction come alive.

I've not been keeping up with the Clone Wars material. Reading all of that actually falls under "research" for me, so without a project in the offing, I don't read it. It's not disdain on my part, it's just that there are so many books and so little time.

TUCWS: Are you looking forward to Episode III?

MS: Without a doubt. Can't wait.

TUCWS: Thanks again for coming over to do these interviews for us. We hope to see you soon in the Star Wars universe!

MS: It was fun to come back for a short story, and I'd be happy to write more as the opportunity arises.

Conducted by Andrew Liptak, December 2003.