text:
James Luceno
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- "I didn't grow up nursing thoughts of becoming a writer. My first novel emerged from journals I kept in my twenties, during 10 years of world travel. Even after that novel was published I worked as a carpenter for another decade, before turning to full-time writing. Some thirty years later it seems to have been a good choice, if only to have spared my shoulders and knees further abuse."
- ―James Luceno
James Luceno is the author of several Star Wars novels and reference books under DK Publishing and LucasBooks. In addition to his Star Wars writings, Luceno and Brian Daley (under the pen name "Jack McKinney") wrote the novelizations of the Robotech series and the Black Hole Travel Agency series. They also worked together on Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.
Adventures with Brian DaleyEdit
Trekking the EarthEdit
- "Brian and I were close friends long before we became collaborators. We attended a premier of STAR WARS: A New Hope together, and for years after I was a sort of sounding board for many of the ideas Brian wrote into his Han Solo novels and the radio dramatizations of the original trilogy of films. I'll never forget our return to Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1982, after spending five weeks hiking in the Himilaya, and finding in a marketplace a bootleg video cassette of Return of the Jedi, which we bought and screened for the porters and Sherpas who had supported the trek."
- ―James Luceno
James Luceno was born in 1947[1] in Bermuda[2] to parents he called Syl and Skeeter.[5] His father was a carpenter[6] and a career Marine drill sergeant, who moved the family about during Luceno's youth;[7] he was raised on various naval and marine bases in the United States until his family settled into a working-class town outside of New York City. Thoughts of becoming a writer first blossomed at the age of twelve, when he saw his father beat up someone who had slapped one of his young cousins in the face.[2] While growing up, Luceno enjoyed watching war movies and TV shows such as Victory at Sea, Wings, and Air Force,[8] and he was an avid reader as a teenager,[7] although he once failed a High school English course.[9] Luceno read DC Comics, Mad Magazine, and Classics Illustrated,[7] as well as science fiction[10] and authors such as Elmore Leonard,[7] Thomas Pynchon, Ian Fleming, Carlos Castaneda, and Erich von Däniken. Fleming and Pynchon were strong influences on his life at the time, and he credits Fleming, Castaneda, and von Däniken as having helped set him on the path of adventure travel.[11] He spent ten years trekking the world while in his twenties,[3] traveling to Asia, South America, Europe,[12] and Africa—in the early 1970s, he spent a year traveling from Egypt through Sudan, Ethiopia, and East Africa, and he at one point photographed a pride of lions that were basking in the sun.[13] Luceno has cited Fleming's works as being responsible for several tight spots in which he found himself during those years,[11] including close encounters in South America with drug dealers, rogue scientists, and nascent insurgents.[7] He also read several of Pynchon's books during his journeying, which would often take him weeks or months to finish.[11]
Luceno kept a detailed journal of his own overwhelming travel experiences[9] and of conversations he had with other travelers,[12] including tales he heard while working as a travel guide in Central America, South America, and Asia.[2] Although he did not harness dreams of becoming a writer at the time, his journals birthed a novel,[3] which he primarily wrote while living in Cusco, Peru, for a period of eight months.[12] It was an action-adventure[14] about three Americans on a cocaine-smuggling adventure in South America,[15] and it was an outgrowth of his own globe-trotting experiences.[3] His experiences in Peru, a country with a bizarre cocaine trade filled with colorful people, particularly helped to shape the story.[12] When he returned home, he worked as a carpenter for a decade,[3] and he also made ends meet by working as a general contractor, astrologer, travel scout, and rock musician[4]—Luceno played bass guitar[7] in various rock and roll bands that performed throughout Bergen County, New Jersey,[16] and he also played professionally as a session musician[12] in New York City studios.[7] He once worked as a wilderness guide for the California Company High Country Passage.[12] In 1974,[7] while living in Englewood, New Jersey, Luceno met Brian Daley, a young man who had just returned to the United States after serving in the Vietnam War.[14]
Daley was attending Jersey City State College in Jersey City,[14] and both he and Luceno were dating women who worked at the same restaurant. The two men were also both working on their first novels, and when their girlfriends realized that they were each dating a writer, Luceno and Daley were introduced and became close friends.[17] Luceno's first child, a daughter named Carmen, came into his life shortly afterward.[18] In 1977, Luceno and Daley attended the premiere of a film called Star Wars,[3] which had had little buildup in the media—neither man knew what to expect. After getting drunk at a strip mall on New Jersey's Route 4,[19] the two made their way to the parking lot of a cineplex in Luceno's Chevy.[20] According to Luceno, both of them "had their minds blown" within the film's first five minutes,[19] and they left the premiere thrilled at having seen a rousing science fiction adventure.[20] Daley felt that science fiction would never be the same,[19] and Luceno would later state that his friend's entire life changed the minute he saw the film.[17]
Not long afterward, Daley was contracted to write The Han Solo Adventures, three novels based on the early life of the Star Wars character Han Solo. While plotting the stories, he tossed ideas back and forth with Luceno, who acted as his sounding board.[21] In 1979, Daley was also hired to write the script for a radio drama of Star Wars,[17] and Luceno played the role of sounding board once more, helping Daley refine ideas as they were scripted.[3] Luceno's own first novel, Head Hunters, finally saw publication in 1980,[1] and he credits Daley for encouraging him in the process and for introducing him to people who worked at Ballantine Books.[22] Head Hunters was shortly followed by Luceno's second child, a son named Carlos,[18] of whom Daley was the godfather. Luceno and Daley traveled together extensively, journeying to such places as Nepal, Thailand, Peru, and the jungles of Central[20] and South America.[23] They once spent five weeks hiking in the Himalayas, and upon their return to Kathmandu, Nepal, they found a bootleg copy of Star Wars's second sequel, Return of the Jedi (1983).[3] It had only been in theaters for a short time,[20] and the two screened it for the porters and Sherpas they had hired for their trek.[3] In 1984, Luceno met his future wife, Karen Ann Lichtenstein, after Daley's partner Lucia St. Clair Robson played matchmaker. She encouraged Lichtenstein to meet Luceno in New York, and although Luceno devised—and executed—a bail-out plan in case the date went sour, he reconsidered and quickly returned.[18]
When Daley persuaded Luceno to try his hand at script writing, the two were hired by producer Robert Mandell to write for an animated series called The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.[14] The show was an episodic series about human pioneers preserving law and order across the galactic frontier, and it was one of the earliest television series done in the style of a Space Western.[24] Working together, Luceno and Daley wrote about fourteen scripts for the show,[14] which was being produced in New York[25] and which began airing its sixty-five half-hour episodes in September 1986, five days a week.[26] St. Clair Robinson was also on the writing team, as was Shelly Shapiro,[27] with whom Luceno would later work in the Star Wars franchise.[28] Galaxy Rangers was not renewed for a second season due to the lack of an arrangement with any toy companies, which were the primary advertisers for 1980s cartoons. Since the show failed to succeed in the toy market, it produced insufficient ad revenue to support any additional seasons. Luceno and the rest of the writers were disappointed, as they felt that the show's premise was innovative and new.[29] Galaxy Rangers developed a cult following after its cancellation and was eventually released on DVD in 2008.[30]
Writing RobotechEdit
- "I was immediately drawn into it, and I was thrilled at the chance—Brian was too—thrilled at the chance of adapting it."
- ―Luceno, describing when he became familiar with the storyline of the Robotech cartoon series
Following his work on Galaxy Rangers, when Luceno was living in New York, he and Daley were contacted by Risa Kessler, who was in charge of all licensed properties associated with Ballantine Books. The television production company Harmony Gold had approached her about adapting their cartoon series Robotech into novel form, and she was familiar with Luceno and Daley's work on Galaxy Rangers and knew that they were good friends.[29] Robotech had begun its life as three separate anime programs in Japan—The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA—but the three were merged into one series, given a new overarching plotline, and developed for American TV by producer Carl Macek.[31] Luceno had seen several episodes out of order on a local New York television station and had been unable to follow the plot. When Macek sent him a reference book complete with synopses of all of the episodes, Luceno found himself quickly drawn into the story. He and Daley were both excited at the chance to adapt it,[29] and were very impressed with how Macek had created a new series from three separate programs.[32]
Luceno and Daley were flown[29] to Los Angeles,[7] California to discuss plans for their Robotech adaptation, where they were shown episodes of the show and given background information on the series.[29] They spoke extensively with Macek[6] over a period of about ten days,[32] and were contracted to adapt the TV series into four novels. The two authors were given VHS tapes[10] and scripts of every Robotech episode,[6] as well as art books, comics, and toys, and they remained in frequent contact with Macek by telephone. Luceno also attended several toy conventions with Macek to discuss the series and the approach that he and Daley should take. When Harmony Gold asked Ballantine to expand the series from four novels to twelve, the authors found themselves under a very tight schedule, faced with the challenge of writing twelve books in about eight months.[10]
Both men had moved to Maryland by this time and were meeting with each other daily.[33] After watching the entire Robotech series[10] numerous times, and nearly wearing out their VCRs,[34] they broke its storyline down into twelve parts and split up writing duties so that Daley would write the odd-numbered books and Luceno the even. Both authors would send their work to the other for proofreading, editing, and some rewriting—the two had very different writing styles and hoped to find a singular voice. One would often contribute an entire chapter or two to the other's book. Unlike Daley, Luceno had no background in science fiction save for his work on Galaxy Rangers, and he was always eager to receive Daley's manuscripts in order to get tips on writing battle scenes and using science fiction buzzwords.[10] Luceno was often traveling while working on the novels, and he wrote parts of the Robotech saga in places such as Dos Lagunas, Guatemala; Ubud, Bali; and Kathmandu.[35]
One of their goals with the series was to expand upon what had been presented in the cartoon and go into added detail. Macek had requested that they go deeper during their initial meetings, and they hoped to add depth and verisimilitude to Robotech that had been somewhat absent from the television show.[33] The three agreed that they wanted the book series to be even more epic than its source material[32]—one of Robotech's key elements was the use of Human-operated Mecha machines, and a significant expansion that Luceno and Daley made was introducing virtual-interface "thinking caps" that were required to reconfigure a Mecha.[33] Without that sort of expansion, Luceno believes that a straight-up adaptation of the cartoon would have been pointless—in order to tell a big story, they gave it bigger concepts.[36] They also drew inspiration from various works that they saw as epic, such as Frank Herbert's Dune.[32]
Daley had an original science fiction book trilogy set to be released around the same time as the Robotech novels, and as he had already written The Han Solo Adventures, he worried fans would get the impression that he was predominantly an author of tie-in fiction.[6] He and Luceno were also unsure how much editing the books would suffer from Ballantine or Harmony Gold, and as such, they chose to write their Robotech novels under the pseudonym of Jack McKinney.[37] The name came from a close friend of Luceno's father whose toolbox Luceno had used during his carpentry days,[6] and a character with that name had featured in Head Hunters. Daley had also referenced a character named Jack McKinney in his novel The Doomfarers of Coramonde as a nod to his friend.[37] Luceno had no science fiction reputation to protect and was fine with the idea of using a pen name.[6] He once signed Jack McKinney's name in a travelers' guestbook while in Dos Lagunas.[35]
The twelve Robotech novels were published in paperback from February[38] to November, 1987.[39] When they began selling tens of thousands of copies each, Luceno was flabbergasted, as he had not been aware that the franchise's fan base was so strong and widespread.[40] Both he and Daley had a good deal of fun writing the books,[41] and Luceno sees the experience as one of the most important times of his life. In 2007, he reflected that without Robotech he might still be working as a carpenter. Collaborating with Daley was particularly enjoyable for him,[42] and he learned much about science fiction and writing in general from his friend and mentor.[10]
The epic continuesEdit
- "When Carl handed me the book, he prefaced it by saying 'You can pretty much throw this out.' I mean, I thought it was—I thought it was… there was a lot of genius in it. (…) Brian and I ended up running with a lot of it. (…) because it, we just thought it was just so wild."
- ―Luceno, reflecting on the initial story treatments of The Sentinels that he and Brian Daley received from Carl Macek
The strong sales of the Robotech novels and the success of the television show convinced Harmony Gold to greenlight a sequel TV series called The Sentinels. Macek hastily wrote sixty-five story treatments for the benefit of potential advertisers, but he grew frustrated when he was unable to secure the financial backing of toy companies. Legal problems also arose concerning the use of characters who were licensed in Japan, but Luceno and Daley were contacted in early 1987 about adapting Macek's story treatments into additional Robotech novels. Macek told the two that they should discard most of what he had written, but they liked much of what they saw[34] and ended up including many of Macek's ideas in their books. They expanded the treatments and broke their story down into the five novels they had been contacted to write,[43] making some substantive changes from Macek's outline[44]—the process took longer than their previous endeavor due to the limited source material from which they could draw. Although they consulted with and received support from Macek,[43] Luceno has stated "we were pretty much on our own"[44] and that the process left them feeling rushed. Luceno wrote three of the novels and Daley two.[43] The first twelve novels had been intended for young adult readers, but when Luceno and Daley realized that college-aged people were reading them, they began to take more liberties regarding writing adult content.[45]
The five novels of The Sentinels series were published throughout 1988.[46] It eventually became clear that The Sentinels cartoon was not going to be produced, but the continually strong sales of the novels led Macek, Harmony Gold, and Ballantine to desire an ending for the series. Macek had originally envisioned Robotech as a 365-episode epic that would come full circle, with the end of the saga returning to the beginning, but the task of concluding the series instead fell to Luceno, Daley, and one final book. With no source material to draw from, Luceno asked how Macek wanted the story to conclude, but he found that Macek was disenfranchised with Robotech and had moved on to other projects.[43] Beyond a few phone conversations with Luceno, he had very little input in the novel beyond the idea of all of Robotech being circular.[47] Luceno wrote an outline of the novel which was then tweaked by both him and Daley, and he then went on to write the first half of the book before Daley wrote the ending.[40] With a multitude of plot points to close off, they found themselves disagreeing with each other on some minor aspects of the ending[47] after Daley diverged from the original story they had conceived.[7] Luceno has described writing the book as tricky but also the best kind of challenge, as he learned a lot about dealing with big stories with extensive casts of characters.[47] The End of the Circle was released in 1989.[46]
Luceno and Daley produced a number of bestsellers with their Robotech novels,[41] but reception to them was considerably mixed within the series' very passionate and vocal fanbase.[14] The authors took a good deal of criticism for giving villainous traits to the character of Supreme Commander Leonard[48][49] and received hate mail that included copies of the books cut up into dozens of pieces after they killed the character of Breetai.[45] Some fans disagreed with the manner in which The End of the Circle concluded,[50] feeling that Luceno and Daley had tied everything together too neatly,[51] and others still criticized some of the expansions on the TV series, such as the "thinking caps."[33][52] A large group of fans refused to accept the novels as part of Robotech canon,[51] but another group were very taken with the books and dubbed their interlocutors "McKinney haters." Luceno was shocked at some of the wrath that was directed toward him,[53] and in the early days of the internet he communicated with fans on an electronic mailing list in an effort to shed some light on why he and Daley made the decisions that they did.[41] Many found him to be very articulate and polite and had enjoyable interactions with him.[53] The vocalness of the "McKinney haters" had quieted somewhat by 2007, when in a poll on Robotech.com less than four percent of the 5,000 voters indicated that they disliked the novels.[14]
When Ballantine Books' Del Rey imprint was set to relaunch the Star Wars universe in novel form, they planned on employing both Daley and Luceno to author the new adventures.[17] Risa Kessler and the others at Ballantine contacted them,[54] and the two discussed the franchise with each other considerably.[17] Daley conceived of a series about the search for and training of a new generation of Jedi[54] by Luke Skywalker, and the efforts of a clandestine group of Emperor Palpatine's disciples to thwart him.[2] Meanwhile, Luceno began to write a book called The Tao of the Force, a reference work that included excerpts and lessons from old Jedi texts.[54] Although he spent months on it, it ended up being nixed by Star Wars creator George Lucas, who didn't want the Force to be treated as a religion.[2] Ultimately, an internal political battle at Ballantine saw them lose the license to publish Star Wars literature, and new publisher Bantam Spectra instead contacted author Timothy Zahn[17] in 1989[55] to write Heir to the Empire, which kicked off a coordinated and cohesive Star Wars Expanded Universe. Luceno later reflected that Daley would have likely given the saga a mythological tone as opposed to Zahn's military science fiction, and that Daley would have preferred a serialized approach from novel to novel, rather than Bantam's method of jumping around the timeline and filling in bits and pieces of the story.[17]
Not yet writing tie-in fiction for Star Wars,[17] Luceno nevertheless saw five original novels of his own published between 1988 and 1990[1] by Ballantine.[4] Rio Passion, Rainchaser, and Rock Bottom formed the Matt Terry series,[1] and have been described by Luceno as "mainstream adventure fare, set in exotic locations and heavy on mystery and intrigue."[3] The science fiction novels A Fearful Symmetry and Illegal Alien were respectively released in 1989 and 1990, and the former was nominated for the 1989 Philip K. Dick Award,[1] a prize given annually by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society to original sci-fi paperbacks.[56]
During the run of the first twelve Robotech novels, a magazine by Barnes & Noble had revealed Jack McKinney's secret identity, but most fans had missed it and were wondering just who the man was. McKinney had developed a following in the Science Fiction community, and as such, Luceno and Daley decided to keep the pseudonym going.[57] They wrote a novel called Kaduna Memories that was published in 1990, as well as a series called The Black Hole Travel Agency that spawned four books released over 1991, 1992, and 1993.[46] The Black Hole series was comic science fiction fare set in the near-future involving aliens coming to Earth, and Luceno and Daley intended for it to be light-hearted material that would make readers laugh. None of the four books sold very well, however—Luceno blames a combination of poor marketing, terrible book covers,[57] and a small print run, all stemming from Del Rey being less than enthusiastic about the series. Although the two enjoyed writing Black Hole, Luceno later reflected that their attempt to carry Jack McKinney forward fell flat.[58] Daley publicly revealed McKinney's identity in a 1993 interview, and the two both returned to writing their own fiction full-time.[59] Luceno later mused that the premise and tone of Black Hole was very similar to what would later appear in the 1997 film Men In Black.[57]
In 1992, Luceno also had a piece of tie-in fiction released: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: The Mata Hari Affair.[1] At the time, Lucasfilm Ltd. was producing The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a television show based around famous figures and events that maintained a meticulous attention to historical detail,[60] and Luceno was required to submit a manuscript with footnotes and with all of his sources cited. His story was set during World War I, and he perused around fifty books on the subject while doing his research.[61] 1993 brought the release of The Big Empty, an original science fiction novel by Luceno,[62] and in 1994 he penned the novelization of the film The Shadow.[1] He was living in Annapolis, Maryland at the time,[4] and a son named Jake came into his life in the early nineties,[18] but he was also frequently traveling to Central and South America,[4] including a 1994 trip to Guatemala with Daley and their friend Chris Barbieri.[17]
Loss of a friendEdit
- "Brian and I were both very realistic about how the world works, and during the final months of his life, we had several conversations about what it means to live and to die. Because we had logged so many miles together—in the real and imagined worlds—I told him I wasn't comfortable with his going on an adventure without me—especially to a realm where all the available guide books contradict themselves about just what a traveler can expect to find. And Brian joked that he understood my concerns and would certainly try to contact me, assuming he could find a working phone or the appropriate postage for the kind of communication we had in mind. Just one of those conversations lifelong friends have to ease the pain."
- ―Luceno, reflecting on his final months with Brian Daley
Although the Robotech saga had concluded, the strong sales of McKinney's novels and of the Robotech comic series prompted Ballantine to ask Luceno and Daley if there was any material they could use to write further stories.[41] Luceno felt that the Malcontent Uprisings, as told in the comics of Bill Spangler, were a perfect setting, and he wrote a book that was based on and expanded Spangler's work. Del Rey wanted two more novels, however, and Luceno had to hunt for places in the timeline where some untold story might still remain. As Daley had fallen ill, Luceno wrote all three books by himself but credited them to Jack McKinney.[63] The Zentraedi Rebellion, The Master's Gambit, and Before the Invid Storm, which are set during the events of the original twelve novels, were respectively published in 1994, 1995, and 1996.[64] An epigraph in the final volume was attributed to Peter Walker, a Robotech fan with whom Luceno had interacted positively on the electronic mailing list. He has referred to the latter two novels as essentially footnotes, but Luceno yet believes that they have their own place within the overarching saga.[41] He was interested in writing one more Robotech book, a prequel based on the graphic novel Robotech Genesis: The Legend of Zor, but with sales of the series declining with each successive book Del Rey decided that the series was done at twenty-one.[63] The McKinney novels were later deemed non-canonical so that further Robotech stories could be free to ignore them.[7]
Marking his second venture into screenwriting, Luceno penned two scripts for the animated series Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders in the mid-nineties.[65] Created by Galaxy Rangers producer Robert Mandell,[66] the show was loosely based on Guinevere from Arthurian myth, and it featured the title character riding Unicorns and shooting rainbows.[67] The episodes Wizard's Peak and The Wizard of Gardenia aired in 1995 and 1996, respectively.[65] 1996 also brought more tie-in work for Luceno with The Aztec Imperative,[1] a companion novel to the movie Mission: Impossible. Lead actor and producer Tom Cruise commissioned a novelization and several tie-in works to help support the film, and Luceno was required to pay close attention to the original Mission: Impossible television series while writing his work, but Cruise ultimately decided to take the movie in a different direction and did not use any of the tie-ins.[61]
Daley's illness was pancreatic cancer, and it proved to be terminal. During the final months of his life, he and Luceno had several conversations regarding the nature of life and death.[20] Daley passed away on February 11, 1996,[68] after months of treatment for his sickness.[69] Luceno was deeply affected by his friend's death, feeling like a parent who had survived a child.[20] Fans also keenly felt the loss, as when Luceno and Lucia St. Clair Robson posted a notice of death online, messages of consolation immediately began to pour in from across the world.[70] Luceno took a solo trip to the remote Mayan archaeological site of Calakmul, Guatemala, a place that he and Daley had hoped to one day visit, and scattered some of his friend's ashes on the site. He later wrote a memoir that detailed both the trip to Calakmul[50] and his long friendship with Daley, including their many travels together. The memoir has never been published, but in 2012 Luceno stated that he was considering releasing it as an e-book.[71]
Luceno had made a promise to Daley before his death: to complete his friend's unfinished Gamma L.A.W. book series, which Daley had first conceived while trekking through the Himalayas with Luceno and which he had been working on for over a decade. Luceno set to work editing a 1,600-page manuscript, which required him to search through hundreds of files, notes and newspaper clippings in order to grasp the technical knowledge that his friend possessed on the books' theme:[68] military science fiction.[72] Daley's home had been filled with stacks of loose papers and floppy disks that contained notes on his fiction—in the words of St. Clair Robson, "he had footnotes on the footnotes." In completing and editing the manuscripts, Luceno put his own writing style aside in order to defer to Daley's. Despite admitting that it a large challenge which was "extremely tough" to do, he downplayed his own role and attributed the majority of the project's credit to his late friend.[68] The four books of Gamma L.A.W were published from November 1997[73] to March 1999.[74] 1998 also saw Luceno write the novelization of The Mask of Zorro,[1] which the film's producers wanted to add to their story instead of merely adapting it. They brought Luceno onto the set and took him to some of the filming locations in an effort to help him better grasp the period of the movie's historical setting.[61] In 1999, Luceno and his wife purchased and moved into a log cabin in Annapolis, setting to work renovating it and calling upon Luceno's carpentry skills.[18]
Entering the Star Wars galaxyEdit
Crafting the futureEdit
- "I was brought into the SW franchise as a kind of consultant when the New Jedi Order was in the planning stages. What I thought would be a year's work has since turned into a career."
- ―Luceno on his original role in The New Jedi Order
When Del Rey books acquired the license to publish Star Wars fiction from Bantam in 1999, they conceived of a long, ongoing series of novels that would proceed chronologically. They felt that Bantam's model of releasing standalone trilogies and one-shots in non-chronological order had been confusing to readers and detrimental to character development, and they began working with Lucasfilm Ltd. to plan a series called The New Jedi Order, which would feature new threats to the galaxy and a new generation of heroes.[28] Luceno was contacted by editors at Del Rey and asked to join the project as a consultant, as they were familiar with his work in Robotech[21]—specifically, his work maintaining the continuity demands of an extended story whose fan base was very passionate,[75] and his work wrapping up a long story with The End of the Circle.[35] In 1999, Luceno attended several planning sessions for the series at Skywalker Ranch,[76] the San Francisco headquarters of Lucasfilm.[77]
Other participants in the early planning of The New Jedi Order were Lucas Licensing Executive Editor Sue Rostoni, Del Rey Editor at Large Shelly Shapiro, Lucasfilm Director of Publishing Lucy Autrey Wilson, Dark Horse Comics Vice President of Publishing Randy Stradley, and several editors and authors from both Del Rey and Dark Horse. A basic storyline was developed, as were the series' primary villains: an extra-galactic species of bloodthirsty religious zealots known as the Yuuzhan Vong. Shapiro believed that Bantam's novels had developed a feeling of stagnation due to nothing significant ever happening to the primary characters, and she felt that Star Wars had lost the edge of realism and tension that had been present in the Original trilogy. Her goal was to shake things up and show that the heroes would not be able to count on surviving everything, and the idea of the Yuuzhan Vong killing a major character in the opening volume of the series was floated. When George Lucas vetoed the killing of Luke Skywalker, Stradley suggested the death of the Wookiee Chewbacca.[28] Lucas also nixed the idea of the Yuuzhan Vong being Force-users,[78] but he approved the majority of the series' outline,[76] which was drafted and refined by Luceno. He also wrote a "series bible" and worked with author Daniel Wallace to expand the map of the Star Wars galaxy.[79]
Luceno devoured as many existing Star Wars novels, comics, and sourcebooks as he could,[80] although he had previously read many of the Bantam-issued novels as they were published.[3] In his consultant role, he read and commented on every manuscript submitted by The New Jedi Order's many authors,[79] but he was initially unsure whether he would be contributing any books himself.[76] He was eventually contracted to write the fifth novel in the series, a planned paperback called Agents of Chaos. R. A. Salvatore wrote 1999's Vector Prime, the series opener,[81] and found himself tasked with writing Chewbacca's death; when negative fan reaction to the character's demise manifested in scores of hate mail, Luceno commiserated with Salvatore by sharing stories of his similar experience with Robotech fandom.[45] Michael A. Stackpole was set to write the next three novels, a trilogy called Dark Tide, but when a change in plans compressed Dark Tide into a duology, Agents of Chaos was expanded into two paperbacks.[81]
Writing a tributeEdit
- "I really felt like Brian was sitting on my shoulder and helping me along there. Brian was in many ways a mentor for me… I was really glad for the opportunity to pay him a tribute like that."
- ―Luceno, on writing Hero's Trial
The New Jedi Order was designed to be a combination of hardcover and paperback novels, with major events happening only in the hardcovers[82] and the paperbacks filling in side adventures.[28] Stackpole's manuscript for Dark Tide I: Onslaught made it apparent that the series' paperbacks would also contain major plot points, however,[82] and Luceno was tasked in his two paperbacks with writing about Han Solo—specifically, Solo's quest to find himself while overcoming the grief he felt at the death of his friend Chewbacca.[23] Shapiro believed that many of Bantam's authors had not known what to do with Solo in their novels, which had resulted in character stagnation,[28] and Luceno was eager for the chance to develop the character throughout something more than a simple rousing adventure. He hoped to take Solo through a heroic journey reminiscent of the original Star Wars trilogy,[23] and he saw the Agents of Chaos Duology's first volume as a "Han Solo, this is your life" novel.[9] It had a working title of Solo Crusade, which was eventually changed to Hero's Trial.[83]
Having been with The New Jedi Order since its inception, Luceno did not find it difficult to drop into a writing role, but he did spend a good deal of time learning the rules and regulations of the Star Wars franchise.[21] Challenged to write about an older and grief-stricken Han Solo,[9] his aim was to approach Solo's grief in a very adult way and to push the character away from his wife, Leia Organa Solo.[76] Luceno has identified Solo as one of his favorite characters to write, calling him the most human of the Star Wars saga's principal characters,[3] and in focusing on him Luceno was pleased at the chance to write an homage to Brian Daley.[21] A number of characters from Daley's Han Solo Adventures re-appear in Hero's Trial, and Luceno often felt his late friend's presence on his shoulder while he wrote the book.[9] He found a sweet-and-sour irony in the experience, as he saw his friendship with Daley as akin to the one between Solo and Chewbacca.[23]
Daley's works were not the only source material from which Luceno drew inspiration while writing the Agents of Chaos Duology, as both novels feature returning characters from Bantam's various scattered Star Wars books.[84][85][86] Many elements of the duology were his own creation, however, including the Ryn species, who were modeled after the real-world Romany people. The books see Solo get a new partner in the form of the Ryn Droma, whom Luceno hoped would complement Solo and help guide him through his grief.[50] Hero's Trial was released on August 1, 2000,[87] and its sequel, Jedi Eclipse, came out two months later.[88] Jedi Eclipse's working title had been The Crooked Sky.[83] Both volumes sold very well, as every installment of the New Jedi Order performed strongly on the market, exceeding the expectations of the planning team.[89][90]
Delving into darknessEdit
- "I've been commissioned to write a prequel to The Phantom Menace (due out Summer 2001)—a novel of political intrigue that will delve into the fall of Supreme Chancellor Valorum—as engineered by Senator Palpatine. It's like being entrusted to write about what was going on in the Garden before the serpent decided to chat up Eve."
- ―James Luceno
Luceno had intended for Droma to stay on as Solo's partner after the events of Agents of Chaos, but when letters began to pour in from fans indicating that they wanted to see Solo team up with his wife, Leia, Droma began to fade into the background.[91] Luceno's consultant role continued; he at some point sat down with Shapiro, Rostoni, and authors Troy Denning and Matthew Stover at Skywalker Ranch to discuss the the future of the series.[92] When the planning team decided to kill another major character—the Solos' son Anakin[28]—some of The New Jedi Order's subplots were jettisoned in an effort to spotlight Anakin prior to his demise, including one that Luceno had begun in Agents of Chaos regarding the rights and awareness of droids.[8] The largest casualty of the series' focus shift was Michael Jan Friedman's Knightfall Trilogy, which was canceled completely.[93] Greg Keyes's 2001 Edge of Victory Duology replaced Knightfall and focused heavily on Anakin,[94] and fewer New Jedi Order books released that year allowed Del Rey and Lucasfilm to publish several novels set in the era of the ongoing Star Wars Prequel trilogy.[93] Luceno was hired to write a lead-up novel to Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace titled Cloak of Deception, as well as an eBook novella called Darth Maul: Saboteur.[9]
While writing Saboteur, Luceno found it difficult to get inside the head of Darth Maul, a character with a mysterious background, and to write scenes from Maul's perspective. He tried to imagine what it would be like to serve Darth Sidious, Maul's Sith Master, and chose to portray Maul introspectively after drawing inspiration from the relationship between Darth Vader and the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. In February 2001, Saboteur was released exclusively in electronic format on the websites of online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble for $1.99.[9] It was later included in the paperback reprint of Michael Reaves's 2000 novel Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter.[95]
When Luceno first saw The Phantom Menace, he was intrigued by the opening crawl and its references to events that occurred before the film, and with Cloak of Deception he ultimately got to write that backstory.[9] George Lucas himself instructed Luceno to write a political thriller that focused on Senator Palpatine and Chancellor Valorum,[96] but he forbade Luceno from revealing that Palpatine and Darth Sidious were the same person, as he considered it to be a spoiler.[19] He did, however, allow Luceno to depict Palpatine as a master politician and consummate manipulator,[96] and Luceno ended up enjoying portraying the two as separate characters.[97] To get inside Palpatine's head, he closely studied all of the character's scenes in The Phantom Menace, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, hoping that he could mimic Palpatine's gestures and speech patterns.[96] He also looked to several of William Shakespeare's works in depicting Palpatine's manipulative relationship with Valorum, whom he saw as a tragic figure.[98] Luceno likened the writing process as being entrusted to write about the state of the Garden of Eden before the meeting between Eve and the serpent.[50]
While writing Cloak of Deception, Luceno drew inspiration from famous authors of political thrillers such as Frederick Forsyth and Robert Ludlum, but his first few outlines were heavy on action and focused largely on the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and other secondary characters. Shapiro and Rostoni helped him trim down the action until he had struck a balance between politics and lightsabers.[96] After his first draft was completed, he was given the script of the upcoming film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, which provided him insight into the inner workings of the Galactic Senate and allowed him to introduce organizations that would go on to appear in the film. At Lucas's request, he included a character from the film in his novel.[98] At the time of its publishing, Cloak was the earliest adult novel in the Star Wars timeline, and Luceno accordingly chose to treat it as an introduction to the entire saga, giving short descriptions of elements of the Star Wars universe that some readers already took for granted,[96] such as Jedi Knights, the Force, and the dark side.[99] He compared it to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit serving as an introduction to The Lord of the Rings,[96] and it was a unique challenge that he enjoyed,[99] as was the challenge of constructing an entire backstory for Valorum based on a single line from The Phantom Menace.[100] He felt like the entire novel hinged on that one line,[99] and he found the process of thinking backwards to be a great exercise.[100]
Luceno attempted to mirror the three-part structure of the Star Wars films and to honor as many of the saga's conventions as he could; once he had the full story figured out, he treated Cloak of Deception as the novelization of a Star Wars film that was running in his head.[96] It was released in hardcover on May 29, 2001,[101] and in 2002, two original works of Luceno's were published by Del Rey: Memories End and Danger in the Fifth Dimension, both part of the Web Warriors series. The books feature a pair of orphan brothers working as detectives in futuristic cyberspace,[102][103] and an unreleased third book appears in several online databases, albeit with no available information.[104][105][106]
Concluding an eraEdit
- "I enjoyed it immensely because I was there from the beginning. There was a lot of satisfaction in being chosen to do that."
- ―Luceno, on being chosen to write the finale of The New Jedi Order
Luceno and Shapiro conferred throughout the production of The New Jedi Order, and when it reached the halfway point, they reassessed what had already been done, and discussed what still needed doing and how the series would wrap up. As Luceno had been with the series from the beginning and had been privy to nearly every idea that had been proposed, he emerged as a natural choice to write the final volume;[79] he was familiar with the characters and story arcs and had a vast amount of information at his fingertips.[21] Many of the series' secondary plot lines were yet to be resolved, and Luceno assembled a three-page-long list of dangling threads that needed to be closed.[79] In all, the book took him nearly a year to research and write,[3] and he found a good deal of satisfaction in being chosen to conclude the series.[75]
Luceno devised the book's title—The Unifying Force—from the concept of the Unifying Force, a future-oriented view of the Force concerned with the consequences of actions.[79] The Jedi struggling to find their way through the war had been a major theme of the entire series, and Luceno saw The Unifying Force as being largely about the Force and its redefinition by Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order.[75] The title also extended to the New Republic amassing a unified force of fleets against the Yuuzhan Vong, and to the Yuuzhan Vong Shamed Ones, outcasts who would play a major role in ending the war.[79] The author's favorite characters to write in the novel were those who were forced to rethink truths that they had long accepted, including Jacen Solo, Luke Skywalker, the droid C-3PO, and the Yuuzhan Vong characters Nom Anor and Harrar.[8] With Harrar, Luceno hoped to give the Yuuzhan Vong more depth than traditional black-and-white villainy, as he had always seen them as tragic wanderers rather than hateful invaders. He drew inspiration from the Indigenous peoples of the Americas like the Maya and the Aztec, cultures with inherent tragedy, and he hoped to give the book a good deal of gray morality.[75]
Although the planning team discussed the idea of wiping out the Yuuzhan Vong at the series' end, they felt that a merciful option would be more interesting and had the invaders sent into exile.[107] The idea of the primary villain being a puppet was Luceno's, and came about in The New Jedi Order's earliest story conferences;[108] he also considered killing Han Solo in The Unifying Force, but he ultimately decided against it.[16] In writing the book's final scenes, he drew inspiration from the ending of the The Lord of the Rings, which felt like an age was coming to a close. He tried to leave the characters in places where fans could imagine them moving on and living their lives,[75] and he later admitted that with the book he was attempting to wrap up the entire Star Wars saga. The saga continued with more books, however, to the point where Luceno believed there were no places left for the characters to go.[47]
The New Jedi Order had not been an easy project, owing to the sheer number of contributing authors pulling the storyline in several different directions,[76] as well as deadlines that conflicted with the authors' non-Star Wars novels, illnesses, canceled books, eleventh-hour changes to the story arc, and the fan reaction to Chewbacca's death.[79] Regardless, Luceno felt that it was an interesting series and a good experiment for Star Wars fiction,[76] and he has stated that The New Jedi Order became more fun and exciting when its plot was completely transformed midway through, thus allowing its authors to do more than just fill in the material between major plot points.[75] He expressed relief when it was finally over,[79] and he joked that he was a Star Wars EMT, with fellow author Aaron Allston calling The Unifying Force "a giant NJO band-aid."[2]
The Unifying Force was released in hardcover on November 4, 2003,[109] and Luceno toured the United States throughout November to promote the book's release.[8] His next project was a more personal one, as he decided to follow a life-long dream of acquiring land somewhere in the Yucatán Peninsula. Having learned to thatch in Guatemala, he hoped to build a thatched-roof house on the property. He intended to take a long break from Star Wars, but after being shown art of the Battle of Hoth and of Ben Kenobi's hut, he agreed to write the reference book Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy.[75] It was illustrated by Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore, with Curtis Saxton acting as a consultant[110]—Saxton had previously written the fan project Star Wars Technical Commentaries.[111] The book was released on August 5, 2004.[112]
Deeper submergenceEdit
A prequel and a sequelEdit
As the galaxy's Clone Wars unfolded throughout Star Wars media, Luceno read the original manuscripts and outlines of the novels and comics that helped form the Clone Wars multimedia project, and discussed them with Shapiro and Rostoni. He himself was commissioned to write a lead-in to Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith set during the Clone Wars that starred Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi,[2] and the novel, Labyrinth of Evil, was billed as a "must-read prequel" to the film.[113] Although he enjoyed the fact that Star Wars films generally opened in the middle of an action sequence and left the back story for audiences to fill in themselves, he still jumped at the chance to write the background for Revenge of the Sith's opening battle. Luceno was given the first draft of the movie's script and was continually updated on its revisions,[114] and in January 2004[2] he spent two days at Skywalker Ranch discussing the script with Shapiro, Rostoni, Howard Roffman, and Matthew Stover, who was writing the film's novelization.[99]
One of Luceno's important tasks with the book was to provide a backstory for General Grievous,[115] and he was also able to address certain plot points from Attack of the Clones that remained unresolved.[114] He prepared a list of questions that Stover asked for him while meeting with George Lucas, and Lucas gave input on the back stories of both Grievous and Sifo-Dyas, as well as on Grievous's attack on Coruscant. Believing that the fighting would mostly take place on the ground, Luceno intended for Chancellor Palpatine to be whisked about like George W. Bush in Air Force One during the September 11 attacks, but Lucas revealed that it would mostly be a space battle and suggested that he think in terms of the Secret Service sequestering Dick Cheney in a hardened bunker on that day.[99] Lucas also provided information on Count Dooku's allegiance to Darth Sidious and on the prophecy of the Chosen One, and his answers gave Luceno a good foundation[2] and made him feel confident that there was indeed a book to be written from the story.[116] The author went to Mexico to think through his book's plot, and when he saw a fellow traveler reading Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October and got the idea to write about a hunt for Darth Sidious, Labyrinth of Evil's story began to take shape.[2]
Stover and Luceno stayed in touch, with Luceno reading Stover's novelization as it was being written[114] and Stover reading Labyrinth of Evil's outline and working references to it into his own manuscript. He kept Luceno updated on his progress, but many of those references were ultimately cut.[99] Scenes were also cut from the film as its script evolved, including an exchange between Obi-Wan Kenobi and a Clone Commander that had inspired Labyrinth of Evil's opening scene; General Grievous also emerged as a different character in later versions of the script.[116] One scene from the script that did make the final cut included a reference to the planet Cato Neimoidia, which Luceno used as a jumping off point for his story—he hoped to make Labyrinth of Evil more directly tied to Revenge of the Sith than previous prequels had been.[2] He spoke frequently with Rostoni, Episode III Set Diarist Pablo Hidalgo, and The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith author Jonathan W. Rinzler, all of whom were attending dailies or viewing rough cuts of the movie. He was also writing the reference book Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith The Visual Dictionary, which gave him access to film stills and props.[114]
One of Luceno's favorite parts of writing Labyrinth of Evil was portraying Skywalker and Kenobi as friends instead of their usual master and apprentice role.[99] He gave them a smooth-functioning and light-hearted repartee partly as a counterpoint to the grimness and heaviness of The New Jedi Order, and partly because Labyrinth was the saga's last chance for lightness and humor before the very dark Revenge of the Sith.[116] With Skywalker set to turn to the dark side in the movie, Luceno wrote him as no longer fearing drawing on dark power and in fact becoming infatuated with it, building on character development that had occurred throughout the Clone Wars multimedia project.[99] After his outline received approval from Lucasfilm, he was dismayed to learn about two other projects that were in development: the third season of the Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon and a comic series from Dark Horse tentatively titled Star Wars: Countdown, both of which were telling the same lead-in story as Labyrinth of Evil but in different ways. Attempts were made to divvy up characters and plotlines, and Countdown eventually became Star Wars: Obsession, but the animated series was not set to be storyboarded until well after Labyrinth of Evil's manuscript was due.[2] Luceno later stated in an interview with Star Wars Insider magazine that fans may find "slightly different accounting of the same events."[116]
The political subtext of the Star Wars prequel trilogy about the rise of dictatorships was carried over into Luceno's work, but he did not try to compare George W. Bush to Palpatine, despite accusations from some readers—the novel's "Homeworld Security" was borrowed from a Dark Horse comic, and the term Triad of Evil was merely a light-hearted homage to what he considered a very interesting phrase.[2] Labyrinth of Evil was released on January 25, 2005,[117] and the Visual Dictionary was on April 2.[118]
Luceno's involvement with the Revenge of the Sith timeline continued when he was hired to write a book set in the immediate aftermath of the film that would form a loose trilogy with Labyrinth of Evil and the movie novelization. It was set to follow Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, and a group of Jedi who escaped the Great Jedi Purge that occurred in the film,[114] but was titled Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader and promoted as a Vader-centric sequel to Revenge of the Sith despite the character's relatively modest role in the book.[119] Dark Lord was originally scheduled for an early 2006 release, but its publication date was swapped with the novel Outbound Flight and pushed forward to late 2005[120] in order to capitalize on the hype that surrounded the theatrical release of Revenge of the Sith.[121]
One of Luceno's primary goals with Dark Lord was to paint the Jedi and the Sith in stark contrast with one another. He aimed to show how the relationship between a Jedi Master and a Jedi Padawan differed from the relationship between a Sith Master and a Sith apprentice, and he also sought to parallel Darth Vader's story arc with that of the Jedi Roan Shryne. In Dark Lord, Vader walks a path that takes him further and further away from the Force, while Shryne finds himself moving closer to it.[122][123] Other characters that contrasted with Shryne were several Jedi who were disaffected with the Force in the aftermath of the destruction of the Jedi Order.[119] Luceno found inspiration for writing Vader after speaking with a staff member of LucasArts who had worn Vader's suit for a photo session and who described to Luceno what it felt like to be inside of the costume.[124] Dark Lord was published in hardcover on November 22, 2005.[125] Luceno received a large amount of criticism from fans for the small role that Vader played in the book and later apologized in an interview for the misleading title.[119] A scene from Dark Lord was later used in the fifth issue of the comic series Star Wars: Dark Times, released in 2007, which featured Vader and was set during the same time period. Luceno was credited in the issue for writing the scene's dialogue.[126]
Poised to pen PlagueisEdit
Labyrinth of Evil was the first work of Star Wars canon to mention Darth Sidious's Master, Darth Plagueis.[127] Plagueis was later mentioned in Revenge of the Sith,[128] and Luceno was afterward contracted to write a novel about the character for a 2008 release.[129] Plagueis was a character that Luceno was very interested in writing about, but he feared that the subject would be off-limits[119] due to the mystery that surrounded Sidious.[3] As such, he was thrilled when he was given the go-ahead to write the book.[119] Luceno had a number of discussions with representatives of Lucasfilm Ltd. about how the novel should be approached before writing a detailed outline and submitting it at Skywalker Ranch. While he was there, story conferences for the upcoming Legacy of the Force series of novels were taking place, and Luceno was invited to attend them.[130] He was surprised to discover that Legacy of the Force would see the character of Jacen Solo fall to the dark side of the Force in the years following the events of The New Jedi Order,[124] as Luceno had believed that Jacen would go on to replace Luke Skywalker as the leader of the Jedi Order.[119]
While writing the book, Luceno was once again in direct contact with George Lucas. He asked Lucas if Plagueis could be a non-Human character; Lucas liked the idea and decided that the character would be a Muun.[124] He made a significant start on writing the book,[3] but staff members at Lucasfilm Ltd. reconsidered his outline and began to feel that he was making the background and history of Darth Sidious too concrete. They believed that he was diminishing the mystery behind Sidious's character.[130] and undermining his effect as a character of evil incarnate.[3] One person in particular at Lucasfilm Ltd. was very opposed to some of the directions that Luceno wanted to take the novel, and it was ultimately put on hold[130] in 2007[131] to be rethought.[130] Before it could be written, decisions about the nature of the Sith and their Rule of Two had to be made.[119] Luceno later considered that he had been over-reaching and attempting to button things up too tightly,[3] but he held onto hope that the novel would one day be unshelved.[130] Although the novel was on hold, Leland Chee, the Keeper of the Holocron continuity database, indicated that Plagueis remained canonically a Muun.[132]
Star WarsEdit
|The Tao of the Force
|Reference book
|Canceled work
|Brian Daley 1947-1996
|Star Wars Insider article
|The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
|The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
|Darth Maul: Saboteur
|Also included in Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
|Cloak of Deception
|The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force
|Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy
|Reference book
|Labyrinth of Evil
|Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith The Visual Dictionary
|Reference book
|Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
|Millennium Falcon
|Short story
|Included in re-release of Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
|Darth Plagueis
|Nominated for the 2012 Goodreads Award for Best Science Fiction
|End Game
|Short story
|Included in re-release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
|Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel
|Robotech: Genesis
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Battle Cry
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Battle Hymn
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Force of Arms
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Southern Cross
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Metal Fire
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Final Nightmare
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Invid Invasion
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Symphony of Light
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Sentinels: The Devil's Hand
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Sentinels: Dark Powers
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Sentinels: Death Dance
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Sentinels: World Killers
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Sentinels: Rubicon
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The End of the Circle
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Zentraedi Rebellion
|as Jack McKinney
|The Masters' Gambit
|as Jack McKinney
|Before the Invid Storm
|as Jack McKinney
|Head Hunters
|Rio Pasion
|Part of the Matt Terry series
|Part of the Matt Terry series
|A Fearful Symmetry
|Nominated for the 1989 Philip K. Dick Award
|Rock Bottom
|Part of the Matt Terry series
|Illegal Alien
|Kaduna Memories
|with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Event Horizon
|Part of The Black Hole Travel Agency series, with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Artifact of the System
|Part of The Black Hole Travel Agency series, with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|Free Radicals
|Part of The Black Hole Travel Agency series, with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: The Mata Hari Affair
|Hostile Takeover
|Part of The Black Hole Travel Agency series, with Brian Daley, as Jack McKinney
|The Big Empty
|The Shadow
|Novelization of the film
|Mission Impossible: The Aztec Imperative
|Gamma L.A.W: Smoke on the Water
|Uncredited; completed Brian Daley's manuscript
|Gamma L.A.W: A Screaming Across the Sky
|Uncredited; completed Brian Daley's manuscript
|Gamma L.A.W: The Broken Country
|Uncredited; completed Brian Daley's manuscript
|The Mask of Zorro
|Novelization of the film
|Gamma L.A.W: To Water's End
|Uncredited; completed Brian Daley's manuscript
|Memories End
|Part of the Web Warriors series
|Danger in the Fifth Dimension
|Part of the Web Warriors series
|Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
|Junior Novel
|Junior Novelization of the film
|Hunt for the Mayan Looking Glass
|Published exclusively as an e-book
- "Around the Galaxy"—Star Wars Galaxy Collector 7
- "Brian Daley 1947-1996"—Star Wars Insider 29
- "Bookshelf"—Star Wars Insider 52
- "Remembering Brian Daley"—Star Wars Insider 55
- "Bookshelf"—Star Wars Insider 55
- "Bookshelf"—Star Wars Insider 56
- "Bookshelf"—Star Wars Insider 72
- Star Wars: New Jedi Order Round-Robin Interview
- "The New Jedi Order in 100 Easy Lessons"—Star Wars Insider 74
- "Jedi Library"—Star Wars Insider 80
- "Launch Pad"—Star Wars Insider 150
- SDCC 2014: Star Wars: A New Dawn Panel – Liveblog on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- From New Jersey to a Galaxy Far, Far Away: The Story of Star Wars: Tarkin on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- "Blaster"—Star Wars Insider 152
- Crafting Catalyst: James Luceno Discusses His Rogue One Prequel Novel on StarWars.com (backup link on Archive.org)
Notes and referencesEdit
External linksEdit
- James Luceno on Wikipedia
- James Luceno at the Robotech Wiki
- James Luceno at the Internet Movie Database
- James Luceno. Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved on February 15, 2017.
- James Luceno. Fantastic Fiction. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved on October 12, 2016.
- Summary Bibliography: James Luceno. The Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved on January 14, 2017.
- James Luceno. Brian Daley: 1947 - 1996. Official website of Brian Daley. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved on October 15, 2016.
- 2000: Agent of Chaos: An Interview with James Luceno on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
- 2001: Behind the Cloak: James Luceno on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
- 2003: NJO Finale: The Unifying Force on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
- Nathan O'Keefe (April 2005). James Luceno Interview. The Unofficial Clone Wars Site. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006. Retrieved on December 21, 2016.
- Andrew L.. Interview with Author James Luceno. EUCantina.net. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved on October 13, 2016.
- James Luceno: Navigating the Labyrinth of Evil on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
- Book Look: James Luceno on Dark Lord on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
- Star Wars Celebration VI interview with RoqooDepot.com
- SciFiWire: Star Wars 7 exclusive: James Luceno on Tarkin & EU canon


text:
Hoosier, Korean War vet receives Ambassador of Peace award on 87th birthday
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana National Guard and the Republic of Niger signed a state partnership agreement during a ceremony held in Niamey, Niger, Jan. 23, 2017.
INDIANAPOLIS—A departure ceremony was held for approximately 60 Indiana National Guard soldiers deploying to Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 14, at the 38th Infantry Division Armory.
Indianapolis, IN – The Indiana National Guard is providing around 150 service members to the nation's capital to perform duty supporting the 58th Presidential Inauguration. These Soldiers and Airmen come from multiple units and specialties to include Military Police, Communications, Logistics, Medical, Public Affairs, and the Civil Support Team.
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana National Guard showed appreciation for a civilian employer January 17, in Avon. The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented the Patriot Award to Marijane Smallwood, of Hendricks Regional Health for her dedicated support of Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Spears' family.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana National Guard promoted L. Kip Clark, a Clay County resident and former 181st Intelligence Wing commander, to brigadier general during a ceremony at Hulman Field in Terre Haute, Indiana.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Question about Sony FD Trinitron WEGA KV-32FS120 32" TV
After the tv is turned on it blinks for almost a minute on/off! What could be the problem?
Posted by mike_smith74 on
The impending failure of the main power supply.
It isn't dead yet but will likely grow even worse and finally will not turn on at all unless a probably small, cheap part (electrolytic capacitor) isn't located and replaced.
You can probably verify this by causing the room temp to swing some like up and down by 10 degrees F. This part gets fussy about temp. when getting flaky. You might be able to simply pull the plug overnight and see a difference in how it acts since all modern sets aren't really completely 'off' unless the AC is absent.
If this changes the set's behavior, then the likely problem above is present.
Posted on Sep 15, 2008
SOURCE: I have freestanding Series 8 dishwasher. Lately during the filling cycle water hammer is occurring. How can this be resolved
a 6ya expert can help you resolve that issue over the phone in a minute or two.
best thing about this new service is that you are never placed on hold and get to talk to real repairmen in the US.
the service is completely free and covers almost anything you can think of (from cars to computers, handyman, and even drones).
click here to download the app (for users in the US for now) and get all the help you need.
Posted on Jan 02, 2017
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text:
Is it possible to unstage the last staged (not committed) change in git? Suppose there were a lot of files in the current branch, some staged, some not. At some point, some foolish programmer accidentally executed:
git add -- .
...instead of:
git checkout -- .
Can this programmer now unstage his last changes with some magical git command? Or should he have committed before experimenting in the first place?
You cannot undo the latest git add, but you can undo all
adds since the last commit.
git reset without a commit argument resets the index (unstages staged changes):
git reset
You could use
git reset (see docs)
You can use
git reset. This will 'unstage' all the files you've added after your last commit.
If you want to unstage only some files, use
git reset -- <file 1> <file 2> <file n>.
Also it's possible to unstage some of the changes in files by using
git reset -p.
Depending on size and scale of the difficultly, you could create a scratch (temporary) branch and commit the current work there.
Then switch to and checkout your original branch, and pick the appropriate files from the scratch commit.
At least you would have a permanent record of the current and previous states to work from (until you delete that scratch branch).
git reset didn't work for me. Instead I did:
cd .git
rm index.lock
This removes the earlier git process so that you can create a new one.
So the real answer to
Can this programmer now unstage his last changes with some magical git command?
is actually: No, you cannot unstage just the last
git add.
That is if we interpret the question as in the following situation:
Initial file:
void foo() {
main() {
First change followed by
git add:
void foo(int bar) {
main() {
Second change followed by
git add:
void foo(int bar, String baz) {
print("$bar $baz");
main() {
foo(1337, "h4x0r");
In this case,
git reset -p will not help, since its smallest granularity is lines.
git doesn't know that about the intermediate state of:
void foo(int bar) {
main() {
any more.
At date git prompts:
use "git rm --cached <file>..." to unstage if files were not in the repo. It unstages the files keeping them there.
use "git reset HEAD <file>..." to unstage if the files were in the repo, and you are adding them as modified. It keeps the files as they are, and unstages them.
At my knowledge you cannot undo the
git add -- but you can unstage a list of files as mentioned above.
Similar Questions


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The company, founded 75 years ago by Friedrich Schleich in Schwbisch Gmnd, is one of the largest toy manufacturers in Germany and a leading provider of original play concepts internationally. The famous toy figurines from Schleich are sold in over 50 countries and have found their way into childrens rooms all around the world.
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Hotfrog Ireland provides information regarding Crystalsireland in Navan Meath. Crystalsireland is located at 36 Trimgate Street, Navan Meath and provides music services. Contact them on 087 7845861 or by visiting them on their website http://www.crystalsireland.com.
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Gift Premium Subscription To Foreigner
Join Date:06-15-2007
Last Activity:10-01-2007 4:05 PM
Posted in thread: Temagami Portaging on 08-22-2007 at 05:20 PM
Wow.What a trip. We found our own private island, with no lights of any kind in the visible
distance. Caught a 10# walleye and a whole bunch of bass. Mist, trees, rocks, not a single
person other than...
Posted in thread: Super Easy Indian Curry on 08-22-2007 at 05:11 PM
When you say, "Chili" do you mean chili powder? Or chili, like with beans, etc.?crushed red
pepper flakes. Anything you like for spicyness.:mug:
Posted in thread: Im soo freaking pissed!!!!! on 08-14-2007 at 09:31 PM
A pound of corn sugar is not soooooo bad.
Posted in thread: Who got a man bag? on 08-14-2007 at 05:31 PM
Cargo pants baby! I also have a lululemon shirt with upwards of 12 giant pokcets.
Posted in thread: Temagami Portaging on 08-14-2007 at 05:14 PM
Gorp = done. Lots of cashews and cranberrys :)Plastic - too late. Good idea, but I will just
have to take my chances. EDIT: I could put it in a few plastic watter bottles...but usn't it
bad to leave t...
Posted in thread: Temagami Portaging on 08-14-2007 at 03:13 PM
Right now I'm just so anxious to get going it is unbelievable. I've stopped going over
-whatdoineedwhatdoineed- because I'm quite sure I've got everything...but we shall see. I've
got a brew that coul...
Posted in thread: Temagami Portaging on 08-14-2007 at 01:02 PM
We are canoeing 8 hours away from where the nearest motorboat is allowed so the fishing is
going to be awesome. Its a very strange feeling to know that in 8 hours the only stuff I will
have for a week...
Posted in thread: grain space on 08-13-2007 at 07:15 PM
then with a 10 gallon cooler I could mash 22lbs :confused: :confused:Im not doing the math but
that sounds about right. I have done a few 23-24# bathces in a 10G
Posted in thread: Super Easy Indian Curry on 08-12-2007 at 09:12 PM
Delicious and dirt simple. I made roti to go with it too.1/3C butter (unsalted)salt to
tastehalf onion minced2 tblsp flour2 tblsp curry powderpinch saffronchili to taste (I like 2
tblsps)1 cup milk1 c...
Posted in thread: My first few attempts at labels on 08-12-2007 at 08:38 PM
I like the squirrel on crack. very freaky.


text:
- Product Detail
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text:
|Reviews for The Bargain
| I love this stor chapter 3 . 1/22
I really really enjoyed this story! And it seems that a lot of people enjoyed this too. It made me laugh how random James thoughts were. Like they are in the middle of a fight and he suddenly blurts out how he will marry of his son to Arthur's daughter. I can actually see him doing this. James is pretty impulsive.
Anyway, ignore that one guest who is screaming sexism when there is nothing sexist in this story. Nobody likes a closed minded bigot dear guest. Everyone has different lifestyles and view of the world. Jeez, this reminded me of the time this feminist called me a 'gender traitor' for saying that I want to be a housewife someday and take care of my family. I thought feminism is about letting the voices of the women be heard but nobody shuts up a woman's opinion faster than a feminist.
| Ghost Dragon Master chapter 2 . 9/24/2016
Well that's just great. Only 12 days to get married or face life unable to get a hard on... at least Ginny would still be able to have sex and not even have to worry about getting pregnant.
| LilMcConnel chapter 2 . 6/3/2016
LoL. This fic is something new. :D
| Anonymous Sexist chapter 1 . 5/23/2016
Just wanted to pop in and say, after reading this story again, that it was thoroughly brilliant and you can ignore all the reviewers whining about sexism. Not only can they not appreciate different settings with different values, but they can't be bothered to inform themselves about how the world works.
There are hundreds of stories of sassy (and annoying) girls with a submissive Harry throughout this site, and hundreds if not thousands more preaching about equality. This isn't the choir and we don't need to have The Word and The Truth spread to us. They can go read those stories if they want. Personally I think this was much more refreshing, and those people complaining about it being the current year (or current century) are just unable to appreciate a good story that doesn't conform to their bigoted (in the real sense of the word) and narrow-minded political views.
In all, this was more a review for other reviewers, but overall the story was really good. Since I know anyone reading this will dive into their conditioning and snort "Hmph, sexist!" I've put it in the name, just to preempt anyone else.
Have fun reading! :)
| Guest chapter 13 . 4/12/2016
im a perv.
i was waiting for love and sex...
| natalieeannee chapter 13 . 4/6/2016
This was a unique plot I haven't read before!
I liked Ginny and Harry's first kiss :), and their responses in the ministry to reporters.
I thought something might make the wedding not go as planned.. and you delivered.
I would like to hear more happiness in their life after this first day of marriage and will check out your profile!
Thanks for writing! You write well!
| Roonil Wazlib chapter 13 . 2/8/2016
It was amazing, brilliant, even. But the sexism. I know your a guy, you don't really know ho girl's minds work. But seriously, obey and serve! Really?! And all Harry has to do is protect and care?! This is an outrage! I'm not a feminist, I'm not, I swear. But Siriusly? Lily has to serve the drinks and take care of Harry?! If anything, James is taking care of Harry.
| mryann chapter 4 . 12/30/2015
This is just soo cute.. Ilike it
| Guest chapter 1 . 11/29/2015
I first wanted to stress that fic is nicely written, you honestly have talent.
But the sexism. At several points I really couldn't believe this was written in our century: Ginny vowing to "obey and to serve" Harry while he vows to "protect and care for her"? Really?
Harry unloading the truck while Ginny stands by, Lily bringing in the drinks and looking after Harry while James goes to battle, Harry asking for Arthur's permission to marry Ginny, Harry "courting" Ginny... Girls' passiveness in this fic is alarming and quite disgusting, honestly.
| Guest chapter 1 . 10/21/2015
You should write a sequal to this one
| nayin17 chapter 9 . 10/1/2015
Glad Harry finally said I love you
| nayin17 chapter 4 . 9/30/2015
Your Ron is very refreshing
| Epeefencer chapter 13 . 9/25/2015
A wonderful compelling story. The way you portrayed the development of their relationship was very realistic and heart-warming. The way their love grew and the way you showed it was amazing. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
| Anonymous chapter 13 . 5/30/2015
Holy. Crap. This has got to be the best fanfiction I've ever read. Oh my gosh. It's just . . . perfect. Pure brilliance. This could've been written by J.K. Rowling herself, it's so good. The Quidditch scene in chapter 11 was pure awesomeness. And that advice about how you shouldn't let arguments seperate you from the person you love? Pure wisdom. I can practically hear Dumbledore saying that, it's so full of wisdom. Also, when Harry receives "the Talk" from Lupin. . . . Now I wish J.K. Rowling included that in the books. This fanfiction is just simply amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if you are from England; all their accents are perfectly English, at least from my limited knowledge of English accents (I come from America). Just continue your awesome writing, please, so people like me who are horrible (at least compared to you) at writing can at least read a true master's work. Also, have you read the Percy Jackson series? If you have not, I would highly recommend it, espically if you are intrested in Greek mythology. If you have, could you create a Percy Jackson fanfiction? Well, that's all, sorry for the long review. I hope you continue writing, people need more authors as brilliant as you in the world.
| uh6091b chapter 2 . 5/25/2015
Liked the Star Trek Next Gen refrence.


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Hotels in Franqui-Plage
Hotel reservation
Hotel rooms in Franqui-Plage
There are not so many hotel rooms in Franqui-Plage, just 2, still everyone can find an offer to suit his choice. The most common offers in this city are hotels, they count 1 out of 2, and their prevalent location is central district. According to our practice, it is the most profitable to book a hotel in the south of Franqui-Plage, as it is the location of the hotels with optimal cost and quality offers along with the cheap hotels. Taking into account the small size of the city, there is no need to dwell hotel reservation on the location: the road to the city center would take less then half an hour, so one can book a hotel in any district of Franqui-Plage. The most populated with hotels district of Franqui-Plage is the north, 100% of cheap hotel rooms are concentrated here. Franqui-Plage is a truly multifaceted city, here everyone can find a hotel of his choice: a business person, a young couple or a family with little children. Take a look at our selection of the cheap hotel rooms in Franqui-Plage to make a well-informed choice for your reservation!
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La Feuilleraie 1
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text:
Lot 9076: Glenn, Carpenter, Cooper, and Schirra Signed Lithograph
Lot 9076: Color limited edition 21 x 29.25 lithograph of R. L. Rasmussen's watercolor of a Mercury rocket entitled 'Space…The Pioneers,' numbered 16/300, signed in the lower border in pencil by John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, and Gordon Cooper. Also signed by the artist. Rolled and in fine condition, with a trivial crease to lower border. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the National Aviation Museum Foundation. RR Auction's Space and Aviation Auction 463 Thursday, 22nd October 2015 Estimate: $400-600
Added from rrauction.com
Write a response...


text:
- Description
Standing as a bold statement in your living room, the Polson Collection provides the perfect platform for your media storage and display. Bookshelf storage rises from each side to flank the lower television stand. The espresso finish is contrasted by the brushed satin nickel knobs that front the ample storage drawers and doors. Scoring and use of double knobs give the illusion of additional drawer storage. X-framing that is boldly featured on the side pier bookcases lends a trendy feel to this functional media unit.Includes
1 60" TV Stand and 2 Side PiersDimensions
TV Stand(8019-T), 60 x 17 x 23.75H
Side Pier(8019-S), 22 x 17 x 78H
More from this collection: Polson
- Additional Information
Additional Information
SKU 13402159 MPN 8019-T-Set GTIN UPC 782359199566, 782359199573 Brand Homelegance Collection Polson Assemble Length No Assemble Width No Assemble Height No Assembly Required No Material Wood Finish Espresso Styles Transitional Shipping Time 2-3 Weeks Free Shipping No
- Reviews


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Anna C.J. Segeren/Robert Harding Specialist Stock/Corbis
The gentle, giant whale shark is an endangered species.
Tony Rath, Oceanic Society and LightHawk's 20
Aerial View of Turneffe Atoll, Belize Recent aerial surveys of Turneffe Atoll and the Belizean coastline have documented a record number of Antillean manatees: 507. To put that in context, the global adult population of this endangered subspecies is estimated to be less than 2,500 and declining. The region is teeming with other marine life as well. "Several marine mammal species occur in Belizean waters, including small cetaceans, like bottlenose dolphins, and whales, like humpbacks," Birgit Winning, president of the Oceanic Society, told Discovery News. She explained that this area is the focus of her organization's long-term marine research and conservation efforts. Turneffe is the largest and most biologically diverse coral atoll in the Western Hemisphere.
Tony Rath, Oceanic Society and LightHawk's 20
Manatee Among the Mangroves The waters off Belize are a marine life paradise for a few different reasons. "Many of the marine ecosystems in Belize remain relatively undisturbed," Bryan Wallace, chief scientist for the Oceanic Society, told Discovery News. "Some of the most important manatee habitats are protected and have some sort of active management." The relaxed manatee resting among pristine mangroves, seen in this photo, is evidence of the conservation programs' success.
Tony Rath, Oceanic Society and LightHawk's 20
Mother Manatee and Calf These three manatees, including a mother and a calf, were spotted during the aerial survey. "Belize does a pretty good job of managing many human pressures on its ecosystems, which are diverse and plentiful," Wallace said. Such pressures and threats include pollution, habitat degradation, boat strikes, incidental capture in fishing gear, and hunting for human consumption. "Specific to manatees, Belize has an active manatee standing network that rehabilitates injured manatees, and they have set up manatee sanctuaries in areas of high manatee use," Wallace added. "However, it's important to remember that while Belize hosts more Antillean manatees than any other country in the region, the numbers are still quite low, so there is still much work to be done."
Tony Rath, Oceanic Society and LightHawk's 20
Dolphins in Paradise Numerous dolphins were also spotted during the survey. Although dolphins and manatees may be found in the same areas, they are not very closely related. Manatees are actually distant relatives of elephants. Both manatees and elephants have tough skin, "toe" nails on each forelimb, bristle-like hair, and teeth that are continuously being replaced.
David Burdick
Nurse Shark Sharks abound in the study region. "In Belize there are, among other species, bull sharks, Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks," Winning said. This photo shows a nurse shark. "Shark predation on manatees does not seem to be a population threat," she continued. "Human activities are the main threats."
Zac Wolf
Whale Shark Whale sharks are yet another type of shark that frequents waters off of Belize. Healthy marine ecosystems often include predator sharks, which can feed down the food chain.
R. Ginsburg
Sponge on a Deep Reef Marine life near Belize extends to the sea floor. The sponge in this photo is attached to a deep reef. "Turneffe Atoll, in particular, harbors spectacular marine biodiversity because of its diversity of habitats," Wallace said. "These include coral reefs, seagrass beds, lagoonal areas, and mangroves. And the full expanse of the area encompasses a wide range of water depths, which also means lots of different types of habitats. Where there are diverse habitats that are relatively healthy, there should be lots of species."
Tony Rath, Oceanic Society and LightHawk's 20
Belize's Great Blue Hole Here, the aerial survey team flies over Belize's Great Blue Hole. This stunning submarine sinkhole was formed during several episodes of glaciation when sea levels were much lower. As the ocean rose, the caves were flooded. The site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world.
Tony Rath, Oceanic Society and LightHawk's 20
Searching for Mammals Scientists regularly monitor the region, hoping to better document and understand the species there. Aerial surveys form only part of the process, particularly in terms of the recent manatee count. "We need to ground-truth the aerial survey data to get a better idea of population numbers in Belizean waters, and we need to understand better how and why manatees are using different areas in Belize," Wallace said. "Regardless, it's encouraging that so many were spotted in these surveys because it gives us something more to work with for future research and management."
A factory which processes around 600 whale sharks annually has been found in southern China, a conservation group said Monday, calling it the world's biggest slaughterhouse for the endangered species.
Hong Kong-based conservation group WildLifeRisk said it discovered the factory in the town of Pu Qi in Zhejiang province after a four-year investigation. It said the sharks are slaughtered and processed mostly to produce shark oil for health supplements.
10 Hunted Animals You Had No Idea About
Undercover video footage produced by the group showed workers cutting up the large dotted back fins of whale sharks and other shark species.
"How these harmless creatures, these gentle giants of the deep, can be slaughtered on such an industrial scale is beyond belief," said a WildLifeRisk statement sent to AFP. "It's even more incredible that this carnage is all for the sake of non-essential lifestyle props such as lipsticks, face creams, health supplements and shark fin soup."
The slaughterhouse also handles other species of sharks including blue sharks and basking sharks and produces 200 tons of shark oil annually from the three species, its owner -- identified only as Li -- said in the video. Li also said he needed to "smuggle" whale shark skin out.
First Shark Killed In Australia Cull
In another segment of the video, a man identified as Li's brother said the whale shark skins are exported to European countries such as Italy and France, where they are used by Chinese restaurants.
Whale sharks measure as much as 12 meters (39 feet) but are harmless to humans and feed on tiny marine animals. They are on the "Red List" of endangered species drawn up by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. They are also listed on Appendix II of the UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning countries must show that any exports were derived from a sustainably managed population.
Exports and imports should also be monitored.


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Marshall Headphones Singapore
Can you believe they are only S$ 43.00 - S$ 549.00 for Marshall Headphones on iprice? Depending on your preferences and budget, you can choose between In-Ear Headphones and On-Ear Headphones. To suit your home, most Marshall Headphones are manufactured with either White, Brown and Black. Surprisingly, you can get discounts of up to 65% when purchasing Marshall Headphones online! Some of the best Marshall Headphones are Major2 Bluetooth Headphones Generation Headset Remote Mic HIFI headphon intl, Major II Bluetooth Over-The-Ear Headphone (Black), Major II On-Ear Headphones and Brown. Looking for a Marshall Headphones? Find good ones not only from Marshall Headphones but also from DreamKart, Awei and Sony.


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About Us
You want the best for your children, and one of the most important decisions you will make concerns whom to trust with their health and wellness. Christie Pediatric Group, the area's oldest pediatric practice, has treated three generations of families for more than 50 years. Our physicians are board certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics and proudly follow treatment guidelines established by that group.
Our physicians and physician assistants received training from a cross section of medical schools and pediatric training programs from around the country and have a variety of special interests in pediatric care. We have both male and female providers with tenures at Christie Group ranging from five years to more than 30. With this breadth and depth of training, experience and personal profile, we are able to offer comprehensive and dedicated medical care for your children.
Practice Features:
Multiple Locations. To better serve you, Christie Group has two conventional locations - one on Mills Avenue near Greenville Memorial Hospital and the Children's Hospital and another at Maxwell Pointe, located on the eastside off Highway 14 and Woodruff Road.
Separate Sick- and Well-child Areas. When your children are well and require wellness services, the last thing you want is for them to become ill from contact with germs. That's why Christie Group separates sick and well children. Both office locations feature separate entrances, waiting areas and patient rooms to keep sick and well patients apart as much as possible.
On-site Laboratory. Both offices feature an on-site laboratory. Having these services in-house allows the physicians to receive the results quickly, which in turn allows them to make an accurate diagnosis and determine the best course of treatment for your child.
Seven-day Medical Coverage. Christie Group schedules same-day sick emergency visits for patients. Both locations have appointments Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm with one rotating location remaining open until 6:30pm Monday - Thursday. In addition, our physicians are available Saturday mornings for urgent and emergent visits. We now open our doors at 7:45am to offer 8am, 8:10am and 8:20am walk-in visits (limited appointment availability).
Phone-A-Nurse Service. Sometimes parents are unsure if a child needs to see a physician or have questions about symptoms or medications. That is why Christie Group has dedicated nurse phone services at both locations. Each day, specific nurses are designated to answer parents' calls. As a result, your call will be returned promptly, and if your child has something for which a medical protocol is in place (such as pink eye), a prescription can be called in without your needing to bring your child to the office for a visit. If the nurse and parent determine your child needs to see a physician, we will schedule a visit for the same day.
After-hours Pediatric Nurse Triage. Should your child become sick or injured after hours, call either practice location and speak to an on-call physician or a Children's Hospital emergency pediatric nurse. Christie Group, at times, forwards its phones to a nurse specially trained to evaluate sick or injured children. Depending on the situation, the nurse can offer recommendations for parents treating the child at home, ask the parent to contact the office staff the next day to schedule a visit, request the parent bring the child to the Children's Emergency Center at Greenville Memorial Hospital, or page the Christie Group physician on call. This phone consultation is offered as a complimentary service to our patients.
Privileges at Children's Hospital of Greenville Health System (GHS). All our physicians have admitting privileges at GHS Children's Hospital, the region's only children's hospital, with more than 30 pediatric subspecialists for consultation or treatment. Unlike specialists trained to treat adults, pediatric specialists have familiarity with childhood conditions, medication dosages and emotional needs of patients and their families. We maintain excellent communication with these physicians and Children's Hospital staff, which in turn allows us to provide the best care for your child.
Prenatal Consultations. During your pregnancy or before adopting a child, you may schedule a complimentary 15-20 minute consultation with a pediatrician. We recommend scheduling this visit during the second trimester. Should you opt to use our services, a pediatrician from our practice will see you and your newborn in the hospital. Please note that the prenatal visit is not required for you to choose us as your pediatrician upon delivery in the hospital.
- Adolescent Medicine
- Allergies
- Annual physicals
- Asthma
- Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD) diagnosis and treatment
- Breastfeeding consultations
- Counseling for depression, behavior problems and weight control
- Cystic fibrosis
- Developmental assessments and updates
- Dietary guidance
- Emergency medicine
- General parenting advice or answers to questions
- Health education
- Hearing and vision testing
- Immunizations and vaccines
- Minor surgical procedures
- Newborn care
- Prenatal conferences
- Pre-school examinations
- Preventive medicine
- Screenings for health problems
- Sports medicine
- Well-child care
For your convenience, we have made several forms available for download. This will have you better prepared for your visit and reduce the amount of forms you will have to fill out during your visit. Just click on the links below to download a pdf copy of each form.
New Patient Packet
The new patient packet contains all the necessary information for becoming a new patient at Christie Pediatric Group. It includes patient information sheet, billing information, medical record release form, GHS financial policy, consent for treatment, & disclosure of medical information.
DHEC Form (Immunization Form)
A DHEC form (immunization form) should be filled out stating whether your child's immunizations are covered or not. If you have not filled this out before or you have had a change in insurance, be sure to fill out this form for your next visit. This is a very important and necessary form to have on file for your child.
Authorization for Release of Medical Information
If you need to have your child's medical records transferred from or to our office, you will need to fill out an authorization for release of medical information.
Well Child Examination Vaccine Fees for Established Patients
This is a comprehensive listing of visits by age, the total fees billed to insurance and procedure codes billed. Useful for when contacting your insurance to verify what procedures are covered or not. This form is required at time of check in so it is best to call your insurance before the appointment. For more information, please visit here.
Well Child Examination Vaccine Fees for New Patients
This is a comprehensive listing of visits by age, the total fees billed to insurance and procedure codes billed. Useful for when contacting your insurance to verify what procedures are covered or not. This form is required at time of check in so it is best to call your insurance before the appointment. For more information, please visit here.
Disclosure of Medical Information Form
This form designates who you wish for us to communicate your child's health information. This is more commonly used for extended family such as grandmothers and/or nannies.
Doctor's Corner
Safe Kids
Safe Kids Upstate is one of more than 450 coalitions affiliated with Safe Kids Worldwide, an organization whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. There are 15 Safe Kids coalitions in South Carolina.
Safe Kids Upstate Coalition, led by Greenville Health System Children's Hospital Children's Advocacy, consists of more than 70 community partners, who join together to fight unintentional injuries. To learn more about Safe Kids, click here.
New Impact: A Healthy Lifestyles Program
New Impact is an exciting program developed at the GHS Children's Hospital, in response to the nationwide problem of pediatric obesity. If your child is struggling with his or her weight, let us help. New Impact is a comprehensive weight management program for children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 21. We use the most current treatment techniques to offer pediatric patients effective ways to manage weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. To learn more about the New Impact: A Healthier Lifestyles Program, click here.
Live Well Greenville
Live Well Greenville is a partnership of dozens of public and private organizations that aims to make Greenville County a healthier place to live, work and play. Formed three years ago by the Piedmont Health Care Foundation, the coalition has engaged more than100 key partners in crafting plans to create policies, systems and environments in our community to make living well easier. Safe places to walk and bike, healthier foods in schools and workplaces, nutritious snacks in child care centers, better access to parks - these and other positive initiatives will be shepherded by the partners of Live Well Greenville. To learn more about Live Well Greenville, click here.
Let's Go!
Let's Go! is a nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program. Their goal is to increase physical activity and healthy eating for children from birth to 18 through policy and environmental change. Let's Go! works in six sectors to reach families where they live, study, work and play to reinforce the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. The 5210 message (5 or more fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity and 0 sugary drinks, more water and low fat milk a day) is used consistently across all sectors. To learn more about Let's Go!, click here.