“The Bacta War is about to begin” (40).
The late ‘90s was an extraordinarily productive era for Star Wars literature (especially for author Michael Stackpole!) He published no less than three Star Wars X-Wing books in 1996 alone (a year which saw a record nine Star Wars books published), followed by another five Star Wars novels he penned between 1997 and 2000. The Bacta War was released just after the 1996 explosion of novels (it hit shelves in 1997, just a few months after the previous X-Wing novel was published). Stackpole’s The Bacta War gives readers the conclusion to the original four-part Rogue Squadron story arc in which the Rogues temporarily leave their posts within the New Republic in order to deal with the fearsome Ysanne Isard once and for all… or so we are led to believe.
The Bacta War picks up right where the previous book left off. Ysanne “Iceheart” Isard has fled Coruscant and taken control of the bacta cartel on the planet Thyferra. “Her eyes, and all that lies behind them, is undoubtedly what drew the Emperor to her. The Hothlike icy blue orb of her right eye contrasted sharply with the fiery molten red of her left. They seemed like windows into the duality of her nature. She could be cold and calculating in the extreme, but also given over to towering incendiary angers” (21). Isard has instituted a recent coup of the Xucphra Corporation over the Zaltin Corporation (with the help of her associate Fliry Vorru) for control of the bacta production on Thyferra. Her hope is to restrict the bacta flow to New Republic member states so that she will hopefully be invited back to rule over Imperial Center –but now she faces internal conflicts on Thyferra from the Ashern rebels (“black claw” against the newly established Thyferran Home Defense Corps). Defending Thyferra are four Imperial warships: a Super Star Destroyer (the Lusankya), two Imperial Star Destroyers (the Avarice and Virulence), and one Victory-class Star Destroyer (Corrupter).
“Antilles, Horn, and the others. They have the freedom the Rebels once had” (26).
Meanwhile, Rogue Squadron spends much of the novel slowly building its capacity to launch an attack on Isard (without the support of the New Republic). The crew’s verpine repairman, Zraii, helps to pull together all the necessary parts. They gather old parts as well as the funding needed to build a newfangled fleet, and they are joined by a fascinating troupe of Twi’leks from Ryloth (such as Koh’shak and Tal’dira) because to much of the galaxy, Twi’leks are known to be either merchants, like Koh’shak, or criminals, like Bib Fortuna, and now they are eager to prove their proud warrior tradition. They bring to Rogue Squadron a dozen of their Deathseed ships. Rogue Squadron is also joined by the former CorSec agent Iella Wessiri, three “ruetsavii” Gand elders (Ussar Vlee, Syron Aalun, and Vviir Wiamdi) who have been sent to observe and examine Ooryl Qrygg, Elscol Loro and Sixtus Quin (former rebels from the Star Wars comics), as well as Mirax Terrik’s father Booster Terrik, and fan-favorite smuggling character from the Thrawn Trilogy, Talon Karrde (he is joined by his colleagues Quelev Tapper and Melina Carniss). As the plot moves forward, Leia’s trusted confidante Winter locates old Imperial supply dumps, one which leads Mirax Terrik, Corran Horn, and Gavin Darklighter on a mission to Tatooine where they connect up with the Darklighter family (especially Gavin’s uncle and Biggs Darklighter’s father, Uncle Huff). Meanwhile, the rest of the Rogues make their way to their covert new home on the conquered station of Yag’Dhul (which is left in the capable hands of Booster Terrik –he previously spent five years in the spice mines on Kessel).
There is a fascinating scene in which the second in command, Tycho Celchu, makes his traditional “Return” to the Alderaan asteroid “Graveyard” where he shoots out a Memorial Capsule to honor his dead –his capsule includes romantic holodramas for his grandmother and sisters, wine for his father, flower bulbs for his mother, a datacard of the latest recipes for his mother’s father, and for his brother Skoloc he brought a holobio of Luke Skywalker. There are some brief flashbacks here in which Tycho recalls that he was once promised to a young lover named Nyiestra prior to the destruction of Alderaan, and Tycho’s father was then the CEO of Novacom the largest Holonet provider on Alderaan.
The most surprising (or perhaps unsurprising) twist in the novel concerns the reappearance of Bror Jace on Thyferra, the former Rogue member who was believed to have been killed just prior to the start of the second book Wedge’s Gamble. He was brought to Thyferra and forced to go into underground hiding –but he was the person who actually sent Qlaern Hirf to Coruscant to help cultivate a new vaccine to cure the Krytos virus.
But the real hero of the story continues to be Corran Horn, who has now realized he is the grandson of a Jedi named Nejaa Halcyon (Corran inherited his grandfather’s silvery lightsaber as described in the previous novel). There is a memorable scene in which Corran attempts to use Jedi force tricks (even though he has not been trained) and it fails miserably. Corran and his fellow Rogues lead a variety of hit-and-run raids on bacta shipments, designed to draw the ire of Isard. But in an ambush at Alderaan, Rogue Squadron is surprised and Riv Shiel is killed along with two Twi’lek Deathseeds and Gavin Darklighter’s X-Wing is damaged by the attacking Victory II-class Star Destroyer called the Corrupter (helmed by Captain Ait Convarion). But in the fight, Rogue Squadron is saved by the surprise appearance of an Alderaanian War Cruiser, the last of three automated ships designed to automatically attack enemies of Alderaan, Wedge gives control of this new ship to the droid M-3PO (or “Emtrey”) and Aril Nunb.
One of the central aspects of The Bacta War is the propaganda battle for the hearts and minds of the people on Thyferra, yet Isard also seems content to rule the planet with her fiercely iron fist, even stooping to occasionally massacring members of the insectoid Vratix race in their forest dwellings (these creatures are needed to brew up bacta mixtures). Notably, the traitorous former Rogue member, Erisi Dlarit, reappears in this novel, only this time she is on the Imperial side. Her father Aerin Dlarit is made General of the Thyferran Home Defense Corp, while Erisi leads the Thyferran Home Defense Corps aerospace wing (she flies a TIE Inceptor).
At any rate, The Bacta War drags to a slow bore throughout much of the lengthy mid-section (my primary criticism of these X-Wing novels is that they each are simply far too long), but it concludes in a wild crescendo as Rogue Squadron springs a trap at Yag’Dhul where they take out two of the key Imperial ships, use a retrofitted Gravity well projector which prevents other ships from quickly jumping away to hyperspace, and Corran Horn offers Captain Sair Yonka of the Imperial Star Destroyer Avarice a deal to defect to the New Republic (his ship is then renamed the “Freedom”). Isard brings the Aggregator, an Interdictor Cruiser under High Admiral Terradoc (with gravity well projectors that prevent other ships from jumping to hyperspace) while Fliry Vorru plans to use spies within Rogue Squadron, such as Talon Karrde’s associate Melina Carniss. But many Imperials start to question Isard as she grows ever more frantic and villainous (some of the other Imperial names mentioned include Captain Lakwii Varrscha and Captain Joak Drysso), and in the end Captain Drysso is overthrown in a coup by his second-in-command, Waroen, and this leaves Isard in isolation. Corran Horn attacks the Rogue traitor Erisi Dlarit in a dogfight that quickly sends her TIE crashing down onto a nearby moon (admittedly this was a fairly unsatisfying demise for the secret traitor from the last three books). Corran and Tycho then jointly chase Isard’s shuttle and Tycho’s proton torpedoes destroy her ship… but is she really dead? Is anyone ever really dead in Star Wars?
“Please, Horn, do your worst. Know that when we meet again, I shall do my worst!” (343).
In the end, Admiral Ackbar invites Rogue Squadron to rejoin the New Republic and Booster Terrik decides to keep the Star Destroyer Virulence (he renames it the “Errant Venture” with plans to make it into a casino). The Rogues also rescue all the prisoners who were kept aboard the Lusankya, especially Jan Dodonna. Ooryl is made a “jamwuine” by his elder Gands, which means he is now able to refer to himself by his own personalized pronouns, a great honor among the Gands (all the Rogues are also permitted to do so if they ever decide to visit Gand). And last but not least, Corran Horn and Mirax are married at the end of the novel (despite Booster Terrik being the mortal enemy of Corran Horn’s father).
“I would ask all of you to lift your glasses and join me in a toast. To Rogue Squadron –past, present, and future. Those who oppose freedom and liberty oppose us. Let that fact give them pause to think and encouragement to travel the path of peace” (362).
Thus ends another somewhat mixed bag of a Star Wars novel, albeit one which many fans regard as among the best. Personally, I find the second and third X-wing books to be the standouts in this series. Unfortunately, I expected to enjoy the X-Wing series far more than I actually did while reading. I still have a few lingering questions about The Bacta War: Why didn’t the New Republic support the Rogue’s mission to take out Isard in the first place? Was it worthwhile to lose their star X-Wing pilots for this? Wouldn’t they find Isard to be an enemy worth pursuing? Why wouldn’t they fear retaliation from Isard for the taking of Coruscant? And wouldn’t the New Republic be keen to liberate Thyferra anyway? Thereby freeing up bacta production in order to stop the Krytos virus? I’m still a little perplexed as to why the New Republic would remain so adamantly opposed to finishing the job with Isard. What I appreciated in these books is the introduction of a panoply of new characters, and an in-depth exploration of bacta as a substance –what it is, where it comes from (Thyferra), and the odd insectoid creatures who brew up batches of it (the Vratix). However, The Bacta War is still a fairly standard, predictable Star Wars novel. It successfully concludes the initial four-book Rogue Squadron arc, while still leaving some befuddling unanswered questions. Subsequent books in this series follow different adventures for the X-Wings and they are written varyingly by Aaron Allston and Michael Stackpole.
Notes:
- Under the Empire, Thyferra had a monopoly on bacta production under the Xucphra and Zaltin corporations (Thyferra was the heart of the production with alazhi harvesting and kavam synthesis taking place on the planet). But lately they have grown greedy and stagnant under the Xucphra coup over Zaltin which was instituted by Ysanne Isard.
- Thyferra is described as a fairly normal terrestrial planet with a breathable atmosphere and two moons, covered with rainforests, a tropical climate, and a day that is roughly 21.3 standard hours long. Since the axial tilt of the planet is negligible, there aren’t really seasons but Thyferra has three stellar-class spaceports, as well as Xucphra City (previously called Zalxuc City).
- The Vratix are the native six-limbed insectoid species on Thyferra who work with almost spiritual satisfaction blending bacta. The verachen are the master blenders of bacta. Since the Vratix constitute a hive mind of sorts, it is acceptable to refer to them with plural pronouns (they/them). They live in tribal groups in the rainforests. And their hind legs are incredibly strong.
- The Vratix live in “harvester tribes” with buildings made of air-dried mud and saliva mixture that the Vratix slather onto a twig and branch lattice (using branches of a similar species called the knytix). The knytix are smaller, blockier, less elegant creatures, and they are often kept as pets or work animals. Their villages contained several towers that rise up into the middle reaches of the gloan trees. Concentric circles give the towers the look of stepped pyramids. Huge arching bridges connected one tower to another. While not as strong as the Ferrocrete building material, they can still last as long as five years.
- Ysanne Isard’s father was the Director of Imperial Intelligence before she betrayed him to the Emperor using evidence that he was intending to defect to the rebellion.
- The Sorosuub skyhook on Coruscant has been offered to Rogue Squadron, though most skyhooks were shot down by the Lusankya when it fled the planet in the previous book.
- Corellian Diktat – the name for the head of the Corellian government following the end of the Corellian Empire.
- At one point in the novel, Corran Horn is put into high potency bacta on thyferra after a conflict with stormtroopers (apparently the Zaltin bacta stronger).
- Qretu 5 is described as a lush green planet with a ring of asteroids and a Q5A7 Bacta Refinenent Plant.
- Zraii retrofits X-Wing parts for Rogue Squadron and Wedge’s X-Wing is painted red with a green trim, the corporate colors of Zaltin, Corran’s X-Wing has been painted green in honor f his time in CorSec, Gavin has a Krayt Dragon painted on his X-Wing, Tycho’s has Alderaan’s colors, and Ooryl’s is only visible to creatures like himself (a Gand) and it features a brilliant mural.
- Cariss’s ship is described as a YT-1210 light freighter called the Empress’s Diadem.
- The Corellian Sanctuary is briefly mentioned as a place on Coruscant created for exiled Corellians to give their dead a final resting place (unlike Alderaanians who seal their dead in capsules and shoot them into orbit within the Graveyard, allowing them to float forever amid the asteroid debris of Alderaan).
- Lomin-ale and Ryshcate are once again mentioned.
- There are a couple references to the Katana fleet (from the Thrawn Trilogy), and Outbound Flight Project (a separate Star Wars novel by Timothy Zahn).
- Akrit’tar is mentioned (an inhospitable planet first mentioned in the novel Han Solo’s Revenge).
- Chalmun’s cantina is mentioned (the name for the Mos Eisley cantina featured in Episode IV: A new Hope).
- Rodians, Devaronians, gravel-maggots, Jundland dew-pickers, krayt dragons, womp rats are all creatures mentioned.
- Whyren’s Reserve is a type of fine Corellian whisky.
- Winter describes finding X-Wings parts on Rishi, a tropical outer rim planet.
- Corellian YT-1300 light freighter is mentioned (this was the type of ship that was heavily modified into the Millennium Falcon).
- The H’kig religious laws are briefly mentioned (these first appear in the second book of the Black Fleet Crisis entitled “Shield of Lies”).
- The Another Chance ship is described as a Mimbran Cloudrider, the rare elusive Alderaanian War Cruiser.
- Isard has royal guards in this novel that seem to closely mirror the red-hooded guards of the Emperor as featured in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
- Jan Dodonna is mentioned for having designed the A-Wing fighter.
- Yag’Dhul is described again as a small dense world with three moons, and the nearby native species called the Givin have an exoskeleton and can exist in a vacuum.
- Wedge Antilles parents once operated a fueling station at Gus Treta.
- Halanit is a small community on an icy moon orbiting a gas giant, with mineral springs and fish delicacy. People on the planet suffer from a disease similar to Cardooine Chills.
- A Hydrospanner is a hydraulically boosted hand tool.
- Weapons like concussion missiles and proton torpedoes are frequently referenced.
- In the Rogue Squadron series, I learned that Twi’lek Lekku can be tattooed.
- The Twi’leki designation for their ships is Chir’daki which in Basic means “Deathseed” because they recall the spores of a parasitic fungus.
- Ichthyoculture pools for creatures are mentioned.
- Exclamations like “Jawaswag” and “Sithspawn” are frequent curse words.
- Some odd tools and parts like Zenomach tunneling devices, Quadanium solar panels, J-77 engines, are referenced.
- Sienar Fleet Systems is mentioned for having numerous starfighter factories scattered throughout the galaxy.
- The conflicts between the Quarren and the Mon Calamari are mentioned (apparently the Quarren crystals rarely make it off Mon Calamari).
- A Sith lanvarok is a wrist-mounted projectile launcher.
- The planet Cilpar is mentioned as the location where Elscol lost her husband to the Imperials.
- A Mandalorian Narcolethe is a powerful alcoholic beverage (it is mentioned at various points throughout the Expanded Universe).
Stackpole, Michael A. X-Wing: The Bacta War. Dey Rey, NY, NY, 2021 (originally published in 1997). It was dedicated to Denis Lawson “The original Wedge Antilles.” I read the newly released “Essential Legends” edition.