The First Yuuzhan Vong Figure (no picture yet)

[Tycho]

I was just reading the Hasbro Q&A from other sites and caught the reference to the rumored Star Wars Tales 21 Comic 2-pack with a Jedi figure of Kyle Katarn.

Hasbro said his companion he's packaged with will be very obvious, and there's a major fight between Kyle and a Yuuzhan Vong warrior in that book. Sure Jan Ors figures prominently in the comic, but she's not the main antagonist propelling all the action. Plus there's been a rumor of the first Yuuzhan Vong figure going around for a while.

This Vong would make an excellent choice for a figure! Wow.

For those who didn't read New Jedi Order, there's a scene where Luke as a full-fledged Jedi Master, controls miniature tornadoes he creates with the Force to stone 15 Vong warriors and drive them blindly into his (and Jacen Solo's) lightsabers - showing Luke's prowess with a 2-saber form! (NJO "Dark Tide" series by Michael Stackpole - "Onslaught" and "Ruin.")

How I want single-carded Vong warriors to set that scene up! (and then somehow figure out how I'm going to simulate "Force tornadoes" to engulf my action figures.) A wounded (approx 18 year old) Jacen Solo could also be in the scene, as his Uncle / Jedi Master was rescuing him as part of the course of the action.

By the way, for the tornadoes, I was thinking brown fuzzy pipe cleaners with cotton sparsely stretch around them (twisted into funnel shapes) and little rocks glued into it all - with maybe 4-5 funnel clouds surrounding Luke so as to look like they're under his control!

[mtriv73]

Obviously, we're all as excited about the Vong figure as you are. I'll pick one up, but this is one of those toys I'm just as happy with or without.

[bigbarada]

I prefer to collect Star Wars figures, so I'll pass on this one.

[jedibear]

I'm just surprised the first Vong character to end up as a figure isn't Nom Anor...

[Tycho]

Making a generic warrior is a better idea, so one can army build them to fight Luke.

Nom Anor is so very likely though (if figures from NJO as a source continue).

Supreme Overlord Shimra would be a good idea, too. But I think it was Tsavong Lah that Corran Horn fought to the death? (It's been a while since I read those) He'd make another great Vong figure.

[jedi master sal]

I prefer to collect Star Wars figures, so I'll pass on this one.

I gotta agree with you here BB.

I've just never been a fan of the whole NJO series.

One the whole different way the force is "perceived" by the Vong
Two Chewie dying BAD BAD BAD !!!
Three, just the whole premise of the Vong in general. Self mutilation for status, yuck. Not something that should be glorified or dignified in any way, IMO.

I have several of the books from this era and they've stayed on my bookshelf from the moment I brought them home. I'm still not desperate enough for new stories that I have to resort to that sort of nonsense.

The only Vong I'm even remotely interested in is Nom Anor. And even then it's not a lock that I'd buy him.

[Tycho]

I gotta disagree with you here.

One the whole different way the force is "perceived" by the Vong

Luke discovered it was like being color-blind. The Vong don't exist outside of the Force, it's just that folks from Luke's galaxy don't perceive those "tones" in the Force normally. It's not great, but it was a decent attempt to be creative and not leave the Jedi without any challenge unless if someone else could use the Force, like a Sith. That's been done and overdone already.

Two Chewie dying BAD BAD BAD !!!

Star Wars has always been about the young - the age that kids fantacize about being - close to 18 and young and free from their parents to have their own adventures and blaze their own path in the universe. Luke and Leia were 19 -23 in the OT, and Padme was 24-27 with Anakin being 19-23, while Obi-Wan was 34-37 between AOTC and ROTS.

Writing more stories about Han, Luke, and Leia in their 50's (older than we are) is exactly as disturbing as some of you find Harrison Ford returning to play Indiana Jones today.

But meanwhile, the issues are these:

1) Don't have a continuity, and keep writing stories about Han when he was 34, and Luke and Leia at 23...boring. And how much stuff do they have time to do in their week anyway?

2) Kill Star Wars. Don't have an EU. Lucas would hit and miss if he wrote them himself (you know - the whole story was really about JarJar, right?) Or keep all EU within the framework of the movies - so Anakin could never last as a hero because you knew he'd become Darth Vader and Luke would never become a Jedi Master because it was his character to be a novice apprentice just coming of age. - Sorry but I'd quit reading too. And I bore of watching the same movies over and over. ROTS, maybe ESB, are the only ones I can watch right now. I love SW, but I've seen the films too many times.

Meanwhile, in keeping that SW is about the young (19-23 year-olds), Timothy Zahn originally gave us Jaina and Jacen Solo, and even set up Mara Jade, even unintentionally, who became Luke's wife and Ben Skywalker's mother. Let the next generation continue the story.

As far as Chewbacca getting killed? I'd have killed Han, Luke, and Leia by now as well. The alternative in a continuity is having them eventually age so much that they die in bed of old age somewhere. Gee - how I'd love to read a whole book about that: "Star Wars: Revenge of Arthritis." Maybe they could die heroically sacraficing themselves for their children, apprentices - that would spur more passion and drama. Or one could live (Luke?) to become the ancient Jedi Master figure (like Obi-Wan was in ANH).

But the story should either end, or continue with Jacen, Jaina, and Ben.
A new sidekick like Chewbacca should / could be introduced to keep that aspect of it alive. The authors tried with Droma, and Lobacca with EmTeeDee (translator droid) who were naturals for the roles. It wasn't all kept up. Plus Jaina and Jacen had significant others who took up some story time (Zekk, Jagged Fel, Tenel Ka Djo, and Danni Qee)

Three, just the whole premise of the Vong in general. Self mutilation for status, yuck. Not something that should be glorified or dignified in any way, IMO.

Look at all the idiots in our culture who are getting tattoos and strange piercings to try and show off an identity for themselves by their appearance rather than by their activities and accomplishments. At least the Vong had to accomplish something like a victory kill in battle or the survival of a painful trial to be even ALLOWED to self-mutilate themselves - so it was like a badge of honor. LITERALLY - you're not allowed to cut your ear off unless you earn the priviledge by cutting someone else's life off.

It IS disgusting, but it gave them character. I liked that because it was so different and in such a twisted way, it helped them be the "bad guys."

I'm still not desperate enough for new stories that I have to resort to that sort of nonsense.

Well, that's your choice and I can appreciate that's where you're at with your fandom. I BORE from watching most of the movies now. I no longer hold my breath when Luke flies down the Death Star trench. He'll make the kill shot whether I'm watching the film or not. Like you probably do, I have the dialogue memorized by now. So I have to find something new. I have a preference for Star Wars - and some of it's done well and some of it's not.

I originally came to this site to advocate for the good that was there - which in books like Tim Zhan's, brought the whole thing back and breathed into it new life that's still continuing to this day.

While I'd say there was a great number of folks who appreciated what I was trying to do, there was a very vocal number of folks who ridiculed it. I think that helped me transition to my seeking of negative attention, and inadvertently "created Tycho" into the unconventional monster I became who lives to go against the grain.

I was explaining to others that while I still had my health and dreams for a political career, I didn't want to be "Josh" and tie myself to something like Star Wars that would be considered by the wider public to being too juvenile for my age. So when I first came online, I decided to be "Tycho," for some anominynity. All of YOU can appreciate that too, as I almost don't see any of you posting under your birth-names either.

In the meantime, I wondered if what I was doing was a mistake or not, as another choice of mine would have been to write Star Wars novels myself. If you think you can criticize....then maybe YOU should show us that you can do it better. Well, I actually think that I can. Turns out that I have to establish myself with my own original stuff first - which I am doing, though I have found my own voice and lost interest in conforming to any "rules for working with Star Wars."

The only Vong I'm even remotely interested in is Nom Anor. And even then it's not a lock that I'd buy him.

Why, out of curiousity? What is it about Nom Anor? He looks like other Vong under that cloak (which is actually a creature that simulates a cloak, btw). A figure of Nom Anor should make the cloak removeable, so you can tell that he's a Yuuzhan Vong underneathe it. His eyes are different colors and sizes too. He had one of them cut out in a self-mutilation and it was replaced with a creature that can help him see even better, but that also squirts poison out of it.

Vong prefer to use amphistaffs (taken from the word amphibian) - they are basically snakes that are trainable to turn rigid. They have poisonous stingers at one end, like a scorpion, and they bite on the other end (just like a snake). When they go rigid, they vibrate and the quick motion and energy they put out can block a lightsaber. Theoretically, this is actually physically possible. A lightsaber is energy, and so is kinetic vibration that's running against it, such that the flow from one energy source disrupts the flow of another. Vibroaxes in the SW universe (like used by Weequay skiff guards) can also, if one is very lucky, temporarily block a lightsaber - but only by the vibrating end of the weapon, so it is not that effective like an amphistaff is.

It was an interesting way to develop a challenge to the Jedi and very creative - done for similar reasons like why Doomsday was made to fight Superman. What else can you do with a character who's all-powerful? The Jedi were in danger of becoming just that in Star Wars, and the Sith have already been done, and they really only amount to the same thing as Jedi, but with an anti-social philosophy.

[figrin bran]

I gotta agree with you here BB.

I've just never been a fan of the whole NJO series.

I'm the opposite of you guys as I wouldn't mind having this figure even though I've never read any NJO.

Tycho's recommendation of the Tales of the Jedi comic series to me turned out to be a great one so if he speaks well of NJO, I'll try to check them out one day.

[jedi master sal]

I won't even begin to read all of Tycho's post as I don't want to put that much effort into something NJO related. The only portion I'll reply to is why I'd even be remotely interested in Nom Anor.

Simply two reasons. His look with the cloak and the fact that he was around to OT times (that I've been told).

I guess one other point that I did read of Tycho's post. Indeed we do not need more stories of Luke and Company. However I abhor the fact that Chewie was killed off.

Instead I'd much prefer a different timeline where none of our beloved heroes could have possibly been involved.

KOTOR era and Legacy era writings do this. I'm a fan of the first KOTOR game, and was initially a fan of Legacy. Not that I'm not a fan of Legacy anymore, it's just that I've gotten so far behind in those comics that I don't know if I'll ever catch up. Though I do like the story up to the point that I've read it.

Anyway, if manufacturing Vong figures means we will still get OT ad PT figures, so be it. I just don't see any of the Vong being big sellers. Most casual fans do NOT know who or what they are. Many of we more hardcore fans aren't into them either, so take that all into account.

Hasbro is already stretching it with some of the figures of late (female X-wing pilot, Twi' Lek X-wing pilot), but at least those two will have some familiarity to them being in the classic X-wing pilot outfits. Vong have no immediate recognizable correlation to the movies.

Now if Hasbro will make a kick-arse Jaxxon, I'd buy him, really I would.

And yes even Teek!

[El Chuxter]

You say "even Teek" as if some of us are joking about him. I'd buy him before ANY other figure, even a Battlepack of STANSE and The Deuce with Groupie Yarna.

Aside from the ill-advised death of Anakin Solo (which was supposedly done to avoid confusion in new readers who wouldn't realize there were two people named Anakin some 50 years apart ), the NJO was well-done.