Page 59 - Star Wars Insider #188

SITH UNSEEN: A RETROSPECTIVE
the must-read prequel
LABYRINTH OF EVIL
RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2005 AUTHOR:
James Luceno
PUBLISHER: Del Rey
hile Star Wars: Republic Commando
deals with matters from a previously
W unknown clone trooper’s perspective,
Labyrinth of Evil follows the pre-Revenge of
the Sith actions undertaken by major players
Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General
Grievous, Count Dooku, Yoda, Mace Windu,
and Darth Sidious.
The novel contains a plethora of tethers to
the final episode in the prequel trilogy, yet takes
time to create some interesting adventures of its
own. Commander Cody, who would later fight
alongside and eventually betray Obi-Wan on
Utapau, appears during Skywalker and Kenobi’s
attempt to capture Nute Gunray on Cato
Neimoidia. We learn that Asajj Ventress gave
Skywalker the scar on his face, and are introduced
to the Jedi initiative to give the clones names
and treat them with compassion; each gripping
chapter abounds with provocative disclosures.
Another oft-quoted slice of Revenge of the
Sith dialogue—when Kenobi denies requiring
Skywalker’s help during “that business on
Cato Neimoidia”—receives its own intriguing
explanation here, too. Skywalker did protect
Kenobi from a battle droid, but the statement
most likely refers to a dire situation when the
two Jedi found themselves separated. After losing
his rebreather, Kenobi faces down battle droids
numbering in the dozens while in a semi-drugged
state. Skywalker rushes to save his master, only
to discover that Kenobi has somehow managed
to thrive in his hallucinatory disposition and
defeated his mechanical foes. Skywalker brings
Kenobi the missing rebreather, although the
notion of whether or not he saved his master
clearly becomes a matter of jovial ribbing
between the two friends.
Elsewhere, Count Dooku privately muses to
himself about Grievous’ descent from fully organic
being to technological hybrid. The novel explains
that Dooku and Sidious masterminded a shuttle
accident that left Grievous’ body broken, forcing
the General to agree to cybernetic augmentation.
During the surgical process in Geonosis’
depths, the two Sith ordered the Geonosians to
manipulate the General’s mind to make him
cruel and believe he has always been so ruthless.
The alterations drive the General to genocide,
exhibited by his order to massacre 27 Jedi and
more than 10,000 fleeing civilians during a failed
Separatist invasion above Belderone.
Then, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine delivers
an address to the Senate about advancing into the
Outer Rim, which lines up precisely with Kenobi’s
briefing in the movie regarding the sieges in that
region. Palpatine highlights Mygeeto, Saleucami,
and Felucia as key targets, and these three planets
each make an appearance during Order 66’s
notorious Jedi execution sequence.
The novel also references Skywalker and
Kenobi’s lengthy service tenure in the Outer
the novel Rim, where they have undertaken a secretive
mission to hunt down Darth Sidious. The duo’s
explains deployment fits well with Skywalker and Padmé
that Dooku Amidala’s emotional reunion after the Battle of
Coruscant, as captured in the movie.
and Sidious Labyrinth of Evil’s final chapters chronicle
masterminded the Separatists’ surprise attack on Coruscant
and Grievous’ capture of Palpatine. The novel
a shuttle completes its tale with Skywalker and Kenobi
accident that readying themselves to jump to the Republic’s
capital and reinforce the fleet. Although never
left Grievous’ originally intended to be combined as a set, The
body broken. Dark Lord Trilogy later packaged Labyrinth of Evil
alongside the movie’s novelization and Dark Lord:
The Rise of Darth Vader.
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