Heir to the Empire: A Star Wars Retrospect (Rediscovering Legends)

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[@thorskywalker]

Go to 5:23 if you want to get straight to discussion of the book and skip my personal experience with it.

[@panos617]

For me this is the True Sequel Trilogy.

[@abramsullivan7764]

Your experience is interesting this is the sequel trilogy we would've gotten in theaters.

[@ryanbarth6691]

Thor you amaze me that your videos start with you saying now

[@4891MR]

By your account, I'm a few years older, but your story is relatable to me. It was a time of sparse new Star Wars. Many more books were to follow, though. As great and enjoyable as Zahn's trilogy was, the size of the expanded universe probably explains why we don't often entirely re-read them. It's foundation for more to read.

[@justinthomas7222]

Now, no way am I skipping your experience! I actually listen to your channel more for your experience, opinion presentation, & storytelling than for the "factual" stuff.

[@abramsullivan7764]

Those three Star Wars books should've been the sequel trilogy that we would've gotten the whole fanbase.

[@presto9270]

Agreed

[@Lance37a]

Too much time had passed, if this came out instead of the prequels, where everyone is not too old.

[@Cancoillotteman]

@@Lance37a it could not have been a faithful adaptation to be sure, but still with some twists the story could have been great rails to follow (just please get me ridd of the Is Alamry, I hate those things)

[@Lance37a]

@@Cancoillotteman the creatures that the force has no control over?

[@modmaker7617]

I wonder how hard it be for Kathleen Kennedy and JJ Abrams to adapt the Legends Thrawn Trilogy to the Sequel Trilogy movies with updates to fit in the Prequel/Clone Wars lore and the age of the actors.

[@sealionstudios8597]

I always loved that they put "The Saga Continues" on the cover of Heir to the Empire. None of this "Skywalker saga" BS Disney have been trying to push. It was just the Star Wars Saga. One story where every character and every event mattered.

[@AndrewAce.]

Exactly. I never thought of Star Wars as the "Skywalker Saga" - Even if only talking about the first two trilogies, and nothing else...

[@Babyboss65]

A mild correction, Thor: Lucas didn't take the idea of Coruscant from Heir to the Empire. The idea of a planet-spanning city came from Lucas, and Zahn picked it up from him. The only thing Zahn came up with was the name, which Lucas did in fact take from Zahn.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

It is from Isaac Asimov. Lucas got it from Asimov. Lucas called it Had Abbadon, Asimov Trantor.

[@istari0]

@@matthewgaudet4064 Yes indeed, Asimov's legendary Foundation Trilogy and all the other books that came later. There are many reasons why he is considered one of the Grandmaster of Science Fiction.

[@mcash232]

@@matthewgaudet4064 There was one point in the development of the script where Lucas didn't even attempt to hide the ball and was calling his planet Trantor as well. Lol EDIT: It may have been "Jhantor", but I could have sworn I saw Trantor on one of the early notes I read. Either way it's very obvious, perhaps on purpose.

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

Coruscant and a number of things in the Zahn books came from a table top SW rpg. LucasFilm told him to use the source books for this game as much as possible when he needed to fill in blanks in the universe. I don’t think there was even much if any input fromLucasfilm on the new stuff these books came up with.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Still has the same name and for a kid reading the book to suddenly see on the big screen was very exciting. The original concept for a city center planet was originally going to be in Return of the Jedi and it was called Had Abbadon. Ralph McQuarrie did the concept art. There was even the Emperor's castle where the final duel was to take place.

[@ontasbulent5709]

The thrawn trilogy is actually one of the most important pieces of SW without it the Prequels wouldn’t have been made as through the books George saw that SW is still popular and it started the entire EU. Hell it even established things like early rebel cells, Coruscant, Zygerrians slavers etc.

[@ncard00]

The channel "Darth Angelus" has almost animated all of HTTE, check it out, it's incredible, one of the best star wars fan film projects ever.

[@ncard00]

In my opinion, the best fan film/fan project ever made, is the animated heir to the empire fan film series adaptation by the channel “darth angelus”, please go check it out and share it. As someone who never reads books, it’s a great way to learn about this story, since the adaptation is very faithful to the novel, unlike the comic, which skips a lot of scenes and stuff from the novel. The creator has currently release equal to chapter 29 of heir to the empire, and he himself plays Talon Karde, Palleon, and many others of course, but Thrawn and Mara especially are stands out in my opinion, at least in the fixed version of the earlier episodes, and the later episodes, where the animation has improved considerably.

[@wtk6069]

​@@ncard00 I second the remarks about Darth Angelus' awesome project. It's just wonderful.

[@beskarman38]

The Thrawn Trilogy is my antidote for watching the dreadful ST.

[@sealionstudios8597]

How about the Mandalorian?

[@beskarman38]

@@sealionstudios8597 I like Mandalorian.

[@rogerroger5171]

In my head canon, the Thrawn Trilogy is what happens after ROTJ. The 1st Order is really the forces under Thrawn and the ST does not exist.

[@rogerroger5171]

@@sealionstudios8597 there is nothing that happens in the Mandalorian which would be in conflict with the Thrawn Trilogy. During the TT, Grogu would still be very young and be no where ready to be a jedi.

[@runehakonhelmundsen9225]

The ¨Heir to the Empire trilogy¨ is my true sequels... I consider Disney the alternative Legends story.. :P

[@sith7183]

Yes I Totally Agree

[@andylikesstuffchannel]

The sequels weren't made for another 30 years they couldn't have made it

[@aricaj.3006]

Read this trilogy during lockdown and I've been obsessed with it for over a year now. I had avoided exploring the EU until this point in part due to the fact that as a child I had been an extreme movie purist and refused to accept anything else as canon, but within just the first few chapters I understood why most people who've read them can't shut up about them and why EU fans were so upset that these books in particular were discarded in the process of building the new Disney canon. The story was just that good at sucking me in and even though I am more of a "the ST is a mixed bag" person than someone who fully hates them, reading this series definitely knocked my opinion of those movies down a notch. This trilogy by comparison just felt like a much more natural continuation of the story that not only perfectly nailed the OT cast's characterization (Zahn's interpretation of Han in particular astounded me with how close it was to movie Han) but also provided a plot that expanded the world beyond what we had seen previously. There's also something about the writing style that felt incredibly cinematic - the way it was written and paced made reading the story just as immersive of an experience as watching something onscreen, and many of the scenes I could so easily envision as being in a movie or show that it severely disappointed me when I snapped back to reality and remembered that this was no longer canon and that we probably would never see any of this material adapted to film. Zahn also did an amazing job of weaving the new characters into the universe seamlessly and making them feel as if they had always existed and it was just the audience's first time encountering them. Specifically Mara went from "that character everyone talks about but that I only know peripherally" to being my second favorite in the entire franchise, and now I'm one of the people who won't stop talking about her. It's so strange to consider Star Wars without her now, as well as Karrde, whose whole sublpot with the smugglers I found a fascinating addition to the narrative. There's just so much to talk about when it comes to these books and I could probably ramble on for hours. I admit, when I first started them I went in with some skepticism, thinking that maybe people's nostalgia had caused them to overhype the series, but I was so happy to be proven wrong. It's some of the best Star Wars content ever written.

[@evanflynn4680]

Have you read the Jedi Academy trilogy yet? Was my first forray into the expanded universe as a child in the 90s. It's focused around Luke starting a new Jedi Order on Yavin IV, where the Rebels had their base in ep3. Lots of other stuff happening with Leia, Han and the rest of the New Republic as well.

[@lmtoad1397]

This can be Canon if you choose it to be. As a fan, you have that power. I very much consider the EU Canon. I don't accept the lesser Disney movies just because they said they were the official sequels.

[@wilsonriley1856]

Read the X-Wing Series. Kaarde is good, but Booster Terrik is better. Same caliber of well-written characters too.

[@TheACcam]

I saw someone cosplaying as Mara at a convention a few months ago. I told the cosplayer that Mara would always be canon in my mind. A huge smile flashed across her face. BTW, read the first Dark Empire comic series. It and the Zahn trilogy are my Star Wars sequels.

[@RaidenPSX]

Mara Jade is forever canon!

[@gnbman]

I can't recommend the audiobooks enough. Marc Thompson is a master impressionist. Even though he can't technically mimic a female voice, he captures even the _way_ Carrie Fisher and others spoke so accurately.

[@tatters6623]

Hell yes dude! Marc Thompson is the best by far! Jonathan Davis does really good also. Most of the good SW books are narrated by one of them

[@JamesTobiasStewart]

Is there a way to get them without using Audible?

[@Luke-vl4lf]

@@JamesTobiasStewart I got mine off iTunes.

[@antelopedon6341]

You can also use Libby with your local library card. Amazing way to listen to free audio books. Agree with how great both Marc Thompson and Jonathan Davis bring to life the tone of the characters

[@thanos_6.0]

The thrawn triology is available in my language (german) for free on KZbin. I listened to it a couple years ago while I was building Lego and it was truly amazing. It was the first legends stuff I touched. Shame on Disney on how they disrespected this masterpiece

[@RogueFox2185]

Ah yes, the beginning of the true Sequel Trilogy.

[@splashnskillz37]

*Alternate Timeline Sequel Trilogy + this same story thread is being re-done by Feloni and Favreau

[@Zazz_Blammymatazz]

It would have made a better Sequel Trilogy than the tale of Mary Rey Palpatine! 😆

[@splashnskillz37]

@@Zazz_Blammymatazz Nah

[@thealexgundam5006]

@@splashnskillz37 It's not, its drastically going to be different from the book especially since some characters won't be in the show and new ones are being added

[@bretts8070]

The one true Star Wars canon! This was my formative years, the EU is my true SW love, along with the original 3 unaltered films.

[@bretts8070]

@Trey Stephens Harmy's Despecialized editions also help keep the dream alive. :D

[@RevanMartinez]

The EU is the TRUE Star Wars.

[@bretts8070]

@Trey Stephens Let's aim for 'Disney doesn't matter.' Screw Disney. :)

[@danielkeller1337]

Disney's new EU isn't even canon at all. As well as the whole sequel. 1-6 and original EU are the perfect canon for me. I don't care what people say about it not being canon, because to me it shows the true growth in power by Luke and enemies along the way. The other stories are just side stories about how things would turn out differently if someone or something had it happen to them and it would continue. That's how i look at it. I also love the power scaling of the characters in the EU.

[@FairyTalesAgain_]

My brother (9 years older than me) received the book as a gift when he was younger, but never read it. It sat on our bookshelf for years, never read by any of my 5 older siblings, and I had no idea what it was about. Then one day I suddenly saw something on the cover I had never seen before: the words “Star Wars”. Immediately I started reading it and fell in love! After reading the Thrawn trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn duology, and Scoundrels, my love of the books interested my brother, who finally read them and now loves them as much as I do!

[@mamunestor]

This book relaunched the expanded universe. It is the best StarWars book trilogy. It left a huge impression on me. I still remember every page. I don’t reread it very often, because I remember it so well. I also had flashbacks last time I reread it, which was recently. I also got mine at a Walden books, along with my D&D. Tbe bookstore I got it from was across the street from the theater I watched the original TMNT movie and next ti a nickel arcade. Good times.

[@thorskywalker]

Used to get all my D&D books from Walden's as well.

[@kenknowlton3085]

...but it wasn't the first book to launch the EU...

[@mamunestor]

@@kenknowlton3085 I didn’t say launch….I said relaunch. People had forgotten or hated the previous books. Zahn’s books rekindled the interest. Without these books, Anderson, and everyone else after would not have gotten license to write on the Star Wars property.

[@kenknowlton3085]

@@mamunestor I didn't say you did. I said launch. What you said was accurate. So is what I said. Not all people hated or forgotten the previous book. Splinter of the Mind's Eye is still available to purchase. It is also referenced in other novels. It is still considered part of the EU.

[@mamunestor]

@@kenknowlton3085 you certainly implied it. Splinter of the minds eye was the only decent book written before Zahn’s. And the author has been screwed out of royalties since Disney bought the property.

[@NicVegas]

I remember seeing these books in the book store back in the 90s, but unfortunately I never made the decision to buy them. I knew a little bit about Thrawn and Mara Jade from various media and toys, but it wasn't until my disappointment with the Last Jedi, did I go back and listen to all of Zahn's books in audiobook form, and just, wow. Why they didn't just adapt that original Thrawn trilogy is beyond me. There are more memorable new characters and storylines in those books than in any of the sequel films. Even if they had to age up the OT characters a bit for the story to fit, there os so much EU material they could've gone with to craft compelling stories for the sequel films that would have been loved by the fans. It's baffling to me why Disney/Lucasfilm went the way they did

[@austinmitchell2652]

Those audio books are incredible. All the sound effects and music make for a really great production

[@cybersketcher1130]

I think they took a little inspiration from the Jedi Academy Trilogy.

[@panos617]

From me this is the Real Sequel Trilogy.

[@ryanbarth6691]

You mean FOR you

[@lordpicklefartthemighty4231]

I’m dyslexic and back when heir to the empire came out my reading ability was really bad, this book inspired me to start reading. At the time it took me over three months to read it, but because of this book I now have a massive love of reading and can usually finish a book in a couple of days if it captures my interest. Star Wars and more specifically this book changed my life, for this reason it will always hold a special place in Star Wars for me.

[@migueltrujillo8929]

There are only two trilogies I've read more than once. This one and the Lord of the Rings.

[@jonathanryan9946]

I was 6 nearing 7 when Heir to the Empire was released and was recovering from a bad ear infection that had delayed me speaking properly. So my dad read to me lots of books so I could finally hear words phonetically correct now that my ear channels were no longer infected. So Heir to the Empire was ine of the first stories I ever truly heard [without sounding like I had water in my ears]. Thankfully my dad is incredible with languages, knowing fluently over a dozen languages, so he nailed every crazy word in the book. It's also probably why he picked it, him being a Trekkie who hated Star Wars with a passion, because he knew the difficult words would be good lessons for me. Just like you I was enthralled with Mara Jade, I didn't realize what a foil was at the time but I absolutely thought they should become great friends and allies and was rooting for them throughout the book. Later in life when playing Star Wars games and a male friend would basically try to kick out the girls wanting to play too, I'd quickly bring up how awesome Mara Jade was as an example of why girl should absolutely be able to play Star Wars too and could be as strong as Luke. She truly was the Ahsoka of her day, nearly universally loved and well written. Some fun facts: When asked about the difference between his take on the Clone Wars and the Prequels, Timothy Zahn has stated how he wrote them was how Lucas told him at the time they'd be. However it was Lucas's sandbox and he was absolutely in his rights to change the story as part of the natural dynamic writing process where things get reworked. Truce at Bakura writter, Kathy Tyers, was trying to write her female character, Gaeriel Captison, as Luke's future love interest (because back then Lucas had told all the early writers Luke was to have a female romantic interest and have kids as a result). However after reading Mara Jade's character in Heir to the Empire, she knew she had been completely outdone by writing the perfect person for Luke. So she broke up any possibility of Gaeriel Captison and Luke getting together so Luke could hook up with Mara instead. Then gave a different author permission to kill Gaeriel. Later Kathy Tyers finally got to write a Luke and Mara Jade book in the New Jedi Order series, it was there Mara Jade found out she was pregnant with Ben Skywalker. Zahn is a major character driven writer, it's why he and Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston got along so well, while Tom Veitch and Kevin J Anderson were more just about cool cinematics and basically formed the opposite camp in the early Expanded Universe.

[@jonathanryan9946]

@The Cambot I personally have no problems with either take on the clones, heck, I personally even believe Palpatine could have spread lies about the Clones as he phased them out and switched to Stormtroopers. So characters like Mara Jade grew up with Palpatine's false information of what the clones really did. Basically both could still work with each other, as Zahn never went into much details. I saw ep 2 and 3 over 40 times each in movie theaters (I worked in a theater at the time and saw it free). So yes, I like both films.

[@jonathanryan9946]

@The Cambot oh, no worries. I'm a fan of the OT, EU (excluding Denningverse, Dark Empire, KJA adult books, Barbara Hamby, and some other minor stuff like Jedi Prince), PT, and much of Filoni-verse. So I definitely got where you were coming from, I personally believe these differences aren't insurmountable though I know fans who think they can't work together which is where your question stems from. I definitely agree that AotC is flawed, I like its macro level storytelling but it needs a lot of work with the characters arcs and dialogue. My favorite movie is ESB and the rest of the OT and RotS are all tied at #2 with just my mood of the day dictating which falls where if push comes to shove where I have to rank them. Followed by RO, AotC and TPM in the next tier. The Ewok films and TCW film after that. Everything remaining is just garbage tier, with TLJ somehow ranked even lower, lol.

[@jetblast190]

Thrawn is one of my favorite characters from any fictional universe. While nothing can replace the Heir trilogy (in my mind at least), I also enjoy the new canon novels, particularly the current trilogy which covers his service in the Chiss military before joining the Empire. I particularly like how Zahn explores in depth the political, military, and social structures of Chiss society. Any elements from the original Heir trilogy that Favreau and Filoni include in upcoming live-action series are welcome additions for me. 👍

[@Bobthehero5]

Careful what you wish for, anything Empire related is done pretty poorly in Mando, the staggering incompetence of the footsoldiers was enough to turn me off the series, personally.

[@jetblast190]

@@Bobthehero5 I see your point, and it is a gripe of mine that stormtroopers are typically treated like fodder, even in the OT. Outside of the opening scene of A New Hope when Vader captures Princess Leia’s ship, when do we ever see stormtroopers have success? “An entire legion” of Palpatine’s “best troops” are defeated by a group of teddy bears with sticks and stones in Return of the Jedi! In fact, when do we ever really see the villains have their day in any of SW? Outside of Order 66, not much. Chasing the rebels from Hoth is a token victory at best for the Empire. Even Vader, what success does he really ever have in the movies? He fails to retrieve the Death Star plans, he fails to prevent its destruction, he fails to capture Luke and only captures him when Luke surrenders to him, he gets owned by Luke on the second Death Star. His greatest accomplishment is returning to the light side to save Luke and destroy the Emperor, and even that was taken away from us in the ST. So your argument is valid, but applies to the whole of SW including the OT and its most beloved villains. The overall weakness of the antagonists in SW is just something that has to be accepted.

[@Bobthehero5]

@@jetblast190 While they lost in the OT, they were generally shown as competent, with being merely outskilled by protags (Ewoks aside, read something they were meant to be Wookies at first. That would have been much, much better). In Mando, though? Oof, it gets cartoonish.

[@jetblast190]

@@Bobthehero5 While I still enjoy the show, I definitely get your point, and the overall weakness of the villains in the show would be my biggest complaint. The hero’s need higher stakes and a bigger challenge to overcome.

[@Imperials3nate]

​@Bobthehero5 Why does everyone complain about Stormtroopers being incompetent, yet say nothing about the idiocy of the damn battle droids?

[@pawarl.o.s.881]

I recently got my Thrawn Trilogy and Black Series figure signed by Timothy Zahn.

[@morandasavich9563]

Two things. 1. I know what you mean by memories. I remember the song I was listening to the first time I found the laundry pool in Clock Town while playing MM. It was Drops Of Jupiter, btw. Now every time I reply the game, that song gets stuck in my head. 2. I have many happy memories of buying Star Wars books at Waldens in the mall.

[@ALG2691]

Ah yes, the TRUE sequel trilogy. Such a great book, tho I think the Yuuzhan Vong series of books were tailor made for a movie treatment; this book will forever be my favorite of the old EU.

[@HappyKat-wc4ld]

Wow this is crazy. I actually met Timothy Zahn yesterday when this video was posted, and he signed my copy of Heir :) like you, it was a long time ago that I read the book, and it really stuck with me, but I hadn't reread it. I had to tear up my house and my parents and my boyfriends house to find my copy. I'm so glad I found it and went to Mr. Zahn's signing. I had constant flashbacks and nostalgia at the collectible store I went to when I saw the author and tons of books, comics, and action figures I hadn't seen in years. I felt like I was 14 years old again. Mr Zahn was so kind and really eager to answer any questions we had. It was better than I hoped it would be, and I can't wait to read the books again.

[@tuschman168]

When Disney bought Star Wars, my first thought was that maybe they'd adapt these books into an animated sequel trilogy. Maybe even traditional 2D animation. But by then Disney had already abandoned hand-drawn animation in their feature length movies so I guess it was a fool's hope. Just imagine though: This story, presented with animation on par with Hunchback or maybe Atlantis. Can you see it? I can.

[@Imperials3nate]

There is actually a channel here on YT adapting HttE into a film/show!

[@phillmillem8163]

Hard to believe that Disney had such a great and finished story to adapt and just let it pass by. This will always be my personal canon sequel.

[@thefrozenone417]

When my best friend moved to Idaho she started reading me Star Wars books over the phone and sending books to me in the mail. She recommended Heir to the Empire when I was about 14. I loved it so much that when I got to Last Command I hid from my family for the last few chapters so I could enjoy the finale unhindered. The trilogy ignited a fascination in me for the continued “Legends” stories of my beloved characters and I devoured Star Wars books after that. Amusingly, this is more* for Naboo than Thor, the biggest change this book caused in my little 15 year old heart was that I went from having a flippant crush on Han Solo to having a much deeper crush, or perhaps connection, with Luke Skywalker. He became one of my heroes and I looked up to him as a character with tenaciousness and morality that could be admired and emulated. I also loved the fierceness of Mara Jade and the kindness of Leia’s relationship with the Noghri. I felt that it really epitomized her core characteristic as a diplomat for me and set the stage for seeing and connecting similar characteristics in Padme to her as her mother later on. As for anachronism, I do remember being mildly confused by the presence of “hot chocolate” in the first scene. XD

[@ontasbulent5709]

Ah yes one of the greatest SW Books and the beginning of an awesome trilogy and the perfect post Endor story

[@ComicsMando]

I really liked your discussion of what Heir to the Empire did to your love for Star Wars when you were 13. KotOR did the same thing for me when I was around that same age. I didn’t read Heir to the Empire until after the Last Jedi nearly made me give up on Star Wars, but it basically did the same thing for me as KotOR had years ago.

[@jaceyking5015]

You got me to read the Thrawn trilogy after watching so many of your videos (and I'm not really a big "expanded universe" person for any franchise) and I gotta say, I absolutely enjoyed the read. A few new favorite Star Wars characters, and a much more satisfying "sequel" than what Disney churned out.

[@philipallcock2036]

Brings back a lot of memories. Loved these books, in part as you say because the characters "felt right" and we saw them continue to develop and grow. And in part because every action scene also felt like it could be part of a Star Wars movie. I also remember my absolute delight when they broke into an Imperial detention block by sneaking in through the garbage mashers... that scene deserved a medal. As did Luke's observation that the first time he had done this he had just had no idea how dangerous that was ... and now, he *did* know how dangerous it was, and he was still doing it! Also a shout-out to Wedge and Rogue Squadron. I remember these books capturing so well the tension between those who had fought the good fight, and the cynical politicians and unfeeling bureaucracy that ended up taking power. And indeed that ultimately Thrawn is undone at every stage by a combination of heroes putting their friends ahead of their careers, and the inherent evil of the Empire coming home to roost. More morality and characterisation than in the entire sequel trilogy, not that that's hard... As for Luke spending time without powers, I remember loving that he still emerged triumphant, showing that it isn't force powers that make Jedi heroes. And I was definitely one of those excited beyond measure to find Thrawn in Star Wars Rebels, and then again later being name-checked in The Mandalorean. Now we just need Mara Jade... :)

[@thorskywalker]

I think that's one of the things I really loved about the book that I wish I would've mentioned in the video, that everything in there "felt like something you'd see in one of the movies." Often times in the books I'll read something that I just couldn't see in one of the films. Everything here just fit.

[@dylanmahaffey8920]

At times while reading these books I felt like I could hear the music from the movies. I also wouldnt be surprised if Mara Jade showed up in a future Disney+ show

[@jasher6748]

If John and Dave give us Karen Gillan as Mara Jade, I will cut out the middle man and just mail them my ATM card and PIN.

[@marty2129]

Please, do more Legends content. And more philosophy and lore from them.

[@blackshogun272]

Yeah, my manz definitely need to touch on some more old EU/Legends material. Video content is deadass endless with how deep the lore rabbit hole goes in Legends...

[@RyanTheDark]

You are fulfilling your destiny, Thor.

[@saintmanuel]

Those books are the essence of Star Wars and continued the storylines of the classic Trilogy in such a great and true to character way, I was amazed reading it.

[@jonathanfornwalt4919]

Talon Karde was my favorite new character introduced in that trilogy. I would have loved to see him introduced in a live action production. Everyone remembers Thrawn and Mara Jade rightfully so, but there was so much potential with Karde too. This series and the Jedi Academy trilogy were the two series I had always held the highest esteem for. I remember these books fondly from reading them in the mid 1990s, however I recently listened to this series on Audible and it was excellent.

[@paul46403]

After reading this I started looking for all the stories that were written in the front cover and I have read all of them except the Rougue Squadron and Wedge Antilles books

[@tagginondawal3961]

I just got the audiobooks of these during the pandemic. It's an excellent book series. It's got the sound effects, and the reader does a superb job in his emulation of voices is great.

[@dukemanu9580]

Yeah, I did the same this year. And I have to say it's a great Story and great Characters. Much better than the Disney Sequel Trilogy.

[@Praxeus514]

Just added them to my wishlist!

[@Grace_Reads]

Thor: talking about how being unable to connect to the force doesn't make sense The Yuuzhan Vong: Hi there *threatening smiley face*

[@TerryKashat]

Mara Jade was a great character in a great story. Nothing more. Nothing less.

[@SPQSpartacus]

This trilogy has the feel of the Galaxy and the personalities of the hero trio perfect. And it solves the problem of the power of Luke beatifully. No matter How powerful, one Person can not overcome a strategy alone. That requires co-operation, and everyone’s capabilities are needed. Everyone has strengths, doubts and weaknesses. Things happen as a result of the interplay of smart people having Well-thought plans, not foolishness or lack of forsight, as constantly in a certain sequel trilogy.

[@gianfri7640]

Zahn's book trilogy kickstarted the happiest period of my life, it reignited the passion in me (and many more fans around me) and made me join a local Star Wars club. That changed my passions to something to be enjoyed alone and hidden from my friends (being nerds at that time wasn't cool at all) to something to share and truly enjoy, I met so many other fans and started playing the beautiful SW roleplaying game (and many others), doing conventions, writing articles, partecipate in LAN parties, collecting action figures, reading books and comics, and so many other things.

[@MarcoCCS65]

This book is a fantastic read.

[@beskarman38]

Still is.

[@oilerfreak]

Are you sure you are not a carbon copy of me, I've read it once just like you had. I had done major damage to my left ankle and was headed into physio and the lady said better get a book you are going to be here for months. I hobbled to the bookstore and I said WTF there is a NEW Star Wars novel. The rest is history. I may have been 20 not 13 but your story you tell above is a carbon copy of myself, in the feelings, enjoyment and reaffirming my strong love for the saga, and it still lives in me 30 years later. For my 49th birthday my wife got me the Millennium Falcon I had ALWAYS wanted since I was 8 years old. It literally made me cry. That's how much I love Star Wars and especially the EU and Legends. Disney not so much. One of your best videos Thor, thank you.

[@austinmitchell2652]

Never saw pics of Talon Karde before, I always imagined him looking like the captain guy from Treasure Planet. Also PLEASE do more legends videos!!

[@saymynameice-zen-berg511]

I still remember one of the reviews when it came out. “Read and enjoy, the magic is back!” And boy was it ever. Reading it was like the first time experiencing The Empire Strikes Back.

[@stephenelberfeld8175]

I must have read it 10 years ago when I was working overnight security in a building where people shared their used books in the cafeteria. This series was great because it realy moved the narrative forward in a positive direction where Luke Skywalker is not allowed to become an eccentric unemployed hermit monk, living in space with grandeous ideas and no peer-to-peer checks and balances. Unlike some Jedi we know.

[@ethansmith8463]

Even though I'm a fan of the actual sequels, I can't deny that this trilogy did do a lot to get Star Wars back on track. It kicked off the old EU, and it gave the franchise more publicity.

[@AdultThirdCultureKid1971]

I liked that Mara Jade's character developed over the course of the Thrawn Trilogy.

[@mrsurdeo2michaelkennedy221]

I was working at a waldenbooks when these books first came out in the early 90's. I learned that they created limited editions of the books that were signed and numbered. There were 300 made for heir and 350 each for the other two...so 1000 over all. I bought two each as they came out so I ended up with two complete sets...a few years ago I obtained a third limited copy of heir that was still unopened after almost 30 years.

[@thorskywalker]

I didn't even know those existed. That's awesome that you managed to get your hands on all three.

[@mrsurdeo2michaelkennedy221]

@@thorskywalker to me it's an interesting story. I even reached out to the publisher to get more information about the books and whoever answered me back had no idea about the books either. I even reached out to zahn on Facebook. He answered me back but his only comment was about not even seeing them at any of the signings he has done..... I got pics of the books if you are interested.

[@thorskywalker]

I am very curious about these. You can feel free to email the pics to me at: [e-mail]

[@mrsurdeo2michaelkennedy221]

The email is a little wordy but the pics are on the way.

[@patriciafenwick5846]

I thought the story was finished after ROTJ (even though I had heard that George wanted to do 9 films) so I wrote my own continuation stories almost immediately afterwards. Imagine my delight when this trilogy came out!

[@SimpleTricksNonsense]

A friend bought me the book on cassette and it was awesomely narrated and I loved the inclusion of the music and sound effects. This was a shot in the arm for SW and SW fans. The funny thing is I was working at Waldensoftware starting in 1993. A friend of mine got me the job and we'd work together talking about SW. He was the one who bought me the book on cassette.

[@Tolbat]

We are about the same age, sounds like you have me by a year or two. Didn't find these books until my early 20s. So for me it relit the fire. Its also interesting that Empire is my favorite and Jedi is yours it actually kind of reflects our personalities to a degree. Anyway as always thank you. Loved this series. So much better than what Disney gave the people.

[@CaptainMarvel-ew7rn]

Same . I got into reading Star Wars at school caused my teacher was tired of me sitting through class doing nothing . I thought I was a cool kid cause I didn’t read . Now I can’t stop reading but the first book was a Star Wars book , it took place after return . It was a teen Star Wars Book . I didn’t even know Star Wars media had past the movies had even existed , and reading that book changed my life . The last movie I had watched was revenge of the sith and just being able to continue Luke and leias story’s was amazing like you said . Good video We grew up in different times but I think we all shared something special with Star Wars at one point in are life’s

[@inblackestnight9256]

I saw this book on the shelf at my local grocery store when it came out. I remember just putting it in the shopping cart and not saying a word about it; luckily my mother didn't question my 12 year-old self.

[@thorskywalker]

That is an awesome story.

[@fatbuckrto8371]

That was one of the things I was disappointed in the prequels for, in fact. Kind of like you, I walked away from the Zahn trilogy envisioning a war where the clones were the enemy of the Old Republic. Like you say, maybe an army of clones that helped kill off Jedi, but also a situation where individuals were being replaced by clones. Or at least, clones were made of certain people in order to cause confusion within the Republic. I think that would have been a more compelling story to frame the prequels around. I mean, what we got was good, I just think a war where you never could be entirely sure who the allies were and who the enemies were would have been a much bigger threat. A perfect environment for the rise of a Sith Lord emperor.

[@Livelongwforce]

This puts a smile on my face

[@zacharyclark3693]

Timothy Zahn should have been a writer for the Sequel films. It's a shame that Disney ignored the potential of Legends. I haven't personally read Heir to the Empire, or most of the Expanded Universe, but I have heard about characters like Thrawn and Mara Jade. I really should get into them.

[@dannyhicking]

My first time "reading" them was the Audible books about 4 months ago and I loved them. The narrator was amazing too.

[@specter7-1977]

I was born in 1977, I was 13 when this came out as well, and got it at Walden Books in the Jefferson Valley Mall, in NY. I was a member of the Lucasfilm fan club at a time, I do believe that’s where I heard about the book coming out. If not it was in the magazine Star Log or something like that. I remember the displays very clearly in the bookstore. I also remember being made fun of on the school bus, and at school because I would not put that book down.

[@markyogg1]

The Zahn "sequels" series is among the best Star Wars story telling I've encountered. Never had interest in the books before, but with Mark Thompson's narration (audio books) and Zahn's story telling, the entertainment value is immense. I would love for the books to be made in to movies or TV.

[@storyseeker6028]

Someone is doing an animated version of the heir of the Empire book on KZbin, it’s pretty cool

[@drumjedi5301]

You're talking about Darth Angelous. I've been following them since he released the first one, and they're really darned good!

[@storyseeker6028]

@@drumjedi5301 ye, thanks for reminding me, at the time of posting I was kinda out of it so just forgot the name

[@drumjedi5301]

@@storyseeker6028 Yeah man!

[@thealexgundam5006]

@@storyseeker6028 Thank you/ now I have something to watch

[@stormhawk31]

I remember the first time I saw that book. I was 18, at Comic Connection in Norwich, Connecticut. I knew I had to come back the next week to buy it, and I remember being SO worried that it would be gone. When I got it, I DEVOURED it. And I remember being disappointed that Luke was depowered, and disliking the ysalamiri as well. However, overall, I LOVED the book, I loved Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn, and the Noghri (I think I was one of the few people I know that picked up that the gray hunter character in Rebels was a Noghri) as well as Leia's title of Lady Vader. I also loved Dark Force Rising and The Last Command, which I got and devoured as soon as they came out. I'm a bit older than you, but I was every bit as into Star Wars, and my reaction to the book was very similar to yours. And, I also have never read it again since, though I can't really tell you why. But thank you for doing this video, because it's motivated me to go back and rectify that.

[@Noitartst]

Love what ya said: Heir, the TRUE heir-to the story moving forward is these books, which introduced new, beloved characters, whilst doing the old ones well, at the same time. That's the real trick...

[@artsman412]

When I was about 12, and already a diehard Star Wars fan, my dad dug up his hardcover set of the Thrawn Trilogy and asked me if I'd want to read them. Since I was young, and skimming the books I saw no pictures, I declined. Years later I finally got around to reading them. Needless to say, I am very glad my dad held on to those books for me.

[@austinmeans7294]

I've listened to the entire trilogy over 30 times at my work, and yet I always find a new tidbit of info or something new to reflect on each readthrough. That's good writing right there! Loving the content as always Thor!

[@WhoWouldWantThisName]

There was something so nostalgic about seeing that image of the front of a Walden's Books in a mall. Takes me back to a much more enjoyable time known as "the `80s", well and `90s too I suppose, the world pre-internet and we did all this on paper.

[@johnminer8672]

I read these books as a young teen shortly after came out. My experience with them closely mirrors yours. It was an indescribable thrill to see where our heroes were after Return of the Jedi. Even now, after the disappointing sequels, I'm rereading this trilogy and it's very enjoyable. In my mind, this timeline, which is now discarded, will always be the true continuation for me. It's also fun to read them with a pre-prequel era frame of mind and hypothesize about what happened in the clone wars and how Anakin fell, etc. In a way making up your own backstory. When I reread them, the old thoughts and speculations I used to have come flooding back that don't line up at all with the prequels. I think every Star Wars fan had made up their own backstory and it's fun to revisit those thoughts. I'm not a prequel hater and I enjoy Hayden Christensen, but when I reread these books the Anakin I see is a younger version of the one at the end of the original Return of the Jedi. It's almost as if I have a separate Canon timeline in my head that I developed for myself before the prequels came out and that still exists in a way when I read some of these stories.

[@jeffjohnson6300]

Rogue Squadron, Bounty Hunter Wars and Heir to the Empire would of made good movies.

[@anthonyyoutubefan7567]

Ironically, Thor, I just started reading Dark Force Rising (for the first time), on Friday evening. I very much liked Heir To The Empire. I actually prefer the idea of mutant clones being the primary threat, during The Clone Wars. In a way, The Bad Batch is picking up on some of those genetic, behavioral concepts. I will say, 70% of Timothy Zahn's story certainly does align with the timeline events of Favreau and Filoni's The Mandalorian Saga (inc. The Bad Batch); so, reading this trilogy feels like a partial template for what those 2 creators are currently penning. *** Actually, The High Republic has a very exotic, horrific threat, being harnessed by the main villain of The Nihil, that can affect a Force-user's connection to and powers with The Force. There's also a machine, an invention by a novice Scientist-Technician of The Republic, that has the ability to power down and block the powers of lightsabers, blasters, and laser canons...it's very effective and very much a game-changer. I found both to be kind of distant relatives to the aspect of the Force-blocking space lizards, and nice nods to Zahn's books. The fact that one of the authors of the adult tales in the initiative, Cavan Scott, is a big fan of The Thrawn Trilogy, speaks volumes, in a way, with regard to how he penned and styled his particular novel (The Rising Storm; the best in the bunch, so far) and his continuing graphic novel. So far, I'm liking/loving all of it, very thankfully...

[@milesshelley1464]

Just finished the series. My first Star Wars books ever. Really enjoyed them. I thought Thrawn took a bit of a backseat to C'baoth in the last quarter of the last book, but the book and series as a whole were still great.

[@shiptj01]

This was an interesting time in Star Wars history because so much was still unknown, but that only made everything more interesting. We didn't know much about the Clone Wars, the Republic, and the Jedi, but it didn't matter.

[@thorskywalker]

I think that was one of the best parts about rereading it. I was back in that time when everything in Star Wars still felt like a mystery.

[@cheneymoss6402]

I remember when the book came out as well(I was in my early 20's and in the Marines when the trilogy came out). It was a great "sequel" to the original trilogy of movies and while it generally follows the beats of the original movies, it did so in its own ways and without just being a reskin of things from the original movies. Of course, it also moved the stories of the original characters forward in a way that felt logical and was respectful. I was not totally Star Wars starved when this came out though, as I had been playing the West End Games Star Wars RPG since it released in 1987 (including campaigns with fellow Marines). The story I have always heard, is that when Zahn set out to begin writing the books, he was given some of the WEG sourcebooks for the RPG and told that what was in those was "canon." Whether or not this is true, Zahn certainly took many elements from those WEG sourcebooks, such as Interdictor Cruisers and Dreadnaughts (ie the Katana Fleet). Zahn certainly developed a lot of new things, Mara Jade and Thrawn being the two major ones. Anyway, these were fantastic books, and really still are and certainly launched the expanded universe of books, sadly many of which are no where near as good as these. I still have my copies, and it has been too long since I have reread them. (They have been in storage for over a decade, but are not back out on a bookshelf, so maybe I will get to them sometime soon).

[@JoshuaWillis89]

This might be my favorite video of yours. So much insight into an era of Star Wars a lot of your audience didn’t live through. I was two years old when Heir to the Empire came out, so I also grew up in the pre-prequels era of Star Wars, but as a young fan, I could just ask my Mom about the characters in the books. She had all of them: the entire X-Wing series, all the little trilogies and one-offs. I would always look at the covers, but I was intimidated by how long they were. By the time I was old enough to handle books like these, we were deep into the prequels. So I didn’t even start reading the “Legends” books until I was an adult, after Disney had already decanonized them. Needless to say, I got hooked. And yes, we genuinely thought every Jedi became a Force ghost after they died.

[@gwalla17]

What you said about vividly remembering what you were doing when you originally read the book… is one of my favorite reasons to read (particularly fantasy - Lotr, hobbit, silmarillion for me, but anything you have passion for) when I go camping or on vacation. The memory tie ins are so filled with detail and emotion. Really helps the imagination paint a picture, and even better we get to hold onto those memories. I highly recommend it friends 😁

[@sithspawn29]

When this book came out, I was 21. I didn't know it was coming out before hand and was completely surprised to see it in a Tower Records store. I spent every free moment reading this book until I finished it. It was everything you said in your video and more! I did eventually hear that this was the first of a trilogy of books, and the wait for the next one was probably worse for me than the waiting was for Episodes 5 and 6. I had never stopped loving Star Wars with no new material for 8 years, but damn did these books return the fire I had for it!

[@christopherdowning9382]

This trilogy, the X-Wing books, and the original Han Solo trilogy were great

[@Kale13000]

I gotta say I relate to your lord of the rings reread count. I’ve read it almost yearly since I first discovered it at 12

[@Sagegaidin]

Read these back in 91 or 92 myself. I also recently went through and reread them. Great series of books, and sent me down the Sci-Fi path for a long time.

[@tedhimes40]

These books were great when I first read them, and they are still great now. It was Star Wars unlike much of the stuff we get now. Shadows of the Empire was another amazing book along all the tie ins.

[@beatafras8712]

Indeed it is one of the best pieces of Star Wars story in Expanded Universe. I have read it several times and sure will come back to it in the future. You're right to point out that it has so many interesting things going for both the known and new characters, they are what makes this book so great even after so many years. I think that the new Thrawn books don't cut it quite so well, though maybe I am just biased because of my very good memories regarding the original Thrawn trilogy...

[@SacCity]

Those books were anchor at a time when my outlook on life was grim. Loved Mara. Perfect contrast to Luke. BS that longtime Star Wars fans don't like strong, female characters.

[@SacCity]

The irony about the Thrawn trilogy is that Luke never felt threatened or bothered by Mara's hostility towards him. So even Luke wasn't afraid of s strong female.

[@kevinvassago]

The heir to the empire motion comic is insanely awesome. I'm rewatwching it right now, that will always be the real sequel trilogy to me

[@WhoWouldWantThisName]

Ever since 2015 and TFA I have been discovering the differences in how various fans have experienced and related to Star Wars. This was something I think we assumed we all shared with little understanding of just how different we actually did and do relate or perceive Star Wars. I think a HUGE factor in every fan's impression is how old they were when they discovered not only the franchise but also a particular element, like a film or book. I think how passionate people are about these elements is often directly related to how old or young we were at the time. I believe this is partly why some view a certain portion of the franchise as great or even terrible. There are those that hold the PT as closest to their heart because they were at the right age for it at the time. I'm sure there are those that feel similarly about the ST but I do see some stark differences in the material itself that will effect this and certainly the kids of the ST era are not, on average, as passionate about Star Wars as those before. I was already 11 when I saw ANH before there was a New Hope as it was simply `Star Wars' in 1977. So I was already 17 by the time of ROTJ and by the time these novels and comics came out I was just tuned out from it all and so I don't have that experience of these things back when they were happening. I now find it interesting to hear the stories of others who grew up on these stories. If someone was young at this time reading these stories I can see why this would be THEIR best Star Wars. Of course another factor is just that in general the books are better than the films. Even in the ST era I have found some of these more recent books to be really good, though I haven't read the stuff based on the ST characters. To be honest I'm not always sure I want Disney's LF to cover the things I love most in Star Wars. I don't exactly trust they would treat it in a way I would be happy with so I think maybe it's best if they don't make films and shows on these beloved characters. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise that these things have gone untouched by the people now in charge of this franchise. I'm sometimes disappointed in what we get when these things are brought to the screen. We need a regime change no matter what stories they choose to tell.

[@sarahhawke9637]

Meeting Timothy Zahn at Celebration 3 changed my life and got me to become a writer. :)

[@MariahJade1]

I saw a book review in my newspaper when it came out and it was glowing and I had to run to the book store to get it. It had been a long time since I had seen those characters I loved. I've read it a few times over the years. I just loved everything about it. You mentioned that the Ysalamiri bugged you a bit. Not me. I loved how it showed how talented and smart and skilled Luke could be with or without the force. One of my favorite lines is from Talon when he sees the crushed arch and says in a very impressed voice. "One man and without the force" He wrote Luke like a human first and foremost which I loved and yet he is even better with it. All his new characters were interesting. The Admiral too, but Mara will always be my favorite. He made me wish she had been in the OT.

[@austinjohnsen4430]

It was so artistically done.

[@____________838]

I hadn’t realized you were around 8 years older than me. Very interesting… But on topic, I’m glad I’m not the only one that felt that way about Mara Jade “from the start”.

[@ridensroom6957]

One word. Masterpiece!

[@GENGHISKHAN-hk3qs]

Sorry I haven’t been around lately, have been reading old comics. And watching more tv and movies. Only started KZbin because I was injured and it was something to do. But ya, love the Thrawn books. But I like the Darth Bane books better. Thanks for the video Thor. Hope your enjoying marriage.

[@thorskywalker]

Well welcome back (even though it took an injury). And so far so good when it comes to married life.

[@GENGHISKHAN-hk3qs]

@@thorskywalker good to hear that your having fun. Been going to physical therapy for two years now. Was hurt for so long, have to learn how to really walk again. My knees hurt so much every day, even with my pain patch. It has been a very tough two years, but Genghiskhan doesn’t give up!!

[@petersaturday]

THOR!! If you are going to revisit this story again you MUST Listen to the audiobook version narrated by Marc Thompson!! It has music, sound effects and his impersonations of all of our favorite characters is simply stunning!!

[@thorskywalker]

Yeah, I've heard it's exceptionally good. Maybe next time I 'read' it I'll do it that way. Though this time I won't wait thirty years.

[@petersaturday]

@@thorskywalker I'd listen to it before bed each night and the audio production along with his impersonations Really made it feel like I was watching a movie in my mind :)

[@petteraven3761]

I first read Heir to the Empire back in -96 or -97. It was the first Star Wars novel ever that I'd read, and many more followed in rapid succession. Zahn's story felt like an entirely natural continuation of the saga. Nothing new that was introduced broke the established canon. There were for example no obvious character or conceptional inconcistencies when compared to the movies - at that time, the Original Trilogy were the only movies. Not all novels from that time would do quite so well, and there are a few that I have little regard for, but on the whole the universe of Star Wars was expanded into something awesome.

[@jetrun94]

You should look at some of the Legends characters, such as Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo among other characters as they are worth looking into.

[@MasterTangerines]

I would love more videos reflecting on these original books. Maybe a comparison of the story changes to current canon or theorizing what they might use in the future.

[@matthewterry9413]

Greatest Star Wars book/story outside of the films. These will always be the real 7,8,9.

[@jaredlocke4300]

Finished my first read of it this morning. Really enjoyed. Definitely felt like an organic and gripping continuation of the OT. I also appreciated how true Rebels was to Thrawn, since I saw Rebels first

[@rlosable]

I had a very similar experience to you, except that I didn't get Thrawn trilogy until much later. I grew up in a small rural town with only 2 small book stores. The one my family always went to was 2 houses over and the elderly lady who ran it didn't know or care at all about scifi in general. When I saw Heir to the Empire in her store, not knowing there were SW books, I got incredibly excited and bought it. It took me ages to get her to order the second one and then the last. She didn't do orders for customers and had to look it up in a paper catalogue! It was such horrific customer service come to think of it. She knew who I was and knew my parents and grandparents, yet simply ordering a book for a kid wasn't ok. 😉 I showed the books to my friends and they all went to the other book store, because they had an electronic catalogue searchable by key words! Imagine that! And they were really nice about it and would even give a call when the books came. Anyway, I loved the trilogy and read a lot of SW ever after. Then my sister went on exchange to the US and sent me SW books in English. I still credit that for getting me to read in English (German native speaker) at the ripe old age of 13. Massive boost to my language skills...

[@NessaEllenesse]

Lucky you. I saw starwars the first time on VHS. Born in 78 the first movie I was allowed to see in a movie theater was the Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast. Being female I was only taken to Disney princess movies. I got to watch them on VHS. I only got to see them on the big screen a few years ago at a recent re-release.

[@ontasbulent5709]

Hello there

[@crusader2112]

General Bülent You are a Bold One.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Heir to the Empire kicked off the resurgence of Star Wars leading up to the prequels. I was excited years later that Coruscant from the books would be in the movie. The original concept for a city center planet was originally going to be in Return of the Jedi and it was called Had Abbadon. Ralph McQuarrie did the concept art. There was even the Emperor's castle where the final duel was to take place.

[@JenniferKokoski]

I just discovered the Thrawn Trilogy this year 2023. I also just discovered the animated series Clone Wars and Rebels. I'm not sure why I always avoided it in the past. I guess I was a movie purest. And I know how books can go off on to weird tangents that don't capture the magic of the movies because they involve such wild thought experiments. Like the Youzan Vong in NJO. But this feels very much like what we would see in the movies. I'm thrilled that Thrawn became a major villain in the rebels show. In fact that's how I first experienced him. The way that he's so polite in his speech and so calculating is so much more realistic and sinister than Palpatine. And you really see how he both wins over the Imperial remnant yet inspires their fear of failing him. He was a fantastic commander. But more importantly I absolutely fell in love with Talon Kardde. It could be how Mark Thompson voices his character, (which reminds me so much of Ricardo Montalban) but I love this suave and sophisticated scoundrel. He is truly the Robin Hood of smugglers. He has his own moral code. He's loyal to his employees. He's the most congenial kidnapper you'd ever experience. And in the last book when Leia sees Han in him I just had to laugh. Because that is exactly what Talon Kardde was. I can't say that I fell for Mara Jade as much as other people did. She does make a good foil for Luke. It was a little drawn out resolving her inner conflict. I think I actually enjoyed her character more in later books. But I totally get why people love her so much. And why when people compare Mara to Rey the latter always comes up short. There's a fella here on KZbin who's doing a CGI version of the books. Really good. And definitely more entertaining than the sequel trilogy we got.

[@carwyn1843]

Love it. Read in 1991, 92, 93 etc. Then then downloaded the 20th anniversary edition audio book and have been listening to it recently again. It should have been the sequel. Love the vid, you hit the nail on the head, thanks you. Cheers, C