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Trilogy VCDs - Hey all! I would like to inform you that Rogue Leader will now only be reviewing Star Wars related stuff such as books, comics, video-VCD releases, comics, and other exciting merchandise. This way I will be able to update every once in a while with worthy information.

Today I'll review the Classic Trilogy VCDs. First off I would like to commend All VCD for their fast service. Secondly the Packaging for the VCDs are amazingly beautiful! They are slight variations of the last Video Release. They could have used some more information on the inside and back cover, but overall brilliant packaging. I was very satisfied with the video quality. You should know that I have been watching these VCDs on my computer and I am uncertain whether the quality would be different on a true VCD or DVD player. When I sit up close the image can be blurry and boxy, especially in the dark areas. But as I sit farther away from the screen the better the image appears. When I sit on my couch, which is about 6 ft. away, the quality is great. It is equal to, or better than VHS.

The sound quality is definitely better on the VCDs. In ANH I can actually hear an echo just before Luke and Leia swing across the bridge.

I give the set 9 out of 10 stars. Point subtracted for the blurry vision when up close and the annoying add for Fox Studios Australia before each movie. I would much rather have a little behind the scenes look at each movie. Oh well that leaves us something to look forward to when the DVDs are released. 9 out of 10 stars.

Jedi Eclpise - All in all it was a pretty good book but due to a couple of reasons it is probably my least favorite NJO book so far. Reason number one; it took me to long to read. This may have been due to my busy schedule but I wasn’t so prompted to read this one as fast as the others. Perhaps if I did read it faster it would have been better. Another thing I was disappointed with was the multiple story lines. In some books this can be really good but in Jedi Eclipse I felt that each story wasn’t completely fulfilled. We’re not really sure what happened to Droma and his sister, Wurth Skidder’s story seemed to be going somewhere but in the end it doesn‘t really go anywhere.

But don’t get me wrong I liked the book. It is nice to see nods to the other novels that came before the NJO, such as including Centerpoint Station, Prince Isolder, and Hapes. It looks like we may have seen enough of Droma for a while, but I bet he’ll be back. He’s just too good of a character to never appear again. I was also disappointed that Vergere was not featured in this book. She will be back but it may not be for a while. I see her return towards the end of the series. She will tie everything together. I missed not having Luke and Mara in this book, but I guess its good to get a break from them once in a while. Han and Leia look like they are having some serious problems! Let’s hope that they figure out what they’re doing! 4 of of 5 stars.

Hero's Trial - I am glad to see that the NJO series is only getting better. It's cool to have this grand story arc in which we can read the books in order of their release, unlike the Bantam era. It takes a little while for Hero's trial to get going, but once it does....what a ride. The way Luceno writes Han Solo is dead on. Finally Han stops moping around and gets into the action. There are many EU characters that have cameos in this book. To name a few; Tenel Ka, Lowbacca, Roa, and Bossk ( although Bossk isn't really an EU character ). Han's new sidekick Droma is great. He is quite funny and I hope that they keep his character around.

I was really excited to see Vergere's name on the character page. I was expecting a lot with her character but I was disappointed. Vergere was Jedi Knight featured in Rogue Planet and she left the galaxy to learn about the Vong. Without reading Rogue Planet you wouldn't know that she is a Jedi. I was hoping for a scene in which she meets up with Luke and tells him all about the Old Jedi Order. That would be so cool. Hopefully Vergere will do this and supply the New Republic information about the Vong in the next one.

I was so happy that Mara was cured, at least temoralily. I hope that they can have some kids now. We need more Skywalkers running around the galaxy. And I was also glad that Han finally made peace with Anakin. This book is great and it's too bad we have to wait until October for part two.
I give this book 5 of 5 stars.

Ruin - I really enjoyed this book. Michael Stackpole does a wonderful job with all the characters. By the end of the book Corran Horn seems to be the main character. Again some of the original characters are barely used, but that didn't really bother me. This book gives us lots of information about the Vong. The Vong are a species obsessed with pain. There were a few scenes with Shedao Shai that made me shudder.

There is quite a bit of character development in this book. Jacen Solo is still not certain what path he must take or even what his choices are; Anakin still thinks about Chewie and loses a friend which develops his character; Jaina is a little ticked at her mom for not learning to use the Force to her full potential and she develops a love interest in Jagged Fel, who is a character that may evolve into a main character; Ganner changes from an annoying character to one of my favorite characters; Mara is not featured enough in this book nor is Han but he has his own duology coming up.

Elegos was an outstanding character and will be missed. I am truly glad Corran kicked Shedao Shai's a$$. I don't like the blame of Ithor's fate being set on Corran's shoulders and I really don't like it that Corran is going to lie low for a while. If this book says anything to me is that the Vong invasion will become completely out of hand and when it does Corran Horn will return and again kick some buttage. I truly hope Corran is featured more than I think he will be in the NJO books. He has evolved, like Mara, into a rich and colorful character that I can't get enough of.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Onlsaught - I just finished Dark Tide I Onslaught and I really enjoyed it. I think I liked this one better than Vector Prime but I need to let it sink in a little first. I was surprised that the book never focused on the Vong's point of view. The Expanded Universe characters have a large role in this story. With Chewie gone and Han, R2, 3PO, and Lando barely having roles in the story the EU characters shine. I liked Jaina joining Rouge Squadron; she truly is a great pilot. Mara Jade is such a great character. I really liked the part of the book when Mara and Anakin are vacationing on Dantooine. There were great insights on the Force in this book. I liked Corran Horn's role in the story and I enjoyed his interaction with Ganner Rhysode, a Jedi Knight. I was happy that Danni Quee returned in this story. I like her character immensely. The romance I guessed at between Danni and Jacen is touched on briefly. I'm sure that something will come from this somewhere down the line. The Dantooine battle was well done and I really liked it at the end when Leia, Gavin and the Bothan Commander Kre'fey confronted Fey'lya and the High Council. The Vong didn't seem quite as powerful in this book as they did in Vector Prime. The warriors seemed to be defeated more easily with Luke killing three, Anakin taking down a few and Mara, Leia, and Corran taking down others, but their overall threat seems much larger. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Vector Prime - Vector Prime has set the ground for the New Jedi Order books. I really liked the way the Solo children were portrayed as characters. I can say that they are my favorite characters in this book. I thought that there may be a romance brewing between Jacen Solo and Danni Quee, although she is five years older. Hey, that's the same age difference between Anakin and Amidala! Chewie actually had a part in this story. In the other books he was always off with the kids or his family. It's too bad that more authors didn't use Chewie when they had the chance and just wrote him off. It is very interesting to see the views of the Jedi differ between two groups. One group including Kyp Durron, Wurth Skidder, and Anakin Solo; being flashy, cocky, and vain, while believing a lightsaber will cure all of their problems. The other group including Luke Skywalker and Jacen Solo, being quite different. You need to read the book to understand. I hope that they recreate the Jedi Council it would be great for the stories. The Yuuzhan Vong are a very interesting species and a truly formidable enemy. This story captures the characters perfectly and brings new life into the Expanded Universe. If you've read other Star Wars books and didn't enjoy them as much as you would hope, start reading the New Jedi Order now!! I just started reading Michael A. Stackpole's Dark Tide I Onslaught and it seems that it is going to be even better than Vector Prime. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

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