Dave Wolverton wrote some of the foundational expanded universe material with excellent world building. His stories include:
The Courtship of Princess Leia, The Sandtender: The Hammerhead’s Tale, Payback: The Tale of Dengar, Tessek: A Free Quarren in Jabba’s Palace, Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force, and several of the Episode 1 Adventures.
This may include some minor spoilers.
Revealing the circumstances of Han and Leia’s marriage was almost certainly a challenge. How to tell a story when everyone already knows it happened? It’s likely anyone who followed Star Wars deeper than the casual movie goer knew Han and Leia were married. Heir to the Empire was the first novel since Return of the Jedi and it sold like wildfire, confirming it and Leia’s pregnancy. Even the casual movie goer almost certainly expected this. So how to tell an interesting story about it in Courtship of Princess Leia?
Wolverton aimed for Leia’s vulnerable spot, the one thing that could come between their love. As the last Princess of Alderaan, Leia had a duty to the displaced survivors of her people. She also was still a leader of the Alliance turned New Republic, which was essentially broken for cash. So when diplomatic efforts yeild a chance for a new home as well as riches, it naturally has to have a catch. That she marry into the leader’s family. The politicians want her to say yes. It’s obvious what Han Solo’s opinion is.
Han is forced to take reckless steps to win back Leia. The quest leads to an exotic world of Dathomir, the discovery of Force strong culture led by women warriors and terrible danger. Both the rival Prince Isolder, Luke Skywalker and bounty hunters from all sides are on his trail.
This story is a worthy read and the places and people involved provided a rich framework to be expanded on in other stories. Nightsisters, Force Witches, Warlord Zsinj, rancor riding and more. The struggle Leia and Han would face between their relationship and duty would continue throughout the Expanded Universe.
A couple of notes of the universe involving this story:
One thing that strikes me after the fact is that years before the prequels we face at least part of the struggles her mother faced. Padme marrying Anakin bore the struggles of duty where she had to face doing what was right in the Senate, his violation of the Jedi code to marry, and his relationship with Palpatine.
Dathomir has a blue sky and forests, and the Witches are not all evil and so far as we know, they were all human. They are daughters of Allya, descended from a fallen Jedi who the Order exiled there. They were taught their ancestor’s Jedi ways, as well as a certain sense of honor. They did however tend to ‘enslave’ menfolk, who very rarely had the Force gift. The males did have options for leaving this enforced marriage however, but it was a complex system and definitely favored the female. The nightsisters used the Force for evil, directly using it for selfish gain and becoming consumed by the Dark Side.
The rancors were largely under the influence of those who followed the lighter path and this is the first place we see them tamed and ridden. The world was interdicted under the Old Republic because of the witches, and after a brief attempt at setting up a prison there, by the Empire as well. Into this matriarchal society we get a direct comparison to the Hapan’s system. The difference being one is a technologically primitive group of Force Users, the other an advanced group ruling planets.
Dathomir and Hapes would come up in future stories, as would the Nightsisters, including comics, books and games. Up until the Clone Wars influence, they all accepted Courtship of Princess Leia’s description of the world and it’s people.
Dave Wolverton’s Short Stories
The short stories did very well expanding characters and their cultures.
The Sandtender: The Hammerhead’s Tale gave Momaw Nadon and the Ithorian species it’s name and some of it’s culture. The Ithorians would go on to feature in many other stories. You can find this in Tales of Mos Eisley Cantina.
Payback: The Tale of Dengar revealed some truly evil brutal tactics of the Empire, gave a hint of Han Solo’s past and why Dengar hated him. This story also gave him an unexpected connection to Boba Fett. This puts Fett into a position of accepting partners, against his usual preference. You can find this in Tales of the Bounty Hunters.
Tessek: A Free Quarren in Jabba’s Palace. I’ll be honest and admit I haven’t read it in awhile. I do know Tessek was probably created in West End Games, with a mention that he was involved in the Empire’s conquest of Dac (AKA Mon Calamari). Here we see him in Jabba’s Palace, with his own struggles on a world very different than his watery home and discover his fate. You can find this in Tales of Jabba’s Palace.
Dave Wolverton in the Prequel Era
Another impressive start was Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force. Jude Watson gets credit for most of the series and the follow ups. But Wolverton’s firing up with a story of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s first difficult meeting laid the framework for future rivalries and expanding their relationship and it’s challenges in future stories. Qui-Gon didn’t feel he wanted or should have an apprentice. Obi-Wan in turn is ready to be shipped off to the agricorp due to his age and difficulty controlling his temper.
It gives a bit of hint to the tension when Qui-Gon is ready to cast off Obi-Wan for the trials on the spur of the moment while taking Anakin instantly. determination to train Anakin, even so far as saying Obi-Wan is ‘ready.
In addition the agricorp and its unexpected addition explains how the Jedi deal with trainees raised from birth in the Order who are not accepted by a Master to be padawan learners (although that phrase was used rather loosely. A youngling might be called padawan before choosing, just as a Jedi might be called ‘Master’ though only a Knight by those below him). The agricorp gets it’s own highlight through Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber, a horror novel where a main character is taken from there.
Dave Wolverton also did some of the Episode 1 Adventure books focus on Anakin’s adventures in getting himself into danger on Tatooine. While I haven’t read them I can see from the descriptions it focused on his struggle to help others on a world where helping others can be fatal!
By all accounts of reports both before and after his death, he was a generous author for any fan to talk to. He appreciated his readers. This is no longer something I, for one, take for granted that any author should be.
