The mysterious Outbound Flight Jedi colony ship was first mentioned all the way back in the Thrawn Trilogy, Heir to the Empire. Now at last its full story is told. Complicated manipulations by Darth Sidious, the stubborn determination of Jorus C’Baoth whose behavior has even the Jedi Council wary, and a crew of smugglers who blunder into Chiss space, and the discovery of a blue skin, red eyed military genius by the name of Thrawn are all on a collision course.
Synopsis
This is the real Jorus C’Baoth, not the clone one may have met in Heir to the Empire. But he’s full of arrogance and pride. His apprentice, Lorana Jinzler has a fine story arc, as a character intimidated by her Master. The two contrast with those the Council sends warily to keep an eye on C’baoth’s plans.Kenobi and Skywalker aren’t there just for fan service. The calm and settled Obi-Wan Kenobi and his overconfident young apprentice Anakin Skywalker really show the drastic difference between the two masters and their apprentices.
Meanwhile in Chiss space, a pair of smugglers and their crewer Jorj Car’das are unsure if they are guests are prisoners. But since they were caught between cranky Hutts when he arrived, giving Thrawn a brief cultural exchange seems their safest bet.
Outbound Flight Media
This had a hardcover, with regular and Japanese versions as well as a mass market paperback version. It recently got a trade paperback Essential Legends collection version.
Audiobook
I hated the abridged audiobook of this but enjoy the real novel. And I have heard there is now a digital unabridged version (not a fan of digital locked to certain software which is why I don’t have it.) There is such a nice balance of the separate parts of the story, as they gradually work up to where they all meet and their fates collide.
Short story
Mist Encounters was a short story originally published in the West End Game Journals. It was reprinted in the mass market paperback version of Outbound Flight.
Outbound Flight Continuity and Lore
This is set apparently between Jedi Quest: Path to the Truth and Jedi Quest: Way of the Apprentice. I base this on the fact that Anakin apparently does have a real full power blue lightsaber. It mentions events of Rogue Planet which would’ve been directly before Jedi Quest. There is a bit of confusion I have over the lightsabers. While Rogue Planet definitely has Kenobi using Qui-Gon’s, Jedi Quest appears to have him back to a blue one, at least in the comic adaptation, probably newly constructed. Yet this one has him using the green one again.
( RUMOR: I am aware wookiepedia says the green was given to Anakin for training after Kenobi built a new one but nowhere do they give a source for this.)
The whole idea for this springs of Heir to the Empire, first new book ever of the Expanded Universe. Thrawn casually mentions Outbound Flight but left the details to the imagination. Good thing to, as his other mention of clones proved more controversial in light of the prequels (though not insurmountable.)
Kinman Doriana was mentioned in Vision of the Future and also appeared in Cloak of Deception, Hero of Cartao (Star Wars Insider short story), Darth Plaguies and 2 holonet news stories, now available only on the web archive.
The Chiss really only appear as a people in Thrawn’s novels, with the outliers who followed Thrawn in the Hand of Thrawn duology (Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future) and Survivor’s Quest. There was apparently one (who made no sense given the timeline) in a TCW kids series as a Jedi.)
SWTOR does have them as playable characters starting with Imperial agent and NPC allies of the Sith Empire. There is also a flashpoint part of the story on Copero, a Chiss world. (How that jives with them having no knowledge of the Republic as of Outbound Flight is unknown, but there are records of entire systems and technology lost even within the Republic through the eons. – see the Dark Forces Jedi Knight audio drama – So it’s quite possible for it to happen.)
Jorj Card’as is also in Specter of the Past and Visions of the Future. He pops up in to Choices of One too. Trivia bit: artwork for him in various pieces used George Lucas himself as inspiration.
This book is closely tied to Survivor’s Quest. You could even call them a duology regarding Outbound Flight. Several characters appear in both.
The Far Outsiders mentioned in this book, as well as Vergere, first appear in Rogue Planet and later are revealed in the New Jedi Order series.
