Allegiance Part 3

[colls]

Welcome to our third of four check-in and discussion posts for our Book of the Month.

This month’s book is Allegiance by Timothy Zahn
Chapters 13-18

Allegiance Part 3

1. The threads haven't quite found their way together yet. Which plot thread do you find the most interesting? Which one would you like to see have some more development?

2. So many of the characters seem to be struggling with the idea of 'allegiance' - the AWOL Stormtroopers, Han, the various factions in the Shelsha Sector (including the pirates, the would-be rebel allies, and the Imperials), and there even seem to be vague allusions to Mara questioning things. What sort of allegiances do you think we'll see by the end of the book?

3. Any other thoughts?



FYI - There's no need to answer all (or any) of the questions above - they're just talking points to get us started. Informal chatter is more than welcome! In-person book clubs often veer off topic, it's okay if we do as well. :)
All I ask is that you try to avoid spoilers for things past Part 3 of the book.

Comments

[colls]

The idea of Leia going into hiding as a waitress is both amusing and classist (I believe it was intended to be based on the tier-conscious companion she had). The community's acceptance of her the next day was a warm-fuzzy touch that military/political space drama's need, IMO.
I think Zahn writes Luke pretty well in this, even if there's not a lot of time spent on Luke. He's still young and unsure and so incredibly earnest.
I'm most interested in where Mara is going here, is she starting down a path away from Palpatine? Her treatment of Tannis was surprising at this point in the timeline as I expected her to be solidly in Palpatine's pocket.

[brokenmnemonic]

I thought Leia's actions in trying to save the girl from burglars were 100% Star Wars in action, even though it's the sort of thing I'd expect a die-hard resistance member to never do. I'm rather delighted it worked out the way it did.

I found while reading this that I'm contrasting Luke's scene with those in Shadows of Mindor. In Shadows of Mindor, Luke couldn't get a response from Obi-wan no matter how hard he tried, and was barely levitating noodles. In this, Obi-wan seems to be unable to stop talking to Luke.

[colls]

Interesting observation about Luke. Ben must've had his force-phone turned off when Luke was trying to reach him during Shadows of Mindor or something (LOL).

[brokenmnemonic]

1. I think the thread I found most interesting in this quarter of the book was seeing Han and Luke interacting with the stormtroopers. I'm not sure that I believe that all that many people signed up to be stormtroopers because of an idealised view of the Empire, but seeing Han in particular being able to relate his experiences with those of the stormtroopers was interesting.

2. I'm not that convinced that Han is really struggling with his allegiences here - it almost feels like he's waiting to be asked the right way. I'm curious if we'll see the stormtroopers end up joining the rebels (assuming the stormtroopers survive) or if they'll end up becoming some kind of free agents. Mara Jade seems pretty convinced of her beliefs at the moment, but I'm curious what will happen if she meets up with Luke. Of all the people we've met who're committed to a higher authority, I find it interesting that Leia, Luke and Mara seem to be the three most committed and certain in their beliefs.

3. I know that a Star Destroyer is a big beast that can happily bombard a planet, but I'm a little surprised at how thin the Empire's forces feel in this particular sector. I find it hard to believe that the Emperor would allow any kind of seperatist movement to form without setting Vader on them.

One of the themes that seems to be cropping up a lot is in-universe characters justifying the rise of the Empire by flagging up corruption in the old Republic. And yet, corruption seems to be firmly embedded in the Empire, too. I'm curious whether the Empire started out corrupt, or whether it became corrupt over time - and if so, just how quickly.

[colls]

2. I can see that and agree in that I don't think his struggle is between factions. I still see a struggle in him as to whether his allegiance is to himself (and Chewie) or whether he's going to join the actual rebellion. He talks about how ridiculous he's being in sticking around for Luke and Leia and about taking off and settling his debt with Jabba and getting on with his life. But he wavers and sticks around. So is he ready to expand his allegiances beyond people he wants to do right by?



Yeah, the way it's being written it feels like the corruption is one of the things the Empire kept around when they evolved from the Republic, doesn't it?

[brokenmnemonic]

I think Han comes across as pretty jaded a lot of the time. I'm trying to remember - is it ESB when he makes a comment about shipping out, and a rebel general agrees with him that "it's hard living with price on your head?" I'm curious as to what extent Han ever really committed to the rebellion, as compared to expanding his personal version of loyalty to Luke and Leia, and accepting that the rebellion is a third party that comes along with them?

[colls]

I think that's exactly what he grappled with. He was drawn to Luke and Leia and felt some loyalty to them, but they came with this rebellion thing that he didn't want to get involved in.

In some ways, the movie Solo really showed how he always had these heart-of-gold tendencies, despite trying to be an outlaw. Then by the time Luke and Leia show up, the outlaw part is catching up with him just when he's found people who can convince him to care about the bigger picture.

Also, in Solo he tried to appear more jaded than he was (? perhaps?). I always imagined him with a soft center, even in TFA it came across to me. Like he was mildly cynical, but the whole "too cool for school" was just an act.