Shelly Shapiro, Editor at Large at Del Rey, talked to the Fictional Frontiers podcast at Star Wars Celebration V in August. Though the interview is just now making its way online, her comments are not outdated, and reveal her thoughts on the end of Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi and the time period that will follow. I’ve transcribed these remarks after the cut. You can listen to the full interview here.
Shapiro was asked about which future Star Wars projects she was excited for. After mentioning the The Old Republic novels, she moves into the time period between FOTJ and the Legacy comics.
We’re slowly starting to think about what happens – this is really exciting – what happens between the end of Fate of the Jedi and the Dark Horse Legacy series. You know, we’ve got about a hundred years to cover, so what happens between Ben Skywalker and Cade Skywalker; how do we link it up? And that is super exciting.
On the conclusion to the FOTJ series (remember, this interview was done in August), she says:
We are just now hammering out the details of the ending of the Fate of the Jedi, and I have to say that I am way more excited by that now than I thought I would be. It is going to be an absolutely awesome ending, which of course means there’s a great jumping off point for the future, for future books.
She also talks about some of the Star Wars book projects she wish had gone better, like the original Clone Wars novels that were started with Matthew Stover’s Shatterpoint. She states that they were all great books, but were not as successful as they had wanted them to be. On the New Jedi Order, she says:
It turned out to be really successful, so I don’t really regret it, but the New Jedi Order wasn’t what we, what I wanted it to be . . . it ended up being more of a soap opera, you know, one book leading right into the next.
The interviewer then asks about the Solo family, noting that they have had a rough time lately, and wondering if we may see a light at the end of the tunnel. After a moment of hesitation, Shapiro simply replies “Yeah” and laughs.
Again, you can listen to the entire interview here.
Source: Star Wars Books Facebook
Austin Blankenship is the webmaster of EUCantina. He is a host of our official podcast, EUCast, and also founded our sister website, SoloSound.net. Austin helped turn EUCantina from a forum into a website in 2007, and continues to operate the site and the EUC social media accounts. Austin works as a librarian in a small town above Atlanta, Georgia. 
I don’t really get what she’s saying with the NJO comment. I imagine they don’t want a soap Opera feel to these books, but I see no downside from “one book leading into the next”.
Watch out Jaina, I’m sure Denning wants to be three for three. As for her comments about NJO, very disappointed to hear that; I’m not sure I even see where it’s different from LotF and presumably FotJ since all main characters were in all books of LotF but not so during NJO. But what do I know, I just read them lol
@ izikavazo:
Actually, I get what she is talking about. I have read every single Star Wars book that was published before the NJO. After NJO three books, I stopped reading Star Wars books altogether.
The EU was fun, it was Star Wars. And then, the prequels started in the cinemas. I don’t know why, but the new novels have not been of the same quality ever since. Today, all Star Wars books seem shallow and boring, just fast food. Always the same stories. The same families. Boring. And at least partially it feels like a disgrace to the Star Wars heritage that started this fine saga with the epic words “A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away”.
It is sad.
Kind of surprised about the NJO and first CW books comment. I actually thought those were some of their best works, while nowadays it seems, as Christan said, the books are ‘shallow and boring. Fast food.’ (though obviously I don’t agree with his statement about NJO) Don’t get me wrong, they can usually put out a gem or two, but it seems that they peaked with the ROTS novelization, and have been in a sliding decline into mediocrity ever since, excluding only a couple of books. (And for 2010, there has been nothing I’ve even liked. Usually there’s a book I can look back on in the year that I can say it was at least decent. This year? Nothing)
If the stories they are producing are what they wanted to put out all along…then I have little faith in the books to come, and will probably continue to pick up the comics exclusively and ignore the new novel releases to save myself time, money, and possibly from frustration.
So they are going to focus on bridging the gap between the present and the future after this series no suprise there
here is what I know has to happen
1. Ben Skywalker will have a son of his own at some point and the mother may or may not be Vestara Khai
2. Jagged Fel will take the imperial throne at some point I think in book 8 of Fate of the Jedi and his family will become Force sinsitive I still think Jaina Solo is going to be his wife but Allies has made me doubt this a bit
3. Jedi forms the Imperial Knights I think Jaina did this too too but we will see but right now she is the only Jedi that makes sense in the role at least for me
NJO was not a soap opera to me that was a weird comment I loved the NJO series it was refreshing to me after reading so many post Retrun of the Jedi New Republic vs. Empire novels and it was certainly beetter then LOTF don’t get me started on that one
as for the end of this series two things I want resoloved
1. the Jaina Jag thing now there is a real soap oprea I was a fan of this couple back in NJO but it has gotten really pathetic in LOTF and FOTJ they need to resolve this beacuse I am sure like myself most fans are sick of this on again off again crap move this forward or end it I know which I would prefur but it is not my call I want this ended one way or another
2. the Losr Sith Tribe I actually like these guys I am curious to see what becomes of them and as for Vestara Khai part of me likes her the other part of me hates her I still think she is a lot like Mara Jade which is why I can’t completly get behind her I don’t see too many ways she could survive this series and I fear what her purpose will be if she does live through this series still I can’t help but be interasted in her almost friendship with Ben Skywalker though I think I will be more interasted when the Lightsabers come out again
I hope Fate of the Jedi actually has an ending unlike LOTF we will wsee
I hope there will be post-FOTJ novels sooner like sometime in 2012 right after FOTJ ends. Perhaps Paul Kemp’s upcoming hardcover duology is set after FOTJ.
Here’s my two cents of what I want to happen after FOTJ:
1.More adventures in the Unknown Regions and Wild Space. Have Ben Skywalker have an adventure in the UR & Wild Space either with Dad Luke or by himself and face a new threat there. Timothy Zahn should do a post-FOTJ Skywalker family novel or post-FOTJ Ben Skywalker novel.
2.Have Ben become a Jedi Master and take on a padawan.
3.Have Han Solo return to the Corporate Sector and face a new threat there.
4.Have a second Outbound Flight to explore the Unknown Regions and the galaxies beyond to honor the first one and face new intergalactic enemies besides the Yuuzhan Vong or perhaps an Intergalactic Republic or Rebellion.
Hello,I have enjoyed reading Star Wars novels since I was a teenager in high school and read Heir to the Empire. I simply adore the interaction Mara and Luke have in all of the Star Wars novels in the Bantam and New Jedi Order Series. I felt they were a natural pairing, even though she wanted to kill him at the beginning. I have always felt the need for Luke to have a spouse as Leia has Han. I think that may be the biggest plot weakness in the classic movie trilogy. The SW novels made Mara Jade Luke’s other half and this has delighted and entertained me for quite a while now! I was greatly enamored with the idea of Mara when I read Vision of the Future and she accepted Luke’s marriage proposal. I feel that your novels fixed this plot weakness in the classic trilogy and has added so much more to the characters from the classic movies. Today I am a high school science teacher and for book club this semester my group is now reading Heir to the Empire!!
I only recently have had the time to sit down and read some of the later, more recent Star wars novels from Del Rey. It was bad enough when Chewie got “blown up” in “Vector Prime”, but my heart is now broken after having read “Sacrifice” in the Legacy book series. I don’t know if I will ever be able to read another SW novel now that Mara Jade has been “killed off”. I was enthralled and entertained by the novels from the 1990′s and New Jedi Order series. I got very attached to Mara Jade and now it is almost like a death in the family with her having been killed off. To me, these more recent novels are no longer entertaining. I just bought “Choices of One” but am having trouble reconciling the fact that Mara is dead now and this is a story from her past as a pawn of the emperor. I crave Luke/ Mara/ Ben adventures. My enthusiasm is waning and I haven’t begun to read it yet. I have one burning question on my mind. Can she be brought back, and would Del Rey books and /or Mr. Lucas allow it to happen? After all, she is an extremely popular EU character, 2011 ComicCon fan favorite character, other characters have been resurrected, ie. Palpatine, Boba Fett, Exar Kun, Callista, and now Darth Maul, and with many continuing story lines possible for her ….. I guess I can only hope, but is it false hope? Is it too late for this? Would you or could you ever bring her back? She is one strong female character in a Universe with very few!!
Hi David,
While it’s unlikely that Mara will ever be brought back to life (although, with the return of Darth Maul, I guess you can never say never), the character continues to live on in “Sacrifice” prequels like, as you mentioned, “Choices of One.” It’s not the same, but for now, it’s the best we’re going to get. But rest assured that you’re not alone in wanting Mara to return. There are many, many other fans that would love to see that happen.
Are there any other novels besides \”Choices of One\” which have Mara in them, possibly set between NJO and LOTF? I have forced myself to read \”Choices\” and it is pretty good so far. I never knew Mara was acquainted with Vader like that. Still, I would rather read about her as a Jedi with her son and husband. To me the EU novels have \”jumped the shark\” with LOTF and really have slid in quality since about 2004. There is no more camaraderie like there was between Han and Luke in the movies, and virtually no romance to draw in the female readers (although I like the romance too). Do you think Mara could return as a \”force ghost\” for extended lengths of time at important junctures in future novels? By the way, it really helps me to know I am not the only SW fan crushed by the turn of events in the recent novels. I have run into a few fans who said I was being overly sensitive. If I am I apologize. It\’s just I am very passionate about this particular character and her relationship to Luke.
No problem! It’s perfectly understandable. For the most part, the only novels with Mara between NJO and LOTF are in the NJO and Dark Nest Trilogy series. I believe there might have been a short story too, but I can’t remember off the top of my head.
I don’t know if you’ve read Fate of the Jedi, but it contains a plot point that is somewhat similar to the idea you suggested. It’s not really for an extended period of time, though.
Have you checked out our friends over at ClubJade.net? They love the character of Mara as well.