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jaredkwheeler's review
4.0
Star Wars Legends Project #311
Background: In the Empire's Service was released in May of 1999, and it collects issues #21-24 originally published Aug-Nov 1997. It is the sixth Rogue Squadron story arc. It was written by [a:Michael A. Stackpole|17739|Michael A. Stackpole|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207602690p2/17739.jpg] and drawn by [a:John Nadeau|17736|John Nadeau|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Stackpole continues as the series regular writer, and Nadeau returns to draw after having been absent from the previous arc.
In the Empire's Service takes place 9 months after the Battle of Endor, nearly 5 years after the Battle of Yavin. The main characters are Wedge, Tycho, Wes, and the rest of Rogue Squadron, as well as Baron Soontir Fel, Ysanne Isard, and Sate Pestage. Most of the story takes place on Brentaal IV, with some interludes on Coruscant.
Summary: Everyone knows that Rogue Squadron are the best of the best that the Alliance has to offer, but the Empire has an answer: The 181st Fighter Division led by Baron Fel, himself a legendary pilot who personally trained many of Rogue Squadron's elite before they defected. That defection gravely damaged Fel's career and gave him some personal scores to settle. Now, the Empire has tasked Fel to go toe-to-toe with Rogue Squadron in the skies above Brentaal IV and settle them, permanently. But from the shadows, Imperial leaders are pulling strings that Fel and the Rogues know nothing about, setting up a scenario to consolidate their power, and potentially doom all of the pilots in the system, on both sides!
Review: I am an absolute sucker for anything with the Red-Baron-inspired Fel, so I was very excited to finally (*finally*) read about his origins after enjoying his appearances in various Star Wars novels over the years. In that respect, this story did not disappoint. This is, at long last, an arc that's all about Rogue Squadron getting tasked with a mission that's actually specifically for a fighter squadron operating as a fighter squadron. Most of their other missions involve some kind of aerial battle at some point, but that's the whole point here, and it's great. Particularly with Fel perfectly cast as a sympathetic antagonist/anti-hero. I also appreciated the series-debut of Ysanne Isard, an absolute A-lister villain.
My one complaint is that the scheming that drives the plot feels excessively convoluted in unnecessary ways. All of the elements are here for an amazing story, and some of this is obviously setting up further developments for the series down the line, but it seemed like this could have been accomplished without requiring so much head-scratching over all of the wheels-within-wheels Imperial machinations. Normally I like that kind of thing, but this felt complicated for complications' sake.
Still, this is the best arc in awhile, and it feels like this is where the series has really found its footing. Absolutely recommended!
A-
Background: In the Empire's Service was released in May of 1999, and it collects issues #21-24 originally published Aug-Nov 1997. It is the sixth Rogue Squadron story arc. It was written by [a:Michael A. Stackpole|17739|Michael A. Stackpole|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207602690p2/17739.jpg] and drawn by [a:John Nadeau|17736|John Nadeau|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. Stackpole continues as the series regular writer, and Nadeau returns to draw after having been absent from the previous arc.
In the Empire's Service takes place 9 months after the Battle of Endor, nearly 5 years after the Battle of Yavin. The main characters are Wedge, Tycho, Wes, and the rest of Rogue Squadron, as well as Baron Soontir Fel, Ysanne Isard, and Sate Pestage. Most of the story takes place on Brentaal IV, with some interludes on Coruscant.
Summary: Everyone knows that Rogue Squadron are the best of the best that the Alliance has to offer, but the Empire has an answer: The 181st Fighter Division led by Baron Fel, himself a legendary pilot who personally trained many of Rogue Squadron's elite before they defected. That defection gravely damaged Fel's career and gave him some personal scores to settle. Now, the Empire has tasked Fel to go toe-to-toe with Rogue Squadron in the skies above Brentaal IV and settle them, permanently. But from the shadows, Imperial leaders are pulling strings that Fel and the Rogues know nothing about, setting up a scenario to consolidate their power, and potentially doom all of the pilots in the system, on both sides!
Review: I am an absolute sucker for anything with the Red-Baron-inspired Fel, so I was very excited to finally (*finally*) read about his origins after enjoying his appearances in various Star Wars novels over the years. In that respect, this story did not disappoint. This is, at long last, an arc that's all about Rogue Squadron getting tasked with a mission that's actually specifically for a fighter squadron operating as a fighter squadron. Most of their other missions involve some kind of aerial battle at some point, but that's the whole point here, and it's great. Particularly with Fel perfectly cast as a sympathetic antagonist/anti-hero. I also appreciated the series-debut of Ysanne Isard, an absolute A-lister villain.
My one complaint is that the scheming that drives the plot feels excessively convoluted in unnecessary ways. All of the elements are here for an amazing story, and some of this is obviously setting up further developments for the series down the line, but it seemed like this could have been accomplished without requiring so much head-scratching over all of the wheels-within-wheels Imperial machinations. Normally I like that kind of thing, but this felt complicated for complications' sake.
Still, this is the best arc in awhile, and it feels like this is where the series has really found its footing. Absolutely recommended!
A-
fantasticmrethan's review
2.0
The artwork is superb in the action scenes however few and far between they may be. The rest is people talking in rooms and dropping some, at times really forced names and references to the Star Wars films.
Other than the artwork and being interesting to follow some minor pilot characters in the films. Not a lot worth mentioning here.
Other than the artwork and being interesting to follow some minor pilot characters in the films. Not a lot worth mentioning here.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review
3.0
This story features a lot of political infighting and almost generic space battles as a result. I'm not entirely convinced the two story-lines merged all that well. The way the story was told meant that this was to be revalationary towards the end of the book, but it was pretty obvious early on.
There's some new pilots, some of which are non-human making them easier to identify, which was nice. The characterisation of the pilots was a little skewed, with some getting much more coverage than others. In one pivotal battle one of the Rogues is killed and their name is called out. I had no idea who that was so flipped back through the pages to find out. After being introduced they're just 'there,' and get one spoken line. So there was no emotional weight behind that death.
Because I'd read one of the later books before, I already knew about the big twist at the end, which was a shame but I can't blame this book for that. As a twist, it's quite a good one and in keeping with the Star Wars style twist.
The artwork was okay with it being pretty good for the aliens, locations and vehicles but the human's faces were a little off.
There's some new pilots, some of which are non-human making them easier to identify, which was nice. The characterisation of the pilots was a little skewed, with some getting much more coverage than others. In one pivotal battle one of the Rogues is killed and their name is called out. I had no idea who that was so flipped back through the pages to find out. After being introduced they're just 'there,' and get one spoken line. So there was no emotional weight behind that death.
Because I'd read one of the later books before, I already knew about the big twist at the end, which was a shame but I can't blame this book for that. As a twist, it's quite a good one and in keeping with the Star Wars style twist.
The artwork was okay with it being pretty good for the aliens, locations and vehicles but the human's faces were a little off.
depizan's review
3.0
Although this would be better with better art, it's a solid story. Well, aside from the fact that the Imperial remnant is so caught up in in-fighting it seems rather self defeating. (Also cartoonishly evil. But I'm pretty sure Isard's picture is next to cartoonishly evil in the dictionary.) That aside, getting both sides of the battle for Brentaal IV makes for a bit deeper story, and it ends on a very Star Wars surprise.
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