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It's been a year since the updated edition of my @dkpublishing Ultimate Star Wars debuted... perhaps it's time to reveal the fun @StarWars Easter Eggs in the book? Maybe one per day? I don't think I've done that on Twitter yet? (Order your copy here--> https://amzn.to/3iPW69e )
Here we go! One of the fun things about writing @dkpublishing encyclopedias for @StarWars & @MarvelStudios is that I get to make a lot of stuff up. Most of it just slips right into canon with little notice from most fans, except maybe the fine folks at @WookOfficial. ;-)
My opportunities to invent new Star Wars details come at random. It all depends upon how much attention the subjects I write about have already received from other creators--and where holes in information remain. I must invent new material on the fly--it's kind of improvisation.
Starting with First Order Chief Petty Officer Nastia Unamo, played by the magnificent @katefleetwood. I had the honor of retconning her with a first name, Nastia. Unamo reminds me of the many strong Russian expatriates I knew in Vietnam. Nastia is my favorite Russian lady's name.
Nastia is a beautiful Russian name, like the actress, but the name always gave me a little chuckle too because it sounds like "nasty." I thought it a fitting name for an officer of the villainous First Order who was hunting Rey and BB-8 in The Force Awakens.
Next is First Order Colonel Erich S. Datoo (played by Rocky Marshall). I had the honor of bestowing him a first name in DK's Ultimate Star Wars, christening him after my good buddy @Darth_Duff. Erich just seemed like the perfect name for such a distinguished military officer.
I designated Sabine Wren's ( @tiyasircar) airbrush model: "Baobab EZ3" after Ben Burtt's artist character, Ebenn Q3 Baobab (EQ3), suggesting he'd have a descendant by now (EZ3). Manufactured by Neco Jeyrroo's (anagram of my friend Star Wars artist @Joe_Corroney) Artisan Supplies.
Continuing on the subject of Sabine... I had the opportunity to shed subtle light on the flora & fauna of Krownest, the home of Clan Wren. The coolest part was placing Krownest in the New Kleyman System, which I named after "Fanboys" director @kyle_newman. cc: @RFRRebelForce
Turning to Resistance, I detailed a lot of speeder parts for the show vehicles. My best contribution was designating the manufacturer of Blue Ace as Joben & Sons, a nod to speeder designer Thall Joben from the Droids cartoon (I also referenced him via Kanan's speeder in Rebels).
I designated the manufacturer of Yellow Ace as "Ravager Mechanics." I had just worked in a Star Wars Easter Egg for Ravager Yondu Udonta in another book, so I thought I'd return the favor here... The model, "Changeling" Mark 71NB, is named after Star Wars writer @Prefect_Timing.
Continuing with @dkpublishing @dkbooks Ultimate Star Wars... assigning birthplaces is a fun task I often get to do. In the first edition I wanted to foster a Rebel connection to @dave_filoni's Clone Wars, so I retconned ANH's Jon Vander & Dex Tiree as both being born on Onderon.
In the new edition, I placed mercenary Caysin Bog on Teres Lutha Minor, named in honor of @SWBookworms & @FGGoingRogue's @icecoldpenguin. I placed Imperial scientist Feyn Vann on Tri-Barr Station, named for my engineer co-author @fangirlcantina.
In @dkpublishing's Ultimate Star Wars I detailed a lot of new droids from "Resistance", without supplemental background information to draw on. I could see the design similarities to Old Republic droids so designate Freya's droid a T3 model made by the ancient Duwani corporation.
R2-KT is a special droid honoring the memory of Katie Johnson. She appears in The Clone Wars & The Force Awakens. It's an oversight that she doesn't appear in The Last Jedi, so in @dkpublishing Ultimate Star Wars I made it clear she escaped D'Qar before the First Order arrives.
In Solo, Luleo Primoc sings the song "Chicken in the pot." Expanding on the idea he looks like a cooked bird, I added to his playlist in Ultimate Star Wars with the songs "Carve Your Name in My Heart" and "Your Love is Gravy." But "Stuffed With Your Love" didn't make the cut.
Sometimes the fun for me is embellishing character motivations and backstories just a little. In Ultimate Star Wars I shed light on the corruption of Quay Tolsite ( @deetails), Therm Scissorpunch's temperament, and Senna's history with Zygerrian slavers from Clone Wars.
I love creating connections in Star Wars canon to meaningful Expanded Universe history. Thus in Ultimate Star Wars I designated the homeworld of Veris Hydan as Ossus. The Imperial archaeologist & advisor was born on a planet once housing an ancient Library of all Jedi knowledge.
