James Luceno Quotes & Sayings

One last thing, Vice Admiral," Vader said as Rancit was being escorted aft down the walkway. "Moff Tarkin sends his regards. — James Luceno

Even friends can't be protected from fate, Han.
-Droma — James Luceno

Palpatine laughed without merriment. "What could you possibly have to offer someone like me?" "Just this." She opened the soft shoulder bag to reveal a humanoid infant of less than a standard year in age. The infant's hairless head was stippled with an array of short but still pliant horns, and its entire body had been garishly and ceremonially tattooed in red and black pigments. — James Luceno

Tarkin had long nursed suspicions about who Vader was beneath the black face mask and helmet, as well as how he had come to be, but he knew better than to give open voice to his thoughts. — James Luceno

My instructions to Lord Vader and Moff Tarkin were to make an example of the shipjackers, not to allow the shipjackers to make a laughingstock of the Empire's intelligence chiefs. — James Luceno

We serve nature's purpose by culling the herd, and our own by sharpening our skills. We are the predatory swarm! — James Luceno

The Jedi thought of the cellular organelles as symbionts, but to Plagueis midi-chlorians were interlopers, running interference for the Force and standing in the way of a being's ability to contact the Force directly. — James Luceno

I never claimed to be the Chosen One. That was Qui-Gon. Even the Council doesn't believe it anymore, so why should you?"
"Because I think you believe it," Obi-Wan said calmly.
"I think you know in your heart that you're meant for something extraordinary."
"And you, Master. What does your heart tell you you're meant for?"
"Infinite sadness," Obi-Wan said, even while smiling. — James Luceno

I'm too young to die."
"Yeah, and I'm too well known."
-Droma and Han Solo — James Luceno

Sometimes it's more painful to know the truth than not to know it.
-Han Solo — James Luceno

Time and again the two Jedi Knights attempted to alter their style, but Vader had an answer for every lunge, parry, and riposte. His style borrowed elements from all techniques of combat, even from the highest, most dangerous levels, and his moves were crisp and unpredictable. In addition, his remarkable foresight allowed him to anticipate Forte's and Kulka's strategies and maneuvers, his blade always one step ahead of theirs, notwithstanding the two-handed grip he employed. — James Luceno

But Ashla is a perversion," he went on, "for the dark has always preceded the light. The original idea was to capture the power of the Force and make it subservient to the will of sentient life. The ancients - the Celestials, the Rakata - didn't pronounce judgment on their works. They moved planets, organized star systems, conjured dark side devices like the Star Forge as they saw fit. If millions died in the process, so be it. The lives of most beings are of small consequence. The Jedi have failed to understand this. They are so busy saving lives and striving to keep the powers of the Force in balance that they have lost sight of the fact that sentient life is meant to evolve, not simply languish in contented stasis. — James Luceno

Space was more appropriate for the Sith than for the Jedi. The invisible enslavement to gravity, the contained power of the stars, the utter insignificance of life ... Hyperspace, by contrast, was more suitable to the Jedi: nebulous, neither here nor — James Luceno

I spent about a year traveling overland from Egypt through Sudan and Ethiopia, and eventually into East Africa. — James Luceno

If we aren't willing to do whatever is required," he said finally, "then we risk losing what we have been mandated to protect. — James Luceno

Dooku chose his next words carefully. "Qui-Gon returned from Tatooine with a former slave boy. According to the boy's mother, the boy had no father. — James Luceno

Still, there was prosperity for a few; quick credits to be made in ore processing, local and deep-space transport, and usury. For the Tarkins, wealth came by providing security. Their climb to the top had been hard won. Among Eriadu's earliest pioneers, the ancestral Tarkins had had to function as their own police force and defenders, countering attacks first by the ferocious predators that thrived in Eriadu's forests and mountains, then by off-world rogues and scoundrels who preyed on the exposed populations of the struggling settlements. — James Luceno

Providing power is the only way forward." She — James Luceno

To say that the Force works in mysterious ways is to admit one's ignorance, for any mystery can be solved through the application of knowledge and unrelenting effort. — James Luceno

The Carrion Spike may already be in motion," Tarkin said, squaring his shoulders. As if in echo of Tarkin's posture of readiness, Vader planted his fists on his hips. "Then we have no time to spare. — James Luceno

Well, could even a Jedi know the future? — James Luceno

Fifteen years ago, my wife and I purchased an authentic log cabin in Maryland. Painstakingly restored since, the cabin sits on a forested bluff high above a wide river frequented by ospreys, eagles, geese, herons, and other water fowl. — James Luceno

Drall's lighter gravity is going to Jacen's head. He's convinced that our coming here is going to upset the balance of the Force or something.
-Anakin Solo — James Luceno

Rarely did events play out as imagined, in any case. The order of future events was transient. In the same way that the past was reconfigured by selective memory, future events, too, were moving targets. One could only act on instinct, grab hold of an intuited perfect moment, and spring into action. — James Luceno

Laugh all you want."
"I can laugh all I want." ::pause for effect:: "Did someone here make me say that?"
-Kyp and Bombaasa — James Luceno

Not yet," Shryne said, as if to himself "Then you're his apprentice?" His eyes darted right and left, searching for some means of escape. "Is Sidious also in league with Emperor Palpatine?" Vader fell silent for a moment, making up his mind about something. "Lord Sidious is the Emperor. — James Luceno

I think it's leading us on a wild gundark chase. — James Luceno

Your fugitive Jedi, my apprentice," Sidious said. "They are traveling to Kashyyyk." He tipped his head to one side. "Perhaps, Lord Vader, they hope to lay a trap for you." Vader clenched his hands. "That would be my most fervent wish, my Master." Sidious clamped his hands on Vader's upper arms. "Then go to them, Lord Vader. Make them sorry they didn't hide while they had the chance! — James Luceno

In part, the deep-space mobile battle station was meant to put an end to harassments of any sort, whether driven by greed, political dissent, or revenge for acts committed during the Clone Wars or since. Once everyone in the galaxy grasped the weapon's capabilities, once the fear of Imperial reprisal took hold, discontent would cease to be a problem. — James Luceno

Vader might very well be Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, whom Tarkin had fought beside during the Clone Wars, and for whom he had developed a grudging appreciation. — James Luceno

It all comes down to serving the one who are fighting along side you,watching your back, putting a weapon in your hand when you need it most. — James Luceno

The Goliath could have been carrying a squadron of the new - and seemingly disposable - TIE fighters. — James Luceno

TWO THERE SHOULD BE; NO MORE NO LESS. One to embody power, The other to crave it. - Darth Bane — James Luceno

What now?" Plagueis asked the moment Palpatine broke the connection. Sidious shook his head in disbelief. "Valorum somehow managed to persuade the Council to send two Jedi to Naboo. — James Luceno

Sidious bowed his head in deference. "In the annals of Sith history, you will be known as Plagueis the Wise." Plagueis quirked a cunning smile. "You flatter me. — James Luceno

Magister Damask, if I may be so bold as to inquire: what is our eventual goal?" "The goal is to extend my life indefinitely. To conquer death. — James Luceno

His strategy of flying boldly into the face of adversity was studied and taught, and during the Clone Wars would come to be known as the Tarkin Rush, — James Luceno

Uncertainty is the first step toward self-determination," Plagueis said. "Courage comes next. — James Luceno

To her horror, Starstone realized she was suddenly alone with Vader, who immediately signaled his stormtroopers to leave her to him, and to devote themselves to slaughtering the few Wookiees who remained on the tier. — James Luceno

You are Lord Vader?" Organa asked. "Senator," Vader said, inclining his head slightly "I demand to know why you've come to Alderaan." "Senator, you are in no position to demand anything. — James Luceno

It's funny the way things work out. You go in search of one thing and end up finding something else. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was the Force at work.
-Han Solo — James Luceno

We are the predatory swarm! — James Luceno

Just now the Joint Chiefs of the Empire's military were gathered - Admiral Antonio Motti, General Cassio Tagge, Rear Admirals Ozzel, Jerjerrod, and others - along with several top officers from COMPNOR, including Director Armand Isard, ISB deputy director Harus Ison, and Colonel Wullf Yularen. Naval Intelligence was represented by Vice Admirals Rancit and Screed, — James Luceno

How Plagueis would have mocked him for allowing himself to become personally involved in such a seemingly trivial matter; but then his Master had never foreseen that his onetime apprentice would become Emperor. — James Luceno

The Jedi were certainly aware of the tremendous potential, but they restrained themselves."
"Precisely what they did with the Force, as some have said. If they had made use of their full powers, the war would have ended in a heartbeat. And the galaxy would be in a different state entirely. For all their purported objectivity, they weren't scientists, they were mystics. For a thousand generations that sufficed. Notions of right and wrong can no longer be dictated by a select group to safeguard some personal vision of the truth. — James Luceno

After much reflection, I came to realize that the years I spent at Sentinel Base were as formative as my years of schooling on Eriadu's Carrion Plateau, or as significant as any of the battles in which I had participated or commanded. For I was safeguarding the creation of an armament that would one day shape and guarantee the future of the Empire. Both as impregnable fortress and as symbol of the Emperor's inviolable rule, the deep-space mobile battle station was an achievement on the order of any fashioned by the ancestral species that had unlocked the secret of hyperspace and opened the galaxy to exploration. My only regret was in not employing a firmer hand in bringing the project to fruition in time to frustrate the actions of those determined to thwart the Emperor's noble designs. Fear of the station, fear of Imperial might, would have provided the necessary deterrent. — James Luceno

'Star Wars' novels that focus on a single character are few and far between. — James Luceno

Might assign him to Rancit's former position. "We need to tighten our hold over the Outer Systems," the Emperor continued. "You will be in charge of that, Moff Tarkin. Or should I say Grand Moff Tarkin." Tarkin's gaped in genuine surprise. "Grand Moff?" "The Empire's first." The Emperor spread his sickly hands. "Was it not you who suggested the creation of oversectors and oversector governance as a means of enhancing our control?" "It was, my lord. — James Luceno

Remember why the Sith are more powerful than the Jedi, Sidious: because we are not afraid to feel. We embrace the spectrum of emotions, from the heights of transcendent joy to the depths of hatred and despair. Fearless, we welcome whatever paths the dark side sets us on, and whatever destiny it lays out for us. — James Luceno

Good." The Emperor sat back. "And, tell me, what is your opinion of Lord Vader's handling of the occupation of Kashyyyk?" "He proved very capable, my lord. No one involved in the operation will soon forget his ... sense of commitment, shall we say? — James Luceno

For Galen," Easel said. "The Separatists want his research. Phara must have promised to deliver him into their custody. — James Luceno

Breaking a cardinal rule of spy craft, I actually let it be known that I wanted to work for the CIA. — James Luceno

A common misconception held that midi-chlorians were Force-carrying particles, when in fact they functioned more as translators, interlocutors of the will of the Force. — James Luceno

As was the case in 'Darth Plagueis' - even going back as far as 'Cloak of Deception' - I was well aware that I was writing what used to be called 'men's adventure' fiction. — James Luceno

The power of the dark side is an illness no true Sith would wish to be cured of. — James Luceno

You don't mind that the war will go on and on?"
"Palpatine could have prevented it. Now it's up to people like you to end it."
Tarkin nodded. "And so we shall. — James Luceno

Triumphing over nature means better lives for sentients, but dominance is sustained only by bringing order to chaos and establishing law where none exists. — James Luceno

He's millions in debt. He hasn't stopped drinking and gambling since his father was assassinated. Brilliantly assassinated, Plagueis thought. — James Luceno

Rumor has it that Palpatine has some secret project in the works. — James Luceno

While my favorite book of short stories is Fredrick Brown's 'Nightmares and Geezenstacks,' my favorite single story is 'Sound of Thunder,' by Ray Bradbury. — James Luceno

Could Vader actually be Anakin Skywalker? the two men wondered. Based on Obi-Wan's account of what had occurred on Mustafar, Anakin's survival didn't seem possible. But perhaps Obi-Wan had underestimated Anakin. Perhaps Anakin's peerless strength in the Force had allowed him to survive. — James Luceno

As I told you on Naboo, Anakin," he said finally, "we will continue to follow your career with great interest." And assure that it culminates in the ruination of the Jedi Order and the reascendancy of the Sith! — James Luceno

[ ... ] the red-haired aesthete politician flashed a welcoming smile and extended a hand in greeting. — James Luceno

Qui-Gon was the key to everything. — James Luceno

Don't need to remind any of you what Tarkin did at the end of the war when there weren't Jedi around to keep a lid on the violence and retribution. We wouldn't be aboard this ship otherwise. The Emperor is going to win-now the populations of the galaxy until the only ones left are the ones he can control. And he and Vader and Tarkin are going to accomplish that with an army of steadfast recruits who might as well be clones for the little independent thinking they do, weapons that haven't been seen in more than a thousand years, and fear. — James Luceno

Success doesn't come from summoning help from the Force, but from taking control of it and generating the power from within yourself. — James Luceno

The Empire was quickly becoming the other, a featureless grey enemy that species of varied sorts would be able to stave off only if they united, all differences set aside. It was almost heartening to witness the dawn of hope, as cautious and fragile as it was. — James Luceno

I owe you a debt," he told Vader. "It took you to bring me back to the Force." "And you to firm my faith in the power of the dark side, Master Shryne. — James Luceno

Qui-Gon believes that the boy - Anakin is his name - stands at the center of a vergence in the Force, and believes further that his finding him was the will of the Force. — James Luceno

It was Supreme Chancellor Palpatine himself who had presented the schematic to the Strategic Advisory Cell at the second briefing. But in fact the battle station wasn't a product of Republic research and development; it had originated with the Separatists. The captive Geonosian leader, Poggle the Lesser, maintained that Count Dooku had provided Poggle's hive with the basic plans, and that the Geonosians had merely refined them. — James Luceno

The time had come to bring his apprentice deeper into the Sith mysteries he had been investigating for most of his life; to introduce him to the miracles he was performing on Aborah. — James Luceno

Teller stared up at him. "What transforms a man into a monster, Tarkin?"
"Monster? That's a point of view, is it not? I will say this much: This place, this plateau is what made me. — James Luceno

And the Jedi?" Lyra asked. "Also doing what they can. But remember, Dooku is one of their own, and he's a crafty opponent. At times he seems to be able to read our minds, if not simply outguess us. — James Luceno

Propelled by fear or hatred, even a Jedi can pass beyond the constraints of the Order's teachings and discover power of a more profound sort. But no Jedi who arrives at that place, who has risen above his or her allegiance to peace and justice, who kills in anger or out of desire, can lay real claim to the dark side of the Force. Their attempts to convince themselves that they fell to the dark side, or that the dark side compelled their actions, are nothing more than pitiful rationalizations. That is why the Sith embrace the dark from the start, focusing on the acquistion of power. We make no excuses. The actions of a Sith begin from the self and flow outward. We stalk the Force like hunters, rather than surrender like prey to its enigmatic whims. — James Luceno

Where the Jedi courted power, the Sith lusted after it; where the Jedi believed they knew the truth, the Sith possessed it. Owned by the dark side, they ultimately became their knowledge. — James Luceno

Understand this: you no longer represent your homeworlds solely. "Coruscant, Alderaan, Chandrila ... All these and tens of thousands of worlds far removed from the Core are cells of the Empire, and what affects one, affects us all. No disturbances will be tolerated. "Interplanetary squabbles or threats of secession will meet with harsh reprisals. I have not led us through three years of galactic warfare to allow a resurgence of the old ways. The Republic is extinct. — James Luceno

Never try to live decently, boy - not unless you're willing to open your life to tragedy and sadness. Live like a beast, and no event, no matter how harrowing, will ever be able to move you. — James Luceno

They await the coming of a prophesized redeemer who will bring balance to the Force and restore order. — James Luceno

If actions were always judged by their consequence, we'd spend half our lives making amends.
-Luke Skywalker — James Luceno

The Jedi Order's homespun cloaks announced: I want for nothing, because I am clothed in the Force; the cloaks of the Sith: I am the light in the dark, the convergence of opposing energies. — James Luceno

To be strong in the Force is one thing. But to believe oneself to be all-powerful is to invite catastrophe. Remember, that even in the ethereal realm we inhabit, the unforeseen can occur. — James Luceno

Tarkin smiled. Someone once said that politics is little more than the systematic organization of hostilities. — James Luceno

For all that sentients have achieved with weapons and machines, life remains an ongoing battle for survival, with the strong or the smart at the top of the heap, and the rest kept in check by firepower and laws. — James Luceno

I'm a Muun of my word — James Luceno

Teem showed him a bitter smile. "Perhaps you had no direct hand in Kim's death, but I suspect that you were complicit." He paused, then added, "That little speech you gave in the Senate ... I understand that it succeeded in attracting the attention of the Supreme Chancellor. Clearly you have all the makings of a career politician. Unfortunately, we plan to cut your career short. — James Luceno

Consider the mind-set of the anarchist who plans to sacrifice himself for a cause.
For the weeks, months, possibly years leading up to the day he straps a thermal detonator to his chest and executes his task, he has lived in and strengthened by the secret he carries, knowing the toll his act will take. So it has been for the Sith, residing in a secret, sacred place of knowledge for one thousand years, and knowing the toll our acts will take. This is power, Sidious. Where the Jedi, by contrast, are like beings who, as they move among the healthy, keep secret the fact that they are dying of a terminal illness. The true power needn't bare claws or fangs, or announce itself with snarls and throaty barks, Sidious. It can subdue with manacles of shimmer silk, purposeful charisma and political astuteness"
-Darth Plagueis — James Luceno

His father placed his elbows on the table and leaned toward him. "We need to know if you are simply ordinary or larger than life." To the best of his ability, he mulled over the notion of being larger than life. "Did you have to go there when you were young?" His father nodded. "Were you afraid?" His father sat back into his tall, brocaded armchair, as if in recall. "In the beginning I was. Until I learned to overcome fear. — James Luceno

Evil? What is that? ... You said you were death itself. Are you evil, then, or are you simply stronger and more awake than others? Who gives more shape to sentient history: the good, who adhere to the tried and true, or those who seek to rouse beings from their stupor and lead them to glory? A storm you are, but a much needed one, to wash away the old and complacent and prune the galaxy of deadweight.
-Plagueis — James Luceno

Sidious rejected outrage and intimidation for rankled curiosity. Is this the point where I'm expected to ask why I've been abducted? — James Luceno

Science doesn't take sides, does it? — James Luceno

The Force tries to resist the callings of ravenous spirits; therefore it must be broken and made a beast of burden. It must be made to answer to one's will. — James Luceno

The time had come to give the rest of the galaxy a look at Darth Vader. — James Luceno

Two lone Jedi are no match for thousands of battle droids and droidekas. — James Luceno

Tarkin himself had discussed the need for such a weapon with the Emperor long before the end of the Clone Wars. But no one outside the Emperor knew the full history of the moonlet-sized project. Some claimed that it had begun as a Separatist weapon designed by Geonosian Archduke Poggle the Lesser's hive colony for Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. But if that was the case, the plans had to have somehow fallen into Republic hands before the Clone Wars ended, because the weapon's spherical shell and laser-focusing dish were already in the works by the time Tarkin first set eyes on it following his promotion to the rank of Moff - escorted to Geonosis in utmost secrecy by the Emperor himself. — James Luceno

Plagueis pressed his right hand to the right side of his neck to discover that a disk had made off with a considerable hunk of his jawbone and neck, and in its cruel passing had severed his trachea and several blood vessels. — James Luceno

Accompanying her were distinguished Jedi Masters Dooku and Sifo-Dyas, and a tall, powerfully built Jedi Knight named Qui-Gon Jinn, — James Luceno

You look at the history of any sentient species and what do you find but tableaux of violence and slaughter. It's finger-painted on the ceilings of caves and engraved into the walls of temples. — James Luceno

I've no interest on initiating a fashion trend on Coruscant or anywhere else. I simply want a uniform that fits - Tarkin — James Luceno

Vader approached, drawing and igniting his Sith blade. Shryne blinked blood from his eyes; lifted his lightsaber hand only to realize that he had lost the sword during his fall. Slumping back, he loosed a ragged, resigned exhalation. — James Luceno

We warp space and time to twist the galaxy to our own design. — James Luceno