Review: Star Wars: Outbound Flight (2006)

The mystery revealed.

★★★

This is the only novel Timothy Zahn wrote during the prequel era, also known as the "Rise of the Empire" era. The name, "Outbound Flight" was a project and a phrase heard constantly in Zahn's previous novels, first mentioned in his 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire. So, for him to finally write a novel telling us the story of "Project Outbound Flight" was a delight. It answered all our questions when we kept hearing about "Project Outbound Flight." Zahn explains to us what happened, what Jorus C'baoth's intentions were with the project, how Thrawn was involved, his initial meeting with the Republic, what Palpatine thought of it, and many other questions.

This novel explores the early days of the Chiss and Jedi Master Jorus C'baoth's ambitious project, Outbound Flight. The story is set during the time of the Galactic Republic and follows a mission led by C'baoth to explore the Unknown Regions. The mission aims to establish contact with new civilizations and spread the influence of the Jedi and the Republic. However, the project faces numerous challenges, including internal dissent among the Jedi, political manipulation by Chancellor Palpatine, and the intervention of a young Thrawn, a brilliant Chiss tactician. The mission's ultimate fate is sealed by a devastating conflict, leading to a catastrophic encounter that alters the course of the galaxy's future.

I enjoyed this novel's approach to the story. It introduces us to new and familiar aspects and assets within the Star Wars universe. By this point, before the novel's release, Thrawn had already become a beloved character among Star Wars fans. He is a character that has appeared in Zahn's novels and some of the video games. We know him as a smart, calm military leader, but in this novel, he's much younger and isn't as smart or experienced as we all know and love him. C'baoth was also a well-established character within the Expanded Universe. He was first introduced as a clone in Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, but here, this was the original C'baoth. He becomes increasingly unhinged, driven by his arrogance and desire for control, which leads him to make reckless decisions that endanger the entire mission.

I also enjoyed Zahn's inclusion of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Palpatine. Many claim that Kenobi and Skywalker shouldn't have been in this novel because of their lack of relevance to the plot. I personally found them to be relevant. They were assigned by Mace Windu to join C'baoth, mainly to keep an eye on him until Palpatine found out. Another reason why I enjoyed their appearance in the novel was that, other than in the junior novels, we hardly get to see Obi-Wan and Anakin before Attack of the Clones. I know we have Rogue Planet and The Approaching Storm, but those novels aren't as good compared to this. Also, we never would have gotten C'baoth's thoughts on Anakin and what he thought of him. Plus, Jorus C'baoth's debates over Jedi philosophy with Obi-Wan Kenobi were another fun thing to read.

Zahn is my second favorite Star Wars author. I enjoyed his Thrawn Trilogy and his Hand of Thrawn duology, and while I did enjoy this novel, I didn't find it as good as those. I'm not saying it's a bad novel; it's just that I preferred those stories a lot more. That being said, however, I do wish Zahn had written more novels centered around the "Rise of the Empire" era, especially after reading the scenes with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Back to why I didn't find this book as great as the others. I found some of the new characters to be a bit bland and underdeveloped. Most of it consists of people running around talking to each other and otherwise doing nothing, mostly to move the plot along. I found the new characters, the members of the Nebula Front from James Luceno's Cloak of Deception to be more interesting than these characters, in my opinion.

In no way did I find this a bad novel, just a fun one that lacks the charm that the Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn duology offered. Although, I do wonder if Zahn were to write another novel during the prequel era, which period would he tackle? Maybe sometime before Attack of the Clones, like Outbound Flight. If he had been given the chance when George Lucas still owned Star Wars, I would have loved to have known what he would come up with.