Dear Star Wars Authors
As a reader I have some tips that would make your books more enjoyable, at least for me.
Read more Stackpole. When he’s off, it’s still fun. Remember fun?
Don’t make cheap knockoffs of characters from the original trilogy. Knockoff anyone you like from the new movies, because nobody remembers them anyway. Try something new, like characters you made up.
Resist the urge to make your protagonist’s nemesis Darth Vader. Vader only had one nemesis, and that was Palpatine. A good argument can be made that his actual nemesis was himself. Either way, it isn’t Jackhole McJedi, your wet dream sock puppet. Bear in mind that should you decide to do this, we will know well in advance that the outcome is either Jackhole’s death or abyssmal failure.
Reign in the cortosis weave, alternative force sensitives, force dampening, and alternate energy weapons just a little. Show some damned restraint and stop jerkin’ it to your “brilliant” idea.
Not everything in the universe needs to happen on Coruscant, Corellia, or Tatooine. The galaxy is a gigantic place, not a handful of worlds.
If you read a book and it features a species you think is cool, don’t just automatically use them or mention them. For instance, not everyone in the universe knew the Noghri existed. Really just Vader and some Imperials. That sort of thing. I’m just sayin’, you may as well check stuff out before you use it.
A droid shouldn’t be Batman’s utility belt. Pack mules would strain under the gear you guys sometimes assign them.
As a closing thought, perhaps you should learn to not spastically jump from scene to scene, leading us on a vapid chase while your cast, who probably haven’t met each other at all yet, follow dead end tangents for two thirds of the book.