by Randy Stradley

The Jedi Council we first encounter in The Phantom Menace are introduced in Acts of War. We also meet Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, who along with other Council members and Padawans, pay a visit to the Yinchorri, a violent species admitted to the Republic a mere 20 or so years before this story takes place. They’ve taken advantage of the Republic’s technology: ships, blasters, and especially cortosis ore, fashioning them into shields that can burn out a lightsaber. It’s a suicide mission not just to Yinchorr, but to two other nearby planets in search of the Yinchorri’s command base.

Meanwhile, an army of Yinchorri barge into the Jedi Temple to obliterate the Jedi. This is a nice foreshadowing of what happens in Revenge of the Sith, as Darth Sidious has a background role in the Yinchorri’s attacks, something Yoda senses but not clearly. Thus, readers are introduced not just to the Dark Lord, but to his apprentice, Darth Maul and best of all, to Vilmarh “Villie” Grarhk, a Devaronian who fancies himself a bounty hunter, but will take on any shady mission. Those who only read the novels or watch the movies won’t encounter him again unless they read the Republic comic series.

Mace Windu, coolest Jedi ever, leads the mission to Yinchorr, which isn’t the success he would have liked, but ends as he expected. Strangely, it’s Saesee Tiin who sports the purple lightsaber rather than Windu — weird, especially because this series was released after The Phantom Menace.

Aside from the mix-up in lightsaber colors, the artwork is phenomenal. What else is there to say?

Pop-Up
(click to enlarge)
(click here to view the game pics)

It would’ve been totally cool if I caught it in my glove, but I didn’t. As one of my goalie friends said, my glove’s way too small — it’s junior-sized, really old, and still not broken in — not flexible with deep pockets like these new gloves, but not to worry! I’ve already ordered Brian’s Custom Sports’s new intermediate Dx2 glove and blocker in colors to match my leg pads! I just wish they’d get here sooner. The store couldn’t expedite the order because the company’s busy making all the pros’ gear before the season starts. Damn NHL goalies. Well, I’m a professional recreational ice hockey goalie, so what about me?! Anyway, what ended up happening is that I crossed my arms, thinking to hold the puck against my chest when it fell back down (see picture 25), but I missed because the puck stayed in the air longer than I thought it would. Weird, huh? At least I dropped down quickly enough to freeze it before one of the Squirrels tipped it in.

The Orange team played the Squirrels last year, and like us, they’re a green-level team. However, because we’re an exhibition team, anyone who plays against us can have any level player on their roster. We can too, but we don’t. Whenever we’ve played them, including this game, it’s been a super-experienced, high-level goalie who we’ve concluded must have played in college, not a rookie like me. I mean, even the advanced players on our PCC team couldn’t get the puck past her — WTF? At least most of their skaters were about the same level as our Orange team, and their team overall was our speed. A lot of our players also hadn’t played since the end of the Spring Mixer or even the end of last season. It was a good game.