#jade's fire

[jadecrusades]

Illustrations by Matt Busch. Unpublished “Star Wars Adventure Journal” Issue #17. May, 1998.

Timothy Zahn’s short story “Jade Solitaire” was originally slated to be released in the “Star Wars Adventure Journal” issue #17, fully illustrated by artist Matt Busch. Unfortunately, the issue was canceled, and Busch’s art was never published. He was kind enough to share some of the pieces with Jade Crusades and participate in an interview during San Diego Comic-Con in 2001. Here’s an excerpt from our chat:

How long have you been a Star Wars fan?

Since the first day I saw the movies! Actually, it's funny, when I was a kid I wasn't allowed to see Star Wars. My parents saw it first and they thought it was too violent for me. Luke's parents get slaughtered, Obi Wan Kenobi dies...and I was 4-years old when it first came out. So I actually tricked my grandparents into taking me. I've been hooked ever since.

How familiar with Mara Jade are you?

Even before I started doing official work for Lucasfilm, I was a huge Star Wars buff. In fact, I've got a Darth Vader tattoo... <<lifts up sleeve to show Vader's mask>> But before I was doing official work, I had read all the books.

What preparations did you go through before producing the “Jade Solitaire” illustrations?

At that time there wasn't an official Mara Jade model. I had a friend, Andi Ficara, who really had this unique look. From what I had read from novels and comics I thought she was perfect. I took photographs and did some preliminary sketches first to send to West End Games. They sent the sketches to Lucasfilm to make sure she was, you know, a good-looking Mara. They loved the preliminary sketches, and she worked out great. She really got into character. I actually had her read “Heir to the Empire”! I filled her in with Mara’s history, and she was really into it and did a really great job!

Is there any other unpublished Matt Busch art from the “Star Wars Adventure Journal”?

There was a Talon Karrde story that I illustrated, that had a few cameos of Mara Jade as well. I think it was a story that was either written by Mike Stackpole, or he and Timothy Zahn. I can't really remember. It was for an issue of the Adventure Journal that never came out. It's a shame.

[jadecrusades]

Illustration by Storn Cook. “Cracken's Threat Dossier.” June, 1997.

The West End Games roleplaying supplement “Cracken’s Threat Dossier” first depicted Mara Jade’s ship, the Jade’s Fire, a SoroSuub Personal Luxury Yacht 3000. Storn Cook illustrated dozens of ships in “Cracken’s Threat Dossier,” and was kind enough to answer questions for Jade Crusades in 2002. Below is Part 2 from that interview!

You produced the first illustration of Mara's ship, the Jade's Fire. How did you come up with its appearance?

Heh. Gundam's War in the Pocket? I have an old cell book from that anime movie with prelim starship designs.  I borrowed some design elements off some of the starships in there. And combined it with the pleasure barge from Return of the Jedi. I'm not sure what I read in the text to combine those elements. But I'm pretty happy with Jade's Fire.

What was it like creating so many illustrations from different Star Wars books - “The Courtship of Princess Leia,” "The Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy," and "The Corellian Trilogy."

A blur. I had just met my girlfriend, and I was working on these illustrations 12 hours a day. Since she was an interior design student and had art experience, I pressed her into service (thanks Susanne) doing black backgrounds for space and dotting it with stars. But I remember feeling that it was a turning point in my career. That my work was kicked up a notch. For so many illustrations in three weeks, I look back on it and I'm fairly happy with the "fairly" consistent quality.

[fuckyeahmarajade]

Floorplans to the Lady Luck in the Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook for the Star Wars RPG, by Bill Slavicsek and Eric S. Trautmann, 1996. Illustration by John Paul Lona.

This is of interest to me as Mara’s ship, the Jade’s Fire, was supposed to be of the same model as Lando Carissian’s Lady Luck. Which means the floor plans here are roughly the same as for Mara’s personal ship. Although as a trader she presumably had it set up more for storing goods rather than leaving space for lots of luxury cabins, a pool and a bar... Never change, Lando!

[fuckyeahmarajade]

"It's funny, you know," Mara murmured from beside him. Ironic, really. Here we are: the woman who's spent ten years trying to build a new life for herself, and the man who's spent those same ten years rushing madly around trying to save the galaxy from every new threat that reared it's ugly face." "That's us, all right," Luke said, eyeing her uneasily. The twisting darkness in her was growing stronger... "Not sure I see the irony though." "The irony is that with the New Republic ready to tear itself apart, you rushed off to save me," Mara said. "Ignoring your self-delegated responsibilities in order to save that one woman and her life." He felt her take a deep breath. "And that one woman," she added, almost too quietly to hear, "is now the one who has to sacrifice that new life she wanted. To save the New Republic."

from Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn

Mara just before sacrificing her ship, the Jade’s Fire, symbolic of sacrificing her personal freedom and independence for the greater good, allowing her to move on and finally become a full Jedi.

What’s easy to miss in all this is that this is a key moment for Luke as well, because while he could have used his power to stop it and save her from the pain of the sacrifice, he finally realises that he needs to make her own choices and not interfere - that he can’t always be the one to save the galaxy. It calls back to Mara’s original story arc in TTT, where he supports her to save herself rather than imposing himself in order to save her. Personal empowerment and choice remains a key facet of her (and their) story.

[fuckyeahmarajade]

the Jade's Fire rushed closer. She was a bigger ship than Leia had expected, significantly larger than the Millenium Falcon. She was a craft of graceful lines. She had a snubbed-off nose and a wide fuselage that blended into the two thick elliptical wings. She wa painted in a flame pattern of oranges and red.

from Assault at Selonia by Roger MacBride Allen

Description of Mara Jade’s ship the Jade’s Fire

[fuckyeahmarajade]

Model of the Jade’s Fire by Alfred Wong

Modeller Alfred Wong created this alternative vision of the Jade’s Fire, and I want it so much! Check out the photos of this beautiful model on his website: http://www.starshipmodeler.info/gallery4/aw_mara.htm

He also has fantastic models of Mara’s Z-95 and her later ship the Jade Sabre. I am in awe of his beautiful creations

[fuckyeahmarajade]

Mara Jade’s personal ship the Jade’s Fire, art by Storn Cook in Cracken’s Threat Dossier.  

"Oh, it's just about three levels past state-of-the-art, that's all. It's got an incredible flight system, and unbelievable weapons targeting array, and a crazy, one of a kind defensive shoot-back system I think Daddy must have stolen from somewhere." Sansia Bardin, Jade Solitaire. 

 Mara Jade gained her first personally owned ship - and with it professional independence - when Sansia Bardrin gifted it to her as a reward for rescuing her from the Drach’nam pirate Chay Praysh. It allowed her to go into business as an independent (and legitimate) trader for the first time. Mara then sacrificed the ship during her and Luke Skywalker’s mission on Nirauan in the Hand of Thrawn duology, marking an important personal sacrifice and moving her on to a new phase in her life. 

 The Jade’s Fire was an upgraded SoroSuub Personal Luxury Yacht 3000, of the same class as Lando Calrissian’s Lady Luck.