This page encapsulates the behind-the-scenes material from Force Exile IV: Guardian. The author hopes you find it interesting and intriguing and has placed the information here to provide background and influences on this particular installment of Force Exile.

Please be aware that there may be spoilers

• Several characters originally planned for inclusion in Force Exile IV: Guardian did not make it into the final drafts of the novel. These include canonical characters Winter Retrac and Sair Yonka, as well as original characters Akleyn Kraen and a Verpine engineer.
• Force Exile IV did not exist as a stand-alone novel in earlier outlines of the Force Exile Series. Instead, it was a large part of Force Exile III. Elements retained from that earlier draft include the theft of the B-wing fighter, the introduction of Morgedh clan Kel’nerh and the use of the Zann Consortium as the primary antagonists.
• Force Exile IV, like all the other Force Exile novels, opens on an Imperial or Republic Star Destroyer, as do all the Star Wars movies and Timothy Zahn's books.
• Numerous canonical works are referenced in Force Exile IV. Included among them are Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, Dark Force Rising, Truce at Bakura, Shadows of the Empire, Star Wars: TIE Fighter, Darksaber, X-wing: Rogue Leader, Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, Star Wars 15: Star Duel, and Children of the Jedi.
• The Imperial Captain Cas Niblim mentioned in the opening act of Force Exile IV was actually introduced and briefly mentioned in a previous short story by Atarumaster88, Hard Code.
• The reference of Selu to Spectre going to the Old Spacers’ Home is a reference to a similar line made by Han Solo.
• Selu’s comment about not signing up for a galactic revolution in Chapter 1 is another reference to a statement by Han Solo.
• The character of Morgedh clan Kel’nerh existed in the earliest drafts of the Force Exile Series, albeit in a markedly different form. He was originally an armored cyborg bounty hunter and assassin, and was also human.
• Tycho Celchu’s mention of the speed of an A-wing and TIE fighter reflect the fact that he flew both types of craft during that era.
• The story of Hasla Almani and her tenure with Ice Squadron was influenced by another infiltrator operating inside a Rebel Squadron, Lara Notsil.
• The name of Admiral Vey was a reference to a hero in Heroes of Might and Magic 3.
• The disguise used by Selu and Milya to infiltrate Obroa-skai was an allusion to a similar scheme employed by Rogue Squadron pilots Corran Horn and Erisi Dlarit in Wedge’s Gamble.
• Hasla’s line of “This is a joke, right? One of Janson’s schemes?” is an almost exact quote made by a Wraith Squadron pilot in X-wing: Wraith Squadron.
• Sarth Kraen’s “Skart Kraest” persona was influenced by Rodney McKay of Stargate: Atlantis in that he’s brilliant but obnoxious.
• Quinlan Vos wasn’t originally planned to be in Guardian, but Atarumaster88 needed a plausible means for Selu and Milya to reach Honoghr, which Vos provided.
• The Torgutan dancer Seshaak and particularly her death was an homage to similar character present in an early draft of a fan-novel called Knights of Alderaan. Her name is a mishmash of several other Togrutan names, including Ahsoka and Shaak Ti.
• Spectre’s alias, “Matrik Tenzor” is derived from the mathematical terms “matrix” and “tensor.”
• The Battle of Bespin as portrayed in Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader initially only involved Rogue Squadron and Rebel transports. Atarumaster88 explained that as game mechanics and involved other Rebel units to increase the realism.
• Annita’s comment about Mandalore being sparsely populated is a reference to a similar line in The Phantom Menace.
• Hasla’s code word of “Black Bantha” is a reference to a holodrama made by Garik Loran.
• Annita’s line about “damn foolish idealistic business” is a reference to a similar line made by Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope.
• Spectre’s line of “He didn’t try and shoot me, which I took as a good sign” is a reference to a similar line in X-wing: Solo Command.
• The character of Taelros Bac was created as part of an homage to the Alternative Star Wars Saga, a fanon project that includes a family with the surname Bac. A leading member of that project, Brandon Rhea, gave permission for use of the surname and provided the first name for Taelros. The character was inspired by the depiction of George Lucas in George Lucas In Love as well as caricatures of ASWS characters and Brandon Rhea.
• Tyber Zann’s line of “What a surprise. It was a trap after all.” is a play off of Ackbar’s line “It’s a trap!” in Return of the Jedi.
• Thrawn’s line of “An excellent recommendation, Admiral. And noted. Thank you” is a reference to a similar statement uttered by Thrawn in The Last Command.
• The Battle of Carida and aftermath of the Battle of Kuat were specifically borrowed from Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, and the exact dialogue from those battles was used where applicable.
• Thrawn’s line “You may fire when ready,” is homage to an identical line uttered by Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.
• The author’s introduction of Zaarin’s insurrection serving to distract Thrawn from the Battle of Carida was his explanation for Thrawn’s departure from the battle.
• Janson’s line “I suggest that we sleep together since we might tragically perish tomorrow” is a reference to a similar line spoken by Corran Horn in X-wing: Isard’s Revenge.
• Taelros Bac’s line about the whole planet of Coruscant being “one big city” is a reference to an identical line spoken by Ric Olíe in The Phantom Menace.
• Revan’s mention of a Master Tor’Chal is a reference to the fan-created character Tor’Chal in Jedi Master 76’s Knights of the Old Republic: Convict’s Dawn.
• The concept of the mental echo adversely affecting the use of the Force by clones is a concept first introduced by Timothy Zahn in The Last Command.
• Janson’s role as a counselor to Hasla Almani is reminiscent of his future counseling of Myn Donos in X-wing: Solo Command.
• Taelros Bac’s line of “For these sorts of things, interpretation is key” is a reference to a quote from the alternate universe fan-novel Star Wars Episode I: The Chosen One.
• Milya’s duel with Silri on Coruscant with the chorus in the background is an intentionally ironic reference to the epic nature of movie soundtracks during climatic duels.
• The mention of the Rebel doctor who was nearly killed in the Battle of Endor alludes to Ton Phanan.
• Sarth’s voice-activated cryoban grenade is a reference to a similar trick employed with a sonic grenade in Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code.
• The speeder chase in which Sarth and Cassi experience is a reference to a similar event in Return of the Jedi.
• The Nightsister blood trail used by Silri to track Milya was not originally planned for use in Guardian, but after it was introduced canonically by Troy Denning in Invincible, Atarumaster88 thought it might be useful.
• Selu’s statement of “I’m so sorry” to Hasla is a copy off of a line used by Obi-Wan Kenobi to Padmé Amidala in Revenge of the Sith.
• The names of Silri’s three minions are anagrams of the three lead female characters in the latest Charlie’s Angels film. Atarumaster88 despised that film, which led to their names being employed for Dark Jedi.
• The arrival of Zann’s fleet in Sector Seven is a reference to an organization of the same name in the 2007 Transformers movie.
• Slayke’s line of “Helm, get us out of here at flank speed. Maintain formation. And somebody vent that smoke!” is a reference to a similar statement made by Ninora Birt in Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream.
• The inclusion of Captain Starkellos Zel and his self-sacrifice of his ship was inspired by the self-sacrifice of the elder Captain Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek film, albeit in a less tragic manner.
• The Battle of Yanibar included use of the traditional four elements of earth, fire, water, and air by the Yanibar Guard. The storm invoked air, the mudslide and rockslide, along with the flood, used earth and water, while the orbital bombardment was representative of fire. The use of weather control was a weapon was a concept borrowed from the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, where players can summon a lightning storm.
• Milya’s stand-down code for J7-A0, “Dorn-Three-Nineteen” is a reference to Doornik Three-Nineteen, a shipyard mentioned in the Black Fleet Crisis.
• The name of the Cresh Squad medic, Jabri, was drawn from the username of a theforce.net user, Gabri_Jade.
• Selu’s thoughts on the cumbersome cape reflect those of the author regarding impractical dress, as well as those of a character on the movie The Incredibles.
• Spectre’s line of “Say we went out with a bang” is a reference to a similar line spoken by Sgt. Avery Johnson in Halo 3.
• Spectre’s line of “From water we're born . . . fire we die. We seed the stars” was quoted from The Cestus Deception as an ARC credo.
• Force Exile IV: Guardian was deliberately written with a number of reversals of role in mind. Sarth and Cassi, normally the more diplomatic pairing, were placed in far greater danger and acted more impulsively than they were used to doing. Also, Selu Kraen was written as being more unsympathetic in his interactions with Hasla, being more pragmatic and manipulative.
• Atarumaster88 ended up toning down two scenes in between the alpha draft and the beta draft of the story—the murder of Seshaak and the attempted rape of Cassi Trealus Kraen. Both of them were deemed too graphic and were thus edited for content prior to being beta’d.
• Initial outlines of Force Exile IV planned on directly showing the Battle of Kuat and the Battle of Bakura. Both were removed from the story for pacing reasons.
• Another plotline that Atarumaster88 considered exploring further but didn’t was providing more resolution to the plotline of Taelros Bac and Rhiannon. The lack of further detail was due to pacing.
• Despite being a Galactic Civil War epic, none of the characters listed in either the Rebel Alliance or Imperial sections of the dramatis personae are shown dying. Atarumaster88 wanted to write the story of Guardian as a war within a war.
• In earlier outlines, Morgedh clan Kel’nerh was also supposed to have a larger role in the story, but Atarumaster88 found that Hasla and Nate had more interesting storylines that he wanted to explore further.
• The themes of Force Exile IV: Guardian are family, vengeance, and sacrifice. The song “Searchlights” by Falling Up was chosen as the theme song.