Have you ever wondered who owned the Falcon before Lando? Follow us as we hear her entire history. Han, Leia, and "Amelia" go on a quest to find out. Meanwhile, what is that one part Han's never seen? What's this about a treasure? And who named her the Millennium Falcon?
Aside from giving the Falcon's backstory, the book serves as the bridge between the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series, starting off soon after the end of Legacy and concluding with Han and Leia learning of the events that kick off Fate.
Tropes invoked here include:
- A Hero Is Born: The book shows the Falcon coming off the assembly line. Appropriately, it inexplicably begins twisting and bucking and nearly shuts down the entire line.
- Alas, Poor Villain:
- You can't help but feel sorry for Oxic when he realizes that the Insignia of Unity's a fake.
- Even Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus gets this treatment from Legacy of the Force, with Han going from having wished that they "dropped that kid out the medcenter window the day he was born in Inferno'' to hoping that his son finds redemption in the afterlife.
- Anti-Villain: While being the nominal antagonist, Lestric Oxic really isn't a bad guy. He's just a wealthy collector with an obsession for Republic era artwork.
- Arc Words: "Restore Republic Honor".
- Breather Episode: After Legacy of the Force having gone significantly Darker and Edgier, not only is this Lighter and Softer, James Luceno was relieved to have "no galaxy-shattering events" while writing this novel. He also pushed for it to be set two years after Invincible, to allow time for Han and Leia's grief over their son's death to subside.
- Brick Joke: Leia's second volume of memoirs, The Crook, The Wook, and Me.
- Call-Back: Han's offended reaction to the title of Leia's memoirs ("Who's a crook?!") deliberately mirrors his similar reaction to her nerf herder insult.
- Continuity Nod:
- The Stellar Envoy story begins in the Battle of Coruscant, and goes on to explain the ship's blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in Revenge of the Sith.
- While investigating the Envoy, SBI Director Armand Isard inwardly grumbles about recent Jedi interference and how they've been mysteriously snooping around the Works and 500 Republica.
- When Nar Shaddaa crime lord Rej Taunt reflects on the post-Clone Wars state of Black Sun, he notes that the organization has nearly recovered from a mass assassination that took out all the Vigos and Alexi Garyn a decade earlier. This is a reference to Ron Marz's Darth Maul mini-series.
- The treasure is is found to be hidden in a Rakata temple on Tandum III, a planet consumed by a Vuuzhan Vong terraforming virus.
- Continuity Porn: It's a James Luceno-penned Star Wars novel; of course it's going to have this.
- Crazy-Prepared: Han's security suite for the Falcon is extensive and primed for almost any ship-jacking attempt. Doesn't stop Oxic's goons or Flitcher Poste.
- Crusading Lawyer: Lestra Oxic was this during the Empire-era, defending political opponents of Palpatine.
- Dramatic Irony: After coming out of decades-long suspended animation on Obroa-skai and hearing about everything that's happened while he's been out, from the fall of the Empire to the Yuuzhan Vong War to the Second Galactic Civil War, Jadak muses how such a chain of events must be true because no one could possibly have made them up.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Jedi Knight Seff Hellin appears partway through, setting up his role in Fate of the Jedi and foreshadowing Force Psychosis.
- Exact Words: "A treasure sufficient enough to restore Republic honor to the galaxy." Everybody's so focused on the 'treasure' part that none of them consider what kind of treasure would represent Republican honor.
- Expy: Given that the novel is the Star Wars equivalent of The Maltese Falcon, Lestra Oxic is intended to be one of Kasper Gutman.
- A Father to His Men: Downplayed with Rej Taunt, who is willing to make threats to his employees, but is deeply disturbed by the colcoids devouring two of his people, remembering this and seeking to avenge it (as well as how the defective bus droids got him sent to prison) more than sixty years later.
- The Ghost: Sils Naffiff, who stole the Insignia of Unity during a renovation of the Senate.
- Possibly, anyway. Given the influences of The Maltese Falcon on the plot, Oxic, like Kasper Gutman, tries to believe this for his own sake. Koi Quire at least points out that the Antarian Rangers working with the Republic Group could have stolen the real Insignia. Neither of them acknowledge the possibility that the Insignia could have been stolen and replaced at some point before the Senate renovation.
- I Have Many Names: From Stellar Envoy all the way to Millennium Falcon.
- Inter Species Romance: Possibly Vistal Purn and Sari Danzer (who had the Falcon during its time as a circus ship). Sari is a Twi'lek, and Vistal's species isn't explicitly stated but is implied to be human.
- Never Mess with Granny: Leia, especially when her actual granddaughter is in danger.
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Launcher of a Thousand Ships: The Falcon is an odd non-human example. Tobb and Reeze had high hopes to keep it for themselves after the Clone Wars, Rej Taunt saw it as a pinnacle of his success, Quip Fargil was unable to use it for a Suicide Mission for the Rebellion due to growing too attached to the ship. CI Trouvee was willing to risk his life over a wager to get enough money to keep the ship running, and even after losing to to Lando in a poker game took pride in having owned it. and then of course, there's Lando and Han, whose feelings towards the ship are well established. - Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Han and Lando's discussion early on about Daala's ascendancy to Head of State at the end of Legacy of the Force. It's not hard at all to see their exchange about how out of character it was for Han to elevate her (given their history) and how stupid an idea it was as Luceno acknowledging and agreeing with fan sentiment at the time.
- Noodle Incident: Jadak and Reeze spent a decade doing all sorts of missions with the Falcon/Envoy that would have done Han and Chewie proud, but most of these are only lightly referenced, as their last mission is the only one focused on.
- Oh, Crap!: Oxic when he realizes that the Insignia of Unity, the artifact that he's spent decades and countless credits pursuing, is a fake.
- Origins Episode: For the Falcon.
- P.O.V. Sequel: The early chapters focusing on Jadak and Reese retell the opening of Episode III, the crash-landing of Invisible Hand, and Palpatine's arrival at the Senate Annex from the pilots' perspective.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Koi Quire and Oxic's errand boys aren't really malicious characters and are just following his orders. given the ending of the story, it's debatable if they even qualify as villains at all.
- Retcon: Most of the Falcon's history, up until she fell into Lando's hands. (Her history with Lando, and then with Han, has been pretty well documented prior to this.)
- Running Gag: The long-running gag of the Falcon's faulty port thruster is finally revealed to be the result of damage sustained during the Battle of Coruscant at the end of the Clone Wars.
- Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: In a sense; Lester Oxic. Oxic is a celebrated attorney deeply respected for having defended Palpatine's enemies who turns out to have Fenn keeping Jadak alive to lead him to the treasure and go after him with all kinds of henchmen throughout the novel. His henchmen never hurt anyone though, and the treasure he's after isn't a monetary one, but a symbol of the honor of the Republic that he wants for sentimental and respectful reasons. He's even willing to pay Jadak and Filche for it once they've found it rather than try to take it by force, and then hires them to find the real artifact upon discovering its a forgery.
- Super Hero Origin: In addition to the whole book being one, we actually read about the Falcon coming off the line.
- The Family for the Whole Family: Casinos have dog shows!
- Those Two Guys: Taunt's bodyguards Viss and Heet, and Lestra Oxic's investigators/security agents Cynner and Remata.
- Treasure Map: The Falcon itself turns out to be one — or at least the Rubicon navicomputer.
- Villainous Breakdown: Oxic has one when he realizes that the Insignia of Unity's a fake.
- Wham Line: At the end, when Leia and Han learn of Daala's prosecution of Luke.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Rej Taunt's surviving bodyguard Heet is never seen again after they watch their buzz droid cargo destroy an Imperial ship, and his fate after they were arrested is unknown (presumably he was sent to prison with Taunt, although it is unknown if he was able to share in his Luxury Prison Cell arrangement or survived to the present day).
- Whole-Plot Reference: The Maltese Falcon.
