History Literature / StarWarsAllegiance

* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Obi-Wan patiently guides Luke through using the Force to figure out the combination for the room he's been locked into, taking a far more active and direct role than his SpiritAdvisor form is usually depicted as being capable of.

** The [[StateSec Imperial Security Bureau]] and the Stormtrooper Corps ''really'' don't like each other. The stormtroopers resent ISB for using stormtroopers of their own (meaning the Stormtrooper Corps gets blamed for whatever atrocities ISB might commit), while ISB, in its professional paranoia, thinks the Corps should never been opened up to non-clone recruits.

''Allegiance''[[note]][[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Allegiance_(novel) Wookieepedia]][[/note]] is a Franchise/StarWarsLegends novel by Creator/TimothyZahn. It's set six months after ''Film/ANewHope''.

Not to be confused with the computer game ''VideoGame/{{Allegiance}}'', the TV series ''Series/{{Allegiance}}'', or the stage play ''Theatre/{{Allegiance}}''.

Not to be confused with the computer game ''VideoGame/{{Allegiance}}'' or the stage play ''Theatre/{{Allegiance}}''.

* TwentyFourHourArmor: It's regulation that stormtroopers must wear their armor when outside of their barracks section, even when off-duty on an Imperial Navy ship. Captain Ozzel of the ''Reprisal'' hates seeing stormtroopers wandering around in armor, but the troopers won't agree to be confined to barracks, so they're allowed out in plainclothes. This is just the first minor rule infraction the BotheringByTheBook [[StateSec ISB]] gets annoyed about when it stations its own unit aboard.

* BurialInSpace: This is [[spoiler:Tannis's]] last request to Mara, should he die of his burn injuries. He does, and she obliges him.

* BulletHolesAndRevelations: [=LaRone=] is snidely accused of disobeying orders by an ISB officer who then pulls a blaster on him. [=LaRone=] instinctively wrests it away, the officer pulls out a holdout blaster, there is a "soft flash, a muted blast"--and the officer falls dead. DamnYouMuscleMemory. Stormtrooper combat training doesn't cover ISB officers playing threat games.

* ItWorksBetterWithBullets: At the climax, Marcross seemingly turns on the other stormtroopers to side with Governor Choard, who turns out to be his uncle, and gives him his blaster. But Marcross merely wanted to verify that Choard was guilty of treason, and when he incriminates himself, Marcross points out that he removed the power pack. There's still enough juice for one shot, though, but fortunately Mara throws off Choard's aim and Marcross only gets hit in the shoulder.

** The [[StateSec Imperial Security Bureau]] and the Stormtrooper Corps ''really'' don't like each other. The stormtroopers resent ISB for using stormtroopers of their own (meaning the Stormtrooper Corps get blamed for whatever atrocities ISB might commit), while ISB, in its professional paranoia, thinks the Corps should never been opened up to non-clone recruits.

** The ISB and the Stormtrooper Corps ''really'' don't like each other.
** Mara and Vader don't like each other, either. Their relationship seems to range from Vader trying to kill Mara (he jumps to the wrong conclusion and flies into a rage) to both of them calmly trading their impressions of a possibly-corrupt governor, and Mara asking Vader to keep an eye on Captain Ozzel, since she doesn't trust him. She does muse that at least they both hate the [[InternalAffairs ISB]].

* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Obi-Wan patiently guides Luke through using the Force to figure out the combination for the room he's been locked into.

* RecycledInSPACE: The elite ex-commando unit performing good deeds while on the run from the government that unfairly burned them bears more than a passing resemblance to Series/TheATeam.
* [[TwoLinesNoWaiting Six Lines, No Waiting]]: It's a Zahn book. Of ''course'' it's going to have multiple intertwined PlotThreads.
* SpiritAdvisor: Obi-Wan tries to guide Luke into using the Force to find his own way out of predicaments, but Luke is still too inexperienced, so Obi-Wan is forced to be increasingly direct with his advice.

* FixFic: [[{{Mooks}} Stormtroopers]] who are not only useful, but ''badass''? They can all [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy aim properly]] (especially Grave, the sniper), and their reputation as the masked face of Imperial might allows them to pull off gambits and face much longer odds than five soldiers should really be able to handle. Also, their {{armor|IsUseless}} is actually effective against small arms fire. ''Literature/SurvivorsQuest''--also by Zahn--did it first with the four stormtroopers of Aurek Seven, who are a deeply BadassCrew. Since ''Literature/ChoicesOfOne'' confirms that Thrawn hired the Hand of Judgment to train his own elite squadrons, it's to be expected. It isn't just the Hand of Judgment, either--the narrative in ''Allegiance'' also goes out of its way to remind the reader that the stormtroopers on the Death Star were under specific orders to let the heroes go...

* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Han. But he doesn't leave.
* RecycledInSpace: The elite ex-commando unit performing good deeds while on the run from the government that unfairly burned them bears more than a passing resemblance to Series/TheATeam.

* SureLetsGoWithThat: Amazing sometimes, how hindsight enables people to jump to such incredibly wrong conclusions.

* FixFic: [[{{Mooks}} Stormtroopers]] who are not only useful, but ''badass''? Also, their [[ArmorIsUseless armor]] is actually effective against small arms fire.
-->''[[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy Without even appearing to aim, Grave shifted his blaster slightly and sent a shot sizzling past the living shield's ear to blow a hole in Cav'Saran's face.]]''
:: ''Literature/SurvivorsQuest'' -- also by Zahn -- did it first with the four stormtroopers of Aurek Seven, who are a deeply BadassCrew. Since ''Literature/ChoicesOfOne'' confirms that Thrawn hired the Hand of Judgment to train his own elite squadrons, it's to be expected. It isn't just the Hand of Judgment -- the narrative in ''Allegiance'' also goes out of its way to remind the reader that the stormtroopers on the Death Star were under specific orders to let the heroes go...

* HumanShield: Attempted, but Grave just shot past the hostage.
* InformalEulogy: Mara for Tannis.
* InterserviceRivalry

* [[ItWorksBetterWithBullets It Works Better When Loaded]]

* SpiritAdvisor: Obi-Wan.

* ExplodingBarrels: The Commodore's men try to kill Mara and Tannis with these.

* CatchphraseInterruptus: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Hilariously]] deployed.
* ChekhovsGun: Or at least his drainpipe.
* ContinuityNod: Disra, possibly the only Imperial who is a monster in a Zahn book. Also, we see the official debut of the ''Executor''.

** Villim [[Literature/HandOfThrawn Disra]] has apparently always had connections to criminals.

* AwesomeByAnalysis: The Commodore tries this, enduring mild sensory deprivation in order to concentrate on voices and make himself into a LivingLieDetector. Mara messes with his technique by using the Force to stir up currents in his water tank and air supply.
* BodyMotifs

** Five idealistic stormtrooper deserters: the Hand of Judgment.
** Zahn uses the hand motif a lot. There's also the Empire of the Hand and the Hand of Thrawn. It's an easy metaphor.

--->'''Mara:''' Lose the name. There's only one Hand in the Empire, and that's me.

* BulletHolesAndRevelations: [=LaRone=] shot first.

As the title suggests, this book features people and groups who are having allegiance issues. Han Solo is resentful about how it seems like everyone is assuming that he's committed himself to the Rebellion, although he hasn't left yet, and while Luke Skywalker is utterly committed, he worries about Han and is very green. Five stormtroopers desert from the Star Destroyer ''Reprisal'' and form a sort of vigilante group called the Hand of Judgment, believing that the Empire has abandoned the ideals that they signed up for. Consciously, Mara Jade is absolutely certain of the rightness of the Empire, but she is on the hunt for traitors and there are numerous tiny hints that she's against various aspects. Meanwhile, Leia is sent to negotiate between various Rebel leaders who are threatening to leave, and to investigate a regional governor who claims to want to secede, but is really doing all of this to gain power.

* AwesomeByAnalysis: The Commodore tries this, enduring mild sensory deprivation in order to concentrate on voices. Doesn't work on Mara.

** Lampshaded; [=LaRone=], the leader of the five stormtroopers, when asked for what his squad is called, goes blank and ends up blurting "Mostly, we're known as the Hand of Judgment." Away from everyone else, he gets ribbed relentlessly by the other stormtroopers.
--> '''Quiller:''' You could have just picked a unit number at random. It's not like he could have checked before we got offplanet.\\

** Lampshaded again later, when Mara saves them from Vader and the 501st and [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure hears out their story.]] She lets them go, but tells them this:
-->'''Mara:''' Lose the name. There's only one Hand in the Empire, and that's me.
** Ironically this is not true at all, much to Mara's displeasure in future stories.

* CallForward

** There's also Mara Jade watching Vader get defensive over something he's looking up at a terminal, and her musing that the Emperor won't be pleased if Vader's been looking up [[Literature/ShadowsOfTheEmpire Prince Xizor and Black Sun]] again.
** Luke and Leia learning to operate a couple of acquired speeder bikes.

* GoodFeelsGood

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: While in his presence Mara Jade thinks of the Emperor as "a good and wise man". Of course, she ''is'' his agent, connected to him by the Force, and there are a lot of subtle cues that she subconsciously knows how evil he is. Plus, her snap judgments of everyone else are pretty sound.

** Mara and Vader don't like each other, either. Their relationship seems to range from Vader trying to kill Mara to both of them calmly trading their impressions of a possibly-corrupt governor, and Mara asking Vader to keep an eye on Ozzel, since she doesn't trust him. She does muse that at least they both hate the [[InternalAffairs ISB]].

* RecycledInSpace: The elite ex-commando unit performing good deeds while on the run from the government that unfairly burned them bears more than a passing resemblance to the A-Team.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/allegiance_japanese.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Japanese cover]]

''[[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Allegiance_(novel) Allegiance]]'' is a ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' novel by Creator/TimothyZahn. It's set six months after ''Film/ANewHope''.

As the title suggests, this book features people and groups who are having allegiance issues. Han Solo is resentful about how it seems like everyone is assuming that he's committed himself to the Rebellion, although he hasn't left yet, and while Luke Skywalker is utterly committed, he worries about Han and is very green. The five stormtroopers who form the Hand of Judgment desert and form a sort of vigilante group believing that the Empire has abandoned the ideals that they signed up for. Consciously, Mara Jade is absolutely certain of the rightness of the Empire, but she is on the hunt for traitors and there are numerous tiny hints that she's against various aspects. Meanwhile, Leia is sent to negotiate between various Rebel leaders who are threatening to leave, and speaks with a district head who claims to want to secede, but is really doing all of this to gain power.