Scott's Rating:   4 out of 4

This short story was published in the Star Wars Gamer magazine. It takes place shortly after The New Jedi Order - Balance Point.

Uldir once had hopes of being a Jedi Knight, but he lacked the Force powers necessary to become one. Instead he became a rescue pilot for the New Republic. Commanding a crew including a Dug, Duros, and human, they are on a mission to secretly rescue Jedi operating in the Corporate Sector. With a bounty placed on their heads by the Yuuzhan Vong, Uldir must get to them before less friendly forces do. When he happens upon a female Jedi being pursued by Corporate Sector forces, he has no choice but to get involved. Unfortunately it may cost them their lives as they conduct a deadly chase on the planet Bonadan.

Scott:

    This is a great side story to the New Jedi Order. Not only does it show how the events of the main storyline affect other characters in the universe, it ties in a lot of the elements from the previous stories and films. This story has one of the first appearances of Dug aliens since the prequel era. It also brings the Corporate Sector from the Han Solo novels into the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. Most prominently it turns Uldir, a character first introduced in the Junior Jedi Knights series, into a hero.

Uldir was a spoiled brat and an annoyance in the Junior Jedi Knight books, but he really turns into a hero in this story. He's the "everyman" who is thrown into extraordinary circumstances and rises to meet the challenge. That's what Star Wars is about and that's what makes this story fun.

Battle on Bonadan was a fun short story that is action packed from the first sentence to the last. This is only to first part so look for the sequel in Star Wars Gamer #9.

Scott:

    Uldir and Klin-Fa, the Jedi, fight back and forth through almost the whole story. While charming at first, their sarcasm gets a bit grating by the end of the tale. I was also a little bummed to have to wait till the next issue to get the conclusion of the story, but I guess Wizards wants to make extra sure you buy the next issue.

Scott:

    Nothing to add here.