However, the Rogues’ politically necessitated break from the New Republic is merely a jumping off point for “The Bacta War,” not to mention Book 5, Aaron Allston’s “Wraith Squadron,” which chronicles what the New Republic is up to during this time period - namely, going after Warlord Zsinj. That’s a fascinating question: Should the way in which an evil person gains power make a difference to a military whose aim is a free galactic citizenry? And why is the fact that Isard is imprisoning Rebellion heroes, such as Jan Dodonna, not considered a good enough reason to go after her?

But in some cases, I felt more words would’ve been welcome: For example, I had thought that the politics of choosing military targets would be a focal point of “The Bacta War.” The New Republic says it can’t go after Isard, because - evil or not - she was elected by a vote of the Thyferran people. At the end of “The Krytos Trap,” they collectively resigned from the New Republic military in order to take on Imperial nemesis Isard, who had been elected as the head of the bacta-producing planet Thyferra.Īs with Michael Stackpole’s first three entries, this one is a brisk page-turner that doesn’t waste a word. In “X-Wing: The Bacta War” (1997), the final book of the Rogue Squadron quadrilogy (but not the last book about the squadron, as it’ll pop up again in “X-Wing” Book 8, “Isard’s Revenge”), the Rogues truly go rogue.

Bacta war