Stay ConnectedEmily and Kelly grew up before Star Wars returned to the big screen—when novels were fans’ only hope. Now, they’re re-reading them with fresh eyes for plot twists, new characters, and surprisingly apt socio-political themes. Delusions of Grandeur is a podcast about the good, the bad, and the truly bizarre stories of the Star Wars novels.
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Copyright: © Emily Gadek & Kelly Jones
Call us Mon Mothma because we are back in the office!! We're diving right into the next book in the X-Wing series, The Krytos Trap, which picks up almost immediately where Wedge's Gamble left off: with Wedge staring down into the ditch where his friend died. These chapters are the pure uncut political machinations that middle-aged Star Wars fans love. We've got catty confrontations at state funerals, we've got show trials, we've got Leia going to beg foreign royalty to prop up a Republic (hey, it's the American way, baby). Wedge, like much of the rest of the New Republic, is also suddenly having to think about politics like, ten years in to this whole rebellion thing, and he hates it almost as much as the dumb new hats someone designed for Rogue Squadron. And looming above all of it is our old friend Kirtan Loor, who's multitasking a menty b/astroturfed insurgency from an abandoned WeWork in a Coruscant high rise.
Fire up those space mirrors, folks — it's time to take Coruscant! (...Coruscante?)
Via a last second and definitely unverified geo-engineering plan, Rogue Squadron manages to make the New Republic's dream come true. They're now the proud owners of a virus-infested city planet! Corran Horn is missing and presumed dead (he's actually alive, just naked) — Tycho Celchu is present and presumed traitor (he's probably not, but that's for another book) — and Wedge is physically here but spiritually and emotionally in crisis.
As always, our favorite characters end up being the NPCs: a lady captain who will "army for whoever," Cousin Needa who needs to stop memorizing the names of naval vessels and just chill, and (as always) Winter & Ooryl, who are just constantly saving everyone's butts.
We made the executive decision to just jump right into the next book, so now's the time to find "the Krytos Trap" at your local library or favorite online used bookseller or preferred Imperial storage unit fire sale.
Much like Rogue Squadron in the lower levels of Coruscant, our hosts must begin by circling back to previous chapters in order to fully process what the fuck just happened -- and to defend the honor of the humble rock, which is a COOL thing you pick up on the side of the road (not trash!!!). Wedge tries to quell employee discontent with a pizza party. Kirtan Loor finds out he has been promoted to Palpatine's Best Boy (compensation: certain death) whilst Isard fucks off to a spa world. Tycho is alive (and not everyone is happy about that). Corran and Mirax finally kiss before the Rogues head off to certain death, which does not deter Erisi from doing some non-HR approved arm touching. Plus, we ask: where to next???
*Laughs nervously*. "So uh, they didn't teach you about the birds and the bees on Tatooine, kid? I mean, I guess you don't have birds or bees per se...so uh, lemme see if I can put it in a way you'll understand. You've got a huge pile of rocks, right? But trash rocks, like rocks you're about to throw out, you know what I mean. And then oops, you drop one, and it's actually a diamond. And that's really all you need to know about that. Should we uh, get back to planning this planetary sabotage op?"
Hi All, Below are the notes from the unit meeting we had this week. Although most of them were killed in an attack on Novo Nordisk (sp?), I'm still cc'ing your support staff — just in case they survived and have Slack access in the jungle.
Rogue Squadron Meeting Notes 9.16.2026
Coruscant Attack Updates
All our major players are assembled on Coruscant. After some marathon afternoons at the mall, everyone's a little overtired, and some people are on trial for their lives. Nawara gets to relive his glory days in court pointing out poor Gimble is just a virgin who CAN drive. Wedge has a moment of quiet yearning for the suburban life he could have led in a different galaxy. And Corran steps into the shoes of a 1990s heroine in a Very Special Episode. The topic? A Very Special Episode Classic TM: Sure, you can have sex before marriage, but only for reasons of True Love. And you can't love someone who just leaves orange peels scattered around!!! Also, ladies, always cover your drink at the bar.
I don't think we've ever laughed so much for so long at a series of five Star Wars chapters, you guys — and I cut out 20 minutes of it.
Everyone is playing at being a secret agent and everyone except Winter Rima is bad at it. The outfits are crazy and so are the people inside them:
Wedge and Pash and Iella hunt through an Imperial museum gift shop, looking for sociological clues.
Gavin Darklighter refuses to dance with a Bothan on the wrong side of the tracks, gets accused of bigotry, and is essentially kidnapped by an alien faction who need him to help them stop...kidnappings.
Corran Horn spends his journey to Coruscant berating the rich (but for the wrong reasons), arguing with an Alderaanian (about who has experienced the most trauma), and making out with his colleagues ("for the mission").
A space battle could never. But ao3 could.
Ok y'all it's starting to get fun! Michael A Stackpole hears our prayers and does a smash cut from PowerPoint presentation to post-battle tent set up (?). Corran and Wedge take their Good and Naughty Lists to Kessel, where Corran explains a bunch of fake drug slang to a disbelieving Nawara Ven. Everything goes so smoothly, Corran and Mirax even have time get a little flirtin' in -- before they are politely interrupted by Ooryl, who has come to show off his new arm! And our heroes break off into pairs to complete their group assignment (secretly invading Coruscant in the best costumes the New Republic theater department can find via futures trading).
These chapters start with a bang...or at least, a big bang theory, as Leia and Wedge catch up between council sessions -- as Kelly points out, with the sort of gratuitous hand holding, forehead kisses, and commiseration about their current romantic prospects that seems a lot like the way you'd chat with a friendly ex. But not everyone on the council has a playful and not purely platonic energy together -- Fey'la and Akbar are fighting in a superficially polite but deeply passive-aggressive manner about what's to be done with Coruscant. Tragically, all these tete-a-tete's and council meetings are interrupted by one space battle, in which Rogue Squadron juped and swooped successfully to victory with no causalities beyond Corran's peace of mind. Thank the Force Michael A Stackpole knows what his readers is really here for : the slowly ratcheting tension that can only come with watching your boss give a corporate PowerPoint presentation so wild, a narcotics cop and a public defender both think it's a terrible idea.
Our beloved patrons have spoken, and we're headed back to Michael A. Stackpole’s X-Wing series in search of something a little goofier...perhaps even, a little hornier? Speaking of Corran: M. Horn, Wedge and the rest of the Rogues are hanging out on a little planet called Borelias waiting on the rest of the Rebel Fleet to catch up. The ultimate plan (if you've forgotten in the last two years) is to invade Coruscant. But first, we've got to figure out what's going on with Emtrey...and maybe Tycho, if there's time. And we see indisputable proof that Wedge is a better boss than Luke as he gets hyped for the Provisional Council meeting of his dreams.Plus, stick around for a post-credit scene of two (2) American hosts with graduate degrees trying (and failing) to pronounce one (1) English word.
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