Praxium

The Tom Veitch Files

Yale’s Beinecke Library 1016 photographs

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Tom Veitch archive photograph IMG_4335
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Transcription

Automatic transcription · may contain errors

Early Sith questions & Freedon Nadd

[tab, handwritten: BOBA FETT] [handwritten: KEVIN ANDERSON'S QUESTIONNAIRE TO GEORGE LUCAS'S] [handwritten: 103] [handwritten: (November 1992)] “LORDS OF THE SITH” Questions In the approved outline for my second STAR WARS novel, one of the antagonists is Exar Kun, a spectre from the past (1000+ years before the films). In the original okay, Exar Kun was approved to be a long-dead Lord of the Sith, rather than a Dark Jedi. The films give almost no information about what the Lords of the Sith actually are. This questionnaire is to help me understand some basic background of the Sith (at least as it was a millennium ago in Exar Kun’s time); this information need not have any direct bearing on the time frame of the films. Your original okay is shown below. 4. Page 3: Is it okay to introduce a new character as “the avatar of Exar Kun, a long-dead Lord of the Sith”? Avatar meaning an incarnation in human form (Note: the films established that Darth Vader was once a powerful member of a greatly feared group of individuals known as the Dark Lords of the Sith) Yes __[handwritten: X]__ No ____ If no, is it okay to introduce this character as the avatar of a dead Dark Jedi instead Yes ____ No __[handwritten: X]__ (1) From the films, we know that Darth Vader is the Dark Lord of the Sith. Are there “Light” Lords of the Sith as well as Dark Lords? ____ YES __[handwritten: X]__ NO (2) How many Lords of the Sith are there? __[handwritten: X]__ ONLY ONE AT A TIME ____ A HANDFUL (5–10) ____ MANY (100+) (3) Are the Lords of the Sith in some way connected to the Jedi Knights and the study of the Force? __[handwritten: X]__ YES ____ NO (3a) If YES, are the Sith Lords a group of Jedi with an opposing philosophy to the majority of Jedi Knights (i.e., they want to use their powers for political manipulation or for domination)? __[handwritten: X]__ YES ____ NO

Read alongside the photograph, especially for handwritten passages. Bracketed notes may mark uncertain or illegible text.

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The Tom Veitch Files

On August 18, 2026, Praxis visited Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and photographed 1016 pages from the Tom Veitch papers. This collection brings those early drafts, unused stories, correspondence, and handwritten notes together for everyone to explore.

YCAL MSS 1368 · Boxes 3, 5, 42, 76, and 77

Box 3
Dark Empire and Tales of the Jedi correspondence, proposals, and annotated drafts.
Box 5
Lucasfilm approvals, contracts, Kevin J. Anderson correspondence, and audio adaptation material.
Box 42
Tales of the Jedi and Dark Lords of the Sith proposals, scripts, artwork, and proofs.
Box 76
Handwritten Star Wars drafts and the Log X notebook.
Box 77
Dark Empire, Dark Lords of the Sith, and Tales of the Jedi notebooks and plots.

The descriptions above follow Yale’s finding aid. These photographs are a selection from those boxes; individual images have not yet been assigned to exact boxes and folders. Image numbers follow photography order, with occasional gaps.

These are working papers: some ideas were approved, some changed, and some never reached publication. Most transcriptions are automatic; checked passages use the corrected text.

There’s plenty to explore. Have fun looking!

Yale’s finding aid ↗Download all photographs ↗