Praxium

The Tom Veitch Files

Yale’s Beinecke Library 1016 photographs

Original photograph

Tom Veitch archive photograph IMG_4347
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Transcription

Automatic transcription · may contain errors

Early Sith questions & Freedon Nadd

[peripheral text on facing page:] [illegible]e “ [illegible] “ [uncertain: with Ben?] [illegible]p - how? — — [illegible]ated? ([uncertain: see li's?] sketches) [illegible]ing SWDE III 153 IDEAS DREAMED UP FOR DE I THAT WERE NEVER USED - * Leia rescued by her "Jedi teacher", undergoes training, then learns her teacher belo[illegible] * Han recruits a "dirty dozen" ([uncertain: Guns?][illegible] the idea here would be to bring some [illegible] into service of the Rebels ... Luke [illegible] & Shug, at the level of Bounty [illegible] * Accepting the Surrender of the Emp[illegible] [overlaid note: SWDE Ideas not used] * Ships Crushed between energy Sh[illegible] in SWDE II ... but could have a weapon that employs this technology -- either as "pincers", or two vessels form a vise ... Or how about a maneuver where a group of vessels cluster around a prey-ship & crush it? [margin: *] * Luke turns Dark Side against Emperor - This still has possibilities. Luke has a knowledge of the physics of the Dark Side (he's read E's books.) He knows the hidden risks the E. & his adepts + Dark Jedi take. Hidden imbalances (like when E becomes Vulnerable creating his Force Storm. The Dark Side is dangerous in that it can cause psychotic breaks -- it can be self-destructive, unhinge the mind. OR DOES LUKE PUT HIMSELF AT RISK BY USING THE DARK SIDE POWERS?

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!