Praxium

The Tom Veitch Files

Yale’s Beinecke Library 1016 photographs

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Tom Veitch archive photograph IMG_4355
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Transcription

Automatic transcription · may contain errors

Early Sith questions & Freedon Nadd

4 6. Kevin Anderson Dark Lords of the Sith proposal. (First issue) * Exar Kun Crado Tett Sylvar (female) } Students of Bodo Baas These three have completed their training + are given assignments "to help maintain peace throughout the Galaxy" * Kun hot tempered + impatient, has his own agenda. Baas has doubts about Kun, assigns him to a quiet backwater moon - Yavin 4. There he will live among the rather uninteresting Massassi (amphibious humanoids, w/ slick clammy skin + big eyes) * Massassi [uncertain: life?] carefree forest dwellers; unambitious. Baas wants Kun to give them a push toward higher civilization -- he also hopes their lifestyle will mellow Kun. * On Yavin, Exar Kun + a group of Massassi are attacked by a huge predator. "Kun [uncertain: reflexively?] grabs one of the Massassi with the Force + Sacrifices him to the predator to save himself." * Kun discovers ancient ruins -- Massassi were civilized, but bloody & violent. The ancient Massassi called themselves the Sith. * Kun becomes enamored the Sith + their accomplishments. He begins to dabble in Dark Side studies. A universe of power opens to him - [margin: red ink, cropped: Wh[illegible]] [margin: red ink, cropped: Ba[illegible] Ku[illegible]] [margin: red ink, cropped: [uncertain: Something?] it on] [margin: red ink, cropped: OK -- Dark [illegible] on [illegible]] [margin: red ink, cropped: [uncertain: give?] [illegible]] [margin: red ink, cropped: [uncertain: Same?] [illegible]]

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!