Praxium

The Tom Veitch Files

Yale’s Beinecke Library 1016 photographs

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Tom Veitch archive photograph IMG_4387
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Transcription

Automatic transcription · may contain errors

Dark Lords working notebook

[margin: (51)] * Now it is Leia vs. the Emperor. She uses Jedi Battle Meditation. It works...at first...but the Emperor beats her down. He is ready for her now, he will not fall victim like he did at the end of Dark Empire. * Now...we have to have Luke vs. the Emperor. It looks like Luke is going to be the one to save Leia and the children. The Emperor might say some rude things about Luke belonging to the dark side, etc. He might invite Luke to strike him down at last, so that he can inhabit the child. "What will you do then, kill the child?" (Palpatine would have arranged for the child to be abducted by his troopers who are aboard Eclipse.) * So it looks like Luke is about to do the deed -- suddenly Han Solo enters and shoots the Emperor dead with his blaster. (think about this, how to best stage it...perhaps Han is saving Leia, who is about to die.) * Now...how is Palpatine prevented from inhabiting little Anakin? Well, it could be he just can't get in...Anakin is too strong for him. Or it could be that his spirit is annihilated by some magical force (like Freedon Nadd was in DLOTS). If magical, that needs to be set up...something about the monastery, or some character...or some flaw in the Emperor's logic. [margin: Leia is "raging hormones" She's not really good / Also, he is strong. at it yet. Where are Han + Chewie during all of this? where are Threepio + R2D2? "I still love you." Or 3 of his Dark Jedi who are with him, also in disguise. Emperor: "Strike me down + your journey to the d.s. will be complete." Han Solo -- OK. Or, to Leia "Go ahead, Jedi ... kill me ..." Does Leia have [uncertain: Rayb's?] light saber? What if he isn't killed, but only physically ruined ... and his brain is kept in a bottle by the medics? (a bit corny?) In which case, the Emperor would have to appear as a Spirit. What if we leave it ambiguous as to whether the Emp inhabited Anakin? Is he in the beast (or worm)... or in young Anakin?]

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 ↗