L. Neil Smith, the author of the Lando Calrissian trilogy of Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu, Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon, and Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka passed away on 27th August aged 75. Born 12th May 1946, Smith, who’s father was in the US Air Force, spent his childhood in Texas, Florida, Newfoundland and California before embarking on an award-winning writing career that began in 1980 with the award-winning The Probability Broach and encompassed a number of series including the Coordinated Arm series, the Forge of the Elders Series, the Ngu Family Saga, the North American Confederacy series and stand-alone workls the last of which was Sweeter Than Wine in 2011.
I had the good fortune to interview L.Neil back in March of 2007 where we discussed his most famous work, the Lando Calrissian series.
Lightsabre: The Lando books are unique among the wider Star Wars Expanded Universe, carving their own niche in the saga, and the chief of your original characters was Vuffi Raa. What was the inspiration for this enjoyable character?
LNS: It makes me very happy that you like Vuffi Raa. He was a pleasure to create, I enjoyed writing him, and I regret very much that I don’t own him and can’t use him. Physically, I have always been interested in marine life, and was intrigued by the deep-sea brittle star. That was my model for Vuffi Raa. As a character, he’s very much of a piece with some of my other wisecracking sidekicks. I guess he’s more like Oasam in Forge of the Elders (who has the very last word in the 600-page epic) than anybody else.
Lightsabre: Lando is such a striking character. Did you feel for his predicament in The Empire Strikes Back?
LNS: I was always a big fan of Han Solo, which made me like Lando very much, too. I spotted him as a gambler and a wheeler-dealer right off, and I don’t imagine that he viewed what happened at the Cloud City as much of a predicament. More like a problem that could be solved by a sufficiently intelligent con-man. And when you get right down to it, his adversary, Darth Vader wasn’t really very bright, and had no sense of humor at all.
L. Neil is survived by his wife Cathy Smith and his daughter Rylla Smith. To his family, friends, colleagues and fans we send our sincere condolences.
