Have you ever wanted to know the origins of the Star Wars EU/Legends continuity and the Multiverse!? Well, Supernatural Encounters (SE) written by Joseph “Joe” Bongiorno, will deep dive into all that and explore ancient revelations as to how the galaxy came to be in George Lucas’ epic space saga. The following stories involve gods, monsters/cosmic horrors, demons, civilisations and other planes of existence in Star Wars. These stories revolve around Arhul Hextrophon and his droid Q9, as they learn and document the ancient origins of the galaxy and existence itself. If you thought my blogs relating to THE OLD REPUBLIC ERA were completely crazy, you ain’t seen nothing yet!
“Cult Encounters: The Last Days of Arhul Hextrophon and Supernatural Encounters: The Trial and Transformation of Arhul Hextrophon are a duology of online Science Fantasy novellas written by Joseph Bongiorno, set in the Star Wars Legends continuity. They are notable for the sheer amount of time they spent in Development Hell, at nearly ten years; they were approved and then canceled several times, until Lucasfilm gave Bongiorno their blessing to release them on his own website following the 2014 Continuity Reboot. Cult Encounters was released on Christmas 2017, and Supernatural Encounters on the following Halloween. An extended edition of the latter was released in 2023.” Source: (tvtropes.org)
Joe Bongiorno is an expert when it comes to all the obscure mysterious beings and cults of Star Wars, and has written Supernatural Encounters to have it all interconnect and expands on the mythos. SE serves as the Star Wars Bible much like the Silmarillion for J.R.R. Tolkein‘s Middle Earth. Arhul Hextrophon had two brief appearances in Ep.4 A NEW HOPE, in the the Rebel Alliance briefing on attacking the First Death Star and the award ceremony at the end.
NOTE: I’m not going to give away all the mysteries to Supernatural Encounters, as that is something for readers to find out for themselves.
Supernatural Encounters and Cult Encounters (which is in the third book of Supernatural Encounters) was finally published in book format in early 2024 as a trilogy after so many years in development hell. Author Joe Bongiorno, along with many other talented creatives all helped bring these extraordinary stories to life and are an ABSOLUTE MUST! for any die hard fan. Having been reading the books myself, I am astonished by all the secrets it reveals, amongst countless other revelations that aren’t mentioned on the official Star Wars website Wookiepedia, such as the Mortis Gods from Season 3 of Dave Filoni’s The Clone Wars (TCW), and how they came to be as well as the incredibly horrifying nightmare entity Abeloth from the Fate of the Jedi book series. Supernatural Encounters even talk about other entities such as the Sith Gods with Typhojem being the most notable among them, and the bizarre reality known as Otherspace filled with cosmic monstrosities that can drive individuals to madness and other powerful entities such as Wutzek, Waru, Mnggal-Mnggal, the Bedlam Spirits (Tilotny, Horliss-Horliss, Cold Danda Sine, and Splendid Ap) and the all powerful Father of Shadows – Nakhash. Supernatural Encounters also talks about the origins of humankind and many, many alien species such as the Rakata Infinite Empire, Ewoks and Witches of Dathomir. The books also talk about cults such as the Nightsisters of Dathomir, Sorcerers of Rhand and Order of the Terrible Glare.
Click on the following links and videos if you want learn more about some of the aforementioned cults and entities.
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Wutzek
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Waru
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mnggal-Mnggal
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bedlam_Spirits
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tilotny
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Horliss-Horliss
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Cold_Danda_Sine
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Splendid_Ap
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Sorcerers_of_Rhand
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Nightsisters/Legends & https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Witches_of_Dathomir
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Order_of_the_Terrible_Glare/Legends
“The stories chronicle the adventures of New Republic historian Arhul “Hex” Hextrophon, who, with his trusty droid Q9-X7 by his side, traveling the Galaxy to decode ominous connections he has discovered between the Galaxy’s ancient societies. The journey takes him to the darkest recesses of space and into encounters with its most ancient and nightmarish inhabitants, and if he can survive he may well come home with the secret history of the universe itself — from its creation to its ultimate fate. The story serves as a synthesis of details about the most ancient societies of the Galaxy from multiple sources, with a particular emphasis on the original Marvel comics from the 1980s, which repeatedly dropped hints that the Galaxy had endured a calamity vastly dwarfing the Galactic Civil War in its ancient past. Of particular note are a series of H. P. Lovecraft-inspired short comics by Alan Moore, written exclusively for the UK market, introducing baffling characters such as the amoral Bedlam Spirits Tilotny, Horliss-Horliss, Cold Danda Sine, and Splendid Ap, and the mysterious ethereal “demon” Wutzek.” Source: (tvtropes.org)
“It should be noted that while the stories were approved by Lucasfilm, the status of their canonicity was ambiguous for several years due to them having been released post-reboot on a website unaffiliated with the company. On his Facebook, Bongiorno listed their status as “approved but unlicensed.”” Source: (tvtropes.org)
When coming up with Supernatural Encounters, Bongiorno had this to say:
“It is said in times past that the Whills—that mysterious race referred to (in the very first Star Wars book in 1976) but never seen—had the ability to mentally transmit the events of their realm to those of us in the Primary Universe who were receptive and willing to tell such tales so that we might learn by their example, and yet be entertained in our own world at war. George Lucas was primary vessel for those tales, the first of many…
Supernatural Encounters came to me fully formed in November 2007, when it poured out over the course of a few days, a dense, lengthy dissertation on metaphysical subjects, esoteric races, and obscure histories, with subjects ranging from time dilations and realm distinction to ontology, cosmogony, and theology, all embedded in the tale of Arhul Hextrophon and his droid’s search for the origin of life in the Star Wars galaxy. Their quest matched my own, as I too set out to find the truth amongst the many myths and fables that have been revealed over the long years of the EU’s existence. Twelve years after this story was first submitted, twenty after the idea was first conceived, the full account of their journey can at last be revealed.
I recommend first reading “The Keeper’s World,” “Tilotny Throws a Shape” and “The Pandora Effect” from the Marvel UK stories in order to get some context, and the newspaper strip, “Gambler’s World.” [Note: You can find them in the Marvel UK Omnibus, or The Complete Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 3, or the Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol 3, or Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 1 (by Dark Horse], and the Star Wars Newspaper Comics Vol 1 (by IDW) or The Newspaper Strips Vol 1 (by Marvel). It also draws on material found across the EU, including the RPG adventures, “Otherspace” and “The Darkstryder Campaign,” the Ewoks films and animated series, and much more. Cult Encounters immediately precedes this story. The frame story of Supernatural Encounters occurs after the Dark Nest series and before the Legacy of the Force series.” Source: (starwarstimeline.net)
“Supernatural Encounters: Volume 1 contains the first four books of Supernatural Encounters: Book 1: The Trial; Book 2: Journey Into Otherspace; Book 3: Firstborn of the Celestials and the Architects of Madness; and Book 4: The First Shadow. In this lost Expanded Universe book, called by some, “The Silmarillion of Star Wars,” author Joe Bongiorno explores the dark corners of the EU to uncover the vast tapestry of connectivity that exists from the earliest works of Archie Goodwin, Roy Thomas, and Alan Moore in the Marvel comics to the modern tales in West End Games, the Bantam series, Dark Horse Comics, New Jedi Order, Legacy of the Force, Fate of the Jedi, and even deeper lore from rare RPG sources, unpublished works, and the wider “Lucasverse.” Journey with historian Arhul Hextrophon and his faithful droid companion, Cuenyne, as they seek the answers to mysteries as ancient as civilization itself in the one place no mortal dare tread—Otherspace! It is a realm of dark suns and darker entities who prowl the strange expanse. On one hidden world lies the remnant of a Precursor race vanished for long millennia—a people who survived the Cosmic Wars, and may even have borne witness to the dawning of the galaxy… a time when the Architects, Old Ones, and horrifying Immortal Gods of the Sith vied to cast down the benevolent Celestials and claim dominion over the ocean of stars. But such truths are not merely heretical—they are jealously guarded. And the shadows ever watch and wait…” Source: (Amazon.com)
“Supernatural Encounters: Volume 2 contains the next two books of Supernatural Encounters: Book 5: The Second Shadow and Book 6: The Third Shadow. These center on the second and third conflicts of the Cosmic Wars fought between the Firstborn, Architects, Old Ones, and Celestials. When the plans of Tilotny, Cold Danda Sine, and Splendid Ap come closer to fruition, rogue elements emerge, and the Humans prove ever troublesome. In the War of Temporal Planes, Typhojem seeks the key to traversing the dimensions only to confront a strange being, and none other than Horliss-Horliss himself will seek justice! As the ages move closer to the time of known history, the Sith, Rakata, Yevetha, Yuzhaan Vong, and other client races strive for power across the stars. In the Twilight Wars, when the Celestials have dwindled and the galaxy falls closer to the shadow, the Night Queen uncovers a potent weapon, but Waru and his siblings watch and roam. Morag plots her reign on the moon of Endor, while the ancient Taung–ever vigilant on Roon–discover they have a new enemy, a conflict from which will emerge the Mandalorians, and on Notron, dark forces unveil their secret plot. The ancient prophecy unveils in a line of Chosen Ones, Defenders, and Jedi, and one child and her companions struggle against the Dark itself on Andowyne, for the legacy of the ancient Witch-Queens remain potent. Elsewhere on Vitae, the secret daughter of Tilotny has been found–but will Belot remain a loving companion to the Father or rise up to become Queen of the Stars? As Xendor marches to war and death, his seed finds purchase millennia hence in the hidden leader of the Exiles, one who will stop at nothing to attain apotheosis… And the Immortal Gods of the Sith have not sat idle in the black heart of the Unknown Regions. When the Nightsister Sirli makes a terrible journey to the Gunninga Gap, one Dark Lord learns that the True Sith will soon claim their prize–the eradication of the galaxy itself!” Source: (Amazon.com)
“Supernatural Encounters: Volume 3 contains Cult Encounters, the Appendices, maps of Otherspace and the Unknown Regions, a B&W art gallery with the works of Chris Cold and Guillaume Ducos, the Infernal Endnotes, and more. Cult Encounters is comprised of four stories, “The Guild of Vindicators,” “The Order of the Terrible Glare,” “Seekers of the Soulworm” and “Datapad Found in a Deserted Ship.” This final volume in the Supernatural Encounters set concludes Arhul Hextrophon’s story, which provided a controversial, in-depth dissertation on metaphysical subjects, esoteric, ancient races, and obscure histories, with subjects ranging from time dilations and realm distinction to ontology, cosmogony, and theology, all embedded in his search for the origin of life in the vast and mysterious galaxy known as Skyriver, a quest to find the truth amongst the many myths and fables that have been taken hold in the long years of the galaxy’s existence.” Source: (Amazon.com)
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Supernatural-Encounters-Trial-Transformation-Hextrophon/dp/B0CTHCM9BP
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/StarWarsCultEncountersAndSupernaturalEncounters
https://www.starwarstimeline.net/Supernatural_Encounters.htm
On Amazon.com there as been an overwhelming number of reviews with nothing but love and respect for Joe Bongiorno and his many tireless years of dedication to having his captivating, engaging and chaotic (in a good way) book trilogy finally being published in physical form. However some people online don’t quite feel that way, while they are certainly not hating on Bongiorno’s work in anyway they are just expressing how they feel about his work (click on URL link below to see criticism).
Supernatural Encounters wasn’t published by Disney and Lucasfilm, because as we have seen countless times with modern day Disney, who have pretty much bought out half of Hollywood at this point and have so many intellectual properties and zero clue on what to do with them which have caused so much disdain by hordes of people online, fans who are still loyal to the old Expanded Universe/Legends timeline see this as a win against Disney as it’s the first EU related content published since Disney purchased the franchise from George Lucas back in 2012.
If you want to learn more about Joe Bongiorno and Supernatural Encounters, visit his website in the URL Link (https://www.starwarstimeline.net/index.html) and videos below.
The Quinlan Vos YouTube Channel is a leading expert on Bongiorno’s Supernatural Encounters.
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ANAMORPHIC 