Hello fellow Wookieepdians! Today we had the opportunity to connect with Sarah Glenn Marsh, the author of the story "Everyone's a Critic" in From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi, for a short interview. The story is told from the point of view of Salacious B. Crumb from Jabba's court.

Q1: How did you first get into Star Wars as a fan, and what are some of your favorite pieces of media from the franchise? (movies, books, etc.)

A: My parents introduced me to the original trilogy when Phantom Menace was announced; I want to say I was about eleven when I first watched the original films all the way through, and I was hooked. Luke Skywalker was my first crush; what can I say, I like nice men! After that, I needed to know the names of all the planets, who lived there, what their goals were–I was a walking Wookieepedia for a bit, myself!

The original trilogy will always be first in my heart. I also adored Rogue One, it’s excellent storytelling. My daughter and I watch a lot of Young Jedi Adventures and Bad Batch, which are both great. On the book side, I really enjoy The New Jedi Order. I also loved The Legends of Luke Skywalker.

Q2: Salacious B. Crumb is a fan-favorite character and reading his internal sense of humor was fun and refreshing. What was your favorite part about writing him?

A: Thank you! I love a challenge, and I think my favorite part was figuring out how to communicate his thoughts and feelings (and even keep that sense of humor we all enjoy from him) while knowing his understanding of things was closer to that of a dog than a human even though he could mimic almost any language he heard. That wound up shaping a lot of how I viewed him and his loyalty to Jabba, as most of the time, people can do no wrong in the eyes of their adoring pets! I even felt (just a little) terrible for him in the moment he realized Jabba was dead.

I also try to find the humor in everything because life is hard, so that helped me connect to Salacious right away.

Salacious B. Crumb, in Return of the Jedi

Q3: I loved the small details in the work, especially Crumb’s ravenous appetite. What inspired you while fleshing out that aspect of his backstory?

A: Kowak inspired me there! Crumb comes from a place where eat-or-be-eaten seems to be par for the course. I also felt like Crumb having such a voracious appetite nicely mirrored Jabba’s own ravenous appetites for many things in life, and gave them a point of connection.

Q4: The Star Wars saga has grown wildly since its inception, with many works forming a rich tapestry of lore. What was your writing process in giving a fresh interpretation of a classic scene?

A: Well, I’ll take any excuse to rewatch ROTJ, so I watched and rewatched the events from Jabba’s Palace while taking notes and trying to focus in on the areas of the scenes where Crumb was present and would have been observing or taking part, even if we didn’t necessarily see it on screen.

I also reread Legends of Luke Skywalker, although Lugubrious Mote didn’t make it into my final draft (she was in early ones!). Basically, I tried to revisit every canon mention of Crumb, making a fact sheet for myself so I could work within what was already established and add to it rather than change it.

Q5: Are you interested in writing more Star Wars, and what characters or time period would you like to delve into if so?

A: Yes, absolutely! (Lovely folks at Lucasfilm, kindly take note!). I’d be interested in exploring more of Padme’s early time as queen particularly, anything set within the High Republic era, or something set within the timeframe of the New Jedi Order (closer to the original trilogy’s events, when they were still fresh in everyone’s minds). I’d be down to follow the Max Rebo Band on a galactic tour–so many possibilities!

Q6: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! Is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?

A: There’s a project I’m about to start working on for another favorite franchise, but I can’t say more just yet–keep an eye on my website: www.sarahglennmarsh.com or follow me on Instagram at sarahmarshauthor, and I’ll share more when I can! I also have some fun folklore books for younger readers coming out this fall, among other things.

Thank you for the great chat!

Conclusion

And that's the end of today's interview with Sarah Glenn Marsh. Was super glad we got to sit down and talk with her about "Everyone's a Critic," and until next time, happy editing!