User:SOCL

This is my user page. Contact me as needed, when needed.

"Truly, if there is evil in this world, it lies within the heart of mankind."

- Edward D. Morrison

SOCL does not write about himself in the third person, but rather prefers the first person. This is not a fake biography about a huge Star Wars fan, it is a real-life biography about a huge Star Wars fan. My real name is Saul and you may call me by that, but then, even some of my real-life friends call me SOCL... I now go by my middle, personal name of Omar.

I am both a university student and soldier in the United States Army. Currently I am on indefinite leave until I complete university studies or the war becomes so desperate the administration calls up all of their reserves&mdash;whichever comes first. I have no intention of getting myself killed in combat, so don't ask. My aspirations for the future are many, though I'm not yet quite sure what they are. I am also the head of an organized crime syndicate, and if you believe that...

The Mission Statement
I joined this site in order to help spread some of the crazy knowledge I have about Star Wars, but first and foremost, to learn from the knowledge of others. I intend to search-out and correct the little mistakes everyone makes simply because I like precision (that was in no way meant to target the makers-of-little-mistakes&mdash;I myself make more than most). As far as creating articles, I plan to write articles concerning many of the lesser-known characters, most especially those in the Thrawn Trilogy and Hand of Thrawn Duology, and more specifically, the minor Imperial characters in those two series. Articles already written which concern my objective can be found under the heading "Articles".


 * Current Project: nothing in particular

Biography
"Cardona! You fucking do that again and I'll have you promoted!"

- Staff Sergeant Barns

The Mistaken Me
If you happen to see edits done by User:68.201.153.18 or User:4.152.156.98, that's probably me fighting to computer to keep it from logging me out. Additionally, you'll notice I make A LOT of little mistakes and edit articles over and over and over again...all I can say is I'm sorry, but I like to have the end result be as precise as possible. No worries, I am slowly and surely becoming more and more accustomed to using the magical bliss of the "Show preview" button.

The Star Wars Fan
I have been a Star Wars fan since I was very young and watched Return of the Jedi with my father and wondered why Vader's head and the Death Star II looked the way they did (and why they seemed to resemble one another in the fact that they're both missing pieces). My favorite movie would have to be The Empire Strikes Back with Revenge of the Sith in a close second. My favorite novel series is, without a doubt, the Thrawn trilogy, most especially Heir to the Empire, though I've read and own nearly all the others (as well as the non-series novels, of course).

Thrawn is, hands down, my favorite character in all of the Star Wars universe, with both Pellaeon and possibly Grevious following second. I read Star Wars novels whenever possible, and am currently in the process of trying to get through all the post-Return of the Jedi novels. Additionally, I listen to novel audiobooks in the car continously, but am quite dismayed at the fact I can't seem to locate unabridged versions.

I am an advocate follower and supporter of Dr. Curtis Saxton and his move to make the Star Wars universe both rational and more logical. I have military experience, so am frequently heard criticizing the "Charge!" order given by the battle droids in Revenge of the Sith, and the total and utter lack of strategy and tactical planning in the many battles that happen in-universe. I see Timothy Zahn as the best author in the Expanded Universe (probably due to Thrawn), though think that as time passes, so have his skills. Karen Traviss is the rising second, mainly due to her understanding (or at least imitation of understanding) of real tactics and strategy. I also very much enjoyed Michael P. Kube-McDowell's Black Fleet Crisis because of its more realistic and logical look at the fleet. It's truly a shame he wasn't asked to write more&mdash;he could have added much more to the New Jedi Order than another Stackpole novel...


 * Current novel: Ambush at Corellia
 * Current audiobook: Survivor's Quest

The Normal Dude
When not behaving like an utter fool over something that concerns Star Wars, I spend most of my time reading, writing, researching topics of which I have a desire to learn more. I attend university during the academic school year, which may or may not amuse me. In regards to my academic career, I am currently working towards a Bachelor of Arts in History with a concentration in Antiquity, specializing in the Punic Wars as well as the rest of the Middle to Late Roman Republic. In addition to my time spent in the past, I have a side project which includes the pursuit of a second B.A., this one in English with a specialization in Creative Writing.

I have written six research papers that have since been published. They are entitled:
 * Hannibal's Folly: The Logistical Error in the Strategy of Hannibal Barca in 218 BCE Concerning the Army of the Scipios Upon the Rhone
 * The Image of Islam: A Basic Study of Ancient Islamic Art
 * Cunctator Magnus (The Great Delayer): The Curious Dictatorship of Quintus Fabius Maximus
 * Hasdrubal's Folly: The Errors of Hasdrubal Barca in Iberia in 206 BCE Against the Army of Publis Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major
 * Saguntum: The Origins and Beginnings of the Second Punic War and the Ebro River Boundary Dispute
 * Hamilcar's War: Foundations of the Second Punic War

I have also written some brief historical articles that have been included in some inter-university historical encyclopedias and journals. My creative writing includes numerous short stories and poems, many of which have been published, most especially the short stories "Almost Paradise" and "The BME" and the poem "Pale-Green Eyes".

I am fatalistic and cynical and don't have much patience for ignorance, stupidity, and utter incompetence. The same way I expect much out of the students I help teach, the soldiers in my squad, and from those above me, I hold the users of Wookieepedia to a higher standard of quality. If I seem overbearing, that's okay.

Also, I have a blog.

''This article should be cleaned up to fit with the user's typical high standards of quality. Sadly, the user has grown lazy in this regard and simply "doesn't feel like it".''

''This article is a stub about a character. You cannot help the User:SOCL by expanding it.''

There's more to be said, but less interest in writing it.

Personae

 * Aban
 * Ardiff
 * Argona
 * Bas
 * Brandei
 * Bremen, Jak
 * Bremen, Kallin
 * Cronus
 * Delvardus
 * Disra
 * Dreyf
 * Flim
 * Graemon/Lord Graemon
 * Harbid
 * Hestiv
 * Kratas
 * Kyte, Jaron
 * Maloc
 * Mullinore
 * Nalgol
 * Niriz, Dagon
 * Ramic, Sutt
 * Ritton
 * Selid, Kleyn
 * Trazzen
 * Tschel

Warships

 * 13X
 * Bellicose
 * Death's Head
 * Grey Wolf
 * Inexorable/Inexorable
 * Ironhand
 * Judicator
 * Majestic (Imperial-class)
 * Nemesis
 * Obliterator
 * Reaper (Executor-class)
 * Resolution (Imperial-class)
 * Stalwart
 * Stormhawk
 * Whirlwind (Imperial-class)

Other

 * Battle of Bilbringi
 * Crimson Command
 * Director of Imperial Intelligence
 * Executor (title)
 * Military Executor (rank)
 * Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty
 * Rear Admiral
 * Starfighter Command
 * Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet

Major Contributions

 * Daala
 * Gorgon
 * Imperial Remnant
 * Manticore
 * Pellaeon, Gilad
 * Vanguard

Online

 * De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors
 * Hannibal Barca and the Punic Wars
 * Mobile Suit Gundam: High Frontier
 * Star Wars Technical Commentaries
 * Wikipedia
 * Gundam Wiki

Published

 * Bagnall, Nigel. The Punic Wars: Rome, Carthage, and the Struggle for the Mediterranean, 1st U.S. ed.  New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.
 * Bentley, Jerry H. and Herbert F. Ziegler. Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 2nd ed. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003.
 * Bentley, Jerry H. and Herbert F. Ziegler. Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 2nd ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003.
 * Eckstein, Arthur M. Senate and General: Individual Decision Making and Roman Foreign Relations, 264-194 B.C.  Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987.
 * Goldsworthy, Adrian. The Fall of Carthage: The Punic Wars 265-146 BC.  London: Cassell, 2000.
 * Harris, W.V. War and Imperialism in Republican Rome, 327-70 BC.  Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979.
 * Khouj, Abdullah Muhammad. Islam. Washington: Assembly House, 1996.
 * Lamb, Harold. Hannibal: One Man Against Rome.  Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1958.
 * Lazenby, J.F. Hannibal’s War: A Military History of the Second Punic War.  Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
 * Lazenby, J.F. The First Punic War: A Military History.  Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1996.
 * O'Neil, Gerard K. The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space, 3rd ed.  Niagra: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc., 2000.
 * Plutarch. Parallel Lives.  Translated by Bernadotte Perrin, Loeb Classical Library.  Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1967.