History Literature / StarWarsScoundrels

** Han and his crew are smugglers, thieves, and con artists--low-level criminals just out to make a living. The goal for most of them if they make the big score is to pay off their debts and retire. Their target is a high-ranking member of the galaxy's most notorious [[TheSyndicate Syndicate]], Black Sun, who regularly engages in high-level blackmail, arms dealing, and murder, and the money they want to steal from him [[CaperRationalization was stolen from one of them in the first place]].

** Kell (Tainer, though he never gives his last name in this book) is part of Wraith Squadron in the Literature/XWingSeries, and the more-or-less main character of the book ''Wraith Squadron'', which takes place seven years after ''Scoundrels''. Also an Alderaanian, he's a bit adrift after the loss of his homeworld and his father (in a separate incident), and has fallen in with Mazzic. He already knows droids and explosives, and a bit of piloting. Since he's not in charge of anyone, he only shows a hint of the performance anxiety that dogs him later. If his biography in ''Wraith Squadron'' is accurate, his share of the take probably goes towards mechanic's training at the Sluis Van shipyards before he joins the New Republic as a commando and later a fighter pilot.

* CreatorThumbprint: Even when the rest of the story has very little to do with the Empire, Zahn finds a way to begin this novel, as he does all of his stories set during the Imperial era, aboard a Star Destroyer. In this case, the ''Dominator'' is taking a pair of Imperial spies to Wukkar for their mission against Black Sun, not that the captain is aware of this.

* ActorAllusion: Unusual for a book, but clearly [[spoiler: Han grabbing the [[WhipItGood neuronic whip]], and the spherical rolling safe]] in the climax are references to Harrison Ford's other biggest role. See ShoutOut below.