Frank Herbert again... *spoilers*
I would put this as a reply to my other topic in this forum, but it's buried now and I'm on a timer, so I can't go digging this time.
Anyhow, just noticing more and more similarities between characters and plot devices from the Star Wars EU and Frank Herbert's "Dune" series of novels (that I'm in the process of reading this summer/fall for fun).
Children of Dune (c. 1976) especially, introduces characters that I think were the inspiration for Grand Admiral Thrawn (a leader who rises form the ashes of a defeated Empire, with the idea that he can conquer a foe by studying his culture/traditions/history/manners, etc), the elaborate plots to kill/kidnap the Atreides twins (can you say "Solo-babies"??) and the constant return trips to Arrakis (Tatooine).
The Expanded Universe has its holocrons and Jedi books, while Dune has its Orange Catholic Bible and old shiga-wire archive books.
I'm suprised, with the amount of borrowing going on, that no EU author has tried to introduce a plot based around scientists and ecologists trying to turn Tatooine into a lush, jungle planet, instead of a dried out waste. Or dig up the Sarlacc and see what makes him tick.... ; )
Anyhow, congrats to Frank Herbert for his fascinating ideas, that continue to inspire the Star Wars EU authors. I'm almost done with the third book, so I expect to find more stuff in the last three books (which Herbert wrote in the mid 80's after the Star Wars movies) and see what's similar there.
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It took me a while, but I finally realised it about a year ago, when I finished most of the Dune books. If I remember correctly, they have things called sandcrawlers on Arrakis too. 
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