View source for Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM

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{{Short_story
|image=
|story name=Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM
|author=[[M. Shayne Bell]]
|illustrator=
|editor=[[Kevin J. Anderson]]
|publisher=[[Bantam Spectra]]
|release date=[[December]] [[1996]]
|published in=''[[Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]''
|reprinted in=
|pages=
|timeline=[[3 ABY/Legends|3 ABY]]<ref name="TERC">''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]''</ref> (38:6&ndash;38:7 GrS)
|series=
|preceded by=
|followed by=}}
"'''Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM'''" is a short story written by [[M. Shayne Bell]] and featured in ''[[Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]'', which was published in December 1996 by [[Bantam Spectra]]. It concerns the backstory of the bounty hunters [[Zuckuss/Legends|Zuckuss]] and [[4-LOM/Legends|4-LOM]].

==Plot summary==
The story begins immediately before the bounty hunter scene in [[Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back|''Star Wars'': Episode V ''The Empire Strikes Back'']] with Zuckuss meditating. With his meditation he is able to intuit possible futures. The idea of futures and change is a central theme: the characters come across some survivors from the [[Battle of Hoth/Legends|Battle of Hoth]], and the plot progresses from there. There is no real resolution, as the writer prefers to leave ambiguity, and the story is really the writer's own meditation of the consequences to actions.

Zuckuss and 4-LOM both undergo changes in the course of the story, and the changes reflect changes they've also had in the past. They act almost to counter each other. Our eternal window on life, like 4-LOM's vision, is a "brief glimpse only, and one of many possible futures," and as such the author is really trying to put across this idea of perception, and what effect perception has on us.{{Fact}}

The idea of perception comes through side-by-side with the counter-epiphanies as a theme in the story. Perception changes.

==Continuity==
In the film [[Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back|''The Empire Strikes Back'']], [[Prince/Legends|Princess]] [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]] orders a male controller in the [[Echo Base/Legends|Echo Base]] command center to "give the evacuation code signal. And get to your transports!" However, in the story, the line reads differently: "Give the evacuation code, and get to the transport!" Additionally, [[Toryn Farr/Legends|Toryn Farr]] is the controller who orders the retreat to the troops still [[Battle of Hoth/Legends|fighting]] during the story, which suggests the order was directed at her, and not at the male controller.

The final transport to leave the [[Planet/Legends|planet]], the [[Bright Hope/Legends|''Bright Hope'']], is stationed inside a hangar of the base, and not assembled on the South Slope, as Organa explains while debriefing [[Rogue Squadron/Legends|Rogue Squadron]] prior to the battle during the film.

It is unclear in the story if "F4-7" is a different medical droid than [[FX-7/Legends|FX-7]], as author M. Shayne Bell seems to inexplicably alternate between the two names when seemingly referring to one droid. ''The Essential Reader's Companion'' later established that F4-7 is a misnaming of FX-7.

"Of Possible Futures" is one of the sources that suggests the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Rebel Alliance]] leaves [[The galaxy/Legends|the galaxy]] at the end of ''The Empire Strikes Back''.

The story also introduces a man named [[Darklighter (Bright Hope)|Darklighter]] who escapes aboard the [[Bright Hope/Legends|''Bright Hope'']]. It is unclear if this man belongs to the [[Darklighter family]] of [[Biggs Darklighter/Legends|Biggs]] and [[Gavin Darklighter]].

==Appearances==
{{App
|characters=
*[[2-1B/Legends|2-1B]]
*[[4-LOM/Legends|4-LOM]]
*[[Bindu]] {{1st}}
*[[Bossk/Legends|Bossk]]
*[[Bright Hope hacker droid]] {{1st}}
*[[C-3PO/Legends|C-3PO]] {{C|never referred to by type}}
*[[Crimmins]] {{1st}}
*[[Darklighter (Bright Hope)|Darklighter]] {{1st}}
*[[Dengar/Legends|Dengar]]
*[[Jabba Desilijic Tiure/Legends|Jabba Desilijic Tiure]] {{Mo}}
*[[Samoc and Toryn Farr's mother]] {{1stm}}
*[[Samoc Farr/Legends|Samoc Farr]] {{1st}}
*[[Toryn Farr/Legends|Toryn Farr]]
*[[Boba Fett/Legends|Boba Fett]]
*[[FX-7/Legends|FX-7]]
*[[IG-88B/Legends|IG-88B]]
*[[Jabba's rancor]] {{Mo}}
*[[Nardix]] {{1stm}}
*[[Sala Natu]] {{1st}}
*[[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]]
*[[Firmus Piett/Legends|Firmus Piett]]
*[[Dom Pricina]] {{1st}} {{Flash}}
*[[R2-D2/Legends|R2-D2]] {{C|never referred to by type}}
*[[Carlist Rieekan/Legends|Carlist Rieekan]]
*[[Meghan Rivers]] {{1st}}
*[[Rory]] {{1st}}
*[[Seito]] {{1st}}
*[[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]] {{Voice}}
*[[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]]
*[[Berec Tanaal]] {{1st}}
*[[Unidentified Imperial controller (Executor)|Unidentified Imperial controller]] {{1st}}
*[[Unidentified Imperial controller (female)|Unidentified female Imperial controller]] {{1st}} {{Voice}}
*[[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Darth Vader]]
*[[Venka]] {{Imo}}
*[[Zuckuss/Legends|Zuckuss]]
|creatures=
*[[Bantha/Legends|Bantha]] {{Mo}}
*[[Rancor/Legends|Rancor]] {{Mo}}
*[[Wampa/Legends|Wampa]] {{Mo}}
|droids=
*[[2-1B surgical droid]]
*[[3PO-series protocol droid/Legends|3PO-series protocol droid]]
*[[FX-7 medical assistant droid/Legends|FX-7 medical assistant droid]]
*[[Slicer droid/Legends|Slicer droid]]
*[[IG-88 assassin droid/Legends|IG-88 assassin droid]]
*[[LOM-series protocol droid/Legends|LOM-series protocol droid]]
*[[R2-series astromech droid]]
|events=
*[[Battle of Hoth/Legends|Battle of Hoth]]
|locations=
*[[Darlyn Boda/Legends|Darlyn Boda]]
**[[Darlyn Boda (city)|Darlyn Boda]]
**[[Darlyn Boda jewel shop]]
*[[Core Worlds/Legends|Galactic Core]] {{Mo}}
*[[Gand (planet)/Legends|Gand]] {{Mo}}
*[[Hoth system/Legends|Hoth system]]
**[[Hoth/Legends|Hoth]]
***[[Echo Base/Legends|Echo Base]]
**[[Hoth (star)/Legends|Hoth]] {{C|star}}
**[[Hoth asteroid field]] {{Mo}}
*[[Jabba's Palace]] {{Mo}}
*[[Mechis III/Legends|Mechis III]] {{Mo}}
*[[Haven (rendezvous point)|Rebel rendezvous point]]
|organizations=
*[[Bounty hunter/Legends|Bounty hunter]]
*[[Bounty Hunters' Guild/Legends|Bounty Hunters' Guild]] {{Mo}}
*[[Farr family]]
*[[Findsman/Legends|Findsman]]
*[[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]]
**[[Sector governor]] {{Mo}}
**[[Cold assault stormtrooper|Snowtrooper]]
*[[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]] {{Mo}}
*[[Jedi Knight/Legends|Jedi Knight]] {{Vision}}
*[[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]] {{Mo}}
*[[Prince/Legends|Princess]]
*[[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Alliance to Restore the Republic]]
**[[Alliance Special Forces/Legends|Alliance Special Forces]] {{Mo}}
**[[Communications officer|Chief Controller]]
**[[Commander/Legends|Commander]]
**[[General/Legends|General]]
**[[Rebel pilot/Legends|Rebel pilot]]
*[[Order of the Sith Lords]]
|species=
*[[Gand/Legends|Gand]]
*[[Human/Legends|Human]]
**[[Corellian/Legends|Corellian]]
*[[Hutt/Legends|Hutt]] {{Mo}}
*[[Trandoshan/Legends|Trandoshan]]
*[[Wookiee/Legends|Wookiee]] {{Mo}}
|vehicles=
*[[G-1A starfighter/Legends|G-1A starfighter]]
**[[Mist Hunter/Legends|''Mist Hunter'']]
***[[Acquisition cell one]]
*[[GR-75 medium transport/Legends|GR-75 medium transport]]
**[[Bright Hope/Legends|''Bright Hope'']]
***[[Escape pod/Legends|Escape pod]]
*[[Kuari Princess/Legends|''Kuari Princess'']] {{Flash}}
*[[Millennium Falcon/Legends|''Millennium Falcon'']] {{Mo}}
*[[T-47 airspeeder/Legends|Snowspeeder]] {{Mo}}
*[[Star Destroyer/Legends|Star Destroyer]]
*[[Super Star Destroyer/Legends|Super Star Destroyer]]
**[[Executor-class Star Dreadnought/Legends|''Executor''-class Star Dreadnought]]
***[[Executor/Legends|''Executor'']]
*[[TIE/LN starfighter]] {{Mo}}
*[[X-wing starfighter/Legends|X-wing starfighter]]
|technology=
*[[Airlock/Legends|Airlock]]
*[[Ammonia bomb]]
*[[Blaster/Legends|Blaster]]
*[[Chronometer/Legends|Chrono]]
*[[Comlink/Legends|Comlink]]
*[[Comm unit/Legends|Comm unit]]
*[[Computer/Legends|Computer]]
*[[Containment shield]]
*[[Darth Vader's armor]]
*[[Glowrod/Legends|Glowrod]]
*[[Grenade/Legends|Grenade]]
*[[Headset comlink]]
*[[Hologram/Legends|Hologram]] {{Mo}}
*[[Intercom/Legends|Intercom]]
*[[Knife/Legends|Knife]]
*[[Memory core]]
*[[Power coupling/Legends|Power coupling]] {{Mo}}
*[[Power pack]] {{Mo}}
*[[Synth-sapph]] {{Mo}}
*[[Thermal detonator/Legends|Thermal detonator]]
|miscellanea=
*[[Ammonia/Legends|Ammonia]]
*[[Ankarres Sapphire]]
*[[Kalidor Crescent/Legends|Award of Merit]]
*[[Bantha wool]] {{1st}}
*[[Cloning/Legends|Cloning]] {{Mo}}
*[[Corellian Jiang]] {{Flash}}
*[[Diamond/Legends|Diamond]] {{Flash}}
*[[Emerald/Legends|Emerald]] {{Flash}}
*[[Galactic Credit Standard]]
*[[Gand wine]]
*[[Garnet]] {{Flash}}
*[[Hyperspace/Legends|Hyperspace]]
*[[Imperial Most Wanted List]]
*[[Jedi academy]] {{Vision}}
*[[Marble/Legends|Marble]] {{Flash}}
*[[May the Force be with you/Legends|May the Force be with you]]
*[[Oxygen/Legends|Oxygen]]
*[[The Force/Legends|The Force]] {{Mo}}
**[[Dark side of the Force/Legends|Dark side of the Force]] {{Mo}}
*[[Viewport/Legends|Viewport]]
}}

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{Interlang
|de=Zukunftsvarianten – Die Geschichte von Zuckuss und 4-LOM
|es=Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM
}}

[[Category:Tales of the Bounty Hunters]]