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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Should I change padme's name in my fanfic?

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Lord Tyrannus, Oct 26, 2012.

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  1. lazykbys_left

    lazykbys_left Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2005
    Well . . . offhand, I'd say Lucas used those names because he thought they fit. So if you think some other name would fit better, I don't see why you shouldn't. I mean, it's not like ficcers don't tweak bits of the GFFA they aren't particularly fond of.

    Still, I think it would be a good idea to put a disclaimer at the very beginning telling the readers that the names have been changed. Either that or an in-fic explanation for why the names are what they are.



    Now that that's been said, we need to broaden the discussion if the Mods are going to leave this thread unlocked. So about using established character names . . .

    I keep thinking of the guy who wanted to sell Obi-Wan death sticks in AotC. IIRC, his name was Elan Sleazebaggano in the AotC script. This has been changed to Elan Sel'Sabagno in later works. I'm not sure if "Sleazebaggano" was ever actually official, but at the time AotC was released, that was his name as far as G-canon was concerned.

    Say you wrote a fic about what happened to Elan afterwards. Since his name wasn't mentioned in the movie, you decided to call him Retcarahc Modnar. Then one of those obsessive SW geeks reads the fic, says that his name is really Elan Sleazebaggano, and complains about ficcers who don't bother to research the characters they're using.

    In your opinion, would that be a valid complaint?

    Still, it can be argued that Elan's just a minor character and his name isn't important enough to get worked up about. So let's take a look at Palpatine, whose first name remains unknown. In fact, given that Padme used the name Amidala after her term as queen, it's possible that Palpatine isn't his "real" name at all. If you were to write about his formative years, you would have to come up with a first name for him. What sort of things do you think need to be taken into consideration?
     
  2. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    My thoughts on this are as such: You're writing an alternate depiction of the Prequels. Thus, it would be in your best interest and the interest of your readers if you keep the names more or less the same. If you change the names, then it's not an AU version; it's just a fanfic that happens to follow pretty much the same storyline. If you want to write a fanfic, write one. If you want to write an AU of the Prequels, there are a number of things that you will need to adhere to, and one of those things is keeping the characters and their names more or less the same. Otherwise, it's just a fanfic with OCs.
     
  3. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I live to serve the Crèche :p


    Just to broaden the discussion topic a bit, does a name make the character canon? Say if you hated the name Palpatine, so you changed it to Plato and this Plato acts and does similar things to Palpatine, is he Palpatine by the name Plato, or his he an original character that acts like Palpatine? On the other hand, say if I made an original character named Leia who acted nothing like Leia from the movies, does that mean my Leia is the Leia, just really out of character, or is she an oc.

    In my opinion, the name does make the character canon or not in fan fiction. I once changed Mara Jade to Mara Kenobi, but I made it very clear that the character was Mara Jade, just with a different last name.
     
  4. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2012
    What name is easier to remember, sounds catchier, sounds lighter-Padme or amidala?
     
  5. Commander-DWH

    Commander-DWH Manager Emeritus star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2003
    If you'd like to continue the discussion of naming and characterization, I'm going to ask you to open a new discussion thread. This thread is being locked, since any attempts at making it a general discussion are being willfully ignored.
     
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