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

Discussion Why all the EU Hatred?

Discussion in 'Archive: Disney Era Films' started by JediMJS, Nov 1, 2012.

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  1. sidious1000

    sidious1000 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2001
    Well my main source of information for the EU comes from Darth Holliday's Exploited Universe thread. It sure does sound silly.
     
  2. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    There's a lot of hatin' in this thread.

    I'll just say I love the EU.

    And I'm leaving this here.

    [​IMG]
     
    Apophis_, tjace, Amphimachus and 6 others like this.
  3. jainasky

    jainasky Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 7, 2010
    There are many things in the EU I love and some I don't. I haven't read all the books. About a month ago I started to catch up, it's so weird. I also organized my SW things, books, figures.. It's so strange that this was announced. I had also decided to buy one book I hadnt read each paycheck to try and catch up.

    Then they announce the new movies. I had SW on some cosmic wavelength apparently lol
     
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  4. UK Sullustian

    UK Sullustian Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 1998
    EU hate is because large swathes of the EU:

    1. Isn't very good. (Kevin J Anderson and your Sun Crusher- I am looking at you, Han Solo cousin to a dictator? Force Witches Riding Rancors? )
    2. Clashes with the spirit and plotting of the films (Dark Empire - Really, cloned emperors and turned Lukes? Zahn and his "force blocking" sloths and fake Obi-Wan Jorus.)

    My concern is the films will not take the plots, (Everyone being awful), but take similar approaches and come up with cheesy ideas that are misaligned with the spirit of the films.

    Having said that, Jar Jar Binks and CG Ninja Sidious. Lucas himself was not immune to cheesy ideas misaligned with the spirit of his work.

    UKS
     
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  5. Avnar

    Avnar Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2007
    I hate 99% of the EU stuff...it just isn't that good.
     
  6. Avnar

    Avnar Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2007
    Haha "Ninja Sidious" ...boy that killed the emperor for me! Oh and ninja Yoda wasn't that flash either...
     
  7. LawgSkrak

    LawgSkrak Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 23, 1999
    The simple fact of the matter is, they can make new movies quite easily that DON'T mess up a single damn thing in the EU, AND still make an exciting new story for us to enjoy. It's all a simple matter of them actually doing a little research.

    But they won't, I'm betting.

    I'm just hoping that any continuity mistakes that result from the new movie can be easily retconned away, like the ones tht crept into the Prequel trilogy. (Clone Wars TV show? Well, that's another matter entirely.)

    And this "the EU is a parallel dimension" thing is horse crap. It wasn't advertised that way when it came out, so that's not how it should be looked at. Ever. Take five minutes, film makers, and do a little research. Fit your movie into the timeline somewhere where it doesn't screw with anything. It's not that difficult.

    Seriously, if these movies screw everything up, then I, for one, will be done with the EU. The reason I've faithfully collected almost every single book, comic, DVD and video game over the years is because I like my universes all being connected. It makes it more real for me.
     
  8. Healer_Leona

    Healer_Leona Squirrel Wrangler of Fun & Games star 9 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jul 7, 2000
    I tried the EU, but the Solo/Skywalker kids didn't really hold my interest and to be honest, fanfic ship wars just ruined it for me. Perhaps the excitement of new movies will cause me to attempt reading them again. Who knows?
     
  9. Vespasian

    Vespasian Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    The weird thing is, NOW I kinda want to check out the New Jedi Order book series.:) And have some good ol' 90s scifi nostalgia.

    But first thing first, I'm going to immerse myself in Shadows of the Empire.

    Around 1997, my mum took me to a book fair where I saw the book Secrets of Shadows of the Empire, and I thought it's about a new episode after RotJ! I didn't speak English back then, so I couldn't know it was an "interquel". I told all my friends about it at school, and they became super-excited too.

    (Luckily, Episode I came out, so they weren't mad at me for getting their hopes up.:D)
     
  10. TaradosGon

    TaradosGon Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2003
    I don't mind the EU as a source of entertainment. I play the games, I've read several of the novels, it can be good. But I've always viewed the films as a different ball of wax and I don't want to see EU stories adapted to film (at least not as Episodes VII-IX, if they want to make EU spinoff films, that's fine) I would much rather see something new. And I don't want to see the films boxed into arbitrary time periods out of respect for EU continuity.

    Like, for instance, I wouldn't mind a TV show or film that explores the early history of the Sith, and I don't want to hear "oh, some comic did that already, go read it." I'd rather see it as a major film or a TV series over some very obscure (relative to the sum of literary works) comic or novel from a decade ago. And I'd rather see it envisioned by unrestricted writers, rather than dictated by LucasFilm's Licensing department, when the continuity system makes no accommodations for retcons on the grounds of "well, that story just kind of sucked."

    The Emperor came back in the EU and that's that. There's no review process to go back and say, "well, after what we know in the films, we should probably retcon that since it's not a very good idea." Instead it stays.
     
  11. DT421

    DT421 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2003
    All the EU lovers ought to pool all of their 4+ billion dollars together, buy Star Wars and make 7,8 and 9 they way they want it, while checking off their wish list for what they think SHOULD be in the movies.

    And there should be a video documentary of the process.

    I think watching that unfold would be more entertaining than the movies that result.

    I call dibs on the merchandising rights.
     
  12. Blazer-Smith

    Blazer-Smith Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    The best thing they can do for Star Wars is create an original story again. JJ did it with Star Trek and it was cool. George tried rehashing things with a prequel and it sucked. Using too much of the EU just seems like a short cut. Do we really need a short cut here?
     
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  13. JediMara77

    JediMara77 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2004
    For me, having Episodes 7-9 without certain aspects - mainly Mara Jade's marriage to Luke and the existence of the SkySolo kids - would be just as weird to me as if they'd given Coruscant a different name in the prequels. George totally could have done that, but instead he took the name we already were familiar with from the EU.

    I don't want straight-up adaptations of the EU. I don't care if all the elements I like are there or not. It would just be nice to see some things that are familiar make it into the sequel trilogy, and create a wonderful new story.
     
  14. Fleab88

    Fleab88 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2012
    I love the EU. At times it is far better than the prequel trilogy. many works have actually made the prequel trilogy look better (Thank goodness for Darth Plaguies.) That being said, I;m not hoping for the movies to follow along with the EU. They really have no obligation to do so. I think we forget that the creators don;t owe us everything we demand all the time. I will choose to enjoy the films for what they are, and if they contradict some of the books then oh well. I will still have enjoyed the years of reading them. I am more excited for a new generation of Star Wars that my newborn son gets to grow up in. He will get to experience a lot of the excitement I did as a kid. That's pretty fun to think about.
     
  15. GargantuanThrillMachine

    GargantuanThrillMachine Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    of all the eu i've experienced the kotor story/timeline intrigues me the most. all the bantam books crap material they put out was, without a doubt, cheap, horrible writing
     
  16. Game3525

    Game3525 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 25, 2008
    This.
     
  17. BobbySharp

    BobbySharp Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2012

    I disagree. The EU is not movie-level canon and that's that. Lucas himself has stated that the only truly canonical stories are his. He's let the brand grow through the various other outlets, but they're not his stories.

    Listen, I like that there is an EU, and some of it is okay, but most of it is total garbage. And I've read nearly all of it. The stories are weak, riddled with cliches, and taken as a whole is a cobbled-together mess constructed by individuals with vastly differing levels of capturing the feel of the Star Wars universe. Why do I keep up with the EU (at least the novel-based portion of it)? Because I do like a quick sci-fi novel. I just don't see the quality here to merit anything close to a feature film.

    Seriously, if the new films are constructed in such a way that the EU becomes a recognized, official portion of the Star Wars canon, then we have a Star Wars storyline that now officially includes Clone Emperors, Luke turning to the Dark Side (and all the other complete drivel that is Dark Empire I, II, and III), Sun Crushers, Clone Luke, the boring recycled storylines, and all the other storytelling pitfalls that the EU can't seem to avoid.

    Star over, make it fresh.
     
  18. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Holliday's thread? Seriously? It IS the early 2000s again.
     
  19. LawgSkrak

    LawgSkrak Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 23, 1999
    Sorry but most of it isn't total garbage. That's YOUR opinion. And I'm sorry but compared to the movies and the Clone Wars TV show, most of the EU is freaking Shakespeare by comparison.

    And I'm not saying they have to go out of their way to incorprate everything EU into the new movies, I'm saying they CAN go out of their way to not screw it up. There is no reason for them to do so. Why alienate a HUGE part of your audience? Why? It makes no sense, especially when it won't take much effort to NOT contradict anything.

    A talented writer can make things fit, and still tell the story they want to tell. An untalented, lazy storyteller won't even bother.

    And you EU haters are free to ignore the Sun Crushers etc. They don't have to have any bearing on the new movies. The EU doesn't have to be any more "official" then it is right now. But right now, it all fits into continuity (well, mostly. thanks for that TCW). I'm just saying, keep it that way. I'm not saying "The event of such and such an obscure comic needs to be referenced on film".

    If they want to "start fresh", then do a crappy remake. If you're going to continue with the same film continuity, then keep the books and comics in line with it.

    Start fresh. Good Lord.
     
  20. Jedsithor

    Jedsithor Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2005
    The EU is a convoluted mess. Regardless of whether you like the stories or not, try to imagine having to explain all of it to the average movie goers who will make up the vast majority of the audience for these films.
     
  21. Spazmatron

    Spazmatron Jedi Padawan star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2012
    Please don't lecture me on what is and whats not part of the saga.

    Going against what Lucasfilm has wha-? Lucas has things we can agree and disagree with. I agree with most, but disagree with the EU

    Oh, and blue is a different shade of purple.
     
  22. LawgSkrak

    LawgSkrak Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 23, 1999
    Like I said, nothing from the EU really needs to be brought up in the movies. IF they decide to use a character or two from the EU, their huge history from the books doesn't need to be mentioned. For the movie-goers, it's a new character. For those who have read the books, it's a bonus.

    To quote myself: "A talented writer can make things fit, and still tell the story they want to tell. An untalented, lazy storyteller won't even bother."

    And I don't find the EU a huge convoluted mess. I can follow it just fine.

    Make it fit. Logically, alienating a part of your fanbase, no matter how small, makes no sense whatsoever, especially when it can easily be avoided.

    If it wasn't for the EU, we probably wouldn't have gotten any new Star Wars movies.
     
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  23. sidious1000

    sidious1000 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2001
    Has it gotten better since then?
     
  24. MrFantastic74

    MrFantastic74 Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 4, 2010
    I have read a few EU books, none of which really appealed to me. Zahn's Thrawn series is widely viewed as the best post-ROTJ material, but I was not even mildly interested when reading it.

    I'm all for doing something new for the ST.
     
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  25. LazyJC22

    LazyJC22 Jedi Grand Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2002
    My first reaction to this thread was that Disney would certainly want their "own" new characters to market and sell, and would therefore exclude all things EU. Then I remembered that they now own all things EU, and may just pick and choose the things that would fit into the new stories.
    I still believe that we'll be shown completely original new characters, worlds, technology, etc., but I won't be surprised if it's obvious if some things are "borrowed", or at least closely resemble aspects of EU works.
     
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