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

Lit The EU going the ''Star Trek'' route?

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Sith_Knight087, Mar 15, 2013.

  1. Sith_Knight087

    Sith_Knight087 Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012
    For over 22 years the Expanded Universe has been (for the most part) considered canon by Lucasfilm. However since the company's purchase by Disney and the fact that a ST is in the works, many of post-ROTJ EU stories may likely be either altered or removed from canon. But what if Disney wanted to do more than just that and completely eradicate the entire EU, declaring only the Films and T.V shows to be canon. There by making all EU works (novels, comics, video games etc) regardless of what era they're set in, non-canon.... hence the term ''going the Star Trek route''. How would you feel if this were to happen?.
     
  2. Mia Mesharad

    Mia Mesharad Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    How would I feel? I would be thoroughly done with Star Wars entirely. I'll keep what I have, but those will be the extent of any further financial contribution to the franchise. Won't be buying any tickets to see the movies, won't be buying any new novels, won't be buying any new games. No point in spending money on things that don't matter to the universe, and no point in investing in a franchise wherein my opinion as a paying customer doesn't matter. If I'm very interested in something coming out, then yo ho, it'll be a pirate's life for me, and I suspect many others will do the same.
     
  3. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    Didn't the EU only become canon like fifteen years ago?
     
  4. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    I'd leave too. At least the EU(s?). I'll see the films and maybe play the games for the hell of it, but that's it. The moment they split from the current EU I'm considering that the end of the last 30+ year saga.
     
  5. Darth Xalfrea

    Darth Xalfrea Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2013
    If this is the only way the EU will survive, then I'm all for it becoming in line with the Star Trek route of non-canonicity and only small references in visual media.

    BUT, and this is a big BUT, what will turn me away from it is if they start making outlandish stories and introducing weird elements like time travel, mirror universes and character resurrection like Star Trek. The Star Wars EU for the most part has managed to be written with a sense of logic and following a single linear line.
     
  6. blackmyron

    blackmyron Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 29, 2005
    I would probably say that the EU truly began about the time of the Thrawn Trilogy, because you had the words "official continuation" on the back cover, and it used the pre-existing RPG material by WEG - and it just strengthened with time with the other authors (especially Stackpole) continuing in the same vein, and the Lucasarts video games also referring to the books and RPG (The original X-Wing game namechecked a large number of planets that appeared only in the Han Solo trilogy, as well as reusing the name "Coruscant" coined by Zahn).

    As far as the topic goes, there's multiple universes of the sci-fi and fantasy I'm interested still and my disposable income can go there. While the pro-business types can chuckle and say "Oh, they don't care if poor little you doesn't buy their products"... so what? I'm a consumer, and I don't particularly care on my end either when I have a number of other choices to spend my money on. I guess we both win! Besides, I had abandoned the franchise for roughly a decade before when it descended into "All-Ewok, All The Time" territory, so there's no guarantee that they won't appeal to me sometime again in the future if this happens.


    Being a video game enthusiast, if a video game from our hypothetical "new" Star Wars was really, really good I might consider it, but since I'm not interested in Star Wars games now when I'm actually still interested in the franchise, that doesn't bode well for any future purchases.
     
    Jedi Ben likes this.
  7. thesevegetables

    thesevegetables Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 11, 2012
    Would not spend money on stuff I don't care about.
     
  8. StarWarsFan91

    StarWarsFan91 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 14, 2008
    Technically if they kept TCW, they would be keeping some EU. TV stuff is EU to. But i would hate if they got rid of the majority of the EU., they would basically destroy most of the star wars universe.
     
  9. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    What exactly is the "Star Trek route," anyway? Does the Trek EU keep continuity with itself or does everyone just do whatever they want?
     
  10. Likewater

    Likewater Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2009
    Personally, i never took canon all that seriously. I started to become a solid Star Wars fan with Young Jedi Knights, before that i was a Star Trek and X-men fan and in thoes 2 mediums the "canon" is usually comicbooks or Televison shows.

    But the Star Fleet Acadamy comic was infnatly better than Star Trek Enterprise! and and several non canon X-books are far superior than say "Dark X-men: or a great many X-storylines. I have found my self moving away from star wars but thats mostly because the stories are becoming stale and repetative.

    frankly its the enjoyment of the story.
     
    V-2, patchworkz7 and Barriss_Coffee like this.
  11. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    Star Trek EU is outright bizarre here actually. Certain authors will keep continuity with only their own stuff (if even that), others with only some of the shows (just like the shows don't really care for keeping continuity between each other, or among themselves after DS9), some reference RPG guides most don't, certain series are connected, but in general everyone does indeed do his own thing.
     
  12. Manisphere

    Manisphere Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 25, 2007
    I'll go to the movies. I'll probably buy them. I mean it is Star Wars. I might call it a day for the EU though...if it no longer exists. Seems like I'll have no choice?
     
    son_of_skywalker03 likes this.
  13. Likewater

    Likewater Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2009
    yeah, it was pretty loosey goosey. But when they are good they are good.
     
  14. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    Yeah but something like 90% seems to be disjointed dreck, sure you have gems in their but even those will often be so disconnected from anything that they might as well be set in some setting the author came up with themselves, or just a missing episode from the shows themselves.
     
  15. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    I hear it's a route that leads to a land of sweets and joy... and joyness... and sugary goodness. Where no man has gone before. And just when you're starting to enjoy the trip they take your kidney.
     
  16. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    The current EU plus the 1st 6 movies are SW to me. After ROTS I was under the impression that we would not get new movies for a long time and accepted the Post ROTJ EU as canon. I've been reading the books since the late 90's so that philosophy is not easy for me to break. I knew deep down there would be new movies but not this soon. I also did not take into account the EU in regards to new movies.
    If the old stuff is wiped out and new EU stuff is made I will buy it regardless. I want it to be fun and feel like Star Wars. The current EU isn't all A+ literature but it was fun and memorable for me.
    With SW I was under the impression it was all one timeline. Retcons yes but multiple interpretations of events or multiple universes? No. That kind of stuff was Batman and Superman and the other Superheroes and not Star Wars.
    Star Trek books from what I understand are not canon with multiple diverging timelines.
     
  17. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    Oh so this is the sexist Trek.
     
  18. Likewater

    Likewater Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2009
    It is more episodic than disjointed, Characters in Star Trek: New Fronteer dont poke their noses in Next Generation, Next Gen don't poke around in the DS9 relaunches. And while StarFleet Corps of Engineers by visit many crews, Its only to get the short story going. Each series keeps its own stuff together, the writers get alot of leway, So if Captain Goldman dies it is a big thing in SFCoE, but the characters in the other books are bearly affected.

    Soleta has worked with the Voyager EMH, and Anika Hansen (seven 0'9) but it is not as if they are friends. Even in the big crossover "Destiney", Star Trek New Fronteer and Corps of Engineers got a mention but the main stars of the book were the crews of the Titan, Avanteen, and Enterprise. Its not as if Trek has a holy trinity up in very ones buisness. Its a big enough setting that crew rearly interact, and big events don't disrupt story arcs.
     
  19. Likewater

    Likewater Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2009
    Well considering that Nu:trek is back in Kirks era, it is not as if the Shows are likely to visit the Trek Prime, so the novels is the closes thing to canon Trek prime has.

    And they Killed of Janeway and then the Borg (well the celiar did the heavy lifting).

    Is Typhon Pact cannon with Trek online? no, but who cares? Typhon pact is pretty damn good.
     
  20. Sable_Hart

    Sable_Hart Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2009
    I'd stay the same. Only pay attention to the stuff that seems interesting on its own merits, disregard the rest.
     
    JoinTheSchwarz likes this.
  21. FatSmel

    FatSmel Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 23, 2012
    What difference would it make?

    Who cares if the stories all of a sudden are declared "non-canon" . . . how would that change anything lol
     
  22. Sable_Hart

    Sable_Hart Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2009
    As has been rightly pointed out by anakinfansince1983, the company made its money off the conceit that these books were an official continuation of the story. Disregarding that, especially so brazenly, that is tantamount to fraud. You can't blame people for being mad about that.
     
  23. Likewater

    Likewater Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 2009
    not fraud, they simply probably didn't believe that Lucas would sell the property, and figured after he kicked it the estate would adopt the Novel continuity, as it is well put together.

    Not so much fraud, and miscalculation.
     
  24. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    Way to late though the thought makes me smile. ;) Though they magiced her back from what I read (Deus Ex Q) and stuff like that is why I stopped reading DC, Marvel and Star Trek, nothing that happens really expands on anything or has any consequences. Sure single novels and stories are great (I loved DCs Villains United and Secret Six for example and a few of the Star Trek books) but in the end are they a greater Universe that is worth caring for? Not really, unlike Star Wars whose appeal is that it flows together, if it stops doing so it will just be like Star Trek for me, used to be fun, but why should I care for anything other than the episodes of the show I liked?

    That’s precisely it, why should you care as a fan if the people making the stuff don’t care for telling a coherent story. Not that everything about it needs to be great or the same, but it needs to fit together, or at least make an effort to.

    Tried reading the first somehow it feels that you need to have read the other series for it to make you care, which I really can’t get myself to. Though the idea seems nice.
     
  25. King of Alsakan

    King of Alsakan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 25, 2007
    The Star Trek route would be terrible in my opinion. Like some above, I would still go see the new movies, but I would cut back on buying any future EU material if everything from the past is suddenly rendered null and void. I know you can still tell great stories that are non-canon, but to me it would feel like a preseason football or spring training baseball, its just not the same if it doesn't count for anything.
     
    Mia Mesharad likes this.