Lit A/V The Force Awakens and the EU [TAGGED spoilers.]

Yes, that is what I mean. If the Expanded Universe persists as its own thing and Episode VII is a separate timeline.

And your answer is what I suspected most people would say. Would it be fair to characterize you as a fan of the SWEU, not the SW films?

My whole thing has always been a Buddhist perspective here. Being a fan of the franchise while disliking the creator is the way to suffering, and compassion dictates that I wish others to be free from suffering.

Sword of the Jedi! I dunno, I don't get it.

 

I will watch the movies but won't spend a cent on any ST EU either way. My affection for the OT is largely based on an EU-less context anyway; I don't have trouble appreciating the movies and the EU as separate entities complete unto themselves.

 

No. I grew up with the OT, literally (as in, I watched them during the original run in the theaters at probably the earliest age one could've watched ANH and comprehended mostly what was happening). I find the EU to be more in tune with what I loved about Star Wars in the OT days.

 

Which EU? I think it takes too many cues from the prequels now myself, with a few exceptions. It's kinda in a bad situation either way, IMO, so I gotta be optimistic about the ST.

 

That Emperor Cage image is officially the second most terrifying Nicholas Cage related thing I've ever seen.

 

Anickage Skywalker

 

The EU overall. As much as people gripe and moan about the Legacy era (minus the comics) - and many of the criticisms are valid - it's really been a Golden Age for the EU in the past decade. We've had some great storytelling in both comics and novels, we've had fantastic guidebooks (the Atlas is something I've dreamed about since watching the original movie), we've had the WOTC RPG find its voice shortly before ending and then FFG, one of the best names in the biz, pick it up. Only in the video game department has it been a failure, and that's not likely to change in the future considering who got it.

 

That will forever remain one of my top five favorite youtube videos of all time. It's basically the pinnacle of 3+ million years of human cultural achievement.

 

Rumor is, the new hero's will be named Ben, Jacen, and Jaina

Zac Efron read for the solo son,
Rachel Hurd Wood, for the Solo daughter,
And Ryan gosling, Dane DeHaan, and some other guy read for the skywalker son.

They could have gone in any direction, why give the big three the same number, and gender of kids, as in the EU, if they're not going to use their character licenses, and copyrights.

 

For once, the top comment is actually gold.

Nicolas Cage steals Nicholas Cage from Nicolas Cage. Nicolas Cage chases Nicolas Cage and gets turned into Nicolas Cage. Nicolas Cage meets Nicolas Cage and is informed that Nicolas Cage will be destroyed by Nicolas Cage. Inside Nicolas Cage, Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Cage face off in a climactic Cage match to the death. Nicolas Cage wins and saves Nicolas Cage.

Gah. All this Cage is distracting me from Jedi Prince.

 

Ryan Gosling's rep says he never read for Star Wars.

 

His rep, is supposed to say that, otherwise they would have had to field a ton of questions, about the role, the movie, and why he would turn it down.
Plus they would have had to have signed an NDA.

 

First, these are just rumors and fairly spurious ones at that, so don't pay too much heed until an official press release comes out. These movie rumor blogs are like giant echo chambers, feeding off fan speculation to drive more traffic and if they are ever correct it is almost always through sheer luck.

Second, even if they used the same names, I feel like it would be similar to using Coruscant for the name of the capital, just a nod to the EU. The licenses and copyrights are locked down for virtually ever regarding the characters whether they end up in the film or not, a simple explanation why they wouldn't use them is because the EU baggage (especially post NJO) would be difficult to translate into a film while keeping things coherent for new fans.

Third, often when doing reading for auditions you are given false information regarding the role you are taking. They may be using EU material during the readings just to get a feel for the actors ability while not risking pieces of the script being spoiled. They could be having people reading using those names for fill in because the script may not even be completed yet or the names chosen.

 

Bob Iger was given the treatments, and the names of the characters, and George Lucas, is known to go to pablo Hidalgo, and Leland chee, to make sure he, and his writers, are not creating things, that LFL already owned. I have no doubt the EU stories are getting tossed, but the characters they created still belong to LFL. Ask yourselves, why did Disney/LFL approve the Kot's of Mara Jade, and jain, and the black series of mara jade, and the Her Universe shirts of Jaina, and Mara well after the sale, when Disney could have told them to cancel. What about the appearance of Luke, and a character who matches mara Jade's description be in the Marvel Infinity book. LFL has the rights to their likenesses, so the writer, artists, and editors would have had to get permission from LFL.

 

As I've said before on several threads a couple months ago, the NJO series is the official continuation of the PT/OT movies regardless what came after that. So the ST trilogy is going to have shoot for the fences for me to change my mind in that regard. I am extremely eager for the ST and am willing to accommodate a lot of things about the ST but the NJO will be the bookmark I judge the NJO by. The NJO gives us an interesting, engaging new villain, an engaging next generation, an exciting galactic war, plot twists, amazing character arcs, redemption of the Vong and a way to beat them without genocide. Also the galaxy becomes reunited, the Empire, the Hutts, the Chiss, and others all star. Completely amazing.

 

loved the NJO i hope everything after TUF is chopped and nothing before.

 

I said in the other ST/EU thread, if Luke has a male son and he's (probably) a Jedi, I think Ben is a perfectly cromulent name to use in that instance. Unless the Solo's have twins (but rumour mongering is saying a solo Solo daughter) don't use Jacen & Jania. Ben is a pretty great name to use, though. Makes sense.

If that happened, it'd be fun to try to patchworth together a continuity where Ben existed but Jacen, Jania and Anakin didn't.

In other news: No Cumberbatch cast! Rep. sez no! http://www.hitfix.com/news/benedict-cumberbatch-rep-denies-star-wars-rumor

(maybe holding out for more cake)

 

That's what I try to argue to non-EU fans but they say, "NO, it's corny! No, it's unimaginative! No, I don't like it because EU!" Naming him "Ben" is honoring to Obi-Wan and it's a great idea. If they have his name as Ben in the ST I will be thrilled.

 

Anakin Skywalker II and Han Solo, Jr.

 

But but but you might get him mixed up with Obi-Wan Kenobi!
-Lucas logic for Anakin Solo and Anakin Skywalker-

 

Nah, he's called Ben like, what, 4 times total and that's only in ANH?

 

Lucas rejected Anakin Solo because the hero of the NJO was named Anakin and he had a prophecy that he was going to fulfill. They swapped names and removed the prophecy subplot.

 

I know you're being facetious, but considering Obi-Wan was only called Ben very rarely (most of it in ANH), I doubt it'd be a problem. Now, if he'd named him Obi-Wan Skywalker, then maybe I could see it, but saying someone could mix up "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Ben Skywalker" is totally silly.

 

Revanfan1 DigitalMessiah and BigAl6ft6 It's Lucas we're talking about. You don't think he would try to pull this on us? He would.