ST Official Sequel Trilogy / Legends / Expanded Universe discussion thread

So in short you don't want them in VII so you can feel good saying you where right?

And no, I don't want them in it soley so I can feel 'warm and fuzzy' though if done right it could make me feel that way, potentially. Just like focusing on the big three again would make fans of them 'warm and fuzzy', so I fail to see the critisim since it fails a simple doublestandards test. Moving on though, I want them in it to effectivly move fans from the EU to Lucas's ideas. While also effectivly capitalizing on the iconic status of some EU characters to EU fans. I feel this is the right harmoney between the two universes. It just makes the transition smoother.

Agree with you that about Chewbacca's corpse though... that just won't be carried over. We'll just agree to disagree about Jade, the solo siblings, and Ben skywalker.

 

I am not interested in being right. I am interested in new and original stories and characters to move the saga forward.

 

First off, I'm an EU fan.

And an OT fan.

And a PT fan.

But I'm not an EU purist.

So while I certainly wouldn't mind some EU characters being in the ST, I think the best step for LucasFilm is to do away with the storylines of the post-ROTJ EU. The NJO, the Legacy of the Force... Keep elements, ships, vehicles, planets, and some of the characters from the post-ROTJ EU, but maybe with their own changes or interpretation to them, something akin to the what TCW did with Asajj Ventress.

Will it piss some fans off? Yes, but I think more of the realistic EU fans who like Kyle Katarn, Mara Jade, Admiral Thrawn, and so on will be glad to know that they [LucasFilm] are not completely disregarding the post-ROTJ EU. I know it's not perfect, but I think it's the best way for LucasFilm to keep there from being creative restraints on them while at the same giving a message to said EU fans that the Expanded Universe does matter, albeit to a point.

But those are my thoughts on this topic at the moment, and still very much liable to change. I'm still all for giving much of the post-ROTJ EU the boot, with the exceptions being characters, aliens, planets, etc. reworked into the new canon.

And no, I certainly do not want the Yuuzhan Vong to be one of those exceptions.

 

^This sums up much of my opinions on my matter. Bravo.

 

Yeah, I remember (in a post earlier in this thread) making a quick list of EU characters that I wouldn't mind seeing in Episode VII; it had people like K'Kruhk and T'ra Saa, and then Jacen and Jaina in name only.

Now though, yeah, the "in name only" thing for major EU characters is like, who really wants that? Because everyone knows there's going to be comparisons made between the movie version of the characters and the EU version. And more than likely the EU fans will go with the EU versions, and that'll create another unnecessary rift, and why would Disney want that?

So the easiest thing to do is keep some of the minor EU stuff, and just get rid of anything major from the post-ROTJ EU. 1) because Disney's not going to adapt any of it in whole anyway. And 2) why create any unneeded confusion and conflict between, say, the EU version of Jacen and Jaina and the movie version of Jacen and Jaina. Again, just have Han and Leia have one son and name him Bail, or one daughter and name her Breha or something like that.

And don't even get me started on Luke suddenly having a wife in Epsiode VII; especially with this new rumor of Mara Jade possibly being in Rebels, which sounds like total fanwankery.
(And not to say that they couldn't have Luke married and/or have a son, but that may be asking a bit much for the audience to just accept with little to no backstory because it's not 1977 anymore when all of this was new and you could get away with doing that.)

 

Come on really what is so hard to imagine that JJ could come up with a all new story 30yrs later from ROTJ that has all main characters from PT,OT,EU. Those who have not read the books, why does it matter and if they like Mara Jade and want to know more than they can go to the books on her. Too many are making this more than what it is and it is not up to Lucasfilms it is up to Disney and JJ with Lucas's consultation/advice. I don't believe Lucas would discount EU just because he did not come up with all these new characters,planets, etc. He created PT,OT in his head and brought it to life and gave the blue print to EU writers to continue on after ROTJ with his imput on this or that. I think VII should start off after Fate of the Jedi and Crucible with a all new story, that way anything read in EU is in EU and if you want to know what happen those 30 years after ROTJ read the books. I can go on and on about this. I can't understand what the big deal is with EU because with out it we would not have TOR, TCW, and now rebels. Lucas could not handle Star Wars alone, it was much bigger than him. He needed EU writers to help build and continue Star Wars through books, games, animation. I think when he said that the trilogies were his Star Wars was because it was what he imagine and when he said EU was the writers was because it was what the writers imagine not him. I don't think he meant EU did not belong but only what he gave birth to but someone else raised Star Wars for him for us. I don't know and who know what the hell JJ is or has come up with lets just hope its good please.

 

Fastback, they're working from George Lucas stories, forget the books and comics George Lucas has admitted he doesn't read them

 

Of course they are working from Lucas's stories but EU is part of that and he does not have to read them he knew what was going on in EU and had his input. We shall see what JJ does.

 

What defines "actual characters", though? For the sake of argument, let's say they use Mara Jade but she's not with the Exact Same History (erm, off the top of my head, she was Darth Vader's apprentice and didn't work for Karde, she was a Black Sun smuggler after Vader died) and didn't go through the Exact Same things (also she happens to be alive and was never killed by Sith Lord Solo Kid, etc.) but the general beats and shape of the character's history and personality is there. Does that not count? How the heck wouldn't it? It's Mara Jade, as Luke's wife, in the ST!

 

I'm fine with any reimagining they choose to do to EU characters as long as its well written and still maintains some essance of them (at least at their starting point, they can go in whole new directions after introduction for all Id care, plus it would keep me guessing ). If it gets them in VII and meshes great with Lucas's story treatments then why not? EU (vast majority anyway) won't mind since they survived Boba Fetts history changes, changes to Barris Offee, Vos, Ventress, etc... in fact now with a single story group controlling all stories it will in the long run lead to tons of better stories, not to mention new stories that fill in the gaps.

Fans of almost every major franchise survive reimagines of characters all the time and many reimaginings can actually improve characters.

What BigAl6ft6 just posted here is actually great in some ways based off what little we know or Rebels.
A) Mara Jade now isn't overimportant due to her Emperor connections (thus killing some Mary Sue traits)
B) would thermatically tie into Luke and her connecting later and his strong desire to save her and her desire to understand him
C) puts her in the same camp as the Inquisitor in Rebels, likely with a darker past, of just being an expendable tool to hunt down Jedi meant to kill as many as possible until Vader arrives to personally deal with bigger threats... if they survive till then great, if not oh well he has more (again killing some of her more Mary Sue traits)
D) removes Talon Karde being the all knowing information broker who always helps the good guys just cause he still likes Mara and then becomes buddies with Han
F) more Black Sun (how is that not a great idea?)
H) Mara Jade could now not be a super overpowered Jedi, overhyped all the time
I) Yet still is pretty darn close to the same character, so close in fact she'd pass most EU fans checklist of requirments of Mara Jade
J) she becomes a dark reflection of Ahoska, which is great for TCW fans... and it would hype the two of them meeting up later in the series.

I'm not saying I want this, that just from a writing pov I can see lots of potential by doing at least some of the above... characters who have potential like this are characters writters typically salavate over getting to write.

Looked at from another way, no matter what happens if Luke has kids with some woman (marriage or not) EU fans will be their in droves... Judging. If she's entirely new you better hope they precieve her as billions of times better or fans will take to the internet with rage, if she's clse but not Mara they'll flipout saying all you had to do was call her Mara, but if she's Mara but with new changes that leave open new story venues EU fans will throw money at all those new stories in droves... why? Cause they're fans... best part is, if its based off Lucas stories EU fans might start saying Lucas is a better story teller than Zahn, oh the irony of living long enough to hear that turn around...

 

Actually, I think "Dark Empire" took a jump in quality post "Revenge of the Sith" when you find out that Sidious' big scheme is cheating death. It'd be like, "Okay, he couldn't do it so kinda did it with a warped clone technology thingie".

 

Get out of here with your controversial and radical ideas, man. This is no place for talk of lights that work as sabers.

 

But that's so lightsaber!

 

Enough of that! I bet my first born child that there will be no "light sabers" in this film.

 

I bet Six's second born that these "light sabers" will just pass through one another like physics demands and they definatly won't refect blaster fire either.

 

The pre-Denning New Jedi Order.

 

Lucas himself discounted the EU when he made the prequels. Everything we thought we knew about the Clone Wars and about "Jaster Mareel" were totally thrown out.

I doubt JJ Abrams would have even accepted the project to make E7 if he had to shoehorn in compatibility with all the EU nonsense out there. It would be far, far too restrictive from a standpoint of creativity.

 

Plus, there's this.

Pablo Hidalgo: we try! Some just don't want to hear it. Canon is only what's on screen - Episodes I-VI, TCW, and what's to come.

 

I had never seen that. Thanks for posting.

 

How can TCW cartoons be canon?
Darth Maul coming back to life as a half robot is canon? Getting cut in half and falling down a seemingly bottomless chasm isn't lethal?
Anakin returning to Tatooine is canon? Wasn't it clear that he wants no part of it after his Shmi's death?
That is the only reason why hiding Luke there even made a tiny sliver of sense.
Among who knows how many other contradictions I must have missed because I didn't watch more than the first 2 seasons, if that.
Those cartoons are entertaining but in my opinion they can't be canon.

 

They are canon, it's not news. I can't remember when we were told, but it was at least a couple years ago.

I liked Maul's story by the way.

 

It's not up to the fans, it's up to the Story Group.

 

Well, once we know this part we'll have no more need for this thread now will we?

 

Besides the obvious bonus of new stories and new characters, it is cool to know that there will be one canon for the majority of the offerings (games, books etc) of things to come.

 

Darth Maul son of Dathomir, is the first Canon comic book mini series.

The Rebels abd it's books, and comics will be Canon, and the first Posrt ROTJ books, and comics from Marvel will be canon.
We'll find out what they took from the Pre Disney EU when those come out.