Author Topic: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Kenobi_Kid  1810 posts
Registered: May '05
6455_Ewan the Prankster
Date Posted: 2/7/07 4:23pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Ashandarei posted:
Traviss: I have to agree in that I dislike what she made of Boba Fett. I don't believe it's because she didn't get the character, though; I believe it's because she wanted to make him into an actual Mandalorian instead of just a bad-ass guy who wears Mandalorian armor. I like him better as his own person.
The possibility of Boba not being a Mandalorian was pretty much closed off with AotC and the introduction of Jango Fett, so you can't really say it's her responsibility that he's supposed to be an honest-to-goodness Mandalorian now. She's just running with what she's been given.

Ashandarei posted:
Stewart: Really just butchered both Yoda and Dooku for me. One of the few SW books that I tried out at the bookstore before buying, and was immensely grateful that I'd done so.
Hmm, weird. I thought he did Yoda and Dooku the best out of all the authors. thinking

Panther50 posted:
Thats a bit unfair to Denning Zekk was never interesting happy
laugh

 

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Charlemagne19  26816 posts
Registered: Jul '00
6408_Jedi Outcast
Date Posted: 2/7/07 4:31pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
sidious618 posted:


Now you're just being silly. Luke is not going to run headlong into danger when he's the Master of the Jedi Order.


"Not ready are you!"
"I must despite being the last hope of the jedi!"

 

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Ashandarei  1280 posts
Registered: Oct '04
44428_Arkoh Adasca
Date Posted: 2/7/07 4:39pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Kenobi_Kid posted:
The possibility of Boba not being a Mandalorian was pretty much closed off with AotC and the introduction of Jango Fett, so you can't really say it's her responsibility that he's supposed to be an honest-to-goodness Mandalorian now. She's just running with what she's been given.
No, no, you misunderstood (or I didn't elaborate fully enough, since I erroneously thought it was obvious). What I meant was that Boba is certainly a Mandalorian by birth, but he has pretty much never conducted himself in the Mandalorian manner. He's not a die-hard glory-seeking battle-loving soldier. He's never seemed to hold family in high esteem, and aside from his one foray into marriage when he was a teenager has never been shown to desire one. He's never attempted to reunite with his Mando brethren in any capacity after that, preferring the life of a loner. He's never even learned Mando'a. Granted, becoming Mandalore could change a few things, but I, personally, don't think it's for the better.

 

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dp4m  36469 posts
Registered: Nov '01
13878_Luke Skywalker Dark Empire
Date Posted: 2/7/07 4:40pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Timothy Zahn: Mara Jade

No, really. I mean it. Stop laughing!

Mara Jade was an Emperor's Hand. We knew this from the resurrection of the EU in 1991 - 1993 with the original Thrawn Trilogy. Mara was a trained agent, operative and assassin; trained in infiltration, espionage and the Dark and Light aspects of the Force (all of which appeared canonically in said trilogy). She was a smuggler at the time and thought nothing of attempting to strangle Thrawn with the Force, while reminiscing of the times she tried to kill Luke Skywalker in the past and her past guises, some less savory (and some implied more sexually) than others. She straddled the fence until she finally decided to, if not fully commit herself to the good guys, at least be on the side of right at the end of the trilogy. It seemed like she was a good foil for Luke, despite her being in and out of his life, even when she was romantically linked to both Kyle Katarn and Lando Calrissian.

And then... the retcons started coming.

Not really trained in the Dark Side ("neither Dark nor Light") despite her using one of the more recognizable Dark Side powers to try and off Thrawn in the second book featuring her. Never REALLY romantically linked with Lando ("I don't appreciate your ruse, ma'am." "My what?" "Your ruse -- your subtle attempt to trick me."). Actually quite more skilled with a lightsaber than previously described (by her and the external narrator POV). And it wasn't anyone else other than Zahn who was writing these retcons.

 

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Charlemagne19  26816 posts
Registered: Jul '00
6408_Jedi Outcast
Date Posted: 2/7/07 4:49pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get. - Date Edited: 2/7/07 4:52pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Charlemagne19
Ashandarei posted:
Kenobi_Kid posted:
The possibility of Boba not being a Mandalorian was pretty much closed off with AotC and the introduction of Jango Fett, so you can't really say it's her responsibility that he's supposed to be an honest-to-goodness Mandalorian now. She's just running with what she's been given.
No, no, you misunderstood (or I didn't elaborate fully enough, since I erroneously thought it was obvious). What I meant was that Boba is certainly a Mandalorian by birth, but he has pretty much never conducted himself in the Mandalorian manner. He's not a die-hard glory-seeking battle-loving soldier. He's never seemed to hold family in high esteem, and aside from his one foray into marriage when he was a teenager has never been shown to desire one. He's never attempted to reunite with his Mando brethren in any capacity after that, preferring the life of a loner. He's never even learned Mando'a. Granted, becoming Mandalore could change a few things, but I, personally, don't think it's for the better.


Well to be honest, until Last Man Standing, Boba Fett is a non-character. Boba Fett is a menacing juggernaut of slaughter that goes in and lays waste to everything for money that we honestly never see him spend on anything except more guns. He's like a Galaxies character in that respect.

And even in Marvel comics, the Mandalorians are annihilated for all intents and purposes. There's only Fenn, his friend, and Boba left.

Frankly, I'm annoyed they made Boba Fett not speak Mandoa

 

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Ataro_Soresu  360 posts
Registered: Apr '06
24100_Obi-Wan
Date Posted: 2/7/07 5:32pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
I'm still waiting for how Zahn doesn't get Vader.

 

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Zebra3  6971 posts
Registered: Aug '04
23582_Sunset
Date Posted: 2/7/07 5:35pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
dp4m posted:
Timothy Zahn: Mara Jade

No, really. I mean it. Stop laughing!

Mara Jade was an Emperor's Hand. We knew this from the resurrection of the EU in 1991 - 1993 with the original Thrawn Trilogy. Mara was a trained agent, operative and assassin; trained in infiltration, espionage and the Dark and Light aspects of the Force (all of which appeared canonically in said trilogy). She was a smuggler at the time and thought nothing of attempting to strangle Thrawn with the Force, while reminiscing of the times she tried to kill Luke Skywalker in the past and her past guises, some less savory (and some implied more sexually) than others. She straddled the fence until she finally decided to, if not fully commit herself to the good guys, at least be on the side of right at the end of the trilogy. It seemed like she was a good foil for Luke, despite her being in and out of his life, even when she was romantically linked to both Kyle Katarn and Lando Calrissian.

And then... the retcons started coming.

Not really trained in the Dark Side ("neither Dark nor Light") despite her using one of the more recognizable Dark Side powers to try and off Thrawn in the second book featuring her. Never REALLY romantically linked with Lando ("I don't appreciate your ruse, ma'am." "My what?" "Your ruse -- your subtle attempt to trick me."). Actually quite more skilled with a lightsaber than previously described (by her and the external narrator POV). And it wasn't anyone else other than Zahn who was writing these retcons.

LOL tongue

 

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Kenobi_Kid  1810 posts
Registered: May '05
6455_Ewan the Prankster
Date Posted: 2/7/07 5:59pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Ashandarei posted:
No, no, you misunderstood (or I didn't elaborate fully enough, since I erroneously thought it was obvious). What I meant was that Boba is certainly a Mandalorian by birth, but he has pretty much never conducted himself in the Mandalorian manner.
Oh, okay, I see. thinking

Ashandarei posted:
He's not a die-hard glory-seeking battle-loving soldier.
To be fair, neither are most of the Mandalorians in his time.

Ashandarei posted:
He's never seemed to hold family in high esteem, and aside from his one foray into marriage when he was a teenager has never been shown to desire one. He's never attempted to reunite with his Mando brethren in any capacity after that, preferring the life of a loner. He's never even learned Mando'a. Granted, becoming Mandalore could change a few things, but I, personally, don't think it's for the better.
Agree to disagree? peace

Charlemagne19 posted:
Well to be honest, until Last Man Standing, Boba Fett is a non-character. Boba Fett is a menacing juggernaut of slaughter that goes in and lays waste to everything for money that we honestly never see him spend on anything except more guns. He's like a Galaxies character in that respect.
laugh

Charlemagne19 posted:
And even in Marvel comics, the Mandalorians are annihilated for all intents and purposes.
No, just those 212 who were fighting with the Seperatists. It's pretty obvious that Fenn is talking about a military unit that was decimated in battle, not the entire Mandalorian population which is under Imperial occupation and which he's is drawing new recruits for his Protectors from during the Rebellion era.

 

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Charlemagne19  26816 posts
Registered: Jul '00
6408_Jedi Outcast
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:01pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Kenobi_Kid posted:
And even in Marvel comics, the Mandalorians are annihilated for all intents and purposes.
No, just those 212 who were fighting with the Seperatists. It's pretty obvious that Fenn is talking about a military unit that was decimated in battle, not the entire Mandalorian population which is under Imperial occupation and which he's is drawing new recruits for his Protectors from during the Rebellion era.[/quote]

True, on the other hand, I never assumed Mandalorians on Mandalore were a RACE. I always assumed Boba Fett's group was more like a special military order that was destroyed.

 

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Kenobi_Kid  1810 posts
Registered: May '05
6455_Ewan the Prankster
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:03pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Charlemagne19 posted:
True, on the other hand, I never assumed Mandalorians on Mandalore were a RACE. I always assumed Boba Fett's group was more like a special military order that was destroyed.
Well, they do come from a planet called Mandalore... wink

 

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sabarte  3056 posts
Registered: Sep '05
13620_Solar Sailor
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:04pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Stover: Dooku. He's about said as much, and it's pretty clear. Of course, it's true that it's not really fair to him that Lucas/Lee changed the script for characterization reasons after he got it.

 

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Charlemagne19  26816 posts
Registered: Jul '00
6408_Jedi Outcast
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:07pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Kenobi_Kid posted:
Charlemagne19 posted:
True, on the other hand, I never assumed Mandalorians on Mandalore were a RACE. I always assumed Boba Fett's group was more like a special military order that was destroyed.
Well, they do come from a planet called Mandalore... wink


Yes, but Mandalorian Supercommandos was to me like Japanese Samurai.

 

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Kenobi_Kid  1810 posts
Registered: May '05
6455_Ewan the Prankster
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:08pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get. - Date Edited: 2/7/07 6:33pm (2 edits total) Edited By: Kenobi_Kid
Charlemagne19 posted:
Yes, but Mandalorian Supercommandos was to me like Japanese Samurai.

But they don't really seem like that, do they? Fenn calls being a Protector "a job", and he later seems to have recruited another whole army of them from the population of Mandalore, which sort of fits their special forces/supersoldier vibe a bit better than a samurai-style heriditary warrior-elite.

 

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Ris_jSarek  2554 posts
Registered: Feb '05
18187_Z-95 Headhunter
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:27pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
MistrX posted:
Without having read Allegiance I have to ask, has Zahn written Vader directly? It seems that all we ever get are other characters' former impressions of Vader. Officers who thought he was brutal and scary. Mara who didn't seem to realize just how far the full power of the Force could go. Things like that.


Briefly, in Side Trip. Vader and Thrawn debate the aftermath of Thrawn's mission, with Thrawn pointing out subtleties to the way he ultimately handled it (as opposed to the original plan they agreed on) that meet Vader's goals even more closely than the original plan.

Charlemagne19 posted:
sidious618 posted:


Now you're just being silly. Luke is not going to run headlong into danger when he's the Master of the Jedi Order.


"Not ready are you!"
"I must despite being the last hope of the jedi!"


And promptly got his hand cut off and the worst surprise of his life. You'll note he's a LOT less impulsive in RotJ, and his experiences later in life only temper that impulsive streak further.

Charlemagne19 posted:
Well to be honest, until Last Man Standing, Boba Fett is a non-character. Boba Fett is a menacing juggernaut of slaughter that goes in and lays waste to everything for money that we honestly never see him spend on anything except more guns. He's like a Galaxies character in that respect.


QFT.

Anyway, this thread wouldn't be complete without Walter John Williams's portrayal of Gilad Pellaeon. And his Tsavong Lah wasn't much better.

 

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HanSolOKniser3  1447 posts
Registered: Dec '03
48748_Mara Jade (630093)
Date Posted: 2/7/07 6:32pm Subject: RE: Characters that certain authors don't get.
Traviss's portrayal of Jaina and Mara in Bloodlines is pathetic. imnshooc. peace

 

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