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Lit Literature member interviews

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Point Given , Jun 6, 2013.

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  1. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2010
    Turns out my perception of time is a bit wonky, but in many ways superior. I actually wrote the reply to these questions a month ago, and you guys are only now getting it. Try to keep up.

    9. What places have you traveled to? Which one is your favorite?

    I'm currently in Palm Beach, Florida, allegedly for my 21'st birthday in about a week. The fact that I don't care for Florida is an inconsequential detail. Well, Florida is fine, but I'm not such a huge fan of beaches. They're just so... boring. I like to swim, but that's not something I need to travel hundreds of miles to do. And yes, I'm completely aware I'm coming off as the most grumpy 20 year old in existence.

    My most frequent traveled place would be New York city. I love New York. Sure, it smells bad, the people are rude, and it's crowded. Yes, it's ridiculously expensive. And dirty. And the people don't know how to drive. But it's... well, I've got nothing. But I love it. As a bit of an insomniac, a city that never sleeps is my kind of city. Also, I love being able to walk everywhere.

    Other places I've traveled... only time I've been out of the country was when I went to Mexico. Had a chance to go to Jamaica, but I blew it off for whatever reason. Aside from that, I've spent time in California, New Orleans, and tons of other interchangeable beach towns.

    10. What were your thoughts when Disney announced the purchase of Lucasfilm? Have they changed since then?

    I had a wide range of thoughts and feelings on the subject hit me when I heard the news. In this case, the sheer multitude of complex and contradicting emotions could be most accurately conveyed with two simple words.

    Well, ****.

    Like most EU fans, one of my immediate thoughts was the implications this would have on the EU. One thing that's always appealed to be about Star Wars is the fact that it's one unified storytelling universe, a fictional history. There are other efforts similar to it, but in the final analysis, there's nothing quite like Star Wars. DC and Marvel make an effort to keep continuity, but I'm pretty sure it's scientifically impossible to follow it without shutting down a large portion of your brain; you just have to enjoy the story you're reading. While I hear Star Trek has created a strict continuity for their novels in recent years, the majority of Trek books on the market are still unrelated to each other. What Star Wars had was unique, and I'll be saddened to see it go.

    Given time to process the news, I've become more accepting, and perhaps even optimistic (the enthusiasm of people like AdmiralNick22 is quite contagious). Although I love the fact that all Star Wars works are one, I've begun to think that an alternate interpretation would not be the worst thing int he world. The Star Wars movies are pop culture milestones, and if anything deserves an alternate artistic interpretation, it's the events that follow them. Considering the latest book in the post-ROTJ timeline has an average review rating of something like 3.5, it's safe to say to suggest that that part of the timeline could use some alternate interpretation.

    Another thing I love about Star Wars is not that it's just a shared universe, but a multimedia shared universe. Every medium has its strengths and weaknesses when it comes to narrative, and Star Wars is the only fictional universe I can think of that uses them all. The way I've come to see it, we've gotten some truly great fantasy and sci-fi authors to contribute to the Star Wars universe. We've gotten great Star Wars comics. We've gotten a few really great Star Wars games, even if there could definitely, definitely be more done in that field. Let's see what film makers can do, given free reign of the setting.

    Continuity, in my mind, is a great thing. By connecting all of the stories in the universe, the sub-par stories are made better and given greater relevance, simply by being part of a larger whole. But like everything, it also has its downside; in this case, it means that authors are forever shackled to mistakes and narrative missteps made in the past. I find the idea that we'll be getting new interpretations of Star Wars liberating. The important thing for me, however, is that I will not think of these new stories as "invalidating" the old ones, simply because they have a bigger budget behind them. In the same way that I believe there's a lot of power in continuity, there's also a use for alternate universes. Let the current EU live on, not as "continuity B" or as infinities, but as an equally valid and equally "possible" continuation of the Star Wars saga.
     
  2. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Yeah, NYC is great. I'm always walking around everywhere when I'm there. But yeah, that assessment is pretty accurate. :p
     
  3. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    [​IMG]
     
  4. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006

    Smelly? Rude? My home this is! :mad:


    Ah hell, that's all true here. You might want to add that people also don't know how to ride a bike. I have more near misses with them than cars.
     
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  5. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Beaches suck. They're full of sand and water and you're supposed to just go there and, like, not really do anything? I don't get it. I can not do stuff at home.
     
  6. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    11. If you could re-do canon post NJO, what choices would you make, if any?

    12. Do you have your own personal canon? (Things you ignore that have been established as canon, different backstories/futures for characters, or new ones for those that don't have it, etc.)

    13. Which presidents do you most admire? Why?
     
  7. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    What about enjoying the sun, feeling cool water spash on your toes, smelling the pure salt air, frolicking in the surf...

    Maybe I am a Calamarian! [face_nail_biting] ]-}

    --Adm. Nick
     
  8. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    Best be careful where you frolic, then.

    [​IMG]
     
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  9. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    And make sure never to dine with Mon Mothma. [face_whistling]
     
  10. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    The sun can be okay but I don't need to go to a place covered in sand to get it, I don't want wet feet or to go into the water at all, and you might have a point about the salt air, except beaches generally kind of stink and anyway you can smell the ocean from a nice seaside restaurant patio or something.
     
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  11. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    You're such a Midwesterner :p
     
  12. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    The sun is my kryptonite. I spent today lounging by my friend's pool and doing nothing and I'm ****ing exhausted.
     
  13. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    Lots of Midwesterners like beaches! I'm just not one of them.
     
  14. GrandAdmiralJello

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

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    I'm with the fish on this one. Though I generally have little use for beaches -- since they're boring and almost routine to me -- going to them once in a while can be pleasant. You've got a calm ocean breeze, the mellow patter of waves gently crashing on the shore, the warm caress of the sun combined with the pleasant shade of a palm tree to provide variety, the wonder and adventure of natural rock formations and cliffs that one can climb onto and head further towards the ocean in whilst discovering little tidepools with all manner of life in them, the glint of yachts and sailboats cruising alongside the coast.... and best of all, the knowledge that unwashed billions envy your leisure.

    What's not to like? :p

    edit: Coop -- I like a nice, pleasant sunlight from a civilized, Mediterranean climate. The sort of barbarous heat you get in humid hellholes like DC is best evaded during summer... there's like a glorious emergence of the sun at the end of spring and a brief week of pleasant weather that breaks the pall of winter before the malaise of the humid summer kicks in.
     
  15. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    Even though I don't go often, I'm a sucker for beaches. They make for my favorite video game settings- but the real ones aren't too shabby, either ;).

    Even just burnt a couple CD's of Nintendo music that evokes the setting. Great for summer relaxation. :D
     
  16. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2010
    Just gonna do one today, since I've barely been in my room and this one is a bit of a mouth full.

    11. If you could re-do canon post NJO, what choices would you make, if any?

    This one's somewhat difficult, since I haven't even read the post-NJO yet (or the NJO, for that matter). As such, I don't feel entirely comfortable picking apart works that I haven't even read (now ill proceed to do just that) That said, I do have a fairly decent idea of the rough events of LOTF and beyond, and as someone who is currently reading the Bantam books, I can give you an idea on where I feel the saga should logically go.

    If we're under the assumption that I can have anything I want, well... there wouldn't be a post-NJO. At all. The Legacy comics are fair game, I suppose, but as far as I'm concerned, the story of Luke, Han and Leia should have ended while it was on top. It should have ended when it reached its logical conclusion. It shouldn't have been dug up so that it could be dismantled, beaten with a shovel, pissed on, and buried upside down.

    Stephen King has an interesting quote on the nature of endings. Naturally, not all of his fans were pleased with the conclusion of his Dark Tower series, a book series well over 20 years in the making. At the end of the book, he briefly explains his rationale. Mainly, he stresses that he believes the journey is far more important than the ending; after all, if you just wanted an ending, you could easily flip to the last page and read that. "There is no such thing as a happy ending. I never met a single one to equal "Once upon a time". That's a lovely quote, to be sure, and while I can understand the sentiment, in many ways I take the opposite stance. After all, any schmuck can write "Once upon a time"; anyone can start a story. But to carry that story to its logical and emotional conclusion, deftly tying all the running story themes together in a manner that feels wholly inappropriate but unexpected at the same time? To give all major characters time in the spotlight and fulfill all their individual arcs? That **** is hard. And when done well, nothing less than an utterly incomparable experience. That doesn't mean I value the ending more than the journey. Far from it. But I find a great ending can make a great story an unforgettable one.

    The simple fact that I love endings is something that kept me away from serialized storytelling for quite some time. When I was a kid, I always wanted to get into comics, but never took the plunge. There were two big reasons for this, both of them very similar. For one, I had absolutely no idea how to start, and that was a huge problem for me. Even as a kid, I liked my stories to have a beginning, middle and end. I've never been the type who can be content being thrown into something and just run with it. After all, what journey worth taking is only worth taking part of the way? The other reason, of course, is that they never ended. I didn't appreciate the concept of enjoying a story for what it was then; I was a very "all or nothing" person. For this reason, manga appealed more to me. It was longform storytelling, letting you grow attached to the characters, but it was all controlled by one mind (giving it a sense of cohesiveness that a lot of serialized characters don't have), and of course, they ended.

    This is of course my way of saying that I'm aware of Star War's serialized nature. It can't help being a self-replicating monster that devours all in its path. It's practically what it was made for. But even so, I have a difficult time viewing the NJO as anything but the culmination of the entire Star Wars saga. It radiates something so, so rarely exhibited in tie-in fiction: ambition. A galaxy shattering conflict that could make a reasonable claim of "topping" what came before without coming off as (too) gratuitous. Character deaths that have meaning and add emotional weight to the larger story, rather than just being used for cheap shock value. And perhaps most important of all, it represents the pinnacle of each individual character's personal growth, and is able to develop a new functioning cast (a cast that is subsequently wasted in various ways later). Luke gets to be the shining beacon of hope that he always was, so much that one could argue every event in his life was leading up to his actions in The Unifying Force. Jacen, Jaina and Anakin simultaneously fulfill the predictions of Dark Empire of becoming strong Jedi that can defend the galaxy long after their parents are gone and defy Leia's worst fears for them, that they might grow to become as bad as Vader (something else that is pissed away spectacularly in subsequent books). TUF was clearly meant to be an ending, an ending that cultural icons and their countless fans deserved. But instead, the characters are doomed to linger in perpetual limbo, puppets dancing on the strings of the unforgiving and not-easily-bored God of tie-in fiction.

    Or I should say were doomed. That is another positive to the Disney buy out, after all; it's forcing an ending on the characters, even if the ending was almost certainly done better a decade ago. They won't rest easy, but dammit, at least they'll finally rest.

    But since, as far as I'm aware, life doesn't revolve around me, there is a post-NJO. So I might as well, y'know, actually answer the damn question.

    I won't be picky and just ask for things that we probably should have gotten, rather than one fan's pipe dreams.

    - Would have been really nice to get a Jedi order that isn't composed of squabbling children with ADHD. Oh, and these kids think they're better than you. Oh, and their teacher was supposed to be showing them how to be everything that other class that came before them, the ones that burned down the school, weren't. He was supposed to have them learn from past failures. But instead he gives them bigger matches and watches them burn down the whole town to the ground.

    - General Solo. Granted, this isn't purely the fault of the post-NJO writers, as Han resigned his General commission so many times he might as well have been using it for food stamps. But this would have been such an interesting permanent change for the character. There are tons of story possibilities about a former criminal, one who was intensely anti-authoritarian, finding himself in a position of authority. Plus this would be a neat way to allow Han to command as much power as Luke does, albeit an entirely different kind of power. Instead he kind of gets to fly around aimlessly. If he's gonna do that, at least give the guy a Skyhouse.

    - Just for fun, I would have liked to have seen Lando as Chief of State. Like with Han, it would have been an interesting progression. Sure, you could easily throw criticisms at the idea, saying that it makes the galaxy smaller. But Star Wars is, at its heart, a very character driven series, one that sees all of our main players in very high positions. At least this would let Lando do something, instead of being that old friend we never call any more. And besides, isn't a small galaxy just a bit better than a small and incredibly stupid galaxy? I know I'd vote for the guy with the impeccable mustache over the unstable butcher any day of the week.

    Besides, if Lando can run the craziness that is Hologram Fun World, running a government would be a snap.

    As you can see, my ideas are very generic, since I really don't have that much more to go on. That said, despite LOTF being widely considered a point-blank shotgun blast in the heart of the EU, I do believe it offered one potentially very interesting plotline, a plotline that was ignored in favor of immediate drama.

    Jacen's redemption.

    Redemption is a central theme of Star Wars. Hell, it's a central theme of a great deal of literature. In my opinion, it's one of the most evocative words in the English language. Even so, redemption is usually presented as something very immediate in Star Wars; a momentary decision that changes everything. Essentially, a light side/dark side choice, the kind in which you'd see in a video game. But for many, the road to redemption, assuming such a thing isn't just poetic mumbo jumbo and actually exists, is long, jagged and very uneven. The only place I've seen this really explored in the EU is with Tales of the Jedi's aptly named Redemption arc.

    LOTF presented an opportunity to explore such a central theme from an angle that has never truly been examined in Star Wars. For a series that faces harsh criticisms of being a regurgitation of what had already come before, this is arguably something that was sorely needed.

    My ideal scenario goes something like this: don't end LOTF with Jaina killing her brother. Instead, have him captured. As a punishment, in a callback to TOTJ (trust me, this is about the only instance I'd ever want a TOTJ callback), have Luke cut Jacen off from the Force. For Jacen, this would be like taking away 4/5 of his natural senses; he had grown up fully immersed in the Force. He was using it instinctively as a toddler. He had been described as strong in the Force when he was still in the womb. He found greater solace in quiet meditation than he did in violence. Taking the Force away from Jacen would be taking everything away from him.

    And it would make him a more interesting character in the process. Instead of FOTJ, have the next series explore Jacen's journey towards redemption. Describe what it's like for a blinded man to see through entirely new eyes. This would serve a dual purpose as well: it would give us a much needed non-Force using member of the cast. In what I feel would be an interesting twist, have Jacen and Jaina reverse their early course; Jaina, who was more like her father, is on her way to becoming a respected member of the Jedi Order. Jacen, who was always a Jedi to the core of his being, must become more like his father. Perhaps they would even throw subtlety to the wind and make him a smuggler, or a bounty hunter. Without the Force, Jacen would grow a new appreciation for life, a new appreciation for his father, and would be a recurring non-Force using member of the cast. Hell, I know I'd love to see a non-Force using Jacen exploring the Corporate Sector...

    Sorry, dragged on a bit there. I've never really even thought of writing fanfiction, but if I did, it would probably be about that, because as you can tell I really love the idea.

    If I think of anything else I'll include it in the next question.

    Obviously, everything in this post is subject to change, once I actually read the works I'm presuming to trample over.
     
  17. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    For someone who never read the (post)NJO, you got the major issues down. Especially the part about (post)NJO forgetting the central themes of SW in general.

    Also, that quote explains why Stephen King has always been famous for his plots and never well, those cop-out endings of his.:p
     
    instantdeath likes this.
  18. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2010
    12. Do you have your own personal canon? (Things you ignore that have been established as canon, different backstories/futures for characters, or new ones for those that don't have it, etc.)

    Yes, I have quite a few. Instead of proceeding to write a badly constructed non-proofread wall of text, I'll make a handy list. I know I have more than these, but this is just what comes to mind. Rough chronological order.

    - Nomi Sunrider was the one who predicted the Chosen One prophecy. Because I can't stand her, and if she's gonna go down in history as one of the Order's greatest Jedi, then dammit, she needs to do something to deserve it.

    - Revan was born from a rare joining of Jedi and Sith. One of the few things I kind of liked about the Revan novel was the dichotomy between light and dark. In addition, Kreia was correct in her assumption that Revan was born in the Unknown Regions, that going back there was him following "the call to home". How this all happened I don't know. Perhaps a pure blooded Sith got it on with a human slave, and and the human took him to Republic-controlled society.

    - Despite what Drew K would have you believe, the Jedi Exile is awesome.

    - Emperor Vitiate created his Empire in the image of a vision he received. In the moment of his ascension, when he absorbs the power of the Sith Lords and his power was immeasurably magnified, he saw the ideal version of himself; the person he desperately wanted to be. For thousands of years, he worked tirelessly in molding himself to that image. Even in-universe, Vitiate is only a pale imitation, yet he still gets to be the precursor to Palpatine, the template that was later perfected.

    - Most, if not all of the dialogue from Jedi vs Sith takes precedence over the Bane novels.

    - While it was left ambiguous in the novel, in my mind Palpatine was the chessmaster of Darth Plagueis. He was all but leading him by the hand (a recent reread of the novel does indeed reveal that almost all ideas that would later become plotpoints in the prequels came from Palpatine), and like all tools, Plagueis was discarded when he was no longer useful.

    - The Clone Wars takes place about a year and a half to two years into the war, with most of the Republic comics occupying the first half of the war.

    - Once again, most if not all the dialogue from the ROTS novel takes precedence over the film.

    - Somewhere in my head, that Obsidian Dark Times RPG exists. It's like Alpha Protocol, but improved in every area; the game Alpha Protocol could have been. It's glorious.

    - Dark Empire II didn't happen. Not because it's a badly written story- though it is- but because it's the same damn thing as Dark Empire. Obviously Anakin Solo gets to survive.

    - The Unifying Force is the ending for the main Star Wars characters. Everything between it and Legacy is an ongoing infinities story, with the premise being, "what if the God of the Star Wars universe began regularly ingesting acid?"

    13. Which presidents do you most admire? Why?

    This is a somewhat difficult one to answer, at least without coming off as if I'm trying to dodge it. I suppose I can start off by saying that American History has never been of much interest to me, so my knowledge of the presidents is fairly superficial. Not knowing any of them beyond their reputation, I find it difficult to definitively say I admire any of them in particular. I have no doubt that most of them were good men with the best of intentions at heart. However, the more cynically-inclined part of me can't help but feel that they were politicians; a role where power and status is a both a means and an end, and the presidency represents the highest spot in the chain. Of course, I don't think it's completely fair for me to expect our presidents to be altruistic. Altruism is, unfortunately, something that just can't function in a capitalistic society.

    I guess my only point is I've never really liked putting presidents, or any public figures for that matter, on a pedestal (as you can imagine, I have a huge problem with royalty). It's the whole cult of personality thing, which is something that tends to make me deeply uncomfortable. Many of them did truly great things in the time they were given, and that's something that should be praised; but I feel like we have a tendency to view these people more as fictional or mythological figures than as human beings. Case in point: Abraham Lincoln. The man is nothing less than an icon, and is often painted as the absolute paragon of virtue, perseverance, honesty, the American Dream, and any other pretty buzz word you want to throw into the mix. So much that a large portion of American society would prefer to just shut their ears to some of his more... unsavory ideas or agendas regarding the slaves. You could, of course, easily argue this all as irrelevant. And in the end of the day, a person will always be judged by their actions, not their intentions. But I do believe it accurately represents our tendency to outright refuse to see things in shades of grey. In Abe's case, the man is a legend; we like our legends, bold, unwavering and heroic. We don't like our legends conflicted.

    All that said, I do have some presidents that I admire. George Washington is an obvious one. I don't know what he did with that cherry tree, but hey, any guy who would refuse an awesome title like "King of America" has to be worth something. The aforementioned Abe Lincoln is pretty much mandatory; regardless of his intentions, he took a bold step, a step that continues to reverberate throughout history. I like Lyndon B. Johnson's willingness to embrace the rising Civil Rights movement, though I confess to not knowing much more about him than that. Drifting more into the cult of personality side of things, I like Teddy Roosevelt; I particularly like how he paid attention to current literature and, in the case of the meat packing industry, was able to admit, "we've got a problem, and we need to get our **** together". That simple trait, the acknowledgement of ones mistakes, is something all too rare in politicians.
     
  19. Son of a Bith

    Son of a Bith Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2013
    instantdeath Just wanted to say your replies to Point Given's questions have been thoughtful and interesting! A lot of your points have resonated with me, but I have to say that, when you made the "General Solo" argument, I exclaimed "YES!" out loud!

    Thanks to both of you for an interesting read this morning.
     
  20. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    14. Who are your favorite characters from the SW films and EU?

    15. What's your favorite alcoholic drink, if any?

    16. What's the funniest thing you've ever witnessed happen?
     
  21. instantdeath

    instantdeath Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 22, 2010
    14. Who are your favorite characters from the SW films and EU?

    Luke's probably my favorite. Of course, the "wide eyed farmboy finds cool sword, learns from eccentric galaxy, saves galaxy" trope is done to death, but I confess I have a weakness for it, especially when it comes to Luke. I like to think that a person isn't tied to the circumstances of their birth, and I can think of few fictional characters that embody that ideal more than Luke Skywalker (of course, if you wanted to get snippy, you could easily argue that Luke being Anakin's son is something that has controlled him completely, but we're not going there because I say so). Luke's frustration at not being able to leave the farm is something that resonates with me, something that I think resonates with anyone who's ever wanted to do just a bit more than what they're stuck with. It speaks to a very human desire, I think, of not wanting to have your life laid out for you. And of course, there's always something inherently satisfying about watching a nobody become one of the most influential and powerful figures in a galaxy.

    Obviously, I also like Han, though I tend to prefer a specific portrayal of him. I have a name I use in the Jedi Prince thread for the type of Han that's more common that I would like: "carebear Han". Obviously, Jedi Prince presents a very severe case, but you see that kind of portrayal to a lesser extent in other works; basically, he'll come off as dopey and far too nice. In my opinion, Han needs to be the guy who isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, who want think twice about killing someone if he knows they're a threat, or even if he just thinks they deserve it. I'd say I like a "darker" Han, but I don't think that's an entirely appropriate word. The Brian Daley novels and Shadow of Mindor present what is, to my mind, the perfect mix between lovable rogue and hardened criminal.

    Wedge Antilles has to be up there as well, because everyone likes Wedge Antilles. Or at least they should.

    Obi-Wan would easily be my favorite character of the prequels. Ewan McGregor's portrayal, coupled with Obi-Wan's general awesomeness in the ROTS novel, cemented that.

    As for favorite EU characters, there are just too many to mention. I'll start with the big ones. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Revan. KOTOR was the first Star Wars related product I ever really loved (I'd seen the movies before, but only when I was a kid), so in a lot of ways Revan served as my entry to the Star Wars universe. While on the KOTOR games, pretty much half of the cast of KOTOR II could fit this category. The antagonists especially; I've said it before, but the Sith Lords in that game are the most inspired Sith Lords of the EU. Too often, we're treated to Sith who resemble squabbling children more than they do the terror of the galaxy. Certainly, there is validity in portraying Sith as human to a fault, a slave to their emotions, but it does get tiresome seeing that all the time. Enter Traya, Nihilus, and Sion. Not since Vader and Palpatine have we seen Sith whose very existence is a perversion of nature. Nihilus and Sion brilliantly illustrate the self-feeding, unending aspect of the dark side; the dark side is far from a toy. Play with it, and it will rot you from the inside.

    Let's see, others... well, I think Nomad is one of the most underrated SW works, so Darca Nyl deserves a mention. Baron Fel is made of pure, undiluted awesome. Gallandro and Kar Vastor are two standout antagonists.

    And of course, perhaps the character most representative of the EU's penchant for introducing awesome ideas and refusing to explore them, a character that manages to somehow be awesome without ever having appeared in a work... Xim the Despot. I want an Essential Guide, dammit.

    And just to be different.

    [​IMG]


    15. What's your favorite alcoholic drink, if any?

    Though I've technically only been old enough to drink for about a day (and no, I didn't go have some big drinking party... my friends and I made a stupid movie. Arguably a bigger waste of time), I have tried alcohol before, more out of curiosity than anything ("why do people like to cloud their minds with such enthusiasm?"), and found I didn't particularly care for any of it. I've heard that alcohol is an acquired taste, but I guess I've always wondered why I should go through the effort of having to acquire a taste for something with very few benefits. Sure, certain types of wine have known health benefits, but the cost of good wine is easily enough to negate that :p .

    While I do know there are legions of true wine enthusiasts out there, I feel like so many people only start drinking because it's something that's expected of them, so I suppose that can color some of my distaste for the stuff. I'm certainly no saint when it comes to mind-altering substances (though I've quit all of that stuff, mostly because I find the people who say it improves your writing or your music are full of it. Besides, shoegaze music effects the mind more than any substance can hope to), though, so I can't really afford to speak self-righteously here. I'm just not looking for anything to get hooked on, and the concept of social drinking is something pretty crazy for me; seems like if you're only looking for something to sip, you could just as easily have water.

    But who knows, in a year I could easily change my opinion.


    16. What's the funniest thing you've ever witnessed happen?

    Considering I was the type of kid who delighted in playing jokes on other people, especially if they were authority figures, I have quite a few of those. A Catholic school is a pranksters heaven.

    However, rather than tell you tales of me being a dick as a kid, instead I'll tell you one that's both funny and, for me at least, still makes me feel good every time I think about it. And it doesn't center around me, so we can get around this narcissistic thing I've got going on.

    Maybe it's just me, but does anyone else have memories where the event itself is so vivid that it might as well have happened yesterday, but everything around it is blurred? I and whatever band I was in at the time were playing a gig. I don't remember where we were playing. I don't remember how old I was (17 or 18, I believe), but I do think I remember lying about my age in order to play in a place that served alcohol.

    Regardless of the details, it was going fairly well. Most of the crowd seemed to be enjoying it, with the exception of this one guy. He was obviously very intoxicated, and would have been a perfect fit for the cover of a Southern stereotypes pamphlet. Fat. Most likely balding under his trucker's hat. A hideous jacket that would make Larry the Cable Guy blush. If the sight of him was enough to instantly label him as an average hick, him opening his mouth was like having that fact scrape across your skull. He's "that one guy" you'll see every once in awhile at any kind of gathering, the type who takes it as a challenge to get as many eyes on him as possible, who is there for his own personal enjoyment and couldn't care less about anyone else. He's the guy who delights in yelling "play Freebird!" after every song and basking in his own cleverness.

    I didn't mind him. You see guys like that all the time, after all, and eventually you grow numb to it, and learn to look at it as a form of amusement. Soon, though, it stopped being so harmless. Our bassist was black, and he soon became the target of many racial jokes and slurs. "Look, the monkey can play a gee-tar!". Lots of N-words thrown around. It doesn't take long for the crowd to get visibly annoyed, to the point where it looks like a fight could break out any moment. I myself was having to restrain myself from jumping off the stage and beating him with my guitar. Then the bassist- his name is Terell, though for some reason he prefers to be called Boom- taps me on the shoulder. He asks me if he could see my guitar. By this point I'm somewhat confused, but I hand it over, curious to what he has planned.

    He begins to play this obnoxious folk/country riff, one that was so out of place with our normal set (we were an alternative band with heavy dreampop leanings) that most of the audience shuts up instantly. He begins to sing (by this point my suspicions that he can't sing are confirmed), in an exaggerated country accent, making up lyrics on the fly that directly targeted the obnoxious man (he called the song "The Redneck Blues"). Far from arty stuff, and much too vile to post here, but it got the point across quite well. After the first verse, I'm about to die of laughter, but I pick up the bass and join in, adding a quirky bassline that makes the song sound even more ridiculous. The other guys join in, and though it doesn't sound particularly good (improvisation wasn't really our strength), the crowd actually gets into it, clapping and stamping along, and in some cases even singing along (now that was something to hear). It was an interesting experience, watching the man's face growing redder and redder, beginning to shout when we got to a part that insinuated he was in the habit of sharing intimate moments with his horse. I'd look up later, and he was gone. Whether he left on his own free will or had to be dragged out, I still don't know.

    I only wish I had thought to record that. Was it juvenile? Absolutely. But I think there's something inspiring about it, as well. My friend took a situation that could have easily have gotten violent, and in minutes had the entire room laughing and having fun, all at the expense of some racist. Who knows, maybe some in the room just liked that really annoying riff, but to my eyes, it was a crowd of people united against bigotry, and having fun while doing it. The song itself was quite stupid- you could tell it was made up on the fly- but what it stood for was really something else. I don't know what his intentions were- could be he just wanted to throw insults right back at the guy insulting him, because as people never seem to learn, you do not insult the guy with a microphone- but the reaction spoke for itself.
     
  22. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    ID, that story was classic. CLASSIC. [face_laugh]
     
  23. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    That is a fantastic story. Kudos to Terrell for making the situation a funny one.

    17. What are your favorite videogames, in and out of Star Wars?

    18. What are your hopes for the sequel trilogy? What do you think about the selection of J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt for director and screenwriter?
     
  24. Son of a Bith

    Son of a Bith Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 28, 2013
    Ditto! Excellent story! Kudos to you guys (especially Terrell)!
     
  25. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    Seconded. Man is a musical genius.
     
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