Expanded Universe Defense Force

WELCOME to the relocated "headquarters" of the original Defense Force, the EUDF. For those curious about our history, our first thread by Ganner was started here in the Literature forum. After awhile, we re-started here and here in the EU Misc. forums, and spent some time here in the Role-Playing forums. *Whew* As you can see, he have a long and distinquished history as a part of theforce.net's Jedi Council.

What is the Exanded Universe Defense Force all about? I'm glad you asked!

***MISSION STATEMENT***

The PURPOSE of the EU Defence Force is to defend the Expanded Universe, its fans and creators from the vicious attacks, misinformation, bigotry and intolerance perpetrated by "EU-Bashers."

What we are doing in the EUDF is defending the rights of EU Fans, also known as "completists," to speculate freely in the Forums using EU data as the basis of that speculation. The EUDF also defends the right for completists to enjoy EU material without fear of being persecuted or belittled by movies-only fans, also known as "purists." We recognize that certain persons (known as EU Bashers)VICIOUSLY attack anyone who uses EU to speculate or states their enjoyment of EU material.

Such bashers vary in intensity. Some only attack the EU when mentioned in speculation. Some attempt to say that EU-based discussion has NO PLACE in certain Forums. Some attack the EU AND the person who mentioned it. Some attack the EU, the person who mentioned it, the author of the book, his fans and anyone else remotely involved.

Now there are some people who like the EU, but disagree about its use in speculation. These are NOT bashers. There are also some who dislike the EU personally, but don't shove that fact down anybody's throat, but simply state their viewpoint with civility. These, also, are NOT bashers.

Now let me tell you what the EUDF is NOT:

We are NOT a group who goes around and forces people to like the EU. We are also NOT a group who runs in and argues every time someone says the EU is stupid or something. We are only interested in when those people start attacking speculators, fans, or the right of fans to speculate. Everyone is free to enjoy the EU as much or as little as they choose.

We are the Expanded Universe Defense Force, not the Expanded Universe Attack Force. Our goal is to pacify EU-bashing flame wars, NOT to incite them.



***RULES AND REGULATIONS***

1) Back-up your teammates in their defense of the EU and it's fans.

2) Alert your fellow EUDF-ers of any "enemy activity". It is best if you provide the "jump coordinates," or link to such activity. This can can be done by using the EZcodes to make a hyperlink. The current code (5/10/02) is text about site. When done successfully, it'll look like this. Please make a note if the link is to a Spoilers Allowed Forum, as some of our members DON'T want to be "in the know" about the upcoming movies.

3) NO FLAMING of others in defense of the EU. Be able to intelligently defend your views while maintaining a sense of dignity and respect. If you create a bad image of yourself while defending the Expanded Universe, you make the rest of us look bad. Remaining CALM during a debate is the best defense you can maintain against another's antagonism.

4)The "Exploited Universe" thread is a "No-Fly Zone" That thread, created by Darth Holliday in the Episode II ( Spoilers Allowed ) forum, is meant as a parody of the EU. If you have a thin skin or lack a sense of humor regarding the EU, I don't recommend visiting the thread. Moreover, to attempt t

 

Here are some quotes regarding the role of EU & "Canon"

"Canon [Middle English, from Late Latin, from Latin, standard] a: an authoritative list of books accepted as Holy Scripture b: the authentic works of a writer c: a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works <the canon of great literature>"

According to Lucas Licensing Editor Sue Rostoni, "Canon refers to an authoritative list of books that the Lucas Licensing editors consider an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as that history does not conflict with, or undermine the meaning of Mr. Lucas's Star Wars saga of films and screenplays." Things that Lucas Licensing does not consider official parts of the continuous Star Wars history show an Infinities logo or are contained in Star Wars Tales. Everything else is considered canon.

-Star Wars Gamer, Oct/Nov. Issue

Q: I'm really confused about canon. Is Star Wars Gamer canon? What about the Marvel series? Are they now considered "Infinities?"

A: While issues like these are often best left to each individual's "point of view", here's what LucasBooks' Chris Cerasi had to say...

There's been some confusion of late regarding the 'Infinities' symbol, and Star Wars Expanded Universe continuity in general. Terms like "canon" and "continuity" tend to get thrown around casually, which doesn't help at all.
When it comes to absolute canon, the real story of Star Wars, you must turn to the films themselves - and only the films. Even novelizations are interpretations of the film, and while they are largely true to George Lucas' vision (he works quite closely with the novel authors), the method in which they are written does allow for some minor differences. The novelizations are written concurrently with the film's production, so variations in detail do creep in from time to time. Nonetheless, they should be regarded as very accurate depictions of the fictional Star Wars movies.

The further one branches away from the movies, the more interpretation and speculation come into play. LucasBooks works diligently to keep the continuing Star Wars expanded universe cohesive and uniform, but stylistically, there is always room for variation. Not all artists draw Luke Skywalker the same way. Not all writers define the character in the same fashion. The particular attributes of individual media also come into play. A comic book interpretation of an event will likely have less dialogue or different pacing than a novel version. A video game has to take an interactive approach that favors gameplay. So too must card and roleplaying games ascribe certain characteristics to characters and events in order to make them playable.

The analogy is that every piece of published Star Wars fiction is a window into the 'real' Star Wars universe. Some windows are a bit foggier than others. Some are decidedly abstract. But each contains a nugget of truth to them. Like the great Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi said, 'many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view.'

Returning to the question at hand. Yes, Star Wars Gamer is part of continuity, though as game material, there is room for interpretation. Only specific articles marked with the 'Infinities' logo within the magazine should be considered out of continuity.

Fans of the old monthly Marvel Star Wars comic will be heartened to know that LucasBooks does indeed consider them part of continuity. Decades of retrospect haven't been kind to all the elements of the comic series, but the characters and events still hold weight and are referenced in newer material whenever possible.

In order to allow unlimited freedom of storytelling, the Infinities label has been placed on the anthology series, Star Wars Tales. This means that not only can the stories occur anywhere in the Star Wars timeline, but stories can happen outside continuity. Basically, if an event happens in Tales, it may not have

 

"To keep it all straight there is 'the Canon,' a time line of major events and the life span of characters prepared by the continuity editors at Lucasfilm and considered the in-house bible of the Star Wars universe. When further reference is needed, there are also stacks of binders listing everything from starship blueprints to the biographies of characters..."
-Sue Rostoni, preface to Secrets of Shadows of the Empire, 1996.

 

"It wasn't long after I began writing Star Wars that I realized the story was more then a single film could hold. As the saga of Skywalkers and Jedi Knights unfolded, I began to see it as a tale that could take at least nine films to tell-three trilogies-and I realized, in making my way through the back story and after story, that I was really setting out to write the middle story.

After Star Wars was released, it became apparent that my story-however many films it took to tell-was only one of thousands that could be told about the characters who inhabit its galaxy. But these were not stories that I was destined to tell. Instead they would spring from the imagination of other writers, inspired by the glimpse of a galaxy that Star Wars provided. Today it is an amazing, if unexpected, legacy of Star Wars that so many gifted writers are contributing new stories to the Saga."

-George Lucas, Del Rey Re-release of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, 1994.

 

TVGuide: Yet novelists have written "Star Wars" sequels using the same characters and extending their stories.

George Lucas: Oh, sure. They're done outside my little universe. "Star Wars" has had a lot of different lives that have been worked on by a lot of different people. It works without me.

-TV Guide Interview with George Lucas, week of 11/19/01

 

Good Evening Everyone:

I wanted to lend, what I'm assuming is, a rather unique perspective on this topic. I have the good fortune to write for Darkhorse Comics, and I can tell you from my own experience that George dose in fact look over the comics from time to time. And although all the story points in the film are not completed, if I'm doing a story that may come into conflict with what he's planing, or if it goes against his ideals -- I will hear about it.

I've even got his faxed sign-off to prove it.

He dose not go over everything, but he is very much aware of what is going on. ALL DH SW COMICS are approved by Lucasfilm. If it goes against something they disagree with, two things will happen. It will be corrected, or you won't see it.

I hope this is of interest. If there are any questions, I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilites.

Kevin

-Kevin Rubio, Dark Horse Comics, TF.N Lit Boards 12/03/01

 

"The villain of Jedi Academy was planned as the spirit of a long-dead Dark Jedi. Anderson and Veitch bounced the story idea off Lucasfilm, and George Lucas suggested they turn the character into a Dark Lord of the Sith.

'We said, 'Okay, what's that?' We recieved reams of background on it, and from there developed this nasty bad guy, Exar Kun."

'To write this series, we would have to get into who exactly the Sith were', adds Veitch. 'This was territory that had been previously off-limits. But we were permitted to draw up lists of concepts and ideas and submit them to Lucas for consideration. His replies formed the basis of our plotting.'"

-STAR WARS GALAXY MAGAZINE, Summer 1996

 

**Oops! Didn't see you there!**

To answer your question Valyn, for a time it was deemed that the various Defense Forces weren't really doing much of anything except for playing the role of being some sort of military organization. So when the RP forum was created, all of the DFs were required to move. Apparently, the Mods & Admins have re-considered their position.