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

For the Comic fans worried about Darkhorse losing the license...look at the positive...Marvel will be getting the license back.

And from what I can gather from Marvel reading friends, it's not the Marvel of the 80s license (which even in it hilarity, is canon).

 

It's strange but I really have no reaction right now. I don't think all the implications can be discovered until we learn more details about the buyout. Right now I just feel... deflated. I know that LFL was a huge company but I always thought of it as a "rebel force". Now that it's owned by a megacorporation like Disney it feels... generic and not as special.

I know it's a long shot but I'm hoping this is some kind of pre-Halloween prank.

 

Depending on your point of view, this is either a terrible trick, or a wonderful treat.

 

You think Lucas is trying to top Orson Wells, fistofan1?

 

For all I was joking about San Hill's return earlier, I must admit, the idea of Plagueis returning from the dead to become the evil mastermind all along, who tricked his apprentice into getting rid of the threat of the Chosen One, has a certain genuine appeal.

 

Unicron cannot be topped.

 

They can bring the Rakata back I suppose. Still lightsaber combat is basically required.

 

Let's just hope somewhere in this contract it states, they can't re-make the original movies with new actors, no matter how many years have passed. That would be something to panic about.

 

With Force powers replacing the usual commands? Nomura is supposedly a huge SW fan, personally requesting Hamill as part of the voice cast...and I have to remind myself that this isn't a KH board.

 

That is a good way of looking at it. Even if this is absolute worst possible scenario (feel free to insert your ideas of just what that might be), it will undoubtedly cause a **** storm of lolstastic proportions.

 

One time, I believe Lucas said the Sequel trilogy will focus on new heroes, with a cameo by Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Episode 9, and the only constant characters would be the Droids.

 

George Lucas is frequently the least reliable source on the subject of Star Wars.

 

Mark Hamill claimed Lucas offered him the part (a long time ago) and there is a separate quote regarding the droids.

Here's pretty much what we knew prior to today (and mostly prior to 1999, when Lucas started to move toward claiming he never had plans to do sequels and the media had invented them):

"There are essentially nine films in a series of three trilogies. The first trilogy is about the young Ben Kenobi and the early life of Luke's father when Luke was a little boy. This trilogy takes place some twenty years before the second trilogy which includes Star Wars and Empire. About a year or two passes between each story of the trilogy and about twenty years pass between the trilogies. The entire saga spans about fifty-five years... I won't say who survives and who doesn't, but if we are ever able to link togther all three, you'd find the story progresses in a very logical fashion." ​

​

- George Lucas to Alan Arnold, 1979, Once Upon A Galaxy *​

​

The last three episodes involve the rebuilding of the Republic.​

Only two of the main characters will appear in all nine films, & they are the robots, Artoo-Detoo & Threepio. Says Lucas: "In effect, the story will be told through their eyes."​

​

- Time Magazine, May 1980​

​

"There are six hours of events before Star Wars, & in those six hours the 'Other' becomes apparent, & after the third film the 'Other' becomes apparent quite a bit."​

​

- George Lucas to Rolling Stone, June 1980 **​

​

The sequels, the three films that would follow Jedi, are considerably vaguer. Their main theme will be the necessity for moral choices & the wisdom needed to distinguish right from wrong.​

​

- Time Magazine, May 1983​

​

But he has only a vague notion of what will happen in the three films of the sequel? In the sequel Luke would be a sixty-year-old Jedi knight. Han Solo and Leia would be together? The sequel focuses mainly on Luke, and Lucas says Mark Hamill will have first crack at the part if he is old enough. "If the first trilogy is social and political and talks about how society evolves," Lucas says, "Star Wars is more about personal growth and self realization, and the third deals with moral and philosophical problems... The sequel is about Jedi knighthood, justice, confrontation, and passing on what you have learned."​

​

- George Lucas to Denise Worrell, 1983, ICONS: Intimate Portraits​

​

​

​

* The "very logical fashion" here doesn't account for how the saga, during the production of the actual prequel films, were turned from loosely-integrated trilogies into a single hexalogy ostensibly focused on a single (now dead) character. How this will be bridged is anyone's guess.

​

** The Other here may not be Leia. When ESB was being made, Leia was not the Other; this appears to have only been changed in ROTJ. I don't think we know exactly when during preproduction this decision was made (yet - Rinzler's Making of ROTJ comes out next year). So this Sequel-Other might have been a totally different character.

 

I wonder how much longer "in" Lucasfilm.

I suspect much of the LFL staff either just got a golden ticket to the upper pantheon of Disney's movers/shakers/imagineers... ... ... or will be scattered to the winds as corporate redundancy shakes itself out like a wet dog.

I expect Pablo will be in charge of Disney's Vault before long.

 

I agree with this. I don't even mind if, (as is likely) the EU will no longer be part of LFL canon. I haven't enjoyed most of it since Del Rey got the license anyway, and all of the stories will continue to exist. So we can continue to enjoy stories that we liked, even if they're now in a different timeline.

This might actually be a good thing. As TLI says, we're getting something really NEW for the first time in a long time.

 

A villain from episode 3 was once an idea, eh?

Plagueis is sounding more and more plausible.

 

I hope the new movies take place centuries into the movies and Palpatine or Plagueis return from the dead and the Force brings back Anakin Skywalker to start the ultimate final fight for the galaxy

 

Hmm. Now that I have digested the news a bit, I suppose that I can comment on the huge piece of news today.

I am excited.

Yes, the implications for the Expanded Universe I have loved and followed since 1991 is huge. The beloved stories that, for all intents and purposes, have served as Episode's 7-??? will most likely fall into a state of secondary canon that is it's own separate universe. So as a fan of these stories, I do take pause and remember how they have nurtured my love of Star Wars and kept the franchise alive for decades.

However, the future of Star Wars is bright. The Maker, George Lucas, is not directly involved. He isn't writing them. Guiding in principle, sure, but not in charge. Period. THAT is fantastic news for the franchise. Talented writers, producers, and directors will be chomping at the bit to get involved in this new post-ROTJ saga. And I for one and damned excited to see what the future of Star Wars holds. This will revitalize the franchise is ways the EU could only dream of. This ensures a vibrant and exciting Star Wars for a new generation. And BEST of all- it isn't a freaking reboot. It is a CONTINUATION.

Take heart, EU fans. Our contributions are not forgotten and may well influence this new saga. We should all be excited for this new and exciting future.

To quote Luke Skywalker from the Dark Empire saga: The Jedi Knights will rise again!

--Adm. Nick

 

Very nicely optimistic post. For that, the powers that be should really see about bringing that Ackbar vs Pellaeon battle to life on the big screen with a multi-million dollar budget backing it.

 

Episode 7: TRAP

 

Quick survey of the Interwebs - Leland's still there, and Pablo's optimistic. The weathervane's nudging towards "Things are okay"...

 

only because it still is walking that does not mean it has to be alive see THE WALKING DEAD

 

"Your EU is dead, son. Accept it."