If you were in charge of continuity at Lucasfilm and could...

Essentially be given carte blanche to override stuff that's been contradicted and change the context of things that had been written before we had the full knowledge of the EU then what exactly would you do to make sure that your continuity was consistent and clear for new authors? Here's my list of things that bug me but would really help make things more understandable.

* The Emperor's Dark Side Servants were Sith

The Emperor was arrogant above all other Dark Lords and did away with the Rule of Two almost as soon as he came to power, fudging it already with Dooku's Sith Brotherhood and eventually reinstituting the Sith Empire in the Empire we know and love. The Inquisitors, Dark Jedi, and Dark Jedi Masters would be reclassified into being "Sith Knights", the Prophets into "Sith Acolytes", and we'd give Palpatine's group its own name. Perhaps "The Second Sith Empire."

There would be no confusion and the only two Sith Lords are Vader with his master.

* Sate Pestage and Ars Dangor would be merged into a single character

In this case, Ars Dangor possibly being revealed to be a Coruscanti word for the Grand Vizier or other means of address.

* Kinman Doriana would be set up as Palpatine's Left Hand before replacement

Basically with Sate Pestage running all of the affairs of the government, Doriana would play many an important role before he's left out to dry in the Rise of the Sith era. Doriana would be revealed to be just another pawn in Palpatine's scheme and Parck grossly mistake (and Mara knew how grossly mistaken he was).

* Mediumism would triumph

The Maximalists and Minimalists would neither have domination over the Star Wars universe with "realistic" elements like hundreds of trillions of people on Coruscant being explained away while 3 million Clone Troopers would not in fact be the only number of them but a statistical minority. The Seperatists would not have quadrillions of battle droids. Star Destroyers would remain the most powerful ships in the fleet underneath the SSDs.

And so on.

Zhan and Endor would be largely the guiding point for fleet descriptions.

* A Military Guidebook would be published

Listing the official ranks, Terms of Address (including that Super Class and Executor Class are merely differentiation from Republic naming conventions and Imperial ones).

This guidebook would also clear up the weirdness of General Bel Iblis commanding forces and the like.

* The Mandalorians, Sith, and Jedi are established as staples of the galaxy

The Jedi and sith are eternal but while the Mandalorians aren't, they nevertheless are one of the most consistent troublemakers in the universe. Never quite learning that they can't conquer the universe....sort of like Cobra.

* The Dark Side and Light Side eternally battle and are sentient, physical, active entities in the universe but cannot corrupt by themselves

I.e. no more "consumed" by the Dark Side madness, while the Dark Side is an active Devil. You must choose in order to be part of its service and actively pursue it of your own free will from that point on.

 

* The Evolution of Mandalorians from Galactic Conquerors to Jedi Allies Would Be Completed

It would be canonically established that there is some parity between Jedi and Mandalorians at most levels, and the far-reaching effects of Revan's influence on Canderous Ordo, and the subsequent shift in the Mandalorian cultural ethic to a less needlessly destructive one would be greatly expanded upon. Co-operation with Sith or Dar'jettise in general would be anathema to all true Mandos.

 

Gotta disagree with you on the "consumed" thing. Once you tap into the dark side, it seems to become a "splinter in your mind" that eggs you on and corrupts and twists you. Anakin choking Padme, for instance. Think of it like a drug: you choose to take them. The choices you make under their influence are your own, but they are under the influence of that drug.

 

I'm not so sure about it given the role that Ulic Qel Droma and Darth Revan played in their lives. I agree about parity though.

Well the Dark Side is there tempting you but it merely twists perceptions. It doesn't possess you.

 

Episodes I-III were all a glitch in the space-time continuum

There is no Naboo. No screw-up, no Gungan called Jar-Jar. No piece of wood in a dress called Padme. No Chosen One, no prophecy. In the Clone Wars, the clones are fighting against the Republic.

 

Meh, while I pity the otherwise fun Aquatic warrior race of the Gungans for Jar Jar I'll instead gladly trade Jar Jade for the depiction of Palpatine as a political genius plus Anakin Skywalker's Clone Wars comics/cartoons depictions.

And again....

"The Civil War"
"The Great Patriotic War"
"The War of 1812."
"The Crusades."

We don't always call wars about what we're fighting.

 

Oh yeah? You tell that to my great great grandfather. He was killed by an 1812.

 

And you tell that to my great-great-great-super-great uncle who was...

Yeah, you basically sounded like that. And since that had nothing to do with what Charlemagne was saying, let's get back to the discussion.

And for me, I would have made General Grievous in the movies the same as he was in the comics. Something to quake at, not something to just shrug off, but someone who KILLED MANY JEDI and wounded many more. I guess Conehead forgot his pwnage pretty fast.

 

Not sure how to respond to that. I think it's a joke.

Reminds me of the Penny Arcade comic where Tycho tells his Japanese friend about a kamikaze game.

 

Nope. 100% serious. An 1812 took him out with a flechette.

 

Wait...Jango contributed his genes to the Sith, and Boba took bounties to kill Jedi.

Does that mean that Q_M is actually suggesting...

::head explodes::

 

The problem essentially for Quiet_Mandalorian is really that he reasonably wants the Mandalorians to be portrayed as an honorable group of soldiers fighting for what they believe in and with reasonable justification, provide the EU with some ubber-badasses that aren't force sensetive know it alls. Not an unreasonable justification. Canderous Ordo's honor and valor make him an instantly likeable character.

The only problem really is that Jango Fett, despite being a far more honorable man than his son, is one whom has a respect for the Jedi's that's nevertheless tinged with hatred for the loss of his men. The ex-Mandalore furthermore sired a son whom hunted Jedi Knights and still hates them as further as the NJO era.....and is indeed probably Darth Vader's favorite agent.

While Jaster Mereel might have been a good a man as Jango Fett, he's unfortunately spawned two generations of anger. Fenn Shysha is the only Mandalore in recent memory whom helped the Jedi and was a "hero" and unfortunately even he fought the Jedi in the Clone Wars.

 

The Dark Side is very real
I think the Potentium stuff undermines much of the movies and violates G-Level canon so I'd love to see this done away with.

Sidious is the most powerful Sith of all time
I think that this was a good choice by the NEC and I'd want it maintained.

The Jedi Robes were what was worn by the Jedi since the AJO
I find it odd that clothing that's so mideval in it's nature would be adopted in a later time period.

Luke's the most powerful Jedi
I think that as the son of the Chosen One, as he will be what Anakin was supposed to be.

The Empire is an evil totalitarian regime
I not too shockingly prefer the Empire as a pure evil tool of the Sith, though I think that having occasional people such as Paelleon who aren't evil to be good.

The Rebellion/New Republic is a pure good government.
As I like for my heroes to be heroes, I'd prefer for the New Republic to have been set up as a pure good regime even if there were groups within that weren't they wouldn't ever get power and certainly not Chief of State.

No Vong/Ysilmari
The Force shouldn't be able to be cancelled out IMO and I think that if you're going to it should be explained like the Vong were.

The Sith would stay dead
I still think that the return of the Sith will undermine the Prophecy if it's not handled correctly.

Leia trained as Jedi earlier
Leia should have had consistant and early Jedi training because given Leia's potential she should be Luke's equal or not all that far below him.

The Mandalorians return
The Mandos come back but they are all either mercenaries or a third party that has it's own interests.

 

All this Mandologue won't schutta me for long. Once I subconsciously learn it, the way I somehow did all of Martin's myriad cast by name, I'll be able to Autobot the italics into english.

 

Where do we get these people?

Master_Starwalker: On robes: I think the explanation is that, once the SIth were finally defeated, the Jedi began taking up more conservative measures to prevent the Sith from reemerging. Attachment was forbidden. Robes were adopted as official Jedi wear because of people like Lord Farfalla.

Ysalmiri: I think their Force Bubble technique was explained as an evolutionary adaptation to keep from being preyed upon by vornskyrs. A lot of the predators on Myrkyr hunt by sensing things through the Force.

Anyway, I thought this thread was about what retcons we would make, not how we would rewrite continuity.

 

Release the Holocron
-Well, not exactly Leland's version, but one like an interactive multimedia encyclopedia.
-Users can get updates over the internet
-Has "Gatekeepers" that talk to you (think of the little things units say in real-time strategy games, only better)
-Includes just about everything.
-Interactive galaxy map...

 

Good idea!

 

Good topic! The Ewok's first rule, though, is: no overrides or retconns.

If we're going to have a consistent SW continuity, every effort should be made to keep the established continuity together, as much as possible. Different fans have different favourites, so even if I think it would be simpler to slap an Infinities label on The Savage Heart in favour of Scoundrel's Luck, I know other people might disagree, and that's why I think we should look for a solution that allows both to remain canon.

And personally, I like the complexity and range of what we've got an awful lot...

Where necessary, IMHO, problems should be solved by trying to reinterpret the meaning without violating the sense - as has to be done, for instance, with SotP's description of the "new" Senate, which after Traitor, must refer to an interior refit rather than a new building...

Think of it as a rule of thumb: respect what's gone before. It seems to me that it's a healthier, happier Star Wars if people approach continuity, and the work of previous authors, with respect and consideration...

If we're not aiming for an overall consistency of this sort, then I'd argue that we should throw out the entire concept of a truly "knowable" Star Wars, and treat what we have as records that may or may not be right - the "many windows" approach... but even if we do this, we ought to try to maintain consistency - not least because unneccessary retconns can trip the reader straight out of the story...

Nahh... they're two very different people!

Pestage is the nearest thing Palpatine has to a friend - he's an advisor, confidante, and court operator; Dangor is an administrator and eminence gris. Totally different, IMHO. I doubt that Pestage has the sideline in gambling and street-fighting that Dangor's RPG stats give him, either...

And then there's Sarcev Quest, who's Palpatine's Force-sensitive spy among the Advisors....

On a specific issue, Dangor's ERC are the XWRS Cabal - Pestage's enemies; and near as I can make out, Dangor seems to be the top vornskr of the civilian hierarchy through the period between Mandatory Retirement and Dark Empire when Pestage is out of the public view...

(On a side-note - is there any explicit reference connecting him with Thrawn's command appointment?)

I wouldn't object to Ars Dangor being an alias of Kinman Doriana, though...

I don't see that as wierd at all, actually. A'baht is a General (because that's how the Dornean Navy translates its command rank); Wedge is a General (because he's Starfighter Command); and Eldo Davip is a General (because, at a guess, he's a gunnery officer)...

In general terms (pardon the pun ), I think there are two dangers here - stifling the eclectic variety we have at the minute, forgetting tha that variety can be seen as rational in its causes even if it's chaotic in its effect, and producing an oversimplified rank structure that doesn't correspond to older canon.

At present, the system is complex, b

 

A true, external, sentient Dark Side would be confirmed in no uncertain terms.. a statement like.. George Lucas is Right and Greg Bear, and Vergere are Idiots would suffice. Although I do need comic relief so we wont cut the actual theory itself.

Rouge Planet would be Infinities.. as would everything relating to that gross invasion of Trekness. (IE a "living Planet")

Speaking of Trek invasions.. The Crystal Star... INFINITIES. Especially Waru..

All lines refering to "Midiclorians" and "the Chosen One" would be cut from the Prequals.

Thrawn was the BEST tactician.. not some pet Bothan from Denning.. Not Ackbar... Not Revan.. Sure as hell not Paelleon.. THRAWN.

Dark Empire part I happened.. nothing afterwards.

More Jedi than just Obi-Wan and Yoda survived Order 66 and the Purge era (even though this did happen some still cant accept it)

Its a Super-Class Star Destroyer (SSD) not Star Dreadnaught. hell, write a prequal novel with a SSD protype called the Super to satisfy some.

The Communications Ship at Endor was a SSD... why not call it the Super

 

No it wasn't. It was "one of the larger destroyers".

(which need mean nothing more than Imperial-class as opposed to VSDs and smaller ships!)

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Ohh I know it wasnt really a SSD, it was a clumsily designed attempt try to appease both sides of this arguement

 

Dear God, I've gained a follower.

Oh, a few more things.

The Jedi Civil War is not as bad as is believed

I haven't actually played the KOTOR games yet, but judging from what I've heard, that sounds almost as devastating as the Purge. It takes away part of what makes Palpatine special.

During his final campaign, Thrawn actually was the official Galactic Emperor, as proclaimed by the Moffs and anyone else who could have made it official

Just cuz. But he didn't like to use the title.

After the Swarm War, the GFFA found some way to peacefully remove the World Brain and destroy every last bit of Vongitation on Coruscant

Becuase it's not Coruscant otherwise.

 

Human lifespan is only slightly longer (as in, 5-15 years maxing around 120) than now. This -is- the case as per Jan Duursema's Legacy comments, but people seem to be in denial about it. Mara goes grey. People age properly.

Related - Palpatine is 63 as of ROTS, not ancient.

All children of Jedi should not be a) Jedi, b) more powerful than their parents, for demographic reasons and the sake of the future plotline if nothing else. 'Squibs' should be common.

Stop it with the "my uncle is a movie character, and I'm a Jedi!" Cilghal was bad enough. Lowie is just stupid.

Asajj Ventress is Komari Vosa after a transformation and Revanization vaguely reminiscent of Grievous, continuing Dooku's 'experiment'. The real Asajj is dead, possibly by Dooku's hand. Better explains her skill level, better explains why Dooku just happens to be carrying Komari's blades around when going to meet her and how she knew how to use them, better explains Dooku 'clearing' her with Sidious when he doesn't seem to bother about that with anyone else, better explains why he doesn't kill her properly even after enormous provocation.

Decide whether Force-sensitive clones are crazy or not(I don't care which, but pick one!), and make sure it has a good explanation for why Palpatine never cloned Anakin.

Agree with Charlemagne's mediumism.

Remove stuff like the New Droid Army game and Galaxies from continuity. De-emphasize gratuitous superweapons whenever possible.

Tone down the powers in the post NJO to be canonically consistant with the movies. Cut out teleporting, too...Star Trek. Also any and all time travel. New powers are okay if they do not diminish the Jedi/Sith traditions, but should be SPARSE. The Force has been around forever, the Jedi have learned what works.

I'd like a Thrawn Trilogy SE, if Zahn could be trusted not to de-evil Thrawn.

Fix the bloody Dooku continuity. When he has four or five attested hair colors, and they can't decide on his pre-Sith lightsaber color either, you know there's problems. And characterization is worse. Simple retcon - he's going more and more insane over the course of the war from Open Seasons to ROTS, more complicated ones are possible. Either way, the OJO is not stupid enough not to notice a racist sociopath operating at the highest levels of the Order as per the ROTS novelization. Make him a more credible and vaguely tragic threat by establishing his credentials as a formerly great Jedi master, someone who fell hard and could not come back.

Young Adult books - remove if possible. Remove GoDV and Galaxy of Fear even if impossible . Re-write the Jedi apprentice system to be more like Lucas's vision and not an angst vehicle. Sort out the inconsistent Jude Watson characterization. Remove either Siri or Tahl and Thame Cereulean as unnecessary and anti-canon OCs. Every Jedi does not need a girlfriend, especially in the OJO - less with the dead girlfriend angst for angst's sake, please.

 

leave the force to be ambiguous. reason i say that is, from what i gather, the force is not sentient, and it is better left that way. it leaves the presence of "God" out of the gffa. if that isnt the case, then GL should have said that the force is God and left it at that. I just believe that the choices should be up to the practitioners and not "guided" by either light or dark sides of the force.

stop trying to tie every loose end together. if something was written/produced prior to your endeavour, remember it, commit it to memory and shape YOUR story around what was already here. this applies to george lucas as well.

while the saga (films) are what started the GFFA, they dont necessarily have to be THE epic moments in the galaxy. the events of and surrounding the game KOTOR are just as epic and important, therefore, the be-all-end-all for the GFFA doesnt have to be centered around the emperor, and the skywalker family.

light saber colors. well, IF you have to explain the colors, simply make all crystals clear and let the focus of the jedi/sith that possesses the crystal determine the color of the blade, dependent on their focus within the force. IF you feel the need to explain. and limiting jedi to blue and green? after I, Jedi, Lucas should have known better than that.

 

If the Force has a "Will," it is at least partially sentient. If it "guides us," it is at least partially sentient.