Just finished The Han Solo Trilogy and...

Well, an element of that fringe element threated R.A. Salvatore openly on this forum for following instructions and writing Chewie's death in Vector Prime so I'm not surprised to hear you've been threatened, Ms. Crispin. I can only speak for myself, though I hope others feel the same, when I say I am sorry that you have been treated this way by a what I certianly hope is a minority of Star Wars fans. I certainly will understand if you choose to stop writing anymore Star Wars novels as you do not deserve such treatment. You have given us a very enjoyable trilogy that does not contradict anything in any other novels or in the original trilogy. And for that, as a fan I will remember you kindly if you do choose to stay way from Star Wars literature. It will be a sad day if some idiot decides to follow through such threats just because they don't like the Han Solo Trilogy.

 

Many Star Wars authors have gotten hate mail and threats. I'm certainly not the only one. I wonder if it's just a matter of time until some deranged fan decides to try and act on his/her anger against an author? I'm afraid that sort of thing has happened to public figures in the past...

Regarding "soul mates..."

FWIW, when I was 18 years old I met a guy I THOUGHT I loved more than anything. At the time, my feelings seemed very genuine. I believed he was my soul mate. I pined for him after we broke up, though I did go on with my life.

A couple decades later, I met my true soul mate. By that time, the memory of the guy I loved so much as a youngster was pretty faded. When I met my husband, I realized I never loved that guy from my youth as much as I thought I had. It was a matter of perspective, and it took some time to achieve that.

I think it's possible for people to fall in love or have intense crushes, more than once in their lives. I believe that people can be intensely involved with another person, break up with that person, then find true love with another.

To me, that's what happened to Han Solo. He thought he was in love with Bria, probably felt love for her, but it wasn't until he met Leia that he met his soul mate.

Anyone who accuses me of claiming Han never loved Leia or any such thing is putting words in my mouth. I wrote about a youthful affair (actually more than one) on Han's part. He was attracted to, and had relationships with, more than one lovely lady in his past. He thought he loved Bria...but it was a youthful emotion, just a "first love" type relationship.

I never said, or meant to imply, Bria was the only woman for Han. That's just silly, and people who attribute that statement to me are putting words in my mouth, trying to demonize me. I've seen posts from people claiming that I've dissed George Lucas, saying that Star Wars is MY universe. Wacko things like that. These statements they're attributing to me are made up out of whole cloth, lock, stock, and barrel.

In my opinion, Bria was more than just a one night stand to Han, but she was not his soul mate, or the love of his life. Princess Leia is obviously the woman Han Solo was meant to be with, and I never said otherwise.

Any fan who claims otherwise is lying, I'm afraid.

-Ann C. Crispin

 

Amen.

 

Kudos!

Everything you've just said, A.C. Crispin, pretty much mirrors my views on real life and love, and that is the view I've always applied to my interpretation the HST.

Sadly, there does exist a preponderance of 'nitpicking', in the fan world which, in my opinion, reflects badly on the fandom as a whole. The novelisation says ?this,? the third rough draft says ?this,? Lucas said, ?this...?

There is no black and white in Star Wars ? nor should there be.

Thank you for shedding some light on the HST.

 

Shelley: The SW EU, on the other hand, has a continuity with itself and with the movies. As such, it is accepted as canon and part of the SW story.


STOP THE PRESSES!

Shelley admits that the EU is canon!!!!




Oh, and I think accusing Bria of being a Mary Sue -- using the traditional definition that the author wrote herself as that character -- is somewhat of an insult. All who have read the HST realize that Bria is far from the perfect character -- the contemporary definition. Therefore, Bria fails the Mary Sue test on all accounts. IMO of course.

 

Ya, calling something a "mary sue" is a type of insult.

 

Ann C. Crispin, I salute you!

 

Heh heh, am I the only one who doesn't know what a Mary Sue is? You Americans and your phrases . . .

Am I guessing right it's a way of saying someone is a typical someone? Like "another" Smith?

 

A Mary Sue is a perfect character. Everyone loves her, she always does the right thing, she has mysterious past, she saves the day, etc.

I'm sure someone else could give a more thorough definition, and there are several types of Mary Sue's, but . . .

 

Got it. If there's an Aust name for that, I've certainly never heard of it. Thanks.

 

You're welcome.

And to A. C. Crispin: I agree completely with your post, and thank you for taking the time to come here and talk with us. Oh, and your bravery.

 

Excellence, in Valiento's last post here (12:39), he posted a link to one of many sites explaining what a Mary Sue is. Click on the underlined "mary sue"

 

I got the Han Solo Trilogy this past Christmas as a present and read them through. As a big H/L lover, I wasn't particularly crazy about Bria Tharen, but I certainly wouldn't go berserk over her inclusion into Han's history. She was a bit of a Mary Sue IMHO. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the trilogy. I thought that AC Crispin made a very plausible back story for Han Solo.

I definitely think it makes sense that he's been with a lot of women before Leia, and for goodness sake, he was like 19 when he fell in love with Bria. 19 is awfully young (I realize I'm on these boards as sort of an elder, but trust me, 19 is young to know the love of your live). Bria was his first girlfriend, and that's something that I think is always special. I don't think she was the love of his life, I just think that until he met Leia, that Han thought Bria was the love of his life. Why shouldn't this be plausible? A flesh and blood character would have feelings for people, and it makes sense that some women he'd been with would be more special to him than others.

Anyway, I just thought it was a great trilogy, and fit well with Han's future story. Just because I didn't like Bria (than Han hurting cow! ) didn't ruin the trilogy for me.

And, Ms. Crispin, I think it's terrible that you've received such virulent hate-mail. People who waste their time writing that stuff really, really need to get a life. Its FICTION, after all.

Anyway, said my piece.

 

Thanks, Jades Fire. I have an understandingnow.

 

Anyone who thinks Bria is a Mary Sue IMO shows a complete lack of understanding about that concept. Bria's far from a Mary Sue.

I think Ann Crispin has summarized best the nature of the Han/Bria relationship. Theirs was by no means anywhere near a "perfect" relationship. It was entirely dysfunctional when viewed from outside the framework of that relationship. However, for the two people involved, who were unable to view it from outside, they believed they had a good thing going...

...That is, until they realized they didn't.

And as for the extremism shown by segments of Star Wars fandom to its Star Wars authors, I have to say it's something that makes me ashamed to be grouped with such people as a "Star Wars fan." There's no good that can come from such extreme negativity and lack of humanity exhibited by such individuals.

We're talking about hatred by people that cause authors to question whether or not some psycho's going to hunt them down and cause them injury.

Sick.

 

I personally have always enjoyed Crispin work. I was very pleased with the Han Solo Trilogy. I thought that you did a good job. I never really had a problem with Bria. I felt bad that Han had to get hurt but it helped him grow as a person. I mean let's face it he wasn't going to be a monk while he waited to meet Leia.

I hope that you don't let a few bad apples ruin the experience of writing for SW. I hope to read you again in this universe. Oh btw anyone else that want to read a good Crispin. Go and try find the V book. It one of my favorite all time book.

 

I just wanted to chime in in support of AC Crispin's work. I loved the Han Solo trilogy. At the end of it, I felt like I understood exactly how Han became the man we saw at the beginning of Star Wars, but also saw how he could change into the man we know at the end of Jedi. As far as I'm concerened AC is one of the best writers of Star Wars EU.

But hey, I've been a fan since her "V" books.

 

I bought the HST way back when they were new. I thought that I was finsihed with them, so I donated them to my workplace library, where they were borrowed and never returned. I missed those books so much that I actually bought a second brand new set.

In these days and times, threats should never be taken lightly. I wonder if there is any way to prosecute these people? Anyone who does this, and claims to have been just joking should not get off lightly either. A joke like that, is just as bad as an actually intent to do harm.

I also recommend to other fans to not believe anything that anyone tells you unless they can provide a solid reference. If they claim an author said a particular thing, they should be able to cite the source so that you may look up the quote for yourself. Otherwise, consider it to be hearsay.

 

That's an excellent point, Ginger, about hearsay. At one time a fan who was out to harm me set about impersonating me. This person went onto a lot of the Han and Leia boards, claiming to be me, and made a lot of inflammatory statements -- dissing Mr. Lucas, claiming Bria was the only woman for Han Solo, claiming that she hated Princess Leia, claiming to be the best Star Wars writer ever, etc., etc. The Han and Leia fans were enraged -- which was obviously this person's intention in perpetrating the hoax.

I guess a lot of people believed that she was actually me, and that's unfortunate, because the hate mail I began receiving started after she (I'm presuming it was a woman, but I truly don't know) pulled that stunt.

I have no idea who this person was, because she used a hotmail account. I wrote to her and told her I had forwarded her posts to my attorney, and she vanished abruptly, without a trace.

At the time, it didn't seem feasible to try and track her down. But, in retrospect, I believe the harm this imposter caused me was considerable.

-Ann C. Crispin

 

But hey, I've been a fan since her "V" books.

Ann wrote "V" novels?!?

Hmmmm... I think I have a "V" novel somewhere... need to check...

 

V
By A.C. Crispin (May 1984) [order]

V: East Coast Crisis
By Howard Weinstein and A.C. Crispin (September 1984) [order]

V: Death Tide
By A.C. Crispin and Deborah A. Marshall (July 1985)

I haven't read any of them since they came out. But I remember East Coast Crisis in particular as a favorite. Although, Chicago Conversion by another author was my all time fav because it took place in the Chicago suburbs where I was growing up.

 

I am surprised that no one has pointed out the inaccuracy of the novelization of Return of the Jedi, from which stems so much criticism about the presence and relationship of Bria to Han. Leia being Hans first love and all, as it wasn't exactly stated within the movie, need not be considered hard-core canon. The RotJ novel has a problem which renders it unreliable, mainly centered around a discussion between Luke and Obi-Wan on Degobah. In this conversation, OB1 states that he brought Luke to be cared for by his brother Owen Lars, the moisture farmer of Tatooine. Gee, that's been blatantly refuted by the newer Star Wars movies, hasn't it?! Rely on what you see in the movie. The novelization has lost a great deal of validity.

 

I don't know the US situation but here in the UK it is illegal to send a threatening email or fax. Such action is considered as harrasssment and the person sending the message can even be prosecuted under the relevant act governing electronic communication. I don't know of any cases of this nature though. If the US parallel is anything like the libel laws, then there is nothing or next to nothing.

(As far as I recall: UK libel requires proof that a falsehood was written about an individual in a widely published form causing that individual much harm, US libel requires that the falsehood must be intended or deliberately done, which is next to impossible to prove.)

Jedi Ben

 

Jades Fire, Shelley did not say that the EU is canon. She said, "The difference is in the power the SW EU author has with regards to the overall story, and the characters within it. Unlike the ST EU authors, their characters and stories are accepted as part of the continuity."

The SW EU authors' characters are accepted (emphasis mine) as part of the continuity. That does not mean they are part of the continuity. Until George Lucas himself says the EU is Canon, it simply ain't so.

 

I just received another email, and this one says, in part:

"Leave the boards. Delete your user name. Really don't write for Star Wars any more. That is what R.A. Salvatore did after he received thousands of death threats. Did the fans take his absence seriously? Hell yes. And please don't make it seem that you're getting it worse tha Salvatore, because you're not."

At the end of this email, it says, "I am the puppetmaster, and you are my puppet! Dance, puppet, dance. Dance to the tune I want you to dance to. *scratches another notch in my belt, another zero on my P52*"

Does anyone know what a P52 is?

Any info would be welcome.

Thank you in advance.

-Ann C. Crispin