POLL: How well is LFL doing with continuity and canon?

Because I've had a lot of spare time lately, I've been reading some old continuity threads here, and I noticed how many times it seems that the fans notice contradictions more often and come up with fixes faster than the "Continuity Editors" over at Lucasfilm do. Plus, at least three or four obvious mistakes have been made in the last 2 or 3 books, mistakes that are inexcusable.

That got me thinking: how good a job does LFL do? Because of their much praised "Holocron*", they're supposed to catch and correct mistakes like the recent ones. But they haven't been. And how to explain some of the characterizations (mainly in the NJO) that jump all over the place, beyond authorial and editorial mishap/incompetence?

*Why can't we see it? What's in there that could hurt them? Why is it bad for people who write fan fics and try to piece things together to see what is C, S, and N Canon?

So, I'm asking the forum a two part question:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate LFL's handling of continuity?

and

2. Who do you think would do better: Fanboys like us reading and editing the novels, or the LFL and DR editors?

EDIT: Mods, can I get a poll for either or both parts?

 

4. I've been rereading the books and have caught tons of mistakes. Esp. around the movies.

 

Not great. They need a proof reader. There's no excuse for some of the typos and bad research that they have.

 

"*Why can't we see it? What's in there that could hurt them?"

To paraphrase Leland Chee's implications;

Items of pornographic nature, not for public consumption...

I'm not kidding, ... He said its supposed to have sections on alien anatomy that the public is not to see under any circumstances.

Beyond that, its a matter that it contains material that is coming out in the future that we are not to see until the material is officially released.

"1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate LFL's handling of continuity?"

5...

"2. Who do you think would do better: Fanboys like us reading and editing the novels, or the LFL and DR editors?"

None of the above... I think there need to be editors that actually edit, instead of sitting around playing tiddlywinks, while reading pornographic material in the Holocron. They should hire me, , I'd get payed for something I'd enjoy to do, and I would do my job.

 

How well? Do you really need to ask?

 

There are no current plans to make the Holocron available to the public either in an online or published version. In addition to being an archive for information that has already released, the Holocron is a tool to track everything that is currently in development. Information is entered at the earliest stages, so there is information about products that wont? be released until years later. The Holocron also contains certain discussions that are clearly not meant for public consumption (certain alien anatomy discussions immediately come to mind).

-Leland Chee

 

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate LFL's handling of continuity?

6 or 7. Bear in mind that many major continuity errors resulted from the release of the Prequels, such as Boba Fett/Jaster Mereel and Clone War dating(yes, I know those were "fixed"). Secondly, I've seen many fans equate continuity errors with what they see as "mischaracterizations"; regardless of whether I agree with them or not, viewing something as a "mischaracterization" is totally subjective, and not necessarily a "factual" error. Thirdly, many recent continuity errors(such as the ones during the DR run) are minor and easily ignored(though that may be hard for some EU fans).

2. Who do you think would do better: Fanboys like us reading and editing the novels, or the LFL and DR editors?

There are pros and cons for each. A non-Star Wars fan DR editor would be much more objective, but more likely prone to oversight. A Star Wars fanboy would be too subjective and too meticulous(i.e. "Fatty McFofo appeared in Obscure Early 1990's Kids' Novel #14.2, and he was reported to be Pink 10 of the I-Think-Those-Things-are-in-Star-Trek attack force; however, Absurdly Macho Character is said to Pink 10 in New Novel #-3.1419..."), though a Star Wars fanboy wouldn't be as prone to errors.

 

1. Nine. Considering the amount of flak they take, the number of issues they have to juggle, the various prejudiced factions of fanboys and fangirls they have to deal with, the immense complexity of SW, and the non-continuity issues that impinge, they're not doing badly at all.

2. I doubt most of us would have the critical perspective...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

I don't think I would ever want to be an editor for LFL simply because it would ruin my ability to read the books fresh.

As for the handling of continuity over the last decade or so I would give it a 7 overall. However, for recent times I'm going to drop it to 3. I refuse to give them a good score lately if they are willing to knowingly permit continuity errors as they did with Survivor's Quest.

As for spelling and grammar errors, that is the responsibility of the Del Rey editors, not LFL editors.

 

>>1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate LFL's handling of continuity?<<

As of recently, Seven. They've done well enough for my liking, although they've let some real blunders through (Jabiim in TCD). They get a point for allowing WotC to do the Planet Hoppers series and tie up some loose ends.

>>2. Who do you think would do better: Fanboys like us reading and editing the novels, or the LFL and DR editors?<<

Problem with us fanboys editing it: It'd fast become a convoluted version of Luceno's Agents of Chaos, and by that I mean cameo-mania. "Oh, let's just sneak Kybo Ren in, noone will notice...I don't think anyone will mind if we just slip Dani in here...it makes no difference to the plot if I-Five is actually HK-47..." An extreme example, but I'm sure stuff like that would happen.

Still, it would be nice if they did - to a regulated extent. I think we'd see an overall increase in quality, which is never bad.

 

2.93678296584.

they've got continuity errors out the wazoo.

 

1. I'd say a 6. They do okay, but their vain attempts at trying to fix Del-Rey and the NJO authors screw-ups are what really degrade their quality of work.

2. I'd want a dedicated, intelligent fan who'd do his job correctly with the patience to put up with Fanboys/girls. And actually care about Continuity and not a Author's "creative flow".

 

i may relay the sentiment of this survey to the continuity panel at comic-con...

what are they doing right and what can they do better?

 

I disagree there, Thrawn McEwok. When you're reviewing a single book at that moment, let's say I Jedi, for example, you are only focusing on related facts. You don't need to memorise the TOTJ history, you don't need to know Hutt physiognmy when no Hutt metaphors are being used . . . or why Kenobi said Mauline's name twice in Rogue Planet.

While it is all interrelated to some extent, an entire databurger of the SW series is irrelevant when a book is so focused on small-scale events like Shadow Hunter.

 

...or why Kenobi said Mauline's name twice in Rogue Planet.

Now that you mention it...didn't the Jedi somehow get a hold of Maul's journal? Thus explaining how Obi-Wan knew Maul's name and how Anakin recognized Palpatine's "the Jedi say they do not seek power, yet they have it" line in JQ.

 

LFL is doing a HORRID job. They miss things left and right. But they are crystal clear and accurate. All in all, they are doing a good job.

 

One can only know what one reads in that book, not somewhere else. Seeing Kenobi mention Darth Maul twice in Rogue Planet went unexplained. Readers would wonder how he came anout that name.

What I'm saying is, you just read that startling thing in the book. The book didn't tell you where or how Kenobi knew Maul's name.

 

Well they probably also had Nute Gunray's scenario files from GBG as well, which also refrenced Darth Maul. Nute went as far as to explain everything that transpired in those files up to his loss, including telling an alternate version of events that he wished ocurred, had things gone right.

 

One can only know what one reads in that book, not somewhere else. Seeing Kenobi mention Darth Maul twice in Rogue Planet went unexplained. Readers would wonder how he came anout that name.

But is that what happened? I seem to remember hearing that somewhere.

Well they probably also had Nute Gunray's scenario files from GBG as well, which also refrenced Darth Maul.

Ah...

 

Wait: Doesn't Gunray also refer to a Darth Sidious, who legalizes the landing, in GBG? And when the holoproj is on the walker when they are discussing the Gungans, shouldn't they pass holocomms?

Why are the Jedi so confused by Dooku's mention of a Darth Sidious who controls the Senate?

Wouldn't someone (at least the government) be tapping the Senator's hololines? Wouldn't they know that his office called the TF and told them to land? Are they just idiots, like Doriana?

*hood up*

Why hello, Chancellor. I have a report.

*Sids brings the hood down*

My Lord Sidious, how did you steal this communication?

It doesn't really fit.

 

Did the Jedi only get parts of the Nute Gunray's account, and not the entire thing?

I also seem to remember NEGTC mentioning something about the Jedi getting accounts from the Neimoidians that they arrested (come to think of it that is implied in a section of Rogue Planet as well, when they discuss how much of the Neimoidian's fleet had been disbanded into the Republic's control). Did they not get the whole story?

 

Could Gunray just have mentioned Darth Maul at one of his many trials between TPM and AotC, but still be too afraid to mention Darth Sidious?

 

It seems that is also a likely scenario.

 

This might all be possible . . . but if so, they're retroactively explaining something that should have been explained in Rogue Planet.

 

If its any help, there is a line or two in one of the TPM novelizations/adaptations where characters in scenes with the Jedi refer to him as Darth Maul after the reactor scene, without any explanation.

Then of course there are other sources of information, Maul's ship has to be on Naboo somewhere(did anyone ever find it)... The company that made the ship for him, knew about him, I think.

C-3PX, Maul's droid, knew about Maul, who found him after Maul lost him?

Any other droids/droid memory cores that might have knowledge of Maul?