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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Books Star Wars: On The Front Lines

Discussion in 'Literature' started by King of Alsakan, Jan 13, 2016.

  1. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    There was a guy in Tales of the Jedi who survived being reduced to a head. I think people tend to object especially strongly to Maul more because it's so obviously a retcon, not because it's really that implausible. (I mean, in terms of the franchise).
     
  2. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006

    As Mara said in Vision of the Future: "I don't believe it was truly him."
     
    AdmiralWesJanson likes this.
  3. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    Maul's return also, unfortunately or hilariously, followed 10+ years of joking regarding his survival. He couldn't live up to the hype. So he died again.
     
  4. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006

    And it was done in a way to show how irrelevant he had become in the ongoing battle between the light and the dark.
     
  5. JediBatman

    JediBatman Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 3, 2015
    Yeah. It's like if we found out that Grand Moff Tarkin followed up his "Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?" line by immediately saying "On second thought, maybe you're right. Prepare my shuttle." and he's actually been in hiding all these years.

    In both cases it's plausible the villain could have survived. Maul has the "he's an alien" excuse, and if Batman can survive a nuke in the third Nolan movie (even though we see him right freaking next to it with 3 seconds to go, God that part was stupid), Tarkin could use the same BS shoddy editing to justify him surviving the Death Star.

    But in both cases even though there's a small chance the character could have survived, it's pretty clear from the way it's framed in the movie they're supposed to be dead.
     
    Barriss_Coffee and SilentGuy66 like this.
  6. The Positive Fan

    The Positive Fan Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2015
    I'm not sure I entirely agree, but my disagreement has to do more than anything with being nitpicky about the definition of "retcon" so I'll skip it. I'll ask the bigger question, though: if it's a retcon how is it somehow a worse one than others that have shuffled off into Star Wars history?
     
  7. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    I don't know if it's worse so much as it's just more obvious - to use a contrasting example, while Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker may not actually have been the same person when ANH came out, scenes such as the Lars dinner conversation work so well within that framework that you wouldn't know about it unless you've read BTS sources (and indeed, even now it's not clear when Lucas actually had the idea; he might have already considered it at the time). Whereas with Maul, it's... really hard to ignore that his unusually grisly death was obviously meant to demonstrate that he was totally dead and not coming back, even if the in-universe context for his survival existed.

    Edit: Also, I can't remember anymore what this actually has to do with On The Front Lines. [face_dunno]
     
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  8. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Hobbie's death being unnecessary and arguing how acceptable it was to accept his survival previous a la Maul. I imagine.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  9. T7-01

    T7-01 Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2016
    I bought the book used in ideal condition for 20€. The pictures are really great, just like the text. I love the "I was there" entries.

    It's a shame that this great book came under some criticism due to Hobbies Death.

    A second version of the book with new battles from TCW, Rebels and the ST would be very cool.
     
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  10. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006
    If they make a second edition, two things I'd like rectified:

    1) Battle of Yavin -- give us at least an additional squad of TIEs. Just eight is rather underwhelming. And I've always headcanoned that Vader launched two full squadrons of 24 fighters.
    2) Battle of Endor -- the whole rebel squadrons part needs to be cleaned. That was a mess.
     
  11. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    I thought it overprized at the time of release, so I waited a few years... it didn't make a tremendous difference to me, all in all, though the Interdictor heist was very fun.
     
  12. Chris0013

    Chris0013 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 21, 2014
    I believe that was in Ultimate Star Wars before it appeared in this book. It literally made me go "YOU KILLED HOBBIE!!!! YOU...." I'll let you fill in the rest.
     
  13. Coherent Axe

    Coherent Axe Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 20, 2016
    Whelp, looks like this thread was resurrected at just about the right time. Star Wars: Battles That Changed the Galaxy is coming in October 2021, and sure seems like a spiritual successor to this one with an in-universe historical perspective. I've not found anything else beyond this Reddit thread, but here we go.

    STAR WARS: BATTLES THAT CHANGED THE GALAXY

    written by Cole Horton

    hardcover (256 pages)

    DK Publishing

    ISBN 978-0-7440-2868-3

    $ 40.00

    Enter a galaxy ravaged by conflict and discover the complete story of the epic struggles that define the Star Wars movies. This ambitious book presents major galactic conflicts from an in-world “historical” perspective: each battle is depicted with captivating imagery, explored with newly commissioned maps, and explained through a detailed analysis of tactics, famous commanders, legendary warriors, key moments, and its impact on wider galactic history.

    This is the perfect book for any Star Wars fan, budding military historian, or would-be rebel hero!
     
    ZV-83, JediBatman, Darth_Duck and 2 others like this.
  14. Daneira

    Daneira Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2016
    They had me at "newly commissioned maps."