Books A/V STAR WARS: ROGUE #$^$%&ING ONE: A STAR WARS STORY

That's what I meant: big-screen, live-action version of it.

 

I just don't see how that lines up with "totally new and different".

 

Fair enough.

 

Well, speaking personally there is a difference between different fictional mediums - and this is the sort of Star Wars story I never even thought might appear on the big screen, at least until very recently. So that's pretty new and different as far as I'm concerned.

 

Oh, wow, I didn't realize that was considered an actual swear word--it's so quaint.

 

I wonder if all instances of intricate headcanons, being undiplomatically referred to, will get starred in future, as "fan----"?

 

Yeah why not, they kept getting work for some reason. Let's through in Jai Courtney while we're at it.

 

How about Sean Connery as Dodonna

 

If you really want to understand why people don't like NJO, then consider: You remember how you felt when you read LOTF, perhaps reaching the end and the incredible revelation that Daala runs the galaxy, coming just as you've recovered from the Tahiro perv-interrogation sequence? You remember feeling how utterly wrecked it all was? That it had taken all the potential of the post-TUF status quo and royally crapped all over it?

Following Bantam pre-NJO and then watching NJO steamroller, bombard and generally crap all over it, is the same sort of feeling.

It could even be argued NJO set the precedent for DR's story-telling 'technique' of: The 'story' is burning the previous status quo completely.

Now back on topic....

Have to admit, you ain't selling it me it with that description RF.

 

Where were you when we were talking about Abrams' Trek?

 

Have we already posted the casting call?

"The film's casting director is setting up auditions for lead and supporting roles, many of which will be X-Wing pilots of the Rogue Squadron

. . .

Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One will center on a group of resistance fighters. led by the Rogue Squadron of X-Wing pilots

. . .

Felicity Jones has officially been cast to play the role of one of the Rogue Squadron members."

 

I hope that is legit! If Rogue Squadron is a core part of the movie, I will be stoked. I was getting worried that the story would have nothing to do with X-wings at all.

--Adm. Nick

 

Now here's the thing: I'd love a Rogue Squadron movie or TV show to accompany the Rogue Squadron books and comic books we already have. I don't necessarily mean new media would need to be faithful to the (obviously Legends) old stuff, but that the formula is there. And that when I hear X-Wing-based story, this is what I want.

The more I hear about Rogue One, the less I care about it. I'm not saying it'll be bad because it doesn't move towards my expectations or anything; I'm just saying I find myself not caring, especially not on the level of #$^$%&ING.

Oh, and one more thing I just wondered about - why would the larger audience (including internet buzz) expect a Rogue medium to be about X-Wings/pilots? Based on the best-known medium, yes, Rogue was about pilots, but only about the planet-based pilots; By the time of ROTJ, the squadrons were colour-coded again. Zahn used Rogue, Stackpole ran with it and everyone used Rogue after that; and I guess the Rogue Squadron games came about because the name was set for LFL thanks to Stackpole and the novel authors. Does the internet remember the games so fondly today? Or does this somehow refer to EU producing something great?

 

Although it's a fair concern, I'm inclined to give Disney the benefit of the doubt and trust that they'll not deviate that much from what people like us expect.

I mean, if you take TCW and Rebels as an approximate benchmark of what to expect, then by and large they've tended to keep the general flavour of things the same, with the Mandalorians having been more the exception than the rule, and that was mostly due to Lucas himself. But besides that...? Nine times out of ten I felt the basic "idea" was generally the same-- Black Sun remained bad criminal guys run by green lizard people, Nightsisters lived on Dathomir and used magic, KorrMoraband had evil ghosts-- so I'm willing to trust Disney to at the very least keep Rogue Squadron about X-Wings.

 

I will happily eat crow if this is true. Happily.

 

Be careful... Crows can be Moldy.

 

Well, after CA I tweeted this, which is a quote from a larger piece I wrote:

Ben Wahrman @Benergizer1 · Apr 19
"For all we know, Rogue One may be a codename, or a troop designation, or a commando unit." Huh I guess a broken clock is right twice a day.

Lord help us all, I was being cynical about the possibilities of the film. Again, though, if I'm wrong, it'll be a happy wrong.

 

I was thinking - what if Ashoka appears in the movie? Do not underestimate her cult. If she makes it through season 2 of SWR, then you never know.

 

The games have a wider reception among the normals and casuals than we may realize. I know people who've played or are at least aware of them but certainly don't read the EU.

The XW novels and comics themselves are comparatively widely read, being more accessible than something like NJO or even the PT tie-ins. Throw in the XW and TIE software and collectively you've got one of the highest-profile elements in the fandom.

Whatever they may have been by the letter of film canon, RS are an XW group now. While I can't rule it out completely, Disney altering that formula would be inviting trouble for no particular reason.

 

And even the Mandalorians were established as having used to be like the EU Mandalorians (and were heading back that way as of their last appearance).

 

I simply can't wrap my head around it. On the one hand it's X-Wings. On the other it's X-Wings and ground troops. Then it's Zero Dark Thirty in SW. It's also by the guy who did Monsters. It's also about a team while the title refers to one character, as if the movie is about the intriguing life story of Rogue One - not about Roque Squadron, Mission One. I know we've not really found out a lot about it yet, but the stuff we do know about it doesn't sound like a great pilots-and-fighterplanes war adventure.

Maybe the Zero Dark Thirty comparison (along with the Monsters connection; and I do love that movie) now implies to me that this is not the straightforward fun romp that you get from grabbing your X-Wing toy and making dogfighting moves in the air.

Well, I know what you mean, but the Ewoks had a cartoon, movies, were aimed at kids, and did get a lot of flak from more serious fans, and thus they and their name are widely known today. Connecting Rogue Squadron to the X-Wings is a bit more difficult, if you ask me; and maybe it's all thanks to the games, but I wouldn't know. I'd love to look at the statistics of this... how easily to SW and, more importantly, more general genre fans remember that the designation has something to do with SW, especially with X-Wings?

By the way, this question is only a tangent to the movie's production; I'm pretty sure John Knoll et al know a lot more about Rogue Squadron and its importance/implication than the average movie audience.

 

The proper callsign is Rogue Leader not Rogue One (even going by screen canon) so it being the mission codename, with a fulltime squadron founded at the end of the film, would actually be a good explanation.

(I can't be the only one who's been bothered by that. )

 

Ewoks had a massive marketing campaign put behind them - a cartoon, two live action films, tons of toys and kids books in stores with "EWOKS" sprayed across the covers. I don't think it is a realistic comparison.

My parents know who the Ewoks are. They have no clue who Rogue Squadron is.

 

Yeah, I'm sceptical as to how well known Rogue Squadron is outside of us games / Lit board denizens.