Lit A/V The Force Awakens and the EU [TAGGED spoilers.]

Boys and their toys.

*Now going back to doing some girly stuff like fawning over Tom Hiddleston.

 

That was just Zahn copping out instead of working with what he´s given. From the movies it´s quite clear ghosts have not end dates, and it´s not like they could do more than give some advice, so no DEM.

 

That's because having ghosts walking around indefinitely is a bad idea, from a storytelling perspective. If there will *always* be that wise guy to tell all you need to know and do, why should you worry about anything?

 

The movies don't say one way or another.

Ben's words in Heir to the Empire "I can no longer postpone my journey from this life to that which lies beyond."

 

And it does make sense. A Force ghost is not alive anymore, and yet it's not truly dead either. There is no real interest for anyone to remain like that forever, you only do that so you can finish your unfinished business. When Obi-Wan understood that Luke was capable of standing on his own two feet, he just withered away.

(Btw, that was the reason why Obi-Wan died in ANH in the first place: if the young heroes had a super duper Jedi Master with them, what kind of character development could they get?)

 

I agree that the ghosts should go away after a while.

1) Jedi accept that death is a natural part of life and that they have to let go of the physical world at some point
2) It's hard for new characters to prove themselves when there are always more experienced ghosts around

 

This is one line of thinking I've never got - when you've a problem, your first response is to ask someone older rather than work it out yourself?

 

If a character just asks another character that has the answer, then the character doesn't grow through conflict. It makes sense in real life but it makes for boring storytelling.

Qui-Gon lasted longer as a disembodied voice than Obi-Wan does. An imposed time limit doesn't make sense. The fact that Darth Sidious was killed does. Though that still is problematic with Dark Empire. The implication in the dialogue between Qui-Gon and Yoda is that they can exist in perpetuity within the Force; therefore, I'm inclined to believe that Obi-Wan's farewell to Luke in a dream was another instance of a certain point of view and he felt Luke had progressed beyond needing guidance.

 

I thought it had more to do with him standing around doing nothing during the last part of the film, so he got killed instead for bonus drama points. On the good side, we got Yoda.

And again, ghosts are limited enough that they don´t work as DEMs, so where´s the problem in having someone around to discuss matters?

 

Nothing wrong with that if it's not used as a poor expository trick, or just to pointlessly add back a popular character.

 

I think Luke would have had some serious talks with Yoda, Obi Wan and Anakin just after Endor. From learning how the Old Republic Jedi screwed up so he wouldn´t repeat their mistakes, to how his father had fallen and where the rest of his family was... and not by learning R2 had been hiding it for years. Besides that, aside from having company and somebody to talk his ideas with, ghosts can´t do much more.

 

Except that's not what I'm getting at, there's people who know how to do X, Y and Z but, in most cases, I'll learn most effectively by working it out myself rather than asking them. And this does happen quite a bit in SW - Luke practices with the lightsaber by himself, Han and Chewie fix the Falcon instead of dropping by a service bay.

Sure, Luke could ask Kenobi for help, but he's a young teenager - his first impulse is going to be: I don't need to do that! And, as accomplishments grow over time, so too does a sense of confidence and independence.

The idea that older, more experienced character = crutch for the younger ones isn't one that I think is actually demonstrated, it's offered as a way of justifying removing character X but I don't think people actually do operate like that.

 

Ian McDiarmid has addressed the rumor that he might be returning as Palpatine: http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/08/24/star-wars-episode-vii-ian-mcdiarmid-addresses-emperor-rumors/

Of particular note to those who post here:

 

God, I love that man.

 

Even without thinking about the DE, the idea of Palpatine using a clone of himself to jump into if his original body dies is very logical when you consider the saga. Clones and Force Ghosts are both big parts of it, and Palpatine who has talked about saving people from the death could well combine the two to come back.

It could be good, as long as we have naked Palpatine without privates dueling Luke.

 

It could be good, as long as Palpy is the magnificient bastard from the PT and not the guy obsessed with bigger superweapons from DE. Compensating for lack of privates?

 

He actually read Darth Plagueis too, didn't he?

 

yup, and he said he could a movie being made about pre-Sith Palpatine getting abused by Cosinga.

 

Not really much in the way of news, but Carrie wants to shoot stuff: http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/08/2...o-shoot-guns-if-she-returns-as-princess-leia/

...aaaand she just might get her wish about the bikini if they don't follow the *cough* EU.

 

Hmm. Nothing says Jedi can't use guns. Obi-Wan did. They just...shouldn't focus on them.

 

http://www.plcohmy.com/2011/11/character-discussion-luke-skywalker.html

 

Nostalgiaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

...that counts as nostalgia? I'm sure we can go deeper back further.

a cookie to whoever posts Yoda Stories

 

I can go even farther:

 

The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet.