Lit The Great River / Legends Haven MkII (Was: Should there be new stories in the Legends continuity?)

I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who says there shouldn't be.

The debate is more 'how soon' and 'how much'.

 

I just want to close the gap with Legacy.

 

There's so much to do with it though. DOTJ, Everything from the formation of the republic to The Stark Hyperspace war. The dark times. Everthing between NJO and LOTF (10 years), everything from LOTF to Legacy. The battles betwen Ackbar and Pelleon in the later Bantam era....

There's no reason Star Wars couldn't support two active continuities.

Case studies: Marvel, DC, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Walking Dead (comics are a separate continuity aren't they?)

 

I went to the Lego store the other day for Christmas shopping and noticed that there's a new explicitly-EU set, the Shadow Stormtroopers. It stuck out to me not only due to it being an EU set which came out just a few months ago, but also because it included both the Shadow Stormtroopers and the black Shadow Royal Guardsmen from TFU, and A) I don't think they were ever associated together in any EU story, and B) The box had a little Rebels thing with Lego Kanan and Lego Inquisitor fighting on it, and I don't think either of these EU concepts have shown up in Rebels. It caused me to look things up and apparently they released a Lego Revan last year after the continuity reset, too.

 

Lego Revan is sitting on the lamp in front of me. Was a few months after the reboot.

Shadow Stormtroopers came out around the same time, but have been since re-packaged as you described.

Shadow Stormtroopers have also shown up in the 6" and 4" Black lineups. As well as some other EU characters since the reboot.

Doesn't seem terrribly unusual to me. There's still a market, and Legend's stories are still on the shelves. If you really want to delve into EU-related merchandise, pick up the X-Wing or Armada miniatures games: Outrider, Headhunter, K-wing, E-wing, Punisher, Defender, Hounds Tooth, Mist Hunter, Virago, Alliance Assault Cruiser,, Victory Class Star Destroyer MC30, Moldy Crow...


Actually, one of the Micro Machines sets that I saw at TRU the other day had a Tie Phantom in it.

 

This is odd:

Full story here: http://spinoff.comicbookresources.c...ore-expanded-universe-with-sanfran-billboard/

 

Well, if they made a new Legends book, would I read it in the first place? Sure. I don't have any problem with them continuing Legends in and of itself (I do have a problem with the vitriol that some pro-Legends factions have, but that's a different topic). But is there a need? I'm not so sure.

The most common reason cited for a continuation is that Legends was never finished. The thing is, I don't think it was made to. I think it was made to go on indefinitely. So, where would the line be drawn? There would always be one more unanswered question, more gaps to fill, always a "what happened after that?"

Will a new Legends book ever happen? I think it's possible. Stuff like that has happened in other franchises. For example, Marvel made the unpopular decision to partially reboot their Spider-Man comic franchise by using an in-universe retcon to claim that the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson marriage in the classic comics never happened (as much as something in fiction can be said to have "never happened" ). I, like a lot of people, see that element as an intrinsic piece of the franchise and decided to have nothing to do with the reboot. Easy enough for me, since the Peter Parker-era Ultimate Spider-Man was "my" comic version anyways (and a big part of the reason I'm in the pro-married Spider-Man camp).

Anyways, flash ahead nearly a decade, and Marvel decided to publish an excellent stand-alone graphic novel about the Parkers as a married couple as part of their Secret Wars mega-series. It wasn't the undoing of the reboot that this faction of fans wanted (or even a permanent alternative series, which I very badly want to happen), but it was something new in a much-loved iteration of a franchise that has been lost because of various factors that don't mean that much to those attached to it and did something new (had the Parkers as parents, something that had never been done from Peter's perspective before).

So, if they do decide to do a new Legends book, I hope it's not just a filler or a generic Star Wars story that they're putting the Legends banner on to please a demographic. I'd like them to follow Spider-Man in this lead; Write it because there's actually something new to tell that can only be done using this iteration of Star Wars

 

I really do think they should publish Sword of the Jedi as a Kindle/e reader exclusive. And maybe some sort of wrap up anthology novel, also e reader exclusive. But I can see certain people not finding that satisfactory.

 

I still want to know what the Kemp duology was supposed to be!

 

I don't think that is the most common reason cited at all, but in any case does it ever really need to end?

When they did X-Men comics, did we not then get 100 spin offs of every character imaginable and then some.

I think people interested in new Legends books would be open to almost anything. For instance, Stover was rumored to be writing IC 2 at one point - people would love that on multiple levels, and the only way that story could get told is via Legends. Sword of the Jedi or a Legacy era novel picking up where Ania just left off, any of that stuff. There would never need to be a line to draw.

I don't think it is asking for the world for Disney LFL to give fans 1 or 2 new Legends books a year. Heck, last year at Dragon Con several of the authors said they would be happy to write them given the chance.

 

Sword of the Jedi Sword of the Jedi Sword of the Jedi

I am dying for someone to give some sort of payoff to the Allana "Jedi Queen" visions, fix the maddening, character-development-reversing reason Vestara stayed on the dark side, and most important to me personally, finally give our favorite downtrodden barefoot Jedi some justice for all the mischaracterization and angst-as-plot-device she's been subjected to since the end of the NJO. I want these things so badly I honestly think I may someday need to write a fanfic novel to close off the old EU emotionally just for my own sake, and I have never written any fan fiction in my life.

 

For myself I think it would depend on the type of Legends book and what the plot was about and most important, who was writing it.

 

I don't quite agree that Legends was made to never finish. Had they stopped releasing books after the NJO series or even after LotF the post-RotJ timeline would have felt fairly finished because both 'The Unifying Force' and 'Invincible' ended on happy notes with most plot threads tied up nicely. By contrast FotJ and Crucible left lots of plot threads to be cleared up later, leaving fans wanting resolutions to stories ended part way through.

 

"Daala rules the galaxy" might be a happy note from Denning's perspective - but not necessarily from other people's.

By contrast "Vong have surrendered and there is a peace treaty" is a bit better - more like Vision of the Future.

 

I wholeheartedly would like to see the Expanded Universe continue, even if it's not in line with the Disney canon. By the time Disney's done making movies they'll get tired of making other stories that tie in to their universe. There's definitely not a lack of stories to tell in the EU, part of which has always made it so appealing. In contrast, we've already established that the Disney canon is 'timid' and will primarily serve as tie in to whatever movie Disney decided to churn out.

On a more positive note, what kind of Legends stories would you all like to see? Personally, I think this would warrant its own thread, but nevertheless, this would probably be the best place. Apart from SotJ, I would like to see a duology or trilogy of books starring Ben Skywalker doing his own thing, maybe give him a new love interest, I haven't finished reading FotJ, but I have a bad feeling they ruined his relationship with Vestara. Also, I have the feeling that Michael Reaves could write a really good crime style novel set on Coruscant.

 

heh

This wouldn't have to be Legends though. If they are going to go ahead and license a "non-canon", Legends novel or series it would obviously have to be something that couldn't fit into the new canon, otherwise they'd just market it as new canon rather than Legends and make a lot more money from it.

 

This enrages me. These clowns spent $5,000 on a billboard that is little more than a public temper tantrum. Has a billboard actually caused anyone, anywhere, ever to change their mind about something? Do the people that see this billboard even have the power to change policy direction on the EU? They would have been better off donating to Force for Change or some charity the 501st partners with in the name of EU fans, and get their action noticed constructively. This is on par with wearing a sandwich board in front of the Lucasfilm headquarters and screaming that they're all sinners. It's embarrassing.

 

Getting angry at Star Wars fans spending way too much money on Star Wars-related purchases that have absolutely no intrinsic value to anyone else seems a bit misplaced.

 

To be fair if it's they're money, they can do what they like with it.

Besides realistically, what could they actually do to get Disney to listen anyway. The sort of petition needed, for Disney even to listen would have to be in the millions, while getting them all to stop buying Disney New EU books (and hit them in the only place that counts the wallet) , which lets be honest is never going to happen.

 

No.

There is only so much material that can be produced per year. There are only so many people who can work on Star Wars. I'd prefer that all those publishing slots get used for developing the new canon, not filling out a timeline that was close to bloated anyway.

Also, Sword of the Jedi wasn't close to being started, much less finished.

 

I don't know that a high profile Legends novel would do that much less sales wise than a new canon novel. There is logic to what your saying, I just don't know for certain that it would be the reality. A new Legends book likely would not pull the numbers that Aftermath did, but Twilight Company opened at like #125 on the USA today best sellers list.

Sales wise I don't think they would have that much to be concerned with. They might hit a homerun, and even if it bombs they would then have a number to point at if they wanted to drop Legends once again.

 

I mean, I find it hard to believe that Aftermath 2 will pull the numbers Aftermath did. It's like issue 1 of the current Marvel title, its huge reception was due to it riding the wave of anticipation and publicity that anything in that slot would get it.

 

This single billboard likely isn't going to do anything (as it really shouldn't be that difficult for a fan base to raise 5,000 dollars to put one up). However if they continue to do stuff like this for several years to come it may make a difference. I do wonder though how many of the people in this group would be willing to spend money again when nothing comes of this one?

Dr. Steve Brule you do realize that the Marvel comics are still doing fantastically well don't you?The Star Wars and Darth Vader series are still top 10 mainstays. And the minis are still in the top 30.

Lots of comics pull in great numbers for issue #1. Few of them stay highly rated like the Star Wars comics have though.

 

Haha, okay perhaps LotF wouldn't have been the greatest end either, I was more thinking about how there is some reflection about how Caedus has united the Galaxy against him.

I think you mentioning Vision of the Future brings up a good point though; in that case Zahn was able to tie up almost a decade of Bantam books in just 2 books.
Chuck Wendig said on his blog that if they did bring back legends it would probably just be one last trilogy, or something to that effect, and I think the Hand of Thrawn Duology shows that a few books can be enough create a good ending.

 

Why get mad about the billboard? Will it be effective? I honestly don't think so. While I don't blame the "Continue Legends" groups for wanting the Legends material to be continued, I do think there's a bit of self-deception involved with thinking they can change LucasFilm's minds when all parties involved have made it pretty clear that "Legends" is finished and over. (I personally think the groups might be better off focusing primarily on providing resources and assistance for new fans who want to try the old stuff, since the current campaigns for new Legends seems to bring out the worst in the movement and has only -- possibly irreparably -- ruined their reputation to the outside world.

So, while I honestly think that the Legends movement is going to be one of those things that will fizzle out and be known as a curious footnote in the history of the franchise, as long as their not being disrespectful to others, I don't see what the problem is with the billboard. If the movement does manage to succeed, it's no skin off our noses and would be something that more than a few fans would be interested in.

Yeah, I generally agree with you. I'm mostly indifferent to the idea of a Legends continuation, partially because I'm made my peace with the change, the general quality of of the new stuff, and the fact that I wasn't that pleased with the direction the Legends iteration went from about Legacy of the Force onwards. The only stuff I was truly liking in the last years of Legends was the stand-alone stuff set during the movies, which is exactly what we're getting from Disney.

Personally, if they were to make more Legends books, I'd like to see it not as an ongoing series (like you, I'm more interested stories about the new stuff and new characters), but as an occasional installment when there's a good idea for it, like the they did with the Shakespeare Star Wars series or the "what if?" and first draft A New Hope comics.