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

Lit Flashback: National Newspaper Coverage of the Finale of "Vector Prime"/Chewbacca

Discussion in 'Literature' started by xezene, Mar 22, 2021.

  1. Sinrebirth

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

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    I read the first one but I need to read the rest.

    This is brilliant, though. I remember it well... I was... oh... lord...

    12.

    Oh wow.
     
    Slater and xezene like this.
  2. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    Kevin J Anderson was very crucial in terms of making it all tie in, (Being the first author to really tie in things from Dark Empire) but it was around this time that it sorta became more a mainstream thing for authors to tie in stuff instead of just hoping one would.
     
    harryhenry likes this.
  3. Xander Vos

    Xander Vos Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 3, 2013
    Stackpole and Zahn did put a lot of work into intertwining their books as well.
     
  4. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    Yeah THERE BOOKS but not everything else
     
  5. xezene

    xezene Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 6, 2016
    Although the focus of this thread is on VP/Chewbacca coverage, for the sake of clarity:

    Kevin J Anderson: When I began plotting the Jedi Academy books, I had several lengthy conversations with Tim Zahn so that I could determine his plans for Mara Jade and Luke. At the time, he had not yet finished THE LAST COMMAND, so I didn’t know how his Thrawn trilogy would end. I thought it seemed obvious that Mara and Luke were going to fall in love, but Tim insisted he intended for them to be just friends. Based on that, when I was plotting DARK APPRENTICE, I made Mara and Lando an item, because they seemed to have a lot in common. (Remember, I had written the first two books of my trilogy before Tim’s third book was published, so all of this was developing at the same time.)

    Barbara Hambly began to work on CHILDREN OF THE JEDI, and since Tim did not plan to have Mara and Luke together, Barbara’s *assignment* from Lucasfilm was to create the great love of Luke Skywalker’s life -- Callista. When I got the contract for DARKSABER, though, the fan reaction over Mara was so strong that Lucasfilm decided that maybe she was the right woman for Luke after all, and since DARKSABER was the next book chronologically, I had the rather unfortunate task of getting Callista out of the picture. I didn’t want to just kill her off, and so Barbara and I had many brainstorming conversations on the phone to deal with the situation. We plotted CHILDREN, DARKSABER, and PLANET OF TWILIGHT very closely together. [More info about KJA, Zahn, and Mara Jade collaboration w/ YJK here]​

    Tom Veitch and Timothy Zahn also reviewed each others' drafts before they went to publication and offered feedback. Hopefully that should wrap up some of the Bantam collaboration discussion at least.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2021
  6. Jedimarine

    Jedimarine Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2001
    I remember being upset. Then angry at Del Rey. I still think they did it for shock value to launch their new series.

    While I was well aware of why this stuff is made, it was clearly an eye-opener for me that this stuff was made to be sold, and they would do anything to sell it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
    Hamburger_Time likes this.
  7. Hamburger_Time

    Hamburger_Time Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 13, 2010
    Leland Chee actually said that one of the main reasons (though not the only one) that the Lucasfilm bosses decided that a reboot was necessary once the series returned to theaters was that they didn't want to say to ordinary moviegoers, "here, read this 15-year-old novel if you want to know where Chewie went, then read twenty more if you want closure on this story arc!"

    Which, to be honest, I sort of get. Though Joe Bongiorno said he thinks a better idea would be to do a tie-in book or comic explaining Chewie's survival, banking off that oldest of literary devices, his body never being found. And I think that's an understandable perspective too.
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
    Daneira and harryhenry like this.
  8. Jedimarine

    Jedimarine Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2001
    The problem there is on the insistence of having Chewie in the Sequels to begin with.

    The part Leland doesn't say is that Disney wanted timeless characters who would appeal to all audiences, and Chewbacca, along with R2 and 3p0 are the very thing to do the job.

    And thus, the ST bumped off the actors we saw get older before our eyes. Characters that could not be recast or easily replaced digitally yet (Luke at the end of Mando Season 2 is a charming cameo...try to deal with that for 2 hours...yeah...)

    Chewie, through a series of large men in costume, can carry on being a touchstone for new material for generations to come.

    We could see Chewie cry over Rey's funeral some day! Why not!?

    And let's face it...it's the same logic that brought Boba Fett back from the Sarlacc's gut.

    If they were smart, they would make their next main hero wear a mask all the time too.
     
  9. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    That's like though....All of Star Wars pretty much after A New Hope.
     
    Hamburger_Time likes this.
  10. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    One of the things that heated up a good many VP discussions was not the death threats to Salvatore - fans here were of one view that that was entirely unacceptable.

    It was instead the idea that if VP was not a success, if enough people didn't buy into it, then SW was dead The TPM backlash may have fed into it as well. The result was a good two years of fraught discussions, which all changed when a good few NJO fans felt entirely done over by SbS.
     
  11. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    The more things change the more they stay the same ;)
     
  12. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Au contraire. Whatever any of us thinks of whatever SW story, no one buys that SW is going anywhere if some of its output is disliked.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2021
  13. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    I've sadly met some people who believe this ;)

    But you are right, in the end, they always come back.

    Star Wars is like this line from Godfather 3
    [​IMG]
     
  14. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Not always Jid. People do - and have - dropped SW entirely. It's just that they get.... replaced.

    One leaves, two join. Hail Hydra.
     
    Force Smuggler and Jid123Sheeve like this.
  15. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    [face_laugh][face_laugh][face_laugh]
    That is probably a better analogy thinking about it from a historical context.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2021
  16. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    If you want to see how VP discussions tended to go, head over to the Sequel forum where the TLJ fires are still burning.
     
  17. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    I've been there and noooooo thank you. ;)

    I honestly prefer talking about the Sequels in the Lit Form....It's a calmer discussion and i find more pro ST people in general. Or at least fires don't burn super long.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2021
    Force Smuggler likes this.
  18. Jedimarine

    Jedimarine Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2001
    I don't know about that either.

    While obviously new fans replace old fans, I do think their is a trend toward diminishing returns. This could be in part due to less interest, but I suspect more based on more media across different platforms. My nephew has so many games and cartoons to watch. By his age, I had books and comics and my Kenner toys and that was essentially the Star Wars universe. It was the dark times.

    Now granted, most properties have failed to maintain the captive audiences they had last century...just take one look at TV viewership numbers if you want to see the most substantial reality shift.

    I suspect if the publishing arm gets half the sales they once did, they are satisfied and hope to do better next time.

    Does anyone think the High Republic will be comparable to the NJO in terms of sales/reach?
     
    Golbolco and Nom von Anor like this.
  19. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    Yes, because High Republic has gotten more promo material than NJO ever did.

    It's getting Character Bio's, videos on the Star Wars Youtube Channel, and several author panels. And possible video game tie-in's ...Heck there is a video game tie-in with a VR thing.

    Sure it was a different time but High Republic is a BIG PUSH by LFL in a way i don't think even NJO got.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2021
  20. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    The biggest problem here is there is no reliable data on book sales. Even if there was, it wouldn't tell us who was buying, whether they were a new or old fan, simply that, whoever they are, the book was bought.
     
    Golbolco likes this.
  21. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    I tend to look at changes within fandom and whose in and whose out less by numbers and more by discourse to be honest. What's now "Popular" what's now "Disliked" what is talked about more positively what's talked about more negatively. That sorta thing.
     
  22. Jedimarine

    Jedimarine Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2001
    NJO had a radio ad. :)

    But I get your point. But I also think that plays to what I am saying. Back at the turn of the century, the EU machine had an autopilot to a certain readership.

    The High Republic marketing push almost feels like the publishing arm is trying to apply CPR to the property.

    Is there a heartbeat?
     
  23. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    None of which qualifies as.... data.
     
  24. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    Well as @Jedi Ben there is no hard data on it.

    But just on natural gut instinct i'm gonna say...yes...yes there is.

    Oh i know it's not data....But i do like looking at it as something is changing...whether it's bigger or large is hard to tell. But I don't think something has to be big or small to be a success.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 28, 2021
  25. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    I will say NJO does reflect JM's autopilot idea, in that DR thought they could do anything without negative effect. The response to VP proved that wasn't so, but regardless of fan churl, the books still made enough money.
     
    Jid123Sheeve likes this.