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

Lit Books FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Krueger, Jun 11, 2020.

  1. harryhenry

    harryhenry Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    It's crazy how much things have turned around for the little green guy, and I'm so happy.
     
  2. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    It's funny - I don't actually have that strong an opinion on Jaxxon himself, though I do think he made a pretty important supporting element for "The Starhoppers of Aduba-3." I just got so tired of all the lazy people who held him up as an example of the lameness of the EU, without even bothering to research (say) the fact that the story he came from displayed an immediate understanding of Lucas's influences. It was frustrating.

    And yet in the end, Jaxxon emerged on top after all.
     
  3. Golbolco

    Golbolco Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 20, 2016
    There's a lot of things to dislike about Legends. There are plot lines that don't get payoffs, inconsistent characterization that derails storylines, and redundancies or other errors that pull at the façade of the Expanded Universe being one cohesive story. There are even aesthetic issues/inconsistencies between stories and failures at realism or verisimilitude with designs and organization.

    A talking rabbit who appeared in a total of five comics is not one of those things that irreparably damages enjoyment of Star Wars.
     
  4. harryhenry

    harryhenry Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    I'm the same with Skippy the Jedi Droid: I've seen it brought up so many times as a reason "why the EU was terrible!" without anyone seeming to realise it was a noncanonical PARODY. And, ironically, it was a parody of the EU cliché that many people think it was a real example of: Making minor background characters ridiculously important to the full story of Star Wars.
    This ties into my bigger point: Just having something that seems goofy on the surface is not what makes something bad. You can make anything sound silly if you word it a certain way, hell people make a game out of "poorly describing your favourite thing". Like you noted, it's the quality of the execution and storytelling that can make or break something, not just the idea by itself.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2020
  5. ColeFardreamer

    ColeFardreamer Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2013
    Skippy rocks... and he was canonised later on even in a Legends canon work even if originally ambigious.
     
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  6. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 7, 2020
  7. The Positive Fan

    The Positive Fan Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2015
    The Palpatine story is easily the one I'm most intrigued by. Sounds like it will have strong continuity ties, and generally anything having to do with Sheev tends to land pretty favorably with me.
     
  8. Fredrik Vallestrand

    Fredrik Vallestrand Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2018
    I'm now just reading the one for AHN and it's great, giving context with Rogue One and AHN for Tarkin. give us more continuity.
     
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  9. Senpezeco

    Senpezeco Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2014
    Yay, my wish might be coming true! And omigosh Jaxxon [face_love] That's beyond what I dared to hope for. Those two are the stories I'm most looking forward to, by far.

    Of the newly-introduced characters, these three interest me the most:
    Heiress! Socialite! FASHION! We love to see it.


    This one is just straight up intriguing. Interesting voice and style and great choice of excerpt, in my opinion.


    This one sounds like it might be the most humorous of the lot. And perhaps the most meta, too :p


    Really happy for Sloane fans! Nice to see breakout fan-favorite characters in the mix here, similar to how Aphra got her own scene in FACPOV-ANH. And of course I'm thrilled for Veers Watch lol. :D I checked his Twitter feed for his reactions before I even finished reading all the social cards.

    And congrats to Wedge superfans -- DI noted that he has the longest story in the anthology.
     
  10. Jid123Sheeve

    Jid123Sheeve Guest

    Sloane is having a good year in general with Squadrons.
     
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  11. ScorpioGirl

    ScorpioGirl Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2019
    I was really hoping for a Kes and Shara Dameron story, but it doesn't look like it's happening.
     
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  12. mattman8907

    mattman8907 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 17, 2012
    I'm looking forward to the Wedge story the most as i'm interested to see who stepped up when Luke Han and Leia were all MIA for a bit. We saw some of it in Lost Stars from Thane's POV so it'll be interesting to see if he's actually referenced in Wedge's story. Also it seems like they said this will be the longest story in the book so i'm looking forward to that.
     
  13. Noash_Retrac

    Noash_Retrac Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 14, 2006
    Would be nice to see Thane Kyrell AND Adon Fox. They were present and haven't been used since the early part of the reboot.
     
  14. ColeFardreamer

    ColeFardreamer Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2013
    I am very disappointed by the reveals... why waste pages with original characters instead of movie ones that need exploration??? Some authors really are weird in that regard. I agree that it can be good to see events through different eyes and have known characters only as cameos. In that regard I have hope for some of the reveals being actually quite good and interesting (like that lady in love with Boba), but I still think one should explore characters in need of stories before creating new ones.

    Also, no obligatory Dr. Aphra story like in ANH? Fans expected as much. Not even a cameo in any?

    Seems this book is a testbed for new authors that get full books next year or later on instead of a true TESB storyfeast.

    Some stories have me intrigued, but overall I expected a lot different. Hope this time around they expand on the temple burried below the tree that often is mistaken for a cave on Dagobah. It gots its story so if not it would be a big missed opportunity and lack of research on author/editors part.

    Also no stories about the boys in blue or Lobot? Bespin Wing Guards? Seriously? How about the Wing Guard pilots?

    And I really am shocked by the amount of stories about animals like Wampa, Tauntaun... who does need that at all? Exogorth is at least remotely interesting given I liked the style of the excerpt quote.

    As for the Wedge story I am faithful Jason will deliver but wondering now if they adress Mon Mothma at all given she was a ROTJ invention. I mean, why bother with Wedge as leader if you got others already around... maybe because they are all out of reach as Marvel Star Wars showed after dispersing. Hmm..

    And sorry if others disagree, but I really never want to read anything about Jaxxon or Valance again. They bore me to no end.

    ps: I don't intend to step on anybodies toes with this rant, merely highlight my likes and dislikes about the news. Glad others enjoy what I might not and vice versa.
     
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  15. harryhenry

    harryhenry Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    Hey, stories featuring animals as stars and not as just fodder for humans are a seriously untapped part of SW storytelling. As we’ve seen with David Attenborough’s BBC documentaries and the like, the stories of animals can be compelling on their own.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
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  16. DarthInternous

    DarthInternous Editor - Del Rey Star Wars star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2017
    A key thing to remember is that with FACPOV - we do not assign stories or characters to the contributors. So why a character appears/doesn't appear is entirely because, none of the 40 contributors were interested in exploring a tale with them. And outside of the WHILLS story - just because it is very emblematic of the FACPOV series overall - we didn't even have an expectation of "well we should have a story about this character in the book, regardless of who writes it." As with ANH, we had some preconceptions about characters who probably would appear in this book, but didn't. I'm still flabbergasted that no one wrote about Porkins three years ago. I suppose the same surprise could be applied to Lobot's absence here.

    (An author did submit a concept for a Lobot story. But that author also had an idea for a different story and ultimately decided to tell that one instead.)

    @ColeFardreamer to address a few of your specific queries (and hey, no worries at all about being disappointed. This isn't about telling you how to feel. I never assume 40 stories are going to appeal to everyone. Hopefully just some contextual info to answer some questions. Apologies for the rambling length.)

    FACPOV is certainly a place where we hope to maybe find more voices to bring into Star Wars on a permanent basis. And certainly several members of FACPOV: ANH have gone on to do that. But it's also about celebrating the impact Star Wars has had by bringing together voices from across entertainment to show just how much SW has impacted and influenced people who tell stories of all sorts. To that end, such a wide swath of voices and views means some authors are going to be quite keen on answering a continuity question, some will be more interested in fleshing out a momentarily seen character, and others will want to focus on themes or ideas they've always see in Star Wars but perhaps haven't been focused on as much that they want to explore.

    Why are there more original characters in this book?
    ESB is actually a terrible movie to do a FACPOV for. Putting aside all of the folks in SW who we know are alive and around at this point but never on screen, huge chunks of the film center so specifically on Han/Leia/Chewie or just on Luke/R2/Yoda, that there's actually not a lot of room for on-screen bit characters to expand upon, ala ANH. The Hoth section of the film is really the best place. Even on Bespin, the most we really ever see of side characters are folks running about near the end. But, there are a lot of ideas and themes that ESB has which using original characters allows you to explore. Or events that a character was clearly involved with, but unlike ANH say showing us the dudes who actually were shooting down escape pods or pulling the lever on the Death Star - ESB doesn't show us, who actually lets out the trash on the Star Destroyer (for instance). That's just my best guess. I'd have to ask all the authors that choose OC's what drove that choice.

    Why so many creatures?
    ESB just has more creatures, and specifically more creatures that have a more central role in the story than ANH. In ANH, the dianoga is the only creature that a scene centers on - but that's not the case here. And, I think many of the authors are drawn to the challenge of writing for a character that is so different from the mostly human/human-like POVs we get in SW. They get to explore writing styles, language, and other approaches that are really cool.

    • There will some Wing Guard content.
    • Yes we address Mon Mothma. She was an ROTJ invention, but Alexander Freed explored her role in ANH in the first FACPOV and Jason does explore her role here in ESB. Everyone is getting caught up on the word leader. Yes there are some top level leaders like Mon Mothma, or Ackbar. But they aren't the only ones, and their leadership is different from that of Leia / Luke. And particularly interesting to explore is...everyone assumes Leia/Luke are coming to the Rendezvous - Luke is told "see you at the rendezvous point". And then, they don't show up. That creates a leadership vacuum.
    • That lady is not in love with Boba Fett (her admiration is specific and with a goal in mind). This is not a "Dark Visions #3" situation.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  17. harryhenry

    harryhenry Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2015
    ...how did I not notice that??? I guess no one, not even me it seems, cares about Porkins.
     
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  18. Todd the Jedi

    Todd the Jedi Mod and Loving Tyrant of SWTV, Lit, & Collecting star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Oct 16, 2008
    Fake Wedge the real MVP.
     
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  19. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    Huh, from the teaser I got the sense that the Jaxxon story was the "story about Lobot."
     
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  20. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    I read it when it came out but am re-reading it a bit at a time while waiting for the new one.
     
  21. ColeFardreamer

    ColeFardreamer Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2013
    No arguing that, just that we got enough people that should come first. But I am all for cute little Panda/Tauntaun/Wampa baby tales and how they fare in a beautiful nature...

    Instead... it seems we get the feelz of a creature surviving in a harsh landscape only to be killed or hurt by a lightsaber. Well not the happy end documentary I had in mind!

    P...P...P... Pooooorkins! Well there still are Tia and Gia also from Bestine IV that may or may not be tied to him for a certain ROTJ FACPOV edition... btw, any idea when that one may be on the horizon? I want to get my hopes up early!

    Anyway, thx for your lengthy post and input! Really enjoyed that.

    TESB is not terrible characterwise as it has plenty to choose from. The problem is people tend to not look or overlook those that are there. Like Bespin got plenty runners but people lacking even a name are ignored... and most got a name thx to Decipher CCG and a story snippet even!

    Not every movie needs an overloaded cantina or palace scene. Those are nice but overrated if it leads to forgetting other important characters.

    I am very curious for those styles and approaches now. But I wish we'd not get them for animals but aliens written as truly alien in abilities, perception, culture etc. and not just animal-faced human with standard aging, abilities, flaws, etc.

    ^:)^[face_party][face_dancing][face_love]

    Well that is good too... though I want his Sintas Vel backstory back and would love if it ties into it.
     
  22. DarthInternous

    DarthInternous Editor - Del Rey Star Wars star 3 VIP

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2017
    We would not even begin to think about ROTJ FACPOV until November 11th at the earliest. :)
     
  23. Fredrik Vallestrand

    Fredrik Vallestrand Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2018
    I can't wait 3 years for that one, if we finally find out what Palpatine was thinking all about when he looked out the window.
     
  24. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    One of the stories just has to tie in with the events of TROS.
     
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  25. Fredrik Vallestrand

    Fredrik Vallestrand Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Jan 15, 2018
    I think Plagueis tie ins with what TROS gave us about him. Mabe even if lucky Mortis stuff. Also goes into depth of Vader's redemtion and how he feels being a light sider and force ghost.