Discussion Listening to Fanfiction

Recently, on the Star Wars Facebook Page, they asked fans for feedback on what they'd like. They've had a lot of response, mostly from existing fans.

As a long-time fanfiction writer I've noticed a trend in the Star Wars books where stories are diverging from what the fanfiction community in general has been creating. Granted we, as a community, are a creative bunch and our stories can run to every end of the spectrum.

There is no avoiding that the movies had to end, and with it much of the movie speculation. The deaths of Anakin Solo and Mara Jade, the fall of Jacen Solo and the muted love-life of Jaina Solo has created gaps between what fans wanted from the EU and what we've been given. In my latest blog, I suggested the Powers That Be take a closer look at fanfiction to get a better pulse of what a broader base of their fans want.

So fanficcers (readers and writers), do you feel like the EU has been going in the direction you'd like it to? What would you change?

 

My biggest problem with the current state of the EU is that it's become incredibly insular. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the entire population of the GFFA as of Fate of the Jedi consists of a half-dozen Jedi, a couple members of the Imperial Remnant, and the Big Bad of the moment. We're running out of compelling characters. The Legacy era starting with Dark Nest has been heavy on character deaths, but there's been absolutely no effort from anyone not named Aaron Allston to at least develop characters the EU can latch onto (hello Antilles girls).

I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm getting sick and tired of the Apocalypse of the Week plots that have dominated the post-RotJ era starting with Dark Nest. It's a big sandbox, there are fascinating stories that can be told without having to revert to some tired "Oh no, the fate of the Galaxy as we know it hangs in the Balance. Again" plot. Is this really necessary for a good book? Take a look at Starfighters of Adumar, one of the most beloved novels in all the EU. It's about a group of diplomats trying to secure the allegiance of a single planet. No disgusting horde of bugs, no Sith Lords, no tentacled monster threatening to upend galactic power. Just a focus on a small conflict that leaves room for character exploration.

Let's go back to the X-Wing novels. Let's go back having villains like Thrawn and Zsinj. Let's put some grandeur back into the EU and get away from the gritty, overly angst-filled realism. Get away from shock-value plots and go back to telling compelling stories.

tl;dnr

Stop with the killing of characters for the sake of killing characters

Stop with the Galactic Apocalypse of the Week plots

Give us some new characters to care about

Less conflict, more characterization

The Galaxy consists of more than just Jedi

 

The complete slaughter/devaluing/disappearing of characters who can carry on when the older ones are dead. SW doesn't carry on in comic book time, folks! No sliding timeline here. And hey, guess what? Luke's dead by Legacy! And there are no characters credible enough to take over for the Big Three.

Also, the sheer illogic that's gone on has... *Sees Lane and Tkeira glaring at him and steps off soapbox* I'll be good. But I digress... these and a lot more reasons are why I don't read SW anymore much beyond Legacy. And when that ends... an era is over for me.

But yeah, the galaxy's too insular!

 

As I literally just finished the LotF a few weeks ago, my issues with it are still rather fresh.

I can't say that I had a significant emotional attachment to the EU characters save those that were already introduced in the films, Boba Fett and his clan, and Tenel Ka/Allana. I've always felt that the EU puts characters in situations with great potential but instead focuses on the action portions of Star Wars instead of thoroughly teasing out the emotional portions of the characters that would make that action "matter."

I was especially disappointed in the dull reaction to Jacen's death and how little time was spent on that, while the first half of the novel was spent on events that were eventually of little consequence to the conclusion of the story. I think the EU does that a lot--focuses on parts that ultimately don't matter as much and dropping the ball on the parts that do. Tenel Ka and Allana's story could have been deeply emotional but it pretty much was a side-note throughout the entire series.

So...

I guess what I'm saying is that I wish the EU would spend more time developing the characters it introduces, and giving more reaction to events that they've created. There were portions of the series that did a great job at that and portions that left me wanting/expecting more.

 

All of that.

There have been so many small characters introduced in all thsoe books. (Or at elast those I read.) There are unnumbered possibilities to branch out from there. Take little used people/species and conenct the dots of the galaxy a bit.

Get out of the trainwerck along the time line. Fill in some gaps somewhere, the galaxy is so huge. Get off the well-beaten paths.

 

I have to honestly say that 80% or more of the EU was a huge dissapointment for me. Don't get me wrong, there were some sterling pieces of work in there. The Thrawn books were fantastic, the X-Wing novels were wonderful fun, but there was also a lot out there with characters that screamed Gary Stu, or plots that were frankly lame or overly contrived. Character died that shouldn't have. Characters survived that shouldn't have. The sweeping epic of hope and redemption and triumph that I totally love was pulled in dozens of conflicting directions until it was unrecognizable, full of teen angst and character deaths that served no purpose other than to emotionally manipulate the readership.


Here's a few points I think future SW writers should keep in mind:

- Jedi are cool, but they're also like cops. If there's no one to serve and protect, what's the point?

- Splinter of the Mind's Eye has nothing in it you should emulate or perpetuate unless you are deliberately writing a farce.

- We've reached the point where killing characters is no longer a shock. Really surprise us and let a few live.

- It's a big, big galaxy. Why are we only focused on a handful of characters? Why wrestle with the other kids for a spot in the same corner of the sandbox everyone else is playing in when there's so very much room to work with?

 

Write a novel with Tionne as the star.

 

Let me preface this by saying that I don't post here very often any more. The biggest reason for that is waning interest - hence my interest in this topic.

Already there is an overarching theme developing in this thread: character development. Repairing that problem really ought not to be terribly difficult for a world-class publishing house, its editors, and writers.

I agree with pretty much all of the above. In addition, it occurs to me that the characters many of us want developed are the ones with direct connection (e.g., the progeny) of beloved characters like the Big Three or Wedge Antilles (nod to Lane_Winree - the Antilles girls seemed like naturals for a few pages there; I was certainly hoping for more of them?much more). However, since they've killed a significant number of that next gen, the Powers That Be have painted themselves into a bit of a corner. I am not certain if that was their intention, or not.

Hints about the direction of Star Wars EU publishing attitudes, if you will, have surfaced in a variety of places, however. For example, creating a novel named "Holostar" and allowing widespread speculation by fans that it could be about the only holostar with any real EU presence to date - Wynssa Starflare ? to carry on unabated certainly did not take into account the opinions of a great many vocal fans. We were simply allowed to anticipate whatever we wanted. Those of us who thought a Starflare-Soontir Fel (with possibly a little Antilles family history) book were completely let down and TPB knew ; a rich storyline with strong, known characters was overlooked in favor of a book with arguably little or no long-term significance up or down the timeline. I felt like we were teased and then betrayed. Cheated, as it were.

So many great younger characters have been created but not allowed to carry the torch forward while the OT characters become sadly geriatric and less interesting (I won't buy "80-to-100 is the new 45-50" while good young characters languish - although perhaps time has slowed to a crawl in the FOTJ series in order to keep the Big Three [somewhat] viably active and that's just sad). I mean, Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo training rodents? What the heck was that? What?s next - taxidermy as a retirement income? Don't even get me started on those darned bugs.

To me, the first plausible explanation for some recent publishing decisions is pandering to a younger audience ? trying to parallel the success of newer franchises like ?Twilight?. Does that mean those of us who have spent years and thousands of dollars following this universe will simply be shut out in the cold?

The only other reason I can imagine for this out-of-control Star Destroyer is complete loss of direction and creativity. As has been said already, this is an infinite universe with incredible possibilities. Write a good story, and they will come.

George's original vision for Star Wars would never have worked if it hadn't been for the characters and our love for them. No Han? No (boo-hiss) Darth Vader? No R2D2? No Farmboy? No C3PO? No Leia-damsel-in-distress-not-really? If this imaginary galaxy was nothing but planets and ships and a revolving door of superficial characters would any of us be here? Not many, I'd wager.

A couple of years ago (and perhaps it continues still in some quarters) Jagged Fel was given a nickname at TFN: "Captain Cardboard". I suggest that there are more actual "cardboard" characters in the EU now than anyone of us could have anticipated - and for no good reason that I can perceive. Oddly enough, Jag Fel isn't one of them ? when, that is, he is allowed any page time that goes beyond an obligatory appearance as the Imperial Head of State to give Jaina credits.

 

Not at all. And regarding the post-NJO novel era, not only do I not like it, but I pretty much hate it.

I started reading the EU with HTTE?s release in 1991 and I used to have an intense love for SW books. I was at the bookstore every single release day for all of the NJO books for the whole five years and couldn?t wait to get my hands on the Dark Nest trilogy. (That was before I read it and put a few DNT-shaped dents in my wall from tossing those atrocious books. ) After slogging my way through the LOTF series, I can safely say that the EU killed my love for it.

If I hadn?t fallen in love with the Legacy comics and subsequently branched out to other Dark Horse SW titles, I doubt I?d be into the EU at all. I?ll probably read a couple of the stand-alone novels and comic miniseries when Legacy is over this summer, but my time as ?an EU reader? appears to be sadly coming to an end.

I?ve quit reading the post-NJO Del Rey books, so I really don?t have a horse in that race anymore, but to them, I?d say: Quit killing the future of the EU with character deaths and, possibly even worse, character assassinations. The Big Three cannot carry the franchise forever. Stop destroying the younger generations. Stop with the five-year gaping holes in the time line between series?. Develop the characters you?ve got and give us a reason to care about them.

Novels in general: More stand-alones and short series? about NEW stuff. Some of my favorites were things like the MedStar Duo, the Coruscant Nights books and Knight Errant because they were fresh and focused on new or rarely-used characters. Do more of that.

Dark Horse comics: Well, other than bringing Legacy back or giving us some spin-off minis, like the Kol/Morrigan story or the adventures of Cade & Deliah?s kids , I think they need at least one monthly ongoing title.

I get the rationale behind going to miniseries?, if that is, indeed, what is happening. Trade paperbacks are what make the money in comics and they could be logistically easier for a creative team since there are only a handful of artists in the industry who can keep up the pace of drawing a monthly book (last I talked to JJM, he said there were probably nine of them and DC/Marvel own most of them) and Jan Duursema is the only one doing it in SW. I?m just not sure how much character development they?re going to get with 4-8 issue arcs.

Also, I think they messed up BIG time with the disaster that was Legacy?s cancellation. The presence of SW comics fans online has plummeted and I guess it remains to be seen if they can recoup their readers and fan interest with whatever they do for The Big Darn 25th Anniversary that was so important they had to kill their top selling titles.

 

At first I thought this thread was going to be about podfic!

I've only read a few of the Fate of the Jedi books (our local book store is really small and bad and I just haven't ordered them or driven the hour to a decent book store) so I don't really know how I feel about those yet except that I'm enjoying Ben!

I'm probably in the minority here but on the whole I've enjoyed the EU. There are of course books that I didn't really like, Children of the Jedi and Planet of Twilight come to mind, but over all I've enjoyed them. I'll admit, now with Mara gone I pretty much only read for Ben and Luke. I do enjoy other parts but they are the ones I really focus on.

I don't mind characters dying but it does seem like they have started killing for killings sake and that I don't like. I think we've established that characters can die so why not surprise us and not kill a major character??

With all of that said, I do enjoy the earlier books (X-Wing series, I, Jedi, Thrawn books, etc.) much more and am more apt to read them over and over where as the newer series I'm not... to depressing.



Aaron Allston said at CV after the Fate of the Jedi series he's going to write another X-Wing book... I'm really looking forward to that!

 

This. I couldn't have said anything better.

I feel, after nearly thirteen years of reading the EU, that the current authors seemed to have become quite jaded about the Star Wars Universe in general. I will throw a particular gripe of mine in the direction of the transfer of the rights from Bantam to Randomhouse.

In the process of that, I feel that the authors felt obligated to not carry on with the establish EU, but throw deliberate spanners in the works, starting off with the death of Chewbacca and...well it's been speculated that George directly asked that Anakin Solo be killed, if another death had to happen, so he would not be confused, (by new fans arriving with through the prequels,) with Anakin Skywalker.

Sue Rossini once said that George only had a passing interest in the EU, (i.e not knowing about Ben Skywalker,) but now he seems very concerned with it not messing with his prequel set-up. After TWENTY YEARS of the EU and now GL's suddenly very interested? I find it suspicious, but who knows?

I'll be honest, I don't like the cartoons of the Clone Wars series. I only really love the OT and the imperfect EU universe of novels from Bantam. (IMHO, the only thing the Randomhouse authors have done right is turn and finally kill off Jacen Solo. [Admit it, we all knew it was going to happen.])

Just about every day I have a fear that A.C Crispan's fantastic Han Solo trilogy is suddenly going to wind-up non-cannon because a cartoon version of nine-year-old Han, with an abnormally large head, (living in a Kashyyyk tree-hut with Itchy as his adopted father,) is going to turn up in one of these cartoons.

So my answer would be, and is, rather simple.

It's an imperfect universe. We like it that way. It's like an old, comfortable lounge chair you keep finding change and lost Happy Meal toys down the sides of.

In addition:

Don't turn it into an even more complex, boring, angst filled tumultuous mess.

Family time isn't a bad word. Just because the Skywalker-Solo clan is always being watched, or hunted, or hunting, or off on some suicidal-like mission; or in search of enlightenment, doesn't mean they don't spend some normal family time together. Half the fun of the OT was the humour, which has disappeared in the current EU, (apart from Ben's humorous sarcasm,) and comradery.

If, as there is presumed, a "teenage romance" brewing between a scarred Sith girl and a red-haired junior Jedi, please, for the love of all things sacred, nothing sparkly. They're Sith and Jedi for heaven's sake, it's not Beauty and the Beast and it's not Twilight. Make it a battle of wills, make it interesting, make it chase for a few years . (i.e Make it realistic!)

(I'm sure there's a lot more, something along the lines of Jaina not being so hard and Jag developing a personality might be in order, but better make small demands to begin with. )

 

Interesting discussion.

I have not read that much post-ROTJ EU or pre-TPM, I'm more of a Saga-era person. I do like the Heir to the Empire series. On the other stuff: I had no idea that so many characters either died or turned to the Dark Side. I knew that Mara was sick but I didn't know she had died. I was annoyed when I learned that Anakin Solo died, and as far as what Lucas supposedly said--how stupid would people have to be to confuse him with Anakin Skywalker? Really? Also, in the post-ROTJ EU that I have read, I was annoyed at both Chewie's death in Vector Prime, and how often the Solo twins got kidnapped in various books. Really, Han and Leia, hire better security.

Oh, and for the love of all that is holy, no more cloning characters. Palpatine, I'm looking at you. You too, "Luuke."

What I would like to see, and I'm veering off a bit because I'm more into the CW era EU:

I want Karen Miller to write more Clone Wars-era novels. I would like to see her write an Anakin/Padme-centric novel similar to the Han/Leia-centric Tatooine Ghost (which is probably the best post-ROTJ novel that I've read). Or if Miller won't do it, then Karen Traviss, who I know has been bashed a lot in the author forums but I really like her Clone Wars movie novelization as well as No Prisoners.

I also think it would be interesting from a Before the Saga standpoint if an author would explore Palpatine's background. Was he born evil or did he become that way? (I'm going for the former but again, as far as I know, nobody has explored it.)

 

Mmmmmmm, I don't think they should 'listen' to fanfiction, because fanfic has so many different threads. Which ones should they listen to? And Lucas himself doesn't 'listen' to the EU. The prequels put a hydrospanner in the works of the whole EU. Who knew there was this huge Jedi Temple before TPM? But it wasn't in the EU. And The Clone Wars canceled everything done about the Mandalorans before last year.

 

I've been keeping up with the EU since I started reading it in middle school, and Fate of the Jedi seems to be the point at which I've lost my patience. Which is odd, you'd think it would have happened in the mess that was Legacy of the Force, but I actually really love a few bits of it. And I don't know, maybe it's the deeply closeted Jaina/Jag shipper within me, but I almost threw the book at the wall when they broke up. Again. It's not like we haven't seen the Legacy comics, and we're not stupid. All I could think was, "They're not even trying anymore. They're just trying to piss us all off."

But, if they were to take a cue from fan fiction, I would like to point to another site, called KOTOR Fan Media, full of people who absolutely adore Knights of the Old Republic and still dream wistfully of KOTOR 3 coming out. The MMO does not count. That's three hundred years in the future! All the characters I love are dead! Well, except for HK, who is awesome, but he is not Carth, Bastila, Atton, Mical, Visas, or any of my crew that I (well, okay, the player character) left behind. The ending of the second game is so ambiguous and it still bugs me, six years later, that I don't know what happens next. And the comics! I love Zayne and I am incredibly sad they axed his story.

Long story short, stop canceling everything KOTOR to make way for The Old Republic. I'm already really irked by people who, when I say I want to make KOTOR Jedi robes as a costume say, "Oh yeah, the Jedi armor is super cool!" I'd really love to see them finish the stories they start, and KOTOR's story is very much unfinished.

 

I'm probably in the minority here, but I'd love to see more "Tales of..." collections of short stories. I can't help but love a format that brought us Boba Fett chatting with all the other poor folks trapped inside the Sarlaac's tummy.

 

I agree about focusing more on charactization, which I enjoy reading (and at least I care about them when they are in danger) Along with interactions. Action is fun, but recently, it's getting a little out of hand. And in every series, there's a 'worser' enemy than the last (Vong to Dark Nest to Jacen to Abeloth to One Sith/Imperial Whatever, anyone?) Some of these storylines can actually be done; just not like this where I don't care if some random Jedi snaps or some senator's in danger.

I think there needs to be an Infinite Crisis that just wipes out the EU canon and we start all over. It's a dumb excuse, but our situation needs just anything to escape its fate.

 

It seems like, aside from the Big Three, characterization is ignored. Sometimes I get the impression that it's just easier to deal with Han, Leia and Luke rather than actually develop a storyline for anyone else. The sheer amount of potential being ignored is insane. Characterization seems to fall flat compared to plot. It's like there's a bigger focus on forcing as many things as possible to happen at once rather than develop the participates of the story. The majority of readers attach themselves to characters, not situations. The situations/problems/ect. that happen mean more when it happens to a character we care about. When the characters so many of us have invested years into are continuously ignored/poorly written/screwed over for the sake of being screwed over, it lessens the value entire story.

 

I would pay good money for this.

 

So would I. I think their characters could use some fleshing out besides the movies in the same way Han and Leia have enjoyed.

 

Both Miller and Traviss do a great job with A/P in their novels, and there are a few moments in TCW series that demand to be expanded upon. "Evil Plans" comes to mind, their interaction there is great. I also want to know how Padme knows her way around the Twilight so well, and how Anakin's Jedi cloak got into the closet on her ship (the one that Jar-Jar wore in "Bombad Jedi".)

 

Fantastic thread; I read the original blogpost, it was very interesting and someone actually posted the link to it on the Del Ray Facebook page.

I've just started reading LotF after nearly a year and a half of writing and reading SW fan fiction. I'm primarily on FFNet because I do have a liking for slash fanfics which are banned here (*scowl*), but I read fics there because it's easier to follow the latest chapter...

I love the Clone Wars. Not necessarily the CGI series - there's a lot there to be desired if you ask me - but about the Jedi in the war. Surely Anakin and Padme couldn't have been the only forbidden love story in the galaxy at that time. Other Jedi would have succumbed to temptation. But more so, I'm terribly fond of the Anakin/Obi-Wan dynamic during the wars. I don't like Ahsoka, but only for one reason: not because I think she's a Mary Sue, but because I think she intrudes on the "The Team". I want to see more Obi-Wan-And-Anakin, not Anakin-And-Ahsoka. I love Ahsoka on her own, or with Rex and the Clones. She's cool there. But not with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

I'm also more interested in characters. New or old, doesn't matter - as long as the writers develop them well and they're interesting and characters we can root for or love to hate, then I'll read it. It's why I loved Karen Miller's books so much - she put so much effort into the characters of Obi-Wan and Anakin. (And actually let them be a Team, huzzah!)

 

I'm pretty much Star Warsed out.

 

I've given up so thoroughly on the EU past NJO it isn't even funny. It's beyond obvious that TPTB have no love or interest in Star Wars as a universe, and they only care about the money they can bring in from it. Problem is, they're betraying the long-time fans in order to bring in new ones. That, I have a massive issue with. I've spent hundreds of dollars on books over the years. And that is being returned with a giant middle finger. When I finally blew a lid was when they couldn't even be bothered to edit a stupid book, and just expected it to be OK because it had "Star Wars" on the cover, nor did they really do anything to fix it. I have better things to spend my money on.

The majority of J/J fanfic isn't about torturing the couple. Most fanfiction, even if not realistically written, shows J/J at least attempting to have a mature relationship. J/J are now 30, it's time to stop treating their relationship like some weird middle school "on again, off again, boys/girls have cooties, wait, they don't have cooties" melodrama. If I wanted that, there is a rather comprehensive collection of trashy soaps to satisfy that. There are more mature/healthy relationships in trashy romance novels, and that's a problem! Don't even get me started on "Bestara".

I want to read Star Wars, not some sparkly vampires with poor character development. In NJO, there was Kyp-Jaina-Jag, in LotF it was Zekk-Jaina-Jag. I am beyond sick of it... Well-written fics represent to me what the EU could have been. I miss writing by people like Mira_Terrik, aurrasingrules101, Lex, TKL, OJN, etc... The fact that profic isn't up to the quality of those authors' fanfics is disturbing. Why should I pay money for some poorly written novel with cardboard characters when I could log on to the Cantina, TFN, or FF.net and read better plots with richly developed characters for free?

 

Wow, great comments. I'm seeing a trend where people are asking for more character-building, using some of the great ones already available. I'd love to see an A/P book at some point as suggested.

I posted an update to the blog and mentioned this thread and the responses. Someone else did provide a link straight up on Star Wars Books Facebook page. I guess that's one way to get some attention for the fanficcers wants and needs out of the EU.

Striker, you're allowed to have a soapbox. No eye-rolling from this gal, trust me. I think you were just one of the earliest hit by the changes in the EU that bowled over many of us as the NJO and later books decimated our favorite characters.

I thought this was worth mentioning for a point of consideration - in the NJO Round Robin interview they note that the NJO was Jacen's story. Luceno also makes a point of saying the Big Three had essentially run out their heroes' journeys. So what comes next? DN - a new trilogy for the Big Three with more development for Jacen. Then we get LotF...9 more books about Jacen and his fall to the dark side. Now we're into FotJ which is 9 books about L/B searching for answers to why Jacen fell and which has focused on H/L/L for covers and plot.

Hey if you like Jacen, falling to the darkside, and then figuring out why, these books have been for you. Seems to me the EU series have been a bit one-sided on their storytelling.

So how many books do you own as a fanficcer? Comics? Source guides? Novels?

 

I'm going to be echoing other people's views with this, but yeah, my biggest problem with the EU these days is with the characters. Or rather, lack thereof. I mean, I love Han Solo, he's pretty much my favourite character ever, but I don't want to read about him flying around in the Falcon at eighty years of age, helping to resolve whatever the crisis of the week is. It's completely unrealistic (and yes, so are spaceships and lightsabers, but come on).

It hasn't gone in the direction I want, at all, really. What I want from Star Wars is, well, Star Wars. Snarky dialogue, interesting and developed characters who have interesting and developing relationships, sci-fi action, and a happy ending. At this stage, I know that the EU isn't going to give me that, so I've stopped buying the books. Occasionally I check the status of the overall storyline on Wookieepedia, laugh, and turn back to fanfic. And I just wanted to add... yeah, the EU has been focusing on Jacen, but I for one still haven't quite understood why he fell to the Dark Side. It still makes very little sense to me, and I don't know if it's the general idea or just how it was written, but yeah, there it is. I mean, Jaina's little brush in DJ made a lot more sense to me and that was only a subplot. So yeah. Overall I'm getting the feeling that the people involved in creating these new stories just don't care anymore. It's all wash, rinse, repeat with slightly less enthusiasm, at this stage.

I have about 70 novels, all the Rogue Squadron comics, and a few magazines and fact files and so on. love every Zahn book I've read, which is all of them except Outbound Flight. I love the X-Wing series, the Han Solo trilogy, Tatooine Ghost (aside from the Squibs, ugh), and the Corellian trilogy. I really loved the YJK books as a teenager, but I've kind of outgrown them now; I have nothing against them, but they're a bit too... basic for me now, I guess? But all of those have the important things in common: interesting characters that I care about, a storyline that makes sense, a healthy dose of swashbuckling and snark, and overall, happy endings.

I really don't understand why we need to kill off major characters in order to make a story serious or whatever. If I care about the characters, I'll care when you put them in danger, even if they always survive. I LOVED Allegiance, and given its setting, I already knew that all the major players would survive, but it made no difference. I'm one of those people who tends to read the last page first if the suspense gets too much. But if I don't care about the characters because that's lacking in the book, you can kill them off in droves and I still won't get into the story properly, I won't care.

At this stage, like I said, I've given up on the EU, at least on the post-NJO portion of it. If there's a new X-Wing novel, I'll read it. I'll probably read any new novel Zahn writes. More Rebellion-era adventures, more pilot novels, that would be awesome. And I would love to read a story about Soontir Fel and Syal Antilles. Or even just one of them. Apparently Zahn and Stackpole did write a Soontir Fel story, but were never able to sell it... that, I would buy, and read.