Discussions Unpopular Expanded Universe Opinions

I would have loved for Luceno to have developed post-ROTJ politics. Would Pestage try to make himself Emperor? Would Imperial Senators try to re-convene the Imperial Senate and vote for a new Chancellor?

 

Apparently his books would have been about a darkside cult undermining the new republic.

 

I'm pretty sure the point was that he was being pacifistic beyond the point of reason during Balance Point, and gets over it after his big moment vs Tsavong Lah (in Edge of Victory and Star By Star he's willing to fight if necessary, even after he's decided to redeem the Yuuzhan Vong through Zonama Sekot he fights and kills warriors if it's needed in Destiny's Way and Unifying Force) the exemplary "Light Side Jacen" would be in Destiny's Way onwards i think.

Yeah, George has changed his mind countless times about nearly everything and every time he tells something is the "true" version, that's just human, i kind of appreciate that he's so obviously as humane as we are despite having a net worth of 6 millions of dollars, but it's because of those things that his word can barely be used for "validity" of what the "true Star Wars vision" was.

In my opinion, the "original vision" doesn't matter, Star Wars is what it is, not what it could be, or at least, the latter doesn't hold more weight than the former.

 

I would agree.

Even in the Dark Tide books Jacen can and WILL fight if he needs to to protect others, he just doesn't like it. But I agree that Destinys Way on is peak Jacen.

Though I don't like him as much in Force Heretic when he says he doesn't Zonama Sekot to fight.

 

Okay unpopular opinion. I feel James Luceno is overrated. I think he has one main strengh as an author, and that is his continuity porn. And even that sometimes backfires at least for me. Like when he made this "good Sith" Vectivus who Lumyia obviously made up to manipulate Jacen, actually canon...

And then he shares many of the problems many Legends Authors have in my book, like far too many Order 66 suvivors. Just how awesome could have Rise of Vader been if he had actually had the guts to give us a complete downer where Vader in the end actually killed all of the survivors, or say only left one alive... but no, the majority of them make it... not that they ever do anything intresting afterwards.

To be fair this is a problem with Legends in general that even in NJO each arc needed to end on a optimistic not but still.

Also I don´t like how Luceno occasionally tries to one up the movies. Most blatantly in his Death Star book where of course the Empire would have actually won the battle if Yarvin, if not the Death Star gunner being the hero that he is deliberatly stalled so Luke would get enough extra time to save the day...

Like I´m not saying Luceno is a bad author, but I think he doesn´t deserve all of this strong, near universal praise that he gets.

 

That one wasn't Luceno, that was Steve Perry (Shadows of the Empire) and Michael Reaves (Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter).

 

Yeah even in the earliest books of NJO he wasn't like in Balance Point, in Balance Point we're shown Jacen's relapse after what happened in Fondor, it's not the book telling us "this is how Jacen has always been"

I'd say from Destiny's Way all the way to The Unifying Force Jacen stays mostly the same in his core characterization, in Heretic he seems the most driven because he at that point has a very clear goal that will help the ultimate resolution of the conflict as he wants (Zonama Sekot) him telling Sekot that he doesn't want her as a weapon makes sense as he didin't want to exterminate the Vong with Zonama's incredible weaponry, he wanted a different resolution (redeeming the Vong).

I disagree with what a lot of people say about him in the Heretic books, that he regressed as a character, because we're shown how much more decided he is at that point and how he knows what he wants out of this conflict: a peaceful resolution, he doesn't struggle with his place in the world anymore, nor is he judging those who do not agree with him like early on.

 

I think it is just a product of the poor writing on the FH books. He seems to regress. There are a lot of ways to fight and I don't they showed the difference between protecting someone and having to fight, with attacking someone.

 

I don't think that's it because it is framed in a way so that Sekot is offering something akin to a full on assault on the Yuuzhan Vong as a whole as an idea, and Jacen's personal trial there is to show that he is against that idea, i think it's more about what his answer says about his mindset and intentions rather than taking the logical implications of his statements as absolutely literal, because after all Sekot still gave her ships and weapons to the Jedi in pursuit of the peaceful solution, the question is if her powers are going to be focused on the peaceful path or the path of war and destruction, and what Jacen and Luke's intentions were with seeking her aid.

I disagree with the poor writing because i haven't seen any poor writing on Force Heretic III, the second one is the one with problems, pacing problems, focus problems and some big missed opportunities, but it still had bright spots in the writing when allowed to develop properly.

I suppose defending Force Heretic is unpopular in itself lol, they've always been considered as the weakest books by the fandom, which i disagree, at least not the trilogy as a whole.

 

They aren't my least fav NJO books, those are Dark Tide. But they do round out my bottom 5.

 

Luceno didn’t write the Death Star novel, that was Michael Reaves and Steve Perry. Unless you’re talking about something else.

 

I got that mixed up yeah. Rest of my argument remains though.

 

I don't mind Order 66 survivors if they are in the Dark Times. What I HATE is that they show up in legacy and dominate the jedi (and Sith).

 

I wish we had more non Solo/Skywalker characters who save the day in the post ROTJ era. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Skywalker family in legends, but sometimes in the legends post ROTJ era it feels like you don’t matter unless your last name is Solo or Skywalker.

 

I honestly sometimes think it really should just have been Yoda and Obi Wan who made it to 0 BBY... I know that´s unrealistic that the Empire gets everyone, except the two highest priority targets... but especially things like K´Kruhks mini Jedi order are going too far.

This is one of the few things I actually like about the Post Endor in the NEU. That they give other characters room to breathe. And while I didn´t minded Rey nobody... as long as that lasted at least.

 

To be fair a good chunk of her cast is unrelated to anyone. So honestly moving forward the Skywalker/Solo bloodline is pretty much dead.

 

I miss the Science Fiction vibre that the EU Star Wars had

 

The SW comics, especially legends but new canon as well, are full with unlikable edgelords that the authors try too hard to make the coolest, most special boys and girls ever. Quinlan Vos being a good example of this horrible trend.

 

I think Cade Skywalker is a better example. Since he never grows or changes.

 

Cade at least has his Skywalker genes as an explanation for his over the top powers.

 

But he is just an @$$. He never stops being selfish and self centred. It looks like he might change like 3 times but he never does he just goes right back to being the edgylord he was.

 

Meanwhile Vos not only surivives the Jedi purge alongside pretty much all his loved ones, but is essentially only rewarded for his crap.

 

Yep. Though he did at least say he was wrong, Cade never did.

I think it might be just a characteristic of a certain writer. Since Zayne isn't that.

 

Some of these may not be unpopular, but I'll do my best. Oh boy, here we go..
-Shatterpoint (one of the most-acclaimed Star Wars novels ever) is just really good. Not great or amazing. There are still terrific moments in it, but it's not one of my favorites.
-Legends has too powerful of force-users in general, going by scaling. Some of them scale to the entire Death Star, if not above. Kind of takes the venom out of the cobra of the Death Star and its successors if there were very similar weapons and really high-level force users capable of similar feats before.
-KOTOR II is right around the level of the first game. It's even better in some ways.
-I adore the Plagueis novel but having Plagueis live just past Palpatine's election and Maul's bisection is stupid. I know the Rule of Two has been violated before, but it shouldn't have been here. Thinking of Plagueis still alive in Episode I is dumb.
-Grievous is not as overpowered in Legends (scaling to Jedi) as people think he is.
-TCW content that is not part of the official canon shouldn't be classified as Legends as it contradicts massive amounts of the pre-TCW Legends content. It should be classified as something other than Legends or Canon. I also don't like when Legends content not during TCW's timeline reference it (Plagueis, Kenobi). And this is all coming from someone who thinks TCW is a great show.

 

"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of The Force."
I would definitely agree that KOTOR II is better than the first in some ways, but at the same time it's worse in other, more fundamental ways.