New Star Wars animated show "Rebels" coming fall 2014

[Reverend]

I think if any character is likely to make the transition from EU to the movies or the upcoming TV show, it'd be Mara Jade.

Actually already from what little we know of the new show, there's what seems to be a perfect way to introduce Mara Jade, either as a one-off or a recurring character. With an antagonist like the Inquisitor, it would seem natural to give him Jade as an apprentice/assistant and I kind of like the imagery of him and a young Mara Jade being a dark reflection of Anakin & Ashoka.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Yep. It doesn't significantly alter the film, but it still lets longtime fans know that the filmmakers are aware enough about the lore of the franchise to add in those easter eggs.

 

[Mr Light]

Let's put it another way: do you think JJ Abrams or Lawrence Kasdan have ever read an EU novel or comic?

 

[cooleddie74]

Maybe. Maybe not. How do we know? Hell, I know hardcore SW fans who don't care for EU books and graphic novels and others who read almost everything that gets published. Kasdan helped create both Empire and Jedi before this new one and has been involved in the franchise off-and-on for over three decades. Maybe he has? And J.J.'s admitted to being a SW fan even moreso than Trek.

In the nearly 23 years since the Thrawn Trilogy was first launched in bookstores I'd say it's possible one or both have leafed through at least one EU novel seeing how many others have that haven't worked on a Star Wars project.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I'd say it's almost certain that they've been exposed to the EU since signing on for this project. If there's truth to the reports that Star Wars wants to bring all of its media into one continuity/canon then yeah, I'd say there will be some EU elements in the film. And, too, why wouldn't they at least make themselves aware of what has been written about the post-OT GFFA - if only to see what others have done, to get inspiration, or even to be sure their product is significantly different.

It's much more likely that they are aware of the bigger elements of the EU (Mara Jade, for example), than not.

 

[cooleddie74]

Shadows of the Empire had a huge multimedia campaign back in 1996 that included the smash novel, a Nintendo 64 video game cartridge, about half a dozen different, unique action figures that were sold in all major store chains and even a soundtrack CD with completely original tracks to accompany the chapters, themes and tone of the book. After Shadows premiered to such success and widespread knowledge it's hard to believe that J.J. and Lawrence haven't read at least one EU story over the years, before or since.

You can't cough these days without hacking all over a brand new SW novel being released on a bookshelf, hardcover or otherwise.

 

[Takeru]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear - that's my point. Why not call her Mara Jade, especially if she's a sarcastic ass-kicker (and why wouldn't she be?)?

Because it's funnier to watch the meltdowns of hardcore EU fans if it's contradicted and thrown out.

If they use Mara Jade I hope she's killed off before she meets Luke.

 

[Christopher]

Let's put it another way: do you think JJ Abrams or Lawrence Kasdan have ever read an EU novel or comic?

They won't be the only people working on the film, though. Abrams isn't a major Trek fan, but his collaborators Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof are, and they were the ones who brought in all the continuity references and drew a few ideas from the books (chiefly the first names of Kirk's parents and Uhura). In this case, it's possible that Abrams and Kasdan will have collaborators who are familiar with the Star Wars EU and able to suggest characters and species that could be worth using. A lot of people contribute to the creation of a movie.

 

[Set Harth]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear - that's my point. Why not call her Mara Jade, especially if she's a sarcastic ass-kicker (and why wouldn't she be?)?

I have a bad feeling about this...

 

[cooleddie74]

The whole "Emperor's Hand" assassin thing won't make much sense since she was never seen in the OT and never referenced in any work of the Lucas universe until the '90s, but perhaps they could make her a former bounty hunter or smuggler of some kind who met Luke in the years following the Battle of Endor and they fell in love.

 

[Thestral]

^ To be fair we didn't see a whole lot of the Empire in the OT. "Reformed assassin" works just as well as ex-bounty hunter.

Because it's funnier to watch the meltdowns of hardcore EU fans if it's contradicted and thrown out.

Wellll.... any legit reason?

They won't be the only people working on the film, though. Abrams isn't a major Trek fan, but his collaborators Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof are, and they were the ones who brought in all the continuity references and drew a few ideas from the books (chiefly the first names of Kirk's parents and Uhura). In this case, it's possible that Abrams and Kasdan will have collaborators who are familiar with the Star Wars EU and able to suggest characters and species that could be worth using. A lot of people contribute to the creation of a movie.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I can't find the article, but I read somewhere that everything from four years after ROTJ and beyond was going out the window.

 

[cooleddie74]

Makes one wonder if the Truce at Bakura will get mentioned at all. It happens almost immediately after the victory at Endor and the deaths of Vader and the Emperor and is considered a major historical event in the formation of the New Republic.

 

[Takeru]

Wellll.... any legit reason?

Nope, I don't know enough about her to have a real opinion. At the moment I'm just evil.

The new series takes place between episodes 3 and 4, right? Have they said anything about the exact time frame? I hope it's at least 14 years after episode 3, the should take place before and in the later seasons between the original trilogy..

 

[cooleddie74]

^
Almost halfway between the two. Approximately 10 years before A New Hope according to the production team in a recent video interview.

 

[Reverend]

The whole "Emperor's Hand" assassin thing won't make much sense since she was never seen in the OT and never referenced in any work of the Lucas universe until the '90s, but perhaps they could make her a former bounty hunter or smuggler of some kind who met Luke in the years following the Battle of Endor and they fell in love.

That's the thing about covert operatives...they're good at not being noticed, yes?

Besides, like I pointed out, if (and I stress 'IF') they want to build Jade's profile prior to the new trilogy (assuming they even use her at all) then 'Rebels' presents a perfectly logical way to do so.

 

[cooleddie74]

It might be fun and interesting to see her in Rebels and raise public awareness of her character, especially if the EU is being rebooted/rewritten and much of what she was in the old books will no longer apply to canon. Start her out as a little or teenage girl in the new show, perhaps, so her age will more or less align with Luke's by the time they'd meet.

 

[Reverend]

It's also a neat way to address how Palpatine dealt with force sensitiveness born after, or right around the purge. It's a bit impractical and wasteful to kill them all outright as soon as they're detected, but on the other hand he could hardly risk giving them full Sith training, so the idea that he scooped up those that he could find and use them as special agents with only rudimentary force training makes perfect sense.

They're close enough to keep an eye on, but not so close as to present a threat, all the while providing a pool from which to pick any possible replacement for Vader should the need arise.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if they made Jade's back story that she was one of the few Jedi younglings to survive the initial slaughter. Her extreme young age at the time would make her much easier to indoctrinate than a full Padawan.

 

[kitik]

I like the idea of introducing a young Mara Jade (and other characters too apparently) in Rebels and then showing us an older version a year later in Episode 7. It's a great way to build a more connected universe.


Sometimes when I missed Clone Wars, I could watch episodes on starwars.com. Anyone heard one way or the other if that might be an option for Rebels too?

 

[cooleddie74]

I wish I knew for sure because I'd already have that site bookmarked. YouTube pulled new episodes of Clone Wars within days or even hours of somebody posting them so unless your timing is excellent after an episode of Rebels first airs then I just don't know. Maybe starwars.com, but then they might operate differently in the wake of the new series being produced and the Disney takeover.

The first person who finds out: please let everyone else in the forums know. For some of us online viewing may be our only option.