Fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe

[JD]

I just don't see them continuing the EU after the new movies come out. But I find it hard to believe that they'll just end it. I'm hoping that they'll do some kind of a big epic ending to the whole post-RotJ continuity, before going back to start over immediately post-RoTJ

 

[DarKush]

For the people who accuse Lucas of racism... what do they think of the fact that he married an African American woman?

So? Just because he married a black woman doesn't absolve him of any negative ideas he might harbor regarding black people as a whole. Maybe she's the "exceptional" one who isn't like "the rest". Nor does it necessarily grant him any special insight into black history or the black experience. It might make him more sensitive to that, maybe. However I don't know if he was dating his wife at the time he created Jar Jar Binks.

Personally, I think Lucas means well, with his donation to the MLK memorial and his Red Tails film, but I also think that Jar Jar Binks was a racist caricature. I am black and when I saw Jar Jar for the first time I immediately felt something was off about him and the "meesa, yousa" stuff was racially insensitive. Do I think that Lucas meant to be? Not really. However he seemed tone deaf and he thought it was funny, and so he assumed other people would too. That didn't turn out to be the case for many reasons.

Another thing-not related to you comment, but another one-it really bothers me when some folks try to say that anyone pointing out racism or potentially racist comments or portrayals is the real racist. I don't think that kind of denial and deflection helps explore these issues at all. It goes back to a tit-for-tat, zero sum game kind of game.

 

[Mr Light]

I'd like to think that George Lucas is like Michael Jackson... living sealed off in his bubble of isolated wealth, he develops a child-like innocence separate from the real world and doesn't realize that the things he's doing are outrageous to normal people...

 

[Set Harth]

Just because he married a black woman doesn't absolve him of any negative ideas he might harbor regarding black people as a whole.

Speculation is worth precisely nothing here. By the same token, Lucas isn't racist just because of other people's negative ideas.

Another thing-not related to you comment, but another one-it really bothers me when some folks try to say that anyone pointing out racism or potentially racist comments or portrayals is the real racist.

If Jar Jar's speech reminds me of anyone in the real world, it's the Olsen twins from Full House. It's baby-talk. I interact with black men all the time, and none of them speak in annoyingly high-pitched baby-talk or walk like Jar Jar, nor are they cowering, klutzy pussies like Jar Jar. Thus, I view with suspicion anyone who watches Jar Jar and thinks "that reminds me of a black man". Not to mention that the performance was created by a black man.

 

[The Wormhole]

To me, the books count over any movie. Hopefully, even if the movies decide to ignore them, they'll be treated like the Star Trek books, where the universe in the books are allowed to continue regardless of what the movies do to the franchise.

It's a bit different than that isn't it? The only reason Star Trek novels have continued unaffected by the Abrams movies is because those movies are a completely different continuity to the Star Trek the novels are based on. The new Star Wars movies are in the same continuity that the novels are based on, and there's no way Disney is going to require Abrams to stay consistent with over twenty years worth of novel continuity.

While I don't want to sound like a pessimist predicting the end of the EU, the coming movies are going to have a significant impact on it.

 

[Relayer1]

To me, the books count over any movie. Hopefully, even if the movies decide to ignore them, they'll be treated like the Star Trek books, where the universe in the books are allowed to continue regardless of what the movies do to the franchise.

It's a bit different than that isn't it? The only reason Star Trek novels have continued unaffected by the Abrams movies is because those movies are a completely different continuity to the Star Trek the novels are based on. The new Star Wars movies are in the same continuity that the novels are based on, and there's no way Disney is going to require Abrams to stay consistent with over twenty years worth of novel continuity.

While I don't want to sound like a pessimist predicting the end of the EU, the coming movies are going to have a significant impact on it.

Whilst the new movies may well borrow some characters and even events from the EU, the powers that be won't hesitate to trample all over the novel continuity. No director worth his salt would ever sign up for that and the rights holders wouldn't want them to.

The instructions will be along the lines of 'be true to the other movies and shows, make the best film you can and make us a shed load of money'.

You can agonise about the EU as much as you want, but it's not that it isn't getting enough consideration. It isn't even a consideration...

 

[Lindley]

I think the major events and characters of the EU might be retained. Thrawn, the Jedi Academy, and the Vong War are sufficiently high-profile, for instance, that they might get consideration.

The minor details are far less likely to be respected.

 

[lennier1]

The books and comics never really caught my interest, but the game storyline around the adventures of Kyle Katarn, Jan Ors and Mara Jade has become one of my favorite facets.

 

[kirk55555]

To me, the books count over any movie.

That's precisely backwards.

not because of some moron who thinks a racist bunny is funny

Any racism to be found is probably on the part of anyone who observes Jar Jar and thinks "that reminds me of black people".

Just to be clear, the racist bunny comment was a joke. While I do believe that Lucas is a bad writer, I don’t think he’s a racist. He probably thought Jar jar was a good idea, but I think that is just another example of how he’s an idiot, not racist.

As for the EU stuff, honestly, I’m sure some things will be trampled over. I just hope its only retconing things they want to over just rebooting the whole thing. Either way I’ll only count the pre-abrams stuff as Continuity, but if writers could make some of the stupid stuff Lucas introduced actually interesting, then hopefully not even abrams and the writer can completely destroy what I love about Star Wars. Then again, no one has written anything interesting based off of JJ Trek, but that was written by the people who did Transformers, its completely unsalvageable. Hopefully with Star Wars we’ll get a writer who actually has the ability to write a good story. Looking online, apparently Michael Arndt is writing it. From his apparently fairly limited work (8 movies) I can see he worked on Toy story 3, which I actually liked (Pixar tends to make a good deal of movies that are enjoyable even if you aren’t a kid, although it helped that the original Toy story came out when I was five so I was attached to the franchise anyway). So, atleast this has a chance.

Regardless of what happens, I’m just going to hope for the best (for the EU, when it comes to the movie I’m not sure even a good writer can compensate for JJ Abrams complete lack of ability to do anything good, although I really want to get surprised with that). Until there is official, final word on the subject, I’m just going to stay positive and hope that, 3+ years from now, we’re still getting Star Wars books that build on the old Star Wars books, not JJ Wars.

 

[Lindley]

The books and comics never really caught my interest, but the game storyline around the adventures of Kyle Katarn, Jan Ors and Mara Jade has become one of my favorite facets.

Kyle's an interesting case. He started as a game character (in Dark Forces), but later became a major player in the novels as well. I'm not sure if the novels have done anything with Jan, though.

For a long time Mara was a pure book character, but I am aware she's made it into a few games.

 

[AviTrek]

I think the major events and characters of the EU might be retained. Thrawn, the Jedi Academy, and the Vong War are sufficiently high-profile, for instance, that they might get consideration.

The minor details are far less likely to be respected.

Nothing in the EU is high profile enough compared to the movies. If the event fits with the story they want for the movie, then it will be kept, otherwise it will be tossed. Based on actor ages, odds are the movies will start after the new republic era, but if that history doesn't make sense for the movie then they'll ignore it. And they won't want to tie their hands with future events like the Vong war.

 

[Takeru]

I almost hope they introduce the Yuuzhan Vong, a species of fluffy catlike creatures as pets for Luke's daughter Bunny Skywalker and Leia's and Han's twins Leo and Hana Organa just to see kirk55555's meltdown.

Seriously, they won't have a problem tossing the entire old EU, on Disney's yearly revenue chart it's probably somewhere below Spider-Man underwear, i.e. it makes them money but not enough to give it any consideration when it comes to the important stuff like a movie that will easily make a billion dollars.

 

[Relayer1]

I almost hope they introduce the Yuuzhan Vong, a species of fluffy catlike creatures as pets for Luke's daughter Bunny Skywalker and Leia's and Han's twins Leo and Hana Organa just to see kirk55555's meltdown.

You are bad.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

"Hana Organa".

 

[milo bloom]

And I seriously doubt that they'll continue to do the old EU continuity. If they killed Anakin Solo to prevent reader confusion with Anakin Skywalker... do you really think they'll allow two simultaneous and contradictory continuities being published?

Please tell me that's not the really reason Anakin Solo was killed...

 

[CorporalCaptain]

When The Empire Strikes Back was released, the continuity of the EU, as it was at the time, was superseded. So, been there, done that, pretty much from the get-go. I still invest in reading and enjoying EU material. I really don't give two shits whether it's consistent with the films.

For that matter, I really don't care whether the films are consistent with the films. Greedo got shot from under the table, and he himself never even got a shot off. May the Force be with you, bros.

 

[Mr Light]

<<Please tell me that's not the really reason Anakin Solo was killed... >>

Enh, yes and no...

http://tosche-station.net/mythbusting-did-george-lucas-order-anakin-solos-death/

 

[Set Harth]

The only reason Star Trek novels have continued unaffected by the Abrams movies is because those movies are a completely different continuity to the Star Trek the novels are based on.

Technically, the same overall continuity, just a different timeline.

 

[The Wormhole]

Until there is official, final word on the subject, I’m just going to stay positive and hope that, 3+ years from now, we’re still getting Star Wars books that build on the old Star Wars books, not JJ Wars.

If Star Trek is any kind of precedent, there won't be any novels based on the Abrams Star Wars movie. Though who knows how the novel line will continue after the Abrams movie is released.

 

[Relayer1]

I'm hoping for a brand new EU Keeping a few of the characters (I rather think Mara Jade will make it to the new continuity) that will rekindle my interest...