Lucasfilm announces a new direction for the Star Wars EU

[AgentCoop]

Agreed. And people seem to forget that this new trilogy still comes from Lucas's original story that he dreamt up decades ago.

If Abrams was creating a new story completely from scratch (as with the Trek movies), I'd probably be worried as well, but that's not what is happening here. At the most, he and Kasdan have probably just changed some of the details of Lucas's story here and there, and improved the action and characters.

Also, critics and haters tend to forget one important element:

Lawrence Kasdan.

The man who helped craft both Empire and Jedi and make both movies as good or even epic as they are. Kasdan knows what he's doing and he's a 35-year veteran of the Lucas universe. The participation of a man who played a critical role in making two of the three films in the Original Trilogy will be nothing but a good thing for the story of Episode VII.

This. So much. The man probably had more influence on the OT than anyone besides Lucas himself. And, incedentally, he also helped write Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Kasdan's involvement is one of the key reasons why I'm so optimistic about the future of the franchise.

 

[Campe]

Just because he sold Lucasfilm and is no longer in the director's chair doesn't mean he won't pull rank if he feels he has to.

True but hopefully not to the extent he did with Richard Marquand on Jedi.

 

[ATimson]

Soooo... this epic end all, be all, Borg of the Star Wars universe, villain that they created, and had the storyline that killed off two central characters really had no bearing going forward?

Troy Denning wanted to make everything look like the prequels; the Vong had to go so that Coruscant could be rebuilt & get a replica Jedi Temple.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Isn't George Lucas the high-ranking executive consultant for the Sequel Trilogy, anyways? He might not own his company anymore and he's not directing the new films, but he's the creator of this entire geeky mess we call Star Wars - he's gonna have some say over what Abrams does and step in if and when he feels J.J. isn't doing something in the tradition or spirit of the preceding films.

Just because he sold Lucasfilm and is no longer in the director's chair doesn't mean he won't pull rank if he feels he has to.

I think he came up with the original story, that's about it. It's really for the best, Lucas is a great idea man and works best when others develop his ideas into a movie. Giving him more control hasn't had the best track record.

The other weird thing is the idea being pushed by some that Abrams will simply be able to do whatever he like - that is never the case with a corporate franchise like this.

Disney has done a great job with Marvel. The group in charge of those movies have made a great series of movies that work perfectly alone and the stakes are raised when you see what they are building to. If Star Wars is run like the Marvel movies, we have nothing to worry about.

I don't know why anyone could be upset given that Disney has rescued Star Wars from George Lucas who turned them into a CG cartoon written for 6 years old combined with dull exposition about prophesies and trade negotiations.

Any complaint I had about the Abrams Trek films were due to them feeling more like Star Wars than Star Trek, now he's making a Star Wars that should feel like Star Wars. Which is something we haven't had since the 80s.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I don't know why anyone could be upset given that Disney has rescued Star Wars from George Lucas who turned them into a CG cartoon written for 6 years old combined with dull exposition about prophesies and trade negotiations.

I thought you were attacking Clone Wars for a minute there.

 

[Jedi Ben]

Oh, so this bomb went off here too?

 

[British Khan]

Oh, so this bomb went off here too?

Bomb?

 

[Enterprise1701]

I guess now I hope that Chewbacca doesn't die for a long time and that if Jacen Solo is brought into this continuity then he won't become Darth Caedus.

 

[JarodRussell]

I would love to see Joe Flanigan involved. Every time I watch an episode of Stargate Atlantis, it's just amazing how much reminds me of Harrison Ford. But he's too old to play Han Solo's son.

 

[Relayer1]

Disney has done a great job with Marvel. The group in charge of those movies have made a great series of movies that work perfectly alone and the stakes are raised when you see what they are building to. If Star Wars is run like the Marvel movies, we have nothing to worry about.

I don't know why anyone could be upset given that Disney has rescued Star Wars from George Lucas who turned them into a CG cartoon written for 6 years old combined with dull exposition about prophesies and trade negotiations.

Any complaint I had about the Abrams Trek films were due to them feeling more like Star Wars than Star Trek, now he's making a Star Wars that should feel like Star Wars. Which is something we haven't had since the 80s.

This.

And you must remember, Disney isn't the pile of crud they used to be. Not so long ago, they saw the writing was on the wall - all they had was a name, a sh!tload of money and a complete inability to make anything anyone wanted to see. The agreement with Pixar expiring might have been their death knell.

Purchasing Pixar changed Disney more than Pixar - Lassiter and Co. got senior positions at Disney and purchasing Marvel has also been a great move. Star Wars is the icing on their cake and you'd have to presume they'll treat it with at least the same care and attention as they have with their other acquisitions...

 

[sojourner]

I would love to see Joe Flanigan involved. Every time I watch an episode of Stargate Atlantis, it's just amazing how much reminds me of Harrison Ford. But he's too old to play Han Solo's son.

Did you see him on last weeks Metal Hurlant on SyFy?

 

[Set Harth]

Oh, so this bomb went off here too?

Bomb?

Somebody set up us the bomb.

 

[cooleddie74]

Quick: somebody fetch the grainy copy of the opening credits of the Holiday Special.

 

[Jedi Ben]

Oh, so this bomb went off here too?

Bomb?

Yup, it's had an explosive effect across the internet!

 

[kirk55555]

You're making assumptions.

Which is precisely what you're doing because Disney now owns the show and a director you can't stand was picked to run one chapter of it. You've been doing it all along based on a handful of other movies you didn't like. That's your prerogative, of course, but it's still a list of assumptions.

The problem is that nothing good will ever be made from the SW franchise again, movies or books.

Wrong.

You don't know that, not even remotely. You've thrown the baby out with the (allegedly filthy) bath water before you even took a close look. If it sucks and is a major disappointment for the fanbase, isn't it wiser to wait until the movie is, you know, released so you can watch it and know for sure?

"Who stops paying attention to a franchise because corporate idiots now run it?" Who judges a film and the entire future of a franchise almost two whole years before that film even premieres and before the new chapter of the franchise can even get off the ground? We're just on Chapter 1 of the new story and you already know how the huge, multi-volume narrative ends because you don't like the author and are skeptical of the publishing company.

No one will ever match what the EU did. The characters I enjoy will never be replaced, and no new ones will even approach them. Having a complete hack writing/directing the movies is just another nail in the coffin for the SW franchise. They are literally throwing out the majority of why I'm a SW fan. Like I've said, the 3 good movies are nice, but they didn't make me a big SW fan, the EU did. I'd prefer no new movies and the old EU intact and continuing. I've never wanted more movies set after ROTJ anyway, because they'd only cause problems for the best thing to come from Lucas' universe.

So, I'm not wrong, at least when it comes to myself. They have literally just announced that everything I like about Star Wars is gone. The franchise is completely dead. I have no desire to see a corporate reboot of a once great franchise, if I wanted something new I'd read something not called "Star Wars". Star Wars is gone, Disney/JJ Wars is coming. Enjoy it if you like, I have to deal with the fact that the Star Wars name is going to be attached to complete crap from now on, in every form of media. I'll read/watch where it doesn't cost me anything, but just to see how badly the corpse of Star Wars is getting dragged through the mud.

<snip>... and nothing even 1/1000th as good as the worst of the EU or movies will ever be made.

See, you totally lose me here. They are apparently using the same EU writers going forward. Why do you believe that suddenly their writing is going to go to crap, and they will all of a sudden no longer be able to create new characters that you'll love?

Yes, I understand you hate Abrams with a passion, and that you are angry that the old EU is being discontinued, but, if the same writers will be writing why can't they create new characters that you'll love?

Because even the best writers can't turn poo into gold. Its a corporate universe based now, and its strictly limited by whatever the Abrams movies and the corporate minions want. Lucas generally didn't get involved in the EU. Sure, sometimes he and people close to him stupidly contradicted it, and did one or two stupid things to it on purpose, but generally it was left to do as it wanted as long as it didn't screw with specific things the tV shows/movies were involved with.

Disney just wants to make it corporate friendly, and almost certainly watered down for the fans who don't regularly read anyway. My favorite SW writers would be no match for Disney. They worked when they weren't put on a leash by interfering, incompetent corporate minions. No good writer can work in the environment Disney is setting up. I don't begrudge good authors writing for Disney Wars (its their job to write) but its all guaranteed to be horrible. It literally doesn't matter who is writing what, the whole universe is broken by the very concept of rebooting it to go with JJ/Disney Wars movies.

Abrams pile of s$%t TV show doesn't even deserve the space in my brain that is used to know that it exists. I've never seen it

Really?

Seriously, is it JUST me that finds that statement confusing?

What's confusing? Everything Abrams done is crap, and I feel like space in my brain is being wasted by me even knowing that he made a show called Alias. I don't need to see it to hold that opinion, because its something made by JJ Abrams. Plus, Orci & Kurtzman (who I honestly hate more than Abrams) worked on it too apparently, so that means its probably JJ Trek levels of horrible.

 

[AgentCoop]

Disney has done a great job with Marvel. The group in charge of those movies have made a great series of movies that work perfectly alone and the stakes are raised when you see what they are building to. If Star Wars is run like the Marvel movies, we have nothing to worry about.

I don't know why anyone could be upset given that Disney has rescued Star Wars from George Lucas who turned them into a CG cartoon written for 6 years old combined with dull exposition about prophesies and trade negotiations.

Any complaint I had about the Abrams Trek films were due to them feeling more like Star Wars than Star Trek, now he's making a Star Wars that should feel like Star Wars. Which is something we haven't had since the 80s.

This.

And you must remember, Disney isn't the pile of crud they used to be. Not so long ago, they saw the writing was on the wall - all they had was a name, a sh!tload of money and a complete inability to make anything anyone wanted to see. The agreement with Pixar expiring might have been their death knell.

Purchasing Pixar changed Disney more than Pixar - Lassiter and Co. got senior positions at Disney and purchasing Marvel has also been a great move. Star Wars is the icing on their cake and you'd have to presume they'll treat it with at least the same care and attention as they have with their other acquisitions...

Agreed. It is absolutely ludicrous to think that Disney spent FOUR BILLION DOLLARS on a franchise only to turn around and not care about it's fans. STAR WARS FANS ARE WHY IT WAS WORTH FOUR BILLION DOLLARS IN THE FIRST PLACE. Disney execs may be a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. Make no mistake, Star Wars was a GIGANTIC investment for Disney. They don't plan on burning through a couple of movies before people give up on the property. THEY WANT IT TO BE AS GOOD AS IT POSSIBLY CAN BE. Therein lies profits. MASSIVE profits. The idea that Disney purchased this property as some kind of quick-cash-turnaround is just silly. They are in this for the long haul, and they are deeply invested in the future of the franchise.

 

[Set Harth]

Mark has been spotted growing a beard, it's all good!

 

[cooleddie74]

I for one wouldn't mind seeing Mark go with the "aging Obi-Wan mentor role" look, complete with appropriate brown or tan robes. It would help give Luke more gravitas and authority over new, much younger Jedi trainees, and as we know from the OT Luke was anything but physically imposing and dripping with the aura of seniority.

 

[Skywalker]

Oh, so this bomb went off here too?

Bomb?

Yup, it's had an explosive effect across the internet!

I can only imagine the clusterfuck that the Jedi Council Forums at TheForce.net have become since the announcement was made...

 

[sojourner]

What's confusing? Everything Abrams done is crap, and I feel like space in my brain is being wasted by me even knowing that he made a show called Alias. I don't need to see it to hold that opinion, because its something made by JJ Abrams. Plus, Orci & Kurtzman (who I honestly hate more than Abrams) worked on it too apparently, so that means its probably JJ Trek levels of horrible.

LOL, this is almost verbatim what you said about Christopher Nolan's work. Remind us again what you thought of Memento when you finally broke down and saw it?