Star Wars Books Thread

[DarKush]

I don't have much more to say on this when it comes to the EU topic. Adaptations generally don't take everything that's in the source material. Perhaps I have not made that clear enough in my previous posts. And if we have many other movie adaptations of previously published works, I don't see why making movies off a preexisting EU can't be done. Disney chose to do otherwise, but it doesn't mean the idea is not feasible or that there aren't precedents.

Disney/Lucasfilm didn't go that route, and they had some legitimate reasons for not incorporating all or most of the EU into the continuing universe of stories they wanted to tell. There can be the continuity issue, there is also the opportunity to sell more new stories, and other merchandise to old fans and also whatever new and willing fans Disney Star Wars will bring in.

I was pointing out that the idea of adapting the EU is not ludicrous or impossible to do, though Disney chose to go another way. Personally I enjoyed the EU's take on the post-ROTJ scene more than what we have gotten from the sequel films thus far. And I think we've already seen some small adaptations of EU material already in the new Disney Star Wars, it's just not wholesale.

 

[fireproof78]

I was pointing out that the idea of adapting the EU is not ludicrous or impossible to do, though Disney chose to go another way.

I certainly did not think that it was, only that I thought the benefits did not outweigh the costs and that I totally understand where LFL and the like were coming from, largely because it was consistent with Lucas' position on the EU for a long while now. As such, it came as no surprise to me.

 

[The Wormhole]

Adaptations generally don't take everything that's in the source material.

But if they're adapting stories and making changes, the new movies are still overriding the novels anyway, which in the end still means abandoning the EU continuity. Again the whole "#1 sells better than #47" thing. New Star Wars movie gets people interested. New Star Wars movie based on New Jedi Order novel series, not so much.

 

[JD]

After seeing Solo I'm definitely looking forward to reading Most Wanted, Last Shot, and Beckett a lot more than I was before.

 

[fireproof78]

After seeing Solo I'm definitely looking forward to reading Most Wanted, Last Shot, and Beckett a lot more than I was before.

Definitely. I walked in being less interested in Solo than just a fun ride and walked out actually interested in Han Solo as a character.

I know. I was shocked too.

 

[JD]

Oh, I forgot about the Lando & L3 comic miniseries that started today.

 

[The Wormhole]

My copy of Most Wanted (a Solo prequel novel centering on Han and Qi'ra) arrived in the mail today, and right off the bat I'm surprised this is actually a novel, nearly 400 pages long. For some reason, I thought it was going to be more a short hundred or so page novella.

 

[JD]

StarWars.com has announced that one of their regular contributors, Amy Ratcliffe, has a new book coming out called Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy. It will focus on the 75 female characters from all aspects of the franchise, and will feature text by Ratcliffe and new artwork by Alice X. Zhang, Amy Beth Christenson, Annie Stoll, Annie Wu, Christina Chung, Cryssy Cheung, Eli Baum, Elsa Charretier, Geneva B., Jen Aberin Johnson, Jen Bartel, Jenny Parks, Karen Hallion, Little Corvus, Sara Alfageeh, Sara Kipin, Sarah Wilkinson, and Viviane Tanner.
The SW.com article also features an interview with Amy Ratcliffe about the book.
It will be released in hardcover this October.
Star Wars has had some great kickass women in it over the years, so this has a lot of potential.

 

[JD]

I finished reading Marvel's Han Solo last night and I really enjoyed it. It had nice art, a great characterization of Han, and a good story.

 

[fireproof78]

StarWars.com has announced that one of their regular contributors, Amy Ratcliffe, has a new book coming out called Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy. It will focus on the 75 female characters from all aspects of the franchise, and will feature text by Ratcliffe and new artwork by Alice X. Zhang, Amy Beth Christenson, Annie Stoll, Annie Wu, Christina Chung, Cryssy Cheung, Eli Baum, Elsa Charretier, Geneva B., Jen Aberin Johnson, Jen Bartel, Jenny Parks, Karen Hallion, Little Corvus, Sara Alfageeh, Sara Kipin, Sarah Wilkinson, and Viviane Tanner.
The SW.com article also features an interview with Amy Ratcliffe about the book.
It will be released in hardcover this October.
Star Wars has had some great kickass women in it over the years, so this has a lot of potential.

Hoping Dr. Aphra gets in there as well as:

Spoiler: Solo Spoilers

As well as more Enfys Nest.

 

[Reverend]

Hoping Dr. Aphra gets in there as well as:

Spoiler: Solo Spoilers

As well as more Enfys Nest.

I'd be astonished if both of those don't make it in, particularly since they're including some fairly minor characters from the recent books, and Aphra has her own comic book title, which probably makes her easily the "biggest" non-movie, non-animation character in the new canon material.

As for the latter: the article did say they're including Solo, and there's only a handful of female characters in that movie, so it seems like a safe bet.

 

[fireproof78]

I'd be astonished if both of those don't make it in, particularly since they're including some fairly minor characters from the recent books, and Aphra has her own comic book title, which probably makes her easily the "biggest" non-movie, non-animation character in the new canon material.

As for the latter: the article did say they're including Solo, and there's only a handful of female characters in that movie, so it seems like a safe bet.

That would be nice. Dr. Aphra is probably one of my favorite minor characters.

 

[Reverend]

That would be nice. Dr. Aphra is probably one of my favorite minor characters.

Of the new characters, probably mine too...her cruelty towards genetically engineered tookas notwithstanding...

 

[fireproof78]

Of the new characters, probably mine too...her cruelty towards genetically engineered tookas notwithstanding...

She developing has her darker sides.

 

[suarezguy]

I know I've said it like a million times before, but that tiered canon system was asinine. By sheer definition, the word canon implies a binary state. Something either is, or it is not. In or out. Yes or no. That's the whole point of the very concept of canon. There's no gradient of probability, no asterisks, addendums or exceptions. Everything else is by definition, apocryphal.

But it's not just binary when the products by Lucas themselves contradict each other and there are new versions of the same work, I guess you could consider only the latest version to be canon (weird but OK that the earlier versions are only part canon or noncanon) but even with the latest versions there are still contradictions.

Honestly, I've never understood why some fans get obsessed with attaching value to something based purely on it's canonical status.

Value isn't purely from that status but it feels a little cheap for a company to say "Buy this, enjoy this further adventure set in the fictional universe, enjoy something that contradicts it later on too."

 

[suarezguy]

Again, it has nothing to do with the story group. Whoever is or is not in charge, the only sane move to make in the event of new post RotJ Star Wars movies. Both from a creative and a business standpoint it would have been *insane* to do otherwise.

You can have new movies, or more EU novels. Not both and I think we know that the former is what the majority of Star Wars fans would prefer and would make the company the most money in the short and long run.

Well Marvel didn't cancel the original Spider-Man comic and just have the close-to-the-movies Ultimate version after the Raimi film was released even though the movies had a bigger audience. Comics are a niche and so are the SW novels although I guess them being alternate versions of the same universe could have made the EU novels even more niche and a lot more confusing.

And no, just adapting the Thrawn Trilogy wouldn't have worked as (ignoring the actor's ages for a second) while they're OK books, they'd make for three very shitty and repetitive movies, or one very pointless movie. Skipping over it and setting the new trilogy *after* the EU books would be even less of a brilliant idea since you then lumber it with 30+ years of continuity that less than 3% of the movie going audience is going to have more than just the vaguest notion of, let alone actually give a shit about.

I don't see how it would have to be a lot of cumbersome exposition (the audience expects there to be some changes and developments after decades have passed). Luke founded and trained a set of Jedi that once were beloved by the galaxy but have become a lot more controversial. Luke could be married or not if it was set after his wife's death (him having a son of his own might be too much though). Leia was once in charge of the government, isn't anymore, and she and Han have a child or two that Luke trained to be Jedi (and the daughter Jaina is also a pilot). The Imperials have become a small remnant, went through moderating reforms and now get along pretty well with the New Republic.

 

[Tuskin38]

There is no room for creativity with that.

 

[fireproof78]

I don't see how it would have to be a lot of cumbersome exposition (the audience expects there to be some changes and developments after decades have passed). Luke founded and trained a set of Jedi that once were beloved by the galaxy but have become a lot more controversial. Luke could be married or not if it was set after his wife's death (him having a son of his own might be too much though). Leia was once in charge of the government, isn't anymore, and she and Han have a child or two that Luke trained to be Jedi (and the daughter Jaina is also a pilot). The Imperials have become a small remnant, went through moderating reforms and now get along pretty well with the New Republic.

You may not see it, but this isn't just about cumbersome exposition. It's also about audience expectations. The negative reaction to Thrawn and Luke and others in recent stories is illustrative of that. Han not smuggling spice is another point of contention. There are little details that years and years of books have built up, as well as characters and storylines that may well have to be discarded that won't sit right with some.

What that becomes is automatically restrictive to the writers, in addition to the other rules of the world. So, no flexibility, no way to be creative and increasing audience expectations. It's a no win situation for the production team and they don't want that.

 

[Kor]

And as long as we're complaining about long-established "facts" from the old EU that ended up going by the wayside, Chewbacca is supposed to owe Han a life debt!



Kor

 

[Tuskin38]

He does, it hasn’t been brought up in the movies yet, but has in the books.