Share your favorite Star Wars memories

[Veef]

I mean every element is used towards making a cohesive product in the form of a movie. Taking smaller elements of the whole package and fleshing them out into longer stories doesn't really work.

I think comparing it to Gundam doesn't really work because that's a franchise which is geared towards making 40-50 episode TV shows as the central focus. I'd argue they have more substance in a sense because their stories are larger to begin with.

[Darksi4190]

Some stories have successfully fleshed out elements of the SW universe, like the X-wing novels providing a glimpse into the galaxy's pilot culture.

I think the problem with a lot of the supplementary material is that the writers don't just say "Ok, here's an element of the SW universe that was interesting in the films" and attempt to explore it naturally. Too many times they have to try to "re-capture" the feeling of the movies as a whole, usually by shoe-horning in the main trio where they aren't needed, or doing an "epic" series that ends up failing miserably in a lot of places. The more self-contained entries like the Rogue Squadron stuff or the book Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (and seriously i'm never going to stop plugging that book. It's fucking awesome. Go read it right now) usually end up being great or at least entertaining.

[Crazedwraith]

mindor was like the shittiest of Stover's novels for me.

[Ralin]

Mostly I think it's a matter of Star Wars being all about implying a larger universe without ever painting in the details. When we first saw the original trilogy we had no idea what the fuck Vader being the Dark Lord of the Sith meant, or what Han was talking about when he said the Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs or what the hell the Clone Wars was about, and odds are good neither did Lucas. And it didn't matter, because one thing that is part of Lucas' strengths as a writer is hinting at a bigger world just enough that it tickles our imaginations and makes feel like there are all sorts of awesome things happening in the background, even though we never see it or hear more than a passing reference to them.

Truthfully, I think that's why there's a fundamental conflict between what makes the movies good and what makes for good EU novels. The novels are all about filling in the details and telling us what was happening off-screen, and however good the result may be it's always going to kill the magic when you get a definite answer.

[RogueIce]

I can't hate Karen Traviss, not when Lucas low-balled the number of clones that Kamino was churning out in Attack of the Clones. Yeah yeah the dialogue was about 'units', but most of the time unit = 1 of something. Like anytime someone says we have x number of units it usually means 1 of something. If the character was talking platoons, companies, regiments, he should have fucking said that. At the very best interpretation all you can really say is that it was ambiguous. The fact Karen Traviss interpreted it her way is pretty much her prerogative as the author. Too much hate flowed towards her IMO.

Which is not to say I think she's a great writer or anything. I'm sure she's terrible. But people were acting like she committed some grave sin.

As for episode 7, I'm not overly optimistic but I'll give it a shot. It might be better than the prequels, but quite frankly that shouldn't be hard.

For me, the 3 million clones thing wasn't that big a deal. I mean yeah, I knew it was dumb and silly but whatever, you can always rationalize it away or get a retcon or something like that. Plus it's not the first time something like that went down, as Ralin mentioned with the Katana Fleet.

But it was her reaction to it all that was just...damn. And I'm not even terribly upset over the online shit, because I'm sure the Travissty Brigade shares plenty of blame in that regard. It was when that shit ended up in her novels that really was the last straw there. Order 66 was a total hit job, not just on the Jedi (and sadly not for the reasons it should have been, what with the title and all) but also in regards to her online arguments over the numbers. It was just so incredibly blatant and in your face with all of her repeated references to there not being quintillions of battle droids and her shoveling her Jedi Hate down everybody's throats that was just...her editors let her keep that for reals?

I might have let it slide, but by then I'd read TFU's novel with the problems I had with Starkiller and all that shit so I was just done with the EU at that point and wanted to see it all burn. I've since throttled back on that a bit, but would still rather see Ep7 wipe out most if not all of the post-RotJ EU but for other reasons than just generalized EU hate, but this post is long enough already so maybe I'll get into it later.

I will say now though that much of my feelings on that era have to do with the New Republic looking grossly incompetent, but I'm sure you other Wars nerds know pretty well how that view could come about.

[Bakustra]

I first saw the original trilogy before the special editions even came out, and I was too young to really remember it now. So I have to say that my favorite memory was figuring out the overall meaning of the movies, which is something that's been happening over the last year and a half. Second would be figuring out what the true Jedi path is, which only really came to me a week or two ago. So I'm still finding enjoyment in all of these star wars.

[Bakustra]

This is my new favorite Star Wars memory. Oh, EU.

[Oxymoron]

How many times can one be stabbed in the back ?

[Nietzslime]

If you're Homeless Man, only once.

[Oxymoron]

Did the "True Guild" stab itself in the back ?? How is that even possible ?!

[Veef]

Current medical science can cure up to 15 stab wounds in the back.

[Oxymoron]

That chart is making me go given how little sense it makes out of context.

[RogueIce]

The Bounty Hunter Wars was an awesome trilogy.

[Bakustra]

Did the "True Guild" stab itself in the back ?? How is that even possible ?!

Actually, four things are stabbing themselves in the back- "Ob Fortuna" towards the left end of the chart, the "True Guild" and the "Guild Reform Committee" on the upper end, and "Bossk" is stabbing "Boba Fett and Bossk" in the back towards the lower middle. In addition, one guy is stabbing his balancesheet in the back at the same time that it's doing it to him. I don't understand what's so confusing about this.

That chart is making me go given how little sense it makes out of context.

I don't think it makes sense in context either.

If you're Homeless Man, only once.

Homeless people are notoriously bad at political intrigue, after all.

[The Spartan]

Maybe it would make more sense if we redefined replaced "stab in the back" as with "screwed over"?

[Dooey Jo]

that's a bit ambiguous, it should be replaced with "ask to kindly take off their space pants"

[Glass Fort MacLeod]

Balancesheet, as I recall, was one of the characters in the trilogy. LOL. And I agree with RogueIce - I thought it was one of the better works in the EU (assuming he's not being sarcastic lol.) It was quite distinctive at the time from alot of the EU stuff out there, and even now its distinctive in how its written and what was written about.

Although I think my favorite series is the Wraith Squadron one, because it has the best characterizations of any series. I still tear up over Ton Phanan's death.

[Ralin]

Balancesheet, as I recall, was one of the characters in the trilogy. LOL. And I agree with RogueIce - I thought it was one of the better works in the EU (assuming he's not being sarcastic lol.) It was quite distinctive at the time from alot of the EU stuff out there, and even now its distinctive in how its written and what was written about.

Although I think my favorite series is the Wraith Squadron one, because it has the best characterizations of any series. I still tear up over Ton Phanan's death.

Yeah, I enjoyed the Rogue Squadron books and never really understood all the hate for them, but the Wraith Squadron books were leaps and bounds better and I only wish there were more of them. If anything, I think they're better than the Thrawn trilogy.

EDIT:

And on that note, I just checked Aaron Allston's website to see if he has any new ones in the works and apparently he published an ebook about novel writing earlier this year.

Normally books about writing don't interest me. But if Aaron Allston wrote a phonebook I would read it, so I just bought a copy.

[Darksi4190]

but the Wraith Squadron books were leaps and bounds better and I only wish there were more of them.

Yo

[Crazedwraith]

yeah but is it any good? i am dubious of revivals of long done with stuff.

[Ralin]

Yes, I know, I read it on my 24 hour train ride from Beijing to Shenzhen back in August. Point stands.

Allston was one of the few writers involved in the New Jedi Order who managed to resist the temptation to focus on his pet characters for his parts of the series. This is admirable, but sadly it deprived me of more than a few glimpses of the Wraiths and what they were up to.

yeah but is it any good? i am dubious of revivals of long done with stuff.

It was good. Not as good as the original Wraith Squadron trilogy, but it showed potential as a jumping off point for more Wraith books, even if most of the characters are different now.

Also I teared up when I found out that Kell and Tyria named their daughter Jesmin.

[Crazedwraith]

Waah? The Wraiths were present and reasonably prominent for his parts of NJO.

[Ralin]

Waah? The Wraiths were present and reasonably prominent for his parts of NJO.

Really? I remember some of them appearing a few times and there being references to what the others were doing, but not the story ever really focusing on them as opposed to characters like Luke, Jacen, Jaina, Leia, etc. As opposed to, say, Corran Horn or Kyp Durron.

Of course, it has been a long time since I read them, and I did skip from the part with the sentient planet to the finale because I was getting bored.

[RogueIce]

And I agree with RogueIce - I thought it was one of the better works in the EU (assuming he's not being sarcastic lol.)

No sarcasm, I really do think it's pretty awesome. It's one of the few Bantam series (comparatively) that I still go back to unlike, say, JAT or the Corellian Trilogy.

Although I think my favorite series is the Wraith Squadron one, because it has the best characterizations of any series. I still tear up over Ton Phanan's death.

Agreed. I'm with Ralin in liking the Stackpole books as well, despite the haters. But I really get a kick out of the Wraiths and think Allston's books are superior.

[Ralin]

I think one of the reasons I don't like the Thrawn books as much as I used to is because I don't think Zahn really gets Star Wars the way other writers do. Star Wars at its best is about fast-paced pulp action, broad strokes and straightforward heroes and villains. Zahn tells good stories, yes, but you never really get the same feel from his work that you do from when Lando is leading the attack on the Death Star's reactor or Luke is facing down the Emperor. It becomes sort of like Spalko in Indy IV; nothing wrong with the character, but compare her to the other Indy villains and one of these things does not fit. Allston and Stackpole, even Kevin J Anderson, grasp the spirit of the setting much better.