SW - why the hate for the EU?
- Thread starter Sluis Van Shipyards
- Start date
I didn't mind The Courtship of Princess Leia. Didn't read those others though.
EU is pick and choose stuff. Personally I'm not a fan of Han & Leia having kids at all so until they put it in a film (which, to be honest, they probably will) I can ignore it.
Solo4114
Master Member
Darksaber was garbage. Just another superweapon story. Truce at Bakura was sort of interesting, but not that great. It was nice to see an "honorable" imperial soldier instead of the usual evil warlords.
Courtship of Princess Leia was kinda lame, I thought. I mean, not godawful, just "meh." Much of the early EU novels were "meh" at best. The later ones (well, later for me -- I quit after the Black Fleet stuff) were just crap in a Star Wars wrapper.
Courtship of Princess Leia was kinda lame, I thought. I mean, not godawful, just "meh." Much of the early EU novels were "meh" at best. The later ones (well, later for me -- I quit after the Black Fleet stuff) were just crap in a Star Wars wrapper.
I think "Meh" is a good description. Not good, not bad, just there. I really liked the one part when Han is thinking what bone he wants the witch to crush first and he goes with his teeth, regretting it instantly. :lol
Just seemed like a very in character moment.
I totally agree. I don't like it all, heck I think the Dark Empire series and the whole Yuuzaan Vong (WTH SP?) thing should be forgotten. A lot of the Jedi stuff in YV books was cool, but not the aliens or story arcs. I don't think they should be beholden to the EU, nor do I think they should just stomp all over everything if they don't need to.
I'm just wondering why a lot of people get so upset over the idea that some good EU things might make it into the new movies. Essentially JJ Abrams and crew aren't doing anything different than Zahn, Mike Stackpole, Aaron Allston, etc. have already done. There are a lot of great characters, locations, vehicles, etc. that are already made to stick into a movie. I'm not saying they should necessarily be main characters, but it might be cool if they were in the background. For example, having Kyle Katarn (Dark Forces/Jedi Knight) talking to Luke or even just standing in the background. Let's say they keep Han and Leia married. Why not use their kids as they are in the EU instead of totally reinventing them just because you can?
infymys
Sr Member
I really hope this happens. I just can't imagine in the upcoming films that Han and Leia's children are NOT named Jaina, Jacen and Anakin. Or Luke not being with Mara Jade and having Ben.
Zombie_61
Master Member
This book almost single-handedly made me decide not to read any more of the EU novels. It wasn't a bad story, but you would think a book titled "Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader" would actually be about the rise of Darth Vader. Instead you get a story, about a Jedi Master and a Padawan hiding from the Empire, in which Vader is only occasionally mentioned. :facepalm
seelsa73
Sr Member
Yea that was my thought too when i read that one
modelcitizen
Sr Member
honestly, with new movies on the horizon...do you really really truly want just a visual retread of stories already told? honestly?
Solo4114
Master Member
You must be new to this topic. Plenty of people have said that they would be only too happy to have basically the OT: Wrinkly Edition.
(not that I agree, mind you)
thumbsup:thumbsupI think that's being misinterpreted as hate as well. I want new stories, not something already told.
Do I mind if some EU becomes canon? Certainly not. But to have Mara Jade, Ben, Anakin, etc. is just going with what has already been done. Just my personal opinion though.
Don't even get me started on Star Wars canon levels. It's a headache, to put it mildly...
Canon - Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki
Solo4114
Master Member
Which is precisely why I say "Screw it. Canon is what I say it is."
seelsa73
Sr Member
I don't think anyone, at least not me, is asking for a movie adapted from the books to the screen, just that the events within those books aren't discarded for the new stories they will be telling.
Solo4114
Master Member
Question:
ALL the books? Or just some of the books?
I mean, at this point, the books include stuff that happened before the OT (e.g. the two Han Solo trilogies), during the OT (e.g. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Shadows of Empire, etc.), and a TON of stuff that came after the OT (e.g. the Dark Empire comics, the Zahn trilogy, the Vong books, the stuff AFTER the Vong books, etc.). The post-OT stuff stretches beyond how far we are from the release of ANH. In other words, it looks like the post-OT books stretch some 41 years after the battle of Yavin (which we'll say happened in 1977). That's five years from now.
And that doesn't even get into some of the comics which stretch some hundred plus years into the future after Yavin.
I don't really see a way they CAN make new movies that won't tread on the toes of at least SOME of that material, which puts us into a scenario of deciding what stays and what goes. In fact, I could EASILY see the entirety of anything from 5 ABY and on being eliminated by simply doing only a few things:
1.) Set the story 30 years ABY.
2.) Make Luke Skywalker single.
3.) Do not reference Mara Jade.
If you set the films during that time period and Luke's still a bachelor, or he's married to anyone OTHER than Mara and it's anything like 20+ years after Yavin....and pretty much the entire +5 ABY chronology starts to fall apart. Or at least large chunks of it do.
Personally....I'd expect them to kill that stuff. I wouldn't hold your breath that they'll keep it, simply because it's too much of a pain in the ass to manage the continuity. Plus, because the EU stuff has ALWAYS been treated as "fine unless/until we kill it in the films," there's no reason to try to maintain it. Unlike with Star Trek, where you had a wealth of films and TV shows to manage, you won't even get some "universal-reset-button" moment.
seelsa73
Sr Member
You make a good point. On the other hand, if in the ST they were to give Luke a wife and/or Han and Leia kids, why create entirely new characters when you already have characters from the books that serve the same role(s)? I'm at the point where I could take or leave them using the backstories (as much as i like them, as a whole), but the base characters are compelling and, for many (such as myself), beloved.
I agree. The only thing I liked in that was the commando squad that didn't follow Order 66 and turned on Vader. Also the bit about how he had to change fighting styles, which was an attempt to explain the weaker fighting in the OT.
modelcitizen said:
No one is talking about adapting books or games into a movie.
The only problem with the kill the EU approach is to Lucas Licensing. If they don't make hardly any money on books and games, then that's an easy option. On the other hand, if they are making a ton of money on books and games, then it would be a mistake to steamroll or rewrite the EU. No one is going to buy any books or games based on anything other then the movies, knowing that what they are reading/playing doesn't matter in the SW Universe.
For the same reason JJ rebooted the Star Trek universe. So that he isn't tied to any preconceived notions, characters, or story lines.
For instance, let's say that they want to give Luke a wife but don't want her to be a Jedi. Name her Mara Jade and the fans will scream bloody murder because Mara should be wielding a lightsaber. What if they want Han & Leia to have only one child? Which one do you keep? Better to name them something completely different and not be trapped by anything that the EU states.
Early days but I'd be surprised if those characters became canon. They carry too much pre-existing material for them to be used on screen at this point IMO.
modelcitizen
Sr Member
in the threads you mentioned, yes there certainly was talk of adapting Thrawn to the screen but no worries....
Similar threads
