New Continuity Commentary

[Illuminatus Primus]

Maybe Zahn just wanted a Fel character whose story arc he could control. If it's a Fel used by everyone in the EU, you'll have a hard time keeping any consistency, let alone pulling out any tricky back-story with any believability.

Too bad Davin never did anything and Chak directly contradicts Red Sky, Blue Flame.

It is this false concept of personal ownership of storylines and ideas in someone else's universe which is selfish and ends up in direct contention with continuity.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

After the conflicts with Vietch over DE and the one-upism of the HoT, and noting the general contradictory feel of SQ in light of the following NJO, I do not see why I should offer the benefit of the doubt again.

Wait, SQ comes before NJO??

So the Yuuzhan Vong are this Shadowy nightmare menace that the HOT was pissing itself over? I guess I better read NJO...

[Illuminatus Primus]

The hundred blood-freezing threats aren't really elaborated over. Zahin naturally claimed after the fact in an interview that the Vong were the blood-freezing threat, but Elaine Cunningham cleanly contradicted that: in Dark Journey we learn that the YV have never been encoutered by the Chiss before.

Basically its like this:

Survivor's Quest - Red Sky, Blue Flame - New Jedi Order

In Red Sky, Blue Flame, the Hand of Thrawn is devestated by pirate attacks. The Empire of the Hand isn't a very formidable organization by Known Regions standards.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

IP, again, all I see is Zahn bashing for the sake of Zahn bashing. And I'll say it again: who gives a heave-ho FUCK about some 10th tier character's name, when FAR WORSE destructiveness has been allowed into the EU, and no fanboys seem to be screaming about?
I'm talking about the character assasinations of Han Luke and Leia in ALL of Kevin J. Anderson's books, pure SHIT such as "Planet of Twilight", "Crystal Star", "The New Rebellion", and the PILE of shit known as the "New Jedi Order" books.
Let's not even mention the "first" duel Luke has with Vader, where he defeats him BEFORE TESB in "Splinter of the Mind's Eye", which EU fanboys insist should be shoehorned into continuity.
Zahn, and a scant few other authors are the ONLY saving grace of the EU. If he wants to take a couple liberties in order to keep him writing SW books, FINE BY ME.

Actually, you raise a good point.
Didn't Luke kill Vader and screw Leia silly in SotME? I remember reading that and laughing my ass off.

I also remember reading the Han Solo and Calrissian adventures that featured the Corporate sector, growing/shrinking technology and the flashiest wardrobe descriptions in the whole EU--he can't be claiming that these all fit into EU continuity! And Crystal Star and Truce at Brakura seem to break the very rules that make Star Wars Star Wars!

Besides, the KJA books absolutely SHAT on continuity like a dog on a new carpet, so I would hope that good EU authors do make it a point to disregard crappy stories and the kind of continuity that leads to super-wankism like KJA's.

[Illuminatus Primus]

I also remember reading the Han Solo and Calrissian adventures that featured the Corporate sector, growing/shrinking technology and the flashiest wardrobe descriptions in the whole EU--he can't be claiming that these all fit into EU continuity! And Crystal Star and Truce at Brakura seem to break the very rules that make Star Wars Star Wars!

Examples.

Besides, the KJA books absolutely SHAT on continuity like a dog on a new carpet, so I would hope that good EU authors do make it a point to disregard crappy stories and the kind of continuity that leads to super-wankism like KJA's.

Yup, every author should be his own continuity editor based on what he thinks SW should be. Damn, why didn't I think of that one before?

Oh, because its fucking stupid and will lead to Trek-esque book continuity and consistency.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Too bad Davin never did anything and Chak directly contradicts Red Sky, Blue Flame.

It is this false concept of personal ownership of storylines and ideas in someone else's universe which is selfish and ends up in direct contention with continuity.

I don't think it's selfish or contentious. If Zahn is working a character's plotline to reveal him to be a traitor or an alien or the emperor's clone or whatever, the second some low-tier KJA wannabe gets his hands on the character he would have to kiss his carefully crafted work goodbye, because now Chaka has a 30ft lightsaber for one hand and Blastech Boomstick in his other hand because it was "cool." Or maybe someone will just kill the Fel bastard off before he gets any kind of payoff.

And having read a number of Zahn's non-SW books, I have seen that he is fond of using character arcs with twists, surprises and back-story waiting to be unleashed. I'm not saying that Zahn is planning to use Fel as some big event character, but if he thought it was important to differentiate this Fel from the other one, I will not just assume that there is no reason, or that Zahn is an ass.

In fact, according to KJA, Zahn changed some passages in Last Command so that the book would transition into the JAT more smoothly and with more set-up--not an assholish thing to do.
Now, when we hear Zahn's side of the issue, and if it is "I just don't fucking care about you Warse wankers," then I will agree that Zahn is a jerk. Maybe.

[Illuminatus Primus]

I don't think it's selfish or contentious. If Zahn is working a character's plotline to reveal him to be a traitor or an alien or the emperor's clone or whatever, the second some low-tier KJA wannabe gets his hands on the character he would have to kiss his carefully crafted work goodbye, because now Chaka has a 30ft lightsaber for one hand and Blastech Boomstick in his other hand because it was "cool." Or maybe someone will just kill the Fel bastard off before he gets any kind of payoff.

Maybe you should research the fact of Fel's children. In HoT he only says that he does have children, and thus its Zahn's fault if other characters clean that up for him. He's being given a favor by writing in SW, and thus he should play by its rules.

Nice attempt to use hyperbole to sound clever when you don't know anything about the issue at hand though.

And having read a number of Zahn's non-SW books, I have seen that he is fond of using character arcs with twists, surprises and back-story waiting to be unleashed. I'm not saying that Zahn is planning to use Fel as some big event character, but if he thought it was important to differentiate this Fel from the other one, I will not just assume that there is no reason, or that Zahn is an ass.

Good for him; there were next to no details on Davin, and because of RSBF, there couldn't be any other previous Fel children who could be Chak. And he's playing in George's universe. He doesn't clarify something, and someone else develops it. Well that's the price of working in SW. Fel's character certainly doesn't belong to him.

In fact, according to KJA, Zahn changed some passages in Last Command so that the book would transition into the JAT more smoothly and with more set-up--not an assholish thing to do.

Proof is nice, esp. in light of the total fuck off he gave Vietch.

Now, when we hear Zahn's side of the issue, and if it is "I just don't fucking care about you Warse wankers," then I will agree that Zahn is a jerk. Maybe.

He has no excuse. He failed to elaborate on the Fel kids, someone else did before him, and only one of those kids could be the right age and alive to be Chak, but no, he just couldn't use the name Davin.