You know, if they're prohibited from killing the characters that doesn't stop them restraining themselves from using them. It's not a choice between 'kill off' and 'use in the lamest way imaginable': they could have ignored them, written them into retirement, any number of things.
Wait, the EU sucks. What am I thinking?
Exactly. Being original, coming up with original characters... is not exactly EU. EU is built on overuse of cliches in cliches with the same old characters. And this is why it sucks so much.
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And that's why Dark Horse has done a smart thing and let three out of four comics deal with non-movie characters. Even the Rebellion writers want to focus more on people outside the movie group.
"Empire" and "Republic" were really groundbreaking, I mean, a lot of them were original and explored actually something about the greater SWU (the Empire did stormtroopers, Emperor's circle, officers of the Empire, etc. in it's arcs, as well as simple rebels, the Republic did quite a lot of that too and it also had Quinlan Vos).
However, they weren't post ROTJ EU either. That has turned into a completely worthless, futile experiment of wanking various Jedi, introducing silly biotech enemies from out there or dealing with Imperial "remnants" which spout Evil Overlords of the Universe like they have a production line of them or something...
I would reboot all of post-ROTJ to make it more sensible and have better authors work on it, even risking to destroy Zahn's stories for a greater good... a clean EU.
Lì ci sono chiese, macerie, moschee e questure, lì frontiere, prezzi inaccessibile e freddure
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Solauren wrote:Han should die doing something incredibly heroric, like taking out a Superweapon or something
(Like he was supposed to in originally in Return of the Jedi).
Preferrably while in the process saving Luke from death, or redeeming Jacen from the Dark Side
In the Star Wars Universe a Super-heroic dead would be to die a unknown death to save one other person, not a planet nor a solar system, not for fame or for infamy, just quiet death almost forgotten by most and for no other reason than it was right.
Everybody can blow up a super weapon it's weekly occurrence.
There Lives More Faith In Honest Doubt,Belive Me,Than In Half The Creeds. ~ Alfred Lord Tennyson.
"The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity."
I would reboot all of post-ROTJ to make it more sensible and have better authors work on it
While I agree for the most part, I do enjoy things like Dark Empire (although some specific parts of it I would personally have changed) and the Thrawn Trilogy. Even SW: Legacy turned out almost the exact opposite of what I dreaded.
However, alongside the minimalism and repeats of Imperial Warlords, there's the Yuuzhan Vong. Nothing more than an attempt at some form of WH 40K in SW and I hate it, biowank and all. Goddammit. I can't even understand the motivation, the alternative from DH was some kind of "ancient Sith" revival and even though that might be just as bad, it doesn't seem completely out of place in the SW universe.
Nothing more than an attempt at some form of WH 40K in SW and I hate it, biowank and all
Yeah. "Can you say ripoff". Because that's what it is. Just taking the Tyranid extragalactic "swarm" invasion with Hive Minds and ... well, that's it.
I can't even understand the motivation
- Hmm, don't you think this "Imperial Remnant new uber-villain with a Dark Jedi" gets sort of old and crappy?
- Yeah.
- Ideas?
- Look here. It's an old book called "Rogue Trader"...
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Stas Bush wrote:"swarm" invasion with Hive Minds and ... well, that's it.
Are you talking about the YJO or the Swarm War trilogy? :P
It's funny, when I read the characters' profiles on Wookieepedia, their life stories don't seem half bad. It's the actual events and character interactions described in detail in each book that gets grating. From a neutral, outside POV it seems more interesting than at close inspection.
Even with all the crap that's gone before, LOTF at least have people undergo some form of dramatic changes, and barring Jacen using "flow walking" to alter time and erase all events, it should have a lasting negative impact on the characters, if they don't die first.
Are you talking about the YJO or the Swarm War trilogy?
The Vong... they have greater minds controlling them in battle (yammosk) and come in waves from outside the Galaxy Oh, how did I forget - the EU authors repeated the lame biowank plot again just after the NJO with the Swarm War, which was shit even compared to NJO itself
Perhaps the EU really needs a good rehaul.
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I really don't get the utter hatred for the EU here, but hear me out....
I enjoyed the Thrawn Books, and the Hand of Thrawn duology. However, I DID stop reading the EU when the Vong started. To me, the Vong just don't seem like a part of the SW universe.
I know Stackpole gets accused of fighter wank, but I enjoyed, for the most part, the X-Wing books, including the Allston Wraith Squadron novels.
I didn't enjoy Crystal Star and Children of the Jedi, nor did I like Planet of Twilight.
The Black Fleet crisis seemed rather 'meh', and the most notable part of Darksaber was the death of General Crix Madine.
KJA's Jedi Academy trilogy had the abomination known as the Sun Crusher, and Daala, who showed that you can get rank by sleeping your way to the top.
Don't Move you're surrounded by Armed Bastards - Gene Hunt's attempt at Diplomacy
I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own - Number 6
The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.
I enjoyed the Thrawn Books, and the Hand of Thrawn duology. However, I DID stop reading the EU when the Vong started. To me, the Vong just don't seem like a part of the SW universe.
A lot of people felt the same. And even most of those who despise EU think Zahn's work is rather good.
Lì ci sono chiese, macerie, moschee e questure, lì frontiere, prezzi inaccessibile e freddure
Lì paludi, minacce, cecchini coi fucili, documenti, file notturne e clandestini
Qui incontri, lotte, passi sincronizzati, colori, capannelli non autorizzati,
Uccelli migratori, reti, informazioni, piazze di Tutti i like pazze di passioni...
...La tranquillità è importante ma la libertà è tutto!
I pretty much agree with Jade Falcon on...everything. Except I didn't read BFC so I have no opinion on it.
I think that's because a LOT of EU readers love Zahn and hate the Vong. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. The former can write and the latter feel like an invasion from a crappy fantasy universe.
"I spit on metaphysics, sir."
"I pity the woman you marry." -Liberty
This is the guy they want to use to win over "young people?" Are they completely daft? I'd rather vote for a pile of shit than a Jesus freak social regressive.
Here's hoping that his political career goes down in flames and, hopefully, a hilarious gay sex scandal. -Tanasinn
You can't expect sodomy to ruin every conservative politician in this country. -Battlehymn Republic
What say you to this: Instead of taking out our frustrtions on innocent characters, we kill the writers themselves. Zahn can stay, but everyone else dies!
Conversion Table:
2000 Mockingbirds = 2 Kilomockingbirds
Basic Unit of Laryngitis = 1 Hoarsepower
453.6 Graham Crackers = 1 Pound Cake
1 Kilogram of Falling Figs - 1 Fig Newton
Time Between Slipping on a Banana Peel and Smacking the Pavement = 1 Bananosecond
Half of a Large Intestine = 1 Semicolon
Nah..just take out Kevin J Anderson, Barbara Hambly, and a few others. I can't speak for the much maligned Karen Traviss as I haven't read any of her stuff.
Don't Move you're surrounded by Armed Bastards - Gene Hunt's attempt at Diplomacy
I will not make any deals with you. I've resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own - Number 6
The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.
Mediocre. Writing skill completely eclipsed by pointless wanking.
Lì ci sono chiese, macerie, moschee e questure, lì frontiere, prezzi inaccessibile e freddure
Lì paludi, minacce, cecchini coi fucili, documenti, file notturne e clandestini
Qui incontri, lotte, passi sincronizzati, colori, capannelli non autorizzati,
Uccelli migratori, reti, informazioni, piazze di Tutti i like pazze di passioni...
...La tranquillità è importante ma la libertà è tutto!
Have him blown to all crap and tossed onto some scrap heap to be buried. and have him found about six hundred years later by some plucky mechanical prodigy to be rebuilt in the form of a new astromech droid. only now he's got arms and legs and can talk; And you just know he's going to be foul-mouthed and smarmy. He'll have all of his old apendages and adapters, as well as a few new ones.
Then the new empire kills the plucky young prodigy and R2-D2 escapes with some Kaminoan bounty hunter who he becomes the partner of. and they have all sorts of adventures where he kills people in creative ways.
There is no such thing as 'too much firepower' because there is no such thing as 'negative dead'.
EU is built on overuse of cliches in cliches with the same old characters. And this is why it sucks so much.
Oh, how did I forget - the EU authors repeated the lame biowank plot again just after the NJO with the Swarm War, which was shit even compared to NJO itself 
characters, we kill the writers themselves. Zahn can stay, but everyone else dies! 
