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Liberating Oneself from SW Merch

Posted: 2007-05-06 01:49pm
by Lord Poe
It's amazing what a bunch of assholes can do to turn off a long time fan. The current climate at sw.com has soured me permanently from buying anymore SW swag. The in-house clowns being elevated to positions where they can tell us what's what in the GFFA turns my stomach.

That said, I have bought the latest book, "Making Of Star Wars", by J.W. Rinzler. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it looks well researched, and free of the "lookie what I added to the SW universe!" so much of the EU and website materials have turned into.

But I have to say, its very liberating no longer having the Hyperspace account, no longer caring or buying SW Insider, no longer spending money on every EU book that comes out (I don't think I've bought one since that awful Dark Nest trilogy) etc.

Posted: 2007-05-06 01:55pm
by Ghost Rider
It's amazing what morons and eventual piss poor shit will do to a fan, even one who's grown up on Star Wars as much as I have(practically my first real toys beyond some Lego have been SW merchandise).

I've stayed away longer then many but every time I think to maybe get a new thing, I do a tad bit of research and remember why I never touch it again.

Posted: 2007-05-06 03:09pm
by VT-16
I'm glad I mainly stick to Wookieepedia any time something new comes along. Though the recent series of comics are nice. :)

Posted: 2007-05-06 04:01pm
by Fingolfin_Noldor
I bought the Dark Nest series but quit reading after hearing what people described in it. The Dark Nest series was boring and lots of eye rolling.

I haven't bothered to read any Star Wars book for a while, though I'm planning to get the compilation of the newer comics.

Posted: 2007-05-06 05:09pm
by Soontir C'boath
With all the crap going on, I think I lost my love for SW completely. I don't read the books, care about any of the new games coming out, and rewatch the movies. I remember I would watch the trilogy at least once a year but now I don't even bother.

Posted: 2007-05-06 05:30pm
by Enforcer Talen
I havent bought a new book in 10 years - I didnt hear about the Yuuzhon Vong till I came here.

I love the RPG, and do movies/soundtrack, but otherwise Im not involved at all.

Posted: 2007-05-06 05:33pm
by Death from the Sea
sounds like Star Wars is following in the foot steps of Star Trek and going down the tubes....

Posted: 2007-05-06 05:40pm
by VT-16
Nah, if the tv series are decent, it will stay on a little while longer.

Posted: 2007-05-06 05:56pm
by ColonialAdmiral
But thats the thing isn't it? There really isn't anything new in starwars anymore, except for a couple EU books, and some mods for assorted games. The two trilogies are all wrapped up, and Lucas probably won't be making any more. The starwars universe is explored, a conquered frontier so to speak...Really all thats left are the memories...But those are some damn good memories. :D

Posted: 2007-05-06 08:38pm
by 000
Death from the Sea wrote:sounds like Star Wars is following in the foot steps of Star Trek and going down the tubes....
Not hardly. The novels have taken a bit of a dive recently, but they were always a mixed bag anyway. The comics, on the other hand, have hit their stride, with Dark Horse turning out four good-to-excellent ongoings (Rebellion's first arc excepted, but I'll give it another chance). Legacy and Knights of the Old Republic are, in fact, two of the best things to grace Star Wars in recent memory. There's the massive Force Unleashed multimedia blitz that hits next winter/spring (was supposed to be this fall, but the game got pushed back) that, if nothing else, certainly promises to be big. The new-and-improved Clone War cartoon hits in the next year or two, and Del Rey, although (as noted above) having serious issues with plotting and editorial control, promises at least one excellent novel in the near future with Matt Stover's Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. We've also got the mysterious live action TV show waiting in the wings, and a couple of reference books that promise to be pretty comprehensive.

No, Star Wars is-- due mostly to KotOR and Legacy-- better than it's been in years. Even if you're not a fan of the recent direction, it still is far from dead or stagnant. Honestly, now that the prequels are out of the way, I feel like we're just getting started. The sky's the limit.

Posted: 2007-05-06 09:32pm
by ColonialAdmiral
Ok, maybe I stand corrected.

Posted: 2007-05-07 03:11am
by Spanky The Dolphin
I've been finding that it's personally easier for me to maintain my love, interest, and affection for the Star Wars property by a combination of not investing too much into it, and by not paying much attention to the areas I dislike.

I suppose that could be chalked up to sort of an "ignorance is bliss" mentality, but I've found that it works pretty well: just pay attention to what I like and stay in somewhat of an air of nostalgia that doesn't tarnish.

Wayne, when you get the chance, please give a summary and opinion on that book, since I've been very interested in it (specifically the extended hardcover edition) and would like to know how it is.

Posted: 2007-05-07 05:56pm
by Darth Fanboy
I share the same sentiment as most people in this thread, but I leave myself open to some of the books such as the ICS and Visual dictionaries. A few gems come out occaisionally but do not get nearly as much recognition as the stank shit being hyped up anymore.

Posted: 2007-05-07 07:20pm
by fusion
Hey at least there are some good games out there, much better than the EU stuff.
Question: Where did the War in Star Wars kind of went? Also does anyone think that there would be other places explored in Star Wars besides the ones in the movie? They only have a million planets :)

Posted: 2007-05-07 08:02pm
by Darth Fanboy
fusion wrote:Hey at least there are some good games out there, much better than the EU stuff.
Question: Where did the War in Star Wars kind of went?
This is where I will begrudingly give some credit to the newer EU, in that they have tried to bring back a practical "War" although their execution of their concepts have failed miserably. Abominations like "Crystal Star" and "Planet of Twilight" are what happens when there are no outside enemies left to fight.
Also does anyone think that there would be other places explored in Star Wars besides the ones in the movie? They only have a million planets :)
Why would anyone do that when LucasDreck can milk the cash cow and desperately try to tie the two trilogies together? :roll:

Posted: 2007-05-07 08:39pm
by 000
Ehm, yeah, three of the ongoing comics and the current Big Big Novel Series take place during a major galactic conflict, so... plenty of War to go around.

Posted: 2007-05-08 01:43pm
by Tanasinn
The KotOR era's holding my attention for now. That's a lot of unexplored, fresh territory free of some of the burdens post-Empire timelines face.

At least we finally get a reason why the asshole of the galaxy -Tatooine- is so goddamned important.

Posted: 2007-05-08 04:19pm
by VT-16

Re: Liberating Oneself from SW Merch

Posted: 2007-05-08 05:01pm
by His Divine Shadow
Join the club. I stopped buying SW stuff a looong time ago. The Karen Traviss debacle just sealed the deal with point welding.

Posted: 2007-05-08 07:33pm
by 000
Yeah, the Mandies make great baddies in KotOR.

Posted: 2007-05-08 07:40pm
by Noble Ire
VT-16 wrote:And KOTOR provides fandalorian fodder where it's actually appropriate. :P

*snip*
I am impressed. Those scenes, especially the first, are among the least minimalistic bits of the EU I've seen in a long time. Those comics did look rather promising when I thumb through the first few issues. :)

Posted: 2007-05-08 09:26pm
by 000
Dustin Weaver's fleet scenes are absolutely amazing. (His everything is absolutely amazing, but the fleet scenes really stand out, since we get so few of them in the comics.)

Posted: 2007-05-09 10:41pm
by Chris OFarrell
Since the Dark Nest series (I only brought books 2 and 3 because I'm sort of a completest) I haven't touched a SW book.

When I heard where the universe was heading, with the whole 'The Empire shall rise again and the Sith shall lead them!" I just rolled by eyes and abandoned any hope of SW ever interesting me again.

Posted: 2007-05-10 12:07am
by Anguirus
I gave up on "following" Star Wars ages ago. About the only things I'll consider buying now are DK books and novels by people like Zahn and Luceno. Maybe I'd get a TPB of the KOTOR stuff...maybe.

Posted: 2007-05-10 12:29am
by Coyote
Hell, I started unassing myself from SW merchandise after the festering boil that was Vonda Macyntre's Crystal Star.