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Imagine for the moment you are given carte blanche by George Lucas, circa 1983 to head Lucas Film's EU projects. What would you do? Make a few minor tweak?
Changes the whole timeline? There is much that is good in the EU, but there are nearly as many clunky concepts; and missed opportunities.

Your the boss...what would you do?

First of all I'd have Palpatine stay dead. With his revival the sacrifice of Anakin Skywalker becomes cheap.

Besides the Rebels just cut off the head of the Empire, but the Empire is huge. I could easily see a lot of story posiblities from having a divided Empire.

Then there's the thing about Luke establishing a Jedi Academy. I think that would be likely. He'd try the recreate the Jedi Order in some way, at least.

The Vong? Probably not. There are enough ideas in the galaxy as it is. No need for an invasion. At least not that early.

McNum wrote:First of all I'd have Palpatine stay dead. With his revival the sacrifice of Anakin Skywalker becomes cheap.

Wasn't there a story by Zahn in which it's explained that it was a faulty clone that believed he was the real Palpatine and thus not Palpatine himself? I can't remember where I read that, though.

Remake Dark Empire would be my priority. Adding to the knowledge from the PT's (ROTS in particular), Palpatine would never revert to a younger state, nor would he use a giant Force-storm (since the Eclipse has to do something, don´t steal it´s spotlight). Possibly a small-scale storm instead, reverted against him and suck him in for good, thus sparing inferior sequals. Possibly add Executor Sedriss (to be killed by Luke) and the battle of Balmorra (since I liked that) to the storyline.

Vong-invasion either didn´t happen or portrayed slighty different. Not as much BIO-TECH!!1!111-wanking.

Spit on KJA. Have Zahn write all the other novels.

McNum wrote:First of all I'd have Palpatine stay dead. With his revival the sacrifice of Anakin Skywalker becomes cheap.

Ditto.

Mange the Swede wrote:Wasn't there a story by Zahn in which it's explained that it was a faulty clone that believed he was the real Palpatine and thus not Palpatine himself? I can't remember where I read that, though.

Not that I'm aware of, it's just a myth repeated by Zahn haters everywhere to show what an 'asshole' he is.

Alexus wrote:Spit on KJA. Have Zahn write all the other novels.

If you get Zahn, make sure you get an editor or co-author to beef up his work so that we get some massive scope going on.

Little Changes:

1. Palpatine stays dead.
2. Boba Fett stays dead.
3. The "New Republic" is called the Galactic Republic.
4. The Republic and Empire both use KDY warships.
5. Luke is a shown to as powerful as PT Jedi Masters by the time of Dark Empire.

6. Han and Leia don't wait 10 years to get married.
7. Chewie doesn't die a meaningless death.
8. Dark Empire still happens sub in Sedris for the Palpatine.
9. Have Kyle Katarn teach a long side Luke at the Jedi academy on Courscant.

Big Changes:

1. Hire some experts in miltary science, and the physical sciences to review every manuscript.

2. Develope timeline of events and, maintain its continuity. I think the main problem was that their was no plan as to how the Saga should evolve from the start.

3. Size and Scope: If I have an entire galaxy to play with I've going to use it. Vast fleets, countless planets, generations of epic untold adventures! Sorry, Tatooine would not be referenced every other day.

Mange the Swede wrote:Wasn't there a story by Zahn in which it's explained that it was a faulty clone that believed he was the real Palpatine and thus not Palpatine himself? I can't remember where I read that, though.

Crown wrote:Not that I'm aware of, it's just a myth repeated by Zahn haters everywhere to show what an 'asshole' he is.

Ok, I'm a fan of Zahn, but I don't know very much about the various short strories he has written as it's difficult to get hold of the Insider here.

Mange the Swede wrote:

Crown wrote:Not that I'm aware of, it's just a myth repeated by Zahn haters everywhere to show what an 'asshole' he is.

Ok, I'm a fan of Zahn, but I don't know very much about the various short strories he has written as it's difficult to get hold of the Insider here.

Hmm, like I said I haven't come across anything, although it could be possible that he has. The reason I find it unlikely is that generally when idiots bring up this point they are refering to what Mara said to Luke at one point in the Thrawn duology.

Crown wrote:

Mange the Swede wrote:

Crown wrote:Not that I'm aware of, it's just a myth repeated by Zahn haters everywhere to show what an 'asshole' he is.

Ok, I'm a fan of Zahn, but I don't know very much about the various short strories he has written as it's difficult to get hold of the Insider here.

Hmm, like I said I haven't come across anything, although it could be possible that he has. The reason I find it unlikely is that generally when idiots bring up this point they are refering to what Mara said to Luke at one point in the Thrawn duology.

Thanks for the clarification, Crown!

Mange the Swede wrote:

Crown wrote:Hmm, like I said I haven't come across anything, although it could be possible that he has. The reason I find it unlikely is that generally when idiots bring up this point they are refering to what Mara said to Luke at one point in the Thrawn duology.

Thanks for the clarification, Crown!

Well just on the odd chance that the above was sarcasm, due to my lack of detail, I'll expand;

They usually argue when Mara and Luke are discussing about that 'thing' that happened to Luke over at Byss, Mara says something like; I'm not convinced that he was the Emperor.

To which all the Zahn haters immediately start jumping up and down like little shits going; see Zahn is a loser, a fucking asehole trying to discredit other's contributions to the EU, etc, etc.

But what they always fail to take into account, is Luke's response straight after; No, your wrong. It was him.

Yes. This is how utterly fucking pathetic these people are.

Crown wrote:

Mange the Swede wrote:

Crown wrote:Hmm, like I said I haven't come across anything, although it could be possible that he has. The reason I find it unlikely is that generally when idiots bring up this point they are refering to what Mara said to Luke at one point in the Thrawn duology.

Thanks for the clarification, Crown!

Well just on the odd chance that the above was sarcasm, due to my lack of detail, I'll expand;

They usually argue when Mara and Luke are discussing about that 'thing' that happened to Luke over at Byss, Mara says something like; I'm not convinced that he was the Emperor.

To which all the Zahn haters immediately start jumping up and down like little shits going; see Zahn is a loser, a fucking asehole trying to discredit other's contributions to the EU, etc, etc.

But what they always fail to take into account, is Luke's response straight after; No, your wrong. It was him.

Yes. This is how utterly fucking pathetic these people are.

Furthermore, as with Kyp Durron's conviction that he's more powerful than Luke, it's character dialogue and opinion, which means jack-all with regards to the real situation.

Off topic for a second. May i ask why people hate KJA so much? I've read some of his books, he's actually rather good as a writer. Have any of you ever head his own novels, the Saga of the Seven Suns, they're very interesting. So what did he do that was so horrible and i missed?

I am presuming you refer to Kevin James Anderson, the guy i'm refering to. If not forgive my gun-jumping.

Tomorrow I will post a lengthy critique, explaining why I hate him. (And others too)

So that's how it was. As I said, I don't know very much about the short stories (I haven't read that many of them), so thanks again Crown.

Mange the Swede wrote:So that's how it was. As I said, I don't know very much about the short stories (I haven't read that many of them), so thanks again Crown.

Clarification; it was in the Thrawn duology, either Spectre of the Past or Visions of the Future (actually I'm 100% sure it was in the second book), so it wasn't in a short story. The short story fiasco that I think you are refering to is where in Survivour's Quest (a novel of his) Zahn wrongly named a character of the Fel family clan where someone like Wayne Poe - who knows just about as much about Star Wars as anybody - had to think about who the character was; ie someone totally unknown from a short story.

The Zahn haters had an hernia over that one.

18-Till-I-Die wrote:Off topic for a second. May i ask why people hate KJA so much? I've read some of his books, he's actually rather good as a writer.

No, he's not. First, mechanically and stylistically his work is rather poor. I don't know what other authors you've read, but I apparently have a much higher standard. Second, his ideas are shit. Darksaber stands out in this regard.

I say Fuck KDY. I want to see the Big Corellian Ships. I've had enough with all the big ships in Star Wars having a KDY label attached,.

I wouldn't have killed Anakin Solo, Jacen would have been better suited for that death, imo

MUCH slower Imperial collapse. You have an entire trilogy just in the story of the Empire's death throes.

Keep Thrawn, he's about the only good thing that ever came out of the EU. But the Unknown Regions are in one of those two satellite galaxies, not the GFFA proper. It's absurd that the Republic didn't map the entire thing in 25,000 years.

New Republic is called the Second Republic. That's always bothered me.

No super weapons. None. Nowhere. Ever. Under any circumstances.

The neither the Jedi nor the Sith can do anything they couldn't do in the films.

No Vong. An extra-galactic enemy is possible, but they won't be organic. And they won't win just because the Second Republic is stupid.

An editor specifically tasked with rooting out minimalism.

These are just the ideas that popped into my head just now.

Spartan wrote:Little Changes:

1. Palpatine stays dead.
2. Boba Fett stays dead.
3. The "New Republic" is called the Galactic Republic.
4. The Republic and Empire both use KDY warships.
5. Luke is a shown to as powerful as PT Jedi Masters by the time of Dark Empire.

6. Han and Leia don't wait 10 years to get married.
7. Chewie doesn't die a meaningless death.
8. Dark Empire still happens sub in Sedris for the Palpatine.
9. Have Kyle Katarn teach a long side Luke at the Jedi academy on Courscant.

In response to the things you say:

2) Fine I guess, though Boba is cool...
4) Uh, they do. Originally the Republic used Mon Cal ships, but when they took over some of the big Imperial shipyards, the Republic started using ISD's side by side with the Mon Cals and by NJO, Star Destroyers are more common than Mon Cal's. Bel Iblis' flagship was an ISD mark 3 with a grav well projector.

7) Cool. I thought Chewie should have died in a giant battle rather than just being a stupid casualtie of the FIRST ATTACK on a nonmilitary target, dying to save some nondescript never-seen-again civilian.

Big Changes:

1. Hire some experts in miltary science, and the physical sciences to review every manuscript.

2. Develope timeline of events and, maintain its continuity. I think the main problem was that their was no plan as to how the Saga should evolve from the start.

3. Size and Scope: If I have an entire galaxy to play with I've going to use it. Vast fleets, countless planets, generations of epic untold adventures! Sorry, Tatooine would not be referenced every other day.

For 3, I've always found it weird that the out-of-the-way places became popular slang in SW.

Like people might say "That creature is as ugly as a dagobah lizard!" (like who in the galaxy knows where Dagobah is?) or "Easy as shooting wamp rats" (99% of the people in SW should have never heard of Tatooine or wamp rats except in relation to Luke Skywalker), or "Cold as Hoth" (few people know where Hoth is, it was the site of a single battle the NR probably wants to cover up from embarrassment), etc.

Almost everyone makes reference to these out of the way places we see in the movie that people in SW should not care about.

I love the KDY ships, but lets see some Corellian and Mon Callimari ships as well.

Dark Empire I with a demented Palpatine clone or Sedriss instead of Palpy.

No Force Storm, but SSD action.

No KJA.

No Vong.

Keep Thrawn.

Slow Imperial collapse.

No minimalism.

I like Boba Fett surviving.

Boba Fett gets to survive, dammit.

General Madine does NOT die, or at least does not die for no damned reason. *Adds that to the list of KJA's crimes.*

I could deal with Boba Fett surviving, just so long as he isn't uberwanked into some sort of god-character. The Fett trilogy should have landed the author and the editors at the Hague.

Less Fett wanking would have been nice. The guy gets to wipe out an entire Imperial Garrison in one of the Takes Of ..... books.

More fleet action would have been nice. The NJO i could ive with but when did the entire fucking NR goverment turn into Human and Jedi haters?