The EU

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2005-08-03 02:27am

color me blasphemous, but doesn't it stand to reason that, now that we know exactly what happens in all the movies, that a large portion of the EU, would be different if it all started now? Could the EU be restarted? DC comics got all crazy with thier universe back in the day. Why couldn't we?

I think there would be much better stories, well as far as the novels go, now that the "groundwork" is complete. Not that there aren't good stories out there, but it seems like a large portion of it is just rehashed movie.

Fire away.

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-08-03 02:34am

First off Lucus lays down the rough guidelines for each EU book, what he wants to happen, who gets to die and so on.

And since he intends Epsiode III the last work he's doing in the SW universe thats pretty much it besides post NJO books he has already approved.

The Jazz Intern · Post by **The Jazz Intern** » 2005-08-03 02:37am

*Sniff*
I can't beleive it's over!
*Sniff*

Any way, What about the TV show? Is he gonna do that?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2005-08-03 02:42am

The Jazz Intern wrote:*Sniff*
I can't beleive it's over!
*Sniff*

Any way, What about the TV show? Is he gonna do that?

Hmm forgot about that

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2005-08-03 02:44am

Mr Bean wrote:First off Lucus lays down the rough guidelines for each EU book, what he wants to happen, who gets to die and so on.

And since he intends Epsiode III the last work he's doing in the SW universe thats pretty much it besides post NJO books he has already approved.

I was under the impression the only thing Lucas had to say about the EU was what people COULD NOT write about. Like when Zahn was gonna make his dark Jedi a clone of Obi-Wan in the Heir To The Empire trilogy, and Lucas said no. So he made up Joruus C'Boath.

He is going to have input on both TV series, so i don't think that will be quite it.

Mange · Post by **Mange** » 2005-08-03 03:30am

havokeff wrote:
Mr Bean wrote:First off Lucus lays down the rough guidelines for each EU book, what he wants to happen, who gets to die and so on.

And since he intends Epsiode III the last work he's doing in the SW universe thats pretty much it besides post NJO books he has already approved.
I was under the impression the only thing Lucas had to say about the EU was what people COULD NOT write about. Like when Zahn was gonna make his dark Jedi a clone of Obi-Wan in the Heir To The Empire trilogy, and Lucas said no. So he made up Joruus C'Boath.

He is going to have input on both TV series, so i don't think that will be quite it.

No, Lucas has specifically asked for different kinds of stories. For Cloak of Deception, James Luceno said the following in an interview on the Official Site:

James Luceno wrote:In his instructions, Mr. Lucas stated up front that he wanted a political thriller that focused on Palpatine and Valorum, so I looked to writers like Forsythe and Ludlum, who are masters of the genre.

He also said:

James Luceno wrote:Mr. Lucas asked me to introduce a character that will appear in the film. Certain elements of Cloak won't be fully grasped until Episode II is released.

Source: http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/f2 ... index.html

So, Lucas is actively involved in some of the EU projects. And, according to an interview in the "Vector Prime" ebook, it's stated that GL is involved in some capacity in all the various projects.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2005-08-03 03:34am

Mange the Swede wrote:
havokeff wrote:
Mr Bean wrote:First off Lucus lays down the rough guidelines for each EU book, what he wants to happen, who gets to die and so on.

And since he intends Epsiode III the last work he's doing in the SW universe thats pretty much it besides post NJO books he has already approved.
I was under the impression the only thing Lucas had to say about the EU was what people COULD NOT write about. Like when Zahn was gonna make his dark Jedi a clone of Obi-Wan in the Heir To The Empire trilogy, and Lucas said no. So he made up Joruus C'Boath.

He is going to have input on both TV series, so i don't think that will be quite it.
No, Lucas has specifically asked for different kinds of stories. For Cloak of Deception, James Luceno said the following in an interview on the Official Site:
James Luceno wrote:In his instructions, Mr. Lucas stated up front that he wanted a political thriller that focused on Palpatine and Valorum, so I looked to writers like Forsythe and Ludlum, who are masters of the genre.
He also said:
James Luceno wrote:Mr. Lucas asked me to introduce a character that will appear in the film. Certain elements of Cloak won't be fully grasped until Episode II is released.
Source: http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/novel/f2 ... index.html

So, Lucas is actively involved in some of the EU projects. And, according to an interview in the "Vector Prime" ebook, it's stated that GL is involved in some capacity in all the various projects.

Well is it just the projects that directly impact the movies? I mean, did he have any input for, say like, the Corellian Trilogy?

Mange · Post by **Mange** » 2005-08-03 03:54am

I have no idea. The Corellian trilogy is among the oldest EU there is, and I haven't heard much about its conception.

Havok · Post by **Havok** » 2005-08-03 04:02am

well i wasn't requesting info on that series specifically, just using it as an example.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-08-03 01:45pm

Well is it just the projects that directly impact the movies? I mean, did he have any input for, say like, the Corellian Trilogy?

What do you mean by "projects?"

In any event, yes, Lucas has to approve the basic idea and setting for each EU book, and occasion will be more specific about what he wants. In a ddition, the book also has to be cleared by LFL before publishing, to ensure that it meshes with established continuity of other EU and the movies.

Tiger Ace · Post by **Tiger Ace** » 2005-08-03 04:15pm

If I recall correctly, during the Bantam days there wasn't much oversight and Lucas didn't do much more then say "don't touch this and don't say this".

I'm pulling this out of the unifying force interview in the end, its a great peice.

Dakarne · Post by **Dakarne** » 2005-08-03 04:20pm

I'd have to say that the EU was a bit disappointing, They didn't even give Chewie a decent death.

Tiger Ace · Post by **Tiger Ace** » 2005-08-03 04:23pm

Dakarne wrote:I'd have to say that the EU was a bit disappointing, They didn't even give Chewie a decent death.

You judge the entire EU by one book?

Dakarne · Post by **Dakarne** » 2005-08-03 04:27pm

no, that was one example...

There's a lot of different books in the Series which are worth shoving up a Hutt's arse.

Like, "Vector Prime", "Children of the Jedi", "Truce at Bakura", "Agents of Chaos I&II" and several others which I can't remember off of the top of my head.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-08-03 04:30pm

Mange the Swede wrote:I have no idea. The Corellian trilogy is among the oldest EU there is, and I haven't heard much about its conception.

No, you're thinking of the Han Solo Adventures. The Corellian Trilogy is the NR-Era one in the Corellian system and Centerpoint Station and stuff.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2005-08-03 05:35pm

Dakarne wrote:no, that was one example...

There's a lot of different books in the Series which are worth shoving up a Hutt's arse.

Like, "Vector Prime", "Children of the Jedi", "Truce at Bakura", "Agents of Chaos I&II" and several others which I can't remember off of the top of my head.

I steered clear of Children after reading Darksaber, and Bakura was somewhat disappointing, but I never got why people didn't like Vector Prime, Chewie aside. Didn't thing Agents of Chaos was that bad either.

Dakarne · Post by **Dakarne** » 2005-08-03 05:56pm

I actually thought, with the exception of a few books, the entire Yuuzhan Vong arc was a bit crap...

Of course, it's my opinion, and I'm not trying to change yours

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2005-08-03 07:07pm

Noble Ire wrote:I steered clear of Children after reading Darksaber, and Bakura was somewhat disappointing, but I never got why people didn't like Vector Prime, Chewie aside. Didn't thing Agents of Chaos was that bad either.

Well, the omniscient narration in Vector Prime took some getting used to for me.

Manus Celer Dei · Post by **Manus Celer Dei** » 2005-08-03 07:51pm

Dakarne wrote:I'd have to say that the EU was a bit disappointing, They didn't even give Chewie a decent death.

I thought Chewie's death was a pretty good send-off, myself. Having a moon dropped on you while saving the son of your best friend for ~30 years? I'd say that's a better-than-average death.

000 · Post by **000** » 2005-08-03 09:24pm

Noble Ire wrote:I never got why people didn't like Vector Prime, Chewie aside.

I'm thinking it had something to do with the shitty writing, plot, and characterizations. I didn't give a lick about furball dying, but I did about wasting my time on a book with no virtues.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2005-08-03 10:18pm

gladius wrote:
Noble Ire wrote:I never got why people didn't like Vector Prime, Chewie aside.
I'm thinking it had something to do with the shitty writing, plot, and characterizations. I didn't give a lick about furball dying, but I did about wasting my time on a book with no virtues.

Well, I think there were a few redeeming qualities to it. It served its purpose (introducing the Yuuzhan Vong) without going too far into them. The action descriptions were not bad, either.

Personally, aside from the entire "bio-tech bug" thing, I think the Vong actually improve as the story arc continues. That's not to say there aren't some not-so great books in there; Dark Journey was a kind of pointless diversion, except that it showed Jaina's slippage toward the dark side.

As for the entire EU, obviously there are quite a few shitty books in there, and several good (and debatable) ones. For example, I actually liked I, Jedi, even though, in hindsight, it conflicts heavily with the canon in having a Jedi family (the Halcyon line). On the other hand, I am virtually 100% sure that the worst books in the SW continuity are the Young Jedi Knights series done by Kevin J. Anderson and his wife , since they completely conflict with the events of the Hand of Thrawn duology (Luke's marriage to Mara, Empire cleared out of the Deep Core).

Publius · Post by **Publius** » 2005-08-04 12:22am

Guardsman Bass wrote:On the other hand, I am virtually 100% sure that the worst books in the SW continuity are the Young Jedi Knights series done by Kevin J. Anderson and his wife , since they completely conflict with the events of the Hand of Thrawn duology (Luke's marriage to Mara, Empire cleared out of the Deep Core).

Your criticism is misdirected, sir. The Young Jedi Knights books predate the Hand of Thrawn books by a comfortable margin, the first - Heirs of the Force - having been published in 1995, three years before Specter of the Past. If you wish to criticize the YJK stories, criticize them on their own merits (or lack thereof); do not hold them accountable for Mr. Zahn's failure to maintain continuity.

Zwinmar · Post by **Zwinmar** » 2005-08-04 11:44am

Myself, though i think the NJO books are well written and an insteresting read. Good books in their own right. I hate the Vong, Im sorry, but biology just cant hack it when it goes kerrsplat against a mechanical monster.

THEHOOLIGANJEDI · Post by **THEHOOLIGANJEDI** » 2005-08-04 01:51pm

Me I really grew to dislike EU over the years thanks to George Lucas and growing up. Overall, since I became a fan 10 years ago before I heard of the PT coming out, the only way I could get my Star Wars Fix was the EU. (Which Now I know I settled for it) For the most part now I really think most EU is bad and I have been swayed away from even thinking of reading the NJO. Some of the worst:
Anything KJA
The Corellian Trilogy
Children of the Jedi
Truce at Bakura

Even the Better EU novels (Everything Zahn) are very disappointing, anti-climactic, and tend to cop-out in parts.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2005-08-04 07:09pm

Publius wrote:
Guardsman Bass wrote:On the other hand, I am virtually 100% sure that the worst books in the SW continuity are the Young Jedi Knights series done by Kevin J. Anderson and his wife , since they completely conflict with the events of the Hand of Thrawn duology (Luke's marriage to Mara, Empire cleared out of the Deep Core).
Your criticism is misdirected, sir. The Young Jedi Knights books predate the Hand of Thrawn books by a comfortable margin, the first - Heirs of the Force - having been published in 1995, three years before Specter of the Past. If you wish to criticize the YJK stories, criticize them on their own merits (or lack thereof); do not hold them accountable for Mr. Zahn's failure to maintain continuity.

I realized that last night while reading Vision of the Future. Oops.

In all seriousness, though, if the YJK books are part of the continuity before the Hand of Thrawn books, how did they(the Lucas people) let Zahn get away with some of his stuff? Zahn's description of how the Empire had been cleared from the Deep Core and the Empire Remnant's official peace with the New Republic are pretty heavy conflicts. I guess you could reconcile it by having Brakiss's group acting as rogue Imperials.