Karen Traviss' Bloodlines

Shadowtraveler · Post by **Shadowtraveler** » 2006-08-31 02:57am

Lord Poe wrote:So Dr. Phil here basically took Anakin Skywalker's story and plastered Jacen's name on it, then patted herself on the back for her insight into the character? Yeah...

To be honest, she's just summarizing what's been happening to Jacen since the end of NJO. It's not her fault he's Anakin 2.0.

Lord Poe · Post by **Lord Poe** » 2006-08-31 03:56am

Look at how the claws come out when someone even suggests she doesn't follow established continuity here:

Cunt Traviss wrote:
> Hey Karen. Doesn't your new E-Novel "A Practical Man"
> conflict with what happened in the last NJO book "The
> Unifying Force" (Boba Fett and his Mando's fight
> against the YV, save Han and Leia, and Boba says his
> grudge was never against Han just against the Jedi,
> then he flies away for the next adventure
> 'Bloodlines')?
No, it doesnt conflict with anything at all. You should know the continuity rules well enough by now to know that the content of every story is checked and approved by LFL at every stage. If it contradicted anything, it wouldn't get published in the first place.

If you read SWT "Revenants" you'll see that Boba runs into Han and tells him he's fighting for the Vong. (And before you argue that SWT isn't canon, if you threw out everything in it you'd have to throw out Han's and Boba's very existence too...what can be incorporated into continuity is incorporated.)

When the Mandos finally show up out of nowhere in TUF, everyone's shocked - including the Vong. That's because the Mandos have not been fighting for the NR up to that point. And when you read A Practical Man, you'll see why everyone's surprised to see them.

It has nothing to do with Han or Boba's view of him.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-08-31 04:05am

If you read SWT "Revenants" you'll see that Boba runs into Han and tells him he's fighting for the Vong. (And before you argue that SWT isn't canon, if you threw out everything in it you'd have to throw out Han's and Boba's very existence too...what can be incorporated into continuity is incorporated.)

What is she talking about here, in brackets?

Shadowtraveler · Post by **Shadowtraveler** » 2006-08-31 04:56am

She probally means that if you threw out everything in SWT, you'd also have to throw them out because they're in the stories.

I think...

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2006-08-31 05:06am

Stofsk wrote: What is she talking about here, in brackets?

If I didn't know better, I'd say that since SWT isn't continuity, we have to throw out Han Solo because he has been in SWTs.

His Divine Shadow · Post by **His Divine Shadow** » 2006-08-31 08:36am

Jesus fucking christ this cockgobbler is ruining the Star Wars franchise. I knew from before I was not going to buy anymore of it but damn this just cements my opinion.

Post by **Vympel** » 2006-08-31 08:56am

His Divine Shadow wrote:Jesus fucking christ this cockgobbler is ruining the Star Wars franchise. I knew from before I was not going to buy anymore of it but damn this just cements my opinion.

KJA was fucking things up way before her- hack writers happen. My interest in it is largely academic for lack of a better term, I don't buy just any old EU crap that comes out.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-08-31 09:53am

So basically, she's arguing that because there are canon characters in a possibly non-canon story, it's suddenly canon?

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2006-08-31 12:01pm

I take it that Vader vs Maul is canon, then? And the Holiday Special?

Farore, that woman is fucking stupid.

FTeik · Post by **FTeik** » 2006-08-31 12:19pm

Han Solo will only become non-canon should GL decide to make a super-hyper-special edition of the OT, where he replaces Han Solo with Dash Rendar (or somebody else).

What is SWT, btw? StarWarsTales?

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-08-31 01:10pm

Darth Yoshi wrote:I take it that Vader vs Maul is canon, then? And the Holiday Special?

Farore, that woman is fucking stupid.

Not to mention all the Infinities. All the canon characters are in those.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2006-08-31 01:53pm

I take it that Vader vs Maul is canon, then? And the Holiday Special?

Yes, and yes. That doesn't absolve her from the ridiculous statement that all stories with canon characters are automatically canon. If they contradict the films (like the Infinities adaptions) they're not canon.

Mange · Post by **Mange** » 2006-08-31 02:20pm

I was rather annoyed that Revenant was referenced. That story is among those labelled as Infinities, isn't it? (It also contradicts the Unifying Force).

Jim Raynor · Post by **Jim Raynor** » 2006-08-31 03:22pm

Wow, I come back from a vacation after several days, and see that KT is back with more of her bullshit. Why am I not surprised?

Travissty wrote:And I begged LFL to let me bring back Boba, so I was utterly delighted when they said yes.

So it was basically her idea to bring back Boba, not LFL's or the other writers. You really love those Mandalorians, don't you KT?

To be fair, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with writing more about the character. I'm sick of him myself - I never bought into the fan worship during the movies (all God's sake, all the guy does is stand around and look cool for a few moments before being utterly embarrassed by a blind man!), and the wanking was already too much for me a decade ago. But if Traviss honestly thinks the character has potential (as she describes here), then I don't see how another Boba Fett story is worse than some of the other EU that gets published.

I haven't read the book and plan maintaining my Traviss boycott so I won't make any judgements, but if Boba Fett gets a lot of attention in this book series and his story ends up as a complete tangent, then that will be a problem. He's a minor character who quite frankly doesn't deserve this level of attention. His appearances in the main books should be secondary to the main plot and characters, and starring roles should be in his own spinoff books.

Mange wrote:Here we have a society with an advance medical knowledge which can blend humanoids with technology (Grievous, Vader etc.), but they can't do anything about a liver?

Exactly. Although there might be problems with cloning Boba's own aged DNA as FTeik pointed out, making a mechanical liver should be nothing compared to some of the other medical feats we see in the movies.

Ender wrote:Despite bieng so rich, Boba felt 3 million credits was a lot of money

3 million credits is more then a planetary government can afford

3 million credits is more money than entire planets can afford, but Han Solo can try to charge a hick farmboy 10,000 for a single trip (ANH)? Also, 3 million is only enough to purchase 20 X-wings, going by WEG stats.

Well, at least this is consistent with the scale portrayed in her previous works.

Ender wrote:Boba Fett doesn't use acceleration compenasots whe he takes off. I guess he's just so damn hardcore he can withstand 2 thousnad Gs.

I was thinking "Chuck Norris facts" as I read this and other Boba Fett facts in this thread, even before I got to Guardsman Bass's post where he pointed this similarity out.

Travissty wrote:No, it doesnt conflict with anything at all. You should know the continuity rules well enough by now to know that the content of every story is checked and approved by LFL at every stage. If it contradicted anything, it wouldn't get published in the first place.

Oh joy, the "it was approved by LFL" defense again. Where have we seen this before?

You dumb bitch, LFL's continuity checks aren't perfect as you would like everyone to believe. This is the same company which allowed that 5 mile SSD bullshit to perpetuate for decades. Just come clean and admit that YOU

Travissty wrote:If you read SWT "Revenants" you'll see that Boba runs into Han and tells him he's fighting for the Vong. (And before you argue that SWT isn't canon, if you threw out everything in it you'd have to throw out Han's and Boba's very existence too...what can be incorporated into continuity is incorporated.)

OK, can somebody go over the facts from TUF, "A Practical Man," and "Revenants" for those of us who haven't read them, so that we can see what this supposed contradiction is all about?

Regardless of whether a contradiction exists or not, Traviss's statement is fucking stupid. Star Wars Tales IS non-canon. Throwing them out of continuity doesn't make Han or Boba non-canon though, since their existence is already supported by the G-canon movies and numerous books.

Mange · Post by **Mange** » 2006-08-31 03:52pm

Jim Raynor wrote:OK, can somebody go over the facts from TUF, "A Practical Man," and "Revenants" for those of us who haven't read them, so that we can see what this supposed contradiction is all about?

I haven't read "A Practical Man" (and I have no intention of doing so), but TUF established that Han Solo hadn't met for a long time, but "Revenants" pitted them against each other some time after "Vector Prime" (with Fett flying the Slave I which of course had been destroyed for quite some time). That story is non-canon of course.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2006-08-31 04:08pm

Jim Raynor wrote:
Ender wrote:Despite bieng so rich, Boba felt 3 million credits was a lot of money

3 million credits is more then a planetary government can afford
3 million credits is more money than entire planets can afford, but Han Solo can try to charge a hick farmboy 10,000 for a single trip (ANH)? Also, 3 million is only enough to purchase 20 X-wings, going by WEG stats.

IIRC Aaron Allston's "Iron Fist" says something about 400,000 credts being enough for two X-Wings plus replacement parts. (between RoTJ and the Thrawn Trilogy gives a time reference)

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2006-08-31 09:01pm

3 million credits is more money than entire planets can afford, but Han Solo can try to charge a hick farmboy 10,000 for a single trip (ANH)? Also, 3 million is only enough to purchase 20 X-wings, going by WEG stats.

Well, at least this is consistent with the scale portrayed in her previous works.

Indeed. Three Million seems to be her lucky number. . .

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2006-08-31 09:17pm

yet more "blasters weaker then slugthrowers stupid star wars LOlz" that Connor and I love so much.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-08-31 09:21pm

Guys, you have to think of her as Bill O'Reilly, complete with the pompous pseudo-journalistic self-importance and exaggerated references to military knowledge. Really, her behaviour, her stupid creative decisions, and her pathological lying all make sense once you think of her as Bill O'Reilly.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2006-08-31 09:44pm

Look, I'm about halfway through, and I think I can give my full review of the book now. I've never hidden the fact that I don't care for KT's views on things in the SW universe, her lack of respect for other authors, or her treatment of the fans. That said, previously it did not interere with my ability to enjoy her books. And I do not believe it is now either. I liked Republic Commando. Triple Zero was dry and a trifle hackneyed, but still entertaining. Bloodlines though...

This is a bad book.

I really cannot put it any more simpy or any more plainly then that. I like Mission to Ansion and The Crystal Star better then this. It is just plain bad. I keep having to force myself to read it - if not for the fact that I feel I need to look for anything relevent to the GAR I'd have said "screw it" and returned this to the library by now.

The sheer continuity gaffs are astounding and are flat out disrespectful to the other authors. The plot is disjointed - so far it doesn't appear that Boba Fett ties into the plot at all (and I flipped to the end to see but I might have missed somethign in the interval). The characters suck - while not at KJAs level of writing they are still just poorly potrayed and 2 dimensional. The circumstances in the plot are entirely fabricated and contradict what has previously been established, as I pointed out. I keep hoping page after page that something is going to happen to change all or most of this and it will make snese and be good but it just isn't coming.

The comparrison that springs to mind is turkey tetrazinni. I absolutely hate that meal. When I was little and we had it, not only was I forced to eat every bite, I was forced to have a second helping as punishment for not showing proper gratitude for having food on my plate. This book reminds me of that - I hate reading this, but everytime I stop I am made to keep going. Every time its horrible, and just when I think it might be done, here comes another serving (chapter).

Ritterin Sophia · Post by **Ritterin Sophia** » 2006-08-31 09:48pm

That's it... we now have no choice but to declare Star Wars Jihad agains Karen Travissty... I expect Sheppard and Spetznaz to supply those of us who do not own military-grade weapons, let's go with uniformity as well as be cliche and use AK's, RPK's, and SVD's.

Elfdart · Post by **Elfdart** » 2006-08-31 09:51pm

Darth Wong wrote:Guys, you have to think of her as Bill O'Reilly, complete with the pompous pseudo-journalistic self-importance and exaggerated references to military knowledge. Really, her behaviour, her stupid creative decisions, and her pathological lying all make sense once you think of her as Bill O'Reilly.

O'Reilly looks better in a dress.

Post by **Vympel** » 2006-08-31 09:58pm

General Schatten wrote:That's it... we now have no choice but to declare Star Wars Jihad agains Karen Travissty... I expect Sheppard and Spetznaz to supply those of us who do not own military-grade weapons, let's go with uniformity as well as be cliche and use AK's, RPK's, and SVD's.

Don't you know? According to her, everyone who thought her Guide to the GAR was bullshit did that the moment they said so.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2006-08-31 10:30pm

Tops speed of the XJ7 is apparently a super fast 2,234 m/s.

In ANH the X-wings had to hit about .1 C.

Post by **Vympel** » 2006-08-31 10:39pm

Ender wrote:Tops speed of the XJ7 is apparently a super fast 2,234 m/s.

In ANH the X-wings had to hit about .1 C.

Huh? 2.2km/s in space is its top speed? It says that? That's stupid, there's no speed limit in space. Or did it mean in atmosphere? Which is still stupidly low (8,000km/h or thereabouts, far less than that of an ARC-170).