[News] Disney Buying Lucasfilm, Plans New Star Wars Movie
- Thread starter Cheesy1
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BananaHands
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I read one that had space werewolves in it.
I don't particularly mind all the other stuff, but it's just something else than it was back when it was (mostly) just the trilogy. There are good EU stories out there, and games with good separate stories, and whatever, but all together, they've created a whole explained universe, not the big playground for the mind that was what was originally hinted at. And it's not always internally very consistent or logical, either.
Not disagreeing that there are some terrible EU books out there, but did you read the first three Timothy Zahn novels? Heir to the Empire is one of them, it features the original cast and Grand Admiral Thrawn.
And that's MY biggest concern about Disney's plan for the franchise. That they'll over-saturate the market with so much Star Wars that it'll completely lose whatever reverence and mystique it still had left. And that would make 5-year-old Cheesy sad.
It's ALREADY over-saturated. The prequels just gave them a chance to over-saturate things again with a new line of toys, extended universe books, cartoons, and video games.
I've been around Star Wars longer than you have Nick (just a matter of being older, not talking down to you on this... but jeez Jedi was your first in theater...but I digress (I'm just playing around there, don't be so serious)) and I've always made the decision to only partake of what *I* want to partake of. I liked some of the early EU novels (Zahn in particular), but didn't read most as I didn't find the ideas very appealing, I enjoyed some of the comic series, mostly depended on the art/story combination. I liked to goof off with X-Wing/Tie Fighter, but really enjoyed the Lego series that have come out in the past few years (I mean really, Lego pieces all over the place and didn't have to worry about stepping on them) but never cared to get into the Jedi games or Knights. I can understand why so many are upset about the Prequels (we all had our own vision for it, and Lucas can't write dialog to save his life) but at the same time there was no possibility to have any type of suspense in the series, WE KNEW HOW IT WAS GOING TO END, and were really just wanting to see the visuals of the places we knew had to be there. I really enjoyed the Clone Wars cartoon series because it actually expanded on the characterization of Kenobi and Skywalker (things that Lucas didn't do in the Prequels, or Star Wars 4, but other directors did in Empire and Jedi).
What Disney has in store, I'm looking forward to it. I think that they can bring back some of the wonder and joy by giving us stories that we don't know the eventual outcome of everyone. But again, I'll only partake in what *I* want to do with it. We, as older fans, have to remember that to keep this rolling along we have to recruit new fans to the franchise. That means there will be things that I won't like or care about (cartoons, comics, books, games...) and won't personally take part in, but be sure that if one of my young cousins (or eventually grandchild... that actually scares me a little right now) I'll get them things to help grow their love of Star Wars (and other sci-fi) to have another generation to keep it alive.
Let me use an analogy here for "fandom." Baseball cards. When I was a kid, long after Dave was born, baseball cards (even of the Star Wars variety) were all over the place. We'd stick them in the spokes of our manually propelled transports and trade them and shoot them with BB rifles and generally enjoy the hell out of them. As I grew older, the card companies started catering to an older audience, fancier sets, signature cards, game used memorabilia cards and on and on and on.... and the cost of a pack of cards went from 25 cents... to 75 cents... to $1... and up and up and up. When I left the card business (I ran a card and comic shop for 7 years) the average pack of cards was approaching $5 a pack, and kids couldn't afford them anymore. Since then, the sports card market has completely collapsed, because everyone lost sight of keeping a younger generation interested in the hobby because they were focusing on the adult collector (and their $$$$ ) instead of keeping the hobby spread across multiple generations. We face the same thing with Star Wars overall, if we don't get a younger generation interested, it will all go away and 50 years from now we'll have documentaries talking about the "rise and fall" of a sci-fi empire.
TL: DR
Focus on what you like, don't worry about the other stuff.
What Disney has in store, I'm looking forward to it. I think that they can bring back some of the wonder and joy by giving us stories that we don't know the eventual outcome of everyone. But again, I'll only partake in what *I* want to do with it. We, as older fans, have to remember that to keep this rolling along we have to recruit new fans to the franchise. That means there will be things that I won't like or care about (cartoons, comics, books, games...) and won't personally take part in, but be sure that if one of my young cousins (or eventually grandchild... that actually scares me a little right now) I'll get them things to help grow their love of Star Wars (and other sci-fi) to have another generation to keep it alive.
Let me use an analogy here for "fandom." Baseball cards. When I was a kid, long after Dave was born, baseball cards (even of the Star Wars variety) were all over the place. We'd stick them in the spokes of our manually propelled transports and trade them and shoot them with BB rifles and generally enjoy the hell out of them. As I grew older, the card companies started catering to an older audience, fancier sets, signature cards, game used memorabilia cards and on and on and on.... and the cost of a pack of cards went from 25 cents... to 75 cents... to $1... and up and up and up. When I left the card business (I ran a card and comic shop for 7 years) the average pack of cards was approaching $5 a pack, and kids couldn't afford them anymore. Since then, the sports card market has completely collapsed, because everyone lost sight of keeping a younger generation interested in the hobby because they were focusing on the adult collector (and their $$$$ ) instead of keeping the hobby spread across multiple generations. We face the same thing with Star Wars overall, if we don't get a younger generation interested, it will all go away and 50 years from now we'll have documentaries talking about the "rise and fall" of a sci-fi empire.
TL: DR
Focus on what you like, don't worry about the other stuff.
fade
Staff member
I did read them. I didn't really like them honestly. His style was too basic for one and a lot of the characters felt like drop in replacements. I think. It's been years.[DOUBLEPOST=1373548992][/DOUBLEPOST]What counts as eu and what doesnt? When I was a kid, I had this terrible box set someone gave me for Christmas called the Han Solo adventures.it predated Zahn.
That was actually the first EU, probably along with those awesomeful Marvel comics. Brian Daley wrote some nice stories imho and brought Han Solo's character and background to live. Obviously he wasn't allowed to use much of the established universe which was why those stories are actually prequels playing in a whole newly created part of the SW galaxy nowadays known as the Corporate Sector; no Empire, no Stormtroopers. no TIE fighters etc.
I really liked the Thrawn trilogy but hated the ending. I haven't read them since when they first came out and don't know how I would find them today. But back then it was the first real Star Wars after how many years? Boy were we hyped; and I wasn't let down by the hype as I was with the prequels!
Anyone who doesn't like the EU doesn't know about Ganner Rhysode's last stand.
And if you know about Ganner Rhysode's last stand and still don't like the EU, then you have fallen irredeemably to the Dark Side and must be destroyed.
(Also, you know what else counts as EU? Knights of the Old Republic. That's good, right?)
And if you know about Ganner Rhysode's last stand and still don't like the EU, then you have fallen irredeemably to the Dark Side and must be destroyed.
(Also, you know what else counts as EU? Knights of the Old Republic. That's good, right?)
Dunno what a Ganner Rhysode is.
I Only read the Thrawns (both series) and the X-Wings (Rogues and Wraiths) and wasn't too much interested in everything else, sorry.
And of course the old Solo adventures and the wacky Calrissian books and then the new Solo backstory trilogy.
But that's all, wasn't too interested in jedi Hijinks and kid adbentures.
I Only read the Thrawns (both series) and the X-Wings (Rogues and Wraiths) and wasn't too much interested in everything else, sorry.
And of course the old Solo adventures and the wacky Calrissian books and then the new Solo backstory trilogy.
But that's all, wasn't too interested in jedi Hijinks and kid adbentures.
How do you know it's the real Boba? Weren't there about a bazillionty trillion of them?
I find Boba escaping the Sa'arlac pit, a little hard to swallow.
GasBandit
Staff member
A Barve like that...
I read Tales from Jabba's Palace when I was a kid, too - really liked it at the time. Of course, I was a rabid star wars fan back then and I can't say if it'd hold up to objective scrutiny today or not.
Well, Disney has tried to cover their asses. After the bomb of the Lone Ranger, how do you keep stock up? Say that Star Wars Episode VII is going to make 1.2 billion dollars.
http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/...dicts-That-The-Walt-Disney/7/10/2013/id/50748
http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/...dicts-That-The-Walt-Disney/7/10/2013/id/50748
It could, if it's the right movie. Hell, Episode 1 made over a billion in lifetime gross and it's generally considered to be terrible.
Disney failed on the marketing of John Carter by dropping the reference to Mars from the title, and possibly by clothing Dejah Thoris. Instead of playing up the whole Edgar Rice Burroughs angle, and not keeping a stead course on marketing they killed the box office here in the US, I think that it did almost 3 times the amount overseas that it did stateside.
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