Star Wars Live Action TV Series Due 2016?

[Selena Halcyon]

NJO was a good series. The better of the big Star Wars event series. Everything after was pretty bad honestly.

 

[Rika]

The Legacy comics were pretty good. Wasn't always the biggest fan of Cade, but in general I thought the series was above average.

The Legacy novels, on the other hand... I couldn't make it past the third. And I tried. Read all of the Darth Caedus series and just... it died so hard. If anything, I'm glad canon was erased to get rid of those.

I doubt, though, that what we know as the NJO will appear in the new stuff. And the Yuuzhan Vong? A big noop on that.

 

[Montana]

Bah, humbug!

 

[Selena Halcyon]

The Legacy comics were pretty good. Wasn't always the biggest fan of Cade, but in general I thought the series was above average. The Legacy novels, on the other hand... I couldn't make it past the third. And I tried. Read all of the Darth Caedus series and just... it died so hard. If anything, I'm glad canon was erased to get rid of those. I doubt, though, that what we know as the NJO will appear in the new stuff. And the Yuuzhan Vong? A big noop on that.

Okay, yes the Legacy comics were great. Honestly they were the most Star Wars thing I can think of to come out in recent history. It really just felt like Star Wars and it would have made for a rather good movie series. It was quite honestly the -only- EU thing I was interested in potentially seeing on screen and that is because it had everything a Star Wars movie needed.

Legacy of the Force books just bothered me so much. It is like... you can kind of sympathize with Jacen Solo... maybe... a little bit? I don't know. His leap to the thought that he needed to become a Sith was just dumb to me but WHATEVER. I can deal with it as stupid as it was. The galactic conflict was also absolutely retarded. And I'm like okay... Jacen going Sith thing fine. We can deal. And then... he murders Mara Jade... Just because he thinks a prophecy written in the form of braided string indicates he should. What's dumb is Mara is not even a good and logical person to fulfill the role of the prophecy, but whatever. The only good thing about how dumb Jacen was is that it truly highlights just how much the darkside corrupts which is something lost upon many people. He goes from being very logical to being an idiot.

And then! Oh and then. Admiral Daella somehow becomes the Supreme Chancellor or whatever of the Republic in the wake of all of this? I mean Jagged Fel becoming leader of the Moffs is also dumb, BUT whatever. Admiral Daella showing up in the end and having all of her sins forgiven because she "saves the day" is just insane. And it is not that she is rewarded. Nope, she is made the frickin' leader of everything. Absolutely stupid. Which then leads into the travesty that is Fate of the Jedi. Like... really? So Jagged loses his position in the Empire... k... but we know he needs to be the Emperor at some point. And Admiral Daella is EXACTLY what you'd think she'd be. An unreasonable tyrant. Mandalorians continue to needlessly be thrown into the series as some sort of third party relevant story line that is not even all that relevant but... whatever. Then you've got the lost tribe of the Sith AND Ship (wtf is up with Ship) AND the Mother some Chthulu beast from beyond garbage.

So dumb. So so so so so so SOOOOO dumb. EU being gone is great. The state it had gotten to was just so bad that I can easily give up the good series like X-wing.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Legacy of the Force novels were some of the best star wars books written, aside from the Stover books.

Caedus' progression touched on a theme popular throughout star wars: portends of the future. By glimpsing an event in the future, he was galled, much like Anakin, into walking a path that could be recognized as having sympathetic elements, but could also be seen as being entirely wrong. A classic case of motives versus methods, where the reader can relate to the character's good intentions, but could not condone the increasingly violent methods he used.

Looking at Centerpoint Station's possibility to be weaponized as a highlight of lingering fears of another Death Star, the Corellian's fierce independence, and Caedus' divisive actions all made the civil war more believable than, say, a disgruntled group of corporatists fighting against a bunch of clones who were manufactured in secret.

An important note was that Vergere's Sith was an entirely different type of Sith from that usually seen, all based around sacrifice for the greater good. Furthermore, Caedus made the transition to Sith because he needed to acquire power quickly in order to stop his vision of the future.

In the end, Caedus can easily be said to be on par with Palpatine in his effectiveness as a Sith Lord, insofar as that he accomplished his goal. He succeeded in uniting the galaxy, even if they ended up uniting in an effort to defeat him. The emotional interactions between himself and his wife and child, as well as his sister, bring more humanity to the Sith Lord, making the closing chapters of the final book all that more heart wrenching.

And while the following Fate of the Jedi had its odder moments, there have certainly been worse stories conceived of in Star Wars than some Lovecraftian foe: Vong, the Ones, and many of the other more childish creations from the cartoon series.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Despite the fact that previous canon is now considered "Legends" in the eyes of the new Star Wars story board, they have proven time and again that they are willing to borrow (unfortunately without credit, I might add) from the work of authors/creators in the EU.

Coruscant first appeared in the original Star Wars comic (issue #63) and was named by Timothy Zahn in Heir to the Empire. And yet, it still became one of the main settings of the prequel trilogy. The prequels, the Clone Wars and even, to an extent, Rebels have all pulled various details from EU as they've seen fit.

Another notable change in direction akin to the pacifist Mandolorians were the abrupt change of character that the Clone Wars gave Barriss Offee, but Barriss is another character that originated in EU. Hell a good number of the Jedi that we see in Ep. 2 and 3 (and especially in the tv shows) are ones that were pulled from EU content.

It is always a possibility that we will see a more militaristic society from the Mandos again, and that they won't completely abandon the canon. They may change details, but it is always to serve the purpose of some story line (whether that story line is trash or not is a matter of opinion).

But none of this is on topic. I'm still excited for the possibility of a live-action tv show. If we constantly worry about the direction taken by current overseers of the SW storyboard, we will never enjoy the outcome. Do they have a lot of stuff to live up to? Sure, but then so have the Marvel folks after their acquisition by Disney, and I'd say they're doing just fine.

You know that's a real good point actually, I was thinking about that the other day. I started watching Rebels the other day and they've brought up a few things from the EU. It made me realize the fact that they were probably going to restablish things from the EU over time, but in a way to give them new flair and make sure they fit with the new timeline (because let's face it, there's no way they were going to explain 40 years of EU in the new movies, but most of the EU stuff is solid material).

As for a shallow and ham-fisted Traviss...I dunno. She took a purposefully militants slant on the writing by drawing on family members of hers that served in Iraq, which I'm sure contributed a lot to the Mando culture.
They are presented to be the best of the best and all that, but then again, the commandos themselves were the best of the best, so it would have blown if they were getting their butts kicked left and right.
They end up all going through some solid character development, which varied in nature and resolution, so that was cool to see, both the clones and non-clone Mandalorians.
So ham-fisted? I couldn't agree, the writing is no clumsily than any other SW novel and the characters are clever, so there's none of that I can see. *shrugs* Perception, right? Lol

[member=Selena Halcyon]

"Traviss is mediocre..."

Lol That's an entirely subjective statement, you can't possibly defend that! I'm more trying to analyse it all from the viewpoint of "how it affects the franchise overall," I could care less what anyone thinks of Traviss.

But you carry on and think whatever about it all, you are free to do so.

[member=Montana]

Don't die! It'll all be alright. The new caretakers of the franchise are going to do wonderful things! They just had to make space in the timeline for it all. Think about it as...EXTRA ADVENTURES! Heck, I should just see the CW tv show that way!

 

[Ali Hadrix]

[member=Hion the Herglic]

I'm not sure what I feel about the Vong. My childhood self remembers reading that series as one of the most intense SW I ever read. Rarely did they ever kill characters that felt so...integral. First Chewie and the TEENAGERS, you know!?
But my adult self just feels like the Vong were invented as something to give the franchise a breath of new air.

Never liked their technology either. It just feels more real if you can throw pseudo-science at a hyper drive or lightsaber than if all you can tell me "Well, we friggin' GREW it to do that, okay? Are you satisfied!?"

Actually, I guess I just discovered what I feel about the Vong: I don't like 'em.

That series did an AMAZING job of showing the progression and conclusion of a Galactic conflict though.

 

[ArcturusDM]

Deciding to jump into this conversation...

I have to admit, a lot of the EU is pretty bad. I was told by several friends of mine that both Legacy and Fate were good series, and to me, they were anything but. I couldn't stand either of them, and Traviss' writing makes me incredibly agitated.

Furthermore, I cannot stand the Vong. I just can't. Everything about them infuriates me. Their storyline, their character progression, their culture, etc. After that series concluded, I doubt the Vong will ever be mentioned again except in passing passages.

 

[Captain Jordan]

Furthermore, I cannot stand the Vong. I just can't. Everything about them infuriates me. Their storyline, their character progression, their culture, etc. After that series concluded, I doubt the Vong will ever be mentioned again except in passing passages.

What I despise about the Vong is basically their legacy. No other conflict aside from the Galactic Civil War has had such a lasting impact on to Star Wars Universe. And so it's like there's this hype built up around them being the big baddie to rival Palpatine's Empire.

The last time I read an overhyped Star Wars book, it turned out I hated the character of Thrawn. Zahn is a great writer, so why did he have to cripple Thrawn's character by force-feeding him information through the 4th wall? It was a picturesque example of Godmodding, and I feel disgusted for having read it.

I'm not looking forward to the day when I read NJO.

 

[Selena Halcyon]

I have to admit, a lot of the EU is pretty bad. I was told by several friends of mine that both Legacy and Fate were good series, and to me, they were anything but. I couldn't stand either of them, and Traviss' writing makes me incredibly agitated.

Your friends likely have bad taste in Star Wars. I highly recommend stuff like X-wing. That series is fantastic in that it merely focuses on bringing down the Empire. It features good characters without being bogged down by big SW names. It offers more freedom because of that. It really is the only series I recommend fullheartedly. Even then I'd keep to just the first four books, because while I like the Wraith Squadron books it is best to view them as two different series. The first four about Rogue Squadron work as perfect novels to follow the conclusion of Episode VI.

The last time I read an overhyped Star Wars book, it turned out I hated the character of Thrawn. Zahn is a great writer, so why did he have to cripple Thrawn's character by force-feeding him information through the 4th wall? It was a picturesque example of Godmodding, and I feel disgusted for having read it.

I agree with this a ton. The books weren't the worst but are best understood in their era. Their reputation is largely for what they did with Star Wars which was reinvigorate interest, but the books themselves aren't necessarily the best. Then again... I really stand by that most Star Wars books are just bad. A few gems exist. I truly limit that to X-wing though... I will say I found that the comics (a medium I'm not big on in general) typically carried the Star Wars vibe better. They seemed to understand the limitations of the Force well, and never got stupid with it like the books. I think some of the best insight into the Old Jedi Order is given in the earliest Republic comics that center around Ki Adi Mundi.

I'm not looking forward to the day when I read NJO.

The Vong make for a great threat. They are completely foreign to the galaxy and offer something that no one is used to. From that angle is good. It makes the series a bit fresher to have something that seems so foreign come in and pose such a big threat. I found reading the books to be fun solely for the fact that no one ever felt safe. It was good to have in a Star Wars environment. Vergere is lame though. Zenoma Sekot is a cool concept but dang... it is absurd. The books really were the last of the decent series out there. It is not great, but it brings more good to the table than many others. And most importantly it is just fresh.

Things that follow it are just bad though. Dark Hive is just weird. It is like it tried to follow NJO and keep with some of the loose ends but just got odd. Like really really odd. Totally unsatisfying to read given that the whole story didn't come anywhere near the scope of NJO yet people in the story treated it like it was a huge crisis. Meh. Just meh. Joiner thing was wonky too, and I hate how they made the Kaleks (right) into a big thing everywhere else as if to try and make the story still relevant. Legacy of the Force is bad. I will concede that Hion has decent exposition on it, but I view that as more of an optimistic view about it because it just gets stupid. And I actually liked the first two books and was really optimistic just to be let down. Fate is just bad. It gets more into the Force in a bad way, and worse yet it has hidden Sith as the enemy again. It is boring, and Aboleth is stupid.

I refuse to read the Bane Trilogy. I've read summaries of it and that's enough to keep me away. Reading about Dark Force Tendrils being used as weapons is just an immediate turn off. I hate wonky over the top force powers. The only place I can accept them is in something like The Force Unleashed (I'm not a fan of the games, but the gameplay is intended to be over the top so I'm fine with that) where I can treat it as a game mechanic and not some stupid canon nonsense. It is stuff like the Bane Trilogy that I am so glad to see no longer exist.

And in the end the new canon has been pretty good. A New Dawn is a fun story. Nothing ground breaking but provides good insight into Kanan and Hera meeting. I hear the Tarkin novel is good but definitely not my style, same for Lords of the Sith (though this one interests me because it ties to the Clone Wars). Heir to the Jedi is meh and unreadable to me but that's because I abhor first person writing. Dark Disciple provides a good conclusion to some story lines from The Clone Wars.

 

[Isar]

The Vong make for a great threat. They are completely foreign to the galaxy and offer something that no one is used to. From that angle is good. It makes the series a bit fresher to have something that seems so foreign come in and pose such a big threat.

Was Abeloth a foreign threat?

 

[Selena Halcyon]

Aboleth was so unstarwarsy that it is a bit different.

 

[Isar]

Hmm. Hadn't thought of it like that.

I guess I'm a bit confused as to how the categorization of "starwarsy" operates.

 

[ArcturusDM]

I know what she means. The whole Aboleth thing, to me, felt more like something out of Dr. Who or even perhaps Star Trek. It didn't feel like it belonged to the Star Wars universe.

 

[Bo Nadea]

Honestly, if they go TV show with Star Wars, I don't want to see a Jedi as a main character. There's enough material that puts the Jedi in the limelight.

While I love the Jedi, this is what I think too. There are a lot more force utilizing groups in the SW universe besides the Jedi and Sith. Take the Jensaarai for example, or the Matukai. There are so many options in the SW universe for groups, species, worlds, creatures, abilities...it's trippy!

 

[Selena Halcyon]

I know what she means. The whole Aboleth thing, to me, felt more like something out of Dr. Who or even perhaps Star Trek. It didn't feel like it belonged to the Star Wars universe.

Bingo. The nature of the foreignness was very different between Vong and Aboleth. The Yuuzhan Vong were strange and different but were just in line enough with Star Wars that it did not seem out of place. I think the very fact that they were from a different galaxy made the whole being cut off from the force a palatable aspect of their existence. Aboleth however just was this weird twisted version of a Force creature that was just some Cthulu esque end of times monster that just made little sense inside that world of Star Wars. It also felt like the connection to the Mortis Trilogy was just nonsense.