The Novels
#1
Posted 20 February 2004 - 04:06 AM
Recently I read the novelizations of the Star Wars trilogy--the Del Rey mass-market paperback edition, specifically (the one that collects all three of 'em). I was wondering if these novels have been tampered with the same way the movies have? I know for a fact that the A New Hope novelization was originally named "Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker" but am unaware of any changes beyond that, save that the older editions had more attractive covers.
Also, has George Lucas tampered with any of the EU Novels?
Thanks in advance.
#2
Posted 20 February 2004 - 09:44 AM
[EDIT: I found the link here: http://www.chefelf.c...hp?showtopic=53 I think srmoore may have sent it to me.]
I don't think he's changed them but it wouldn't hurt to research. The original novels are pretty good in that they have a few little scenes that didn't make it into the movie that give you just a little more back story.
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#3
Posted 20 February 2004 - 12:24 PM
Yea... those books are what got me into Star Wars. Many people tend to overlook the movies as just being a special effects fest, the books make it clearer that there's a complex and intricate storyline and character relationships behind all the glitter.
#4
Posted 20 February 2004 - 03:37 PM
#5
Posted 20 February 2004 - 04:01 PM
Lucas is so full of crap. That's like Spielberg saying he never wanted to have guns in the hands of the cops in E.T. but they just didn't have the budget to be able to afford walkie-talkies.
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#6
Posted 20 February 2004 - 05:26 PM
It's also interesting that in the novels Luke flies with Blue Squadron, not Red. I'm surprised Lucas didn't dub everyone's voice in the SE saying Blue Five, reporting in. You see, he couldn't do it originally because it costs more to get the rights to say the word Blue than it does to say Red, and saying Blue would have put them over budget.
#7
Posted 21 February 2004 - 07:33 PM
BTW, the book mentions greedo using a translator device. That's a great idea. why don't we see more of those in this expanded universe?
#8
Posted 22 February 2004 - 06:48 AM
Translator devices seem to be rare in most Sci-fic works. The only other place that I know that had one was Space Quest 1, a game by Sierra Online back in 1987 (or was it 1986?). Anyway, I'm not really that much of a sci-fiction fan anyway.
The books had some dialogue that didn't exist in the movies, I don't know whether they're really bad or not, I never read any of them, just skimmed through some when I was looking through a book shop.
#9
Posted 22 February 2004 - 12:10 PM
I think it was 1986. I'll have to double-check my copy of the Space Quest Collection and get back to you.
As for Translator devices... Star Trek had them to during the Next Generation era on up. I think the reason they're so rare is because people consider them scientifically implausible.
#10
Posted 22 February 2004 - 01:48 PM
No more implausible than the notion that everywhere our heroes go, people speak their language. (ok, save the ewoks. damn care bears...)
BTW, I've seen advertised a dog collar that translates what they're saying with their barks and cries. You could even program it to record their thoughts (well, not *thoughts*) during the day. I'd hate that option as I'd feel guilty for not being there to constantly let him in and out.
#11
Posted 23 February 2004 - 06:27 AM
There's also one for cats. But I don't think it's for real. I mean, how do you really know if he's actually saying something? Sure, I've seen cats meowing to each other and look like they're communicating, but I can't really tell whether they're saying something or the tone of their mewing is the key to the 'translation'.
#13
Posted 23 February 2004 - 11:26 AM
Because of this, introducing a cat to a dog takes a little work, but if you do it right, they'll be best buddy's for life. The only way it can go wrong is if the individual animal has an aggresive personality (yes, cats and dogs DO have unique personalities, just like humans).
#14
Posted 25 February 2004 - 10:37 PM
EDIT: Upon further research, my verdict is that it doesn't seem like the movie novelizations have been tampered with that much, if at all (I should note that there are new hardcover editions with forewards by GL that I have not read yet). If someone cares to prove me wrong in the future, please do so. As for me, I personally think Star Wars was better as a book than as a movie, so I would suggest, those who don't like the special editions, pick up the books.
This post has been edited by JamesEightBitStar: 26 February 2004 - 06:43 PM