[KurganX]

Now elsewhere I explained the official Star Wars canon policy of LucasFilm, but hear me out.

A lot of folks on the internet have pre-sorted Star Wars fans into categories... "purists" who like only the movies, and "completists" who like everything liscensed and try to fit everything from Star Tours to their favorite video game or comic book into continuity (sort of like here we have the "bashers" who hate the prequels/special editions and the "gushers" who defend them).

Now the impression I got from Chef Elf is that he doesn't fit easily into one of those categories (and perhaps all these categories are merely stereotypes, as not everyone holds to them anyway). He hates some of the changes to the classic movies, like we all do (almost everyone hates at least one change made since the 80's), but he also suggests things that would have improved the movies, but weren't done, and changes he likes. Also there were parts of the prequels he liked (he doesn't list any for ROTS, but he did for AOTC and I assume TPM as well).

Me personally this is pretty close to how I view things. I may not agree on every single one of his reasons, but there's parts I like, parts I don't. I like AOTC and ROTS a lot more than a lot of people here (and I am by no means a "gusher" IMNSHO) as I have plenty of problems with Lucas's creative decisions.

So now I'm wondering how people here generally feel about the EU (Chef Elf included).

So you feel that the Expanded Universe represents the "true nature of the Star Wars universe" in concert to the films? Do you see it as part of the same "reality" of Star Wars?

Or do you dismiss it out of hand in favor of the movies (like the "purists" over at SouloftheJedi.com do for example)? I have heard a lot of people on the 'net defend the EU as "being at least better than the Prequels" and expressing outrage that the Prequels and the Special Editions ignored the vast majority of the EU (with a few minor exceptions such as Aayla Secura, the Outrider as an easter egg in ANH, the background of "Master Voss," and the planet Coruscant).

A lot of people have falsely viewed parts of the EU being validated in the movies by certain elements appearing outside first... examples being General Grievous appearing in Clone Wars Season 2 before ROTS, Boba Fett appearing in the SWHS and action figure form before ESB, the designs of some of the ships/vehicles in ROTS appearing in EU sources, etc.

The trouble is that in these instances these were actually Lucas creations (or created under his supervision.... after all many of the things he creates are just a basic idea, that he hands to some sketch artists, who come up with something, and he chooses the design he likes to be the "official" one... but it's considered G-level canon because it was his idea originally), and deliberately put out in the EU to whet people's appetite for it. OR they were in fact unused concepts for the movies, that got picked up by the EU authors, then finally put back into the movies, though in an alertered sense.

An example of this is the "Republic turbo tank" (that boxy wheeled combat vehicle in ROTS). It started out originally as a concept sketch for a Rebel vehicle on Hoth for ESB, but was never used. The EU picked it up as an "Old Republic vehicle" called a Juggernaught. It was depicted a certain way in the EU (with old models used and getting destroyed in some of the novels), and then was inserted into ROTS, but with different dimensions and armaments. Another example is the Dreadnaught (?) which was an unused concept that got used in the EU as an OR ship, and then was used as a Seperatist ship in ROTS, but again, altered from its original form.

Anyway, I've got off on a tangent. How do you feel about the EU?

To you, is it superior to the movies? (Prequels, special editions) Is it "more true" to Star Wars?

Or is it beneath them, even the movies you hate? Or is it equal?

Or do you do like I do, and select parts of the EU you like and disregard the parts that suck/are silly in your opinion?

[KurganX]

21 views and only two votes (one of those is mine!)? You should be ashamed of yourselves!

[CowboyCurtis]

I'm more of a pick and choose kind of person. I like the Stackpole Rogue Squadron, but can toss out anything made by Marvel back in the 80's. Not much from Dark Horse has really impressed me. Though I like the ARTWORK of Dark Empire, I feel like it's trying to outdo the movies, which is a problem of a lot of EU storylines. There was a "prototype" Deathstar and it's a problem. There's a "Planet Muncher" or there are SuperDuper Star Destroyers. It makes the movies seem like small potatoes.

But, there are concepts I like. I do like the idea of the Empire splitting up among the admirals and generals, maybe even fighting among themselves. That's very realistic.

I'd like to pick and choose some things from the prequels, but certainly not a lot of things. Basically, most of them are just concepts that need more refinement, more thought and better execution.

Anyway.... I voted.

[Darth Player]

I think its all a disorganized mess. I'm all for it if it gets the younger kids reading so they move onto something better in time, but it seems in mining the best of what pulp novels and comics offered to make the OT, Lucas felt compelled subconsiously to organize a mess that would muddle the waters of his creation. There's so much hair splitting and minor points spun around to make really big ones in the EU that it takes the fun out of it all away.

[CowboyCurtis]

Very true. Preferrably, overall, I'd rather shuck the EU. Like you say, it's a real mess, and too many problems came from it, like for example, that "Darth" became a title rather than a name. I mean (no offense, DP), there's Darth Razor and Darth Plummet and Darth Potato. It's ridiculous.

I truly wish there had been a better explanation for Darth Vader's name rather than being a title.

[Darth Player]

Like you say, it's a real mess, and too many problems came from it, like for example, that "Darth" became a title rather than a name. I mean (no offense, DP), there's Darth Razor and Darth Plummet and Darth Potato. It's ridiculous.

I truly wish there had been a better explanation for Darth Vader's name rather than being a title.

No offense taken, as the name's a parody of sorts with all the Darths attending the Intergalactic Player Sith Hater ball in Dantooine.

The entire G-Damned idea of the Sith being only tow, master and apprentice is so weak it seems to be lifted from the shallowness of the EU. I still cannot comprehend how two individuals, and only one of whom is the full time fighter of them, can take out a vast group of beings who have the ability to weild greater force by drawing from the light energy around them. The first Zahn book was a great read, mostly in part to a hunger for something Star wars at the time, as was the comic adaptation where Luke goes Dark to battle the clone Emperor, but those stories had no depth, just like the PT. We never got an explaination into the story of the dragon like being's skull and vertebrae C-3P0 walks past in ANH, for example. Lot's of fluff is what it is.

[diligent_d]

Bottom line, I pick and choose.

One thing I hate about the EU is that every single character - no matter how small in the film - has this big, long, important, drawn out origin. I think someone else said this in the forum, but couldn't Hammerhead have just been a drunk? Couldn't the guy who picked a fight with Skywalker instead have just been an unimportant thug lying about his death sentences instead?

[Darth Player]

Bottom line, I pick and choose.

One thing I hate about the EU is that every single character - no matter how small in the film - has this big, long, important, drawn out origin. I think someone else said this in the forum, but couldn't Hammerhead have just been a drunk? Couldn't the guy who picked a fight with Skywalker instead have just been an unimportant thug lying about his death sentences instead?

I hear you. I drew the line in one of the short story collections where there's a tale from the Jawas point of view, IIRC, that had some eyewitness of some sort hear Uncle Owen say something to the effect that he was neutral for a long time but after being roughed up by the Sandtroopers looking for the droids he says "I can see why people have sympathy for the Rebellion!' before they kill him and Beru. Story-wise, the guy didn't want to get involved and had little reason to because he managed to scrape a pretty good living for himself and avoid a lot of headaches, until a problem of galactic proportions came his way, showing that no one is immune as in life. The last minute switch to the good guys was just so damned forced and had no point to it.

[CowboyCurtis]

Yeah, that has always rubbed me raw, too! How Dr. Evazan is this big time criminal---why couldn't he just be a simple two-bit braggart criminal?

I also really disliked the explanation for R4's motivator "going bad" is that R2 explained his mission to R4, and out of sympathy and knowing that R2's quest is more important than himself, he blows the motivator. Er... right. It just couldn't be a piece of junk?

Silliness abounds in the EU... remember the green rabbit character from the old Marvel comics---is he canon, too?

[diligent_d]

Silliness abounds in the EU... remember the green rabbit character from the old Marvel comics---is he canon, too?

Hahaha - I totally remember him. I think his name was Jaxx or something like that.

[Zatoichi]

I also really disliked the explanation for R4's motivator "going bad" is that R2 explained his mission to R4, and out of sympathy and knowing that R2's quest is more important than himself, he blows the motivator. Er... right. It just couldn't be a piece of junk?

I think that was one of the Star Wars Tales comics. He was a Force using droid.So my question is, did he have midichlorians in his oil? What woul have happened when he needed to get an oil change?