The only books I have read are those where Obi-Wan is still Qui-Gon's padawan (I kinda liked those books because you could actually read one book in a day) and Revenge of the Sith novel, honestly speaking I didn't like it at all.

 

The books after Return of the Jedi are just plain crap because of Emperor's rebirth, it totally ruins that wonderful scene where Vader saves his son. That's also why I will not see the books after Return of the Jedi as canon, they are just crap and they disrespect the main character of the saga.

 

As for other books, I have no interest. Fans put too much weight on EU anyway I think.

The Obi/Qui books could be read in a day because they were Young Adult books, a small step up from the "Glove of Darth Vader" goofiness from the early '90s.

The books after ROTJ have very little to do with the Reborn Emperor; that was all in comics, although the Jedi Academy Trilogy dealt with the fallout of the whole Dark Empire saga (and various other books occasionally referenced it in passing). Dismissing them because Lucas Licensing decided to combine book & comic continuities forcing the post-Zahn books to take place in a universe where the Emperor had a bunch of cloned bodies waiting for him isn't very fair to all the cool stuff the books brought forth over the years.

Lastly, fans put weight on the EU because the EU is what gives us more Star Wars stories!

To the guy that says that Star Wars are all about good, happy endings. Maybe in a long run and still it can be read in different ways but just looking at the movies:

EP 1 - happy ending

EP 2 - grim ending

EP 3 - grim ending

EP 4 - happy ending

EP 5 - grim ending

EP 6 - happy ending

So yea happy, good always triumphs my ***. And what would be a problem if a new star wars movie was made and the antagonist would be vanquished by protagonist using the dark side?

Oh, I saw it. I found it laughably entertaining from a

perspective.

Tartakovsky was not the first - remember (again) "Dark Empire", when Luke, Leia and the Emperor emerged in huge force balls.

Tartakovsky was not the first - remember (again) "Dark Empire", when Luke, Leia and the Emperor emerged in huge force balls.

No, he wasn't the first...but comparing to a terrible, terrible comic book only shows you how silly the cartoon is.

No, he wasn't the first...but comparing to a terrible, terrible comic book only shows you how silly the cartoon is.

Well, I like the Tartakovsky-cartoon a lot. Yes, the first episodes were a bit silly (the durge arc especially for the one and only star wars joust scene). But I think, after the first 10 shorts it got really good, I rewatch it from time to times and prefer it over the new clone wars series.

I just wanted to post...when Callista made a re-appearance in FOTJ...It made me want to throw the book away.

 

SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!?

 

I can't wait for this series to end.

Yeah, that pissed me off. Like really pissed me off. And it was completely pointless.

Well, I like the Tartakovsky-cartoon a lot. Yes, the first episodes were a bit silly (the durge arc especially for the one and only star wars joust scene). But I think, after the first 10 shorts it got really good, I rewatch it from time to times and prefer it over the new clone wars series.

I won't deny it's stylistically entertaining, but it's one of those things where you have to remind yourself how silly the thing you're enjoying is. Helps keep your sanity.

 

 

I won't deny it's stylistically entertaining, but it's one of those things where you have to remind yourself how silly the thing you're enjoying is. Helps keep your sanity.

Lol, I love it. Its like we finally see the EU acknowledged by Lucas.

Yes, the EU has lost its way, and that's not to say there wasn't a load of garbage back in the day as well. But I wholeheartedly agree that the latest stories have gone so obnoxiously emo that I'm tempted to slit my wrists before my favorite characters do.

 

The fundamental problem with EU books nowadays is they're these multi-book, multi-year sagas that trust the storyline they're pushing is entertaining enough to read 10+ books on it.

 

When they used to stick to the no-more-than-trilogy format, if you found a crap book or series, it wasn't long until another came along to save you from your despair. But when you get something like Fate of the Jedi (which is the series that has caused me to officially give up and stop reading Star Wars books), you're screwed for several years.

 

I miss Zahn's books. And Stackpole's X-Wing series. Hell, even Truce at Bakura and Courtship of Princess Leia were better than all of this touchy-feely "should I dabble in the Dark Side or shouldn't I?" Jedi crap. Because they remembered that, y'know, there's more to Star Wars than just Jedi.

I feel that the way its going with this new series that maybe a great climax is around the corner you see all this darkness building and building its almost expected that something big is about to happen and that they are killing off the majority of the old charcs. to make way for brand new ones who bring back that old star wars feeling we are use to. That is me anyway, I feel they are building to something big like if you look at what happened during this game's timeline the Sith disappear almost for thousands of years and leave the jedi to prosper and then come back with a vengeance to wipe them out. And I am mainly referring to Star Wars universe as a whole not certain series.

To the guy that says that Star Wars are all about good, happy endings. Maybe in a long run and still it can be read in different ways but just looking at the movies:

 

EP 1 - happy ending

EP 2 - grim ending

EP 3 - grim ending

EP 4 - happy ending

EP 5 - grim ending

EP 6 - happy ending

 

So yea happy, good always triumphs my ***. And what would be a problem if a new star wars movie was made and the antagonist would be vanquished by protagonist using the dark side?

I completely agree, I feel that the makers of the Star Wars universe try to make it so that each book/movie is slightly different, but always come back to that theme good will triumph evil, even though that not might be how it happened in a specific part. That is why it is a saga. It's a continuing story about good vs evil. I feel that they could and may make another Star Wars movie, with Lucas at the head? Who knows. But with the current state of the Star Wars Universe it seems it's building towards something big.

I liked the Deceived noevel. Don't tell me I wasn't the only one who thought it wasn't crap.

I'd put Decieved over Revan any day.

See what happens when you touch Childhood favorites. I played KOTOR, I was 14. I thought it was the best game ever, and I loved Revan and the comps.

And then Drew comes along, makes a Dark-Sided Demon and kills off my favorites.

So I was forced to choose a new favorite character. But I really didn't,, instead(Which I recommend all to do) is chose a new favorite Author.

I find following my favorite authors allot better than following characters because most EU characters are touched by 10-15 different authors and they change the character so much.

So I just follow Matthew Stover, Timothy Zahn and, James Luceno.

So this is coming from a "young" star wars fan. I'm only 19.

I am an avid fan of everything sci-fi, but truth be told, most EU is just crap, and that's for every series spawned from a "canon" source like movies or a set of novels. It's not just star wars. Most "EU anything" is crap. In fact, literature authors make fun of EU novelists and there have even been petitions to separate EU fiction from other novels.

The fact is, the logos often sell more copies than the stories themselves. Star Wars is by nature a collectors sort of thing. Star wars fans buy star wars books. The content might suck, but who cares, it's Star Wars.

The only way we'll ever encourage EU novelists to spend time to make their stories good is to just not support them. Don't buy their novels. Don't talk about them. Don't even bash them. They're just not worth the time.

It seems like most of the EU is a bunch of guys have a weird contest on who is going to make the most powerful sith, or jedi of all times.

It has gotten to the point of sillyness. I think the movies and the Kotor games had it pretty well. Luke becoming godmode, as well as palpatine seemed ridiculous. I know a lot of people are angry at Lucas, but honestly, I think most of the EU writers have committed worse offenses.

But these guys that can eat planets, move the stars, become gods, i think is way over the top. It trivializes all non force users.

Empire Strikes Back didn't have a happy ending...

 

Just sayin.

 

Personally...I've been really into the EU. Good and Bad. I can't believe you guys are whining about NJO and beyond cause its 'darker'. Go back and read some of the earlier EU besides the Xwing and Thrawn books. They are terribly written, and most people can't even get the characters right. Something like Chewbaccas death brought a whole different emotional resonance to the series and the characters. Up until then it was all 'LOL NOTHING CAN HURT US /SQUEEEE'

 

We've grown up, and the EU has grown up with us with smarter writting and a more realistic approach. No more 'James Bond never gets hurt' kind of deals. Characters can die.

 

Saying it sucks cause it's become more realistic and bringing out some of the darker aspects with emotional character deaths, and experiences....I just don't understand, cause the prequels being aimed rght at kids the way they were is the entire reason those 3 films lost me...

Agreed man, remember people its called STAR WARS with an emphasis on the WARS part and guess what......people die in wars and yes the good guys die too. In reality the true war heros never even get the kind of recognition our beloved characters get.

I love the EU's darker tone it makes it more believable in a sense. IMO NJO was phenomenal and actually tested our heros and OMG some died! It makes for good reading, builds suspense when you dont know who will live or die.

To the guy that says that Star Wars are all about good, happy endings. Maybe in a long run and still it can be read in different ways but just looking at the movies:

 

EP 1 - happy ending

EP 2 - grim ending

EP 3 - grim ending

EP 4 - happy ending

EP 5 - grim ending

EP 6 - happy ending

 

So yea happy, good always triumphs my ***. And what would be a problem if a new star wars movie was made and the antagonist would be vanquished by protagonist using the dark side?

You're ignoring the fact that those 6 movies are just one story - that of the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. That story has a happy ending.

LotR has something similar - the edning of the Fellowship isn't exactly all happy-clappy, and neither is that of the Two Towers.

That, and not a whole lot of reconstruction. I'd be quite satisfied to leave it at the G-Canon of ROTJ and never pick up afterward. Nice and open-ended.

This is pretty much where I'm at.

To the OP the EU never was on the way (and yes I'm including Zahn). Oh there are some enjoyable books occasionally but they just scratch the Star Wars itch. The EU is pretty much just a collection of individual writers trying to be the "heir" to the Star Wars legend. I have no problem with that and I read the stuff, but I really can't take any of it to seriously. Its just an alternate universe. Take it for power creep journey that it is.

Is this antebellum mentality wrong?

I dont think that word means what you think it means.

There were plenty of dark spots before the NJO, you just need to read more of the novels.

Anyway, once I heard that R.A Salvatore was going to start off a new series of Star Wars novels I was stoked because I knew that Star Wars was finally going to get real and there would be a series that didnt play up to rather moronic good guys always win, every cloud has a silver lining, the universe loves goody goodies and the hero never dies BS.

Star Wars needed a war that didnt revolve around the Sith or Imperials, it was gettin stale.

I dont think that word means what you think it means.

 

There were plenty of dark spots before the NJO, you just need to read more of the novels.

 

Anyway, once I heard that R.A Salvatore was going to start off a new series of Star Wars novels I was stoked because I knew that Star Wars was finally going to get real and there would be a series that didnt play up to rather moronic good guys always win, every cloud has a silver lining, the universe loves goody goodies and the hero never dies BS.

 

Star Wars needed a war that didnt revolve around the Sith or Imperials, it was gettin stale.

Sure Antebellum means exactly what I meant it to mean. Antebellum is, literally, a word used to describe the neoclassic archetecture of the Old South, prior to the Civil War in America. Figuratively and used as a metaphor, it represents the idea of "The Good Ol' Days." This eludes to the idea of a simpler, less sophisticated, and happier time. Not that history shows that time period as actually BEING a happier time; on the contrary, many would say that time was more opressive and unpleasant, but using the word the way I used it doesn't look for implied truth, it's the IDEA of looking back and finding happiness in the simpler times. And that's the whole point: Looking through rose colored glasses. It's looking at the way things should be percieved...instead of the way things actually are.

Regarding the rest of your post, I must disagree. I don't want Star Wars to 'get real.' It wasn't meant to 'be' real from the beginning. It was meant to have a childish innocence to it, and that was the appeal of it. It was a great story in a presentation that everyone could experience. R.A Salvatore is a great writer, I will absolutely give you that. But I really think that Star Wars should have stayed innocent, there are plenty of other dystopic sci-fi series that would embrace the realism approach

This is pretty much where I'm at.

 

To the OP the EU never was on the way (and yes I'm including Zahn). Oh there are some enjoyable books occasionally but they just scratch the Star Wars itch. The EU is pretty much just a collection of individual writers trying to be the "heir" to the Star Wars legend. I have no problem with that and I read the stuff, but I really can't take any of it to seriously. Its just an alternate universe. Take it for power creep journey that it is.

This is pretty much my entire mindset, although I don't believe in this "alternate universe" nonsense. That's just some make belief denial concept that people erroneously paste on stuff they don't enjoy.

The OT will always be the OT, and the PT will always be that "thing" which could have been good if Avatar film technology had been available, if they had cast decent actors, and taken out Jar-jar and actually explained the "plot". I will not bash George Lucas. There were other people there who could have done something but they didn't.

Everything EU is cool and all, I enjoy the comics, and occasionally find a fun novel or two, but I don't take it seriously. After RotJ, it all goes downhill. Nothing makes ense. There's like a galactic war every year or so that it's just inconceivable that entire fleets are rebuilt every few months. Stuff doesn't make sense, and that's just how it is.

Too many authors who don't cooperate. Too many egotistical upstarts who have no idea how to plot a story. Too many nobodies who mess with the Skywalker family, it's all just meh.

The stuff is all there, it's not going away just because u brand it "alternate univserse", but at the same time, who cares, the OT is the OT, and the rest is just there for the laughs... or the groans.

Oh, I didn't mean to add some well-intentioned extremist. I meant it more like that we may see more of his predictions and planning. He can still be an evil hammy dictator.

Yes, that would be nice. But from reading Outbound Flight synopsis, I think that Zahn would leatherpansing Palpatine into an Anti-Villian type.

He's good writer but I don't think he can write Republic character as good as Imperial.