Disney buying Lucasfilm

[Simond]

I found this site which has the story of the original star wars poster

http://geektyrant.com/news/2010/6/21/the-story-behind-the-original-star-wars-poster.html



Can you believe they painted that in 36 hours?

Its pretty interesting comparing it to the "I'm a slut" version we are more familiar with today

Holy shit, lookit dat fuggin lens flare! 

[Yegolev]

Holy shit I want all three of those to hang as a triptych in my home theater.

I'll have what he's having.

[Ingmar]

Wow. Those look like 60's DAW pulp sci-fi/fantasy covers.

Yeah, looking at those gave me flashbacks of going to Know Knew Books in Palo Alto.

This is totally off-topic, but to bring some bad news of California Avenue institutions that are no longer with us, KKB moved to Los Altos, but more importantly and tragically, Cho's is closing/closed. :(

[murdoc]

EU? There is no EU!

http://starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page.html

[Fabricated]

Good.

[Ironwood]

Watching that was painful.

[Fabricated]

The "rich" EU with elbow lightsaber guy and ghost-powered fighter ships.

[HaemishM]

The only EU I ever read was the Han Solo and the Lost Legacy book they reference in the video, and I don't remember much about it beyond the cover. I'm ok with that, and I'm REALLY ok with them ditching the EU altogether as any sort of canon.

[Nevermore]

I'm glad the Clone Wars is specifically mentioned as being canon.  With the notable exception of robot chicken Maul, it was pretty much all good stuff.

[luckton]

Which Clone Wars?  The 2D "Good" one, the 3D one, or both?

[Bzalthek]

I haven't seen the 2D one but the 3D one (with 121 episodes) was actually really good.  Anakin Skywalker became someone I didn't totally hate, and I REALLY loved seeing the lifes and loves of clone troopers.  That fucking voice actor was working overtime though.

Still fucking hate Jar Jar. 

[Merusk]

Which Clone Wars?  The 2D "Good" one, the 3D one, or both?

All of them. Tartakovsky's shorts and longer series, the CGI movie and the Cartoon Network series.

This is my motherfucking happy dance.

[Stormwaltz]

I suppose I'd have more feels about tossing the EU if I didn't fully expect the fruits of the JJ Abrams remake to suck just as much. /shrug

[Nevermore]

As much as it might suck, it still won't have a guy with eight lightsabers implanted in his limbs. 

[Malakili]

Disney has to be so happy the prequels were terrible.  The expectations are so low that any vaguely competent movie featuring lightsabers is going to be beloved.

[Merusk]

In either case, that link seem to be saying anything other than what we already knew (or was strongly suggested).  As a giant lifelong SW nerd (somewhat in remission at this point), I am starting to think this is a whollly good thing both for the movie and for the EU itself.  The old EU is so jam-packed now that it is virtually impossible to make any of it interesting any more.  This offers a fresh start.

Not only "Jam Packed" but "beyond fucked."  It was a mish-mash of different universe laws, different personalities to characters, no unity of vision and no goal beyond, "Make George More Money."

Lucasfilm realized this early on and tried to import some control and coherency around the time they yanked the license from Ballantine, but it was always trumped by "make more money, so license that and give the author whatever leeway they want." Not that I expect Disney to not merchandise the fuck out of everything.

However, from an IP control perspective they've always kept things in-house and within delineated rules for that world. Even with the side story stuff they've done with other properties, it hasn't gone off into some of the nonsensical directions the EU did.  I can imagine things that authors did because they didn't care or didn't understand the universe and just wanted the paycheck/ their name on a Star Wars book won't be allowed in the Disney canon.

[eldaec]

They can't possibly make the EU worse, but what IPs are people referring to when they Disney always keeps things coherent?

[Sir T]

I sensed a great disturbance, as though a million thousands a number of beards cried out in anguish, and were suddenly laughed at.

[Merusk]

They can't possibly make the EU worse, but what IPs are people referring to when they Disney always keeps things coherent?

1) Internal Brands like the Mouse, Goofy and Donald.  They're not going to suddenly be anything but who they are, a problem the EU ran in to often.  One novel Luke is mysterious Jedi Badass, the next - set 4 years later -  he's a self-doubting farmboy who can't do anything but whine and is still trying to figure out the Force.

2) Winnie the Pooh  - The characters remain true no matter where they're used. Kingdom Hearts, the recent movies, return to pooh corner.

3) Their version of the various fairy tales. Their princesses remain consistent in characterization in the additional movies and videos and children's books. 

4) Also evident in the various daily cartoon series they've done over the years.  Even when there's a concept that may build on older base characters (DuckTales, Rescue Rangers) those characters remain consistent to their base. Launchpad McQuack from Darkwing Duck was very much the same pilot from DuckTales, even if it would have made sense to change him a bit. The worlds also maintains a remarkable consistency.

These seem like small things, but when you compare them to the bullshit that was the EU its apparent how much care Disney gives to the characters over Lucasfilm's blatant "eh, whatever, more money" approach.  You need to know both properties to a disturbing level, though.  I do because my wife is as much a Disney freak as I am a Star Wars one.

[Fabricated]

Does anyone have the picture of the elbow-saber guy or any of the other more retarded EU shit? I can't find elbow saber dude and it makes me sad.

[Ironwood]

He was in this thread.  Because I didn't know about him until this thread.

AND NOW I'M SAD.

It was a link to the star wars wiki or some shit.  He looked retarded.

[eldaec]

Boy, I sure hope the guy with the eight lightsabers implanted into his arms and legs makes the cut! 

I am not making that guy up.

This guy needs to be on every page.

[eldaec]

Other characters we should weep for include Beldorian the Splendid, the only Jedi hutt.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Beldorian_the_Splendid

That link includes a picture of Beldorian in a lightsaber fight... with princess Leia.

Also Ken, the emperor's grandson, who collects star wars miniatures despite being inside star wars, and learns that the grand Moffs often get together for a chat about rebel murdering. These interstellar knees ups are called 'Mofferences'.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Other characters we should weep for include Beldorian the Splendid, the only Jedi hutt.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Beldorian_the_Splendid

That link includes a picture of Beldorian in a lightsaber fight... with princess Leia.

Also Ken, the emperor's grandson, who collects star wars miniatures despite being inside star wars, and learns that the grand Moffs often get together for a chat about rebel murdering. These interstellar knees ups are called 'Mofferences'.

I hate you for making me aware that this exists.

[Stormwaltz]

Saber-wielding Hutts? What buffoonery is this?

Clearly those bastards would be Counselors. 

[Cyrrex]

Heh, Beldorian.  If memory serves, he was from a book written by Barbara Hambly (sp?)...and he wasn't even the most terrible thing about that book.

[Sir T]

Are you referring to the insect that was "genetically altered" to look like Fu Manchu, or something else?

[Merusk]

Yes, same book, yes it was Hambly.  She remains terrible.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Planet_of_Twilight

[Ironwood]

What's odd is I read that book, yet I have no memory of the events in it.

That's seriously retarded.

[Khaldun]

I just hope they also learn a bit from the EU's many failures. Say, for example, why it's a bad idea to retell the story of a planet-destroying weapon about twenty times.

Or to have creatures that can block the Force, like it's a mutant superpower.

And so on.

[Merusk]

What's odd is I read that book, yet I have no memory of the events in it.

That's seriously retarded.

I didn't remember most until I followed the links from Jedi Hutt up there. Hell, I didn't even remember Jedi Hutt. The book was just THAT BAD.

Reading the SW Wiki inspired me to read the Amazon reviews this morning, reaffirming that she just didn't understand the universe at all.   Apparently she's a decent enough author, but the two SW books she did were just fucking terrible.

[Khaldun]

By the way, the picture of Mr. Lightsaber Knees up there is just fucking brilliant. It is is one of the worst and thus in some ways best things I have ever seen.

[Mithas]

Other characters we should weep for include Beldorian the Splendid, the only Jedi hutt.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Beldorian_the_Splendid

That link includes a picture of Beldorian in a lightsaber fight... with princess Leia.

Also Ken, the emperor's grandson, who collects star wars miniatures despite being inside star wars, and learns that the grand Moffs often get together for a chat about rebel murdering. These interstellar knees ups are called 'Mofferences'.

I thought you were kidding about Mofferences. Jesus that shit is bad.

"A Mofference was a secret conference of the Central Committee of Grand Moffs, held in the Mofference room of their Moffship"

[Lantyssa]

"Mofferfucker!"

[Mortriden]

What's odd is I read that book, yet I have no memory of the events in it.

That's seriously retarded.

Put me in that group as well.  I might even have that book on my bookshelves somewhere.  Good God, that is bad.