STAR WARS going in circles... how to break that

[Mr. Oragahn]

Restarted from what looked like a soon to bloom off-topic discussion about people's interest in the EU and what could be told, notably in regards to the EU.

It's not surprising really, the vast bulk of the EU, which is about making more money while spitting "new" stories at a newspaper rate, seems to have hit the bottom a while ago, and the only things from the EU which have been fun were the games, notably because you played

Right now, if I have to think of a new engaging story, I'm not sure I'd find something.
We had countless Jedi and Sith and other crazies. Not all of them can be interesting.

If anything, a new arc could need to focus on two persons only, like one Jedi and someone else, an arch enemy, or someone lost, a solo adventure taking people to the edges of the galaxy on barely charted worlds.
I've heard that the Jedi Tales were good stuff, a bit borderline kiddie, but with nice conflicts between Jedi and Sith, which is still a good anchor for any basic SW story.

My favorite new main story arc would probably deal with podracing, because it's fast, dirty and violent, and there are plenty of different locations to go to, lots of money in play, chicks, aliens, crime and high figures related to this sport.

Of course, how much WARS would that have to be? Not much, you'd always need a contrieved conflict hammered in for good measure. The franchise's main problem probably being its name.

The new Star Wars may need to mix styles and contents.
They tried the more mature and alien invasion angle with the Vong, had plenty of other super conflicts but, seriously... yawn.

Why not literally jump in a far future, and come with a plot about the Force itself, undergoing some deep alteration which would span the universe as a whole? Why not try some more metaphysical stuff? Something a tad zen-like with still a good amount of battles between Force users and small fleets they take control of?
I'm thinking of something halfways between Solaris, Star Trek the Motion Picture and the new Battlestar Galactica.

Of course, a legitimate question would be why not create a new story from scratch, instead of trying to make that a Star Wars tale?

Or maybe some kind of Firefly show, with a heterogeneous group in some cargo ship, hoping from planet to planet in the middle of a conflict, to solve their own problems and not even influencing it to any degree - classic pitfall of Star Wars.

[Flectarn]

Or maybe some kind of Firefly show, with a heterogeneous group in some cargo ship, hoping from planet to planet in the middle of a conflict, to solve their own problems and not even influencing it to any degree - classic pitfall of Star Wars.

Han Solo pre-A New Hope?

with CGI or (gasp) traditional animation, Harrison Ford could even reprise the part.

[Mike DiCenso]

What you're suggesting, in essence, is adapting Brian Daley's Han Solo Adventures Trilogy.
-Mike

[Flectarn]

What you're suggesting, in essence, is adapting Brian Daley's Han Solo Adventures Trilogy.
-Mike

So, I am, apparently. That very title had even crossed my mind... though that sounds a bit Saturday morning cartoonish for what i had in mind.

[Mr. Oragahn]

No guys, you miss the point about these people playing no real role in the main scheme of things.

Solo is not *some* character.

I just think random people trying their best to survive in a conflict they have no control on, nor will in the future, would be welcome. Just people saving their butts.

OR, something else. Make Star Wars extremely early, during what would be the medieval ages or something, where the Jedi are in the process of being created, where the Force is not properly understood, where space is vast and wild, with very few planets colonized, with long transport times.

This would even be fantastic material in a way to slide commentaries about the birth of religions during more obscure times.

[Mike DiCenso]

If reports are to be believed, then you'll get your wish in the form of the new Star Wars live-action TV series. That is supposed to take place away from the main events that we have seen in the movies, and it involves mostly characters that have nothing to do with the main SW characters, nor do they necessarily have a hand in shaping the course of SW history, though we will see the events that have impact on the events seen in the OT from these characters' point of view.
-Mike

[ILikeDeathNote]

Of course, a legitimate question would be why not create a new story from scratch, instead of trying to make that a Star Wars tale?

You mean like...start a new franchise? ;)


Though you have a point about the "WARS" part of the title being a hinderence at times. Given how much "WARS" there have been, you'd think eventually galactic civilization would fight itself to extinction.

...actually, that wouldn't be a bad plot. Never-ending warfare from the Imperial, Vong, and now Legacy eras slowly whittle away society back to a pre-starfaring state, and only the strongest Force-sensitives even mange to barely survive.

[Mr. Oragahn]

Of course, a legitimate question would be why not create a new story from scratch, instead of trying to make that a Star Wars tale?

You mean like...start a new franchise? ;)


Though you have a point about the "WARS" part of the title being a hinderence at times. Given how much "WARS" there have been, you'd think eventually galactic civilization would fight itself to extinction.

...actually, that wouldn't be a bad plot. Never-ending warfare from the Imperial, Vong, and now Legacy eras slowly whittle away society back to a pre-starfaring state, and only the strongest Force-sensitives even mange to barely survive.

I can picture a case where, with enough technobabble at hand, they could pretend that, for example, most hyperlanes would be hard to navigate and peppered with cloak mines, that the Force itself would be terribly wounded in numerous places.
A great many worlds would be burnt to death as well, polluted for eons.

This way the galaxy would become fragmented, certain worlds would prove being unable to survive outside of the massive exchange of resources across entire sectors, would either die or adapt, or develop ties with neighboring worlds which weren't as attractive in light of what was available on the global market.

But they could explore the beginning of the Republic. Now, the EU has established a few facts there, notably taking quite a lot from Stargate, where the Rakatans turned out to be nothing more than spoiled vile Goa'uld (minus the god like syndrome) who ported species to other worlds.

[Praeothmin]

Well, stories about a torn SW galaxy, having barely survived the Yuuzan Vong would have been nice, with very few Major Capital ships remaining, so that each ISD one possess would be an inherrent power boost for your area, where there are only a handful of Jedi left, all trying to help a dying galaxy, destroyed hyperspace lanes, no more central governement, people competing for planetary ressources, all the major planetary cities destroyed, etc...

That would be nice.

[Mr. Oragahn]

So the stories would be brought to a smaller scale, and, in fact, far in the future, all of this would be ruins, lost tales of a long gone Empire that united all and ruled with an iron grasp.

I would be more like those other SF universes where universe actually feels big you know, Dune, stuff like that, where one planet and everything matters there, where there are a few elected people with super natural powers, still some big armies.

In a way, the difficulty of navigating hyperspace lanes would require so much mastery and persuasion that less and less people could travel from one point to another. Hyperdrives would become expensive and rare, repairing them would be an art, controlling them would like magic, so much that bit by bit, transit would fall into the hands of a few, and one day, all would be taxed and directed by guilds.

Making weapons would require resources which were once harvested in outer systems, so the technology would regress, you'd see a return of more regular types of systems.
Bacta would be absurdly out of price as well.

But without going there, the KOTOR era, or millenia before has some great potential, but I'm afraid it should be handled by someone else but Lucas.

[ILikeDeathNote]

But they could explore the beginning of the Republic. Now, the EU has established a few facts there, notably taking quite a lot from Stargate

By and large I always felt the EU was creatively bankrupt, but ripping off superior franchises? Tsk tsk ;)

[Mr. Oragahn]

But they could explore the beginning of the Republic. Now, the EU has established a few facts there, notably taking quite a lot from Stargate

By and large I always felt the EU was creatively bankrupt, but ripping off superior franchises? Tsk tsk ;)

Superior? As much as I still appreciate the potential and original tenets of Stargate, it's absolutely nothing in light of Star Wars you know.

[Airlocke_Jedi_Knight]

I think that the KOTOR era is massively fascinating, and has some real potential. The era when the Jedi had unquestioned authority and were revered by all. When Jedi would fight Sith often, always in a battle for survival.

But, honestly, I think they should try a different tactic. Maybe set it in the KOTOR era, or the empire or after, it doesn't really matter, starring a Jedi knight fresh from a war, struggling with the mundane tasks that Jedi have to deal with in times of peace. General peace keeping, breaking up bar fights and such. One day, he forgets his place, loses himself in the moment, and kills a civilian.

The next several weeks are spent in constant regret, with the general public keeping their distance, not wanting to cross the crazy Jedi. Some public bullies start to give him crap, calling him their "hometown Sith" and it becomes too much for him. He uses his telepathic abilities to plant images in their minds, driving them insane, exerting his will over them making them suffer while doing his bidding. He gets caught and the entire town(In the Star Wars EU, 100,000 people would be considered a town, generally. I would think that this would be a very small village on a planet like Tatooine) raises arms against him, all of the bale bodied me with blasters and vibroblades. 200 strong. He leads them on a chase through the city, hiding behind buildings, killing 5-10 of the mob at a time. His course takes him and the mob to a small wooded area just outside the town. At this point there only a dozen or so men still pursuing him, some died, some had been injured, other had just fled. His pursuers are caught off guard when he stops, he quickly makes them pay for their inattentiveness.

The Jedi makes his way to his personal transport and goes back to Coruscant and the Jedi Temple, ready to die by the hands of his friend and former master. He had never gone to the darkside, not willingly, he had gone insane and had been pushed into a corner, he was still a good person.

Then there could be a sequel where the Jedi Order starts feel heat from the Senate and other groups, they lose their respect and authority, and other Jedi start to battle with the darkness within. The master of the accursed Jedi who had brought shame upon the Order is exiled on some sparsely populated world with no ship, and a relative redemption is reached for the Jedi order.

Meanwhile, the outcast master helps to unite the very small(about the size of our moon) and sparsely populated world, installing a government and law enforcement system, then retires to shack in the wilderness where he spends all of his time in meditation and training, waiting for the Force to tell him what to do. The Force answers by helping him to find a runaway in the wilderness. A force sensitive, and a desire to train and rectify his mistake...

I think that would make a nice edition to the EU.

Maybe have many books that are more emotionally and character based. Also, lots of Light saber battles.

A few good quest stories might be okay.

Maybe create a new civilization, and just write a novel that fully explores their society and culture while also carrying an entertaining plot about an attempted seizure of power in the government.

Maybe a couple of stories about a pirate gang, don't tell me that has no potential.

The potential for good stories is there, it just isn't used. That is the beauty of having an entire galaxy to work with, there are many interesting species, tons of different cultures, many different worlds and landscapes to work with. And, of course, you also have the planet hopping potential there.

[ILikeDeathNote]

But they could explore the beginning of the Republic. Now, the EU has established a few facts there, notably taking quite a lot from Stargate

By and large I always felt the EU was creatively bankrupt, but ripping off superior franchises? Tsk tsk ;)

Superior? As much as I still appreciate the potential and original tenets of Stargate, it's absolutely nothing in light of Star Wars you know.

I just want to point this out and, as they say on the image boards, "I'll just leave this here" in regards to the whole debate about Stargate's fanbase size vs. Star Wars' fanbase size. Just so you know what I really think :)

[Airlocke_Jedi_Knight]

The Star Wars fanbase size is massive. I can't imagine Stargate being even as large as the Star Wars franchise.