With the future of the Star Wars universe after Episode 6 being handled by the book universe, and with fans clamoring for Episodes 7-9, which novels would you/do you consider worthy of picking up the next 3 installments of the Star Wars story?
Do the 3 Thrawn novels count as 3 episodes or only 1? Do Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi stories fit somewhere?
What do you think?
[ June 02, 2005, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: TSN ]
Posted by Mighty Blogger Snay (Member # 411) on :
No to all. You aren't going to see film versions of those books, and if Lucas ever did decide to do episodes 7-9 you can bet they'd invalidate all of the "expanded universe" set after the OT.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
A) I doubt we'll ever see more movies because the saga seems to have been Anakin's story, which is now over. The television projects will doubtlessly deal with different characters.
B) There's no way Lucas would make movies based on someone else's books. They would either overwrite the books or be set far enough in the future that it wouldn't overlap.
C) See A.
Posted by HerbShrump (Member # 1230) on :
I'm aware of all that. I'm not expecting another trilogy to be made.
I've read the Thrawn books, and a few of the others. Kevin J. Anderson's novels and a few other bad ones turned me off to the novels and I've not read anymore.
But the story does continue in the books. Which of these stories would be worthy of being Episodes 7-9 in your opinion and why?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
None of them. The most worthy events that I can think of would be Luke's marriage and fatherhood. The movies would have to deal with the Luke's ongoing saga. From my limited reading of the novels, there aren't alot of lasting changes that happen to the characters in the books.
If there were to be additional movies, I think they would have to be written specifically to pick up the Skywalker saga and do something new with it. I don't think you could just pick three of the books and make movies out of them. A TV series possibly.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Book spoilers!
$ $ $ $ $
Well, Han and Leia get married and have three kids, Luke gets married and has a kid, Chewbacca dies. There are definite character changes. They're just few and far between, given the huge number of books.
To answer the question, though, the only really GOOD Star Wars novels I ever ran into were the Zahn books, mainly the Thrawn trilogy. IF one wanted to make three more movies out of novels, they're the ones I'd go for. But then, I appreciate plot and characterization, so I like book that wouldn't necessarily make good movies.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Another realistic problem to consider is that you'd never get any of the actors for human OT characters to reprise their roles.
When I was younger, I had thought movies about Han and Leia's kids would be good, but I think the movies really would have to focus on Luke's lineage.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
There are going to be more Star Wars movies, I firmly believe. In this era of declining ticket sales no right-thinking producer is going to let go of a dedicated draw like Star Wars. Lucas may have little to do with them, but expect more.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
How about this: They can make a third Ewoks movie and call that the third trilogy.
If there are more movies, I don't want them to be Episodes 7, 8 and 9. I think they should be a completely different story than the Skywalker story.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
quote:Originally posted by Aban Rune: A) I doubt we'll ever see more movies because the saga seems to have been Anakin's story, which is now over.
Yeah, but his GHOST could appear in every episode as an old coot training Leia and Luke's grandchildren. and setting them at odds with each other to set up a Second Foundation Republic that would eventually decline until Hari Skywalker (translated "Seldon" at that time) creates a Force driven galaxy that eventually leads them all back to the lost planet of Tatooine where they find this whole thing was actually orchestrated by R. Too-Detoo Olivaw.
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Somehow, I don't think there will be any more Star Wars movies. Maybe Fox will want to continue the franchise, but looks like they can do that with the two TV shows in the works. However, it's true that if you slap "Star Wars" on a movie it will guarantee you $300 million.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
In case Lucas could somehow be locked out of the project for good, I'd like to see the saga continued by a final three movies - using both the ghost of Anakin, and the ever-present two droids, as the anchorpoints.
Ditch all the "human" characters of OT and NT; the former because they can only be brought back on screen via computer animation, and the latter because even computers are unable to bring any animation to them. Introduce completely new figures, unrelated to the has-beens of NT or the incidental mercenaries and amateurs of OT, to support a continued saga of Anakin's redemption; perhaps the power of reanimation is not limited to the Dark Side after all...
But first and foremost, surprise the audience!
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Bones McCoy (Member # 1480) on :
I dunno. After watching the 'new' trilogy, I think I'm just gonna pretend it was a really weird dream, and stick to the originals.
Also, it's quite ironic that Lucas created Star Wars in his own vision, in spite of big corporations, and now he's BECOME a big corporation... the darkside is powerful indeed, huh, George...?
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Supposedly Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) has in his contract the reserve to do episodes 7, 8 and 9.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
That was one of the weirdest things in the movie - Lucas actually getting Mayhew to wear the fur for those 17.4 seconds of onscreen time!
After seeing how small that role was, I was sort of expecting Liam Neeson to drop by for a two-eyeblinks-and-you-miss-it "ghost" appearance when Yoda started speaking of the immortality thing...
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I really, really wish that Qui Gon had been in the film... or least more reference to him. The name dropping at the end sounded tacked on. Like, "We have to deal with this, but we don't have time... so let's just tack it on here at the end real quick."
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
Speaking of which, Padm�'s pained "Luke" and "Leia" gasps were frighteningly effective. Clearly, she knows exactly what to use her remaining breath for, what is important and what is not...
...And then the whole effect is ruined by having her effortlessly speak long sentences that have little dramatic value. Suddenly, a truly terrifying death scene turns into a laughably operaic one. Sometimes, briefness is a positive trait!
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I forget... what does she say after naming the kids?
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
quote:Originally posted by Timo: Speaking of which, Padm�'s pained "Luke" and "Leia" gasps were frighteningly effective. Clearly, she knows exactly what to use her remaining breath for, what is important and what is not...
...And then the whole effect is ruined by having her effortlessly speak long sentences that have little dramatic value. Suddenly, a truly terrifying death scene turns into a laughably operaic one. Sometimes, briefness is a positive trait!
Timo Saloniemi
You should never watch Matrix Revolutions- Trinity speaks for about four hours after being impaled. I think Neo goes out for a coffee at one point.
I think the death scene is allright except for the silly floating CGI droid saying "there's nothing wrong with her". It would have been far more effective for her windpipe to have suffered some irrepairable damage or something. Insteade we get the ol' "she has lost the will to live" crap. After all, would her two newborn children not be something to live for?
No attempt to resussitate her is made either? Mabye she had a galactic DNR on file....
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I don't think there should be a 7-9 trilogy, personally. It's too complicated to explain why.
BUT... I do think there's story potential (for books, not movies) for the years between III and IV. Vader hunting down the remaining Jedi, for instance. Some had to be away in little unknown corners of the galaxy on assignment or in hiding. The events that lead Chewie from being a Wookie warrior to a scoundrel's best buddy is another. And of course, the origins of the Rebellion (some of which was cut from Ep. III), including Leia's involvement.
B.J.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Yah, the whole "she's lost the will to live" thing made me cringe. This is a strong woman who risked her life to come back and vote her conscience... but the pretty boy made her cry so now she wants to die. Whatever. I'll just assume that Palpatine was actually behind it, weakening her through manipulation of the Force.
I agree that there's some good stories to be told in the lost years between trilogies... but they should be told on TV methinks. From what I hear, the TV series will be shot basically like a giant movie and chopped up into weekly episodes.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
I also tend to think that Padm�'s death was a Dark Side thing, either something that went hand in hand with Anakin's chokehold, or then something done by Palpatine directly. Or then Palpatine arranged so that Anakin's anger would hurt Padm� more than he intended, thereby sending the apprentice to a nice little guilt trip and securing his conversion to Darkness. Either way, she got "poisoned" with this lack of will to live, but fought it until she could give birth.
Actually, I like it that way. The asteroid outpost ought to have had top-notch Republic/Jedi medical care available, and should have been able to do a life-saving Vaderizing on poor Padm� in case her bodily damage was too severe to be otherwise mended. But no technology could help against the Dark Side.
What she said after the delivery of the twins was a counterproductive rant about how Anakin must have SOME good left in him. If Padm� really thinks so, why is she dying of despair? She dies immediately after formulating the grammatically correct sentence, which is the pinnacle of operaic silliness. Until then, Portman was the least cringeworthy of the main human actors... I guess even she had to do as told. It's not an actor thing, clearly, but a writer and director thing.
I even suspect something of a rewrite. The second of Anakin's premonitions has Obi-Wan bending over Padm� and saying something like "Fight it! Don't let go!", whilst she is unable to speak coherently and eventually keels over; this does not happen in the actual death scene, but would have been a definite improvement.
All said, the movie would have benefited MASSIVELY from minor twiddling with the main character lines. Tone down the perfect grammar ever so slightly, allow the characters to speak in halting, overlapping sentences when they are emotionally torn - and even the wooden faces could be forgiven.
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
The line about goodness left in Anakin was in there to establish the redemption in RotJ, but I don't think the audience really needs to know that yet. Are we not suppsoed to believe that he is completely evil at this point? Also, I think it would have been better to come from someone else. As you say, if Padme hasn't given up hope, why is she dying?
Also, umm, crushing someone's windpipe is a problem that can be fixed by restoring air to their lungs... will to live should have very little to do with this particular ailment. I think Palpatine must've been doing something here. He also knows that she's died... which furthers my belief that he was actively involved with it.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I'd sure watch a Seven of Nine movie!
Oh.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
I'm sure I read a theory that she died in order that Luke and Leia would be born. The Force took something to create something. Or random gibberish like that.
(Cringeworthy though it is, people "losing the will to live" is something that actually happens. Although I doubt that Doctors put it on the death certificate.)
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Gibberish indeed. If that were the case, why didn't Shmi bite it when Anakin was born? He was wholly a product of the Force. No Jedi super sperm were even involved.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
"Cringeworthy though it is, people 'losing the will to live' is something that actually happens."
Got any proof of that, outside of romantic Victorian novels?
I'm certainly willing to grant that there are unexplored connections between mental activity and physical health, and that we have (and can lose) a desire to continue living, such that we stop taking care of ourselves, but in this context the phrase seems to mostly be used as code for the existence of magic lifeforce mojo.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
I've heard of many instances in real life where one spouse dies, and the other dies within a very short time. Usually they're of somewhat advanced age (at least 60), but that's not always the case. I had one coworker die of a heart attack at work. His widow was extremely distraught, and there was nothing physically wrong with her, but she died a few months later. They were both in their 40s.
B.J.
Posted by Nim' (Member # 205) on :
I had an elder neighbor who had carried cancer for 5-10 years without knowing it, then one day he said he had been feeling a bit stiff for the past few months so he went to the doctor and got the news. He died from it two weeks later.
Same with my great grandpa. He had been ill on and off for about a year, then one day when the family was in the house in the country, he just said to my grandma one morning "Well fuck this!" and passed away a time thereafter.
Padm� was still in a grave state of chock (which can do a lot of nasty things to the brain) in the infirmary, knowing her only love had manhandled her in a fit of jealousy and, prior to that, grandeur. Whether he still had some good in him or not, she was lost to him as she couldn't possibly live with a turncoating dark-sider and control freak.
I wonder how things would've turned out if Vader and Palpatine had gotten both Luke and Leia at birth. Would we have Feyd Rautha and Xenia Onatopp with lightsabers?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
That would have been cool...
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
Fluke Jivetalker and Lay A. Orgasma with rubber lightsabres played by Mark Wahlberg and Heather Graham.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
How 'bout this for a theory- the (established) connection between Anakin and Padme is much stronger (and more dangerous) than readily shown onscreen and Anakin dies while the Vader parts are being integrated- then Padme croaks and Vader is resussated.
Sure, it does'nt match anything onscreen, but what the fuck, I gave it a shot.
It would explain why Jedi are forbidden from establishing "connections"- lotsa dead spouses when their Jedi partners die.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Hmmm. Possible. I don't hate it as much as the thought of her dying because she was sad that her pretty-boy husband slapped her around a little.