The Continuity Discussion

Knight Joined: 06 Apr 2011 Posts: 309 Location: Sofa

which "Jedi/Mando thing" do you refer? People's either liking KTs books or not?

Yeah, that's the one.
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"To understand what happened at the diner, we use Mr. Papaya. This is upsetting because he is the friendliest of fruits. " Dr. Walter Bishop

"WHERE'S THE FIRE?! I've always loved that expression, which is curious since my lab assistant was killed in a fire."
- Walter Bishop

Knight Joined: 06 Apr 2011 Posts: 309 Location: Sofa

What really gets me is when parts of the EU that most fans really like (such as Traviss' Mandalore) are retconned. I wouldn't want Star Wars to degrade into mere fan service, but I think that Lucas and the Powers That Be should consider how well loved a bit of continuity is before they change it.
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All things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.

So this is how liberty dies....with thunderous applause.

Those without swords can still die upon them

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.

I'm still waiting for my white-armored Mandalorians. And Stormtroopers with lightsabers, while we're at it. Razz

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"The Son has risen. Let the discussion begin!"

Padawan Joined: 05 Apr 2011 Posts: 71 Location: San Diego

Oh boy a continuity debate

A very well reasoned post by Dunc at Club Jade. Some here may seen me talk about how I view the EU using the historian analogy and how it helps me rationalize blatant contradictions in continuity. Below are my full thoughts....

Sometimes we take things to seriously. In the end, the EU is nothing but a collection of stories written at different times by different authors' based on an original set of stories written by George Lucas. This isn't life and death, it is entertainment and we should always keep that in perspective.

One of the ways that I help to rationalize the conflicting story elements that appear in continuity, is to intellectualize the process. The Star Wars saga supposedly took place "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." Conceptualize these stories as ancient historical events, then approach them by looking at how we remember ancient historical events on earth. Often in historical accounts from ancient times there are conflicting accounts of events. Some times these conflicting accounts are the result of mistranslations, of misunderstandings, or of incomplete information. Some times these differences are actively inserted in the historical records, as Winston Churchill said, "history is written by the victors."

When a conflict arises in continuity, I try to think of the different authors as ancient historians, and embrace the fact that there will be differing accounts of the same events or persons. Try not to get to hung up on minor details, or even major continuity changes. Focus on the spirit of the story, what is at its core.

Ultimately enjoy each story on its own merits. Whether or not they can all be fit into the larger tapestry of Star Wars continuity only enriches the story. If a story or a character does not fit into this tapestry perfectly, does it make that story or that character any less enjoyable when you read, listen or view it? I think not.

The only time that continuity really bothers me is in situations such as the Karen Traviss imbroglio. While I think Karen shares some of the blame for the way she, in my opinion overreacted and blew what should have been a workable situation between herself, Lucasfilm, and Del Rey working together to retcon the Mandalorians and complete the story of the Republic Commando characters into an unmitigated mess. What bothers me is not so much the way The Clone Wars changed the Mandalorian culture from what was presented in the EU, but the fact that it resulted in a story not being finished. A story that spanned five books. That is a significant financial and emotional investment that fans made in a set of characters and their stories that were left unfinished. I doubt that we ever see Karen return to the Star Wars universe, but I hope that the Republic Commando characters are revisited at some point to give their stories closure.

In the end, changes will be made to continuity whether you like it or not. You can either get angry about it and allow it to spoil your enjoyment of Star Wars, or you can roll with the punches and find your own way to rationalize the changes to the tapestry. Good Luck with your decision.

http://bit.ly/ex32P2

Someone at Port Haven said it would be a good idea for white-armored Mandalorians.
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"The Son has risen. Let the discussion begin!"

Master Joined: 21 Mar 2010 Posts: 813 Location: Maryland

I think something that fans don't really do is put themselves in Lucas's shoes.

Ok, so let's pretend that WE created Star Wars. Or something similar. And like him, had complete control over story and direction from start to finish. As the years go on, we want to return and tweak things to make them (in our opinion) better. We want to tell more stories without feeling trapped by others who have written in the universe that they didn't create.

Man, I'd do the exact same thing if I were Lucas.

Knight Joined: 06 Apr 2011 Posts: 309 Location: Sofa

Well said VileZero! Lucas fought so hard to get SW made the way he wanted it, no reason he'd stop now.
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"To understand what happened at the diner, we use Mr. Papaya. This is upsetting because he is the friendliest of fruits. " Dr. Walter Bishop

"WHERE'S THE FIRE?! I've always loved that expression, which is curious since my lab assistant was killed in a fire."
- Walter Bishop

Well said.
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"The Son has risen. Let the discussion begin!"

What ticks me off is that people are so anal-retentive about "Who shot first?" that they completely ignore the fact that Luke's lightsaber is green, then white in the Millennium Falcon. Evil or Very Mad

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"The Son has risen. Let the discussion begin!"

It's a funny thing, that I read that post by Dunc and disagreed with the phrase 'but the lack of casual/moderate voices bugs me even more', and I was going to say that wasn't true, that there are moderate voices out there. Then I read this thread Razz

And then I read this bit: Does a seamless, overreaching continuity have to matter to us, on a personal level?

Well, take out the seamless (see my Diver's Suit analogy), then I'd say yes. It's one of the perks of having this universe. That, on the whole, it is overreaching. However, I have to take umbridge (maybe that's too strong a word. I just like the sound of it) at the use of 'have'. We don't have to, it's a choice we make.

Now, I think Lucas has the right to do what he wants, but, agreeing with Reeps, I think he does go too far. He created the sandbox, yes, but he allowed others to play in it, so he has to be the grown up and take responsibility and let them build the sand castle cohesively, so that it stands up to the test of time, because he said that's what he wanted.

Sorry to say this, but bugger us fans. It's his employees he owes this responsibility to.
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I am a Star Wars fan. That doesn't mean that I hate or love Jar Jar. That doesn't mean I hate or love Lucas, or agree or disagree 100% with him. That doesn't mean I prefer the PT over the OT, or vice versa. That doesn't mean I hate the EU, or even love all of it. These are not prerequisites. Being a man is not a prerequisite. Being a geek is not a prerequisite. The only prerequisite is that I love something about Star Wars. I am a Star Wars fan.

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