With or Without the Big 3

Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa Solo, and Han Solo...the Big 3...the trio that was there at the beginning and are still alive and well in the books. Fans of all ages seem to like the big three. Yet this morning I was reading a comic review of Knight Errant: Deluge #1 on CBR, and the review casually stated that they do not like books or comics that don't have the Big 3 in them. They said they just can't get into them. This made me wonder how common this opinion is.

So I pose the question to you: do you prefer books/comics that include the Big 3 or that don't? Do you find it harder to get into a Star Wars book/comic that doesn't include the Big 3?

Another interesting thing to ponder is the newer generation, those growing up with the Prequels. Will their definition of the Big 3 become Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan? Will we need to expand the Big 3 to the Big 6?

Then again, I suppose Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan didn't really live that long, so I suppose their roles aren't truly as important as Luke, Leia, and Han. The later having appeared in a far larger chunk of the EU.
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Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1846

I don't think Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme have supplanted Luke, Han, and Leia for prequel audiences because they aren't given an unlimited timeframe to adventure, plus the timeframe they have limits what they can do. Padme pretty much isn't capable of doing what Leia does due to the existent political system.

I think of the Expanded Universe as being like a television show that continues Han, Luke, and Leia's stories from the end of the films. Stories that don't feature them are spin-offs. A story set in the Star Wars universe but without the Big 3 isn't sufficient in sustaining my interest without some other draw to it. None of my list of "favorite" SW novels are books that don't feature the Big 3 except the Episode III novelization.
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I started reading the EU the year Dark Force Rising was released, and I grew up reading the post-RotJ EU featuring the "Big Three." At first I didn't pay attention to books without them...and then I read the X-wing series and realized the error of my ways. Smile

I think that, deep down, I'll always prefer to read stories that have Luke, or Luke and Mara, but they're not necessary to my enjoyment of a story. It's more that I'm interested in the post-RotJ era, which obviously feature Luke and the others in some capacity, than that I don't want to read stories without them.
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“You are greater than the Jedi of the former days. Because unlike the Knights of old, Jedi Luke Skywalker…you are not afraid of the dark.”

A book will attract my attention quicker if it features the Big Three, but I will certainly read one that doesn't. As far as Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme, there simply isn't enough material about them for them to compare to Han, Luke, and Leia. Perhaps once TCW is over and books can be written about the period again, they can have a bigger presence. Also, a pet peeve of mine, Padme's childhood and backstory has never been featured in a novel. Things like that tend to take away from the prequel characters a bit.
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Knight Joined: 08 Apr 2011 Posts: 306

I'm good either way. Though I do think some stories can be improved if the Big Three are not there. It not only allows us to see the universe through other eyes, it makes for a nice change of pace.

As they continue to move further and further away from the movies time wise, they to have them play supporting roles rather then being the primary focus. In some of the more recent stories, I think things would be better if some of the roles played by Han, Luke and Leia were done by other characters.

Of course that still leaves dozens of years where they can write stories that focus on the Big Three in their prime.

Then there are stories where an appearance by one of the big three adds greatly to the story. I loved seeing Han role in Solo Command. It wasn't his story at all, but seeing him interact with wild cards like the Wraiths was a great read.

Master Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Posts: 1417

While my motto is the more Obi-Wan the better, the problem with Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padme stories is that you've basically only got three years where you could have them have any real interaction with each other. Plus you're hampered by the whole secret marriage/attachment thing that Obi-Wan isn't suppose to know about.
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I would read a good series without the big three.
I agree that for various reasons Obi, Ani and Padme can't replace them, but a well thought out series without the big three would definetly have my attention. Especially if it would be in a relatively unexplored era or region of space.
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Knight Joined: 08 Apr 2011 Posts: 396

A good story is a good story, independently of who is in it. I love good stories.

To be completely and totally honest, I'm more likely to read a book these days if it does not feature the Big 3. I love them. With all of my heart I love them. But I feel like every time I've seen them lately, I've been disappointed, and I have started missing the Bantam days more and more frequently. So yes, I was and am more excited for Riptide than I was for Choices of One. The same would have been true for Imperial Commando 2. *shrugs*

Don't know where that stems from, but I know I used to treasure their stories above all. And now I don't. Sad

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

Hmm. If I were to take a statistical look at it, I'd say the evidence shows that I prefer stories that have no Big Three (or at least very little of them). Here's my list of stories I like that have no Big Three (or little of them)

KOTOR (and comics)
KOTOR II
Deceived
Knight Errant
Darth Bane
Republic Commando Series
Force Unleashed
Forced Unleashed II
Crimson Empire
I, Jedi
Crosscurrent
Legacy comics

And the list of Big Three stories I like:

Shadows of Mindor
The Thrawn Trilogy
The Thrawn Duology
Some books of NJO (Can't remember which ones, so I'll leave it vague)
Fate of the Jedi

When you put it like that, then I should like them more without the Big Three, but, in truth, I have no preference as to characters. As Nedara said, a good story is a good story, irrespective of who's in it. Sure, Luke, Han and Leia are better known, and, when I read them, I don't think 'oh, that's clearly a Han Solo rip off'. I have absolutely no problem reading a story with non-Big Three characters.

As to the Big Six: If it was to be expanded into such a thing, should it not be more prudent to make it the Big Seven? With Ahsoka?
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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.

I enjoy all Star Wars books, but personally I find books that don't star the Big 3 to be really refreshing. I don't think I can say I like them better, or more, or that I don't want to see anymore Big 3 series. It's just that reading a book like Crosscurrent gives me a different kind of enjoyment, one that I think the EU is richer for having. The X-Wing books are in the same boat. They stepped away from the Big 3 and told stories from other perspectives.

While there are a few books in the TOR period, the books really don't form a series. So the only series we have ongoing right now that doesn't star the Big 3 is Kemp's Crosscurrent+Riptide. Before Traviss left, we did have the Republic/Imperial Commando series, but that's dead in the water. As for the future, there is that duology that Kemp is suppose to write, and maybe Allston's Wraith book might turn into a series...or not. Regardless, it would be nice to have a series without the Big 3.

Now when it comes to comics, I have a completely different opinion. I don't read comics with the Big 3. I just don't find them exciting. Doesn't engage my interest.
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I'm fine with either. I love the Big 3 but Star Wars can certainly survive without them. I think one thing that throws people off when they're introduced to a new character in a standalone is that they're so used to having the heavily developed Big 3 that, in comparison, other characters seem flat.
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Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1846

I tend to go for storyies that are not the big 3. While I do love the big threee i just get a bit bored of reading them all the time. That's not to say i havn't enjoyed thier stories I just like a bit of variety.
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