New Star Wars TV Series Confirmed 489
merauder writes to tell us BBC News is reporting that the new Star Wars TV series is set to run at least 100 episodes. From the article: "The series will be set between episodes three and four of the film saga. It would cover the 20 years in the life of Luke Skywalker growing up that remains a mystery to most film-goers. McCallum said there would be 'a whole bunch of new characters' and the series would be 'much more dramatic and darker.'"
A New Hope (Score:5, Interesting)
Now breathe and get everything out of your system about me being a nerd without a life. I was, in fact, a farmboy without a permit or vehicle
Kevin J. Anderson & Timothy Zahn could write a story. In their books, they expanded on what Lucas first saw. I read everything and loved the rich histories and futures laid out in the books for characters in the Star Wars universe. Sadly, none of these characters were in the new movies. None of the Jedi were cloned. Everything alluded to in the Thrawn (Zahn) Trilogy was omitted from episodes one through three. There was no talk of Spaarti cloning cylinders or Joruus C'Boath being cloned from Jorus C'Boath.
Why? Because although these books were licensed by Lucas, they were not official parts of the story. These works became known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe [wikipedia.org] meaning characters not in the movies. This material expands and continues the stories told in the films, taking place anywhere from 4,968 years before The Phantom Menace to about 130 years after Return of the Jedi. In fact, some of the works (like the Dark Empire comics and Zahn's Trilogy) conflict directly with other works.
Don't be deceived, some of these works (like Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly) sucked. But I heavily suggest the Thrawn and Jedi Academy Trilogy if you want to read some of the better stories from the Expanded Universe.
I would like to say that I remain optimistic about what Lucas can still do with the Star Wars Universe. I believe that he has made mistakes in giving himself supreme veto power over what is shown or added in the movies and I think this attitude has ruined Star Wars for me somewhat. I wish that Lucas would open his mind to other ideas as some of these books have proven that there are other people out there capable of helping Lucas create story lines. I shudder to think that he might attempt to write all 100 episodes without the help of coauthors. It has been my experience that television shows with multiple authors are less likely to grow old. I also hope that Lucas has finally realized that his fans don't want hilarious/annoying Jar Jar Binks but instead want the drama and emotion of Episodes Three and Five.
Episode One left me disinterested. Star Wars Galaxies left me angry. Hopefully this series will win me back although I think a lot of us will have a hard time adapting to the new actors in old parts. I hope a large part of Luke's Youth is omitted as I cannot think of one young child actor I have liked.
Re:A New Hope (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:A New Hope (Score:5, Insightful)
Indeed. Not only that, but the true story arc of the Luke character can't really even begin until Ep4. Too much of the character's development in ANH starts with the premise of Luke as an inexperienced farmboy. To have him do anything beyond shooting womp rats with his T-16 or wasting time at Tashi Station with his friends would bugger the existing canon. Not that I'd put it past Lucas to do just that...
Re:A New Hope (Score:4, Funny)
Re:A New Hope (Score:5, Funny)
Re:A New Hope (Score:5, Funny)
From the neck up.
Lucas rape the classic trilogy? No way, dude!! (Score:4, Interesting)
-Eric
Re:Lucas rape the classic trilogy? No way, dude!! (Score:3, Insightful)
People, it's not an action series! (Score:3, Funny)
There won't be any conflict... The series will just be "Little House on the Tatooine Prairie".
Re:A New Hope (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, but the key difference is that a young Indiana Jones DOES have adventures (and is proven directly by Last Crusade's prologue). GP's idea is that a young Luke Skywalker is not supposed to have any jedi-like adventures, or anything having to do with the Force.
It's simple (Score:5, Interesting)
What is the best Star Wars movie of all time? Empire Strikes Back, the one he had the least involvement in. Lucas is bad at writing and directing. He really struggles to bring any sense of emotion to the characters. Whenever you see emotion it feels like Soap Opera camp. You look at the stilted dialogue of Padme and Anakin in Episode 2 and 3 and it's just painful.
So I believe that if Lucas is willing to keep his hands mostly off of this project and let it become it's own thing it stands a chance of not sucking. But it does fascinate me how things have come full circle. Star Wars set a bar and Battlestar Galactica came out shortly after trying to meet that bar and failing quite specatcularly. Now Star Wars comes to television and we have a very high bar set by Battlestar Galactica for what a sci-fi television show can be. Can Star Wars hold up? Probably not, but there's always hope I guess
Re:It's simple (Score:3, Informative)
Close second (Score:3)
One of them is a close second to the other, at any rate.
That the Clone Wars project was so good is further proof of your statemnent that Star Wars TV will be pretty successful if Lucas backs away from it a bit.
Re:It's simple (Score:5, Funny)
"Oh, Ani, hold me! Hold me like you did at the lake on Naboo!"
Indeed.
Re:It's simple (Score:3, Funny)
Re:A New Hope (Score:5, Interesting)
The Dark Empire comics where relativly OK, as comics go. However they were trash compared to the good books. Most of the writers had to spend a lot of time ignoring the "Reborn Emperor, and Luke goes to the dark side blah blah. It was shit, but it had to be considered 'canon' for the sake of expanded universe books.
Now we have the New Jedi Order books. I read 2 or 3 and that was the end. Just too cheesey. Other than Zahn, Stackpole, and a couple of others (whoever adaped Episode 3 and the guy who wrote Shadows of the Empire) I ignore Star Wars books now.
Stackpole was right when he wrote his main character telling Luke that you can't take a guy who blows up a whole star system and say he's a great Jedi Knight. Good ole Kevin J. invented the super-weapon of the week club. The Deathstar 3, the Sun blaster who whatever that little twit jedi character he wrote used to blow up a star. It was just lame.
And don't even get me started on the "Wonder Twins" saving the day through any number of books before they were even 12 years old. All of our main characters from the 1st triligy are standing around like assholes, so the kids can do it all.
No thanks. Star Wars has become questionable. I approach anything writen or done for the screen with skepticism.
On a good note, look around on the internet and see if you can find "Stuff". A piece of Star Wars fan fiction that was written to try and fix all the dumb shit various authers had done to the story after Zahn's books. It's very well written and pretty funny to boot.
A Book for a Simp in the Field (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah, I sure did enjoy it when I was an grade school farm hand. I liked the part where stuff 'sploded! I didn't have the luxery of owning the movies but I had seen them and the books were freely available at the library.
You (and a number of other posters) seem to be highly critical of my grade school interests.
Re:A New Hope (Score:4, Insightful)
Zahn, Stackpole. And others. (Score:3, Interesting)
Not just Star Wars - Trek too (Score:3, Insightful)
Some of these, especially later ones, sucked really REALLY hard. But there were some landmark books in this series with some solid writing and adult tones and themes.
FASA latched on to some of this mate
Re:A New Hope (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, most EU content is considered cannon, unless it disagrees with the films or other Lucas-produced works. Indeed, much of the content used in the prequels came from the EU.
Fanboy alert! (Score:3, Insightful)
Timothy Zahn came first, and wrote that part of Vader's history, and Lucas screwed it up.
Oh yeah, George Lucas really screwed things up by not having Anakin in his 20~30's when Episode 1 came around. Timothy Zahn is a great storyteller, but in terms of timeline continuity, you can't fault George Lucas for overriding Timothy Zahn.
Pre-Episode 1, 2 and 3 stories + Anakin != Blame George Lucas
Seriously, the
snark of the day :) (Score:3, Funny)
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:5, Funny)
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:5, Funny)
It would cover the 20 years in the life of Luke Skywalker growing up that remains a mystery to most film-goers.
Great. At last! 100 episodes of a farm boy fixing vaporators, shopping for power converters, and shooting at womp rats for cheap thrills.
And you just know that every last goddamn character that had anything to do with the ultimate destiny of the Empire will pass through Luke's parcel of desert before the series run is over. I've got ten bucks that says we see Fett before season 1 is over.
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:5, Funny)
- Luke visits the cantina. Hilarity ensues.
- Luke buys drugs from the Jawas. Hilarity ensues.
- Luke goes through puberty. Hilarity ensues.
- Owen and Beru go out of town, Luke has a party. Hilarity ensues.
- Luke finds a lightsaber at Ben's, pretends it a sword. Meaningful life lesson ensues.
- Luke gets a girlfriend. He then wakes from his drug-induced dream.
- Luke and family go to Hoth on vacation. Luke licks cold weather maintenance droid. Hilarity ensues.
- Luke questions his sexuality. Steals Ben's Lightsaber again.
Of course, these are not all of the episodes planned, but they will account for most of the 100 episodes, due to slight retelling of the same story, with the same jokes, over and over again.
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, I knew it jumped the shark from the beginning. There's singing in the theme song. This is Star Trek, THERE IS NO *SINGING* in Star Trek theme songs! (Even if lyrics have been written for it, you don't *SING* them on TV.)
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:5, Funny)
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:3, Funny)
It'll be The Dukes of Tattooine with a flying General Lee. Boss Jabba Hogg, Uncle Jesse Kenobi...
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:4, Insightful)
Nah, this is just Lucas proving that he could mold a pile of dog crap into a sculpture of Darth Vader and people would kill each other to own it.
And yes, sadly enough, I will probably watch it.
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:3, Insightful)
Firefly cancelled after one season (okay before the end of the first season)
Babylon 5 struggled each and every season to get renewed
Farscape killed off before its time
Enterprise got killed off as it started getting reasonable (the last episodes were shot when they knew they were dead, and it showed)
And don't get me started on Birds of Prey
Why would this series run that long?! (Yes, I know - it's the hype that surrounds a new series and all, but really - 100
Re:snark of the day :) (Score:3, Funny)
Ive seen some scripts for the New ST Series, and the whole series is constructed around the idea that Jar Jar gets stuck in a time bubble. Every episode starts with him arriving on Tatooine, and ends with his death, then the time bubble collapses and hes alive and well and about to die in the next eposode.
One particularly touching script had him run over by a speeder in the opening sequence, with the rest of the episode charting his slow painful progress
Mysterious Future (Score:5, Funny)
Ah well, I never watched Star Trek anyway.
Re:Mysterious Future (Score:5, Funny)
As George Lucas climbs into his reproduction ATAT and shouts out the order to charge, "Yousa People Gonna Die! Dangah Ewoks" will be the last words YOU'LL EVER HEAR.
This will come to pass.
Re:Mysterious Future (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Mysterious Future (Score:3, Insightful)
"Nothing for you to see here" (Score:2)
Now I can dust off my Chief Chirpa dolls. W00t.
Oh noes (Score:5, Funny)
Meesa cries a bit at that ominous remark
Re:I'm tired of everyone bashing Jar Jar!! (Score:3, Funny)
only if (Score:5, Funny)
I'm not going to watch it, unless Han shoots a new bounty hunter (first) at the opening of every single episode.
Only that will atone for Lucas's past sins.
Re:only if (Score:5, Funny)
Only if by "New" you mean an infant he suspects might one day become a bounty hunter in addition to it being a different infant every week. In fact, I won't watch unless that is the plot for the entire series. They can call it "Star Wars: Han Solo Baby Bounty Hunter Hunter Chronicles".
Follow Han, not Luke (Score:5, Interesting)
Besides, Han is about the only character from the original trilogy whose ancestry/history/whatever aren't talked about in the prequels already...
whoops! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Follow Han, not Luke (Score:5, Funny)
You're right, it rocked.
The wrong 20 years. (Score:5, Funny)
> It would cover the 20 years in the life of Luke Skywalker growing up that remains a mystery to most film-goers.
Ah, I see - the years when Luke started out as a whiny, snot-nosed kid to, umm...
Well, I guess there's nothing to see here, I'll move along.
Re:The wrong 20 years. (Score:2)
That was my first reaction too. We had a high-tech universe full of jedi doing great deeds until episodes 1-3, and then we already know there's a quiet patch full of evil empireness until a few years later, and then we have episodes 4-6 telling the story of how the rebels fixed it. Prequels or sequels might have had potential, but something in the middle, when the older generation's original favourite characters are still in kindergarten and there are no jedi not in hiding? Zzzzzzz.
Could've picked a better setting (Score:5, Insightful)
I thought the whole point of the opening on Tattooine was that Luke was bored to tears on his home planet, and that his whole life up until this point was a choice between tendin' to the vaporators and picking up power converters at Tosche Station.
That said, if he hated his life enough to consider signing up for the Imperial military, why would it be of any interest at all to us?
Re:Could've picked a better setting (Score:3, Funny)
Biggs & Luke Duke of Hazzard (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Could've picked a better setting (Score:5, Interesting)
The answer is obvious and, unfortunately, terrible. They're almost certainly going to pack luke's early life with exciting star-flung adventures, cameos of star wars characters, and a constant use of the force powers he supposedly didn't know he had. By the time the series ends, whatever suspension of disbelief the once-powerful opening scenes of A New Hope originally conjured will have been totally destroyed by the knowlege that Luke Skywalker is in fact just as experienced and battle-hardened as any character from Sailor Moon.
An alternate possibility is that when they say "the 20 years luke skywalker was growing up", they don't mean luke will be the focus of the series-- they just mean that is the period over which the series will take place. That is, perhaps the action will all follow Bail Organa, Mon Mothma et al, who have exciting and dangerous space adventures while Luke Skywalker is repainting the grain silo. This would make for an interesting and believable series-- and putting Leia through complex and traumatic adventures (while Luke sits at home and watches the news dispatches depicting the Empire's party line propaganda version of those same adventures) would be totally consistent with what we see in the movies. But I do not consider this likely to happen. Over 100 episodes, the temptation of somehow dragging Luke in every other plot will be too great to resist.
Oh-- and expect a long and drawn-out plot arc in which Obi-Wan takes increasingly dangerous journeys into the underworld in a desperate attempt to make the last three clumsy minutes of dialogue in Return of the Sith seem dramatic and important instead of just being a hastily composed plot band-aid. Expect Luke to feature in these semifrequently, although he supposedly had never met Old Ben before the beginning of A New Hope.
Re:Could've picked a better setting (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, the movie implies that Luke has met Obi-Wan. After all, Luke quickly recognizes the name "Kenobi" when he hears it, and knows where his house is. Luke is just unaware of the connection between Kenobi and his father and all that.
I don't mean to imply that this makes the show's concept any better. Just trying to keep our facts straight.
Re:Could've picked a better setting (Score:4, Funny)
Mark Hamil in a girls' high school uniform?
Re:Could've picked a better setting (Score:3, Insightful)
I Can't Wait (Score:5, Funny)
New Characters? (Score:5, Interesting)
Given Lucas' focus in the last 5 years, I'd guess merchandising.
i thought (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:i thought (Score:5, Insightful)
Like George Lucas has ever given a damn about continuity. Didn't Yoda mention that he taught Obi-Wan? How does Vader not recognize R2-D2 and C3P0?
Lucas doesn't care about the story. He puts in familiar characters just so you'll say, "Hey! I recognize him!" and go buy the action figure. If you thought any further than that about it, you're out of Lucas's league. This TV show will be no different.
Re:i thought (Score:4, Insightful)
Do you recognise the Lego blocks you played with as a child? Or maybe the Apple IIe you might have used around 20 years ago? How about the little "robot in a kit" you might have assembled back then?
What about the vacuum cleaner your mom used when you were 10? The hammer your dad might have used?
No? Why not? Oh, because they were beneath the level of attention you gave other, more important, things. The Star Wars world is FULL of such things. In ANH there are like 3 or 4 protocol droids shuffling around in Princess Leia's ship, and I'm sure it's the same with R2 units.
Just because important things happened to people while some "things" are around doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be remembered decades later. Not even the contexts were the same.
Lucas is guilty of a lot of stuff when it comes to plot holes, retconning storylines, and dumb editing, but this one is always trotted out as a prime example of his hubris, when to me it's just another statement of the ubiquitous nature of robotic assistants in his world.
There is no reason for Vader to remember R2D2 or C3P0, because they're just tools, despite their personalities or presence during important events.
But.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Heh (Score:5, Funny)
jump the shark (Score:2)
Freaky (Score:2)
My better half and I were debating how much we would hate to see an Ender's Game movie but how much we'd prefer to see Star Wars come to the small screen format -- especially a darker Star Wars a la Episode IV. Star Wars was better when it was made in an older film format and everything was "dirty" so hopefully they
Least interesting part? (Score:5, Interesting)
Seems like theyre trying to clone the success of Smallville, except Superman found out his powers on his own-- Luke didn't know about them until taught.
Attack of the clones, indeed.
Re:Least interesting part? (Score:5, Interesting)
Mmmm, stirred seeds and mixed metaphors... (Score:5, Funny)
Man, using metaphors is not rocket surgery.
60 Second Version (Score:4, Funny)
"But I was going to [location] to pick up some [items]!"
</whine>
ad nauseum
100 episodes... of... (Score:4, Insightful)
20 years of Luke growing up? Call me crazy, but Episode IV points to Luke's childhood being quite boring, comparatively. It sounds as if he raced a lot, argued with his parents, and generally did "kid stuff" with little to no understanding of precisely what the force was and only the ocassional trip beyond the confines of his farm to spice things up. His caretakers obviously were not on the run to avoid detection, as he was dropped off at the same place he grew up and left in Episode IV.
I think this will turn quickly into Lucas's "Smallville" and, as such, fail to connect with "true" fans.
Re:100 episodes... of... (Score:3, Funny)
Great idea! (Score:5, Funny)
Let's hope that... (Score:2)
They should have done this sooner! (Score:3, Funny)
MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Still, if it means that someone else will be doing the directing, it will have to be an improvement.
It has a lot to live up to (Score:5, Funny)
later on, it could morph into a "the OC" style show, set in Mos Eisley... "the ME"
Sounds like they're following the wrong Skywalker (Score:4, Interesting)
I Have a Bad Feeling About This... (Score:3, Interesting)
It would cover the 20 years in the life of Luke Skywalker growing up that remains a mystery to most film-goers.
I am confused - just HOW much of a mystery could his life have been? Growing up on the moisture farm, rise early to avoid the heat, dust off the droids, whine to Uncle Ben, lots of sand on Tattoine...
Lucas should not milk this cow any longer, prequels are not his strength! I'd root for something that picked up twenty years after Ep VI, the books are full of the political intrigue and scandal Lucas adored so much for Ep's I, II, and III...
Ok, maybe even that would suck.
Han better be in there somewhere... (Score:3, Interesting)
That type of character is what was missing from #1-3.
People aren't just good or bad, some people walk the line between the two.
much more dramatic and darker (Score:3, Funny)
Skywalker story is already told (Score:5, Insightful)
Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Rather than post and post, about why this is a fucking stupid idea. Lets just all post the words:
Worst. Idea. Ever.
And mod each other +5 insightful.
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Free. Karma. Points.
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Worst. Idea. Ever. (Score:5, Insightful)
Kurosawa (Score:3, Interesting)
A TV Series would be a perfect opportunity for this idea.
Obligatory Penny Arcade Strip... (Score:5, Funny)
Lucas "image" (Score:3, Funny)
Uh-oh (Score:5, Funny)
Why choose Luke? There is another... (Score:5, Insightful)
Or Grand Moff Tarkan and the construction of the Death Star.
Or Han Solo and Chewey smuggling and fighting bounty hunters, or AS bounty hunters. Throw in a little Lando. Works every time...
Or Boba Fett's adventures as a bounty hunter, and perhaps an akward relationship with Vader.
Or the further slauter of Jedi by Darth Vader. Have him track down Jedi and kick the crap out of them. Show him get more and more evil. This can be be supplimented with yoda training a few of the better Jedi that are fugitive.
Any of this is better than tracking Luke or Obi-Wan. Putting Luke into forced adventures on Tatooine will really ruin the whole story, it doesn't fit well with A New Hope.
Uhg... (Score:3, Interesting)
Artistic license with story... (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe Lucas can just finally move on to another universe outside of Star Wars now that he's milked it dry.
100 episodes, eh? (Score:4, Funny)
Product Placement (Score:3, Funny)
There was a good Star Wars TV series (Score:4, Informative)
Smallville Tatooine Graffiti County (Score:4, Funny)
Watch Luke drag race his tricked-out Accura Skyhopper in Beggar's Canyon.
Watch Luke not get any at the Lookoff.
Watch Luke pine about the girl he never gets (who looks mysteriously like his sister) while some girl (probably a strong-willed red head) pines about Luke.
Watch Luke avoid disaster after disaster while the mysterious Imperial Governor's son lurks around and insists he and Luke are best friends.
I was going to say that Luke would battle giant carnivorous beavers but I don't think he's going to even get that close to getting any.
Drama (Score:5, Funny)
It seems only natural that the adolescent antics of a farm boy would be darker and more dramatic than his subsequent struggle to free the galaxy from the tyrannical grip of his father and an evil wizard.
(I want to drown George Lucas in Rick McCallum's blood.)
-Peter
"More dramatic and darker"? B.S. (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, whatever. When the prequels were in the queue, this is what they said about them. They'd be more dramatic. Darker. Lucas was even going to pitch the familiar theme music and do something different. It all sounded wonderfully original and artistic until somebody said, "George, nobody wants that. People want the same score, the same movies all over again." So George, 20 years older and basically living off the technology royalties from ILM, having not written anything worth watching (note that Indiana Jones is basically a really awful movie that is saved by an enchanting combination of a fun score, the kinetic influence of Spielberg, and chemistry among the actors), writes Episode 1. I don't want to rehash the myriad complaints about Star Wars, but Episodes 1-3 were supposed to be "much darker". Well, the watered-down scene where Anakin kills the Tusken raiders elicited a yawn from me. I still get uneasy watching the scene of Han Solo of being tortured for no reason other than the Empire delights in torture. "They never even asked me any questions." Yeah, they do'nt care, they just enjoy inflicting pain and suffering. Then Lando walks through the corridors of his city arguing with Vader with the sounds of Solo screaming in inhumane pain behind him ... that's dark. Nothing about Anakin's fall from grace was dark. It barely even made sense, nor did Padme's perplexing passion for him. The films were written by a guy in his 60's who has clearly forgotten whatever he once knew about the passionate love of youth.
So now they're going to make a "darker" TV series. Well, bullshit. Sorry. Their last attempt at "darker" gave us the slapstick antics of Jar Jar Binks flopping around a virtual soundstage and spouting sentence fragments and stepping in crap and tripping over shit and basically irritating the hell out of everybody.
There's also a tendancy among bad writers to assume that "dark = deep". If I'm really depressing and dark and morbid and whatever, it means I'm deep and insightful and consumed by the pain that wracks our world in shuddering convulsions, blah blah. This misattribution of insight to misery is probably what fuels the Goth kids. Easy to sit around hating the world and thinking you're above it all simply because you're unhappy. Anyway, when I read, "this is goign to be dark" I hear, "weighty subject matter is going to substitute for insightful writing."
But I'm cynical.
Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
Star Wars stopped being "art" when the first Star Wars Happy Meal was sold.