SpilkaBilka said:
Yes. This is something in the Star Wars universe I've sorely missed since X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and Dark Forces:
REBELLION VS. EMPIRE.
This is the backdrop of Star Wars... yet I feel it hasn't been seen/addressed in 20 years. Or if it has, it was done terribly (Force Unleashed). I want to see the formation of the Rebellion. I want to see this small rag-tag group slowly grow in strength in the years prior to IV. I want to see what they were doing between IV and V. Man, the force and Jedi are cool and all, but I really want to see more of the military conflict.
Playing those LucasArts game and pretending I was a pilot/trooper in a massive galactic civil war is what got me back into Star Wars as a teenager in the early 90s.
If you could find my posts here written about 10 years ago, you'd see we're thinking the same thing.
Star Wars is a science-fantasy (not traditional hard sci-fi) with a WAR in the backdrop. While Lucas had Vietnam in mind when he made ROTJ, those starfighter combat sequences are made after World War 2 guncams & movies, and it shows (relative motion speed, lasers instead of long-range autoaiming missiles etc.). This was one of the reasons I'm so into SW, because I'm also into military history, and when it comes to aviation, WW2 and 1930s are my #1.
RRS-1980 said:
Interesting how the "point of sitting" defines the "point of view". The Vietnam war never came to my mind when watching Star Wars (OK, maybe only during the ROTJ jungle fight with Ewoks). It's quite natural for a person with European background to see Rebel Alliance as the resistance movement fighting against the Nazi Germany, using "hit and run" tactics, captured weapons, infiltration, espionage etc. Many of those Bothans died to bring us the V-1 plans, right?
Yet Star Wars can remain militaristic safely without real world problems (no stormtroopers raping women or Imperial officers sending children to gas chambers, my Grandma wasn't chased by TIE Bomber, but Ju 87 Stuka) or appearing homoerotic (like most pro-army propaganda: "join us, merry muscular men!").
Jedi knights were supposed to be an elite, a small group. We were shown old Kenobi, who despite his age retained charm and sense of humor - and that made him cool and composed.
Even before Prequels which made many of us hate the Jedi, the fans themselves made me sick of the Jedi order, with their dress-ups, fan-fics etc.
I understand that most people want to play as a Jedi, but if we were allowed a choice in 1990s, why can't I get a game today sans Jedi?
Think Elite/Frontier, Wing Commander: Privateer, X series... each had a cult following. It's impossible that a game like this set in Star Wars universe wouldn't catch on - LucasArts lost this big opportunity!
I used to buy all those very expensive (where I live) LucasArts games... but that was over 10 years ago.