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Starwars.com closes its forums — Page 3

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asterisk8 said:

WhatsMyName said:

asterisk8 said:

TV's Frink said:

generalfrevious said:

Hyperspace. Charging 40 bucks a month to see content that should be free. Now that is low. If it's gone by now, I'm glad it is.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I'd like to play Devil's Advocate for a moment.

Why should any content be free?

It isn't. I give Comcast $40 a month.

 i See his point though. Why should you be charged to visit a forum?

That was my point. I already pay Comcast to get online, why should I pay to visit a web forum to get content that is no better than the free stuff you can find all over the internet.

What should any website care what Comcast or any other ISP charges you?

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^  True.  They are completely unrelated.  Both are services.  You decide what you want and what you don't want.

For the record, I don't have an issue with paying to use forums or see content.  I've done it before, I'll do it again.

You just have to decide if the product is worth the price.  If Jay decided to start charging a yearly fee, I'd pay.  It's worth it to me for the content and the quality of conversations. 

If Lucas were honest and offered something that meant something to me emotionally, I would pay.  It's a moot point now, but I would have if things had turned out very differently.

 

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I never said they should care. I'm only saying I already pay to get online, and get plenty of great content for that price, so I personally can't justify paying extra unless it's significantly higher quality.

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The market is relative though--many other websites give you the same quality and almost the same quantity as Hyperspace without gouging your for money. Instead of being one of the companies that gives something back, they are one of the few that are actually taking more money for the same sort of stuff other companies give away. Half of the Hyperspace content wasn't even good, either. There was an occassional premium item, like an AOTC deleted scene that was never included on the DVD and was interesting to see or the entire archive of Bantha Tracks, but this was generally exceptional. Most of it was behind the scenes prequel photos and filler interviews. Lucasfilm simply knew that some SW fans were so rabid for stuff about the upcoming film(s) that they would pay for what is essentially promotional content. They got rid of it once the prequels were over because they knew there would not be as intense an interest for whatever else would be coming out.

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Thing is, you can find all that special stuff on youtube or other related sites

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Youtube didn't exist at the time of Hyperspace, and I remember it was more difficult than I expected to find some of that stuff re-posted in forums because a lot of the better-known ones were afraid of getting slapped with cease-and-decit warning from LFL (which happened).

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The forums over at MillenniumFalcon.com was the place to be for all that stuff.

 

“Anakin had those qualities so rarely seen, exuding an unmistakable confidence and yet still able to touch one’s heart in simply knowing how he was so flawed… wounded.”

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^ DarthPsychotic is still at it.  true dedication.

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zombie84 said:

.... Half of the Hyperspace content wasn't even good, either. There was an occassional premium item, like an AOTC deleted scene that was never included on the DVD and was interesting to see or the entire archive of Bantha Tracks, but this was generally exceptional. Most of it was behind the scenes prequel photos and filler interviews. Lucasfilm simply knew that some SW fans were so rabid for stuff about the upcoming film(s) that they would pay for what is essentially promotional content. ...

^This.

I also ditched my Star Wars Insider subscriptions for the same reason.  Just filler and photos of blue-screen sets of movies that I knew weren't going to be any good.

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Now that I think of it, the original fan club closed up shop just before the 10th anniversary. Bantha Tracks was mostly covering The Ewok movies, Howard the Duck and Labyrinth by then.

Of course, BT was a newsletter, and had less pages to fill...

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Where were you in '77?

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How much of a gap was between Bantha Tracks and the Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine? (which eventually became Star Wars Insider)

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BT faded away in '87. The "final" issue was actually a mini-poster sized sheet with a timeline from '77 to the present, handed out at the official 10th anniversary con. I should really look around and see if I still have my copy!

I don't recall seeing the LFCM until the early 90's, when the SW merchandising colossus began to wake up.

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Where were you in '77?

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I think the new Lucasfilm magazine was all about promoting WILLOW when it started up. So, around 1988. I remember the articles, it was going to be the new franchise. (I remember a bunch of us buying a ticket for Willow and sneaking into DIE HARD, so it was good for something.)

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Earliest issue I could find on Ebay is from 1988, so you're right. :)

I was having Willow flashbacks with all the little people in the opening scenes of "Your Highness". 

Did Lucas ever pursue the rights to the Tolkien books, and was thwarted as he was with Flash Gordon?

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Where were you in '77?

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Darth Hade said:

The forums over at MillenniumFalcon.com was the place to be for all that stuff.

 

none said:

^ DarthPsychotic is still at it.  true dedication.

Very true.

The problem is that there's not much to talk about Star Wars wise. I mean, the cartoon is okay at best.

Yeah, DP will get his hands on all the BluRay stuff early - especially the deleted scenes.

The problem is Lucas. Start the damn live-action series already!

Think about it. A season of the series will easily surpass all six movies combined in terms of length (hours). That's a lot of Star Wars.

I think a show like that (if done right) could make Star Wars fans crazy again. There would be so much every year. That's a huge difference when compared to waiting three years for yet another unsatisfying prequel movie.

“Anakin had those qualities so rarely seen, exuding an unmistakable confidence and yet still able to touch one’s heart in simply knowing how he was so flawed… wounded.”

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I just wish he wouldn't choose to set it between the gap between the PT and the OT for said action series. The reasons things like Jedi Outcast and KOTOR work are because they don't constrain themselves to continuity - they're far enough removed that for the most part they were able to go anywhere (well, Outcast couldn't exactly kill Luke but other than that it's pretty stand-alone.) I'd love to see more stories about the Jedi within 100 years before The Phantom Menace; it could almost have a mission-of-the-week format. Self-contained stories that didn't have to worry about canon.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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bkev said:

I'd love to see more stories about the Jedi within 100 years before The Phantom Menace; it could almost have a mission-of-the-week format. Self-contained stories that didn't have to worry about canon.

I agree.  It could be Star Wars without actually being Star Wars.  If done by someone other than Lucas, it could be very interesting.  A familiar feeling universe but without all the baggage and contamination.  That's what I really love about the Daley novels.  They're Star Wars-ish.

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SW.com closes down?  Hopefully TFN can close down too!

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CO said:

SW.com closes down?  Hopefully TFN can close down too!

No then the TFN guys might all migrate over here or something

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Quackula said:

CO said:

SW.com closes down?  Hopefully TFN can close down too!

No then the TFN guys might all migrate over here or something

 Good point!

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Quackula said:

No then the TFN guys might all migrate over here or something

Then we would have little Ken Kraly's crawling all over the place!

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What, you don't want to be lectured about going to Star Wars Hell for not accepting Dexter Jetser into your life?

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Quackula said:

CO said:

SW.com closes down? Hopefully TFN can close down too!

No then the TFN guys might all migrate over here or something

And then you'd get threads like this popping up all the time.

http://boards.theforce.net/classic_trilogy/b10002/31352337/p1/?27

http://boards.theforce.net/classic_trilogy/b10002/31492709/p1/?10

http://boards.theforce.net/classic_trilogy/b10002/31621838/p1/?7

http://boards.theforce.net/prequel_trilogy/b10669/31513757/p1/?351

http://boards.theforce.net/star_wars_saga/b10456/31433853/p1/?9

http://boards.theforce.net/star_wars_saga/b10456/31463768/p1/?25

http://boards.theforce.net/literature/b10003/31590957/p1/?343

Brrrrrrr.

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Well, not ALL of those threads you linked were bad - maybe a bit obsessive, but I see ridiculous shit like that all the time at Daizenshuu EX and I'm still a semi-regular.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em