Johannus said:
I do love the idea of the cyclical nature of the force, because it suggests there was a deeper meaning that both the Jedi and the Sith have always missed due to their blind hatred of one another.
That's the point! And Luke, who witnessed this, it's the one who can understand that. In fact we know that he has reached somehow a better wisdom than Ben and Yoda in believing in the good in Vader.
Johannus said:
However, if you want to use the original ideas that were revealed of the last trilogy I think you will struggle because RotJ ended the story that Episodes 4 and 5 built up. Therefore, you can develop a whole new story with some of the characters or new characters or whatever. Or I think if you want to extended it in the way that was first suggested I think you would need to rewrite RotJ first because things like Leia being Luke's sister and the Emperor being killed make it hard to carry on in this way. Purely because you would be restricted by what has gone on in the films, and restricted by the rumours which would guide your new stories, and then have to make your stories fit within those lines.
Making the Emperor survive would be undertone the prophecy and Anakin's role. One change I'd like to have could be Leia not being Luke's sister. But I don't want the create another version of SW. There are plenty of fan edits out there, even really good (I saw a lot of them) but the more there are, the less they mean, because they become just "another" edit. The only one who really is trying to became the new SW is revisited. That's why I want the sequels to match the event of those edits. Or maybe of both Ady's and GL's versions, so that can be seen and appreciated by more people.
Johannus said:
If you want to just expand after RotJ with new stories then based on what you have said I would read the Heir to the Empire books (if you haven't already) and note down every little thing you like about those stories. Then figure out which ones don't contradict what the PT showed us, and then build your story around that. Otherwise you are trying to redo exactly what Zahn did but possibly using some of his characters and ideas so you have to ask yourself can you do it better than he did? By all means try, but those books would provide some food for thought if this is the direction you would like your stories to take.
Yes, I obviously read them like almost every EU book/comic printed. And as you can see I'm trying to save what's good in them. But my purpose is to create a new storyline. Simply, if there are good element to be used, some of them very popular between the fans, why don't use them?