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The Prequels as Envisioned by the (Pre-PT) Expanded Universe

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Since I abandoned my original PT rewrite, I've been looking forward to doing another whole new one. However, this time I don't want to just make things up out right out of the blue, augmenting it with bits and pieces taken from various sources. This time I want to work within the confines of the Expanded Universe, the Expanded Universe as it existed prior to the release of TPM; there is nothing I want to contradict, regardless of whether I like it or not.

Basically, I'm asking for help in pooling together all the bits and pieces of info pertaining to the EU's original conception of the PT storyline/characters. I know many of posters here aren't into the EU or, at least, are casual fans at best with no intimate knowledge of that aspect of the SW Universe. However, any help would be appreciated, even if it's just basic references to books or links to offsite blogs/sites/etc.

Thanks in advance.

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Pre-99 Pre-ANH EU is tricky because they play so many elements ambiguously because that was directed by Lucas. Tales of Jedi will certainly give some details about older Jedi and Dark Jedi, and I know the Thrawn Trilogy gives some hints here and there (Spaarti cloning chambers anyone?). Also some interesting stuff would be in the Marvel Comics and early Han Solo novels which I haven't had the chance to get my hands on yet. 

Real holy grail would be getting copies of the West End Games sourcebooks used for the Star Wars RPG. Much of that essentially was a canon encyclopedia back in the day. 

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Tom Veitch referred to "Prison Ships used to Transport Jedi during the Clone Wars" early in Dark Empire.  It boggles my mind what he might have been thinking when he wrote that.

Zahn wrote that the Dark Side cave on Dagobah was so since several Dark Jedi from Bpfassh (sp?) died/were destroyed there.  Kind of an interesting thought.

Of course the spaarti cylinders are an interesting item.  The whole bit about how it took a year to grow a full blown clone and the issue with the force driving them mad...

I get the impression from Zahn that cloning Jedi was definitely a big goal during the Clone Wars, but was darn near impossible.

I think Luke&Leia's mom gets a name in one of the books.

I think Luke's dad was called "Tam Skywalker" in one of the early Marvel comics.  But he was called Anakin before the OT was over (at least according to Kenner), so you can probably safely throw that out.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

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xhonzi said:

I think Luke's dad was called "Tam Skywalker" in one of the early Marvel comics. But he was called Anakin before the OT was over (at least according to Kenner), so you can probably safely throw that out.

I could rework Tam into being Anakin's middle name. It's wouldn't be the best patch job in the world, but it could be made to work.

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Why didn't you make the Old Republic Jedi wear all black in the prequels, Lucas, why?

 

That young Obi-Wan looks like the badass Knight I had always known him to be before TPM ruined everything.

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^The fact that Lucas toyed with the idea before ultimately discarding it doesn't matters, either.

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Argh! Lucas you stupid head, you ruined it.

 

What would've been cool if the jedi all wore armour similar to Darth Vader's armour.

 

<span style=“font-weight: bold;”>The Most Handsomest Guy on OT.com</span>

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greenpenguino said:

Argh! Lucas you stupid head, you ruined it.

 

What would've been cool if the jedi all wore armour similar to Darth Vader's armour.

 

Seeing something like this makes it feel like GL pulled his punches. This would have been very cool and effective visual. Luke's RToJ attire would have harkened back to the classic Jedi look.

I've been having a feeling that the PT should have had somewhat radical color grading. Not the very old technicolor look, but it suggests what I have in mind. Someone made a podrace mockup as if created in the 70s, it was just so much better! It couldn't be so extreme to be distracting and gimmicky, but I think it could be effective to embrace the essence of a prequel, as historical, to give it that feel.

The blue elephant in the room.

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Mrebo said:

greenpenguino said:

Argh! Lucas you stupid head, you ruined it.

 

What would've been cool if the jedi all wore armour similar to Darth Vader's armour.

 

Seeing something like this makes it feel like GL pulled his punches. This would have been very cool and effective visual. Luke's RToJ attire would have harkened back to the classic Jedi look.

I've been having a feeling that the PT should have had somewhat radical color grading. Not the very old technicolor look, but it suggests what I have in mind. Someone made a podrace mockup as if created in the 70s, it was just so much better! It couldn't be so extreme to be distracting and gimmicky, but I think it could be effective to embrace the essence of a prequel, as historical, to give it that feel.

Exactly.

I wrote somewhere on here a while ago about having the aesthetics of each of the prequels have a certain nostalgic-y retro-ness.

For instance, Episode 1 would look like it was made in the 1940s. Everything would be stylised to look like the film was made and 'set' in the 40s. Hair, clothes, technology i.e. buttons and switches. Chunky Computers using valves, lighting.) but the special effects would be done with models, a la the original films.

The technology in the prequels be clunky-er and cruder than the original films, Robots like R2 wouldn't appear until perhaps the third film or something.

Episode 2 and 3 would look like they were made in the 50s and 60s.

<span style=“font-weight: bold;”>The Most Handsomest Guy on OT.com</span>

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Generally playing with the color palette would do wonders with the prequels. I always envisioned the first film in the series being very technicolor-esque with the colors just popping, then in the second with the Clone Wars going badly for the Republic, you start seeing more muted hue variations, with overt color starting to disappear (especially in scenes with the antagonists) and then in the third film, its very de-saturated until the ending scenes with Luke and Leia. 

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Well, it seems I'm not going to get very far with this thread. I'm not blaming you guys, though; I realize you guys aren't that knowledgeable on this aspect of SW. I suppose I'll just take this thread on over to TFN once they've finished revamping their forums - if anyone knows their EU, it's them. I'm not exactly keen on doing so, though. :grimace:

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DuracellEnergizer said:

Well, it seems I'm not going to get very far with this thread. I'm not blaming you guys, though; I realize you guys aren't that knowledgeable on this aspect of SW. I suppose I'll just take this thread on over to TFN once they've finished revamping their forums - if anyone knows their EU, it's them. I'm not exactly keen on doing so, though. :grimace:

The issue is simply wading through so much EU material to find what is and isn't referenced. Zahn, Stackpole, Anderson, the Marvel Comics, the games, the graphic novels, Rogue Squadron, and the Star Wars RPG books by West End Games. Its what made me wish the OT community was almost a bit more hardcore nerdy to create a pre-Phantom Menace wiki, full of every character and backstory created prior to 1999. 

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Yeah, I know that. If I came off sounding resentful or anything, though, that definately wasn't my intention. There's alot of time and effort that goes into this kind of thing, and it's not a thing that someone can easily devote themselves to.

If only Wookieepedia had a pre-PT setting to it or something like that ...

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greenpenguino said:

Mrebo said:

greenpenguino said:

Argh! Lucas you stupid head, you ruined it.

 

What would've been cool if the jedi all wore armour similar to Darth Vader's armour.

 

Seeing something like this makes it feel like GL pulled his punches. This would have been very cool and effective visual. Luke's RToJ attire would have harkened back to the classic Jedi look.

I've been having a feeling that the PT should have had somewhat radical color grading. Not the very old technicolor look, but it suggests what I have in mind. Someone made a podrace mockup as if created in the 70s, it was just so much better! It couldn't be so extreme to be distracting and gimmicky, but I think it could be effective to embrace the essence of a prequel, as historical, to give it that feel.

Exactly.

I wrote somewhere on here a while ago about having the aesthetics of each of the prequels have a certain nostalgic-y retro-ness.

For instance, Episode 1 would look like it was made in the 1940s. Everything would be stylised to look like the film was made and 'set' in the 40s. Hair, clothes, technology i.e. buttons and switches. Chunky Computers using valves, lighting.) but the special effects would be done with models, a la the original films.

The technology in the prequels be clunky-er and cruder than the original films, Robots like R2 wouldn't appear until perhaps the third film or something.

Episode 2 and 3 would look like they were made in the 50s and 60s.

Interesting. So, kinda like the grading in the film War Horse. I would love to know how to duplicate that look.

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xhonzi said:


I think Luke's dad was called "Tam Skywalker" in one of the early Marvel comics.
I believe you are thinking of "Tom Skywalker."

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Nope.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

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I started a thread on the old JC boards about where the 35 BSW4 date for the Clone Wars came from in the old EU... the thread alone had some interesting information, and someone linked to an older thread from around the time of AOTC where people were trying fit it with the CW as depicted in the EU of the time. Once they get the new boards up (assuming I remember and can find the thread), I'll link you.

"Star Wars films are basically silent movies. And they're designed as silent movies, therefore the music carries a -- has a very large role in carrying the story, more than it would in a normal movie."  -GL

"NOO! NOOOOOO!!" - Darth Vader

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According to the ROTJ novelization, The Emperor knew of Yoda (although he had to reach far back into his memory to recall the little green Jedi Master), however Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker had no knowledge of Yoda and even, if I remember correctly, expressed to Luke in his unmasking that he wishes he would have met the ancient Jedi.  

According to the same novelization, Owen Lars was Obi-Wan's brother, so says Obi-Wan himself to Luke on Dagobah.  Personally, I think this is kind of sketchy since Owen and Beru seem to speak of Luke's Father as actually being Owen's brother and Owen actually being Luke's brother and Owen speaks of Obi-Wan as an outsider who took Anakin out on a damn fool idealistic crusade. Weird.  Furthermore, it's unclear whether or not both Anakin and Obi-Wan were supposed to be Owen's brothers, thus making them siblings and Obi Wan...Luke's Uncle! :0  

Additionally, The ESB working script explained Vader's injuries and the necessity for his life-preserving armor due to falling in a nuclear reactor rather than falling into a molten pit of lava like Lucas himself stated in 1978 and what the ROTJ Novelization and Lucas's own Prequels agree with. I guess you could assume that Vader's unmasked and bald head is a result of the radiation/cancer from falling in the reactor rather than falling into the pit, and also it seems like his obvious respiratory problems may be present because of lung cancer or something effecting the same issues.  

This is a stretch, but I believe that the X-Wings were supposed to have been the main starfighters of the Old Republic used during the Clone Wars and were VERY out of date in comparison to the recent TIE Fighters.  

Then there was the whole O.B. 1 (Obi-Wan was a Clone!) Theory....creepy!

-Someone, someday, needs to bring back the LIGHT SIDE to Star Wars.  Has anyone else noticed striking similarites between the character of Anakin/Vader and George Lucas, or is it just me? 

-It's called STAR WARS. NOT "Episode IV: A New Hope". Kids, get this straight.  

-Please read the Archie Goodwin daily SW comics: Too good to be forgotten! 

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Someone recently mentioned to me that they remember some source saying the Clone Wars went from 50 (ish) BBY to 35 BBY. I know the EU used the 35 BBY date as the end of the Clone Wars until the prequels changed everything around - but I (we) weren't sure where the 50 BBY date could have come from. Anyone have any ideas? (Or any other mentions of the length of the Wars, from before the PT-release-era? Did George, or any other official source say anything about this?)

"Star Wars films are basically silent movies. And they're designed as silent movies, therefore the music carries a -- has a very large role in carrying the story, more than it would in a normal movie."  -GL

"NOO! NOOOOOO!!" - Darth Vader

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DuracellEnergizer said:

I want to work within the confines of the Expanded Universe, the Expanded Universe as it existed prior to the release of TPM;

 

I'm asking for help in pooling together all the bits and pieces of info pertaining to the EU's original conception of the PT storyline/characters...... even if it's just basic references to books or links to offsite blogs/sites/etc.

Thanks in advance.

Man, how did I miss a topic like this?  I'd be very interested in a Lucas-free Prequel story.  I'll try to come up with thoughts or passages as they come to me from all the EU I have.  Until then, here is a list of publishing dates for all the novels so you'll know your stop date.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_novels_by_release_date#1976

Also, there could be all sorts of interesting ideas in the original newspaper strip that ran daily from 1979 - 1984.  One of our very own has done a masterful job of preserving it;

http://dailysw.blogspot.com/

Give Tanith her well deserved moment in the spotlight.  ;-)

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Heh heh... Welcome to Script Writing/Re-Writing, Anchorhead.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!