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Star Wars Mythos: Mid-Eighties to Mid-Nineties

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I would like to gather info from fans about the mythos that existed before we knew there would be a Prequel.  There were certain things about the SW universe that we knew about, or had enough background info, to speculate about.  These insights were developed by hashing together titbits found in licensed fiction from lucasfilm, in games, like those from West End, and from published background info about how Lucas developed the stories (Skywalking and the Annotated Screenplays).

Share what you remember of the mythos of this period and tell us what sources you recall the ideas being based on, or even drawn directly from (i.e. West End Games Star Wars Sourcebook, my personal favorite form the time).

I see this thread being a chronicle of what the SW universe and story were to us before the Prequels were begun.

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From what I recall offhand ( keep in mind this is from both notes and novelizations, so dubious canonicity abounds):

-Jedi Knights have been guardians for 1000 generations.

-Obi Wan and Anakin fought the Clone Wars which happened when they were younger. Skywalker followed Ben on an idealistic crusade which may or may not have been the wars.

-The Republic rotted from the inside due to greed and those power hungry. 

-Palpatine gained power at some point thanks to ambitious politicians and powerful commercial entities, but was not necessarily at the same time of the Clone Wars.

-Palpatine seduced Anakin to the dark side.

-Boba Fett is dressed in the armor of a group of warriors who fought the Jedi, in the Clone Wars, supposedly the Mandalorians. 

-Skywalker became Vader and fell into a lava pit (and possibly a nuclear reactor) in a battle with Kenobi, thus scarring him. 

-Anakin did not know that his wife was pregnant when he turned. Mother Skywalker went with Leia where she was raised by Bail Organa (royalty apparently) and his wife who was the minister of education. Her real mother died when she was 2-3. 

-Luke and Leia were separated to keep them safe from Vader and Palpatine.

-Owen Lars was Obi-Wan's brother. (This sticks out most in comparison to A New Hope which implies otherwise). 

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The vast majority of the pre-PT EU indicated that the Jedi and Sith wielded lightsabers of various colours and hues.

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Not sure but they might get to wield them too. :p

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The Corporate Sector Authority was a major power, too.

 

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Ah, yes, the Corporate Sector, from the Han Solo novels. 

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Obi-Wan had multiple pupils. 

The Emperor considered lightsabers the weapons of Jedi Knights, for the most part, and insinuated that they were beneath him. Yoda seems to be "above" a saber too, which leads me to believe that the "Masters" of the Force (either side) didn't use lightsabers, but that the Knights (Jedi) and the Dark Lords (Sith), of course, did. 

Anakin truly WAS Owen's brother. 

Anakin had a British accent like Obi-Wan!! 

The Clones were the enemies of the Republic and were not the precursors to the Stormtroopers. Made via Spaarti Cloning technology. 

Boba Fett was a Mandalorian who fought the Jedi in the Clone Wars, however, it is also stated elsewhere that he was a former Stormtrooper who went rogue, like Valence from the Marvel Comics. 

The Empire was 40 years old by the time of "Star Wars". 

The Jedi uniform or whatever was what Luke wore in "Return of the Jedi", not what Obi-Wan wore in "Star Wars" (that was disguise to fit in with his environment). 

Alderaan was a vital, central world to the Republic. 

Jedi seemed to have been patroned or sponsored by notable individuals in the Republic, who financed their respective Jedi's crusades of Justice and so forth. In exchange, the Jedi served their patron (i.e. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa). 

The Masters of the Force were aloof from the politics, and used the Force to greater extents than the Knights or Dark Lords. 

Jedi were transported via Slave Ships in the Clone Wars, and luxury vessels were common in the era of The Republic, as well as spaceship casinos and other recreational facilities such as "The Wheel". All in all, The Old Republic was an age reminiscent of The Roaring Twenties. 

-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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Well, The Emperor obviously got involved with politics and he was the Master of the Dark Side, so I kind of take that part back, but Yoda seemed completely distant from all that, almost like a monk. 

-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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Star Wars Purist said:

The Empire was 40 years old by the time of "Star Wars". 

 

I have a maths problem with that.  Luke is ~18 in ANH, meaning he was sired probably ~19 years prior.  Meaning that Anakin was not Darth Vader ~19 years prior to ANH.

So if the Empire was ~21 years old when Anakin became Vader... what's the story?

And how does "Your father's light saber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire." make any sense?

What claims that the Empire was around for 40 years at the time of ANH?  Especially since they dissolve the Senate halfway into ANH?

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:

What claims that the Empire was around for 40 years at the time of ANH?


I think Zahn implies such a date in the Thrawn trilogy. It's a wonky timeline, but I do think it can be made to work with what's stated in the OT if you assume the Republic and the Empire were actually seperate entities that co-existed at some point in the past.

How it squares with the idea of the Empire being created by a young Senator Palpatine decades after the end of the Clone Wars, as stated in later EU, though ...

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DuracellEnergizer said:

xhonzi said:

What claims that the Empire was around for 40 years at the time of ANH?


I think Zahn implies such a date in the Thrawn trilogy. It's a wonky timeline, but I do think it can be made to work with what's stated in the OT if you assume the Republic and the Empire were actually seperate entities that co-existed at some point in the past.

Hmm... any clarification on this would be great.

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 imagine it like this. 45 years prior to The Battle of Yavin, Obi-Wan was already like 35 years old and an active Jedi Knight, which is when Anakin was discovered and began his training. I also see the Clone Wars already having begun and continuing to about 40 years before Yavin. At this point, The Republic transformed into the Galactic Empire, due to inner corruption, bureaucratic crap, and due to the practical need for a stronger government, as there were obviously such great threats as the Clones and so on. In the beginning, The Empire was "a good idea", as Luke says of it in one of the deleted scenes from Star Wars.   

I see The Empire having continued to support the service of the Jedi Knights in these early days, until Senator Palpatine crafts a grand conspiracy theory charging them with beginning the Clone Wars (which may be partly true as The Thrawn Trilogy has the cloned Jorus C'Baoth). The Purge doesn't begin although the Jedi have been exiled. I then see an early proto-Rebellion occurring from 35 to 20 BBY, and at this latter date Anakin becomes Darth Vader and Purges all of the Jedi save Yoda and Kenobi. Briefly before his fall at this date, Anakin would have had to have copulated with the mother of Luke and Leia. 

-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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That seems... unnecessarily complicated.

It also would make both trilogies about rebellion against the Empire.  Where's the fun in that?

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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 (Edited)

xhonzi said:



DuracellEnergizer said:



xhonzi said:
What claims that the Empire was around for 40 years at the time of ANH?



I think Zahn implies such a date in the Thrawn trilogy. It's a wonky timeline, but I do think it can be made to work with what's stated in the OT if you assume the Republic and the Empire were actually seperate entities that co-existed at some point in the past.


Hmm... any clarification on this would be great.


I looked through Heir to the Empire, and it mentions on the first page that Pellaeon has spent fifty years up to that point in the Imperial fleet. Heir takes place nine years after SW, so that indicates the Empire's been around since 41 BBY at the latest according to the book.

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I guess it being the Empire in name only until the purge/Anakin's turn could have been the case, with perhaps Palpatine at that point being a quasi-Augustus type who brought stability to the galaxy. Or hell, if you really wanted to be radical, maybe Palpatine wasn't even the first Emperor. 

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Isn't there a bit in the SW novelization (or is it only in the script) about the "later, corrupt emperors"?

"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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Yep, but Palpatine was supposed to be the first, not the latest, Emperor according to the novelization's prologue.

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Yes but according to this novelization, Palpatine was a weak figurehead controlled by more powerful forces within The Empire, by no means the Master of the Darkside as shown with its sequels. 

-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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DuracellEnergizer said:

xhonzi said:



DuracellEnergizer said:



xhonzi said:
What claims that the Empire was around for 40 years at the time of ANH?



I think Zahn implies such a date in the Thrawn trilogy. It's a wonky timeline, but I do think it can be made to work with what's stated in the OT if you assume the Republic and the Empire were actually seperate entities that co-existed at some point in the past.


Hmm... any clarification on this would be great.


I looked through Heir to the Empire, and it mentions on the first page that Pellaeon has spent fifty years up to that point in the Imperial fleet. Heir takes place nine years after SW, so that indicates the Empire's been around since 41 BBY at the latest according to the book.

Hmm... (again)

That seems to me to be an extremely odd thing.  What are the chances that Zahn meant that Pellaeon had served the "empire" for 28 years and "the organization that wasn't the empire but all of the republic soldiers and sailors were told that it was the same Navy pre-empire and post-empire and so they were still enlisted and since it was the same Navy then as it is now and since it's now the Imperial Navy it must have been the Imperial Navy then as well even though no one ever called it that ever because what they used to call it was the Republic Navy because that's what it was and in fact it really was really different now that it's the Imperial Navy but no one says that because saying something like that in the Imperial Navy could get you killed even though you could have said something like that in the Republic Navy without worrying about it which is proof of the difference the difference that shall not be mentioned" for 22 years- therefore 50 years?

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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Someone...PLEASE...restore the Old Continuity! 

-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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 (Edited)

I've actually managed to find a website that lists a large number of discrepancies between the PT and old school EU. There are a number of quotes and listed sources taken from various media, so it seems the guy who wrote it up has some idea of what he's talking about. It's a lengthy read, but very interesting.

http://deckplans.00sf.com/Research/Prequel.html

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No the PT wouldn't be about Rebellion at all. The Empire forms at the end of Episode II and Episode III deals with Anakin's full transformation to Darth Vader and the events of the Jedi Purge and the birth of Luke/Leia etc. 

As I see it, Episode I would be about finding Anakin, the beginning of the Clone Wars, and all that and Episode II would be about the Clone Wars, it's end, and the beginning of the Empire. 

In no way would the whole trilogy be about the Rebellion, which wouldn't even be former yet even by Episode III. 

-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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Star Wars Purist said:


No the PT wouldn't be about Rebellion at all. The Empire forms at the end of Episode II and Episode III deals with Anakin's full transformation to Darth Vader and the events of the Jedi Purge and the birth of Luke/Leia etc. 

As I see it, Episode I would be about finding Anakin, the beginning of the Clone Wars, and all that and Episode II would be about the Clone Wars, it's end, and the beginning of the Empire. 

In no way would the whole trilogy be about the Rebellion, which wouldn't even be former yet even by Episode III. 


If the Empire existed for 40 years prior to ANH, and Luke is born 18 years prior to ANH, how could the Empire just get formed at the end of Episode II? Does Episode III cover 22 years?

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!