Could someone answer the following for me or point me to a FAQ?
I know that there are non-Lucas authors out there writing about what may have happened in between the episodes 1-6 and after 6. I've also read that Lucas tolerates or condones this but he is not the author of them.
What is authentically from Lucas and what is fan fiction? Is it correct that only the 6 movies (and their corresponding books) is the limit of what Lucas authored?
I'm trying to settle this for my own knowledge and to settle a friendly dispute with someone as well.
Lucas wrote the films. He wrote the novel for A New Hope. Everything else officially released has been written by other authors, but the content is OK'd by Lucas. This is what they call "Expanded Universe". Authors aren't just randomly writing Star Wars stories and publishing them.
For the novel adaptations of the other 5 films, Lucas gave the screenplay to the chosen author, who proceeded to turn it into a novel. Again, they are approved by Lucas before they get released.
Fan Fiction are the stories written by fans, not authors officially commissioned to write the books. These are the stories you see on message boards and blogs. I guess you could say they are "toloerated" by Lucas as fan adaptations of the saga, but that's all they are.
Ok I see what you're saying. So when I read about Anakin Solo and other stuff OUTSIDE of the 6 movies/novels, is that originally authored or vicariously authored by Lucas or approved by Lucas as being part of the Star Wars saga, or is it "fiction" that is outside of the Star Wars story and not official? See what I'm asking? What is officially part of the whole Star Wars story and what is not?
i have the 1976 paperback true first printing of star wars from the adventures of Luke Skywalker with the pre viz artwork by Ralph McQuarrie signed by the true author alan dean foster, i love mr fosters work.
the later printings still have not been changed even though lucas in a foreward written for the 1995 hardback edition he admits foster authored it.
that makes the very first 2 star wars novels published the work of Alan Dean Foster, the sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye was also penned by him.
“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.
Basically my dispute with a friend boils down to me accepting the movies as the only true canon whereas she reads and memorizes all of the expanded universe fictional stuff and then "takes the high ground" and proclaims herself a more knowledgeable star wars fan. How lame. Oh well.
Originally posted by: yemenmocha Yes that was the FAQ I needed thanks.
Basically my dispute with a friend boils down to me accepting the movies as the only true canon whereas she reads and memorizes all of the expanded universe fictional stuff and then "takes the high ground" and proclaims herself a more knowledgeable star wars fan. How lame. Oh well.
If she enjoys the EU that much, let her. The whole point of fiction is entertainment, if someone is entertained by it then it is doing its job. I think the EU is a pretty tangled web, but there are some things about it I really like. There are many, many parts I would rather take as "canon" than parts of the PT. Like Jaster Mareel (sp?) for instance. I thought his story was much more interesting than Ep. II's origins tell, the stuff from the story in Tales of the Bounty Hunters is a lot more convincing, I mean, who would actually name their child Boba (or Jango for that matter. The Fett family much contain generation and generations of really silly names, I bet each generation tries to out do the previous one and name there kids even more silly and embarrassing things).
Anyway, EU can be fun. When it is fun it is totally worth it, but when it is not fun it is time to put the book down. I have seen fans force feed themselves this crap (even when they are not enjoying it) just because it has the SW name on it and they feel they should know/read/see everything Star Wars to be a "real" fan.
"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape
