In my mind, Star Wars kinda ends with The Unifying Force in the New Jedi Order series. I've read every single EU book up to that point, and I really enjoyed the ride (minus Anakin Solo's unnecessary death). To me, ending the EU with the Yuuzhan Vong makes sense. It's the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known, two major characters die (Chewie and Anakin), a lot of character development occurs (Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, Han, etc.), and at the end of UF, the galaxy comes to know peace once more after a truly devastating war.

 

Seems like a great ending.

 

Which is why I'm wondering if I should even bother reading more. I know Jacen goes dark, but his motivations seem kinda silly and for the sake of plot convenience. Mara dies, and that seems entirely unnecessary (I've been reading up on Karen Traviss, and she seems like a cheap and immature writer). Mandalorians are made into demigods (again due to Traviss' meddling and lack of SW knowledge), some weird dark entity named Abeloth runs amuck, the Rakghouls return (really? after we've established that there's a cure 3000 BBY?), etc.

 

It just seems like a tangled mess, and while I know that EU continuity was disjointed during and before NJO, post-NJO just seems messy and a little bit immature.

 

So what are your thoughts? Am I just reading all the wrong hate messages? Is it better than what I'm thinking? Should I actually give it a shot? Or should I ignore it?

Why read the post-ROTJ at all? When its all non-canon? Hoohahaha hahahaha BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

Why read the post-ROTJ at all? When its all non-canon? Hoohahaha hahahaha BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

 

Unfortunately, this, even though post-ROTJ has some good stories.

Why read the post-ROTJ at all? When its all non-canon? Hoohahaha hahahaha BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

 

so is the OR right now

so is the OR right now

But the post-ROTJ is never coming back.

Why read the post-ROTJ at all? When its all non-canon? Hoohahaha hahahaha BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

This attitude really bugs me. For 40 years now ALL the Star Trek books EVER written are non-canon. Does that make them any less enjoyable to read? NO!

 

Seriously, honest question, is it simply because the Star Wars EU was (debatable) canon and now it is not that bothers people so much?

Edited August 1, 2014 by psandak

But the post-ROTJ is never coming back.

 

Odds are the OR won't be back in its current form either...

 

I mean, they still have a chance to retcon Traya, Revan, and Meetra out of existence.

Edited August 1, 2014 by StarSquirrel

Odds are the OR won't be back in its current form either...

 

I mean, they still have a chance to retcon Traya, Revan, and Meetra out of existence.

Heresy! SWTOR has the approval of the Story Group!

 

But the Vong, the Vong will never see the light of day again.

Heresy! SWTOR has the approval of the Story Group!

 

But the Vong, the Vong will never see the light of day again.

 

SWTOR says nothing about Meetra and Traya, and the Revan here is a raving, genocidal lunatic...

 

Edit: and on the Vong we're in agreement.

Edited August 1, 2014 by StarSquirrel

This attitude really bugs me. For 40 years now ALL the Star Trek books EVER written are non-canon. Does that make them any less enjoyable to read? NO!

 

Seriously, honest question, is it simply because the Star Wars EU was (debatable) canon and now it is not that bothers people so much?

Sure, and I'm only partly serious, these stories may be good (lols debatable) but its no longer relevant. And that is important in an every evolving universe such as Star Wars. I mean Star Trek books, whose heard of them?

 

The post-ROTJ has been condemned to obscurity, few will read the books, and over time they will be forgotten. Those stories will cease to exist in the minds and memories of the fans, and so they will cease to exist altogether.

SWTOR says nothing about Meetra and Traya, and the Revan here is a raving, genocidal lunatic...

 

Edit: and on the Vong we're in agreement.

Pretty much the entire TOR era and everything in it is mentioned in SWTOR in some way or another, whether that be through codex entries, character apperances, allusions etc. you can't remove any significant piece of TOR lore, with compromising SWTOR. The SWTORE, as well as the HoloNet entires, also catalog the entire Old Republic era.

 

Simply put, nothing in TOR can be retconned with compromising SWTOR. Its become a cornerstone for the entire era, and so the Story Group's desire to preserve and monitor SWTOR, is an endorsement of the entire era.

 

EDIT: There is other evidence to suggest that TOR is perhaps the most respected era in all of Star Wars continuity, but I won't swamp you, and I'm sure you are already aware of the indicators.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Beniboybling

Sure, and I'm only partly serious, these stories may be good (lols debatable) but its no longer relevant. And that is important in an every evolving universe such as Star Wars. I mean Star Trek books, whose heard of them?

 

The post-ROTJ has been condemned to obscurity, few will read the books, and over time they will be forgotten. Those stories will cease to exist in the minds and memories of the fans, and so they will cease to exist altogether.

 

Doooom! Gloooom!

Sure, and I'm only partly serious, these stories may be good (lols debatable) but its no longer relevant. And that is important in an every evolving universe such as Star Wars. I mean Star Trek books, whose heard of them?

 

The post-ROTJ has been condemned to obscurity, few will read the books, and over time they will be forgotten. Those stories will cease to exist in the minds and memories of the fans, and so they will cease to exist altogether.

 

I guess it really depends on when the new movies take place. With the OT actors being as old as they are, chances are E7-E9 is going to take place at least 20 years after RoTJ. So all the good stories from that EU (pre-Vong; just my opinion though) transition from "it did happen" (AKA canon) to it might have happened (AKA legends). Unless authors rewrite the time line between E6 and E7, that that big a deal IMO.

Edited August 1, 2014 by psandak

Sooooo this quickly became about something that I didn't intend, haha.

 

But along the lines of what you guys have been saying, Story Group hasn't said anything about the EU so far. They said they're gonna pick out which parts are cannon and which aren't, and that's it. So speculating about it now won't really accomplish anything. If anything, Story Group seems to really appreciate the current EU, as seen here:

 

And honestly, by selecting which books they want to remain cannon, they unleash so many marketing opportunities - like, should they approve of the Thrawn Trilogy, they could re-release the books under the guise of a new, special cover.

 

But again, pure speculation is pure speculation.

 

Along the lines of the OP, what are your thoughts on post-NJO?

I loved some of the Post-NJO stuff. Jacen's story (despite what some might say) is rather well done, and rest assured the Legacy Series of books is indeed the culmination of Jacen's character's evolution. It really heavily draws on his development throughout the Vong war. They are well written and engaging, some parts will piss you off, but that's just because you're invested in the characters.

 

After the Legacy series though things really fall apart with Fate of the Jedi, partly due to the writers and their vendettas and lack of a common direction (at least that's what it felt like). Honestly, if it had all ended with the Millenium Falcon book I might actually have been satisfied.

 

Oh, best EU books ever and the biggest reason I'm pissed at the Legends is the X-wing series. Wraith and Rouge squadrons FTW

 

Wes, Wedge, Hobbie, Tycho, Corran, Kell, Face, Ton, Mirax, Isella, Booster, Isard etc... some of my favorite characters of any franchise ever.

Edited August 2, 2014 by StarSquirrel

Along the lines of the OP, what are your thoughts on post-NJO?

Overall I don't mind the post-NJO novels at all, even though they have there ups and downs I don't think they ever sunk to the depths that Crystal Star and some of the other Bantam era books did. I like them enough that I consider myself a bigger fan of Legends than I am of the Star Wars canon that doesn't include them.

 

Just looking at the "main" storyline books:

Dark Nest Trilogy: Probably should have been a single book or maybe a duology - the story's not bad, just stretched out longer than it needed to be. It does a nice job though of starting to set up Jacen's future character arc, so his "fall" doesn't come across as too abrupt. (Also, I personally find the new character Tarfang hilarious.)

 

Legacy of the Force: Look, I personally loved Jacen as a character throughout the NJO, and Traitor is probably my favorite Star Wars novel overall, but I can respect the choice they made to say "Star Wars is about Good vs. Evil, so Jacen's 'new philosophy' on the Force just doesn't gel with this universe" and with that fundamental choice made for the series, I think they did a decent job of telling the story of his fall.

 

There were only two real downsides to the series:

1. Between the three authors they really did have a hard time keeping things consistent from book to book in what was supposed to be a continuous series, and "author's pet" characters were pretty obvious. (Jacen gets a bit into "God mode" from time to time too.)
   
2. They seemed to be bending over backwards to keep the main characters from realizing how far Jacen had fallen for the first 2/3 of the series. The concept of them loving him and trusting him so much that they didn't see what was right in front of their faces could have worked, but for the most part none of the books really succeeded in selling it.
   

 

That being said, I think the series did a much better job of showing a legitimate hero fall to the Dark Side than Episode III did with Anakin, and that's really what stuck with me when all was said and done: this was Anakin's fall to the Dark Side done right (or at least far better than the Prequels). And as someone who had read the original Marvel comics run, I loved that Luminya was brought back as a major character. Ben Skywalker also starts developing as a character, and I think his arc comes through as a particularly solid storyline.

 

Millennium Falcon: Haven't read it, so can't really comment. Seems to be enough of a self-contained story that I didn't feel like I was missing anything when I started reading Fate of the Jedi.

 

Fate of the Jedi: Abeloth really is something different from what most people think of as "fitting" in the Star Wars universe, no question about it. But the same thing was said about the Vong. It's going to be a matter of personal taste whether or not she just utterly has you saying "nope, this isn't Star Wars". Daala is also a major character, and the way she is portrayed has been a deal breaker for some people. If you're able to roll with those aspects though, I think this is an okay series. And since you've read all the pre-NJO books you may also enjoy some of the shout-outs to that era.

 

The idea of the "Lost Tribe of the Sith" had me rolling my eyes a bit when I first heard about it. But I was pleasantly surprised with how it was handled in these books, and the young Sith apprentice Vestara Khai is a great new character in the mythos. Tahiri's arc and Jag Fel's arc are also particularly strong points. It's also nice to see Ben continue to develop as a character.

 

Crucible: A nice stand-alone adventure, and it featured the return of a character I was happy to see being included. But if you're looking for an epic wrap up to the EU, this ain't it.

 

Aside from the novels, if you enjoy Star Wars comics at all, read the Legacy comic series (before Legacy of the Force if you decide to read that too, since some of the things in LotF and Fate of the Jedi are best appreciated if you've read Legacy).

 

As long as you don't mind that it's far removed from the characters of the movies it is some of the best Star Wars fiction since Zahn's books.

And honestly, by selecting which books they want to remain cannon, they unleash so many marketing opportunities - like, should they approve of the Thrawn Trilogy, they could re-release the books under the guise of a new, special cover.

There aren't any books that are going to remain canon, it's more a matter of taking ideas and maybe even characters from Legends workds and importing them into the new Canon-verse. The way The Clone Wars took the idea of the Nightsisters from Courtship of Princess Leia and other EU sources and put its own spin on them for example.

 

the Rakghouls return (really? after we've established that there's a cure 3000 BBY?), etc.

Also, when did that happen? Or are you talking about the "Vector" arc of the various Dark Horse comics series? I don't know of any novels that had Rak'ghouls in them.

Wraith and Rouge squadrons FTW

 

Wes, Wedge, Hobbie, Tycho, Corran, Kell, Face, Ton, Mirax, Isella, Booster, Isard etc... some of my favorite characters of any franchise ever.

 

Preach it! I still read them from time to time - they're that good. They never get old, and going back to them every few years somehow feels like seeing old friends again. I grew up with those books, and they influenced much of the way that I saw and enjoyed the Star Wars universe.

 

Snip.

 

Thank you very much! I'm gonna have to give them a look now!

 

There aren't any books that are going to remain canon, it's more a matter of taking ideas and maybe even characters from Legends workds and importing them into the new Canon-verse. The way The Clone Wars took the idea of the Nightsisters from Courtship of Princess Leia and other EU sources and put its own spin on them for example.

 

Well, what I more meant is that, for example, the Vong could still end up as cannon. And it's been determined already that Han and Leia's kids are cannon, etc. I'm just crossing my fingers on all this!

 

Also, when did that happen? Or are you talking about the "Vector" arc of the various Dark Horse comics series? I don't know of any novels that had Rak'ghouls in them.

 

Maybe that is what I'm thinking of. I just know that I saw pictures, and I was kinda like "whaaa?" But maybe I jumped to conclusions there.

so am i the only one who thinks haveing daala made head of the republic after she comited war crimes that include but are not limited to (orbital bombardment of civilian populaion centers on mon clamari, trying to destroy the capital planet of the republic with a kamikazi star destroyer, and being just stupid and unpleasent) was kind of stupid?

so am i the only one who thinks haveing daala made head of the republic after she comited war crimes that include but are not limited to (orbital bombardment of civilian populaion centers on mon clamari, trying to destroy the capital planet of the republic with a kamikazi star destroyer, and being just stupid and unpleasent) was kind of stupid?

Are you the only one? Nope, not by a long shot. Next to Abeloth, Daala's treatment is probably the biggest complaint about FotJ most people have.

 

It definitely strained my suspension of disbelief but didn't completely ruin the series for me. Just because LotF included a few nice touches to establish that a lot of the citizens in the Galactic Alliance were happy with the Empire, and Pellaeon (who she became associated with at the end of LotF) had a lot of popular support even among the part of the population who aren't otherwise Pro-Empire.

 

After Jacen's fall and the mess he made for the Galaxy, if you squint and don't think about it too hard, you can kind of buy the population throwing their support behind an Anti-Jedi war hero who played a role in ending the recent war. (And as for her being "stupid and unpleasant" it was never really clear whether that was actually the character or just the authors who were writing her.)

 

The only real credit I'll give that plot line is that I think it was consistently played as "her election was a knee-jerk reaction by the electorate", and the series does actually explore just how bad that turns out for everyone. You can kind of take it as a cautionary tale against actually electing someone like [insert polarizing political figure you personally disagree with who inexplicably enjoys a rabid fanbase on their end of the political spectrum]. It's not literary genius, and the series probably would have been better if there had been a different plot driving that part of the narrative, but at the end of the day I've seen far worse.

Edited August 2, 2014 by DarthDymond

Daala definitely should have been sentenced to death on a trial, she was one of the biggest mass murdering lunatics ever, moreso than even many Sith. That was one of the biggest reasons I shelved Post-RotJ long ago, they spent decades painting this picture of one of the biggest genocidal Imperial *****s ever seen and she becomes... HEAD OF STATE?

 

Post-RotJ is by far one of the biggest self-contradicting long term storylines I have ever seen in my vast history of literature. I am glad they are remaking that era, I do hope the best elements are reused but beyond that, was nice having it, but sure glad it's gone.

Odds are the OR won't be back in its current form either...

 

I mean, they still have a chance to retcon Traya, Revan, and Meetra out of existence.

 

Revans in TOR, they name the exile and Traya's in a codex.

 

KOTOR SHALL NEVER DIE

Revans in TOR, they name the exile and Traya's in a codex.

 

KOTOR SHALL NEVER DIE

 

spoilers maybe for the arrior story

isnt that

in the warrior story implied to be

?

spoilers maybe for the arrior story

isnt that

sith ghost

in the warrior story implied to be

traya

?

Apparently, but its so dumb that in my eyes its not.

:eek::eek:

 

I know, right? Jeez, Sel.