So, as everyone here probably knows, the Star Wars EU was made non-canon. All of us who are Star Wars fan reacted rather strongly to this, as the EU, while flawed, had some great content, and many, including myself, were quite disgruntled, and worried about the future of Star Wars. What was now canon was quite sparse, as at that time it was only the films and The Clone Wars, and what might happen to Star Wars under Disney concerned us. I myself chose to keep up with this new canon and any additions to the lore, as I feared for my favorite franchise, and wanted to see what would become of it. It doesn't seem anyone else on this site has chosen to do so, therefore I would like to inform you about the current state of the lore, the quality of the new material, etc.

What new canon is currently composed of:

Marvel's Star Wars comics (Star Wars and Darth Vader, soon to be accompanied by a Leia series)

The Clone Wars TV show

Star Wars Rebels

The novels Tarkin and A New Dawn

Now, I have read all of the new comics currently released, and seen every Rebels episode thus far. However, I have not read A New Dawn, and have only read the Google Play Books sample of Tarkin, which is composed of around six chapters, if I recall correctly. Now, to the quality of the new content.

Now, before I speak of the quality of the content, I'd like to address those of you who I have seen to be hostile to the subject of the new canon. I understand your concerns, your apprehensions, your anger regarding the loss of the EU, as I too felt this way immediately following the loss of the EU. However, given what I've seen so far, the new canon isn't bad, and with time I think it will come to be loved as much as the EU.

First off, let's address Marvel's Star Wars comics. They're great. They feel like Star Wars, like you took an unreleased original trilogy film, and turned it into a comic book. I know I frightened everyone with the thread I posted a couple days ago, which included an image of some awkward dialogue from Vader in Star Wars #2, but don't worry, the rest of Marvel's material has been great. Darth Vader, in particular, is absolutely fantastic, portraying the inner machinations of the Imperial Government, and the relationship between Vader and Palpatine, with finesse. The dialogue was spot on, and Darth Vader makes for an excellent anti-hero. I would encourage everyone to take a look at the latter comic, it's $5.00 and is available on Marvel's online comics store, and can be accessed through Marvel's app on iPhone and Android.

Now, on to Rebels. I'm less enthusiastic about this, but given the introduction of Grand Moff Tarkin in the latest episode, this may change. Overall, Rebels has been an exhibition of Star Wars' more lighthearted side, and this doesn't particularly suit my tastes. However, this aspect of Star Wars has always been present, it isn't The Dark Knight. However, with the introduction of Tarkin to the show, the change in tone was immediate. Tarkin has a couple of annoying, incompetent Imperial officers that served as minor villains in previous episodes decapitated, and delivers a rather dark monologue on how to effectively put down resistance from native populations. Furthermore, as with the novel Tarkin, which I will discuss next, Rebels has brought elements of the EU into the new canon, a particularly exciting example of this being the mention of Base-Delta-Zero, "an effective new method of liberating planets", as stated by an Imperial propaganda broadcast.

Finally, on to what I've read of Tarkin. It's good, and elaborates on Tarkin's past, and explains his role and place in the Imperial hierarchy. Also, whereas Rebels mentions concepts present in the EU, Tarkin, at times, read like a list of locations and technical statistics once present in the EU, bringing all of it into the new canon. It feels like the author was trying to salvage as much as he could from the EU, and I'm deeply thankful for it.

Thus, in conclusion, I think that there's a pretty decent chance that Star Wars post-EU will turn out all right, The new canon has shown itself to be pretty good in quality, and has added increased depth to the franchise, explaining certain details, such as why Darth Vader takes orders from Tarkin in the first film. I'd be happy to summarize the synopsis of some of these works if you guys would like me to. I also ask that this discussion remain civil, and that you approach what I've spoken of with an open mind.

inb4noellecries

Rip thread

I know a site where you can find the comics uploaded for free, that's also how I've been reading Halo Escalations. I paid for them for a while and then said screw that.

http://viewcomic.com

Good thread. I'm looking forward to seeing how they renew the video game franchise.

Quote from: Mmmmm Napalm on February 16, 2015, 03:46:14 PM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on February 16, 2015, 03:42:56 PM

Good thread. I'm looking forward to seeing how they renew the video game franchise.

As am I. I'm interested in seeing a possible revival of 1313 in some form.

Why did that project get shut down exactly? It looked really good and fresh.

Apparently the development was a complete mess, which isn't hard to believe given the status of LucasArts in it's final days.

Bump because I spent a long time typing this.

>No Revan
>No Nihlus
>No extended storyline on Bane
>No badass Grievous

;~;

I will agree, that's very disappointing. In regards to the Original Trilogy period, which I personally love the most, they've done an excellent job though.

Am I the only one who liked the exile more than Revan?

Yes.

I really wish the show would get more into more of the more grey stuff about the Jedi and Sith, but that's just me and my love for morally grey characters.

I really wish the show would get more into more of the more grey stuff about the Jedi and Sith, but that's just me and my love for morally grey characters.

Are you talking about Rebels? If so, I'm definitely in agreement. It doesn't even have to involve the Jedi or Sith, maybe just a Stormtrooper who can't be summarized with "HURDUR BIG DUMB EVIL"

Quote from: RomanGladiator on February 16, 2015, 03:26:54 PM

I know a site where you can find the comics uploaded for free, that's also how I've been reading Halo Escalations. I paid for them for a while and then said screw that.

http://viewcomic.com

#1 and 2 were good. The artwork and dialogue really makes you feel like you're watching an extension of the original trilogy. Like you said, Vader #1 does have some phrases that I had a hard time imagining the dark lord saying in my head.

Escalation is okay; they really are dragging on the Janus Key arc. Currently there is a Sangheili named Sali 'Nyon who is leading a mutiny against Jul 'Mdama because they believe he is a false hand of the Didact. They currently have half the Janus Key, so it's starting to get interesting. But at the same time it makes me wonder how someone who doesn't read these is going to know what the hell is going on in Halo 5.

I thought it was Star Wars #2 that had some iffy Vader dialogue, what with the "I've killed very many fathers" line. Vader #1 had better Vader dialogue in my eyes, and I'm really liking that they're sort of explaining why Vader took orders from Tarkin; the Emperor hasn't given Vader an actual rank, Vader's limits are defined by Palpatine at any given point, and are changed as he sees fit. It's also cool seeing Vader go out on his own, and sort of develop his own little circle of allies, similar to Luke's friends. I found Tagge's survival of the Death Star's destruction to be an interesting twist too.

EDIT: Here's an article containing an interview with the writer of Darth Vader. I'm pretty excited, I like where this is going. The interview is a bit further down the page, you'll know when you've reached it when you start seeing bold text.

the star wars fan inside of me was fucking ELATED to see the EU getting fucked over

I still find it silly that a guy who is a sith lord takes orders from a regular human being, oh we'll.