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Star Wars Television Series Moving Forward
merg717 writes "George Lucas has confirmed that work has begun on a live-action Star Wars television series. This is the companion piece to the Clone Wars animated series, focusing on entirely new characters outside of the frame of the six movies. 'Lucas joked that the series would be about "the life of robots" but wouldn't let any details slip about the true premise. The "extended universe" of "Star Wars" has come to life already in Lucas-sanctioned novels, comics and games that chronicle the history of the Jedi and tell the tales of bit players in the films, such as the bounty hunters from "The Empire Strikes Back."'"
Robot Chicken and Family Guy beat him to his own punch!
...and it should be known by now
If I'm subjected to another 20 minuets of wookies talking to each other as the ONLY dialog I swear to the FSM! I liked the clone wars animated series, but the TV holiday special still gives me horrible flashbacks.
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
Merchandise - where the real money from the movie is made!
...
Oh, and the sequels, and the repeat fees, and the spin offs
threadeds blog
I really wish this weren't happening. Like Star Trek after Nemesis, the franchise needs to be given a rest on the big and small screens.
After I, II, and III, I'm not at all excited by the prospects of Space Balls: The TV Show
Lucas joked that the series would be about "the life of robots"
Considering the way Lucas directs actors, I would say that most of the Star Wars movies have been about the lives of robots.
Star Wars: The Gungan Chronicles.
Sadly, you know George is already planning this.
Bring Back Billy Dee!
More marketing opportunities for LucasFilm! More toys! More action figures! More breakfast cereals!
People who think this was about things like "artistic vision" or "extended storytelling possibilities" probably like Jar-Jar Binks as well.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Syndication. Unless, of course, this is what you meant when you said 'repeat fees'...
However, I can't see this one lasting long enough to reach syndication, because it looks to me to be a thinly veiled attempt to see how much revenue Lucas can milk out of the Star Wars franchise.
Young Indiana Jones used horrible contrivances to get Indy to meet various famous historical figures. Expect any Star Wars TV series to do the same with characters from the movies. Oh and lots of phony CGI.
"Here have some Jim-Jam cereal. It's just Alphabits with extra J's.
Despite all the controversy about the prequels, as one who is working on his 65th Star Wars novel, I can't help but be excited about more Star Wars at any time :)
Hopefully, they learned some good lessons from the prequels. Maybe...
By robots, he means high-quality, live-action actors under Lucas's direction, right?
As was briefly touched on in TFS, the stories of the bounty hunters from ESB actually make for an interesting read. Skip all of the "Expanded" crap, and take a look here:
Tales of the Bounty Hunters
ISBN-10: 0553568167
ISBN-13: 978-0553568165
Misery loves company. Online misery loves unsuspecting random strangers.
Not that I don't love the iconic characters from the OT, but this is exactly what I've been hoping to see in live action. If Star Wars Revelations is any indication, these kinds of stories could be done on a modest budget with talented and under utilized actors that could elicit the fan response of a Han Solo -ish character while staying low-key enough to allow viewers to be swept up into the absolutely huge and mysterious setting. I think it would be an absolute blast to throw some of the Empire's more obscure minions into the spotlight as a foil to some rebellious or independent spacers on the fringe (a la "Firefly"), similar to some of the plots in the old animated "Star Wars: Droids" from the 80s.
"Pray that I do not alter it further." - George Lucas
Cue the whining! Oh no, Lucas is making a TV series I don't have to watch, and wouldn't have to pay any extra money for if I do watch it!
Whatever. What is with everyone thinking Lucas should never do anything Star Wars again because it won't be as good as the originals? So he isn't going to top his early work, so what? I'm sure it will still be better than most the other crap I'd normally watch. Personally, I think some of the other works have had great plots. In some cases, poor execution, but the good far outweighed the bad.
As a long time Star Wars fan, I was badly disappointed with the prequels. I'd like this to be good, but I'll watch it with low expectations.
Think Deeply.
I have to wonder 'cause I know it's not a "reality show"... at least I hope not. "Who wants to be a Jedi?" would be a snazzy title though...
Battlestar Galactica has proven that it's possible to create cinema-quality special effects and atmosphere on a TV show budget these days.
Unfortunately for Lucasarts, anything they're likely to produce probably won't turn out half as good as Battlestar - which is kind of ironic considering that the original Battlestar Galactica really began as a Star Wars ripoff (or at least was discounted as such by critics at the time).
Really, though, BSG really beat the Star Wars prequel at their own game - the vintage tech and mannerisms give the Battlestar Galactica universe the old-school, 'epic' feel that the original SW trilogy had and the prequels lacked.
The kid in me really wants to see some Star Wars in the flavor of the original trilogy, though. Perhaps being constrained to a TV budget will actually help it meet that end - real props instead of 100% CGI backgrounds and 50% CGI characters; plot-and-character-driven instead of flashy lightsaber battles, etc.
Ten years ago, I would have assumed he was kidding.
The opinions stated herein do not necessarily represent those of anybody at all. Deal with it.
"I've got a bad feeling about this"
Subscribers can see articles in the future? So what? Everyone gets to see them in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen, uh, we've just lost our happy memories, but what we've seen speaks for itself. The Star Wars universe has apparently been taken over -- 'conquered' if you will -- by a master race of lucky pseudo-talented hacks. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether the leader George will consume the captive audience or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain: there is no stopping him; the hack will soon be here.
And I, for one, welcome our childhood-destroying overlords. I'd like to remind George that as a trusted member of the geekdom, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in his underground mass merchandising caves.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
... Han Solo Shoots first >_
There is nothing funny down this road. No good can come of this. Let's the franchise become a classic by doing no more in it instead of raping it to death over and over and over.
And over.
I'm not going to say George Lucas raped my childhood. That's hyperbolic and silly. What he did was run a very fun series straight into the ground. As a kid I was "yay, Star Wars!" As a teen I was still "yay, nostalgia!" Right up until the CGI-addled re-release I as "yay, I could watch these movies once a year and never get bored." Then Phantom Menace came out. "Huh, that was Star Wars?" By ROTS I'm "Meh, Star Wars." Watching the movies once a year around Christmastime was a family tradition. Well, I'll pick up the DVD version of the untouched original trilogy -- used, so Lucas doesn't make any more money, but that'll be my last Star Wars purchase. The expanded universe is boring, the games are uninspired, the "property" is being treated like a "franchise" and I just can't work up a shit to give about it.
Firefly was like the new Star Wars, a wild west space opera. That's the kind of wit and energy that should be brought to a new Star Wars project and it's just something we're not going to see. Lord of the Rings is now my big epic trilogy to watch over the holidays.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
Knights of the Old Republic 3. Don't tie the story to the first two and add a few more bells and whistles and I'm happy.
If you didn't come to party don't bother knocking on my door. Prince '1999'
What made the original Star Trek was the fact they had some of the best science fiction writers of the day doing stories for the series. The later series began using a team of staff writers and their incestuous and gratuitous ideas ultimately killed the franchise. A series like Star Wars can work, as the Star Wars universe is so large, but it has to have good stories. Soliciting from a number of writers from the upper ends of the sci-fi writing community would be great. A stable of hacks, not so good...
If it sucks, don't watch it, but at least there is a chance it will be good. What would be wrong with a good sci-fi show?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Did he stick a shrimp fork up your nose and poke your brain until you forgot about your childhood?
Did he use some sort of ray to change your memories?
Are you stupid?
I have great memories of going to the thater to watch star wars many, many time. I had many fantastic conversation as a boy about star wars.
No matter what stink turd Lucas lays, he can't take those memories away.
And on a more specific note: He won't make you watch it.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"Look sir, Droids!"
Instead of ranting, I'll reserve my judgment until I see what they've developed. The animated series looks like it could be half-way decent. But then again, that was only a trailer.
He who laughs last...probably didn't get the joke.
McCallum is interviewing writers for the live-action series. Here's a tip for you, Rick: Stop the interviews. Hire Timothy Zahn as the head writer. Then hire any combination of Michael Stackpole, A.C. Crispin, Kevin Anderson, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch as his staff. There. Done. Let Lucas cast the vision, but leave the rest up to Zahn and his team. And for the director, get Joss Whedon. Seriously. I can't stress this enough. He would do it exactly right.
Squeeze every last penny out of the Star Wars saga until we all hate it.
I'm sure whatever over-CGI'ed 30-minute glorified toy commercial that follows will make the Star Wars Holiday Special look like Academy Award material.
I must agree. KOTOR 1 was a FAR more intriguing and interesting story than anything shown in the prequels.
Of course, there were some bad ones in that bunch too. Remember the old Jedi Knight? (aka Dark Forces 2) That was the first game I ever saw rendered on a 3d accelerated system (3dfx Voodoo, and it rocked at the time). Gameplay wasn't bad, but man the story was stupid. This guy, who looks like 30-ish, just finds a lightsaber, and through some video recordings of an old buddy he learns to be an extremely powerful Jedi. It's like a friggen Jedi home study course from ITT Tech! Now, even before the new series kinda established that Jedi training is EXTREMELY intensive and a kid at about 8 years old was considered too far gone to start training, this game still seemed incredibly stupid in that regard.
"People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
But how much more are we going to milk this stuff?
Let it die, let new sci-fi pave the way. The problem is we have such hardcore lovers that want Star Wars EVERYTHING that we miss out on what could be really great stuff.
Case in point: Firefly.
That's a series I would have loved to see continue.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
http://www.theforce.net/fanfilms/shortfilms/troops/
I think people should read everything BUT the NJO (Yuuzhan Vong) series of books. I stopped reading after the first few of those.
The Zhan Trilogy, the Corellian Trilogy, the Jedi Academy Trilogy and the X-Wing series are where it is at.
Why, yes I have been touched by His noodly appendage. And I plan to sue.
Look, this one is easy to bet, he will tell the story backwards, no it is not in flashback, it is really backwards...
So watch the last episode, on the pilot show...
Except for the original trilogy
Guaranteed highest rated show on TV if jar-jar dies an appallingly brutal death in the first 5 minutes.
stuff |
I know a lot of us Star Wars fans don't have time to play games now a days, but if you do, pick up a copy of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and maybe the sequel, Sith Lords. These games have the best story, characters and immersiveness to ever hit the Star Wars scene past the original triology. As a bouns, they even play nice with Wine. It sure brought me back!
There aren't the TV shows you're looking for.
Oh wait a minute, this news is so old it's already retro.
http [colon] [slash] [slash] thepiratebay [dot] org [slash] tor [slash] 3264309 [slash] The_Star_Wars_Holiday_Special
Warning: Not for the faint-hearted. Users who disliked goatse, be warned.
But how much more are we going to milk this stuff?
That stuff isn't milk anymore. It slowly degenerated into the following stages: butter, requesón, cheese, rotten cheese, fungus breeding ground, komodo dragon saliva, chemically unstable methane generator, mad-cow disease pryons, zombifying biological agent, and finally, George Lucas' brain cells' chemicals.
I would like, nay DEMAND, another Christmas special. I want to see Chewbacca trimming the tree and Jar Jar Binks pulling Santa's Landspeeder followed by a Storm Trooper chorus of holiday favorites.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Hey George,
Get Seth Green to help ya out there, his star wars stuff is funny sh!t.
The Family Guy spoof was even better.
They Live, We Sleep
For some strange reason, Lucas is still trying to milk this cow and very likely pissing off the sagas fans in the process. Though I have to admit, there is still hope as long as he doesn't decide to write or direct.
I feel so sig.
As long as it doesn't have a frackin' holiday episode, I'm cool with this!
hansshotfirst (tagging beta)
Even the names aren't sacred anymore!
The most recent trilogy happens in a parallel universe, OK? Obi Wan's age and Luke's age do not align in both universes. Vader's age has the same problem, though it's hard to know for sure because of Dark Side aging effects. For these two movie trilogies to be in the same universe, Obiwan has to have aged about 100 years ("surely he must be dead by now", plus his appearance, and Jedi longevity) in the amount of time Luke ages 16. I'm simply unwilling to accept that baby Luke and Leia were put into hibernation to make the two line up.
Happy now?
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
You might as well do it right.
"It's a trap!"
You guys are suffering from nerd-centric tunnel vision - and you are "bad TV" amateurs. I was warned about the Star Wars Holiday Special by a colleague who loaned me the tape. All sort of dire warnings about 'can't unwatch it', worst show ever, etc.
Granted, it was horrible. But not only was it not the worst show ever, nor the worst holiday special ever, it wasn't even the worst holiday show in 1978! That high honor goes to Christmas at Disney World (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283286/), a 1978 Christmas special starring *mimes* Shields and Yarnell, for Christ's sake! If I ever develop a brain tumor I will look back to that fateful day. Wookies named "Itchy" (presumably) droning on about Life Day can't possibly compare to a hour of a mime variety show.
And there are far worse TV shows than mime Christmas shows. You probably haven't heard of a little show called "It's a Dog's Life" - that in many markets was cancelled *at the first commercial break*.
Bretttotally agree with you but i find the games are often a chance for some real story telling. republic commando, kotor anyone?
My god
He is like some horrible cancer. He has gotten so huge and meglomaniacal everyone is afraid to censure him. From editing his bad film choices to just saying NO to his really horrible ideas. He is like some huge and warty scab encrusted cyst with teeth and hair.
He is becoming an embarrassment to his own company. From his lack of chin to his vaguely disguised racist leanings in his films.
when will it stop? When will someone stand up to him and just say No George, its just a stupid idea.
-Magdalene --"there are 10 types of people in the world, those who read binary, and those who don't"
What is this, a German edition?
Empire was the best, it even has the words I need to express myself right now: HAN: I feel terrible. LEIA: Why are they doing this?