Exclusive: J.W. Rinzler on the Status of “The Making of The Force Awakens”, and George Lucas’ Vision For The Skywalker Saga

Rinzler

Yesterday, author J.W. Rinzler, author of The Making of Star Wars;The Making of The Empire Strikes Back; The Making of Return of the Jedi; and The Making of Revenge of the Sith; took some time to sit down with SWNN and discuss the Star Wars franchise, as well as the process of what went into making each book. As we discussed the Original Trilogy and the several conversations he had with George Lucas while compiling his books, I thought it would be interesting to see what he thought of The Force Awakens and if he’d ever had conversations with George about the sequel trilogy he envisioned. Because of the current status of the manuscript he co-wrote for The Making of The Force Awakens, Mr. Rinzler didn’t feel comfortable divulging anything specific, but he did mention something interesting. Take a look at the transcript below.

 

Link to the full interview HERE.

 

SWNN: Were you working on a “Making of…” for The Force Awakens?

 

Rinzler: I was with them (Lucasfilm) right up until the release of the film. My last day was December 31st. And um, yeah, I did a manuscript of The Making of The Force Awakens with Mark Vaz. I’m not the spokesperson, you know, I’m not sure what the last thing they said, in terms of what’s happening with the book. I think they have delayed it. For, you know, whatever reasons.

 

SWNN: Were you on The Force Awakens set as much as you were on Revenge of the Sith?

 

Rinzler: I wasn’t on the set at all. Mark Vaz was. We kind of split up duties in a way, that’s one way of putting it. He was on the set, I forget exactly, but at least a few weeks, and so he got a lot of eye witness stuff. Aside from that, probably better if I don’t say anything.

 

rinzler_lucas

 

SWNN: I was wondering if you ever, in talking with George, obviously before he sold the company to Disney, if he ever talked about his intentions for the Sequel Trilogy? You know, what his broad strokes would have been for the Skywalker saga, essentially.

 

Rinzler:  He did, but given how he’s said they didn’t really follow his ideas, it’s for him to say. Because the book has been delayed, I really don’t think I can talk about it–except to say that when the book does come out, if it’s as originally written, fans will learn a lot more.

 

SWNN: That’s fine. I just thought I’d throw that out there. You said that from December 31 you no longer work at LFL. Does that mean that the book will be finished without any further contribution from you, and will you be still listed as one of the authors as it is right now on Amazon?

 

Rinzler: I’ll still be one of the two authors, me and Vaz, at least that’s my assumption.  When they are ready to go I assume I’ll be asked to help finish up, etc.

 

SWNN:  Is there any chance to see you back working with LFL and doing some future Star Wars projects, or your divorce with them is final? Is there a place for compromises?

 

Rinzler:  I wouldn’t call it a divorce; it was just time for new and younger folks to carry on and time for me to go freelance, for personal reasons, too.  It’s possible I’ll do another book or two with Disney/Lucasfilm, yes.

 

We will have a transcript of the interview early next week, but we thought it would be fun to share this interesting bit. Pretty cool to think we may one day learn what George’s intentions for the sequel trilogy were. I’ve been interested if any of George’s ideas ended up in The Force Awakens since I heard his original treatments were passed over in favor of the Arndt, Kasdan, and Abrams script. Looks like that’s a very strong possibility!

 

Stay tuned for our full interview next week with many more interesting bits from Mr. Rinzler.

 

 

+ posts

Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.

Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.

168 thoughts on “Exclusive: J.W. Rinzler on the Status of “The Making of The Force Awakens”, and George Lucas’ Vision For The Skywalker Saga

  • May 13, 2016 at 9:13 pm
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    Sounds typically house of mouse. Really too bad, Rinzler proved a fine researcher and writer in the previous SW books.

  • May 13, 2016 at 9:18 pm
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    Anyone that feels the urge in attempting to be sarcastic, snarky and funny by deciding to take digs and throw shade at GL in the comments sections will be reported. It’s been 11+ years now (and 3+ years since GL sold Lucasfilm to Disney); give it a rest and let it go and move on as nothing that you say or do will change the past. Plus, now it just looks sadly obsessive and depressing and don’t you dare give the “it’s still valid to criticize him” argument because no, it’s not anymore for reasons I stated.

    And no, this is not up for discussion with anyone on here.

    • May 13, 2016 at 9:57 pm
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      Will you do the same to anyone who takes digs at JJ as well?

      • May 13, 2016 at 10:02 pm
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        No, because the Force Awakens falls into Leslie’s time frame of what is allowed to be criticized by the official rules. Take as many sarcastic and snarky digs at him as you like. Leslie will inform us of when this time is officially over. But the sacred Creator Lucas is forever untouchable and it is a sin to blaspheme his name.

    • May 13, 2016 at 9:58 pm
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      Please explain who made you the boss of this comment board and what people are allowed and not allowed to say.
      Please explain what give you the right to shut out opinions that you don’t like.
      Please explain why you think that criticism of movies has a statute of limitations that goes into effect after a certain point of your own determination.
      Sorry, we’ll say whatever we want. If you don’t like it, go someplace else where you aren’t so easily offended.

  • May 13, 2016 at 9:22 pm
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    Just read The Making of ANH, loved it, TFA diehards should go read it and learn about the efforts this man did for his movie, his vision, his passion, commitment… Shocking. Sadly none of that can be purchased by 4 billion dollars, and that is what is lacking in the new movie.

    • May 13, 2016 at 10:41 pm
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      You should read How Star Wars Conquered the Universe and see if you still feel the same about that book.

      • May 13, 2016 at 11:53 pm
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        Seconded, it is an excellent book. It really crystallized my disdain for the prequels, it was super depressing.

        • May 14, 2016 at 4:45 pm
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          Moviemaking is hard work (and a challenge at the same time); it’s not all sunshine and rainbow and no, the OT wasn’t either as there were hardships filming it, not to mention the stress that everyone gets, from the cast to the crew. Did you think it was all fluff and cakewalk?

          Also, you’ve been reported for baiting and riling people up. Take the advise from Frozen: let it go!

          • May 14, 2016 at 5:09 pm
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            Reported!!!!

          • May 15, 2016 at 5:28 am
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            REPORTED FOR HAVING AN OPINION THAT DIFFERS FROM MINE!!

      • May 14, 2016 at 12:45 am
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        What did it have to say? I read it last year (and found it generally excellent) but don’t recall it talking about the Making of Star Wars book.

        • May 14, 2016 at 1:58 am
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          Sorry I didn’t mean that the Making of book was mentioned, just that it becomes quite clear Lucas and his staff had complete editorial control over Rinzler’s work. The were a lot of glaring omissions, Marcia Lucas’s contribution for instance, and not entirely honest re-tellings of history. I’ve read both and there are more than a few contradictions to the Making of Star Wars in How Star Wars Conquered the Universe.

          • May 14, 2016 at 3:34 am
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            Oh gotcha. Yes that makes a lot of sense. It’s a common problem with official/ licensed accounts.

    • May 13, 2016 at 10:59 pm
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      I have no problem praising George’s work and commitment on the OT. It’s his work after 1983 that I have a problem with. One of the reasons why TFA diehards are TFA diehards is that we are happy to finally see a return to what made those movies so great as pieces of pure entertainment.

      • May 13, 2016 at 11:37 pm
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        Really, because both Indy sequels came after Jedi or did you forget. also Radioland Murder, which I think is grossly under-rated, not to mention his work on Sky Sound, ILM and other stuff he launched.

        • May 13, 2016 at 11:39 pm
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          Exactly. There’s more to just GL than just Star Wars (and no, people shouldn’t discount him out of other things).

          • May 13, 2016 at 11:52 pm
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            Yeah, like Howard the Duck.

          • May 13, 2016 at 11:53 pm
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            I was just about the say the same thing 🙂

          • May 14, 2016 at 12:07 am
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            Well, there’s that too (to be fair, I didn’t discriminate in regards to positive or negative perception of post-ROTJ projects; but, don’t forget about the positive achievements in effects such as what ILM had done for the movie industry).

            And no, HTD wasn’t something he directed nor wrote; all he did was executive produce it (yet some people act like he did those duties too smh) and no one is perfect (including all top filmmakers of the world). And besides, that movie has acquired some sort of charm now (unlike at initial release); it’s my understanding that it has received a cult following in recent times (so a cult film in a way)

          • May 14, 2016 at 4:00 am
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            Or Labyrinth and Willow which were pretty good.

          • May 17, 2016 at 1:59 am
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            Again, nothing…NOTHING to do with Lucas.

        • May 14, 2016 at 1:35 am
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          Shhhhhh, don’t say that. George *only* worked on the special editions and the prequels, remember? And the prequels were “all CGI,” don’t forget.

          • May 14, 2016 at 11:23 pm
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            Yeah, we get it there were miniatures in the PT. AND a ton of horrible CGI and green screen composite work that was awkward and looked bad. Besides this whole CGI vs, practical argument coming from fanboys/armchair effects artists is so misinformed.

        • May 14, 2016 at 4:28 am
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          Radioland Murders was a bomb that got scathing reviews. Indy was much more of a Spielberg movie series or at least a collaboration between Lucas and Spielberg that got worse when Spielberg started tolerating George’s bad ideas with Crystal Skull, which was a huge letdown. The prequels, Howard the Duck, Strange Magic, all disappointing and terrible ideas by Lucas.

          • May 14, 2016 at 8:22 am
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            If you know anything about crystal skull you know half of it came from spielberg, from shia la beof to nuking the fridge and so on.

          • May 14, 2016 at 10:22 pm
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            Thats funny because i saw a quote from spielberg saying that was his idea.

          • May 17, 2016 at 1:58 am
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            Except that the Berg confirmed it WAS his idea first, Lucas just hadn’t heard that he’d already publicly admitted it. Oh, and had already floated a magical fridge circa BTTF. Lucas, on the cusp of retirement, ate the blame for his friend on CS.

          • May 17, 2016 at 3:30 am
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            Did you read the link that I gave? Spielberg admitted it, and Lucas said it was actually him, that Steven was covering for him when he had admitted it. Lucas created an entire dossier to explain the supposed plausibility of surviving the fridge to convince Steven, and he finally relented.

          • May 14, 2016 at 9:15 am
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            1. You can take the PT and Crystal Skull out of that category because despite a loud and vocal minority wanting to consider them as “bad ideas” and “failures” (as what their opinion is of them), they’re weren’t by any means in regards to overall worldwide box office earnings, and not even in regards to critical acclaim as all of those movies are in the “mix to positive” critique range as their RT scores and IMDB user ratings show (each of them are above 56% or above and 6.5 /10 or higher respectively; also, other data as well such as positive award nominations/wins).

            2. As for the other Lucasfilm productions that weren’t so hot, yes, they may have not done great in the box office and/or with critics but over time, many of them have generated a certain charm (fueled by nostalgia in many cases) and gotten a cult status/followings. Heck, one can argue that outside of the SW and Indy franchise, Lucasfilm made some movies that aren’t appreciate at 1st but then generate positive charms and better perceptions years later, somewhat kind of like the movies The Shining and Blade Runner, not looked as all that great at initial release but appreciated and looked at with a more positive light later on, almost as if these movies were ahead of their times (not that I’m trying to say that non-SW/non-Indy LFL productions are in the exact same category as these two movies but you get what I mean). You can throw ESB in there as well as it had initially received mixed reactions by critics in 1980 and got looked at as the best SW film years later. Also, let me put it this way: Lucasfilm never went bankrupt so there’s that to keep in mind as well 😉

            3. Those non-SW/non-Indy LFL productions, while some being ideas from GL, he actually did not direct nor write them (despite some people acting like he did). They had various directors and screenwriters and it’s their job to bring the ideas to life. GL was just the executive producer of them and if the movies didn’t do well, it’s the other parts of the movie production that should be blamed, not GL and the role he played (and please don’t talk like you know exactly what an executive producer does work-wise as you probably have never had experience being one).

          • May 14, 2016 at 4:48 pm
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            1. You can take the PT and Crystal Skull out of that category because despite a loud and vocal minority wanting to consider them as “bad ideas” and “failures” (as what their opinion is of them), they’re weren’t by any means in regards to overall worldwide box office earnings, and not even in regards to critical acclaim as all of those movies are in the “mix to positive” critique range as their RT scores and IMDB user ratings show (each of them are above 56% or above and 6.5 /10 or higher respectively; also, other data as well such as positive award nominations/wins).

            2. As for the other Lucasfilm productions that weren’t so hot, yes, they may have not done great in the box office and/or with critics but over time, many of them have generated a certain charm (fueled by nostalgia in many cases) and gotten a cult status/followings. Heck, one might even argue that outside of the SW and Indy franchises, Lucasfilm makes the kind of movies that aren’t appreciate at 1st but then generate positive charms and better perceptions years later (in a couple of the cases), somewhat kind of like the movies The Shining and Blade Runner, not looked as all that great at initial release but appreciated and looked at with a more positive light later on, almost as if these movies were ahead of their times (not that I’m trying to say that non-SW/non-Indy LFL productions are in the exact same category as these two movies but you get what I mean; also, I’m not saying that the whole world all of sudden changed their opinions to positive types of said movies years later but you get what I’m saying when I say “cult followings”). You can throw ESB in there as well as it had initially received mixed reactions by critics in 1980 and got looked at as the best SW film years later. Also, let me put it this way: Lucasfilm never went bankrupt so there’s that to keep in mind as well 😉 Also, it’s important to go by your opinions only AFTER watching something yourself, not just going only by what critics say in sheep-like fashion.

            3. Those non-SW/non-Indy LFL productions, while some being ideas from GL, he actually did not direct nor write them (despite some people acting like he did). They had various directors and screenwriters and it’s their job to bring the ideas to life. GL was just the executive producer of them and if the movies didn’t do well, it’s the other parts of the movie production that should be blamed for not doing an adequate job, not GL and the role he played (and please don’t talk like you know exactly what an executive producer does work-wise as you probably have never had experience being one; plus, it’ll sound like armchair filmmaker talk).

          • May 14, 2016 at 6:13 pm
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            I’m not talking about box office. How much money something makes is not an indicator of quality. McDonalds sells billions of dollars worth of food every year. Does that make it gourmet cuisine? Of course not. The prequels and Indy 4 were filled with terrible ideas, but because they were pre-established franchises with huge and faithful fan followings they were hugely successful, as to be expected. They were undeniably disappointing films. Even if you liked them, personally, there is no denying the fact that a notable segment of the public and the fan base did not, and the reception was decidedly mixed by both fans and critics. You have to be in complete denial to not see this.

            You say that those movies are not failures because the reviews were not all bad. You then talk about how movies that got mixed/bad reviews upon release like The Shining and Empire are thought of as excellent movies because the opinions change over time. So which is it? Do we trust critical opinion or do we not? Because the public and critical opinion of the prequels has done nothing but recede as time has gone by. Most people only trust the reviews they personally agree with, and give them credence while discounting and marginalizing the ones they don’t agree with.

            If we give Lucas credit for being a producer on quality movies like Empire, Jedi, and the first 3 Indys then we should give him equal credit for terrible movies that he produced. We can’t absolve him of the bad movies and blame someone else, and then praise him for the good ones. It doesn’t work that way. George’s bad ideas are just as much his responsibility as his earlier good films are to his credit.

          • May 14, 2016 at 11:20 pm
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            GL got 4 billion to sell the IP. Please don’t use revisionist history to claim he was anything more than what he is. A lot of his films are so utterly terrible it calls into question how good of a filmmaker he actually is.

          • May 15, 2016 at 2:51 am
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            Well hello there troll.

          • May 17, 2016 at 1:56 am
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            He was so terrible that Disney paid him $4b and a shitload of preferred shares for his legacy? Sure thing, makes perfect sense.

          • May 15, 2016 at 2:50 am
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            The easiest thing to do is bash lucas and get a few likes. Its like taking candy from a baby. BUt lucas has hiven so much to the medium. And juat because a movie “bombs” means nothing. Lots of movies “bomb” that are beloved. Lucas was held to a higher standard than if it was a non-Lucas movie With regard to radio land murders. movie was never expected to be a Huge hit and had a small budget. Because It was from Lucas expectations were set high and it was compared to a Star Wars movie. Lucas knows those movies don’t do well and says as much before and after they come out . And for Every prequel hater there is a prequel lover so don’t act like because you hate it and are part of a vocal minority that the pt is universally hated.
            Also raiders and Temple of doom were all Lucas. Your bias is clearly clouding your points.

          • May 17, 2016 at 1:53 am
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            Radioland Murders was not a bad film, regardless of BO. As far as Indy goes, Lucas has, from the very beginning, been the one of the two of them to struggle to keep the whole thing grounded. The worst of CS is stuff the Berg had wanted in the films since the beginning. The prequels are very strong stories in search of a writer and director, no argument. Strange Magic was from ‘an idea’ by George Lucas, which isn’t fleshed out enough to have been ‘terrible’.
            .
            Howard the Duck is such an ignorant, lame-ass fallback by angry nerds that it requires special call-out. Lucas had nothing, NOTHING to do with that film. Willard Huyk, long-time friend and collaborator with Lucas, was in danger of having the film taken out of his hands as director by a nervous studio. Lucas offered, late in the production, as a favor to a friend, to lend his considerably weighty name to the film as producer to get the studio to back off and let Huyk finish. You want to crucify him for that, go right ahead – you look like an asshole.

          • May 17, 2016 at 3:40 am
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            Lucas had nothing to do with Howard the Duck – except completely conceiving the project, producing it, having his company do the special effects. Yeah that’s really nothing. Nice try.

      • May 13, 2016 at 11:40 pm
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        Reported for disrespect again.

        • May 13, 2016 at 11:41 pm
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          How is praising GL disrespectful?

        • May 13, 2016 at 11:43 pm
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          disrespect of what? he just said thet he didn’t appreciate George Lucas’s works after 1983, while loving what he did before that year, it’s not disrespectful in any way.

      • May 14, 2016 at 12:36 am
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        TFA “diehards” are also diehards of the entire saga and find all (currently) seven parts to be highly entertaining. The myopia of some fans that hold one part of the saga on high over the other is BS. The myopia of those fans that love the entire saga isn’t actually myopia at all as we have a broader vision of the saga and Star Wars galaxy as a whole than the detractors do.

        • May 14, 2016 at 6:39 pm
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          TFA “diehards” are also diehards of the entire saga and find all (currently) seven parts to be highly entertaining.
          That is simply not true. I’m a millennial that grew up on the entire star wars saga and will be the first to tell you that I thought Lucas second trilogy were three very poor attempts at connecting to the original films as well as very mediocre attempts at moviemaking. I got back into star wars because of the TFA, and while the film is not perfect (what does blowing up a planet sized superweapon have to do with finding Luke?), it’s a far better written, directed, and acted picture that, unlike Lucas’s feeble attempts to riff off of his own movies (a city above the clouds, a city above the water), or the poorly handled crowd pleasing moments (giving Yoda, the guy who can lift X-wings out of a lake, but suddenly needs a lightsaber, every stormtrooper being Boba Fett, Darth Vader being the be all end all puzzle piece of the universe, just because the character’s image made a big impact to the audience in ANH?) is made by people who actually cared about what their doing.
          Seriously this idea that your not a true fan if you don’t enjoy all six movies or that you have to be an OT diehard in order to be a true Star Wars fan displays quite frankly a very immature and childish attitude. In the immortal words of Obi-wan Kenobi:

          • May 15, 2016 at 4:45 pm
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            Funny how you use a quote from a movie you hate to make your point, but hey, millennials…

          • May 16, 2016 at 2:29 am
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            I think it’s actually one of the better lines of dialogue said in some in the films as well as a couple of interesting ideas that Lucas was toying with. I don’t really hate the films (how can I hate a piece of entertainment?), if I came off as spitting vitriol, I apologize. I just found them to be poorly made pieces of entertainment. I don’t begrudge people who love them, same as for people who hate TFA (or those who love Batman V Superman for that matter), I just think it’s unfair and frankly, a little arrogant thinking that if you liked one particular movie that said person didn’t liked, then you must be one type of fan (hence the binary reference Obi-wan made).

            Oh and one last thing, Only people who tie their identity and self-worth up in a film to the extent that any criticism of the film becomes a criticism of *themselves* get defensive and throw hissy fits. Everyone else shrugs and says, “sorry the movie didn’t work for you, dude,” and maybe engages in an interesting debate over why it worked for person A but not person B.

        • May 15, 2016 at 5:22 am
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          “and find all (currently) seven parts to be highly entertaining”

          I happen to love TFA and dislike the prequels, so that statement is false.

      • May 14, 2016 at 1:34 am
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        I’d go a step further. I’d say TFA was the OT but with a few changed planet names and characters. Let’s hope Episode 8 evolves into its own thing.

        • May 14, 2016 at 5:58 am
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          You should really take the time to see TFA now that it’s out on streaming and Blu-ray.

    • May 14, 2016 at 3:42 am
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      Nobody is saying that TFA is better then the Original SW, as that is one of the greatest movies of all-time. TFA is a fun Sequel that redeemed the crummy Prequels.

      • May 14, 2016 at 1:43 pm
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        oh man I remember so many people in December ranking it above ANH and ROTJ, just below ESB on this website

        • May 15, 2016 at 5:21 am
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          And I’m sure a few people still do. It’s a very good movie.

    • May 15, 2016 at 5:21 am
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      Guess what? No one fucking cares.

      • May 15, 2016 at 4:42 pm
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        You seem to care, you reply to all my comments… Thanks for caring

  • May 13, 2016 at 10:28 pm
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    “Rinzler”? does he work for Clu now? Oh wait…the Tron character was named after him. Cool! I wonder if he was too entrenched in an OT / PT mindset so the MouseHaus let him go in favor of a fresh perspective for the ST.

  • May 13, 2016 at 10:42 pm
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    Doesn’t sound exactly like amicable parting. Too bad- Rinzler (despite being Tron) is/was the best BTS writer of all time for SW.

  • May 13, 2016 at 11:12 pm
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    Summary of interview:
    SWNN: Can you tell us anything?
    Rinzler: No

    • May 13, 2016 at 11:33 pm
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      Actually, there’s a lot of information in the interview. We will be releasing more very soon, so I would advise you to hold off until you hear what else Mr. Rinzler shared with us. 🙂

  • May 13, 2016 at 11:36 pm
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    If Lucasfilm white-washes this it’s unforgiveable. Maybe they will delay because of the revealations coming and they don’t want to spoil. I wouldn’t mind a making of book that wasn’t too expensive that had some cool stuff in it, and then further down the line a really expansive book with all the good bits. Dying to know Lucas’ original plans for the sequel trilogy. I think some of it is still there. The whole “secret of Rey” for those who have heard it sounds like a very Lucas concept to me.

    • May 14, 2016 at 12:07 am
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      I didn’t get the impression from Mr. Rinzler that the project was scrapped. Hopefully the delay won’t set it back too far 🙂

    • May 14, 2016 at 3:56 am
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      I agree. To date, I’ve seen nothing to make me think that Lucas’s ideas were completely scrapped. Mostly, maybe. But not completely. So, if there’s anything in his original story ideas that Lucasfilm wants to keep under wraps, I’m sure it’s because it’ll used a bit later. And yeah. The “secret of Rey” does, in fact, sound very Lucas. I love the idea, but it’s pure Lucas.

    • May 14, 2016 at 11:35 am
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      We know that some of Lucas’ ideas are still in the new canon because Bloodline promotional material mentioned that the novel included input from both Rian Johnson (from the perspective of his Episode VIII script) and Lucas’ notes. This at the very least implies that some of Lucas’ notes are still being used, and its a very small inference to guess that this also implies they will come into play in Episode VIII (rather than only inspiring the novel, which would be rather bizarre).

    • May 14, 2016 at 11:15 pm
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      “White wash”, “unforgivable”. Dude, chill out. Take off your tin foil hat and join the real world…

  • May 13, 2016 at 11:38 pm
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    Anyone that feels the urge in attempting to be sarcastic, snarky and funny by deciding to take digs and throw shade at GL in the comments sections will be reported. It’s been 11+ years now (and 3+ years since GL sold Lucasfilm to Disney); give it a rest, let it go and move on as nothing that you say or do will change the past. Plus, now it just looks sadly and desperately obsessive and depressing and don’t you dare give the “it’s still valid to criticize him” argument because no, it’s not anymore for reasons I stated (also, it’s useless at this point to continue the same talking points).

    And no, this is not up for discussion with anyone on here as I have no interest in arguing with someone about this.

    • May 13, 2016 at 11:40 pm
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      Nice try Leslie, that’s the exact thing you wrote earlier before the mods deleted it. I’m assuming you got banned?

  • May 14, 2016 at 2:35 am
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    Wish Disney would release a “Legends” novel (s) of Lucas’ ideas for the sequel trilogy. Would love to see what “the Creator” was thinking concerning the continuing stories of the Skywalkers!

    • May 14, 2016 at 3:54 am
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      I’d be very surprised if, down the road, we didn’t get Lucas’s story in some form or another. When we do, it’ll probably be in the form of a graphic novel similar to The Star Wars series Dark Horse did a few years ago. At least, that’s my hope. I loved The Force Awakens, but I’m darn curious to know what direction Lucas would have taken.

      • May 14, 2016 at 5:20 am
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        The Star Wars was based off a script. Lucas only made an outline for Ep. 7.. Potentially too little content to make a “faithful” story

        • May 14, 2016 at 4:41 pm
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          So what? Someone will take that outline (which, for all we know, is fairly detailed) and flesh out the details.

    • May 14, 2016 at 5:52 am
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      I think this is a bad idea. It would only provoke conflict regarding which is the “real” continuation. George retired. The new movies deserve to be the only canon evolution of the story. It wouldn’t be fair to take that away.

      • May 14, 2016 at 5:57 am
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        Well, that’s why I suggested a “Legends” novel. I have no doubt that Disney will continue to back the canonical stories. I do, however, believe there is an audience interested in Lucas’ original vision for the universe, myself included.

        • May 14, 2016 at 7:45 am
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          The thing is that, he probably wrote notes..maybe a diary. Nothing formatted to be an actual set of novels. That means they’ll have to hire someone, then get Lucas on board, and it’s just too much.

          Also, Lucas is in the weird stage of wanting to let go of SW, and NOT wanting to let it go. It’s not healthy for him or Lucasfilm.

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:50 am
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            That’s assuming quite a bit, regarding what has been written, and Lucas’ state of mind. I believe the purity of the story can still be produced, in the right time, that will leave all parties involved fulfilled.

          • May 14, 2016 at 1:59 pm
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            Hmmm..so you’re countering my assumption with your assumption? HMM.

            If you followed the history of the new trilogy, on a creative level, Lucas does not see to see with the new Lucasfilm. Of course, if they did, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation because 7-9 would follow purely his vision of the trilogy. It’s been documented in the trades, from the Hollywood Reporter, to Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly. Also, his interviews and comments on the matter have been…interesting. BUT..of course they’re still using some of his core ideas for the new movies, so it’s not like it’s all gone.

            So what I’m saying is that right now, the relationship between Lucas and Lucasfilm has been an emotional one, and I can’t see him partnering up with them for any future projects. But why would they? Lucasfilm is not married to his ideas anymore, nor is it his company. And Lucas (bless his heart) sorta wants to have it both ways but he’s retired and should move on.

            And here’s the truth (this is not speculation): Lucasfilm is focused on ONE canon. They want some sort of singular continuity that’s completely monotonized. That’s why the Lucasfilm Story Group was formed.

          • May 14, 2016 at 5:03 pm
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            I agree with your statements.

            Which is why it should be completely understandable that they had to relabel the old EU as Legends and start fresh, because there was too much there that any new writers would of had to be beholden too. Too messy to deal with.

      • May 14, 2016 at 6:26 am
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        Nothing can be true Canon unless its from the original author anyway. Peter Jackson additions to TLOR series are not on the level of canon as Tolkin, and same Star Trek and so on. Theres only original Canon, EU, and Disney EU. Buying the copyrights to characters does not automatically make everything you do Canon.

        • May 14, 2016 at 7:11 am
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          If this were true, no Superman stories that were written by anyone else but Siegel and Shuster would be canon. But the concept of canon is more flexible than this, or at least vague enough that there isn’t (as you seem to think) a really clear answer in every case to the question of what counts as canon…

          • May 14, 2016 at 3:40 pm
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            Siegel and Shusters story is and always be the original. Everything else is a variation of that original story that they wrote that is at the center. Once they sold the character to DC, they’re was a new EU that was established. Like DC, Disney has they’re Canon established that connects all their stories, just like the ole EU. Nothing can every be on the level of the original Canon though.

          • May 14, 2016 at 4:56 pm
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            People have turned this whole canon thing into a battle between the new and old EU, which is stupid.

            It is very well possible that some company in the future could buy Lucasfilm off of Disney if they wanted and reset the canon all over even with rebooted movies. But, since we don’t have the ability to foresee the future we can only go with what we know currently in the present.

            Presently, the Disney owned EU is actual canon, since they own the rights to it. That doesn’t mean the Legends material is completely trash now, it just means any future material by Disney subsidiaries are not beholden to the Legends stories.

            There will always be Star Wars fans who think only Disney owned canon material is relevant, and there will always be those fans who think that only the Legends material matters and ignore all of the new stuff.

            It would be silly to say that only works done by the original creator are the only things canon because then all of the Legends EU would be just as relevant as the new EU including all of the future movies and TFA. Who’s to say that Abrams and Kasdan didn’t use any of Lucas’s story either? I’m sure there are some story elements that remain similar to what Lucas envisioned. Therefore, I don’t agree with the whole if it’s not by the original creator then it’s not canon point of view.

          • May 14, 2016 at 5:43 pm
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            Yes, I’m sure Disney used some of Lucass ideas. So did the old EU. The old EU is just as real and relevant as the new EU. The only thing that is agreed upon is that the original 6 films are set canon. There are now just two alternate realities that happened after ROTJ. Disney not being beholden to the EU doesn’t make it the old EU less real or relevant. It is now just one of many legitimate continuations of the original story. Nolan’s Batman movies didn’t make Burtons less legit.

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:11 pm
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            But Nolan’s version made Batman much more popular than Burton’s version. Some people only like the Nolanverse Batman movies and don’t like any other version of Batman. That doesn’t mean the Burton films are worse per say but that just means that certain people like one version over another.

            The old EU is no longer canon, which take that as you will, means that all future video games, movies, books, and comics will not use any of that older material. Only thing that will now make those older stories relevant is if they choose to borrow some of the things from Legends and use them in the new EU. That’s the only time when having knowledge of the Legends material will give you insight as to where they are going with the future. It’s sort of like getting a job offer at new company which has the potential to end up paying you a lot more while still doing the same work with just little effort on your part to invest in the new company.

            Some people will not take up the offer and just stick with what they know for whatever reason…e.g. they think it’s a better job, or it’s what they are familiar with. Then there are others who would immediately jump on the opportunity to try out the new job and see where it goes. I’m more of the latter mentality so that’s why I accept the new stuff as being canon. You can’t really accept both as canon anymore, because one stays stagnant and will never change while the other will continue to grow and expand. Sure, it’s real but it’s real stuck in the past.

            If anybody clings onto the old EU as being the “real” canon then they are only going to disappoint themselves for most likely the rest of their lives or until Disney wants to reboot Star Wars or sell it to another company. Therefore, as much as I liked a lot of the stories told in Legends, I’ve just accepted the change and now any Legends material I see as a waste of time since none of it will be used directly. There may be references and maybe some nods but that’s about it.

          • May 14, 2016 at 8:06 pm
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            Im not suggesting that the old EU is more real than the new EU. Just saying the new is not more legit than the old. They are simply two equally legit alternate realities in the series. When Star Wars is bought from Disney in the future, and the Disney movies are designated as ‘Legend’, that won’t mean they are not legit and simply do not count anymore. They only thing we can always go back to as to what Star Wars truly is, is what the original creator did. Level two is everything else.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:09 am
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            Depends on how you define legit, I would argue that the new EU is more legit than the Legends EU considering it is supervised by a story group who is in charge of keeping everything continuous and coherent, confined by a single vision. Whereas the old EU didn’t have that and had many separate authors, writers doing their own thing possible causing contradictions and the risk of needing retcons, which happened many times. So, in the regards to conforming to the rules, the new EU is off to a much better start.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:46 am
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            Disney has better rules, I’ll give you that. But I think its abundantly clear that these new stories do not have Lucas’s blessing. He is allowing them to happen like he did with the old EU.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:00 am
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            Well considering he doesn’t own Star Wars anymore, he is allowing it to happen as much as you or I are allowing it to happen lol.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:10 am
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            Obviously he could have not sold the franchise though. Preventing anyone from making Star Wars XIX…

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:18 am
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            Yes, he could have, but that’s not what he did. Nor do I think he would have ever been that selfish. If we want to resort to what-ifs then we can be here all year.

            George has always been supportive of others using his universe to tell stories. If he was truly selfish he wouldn’t have let the old EU exist nor would he have sold Lucasfilm to Disney.

          • May 14, 2016 at 8:15 pm
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            If George wanted to continue directly control the story of SW he could have not sold it and hired his own director if he didn’t want to direct it himself.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:25 am
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            I agree, I believe he just wanted to focus on his home life and be there for his wife and children so that was a big part of why he chose to sell Lucasfilm to Disney.

            I saw an interview somewhere where he confirms parts of this. Also, I’m sure he was sick of all of the “fan” backlash and drama too.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:06 am
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            As far as he is concerned the story is over, he did what he originally set out to do. The EU now continues the story on. There are going to be lots of variants of Star Wars form now on. All can be appreciated, but when it comes down to it all goes back to those 6 films that Lucas did. Thats the backbone of everything, the only canon that cannot be erased.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:20 am
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            And 7, and The Clone Wars show. Lucas had a hand in it even if it was minimal.

            Episode 7 they adapted his original Episode 7 script but changed a lot of it around, and The Clone Wars show was produced by George and he helped Filoni basically become his apprentice to everything George Lucas minded.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:39 am
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            Personally, I say It depends on the Artist. Generally if they didn’t make it, in this case write the story, then its not canon. Some artist approve and sign off things as official that they didn’t make (Clone Wars). That would be canon too. But if theres something that an artist did not make, or even approve of, then its not Canon. TFA and everything else are just adaptations of Lucas stories. Some will use more of Lucas’ ideas some will use none. Until Lucas declares something canon, then I don’t believe it is. The same rules apply to the new EU as did the old. But thats just me. I still appreciate Star Wars, but Lucas’ Star Wars will be the only official story I hold as canon. perhaps better terms would be original and adaptation. Lucas created content, or content he designated as official, it original. Stuff made without him involved is adaptation.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:29 am
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            I think it’s possible for new canon to surpass older canon if done right. Many of the Star Wars fans have just invested a lot of time into Legends and there were more than 20 years of material to potentially absorb, so naturally anyone who has dedicated a lot of time and energy into the older EU will feel like it was for nothing if all of that is suddenly taken from them as being relevant. It’s a perfectly understandable defense mechanism, but I chose not to fall for it.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:58 am
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            I totally get Disney erasing the EU. I never saw it as canon, but approached it quite a bit. The same way I appreciate Disneys new EU. This notion that it is on the same level as the original story by Lucas is what gets me. These stories are still not canon, They are simply a new EU. People that give it any more weight than that are going to be pretty upset when it gets reset one day too.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:14 am
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            Lucasfilm is just trying to make everything one level of canon. Which you obviously don’t agree with. I don’t mind it, since that means they are dedicated to keeping eveything as coherent as possible.

            I think it would be easier for everyone if we all agree that there are unofficial “levels” of canon. Lucasfilm would most likely never admit to these anymore but they are good ways of labeling different types of canon.

            There are the movies and TV shows, which in my eyes are the highest level of canon or using old terms (G-canon/T-canon), yes TFA included since it was adapted from Lucas’s drafts even though he said in an interview that they threw those out, I don’t believe they tossed everything. This is what will always be original and what all forms of canon have to respect and work in tangent with.

            Then the next level would be all of the expanded universe in the form of books, games, and comics. I think this was called (C-canon) Which always has the possibility of being rewritten and retconned but since they now have a professional group of writers and creative minds who’s sole jobs are to make sure that all of the Disney canon flows together, it is unlikely that we will see any missteps or mistakes. Also, we have UPFs who will be super quick to jump on top of any possible mistakes too.

            Last but not least is the N-Canon or now called Legends, which is all of the “what-if” and stories that don’t fit with any of the new stuff.

        • May 14, 2016 at 7:11 am
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          “Buying the copyrights to characters does not automatically make everything you do Canon.”

          Actually, it does exactly that. The new movies are continuing the narrative. Star Wars is primarily a movie based franchise. Movies win every canon argument every time. Even when they are horribly contradictory like the “How the hell old is obi-wan anyway?” prequels.

          FWIW, Peter Jackson made an adaptation of Tolkin’s work. Like Bladerunner, it doesn’t extend the original mythology — It’s an interpretation of it.

          • May 14, 2016 at 3:34 pm
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            So is the Disney EU, they extend the mythology just like the first EU. They are both equally valid extensions of the original Canon. Someone could buy Star Wars from Disney in the future and reset back to Jedi and tell yet a third version of what Happens to Luke.

          • May 14, 2016 at 8:32 pm
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            That’s circular. Someone could buy the whole franchise and start completely over–or Disney could reboot it with Mickey Mouse in the lead. Some old nut could decide to re-re-re-edit the first three movies and say that’s canon. As it stands, there are 7 movies that make up the continuing narrative. The CGI cartoons & the CGI cartoon movie are probably included in the “we’ll never retcon or dump this” canon. The comics and movies are on shakier ground. Always were, always will be. “Officially licensed” or not.

            All of this is pretty meaningless since we’re free to choose whatever stories we like from the enormous pile of content that people have created since ’77.

          • May 14, 2016 at 10:26 pm
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            “As it stands now” is the key. I am talking about big picture though. Disney, just like Timothy Zahn and other EU authors, is branching off from the same original story by Lucas. Both Disneys TFA and Zahns HTTE are equally legit versions of episode 7. Neither are on the same canon level as george lucas’ original, and both exist in exclusive, but equal universes. Its not a rejection of the Disney content. But it is important to note that Disney content is more legit than old EU, just EU for the new generation.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:06 am
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            The big picture is that there are Seven movies with recurring characters that make up the core of the franchise. Hell, I only really like Four of them, but there you are — seven movies.

            Novels written under license (even the good ones) and movies produced by the owners of the license (even the bad ones) aren’t equivalent. But whatever, you either buy into the ongoing story or you don’t.

            FWIW, Disney didn’t kill the original EU. Nonsense like this did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVzc20Bm8Xo

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:42 am
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            I buy this ongoing story, just as much as I buy Timothy Zahn’s. At the end the day though, a license holder is not the same thing as an original creator. A nonsense depicted in that video is alive and well in the current Disney comics.

        • May 14, 2016 at 7:43 am
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          That’s a whole different scenario.

        • May 14, 2016 at 9:15 am
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          George didn’t consider the EU canon. So…..um……the idea of canon is whatever people want it to be.

          • May 14, 2016 at 3:32 pm
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            EU isn’t Canon, and neither in the Disney EU. They are both equally valid extensions of the original Canon. Someone could buy Star Wars from Disney in the future and reset back to Jedi and tell yet a third version of what Happens to Luke.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:23 am
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            The whole “original creator” wasn’t involved so it’s not canon is nonsense.

          • May 15, 2016 at 12:50 am
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            How else to define canon then? who ever owns a story at any given time just gets to change what is true and what isn’t. As a fan, do you honestly stand for that? If canon exists at all in a franchise it needs to be consistent.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:04 am
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            To answer your question yes.

            Whoever owns the right to the given material then owns the right to call whatever they wish canon. The only ones effected by the boundaries of canon are the audience/readers who care about it in the first place and the writers of any future stories that involve the previous canon material, if they want to adhere to a “canon” universe/story. Otherwise, everybody else’s work would be considered noncanon and there were even official noncanon works in the Legends EU called infinities that acted as “what-if” scenarios.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:18 am
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            Not to get too technical, but what you are referring to is adaptation when you say noncanon. And I would say you are correct, everyone elses Star Wars is an adaptation from Lucas. They can all claim to be canon though, and all be right too.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:35 am
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            When you buy an Ikea couch, is that couch not an official couch made by Ikea? The original creator of the Ikea couch didn’t make it, not did he have direct involvement in the production of the couch, but it’s still an Ikea branded couch, it’s still official.

            Jim and John Thomas wrote the first two Predator movies, but weren’t involved with the next two. Does that mean the sequels aren’t officially a part of the Predator canon? No, they are still a part of it, they are just adaptations that may or may not use existing characters, locations, and events. They are still a part of the Predator canon though, and one can argue that even the Predators vs. Alien films are too, despite how horrible those movies reaction has been, but those delve into a whole other realm, one that is called crossovers.

          • May 15, 2016 at 1:51 am
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            The couch is an official ikea couch, just like TFA is an official lucasfilm movie. But Ikea making a coffee table that goes with the couch is an adaptation of the original piece that was made by a designer. The original designer has his original piece that will always be original.

          • May 15, 2016 at 10:05 pm
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            They could also wipe out the original 3 films if they want to, if you wanna get technical about it.

        • May 14, 2016 at 10:36 am
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          Rubbish. That means all of the ideas that came from the mind of Kasdan in ESB & RotJ are not canon either. SW has always had multiple writers. It’s not a Tolkien or Rowling situation here at all.

          • May 14, 2016 at 3:29 pm
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            So if Warner brothers made more movies and books about Harry and friends they would be Canon then?

          • May 14, 2016 at 7:15 pm
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            Sure, if Rowling sold the rights to WB and they decided to make more movies involving Harry Potter then they would be canon, at least to the cinematic universe of Harry Potter, maybe not the books since they are separate.

        • May 14, 2016 at 12:00 pm
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          I’d say that’s more of an opinion of merit than an actual rule of thumb, as there are loads of cases where that’s not how it works. Canon is defined by whoever is in the position to define it. That’s why the Alien franchise, for example, does not consider the AvP movies to be canon.

          Regarding The Hobbit, yes, you’re correct. The Tolkien Estate has not once stated that Tauriel is canon. However, the continuity of the book is not affected by the continuity of what is shown on the screen. So, technically the canon of the Middle-earth *movies* includes all the garbage Peter Jackson came up with in The Hobbit trilogy, whether we like it or not.

          • May 14, 2016 at 10:07 pm
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            Yep. This.

      • May 14, 2016 at 3:49 pm
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        Nothing is the real continuation anyway. Disney stories are no more legit than the EU. They have made it clear that they are telling an alternate version of the EU, but it is not by any means more real. Tim Burtons Batman and Chris Nolans are both equally real.

        • May 14, 2016 at 10:07 pm
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          Sure it is. Lucasfilm holds the rights to the property so they define canon. It’s that simple.

          • May 14, 2016 at 10:34 pm
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            Its all relative though, depending on who owns Star Wars and when. Someday TFA will not be Canon anymore, but as fans we can all agree that the always consistent level of Canon is the original Lucas story. For some Timothy Zahn books are 7-9, for some Disneys movies are 7-9, and they can both be equally right. One day there will be many different EUs for us to choose from, so we better get used to it now.

          • May 14, 2016 at 11:10 pm
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            “…but as fans we can all agree that the always consistent level of Canon is the original Lucas story.”

            As many have said, canonicity is determined by who owns the intellectual property rights. If Lucasfilm says that this or that is canon, it is. This isn’t some sort of cooperative understanding between Lucasfilm and the fans. Lucasfilm owns Star Wars so they set canon.

            I think folks get official canon confused with what they like. I love Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy. I’ve read it several times and I intend to read it again. But it’s not canon. The whole, “it’s canon to me” thing sort of shows a misunderstanding of the concept.

          • May 15, 2016 at 10:03 pm
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            Lucas gave them the power when he sold it, he’s the one who gave it up. He could have hired his own director if he wanted to make more without directing, but still have some power.

    • May 14, 2016 at 7:43 am
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      It’s..time to move on.

    • May 14, 2016 at 5:27 pm
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      Hmm, you know, that would be interesting, just to see what he had in mind. Though, it’ll probably happen after this batch of films is done, just in case there’s anything else that will be salvaged.

    • May 15, 2016 at 12:47 am
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      I honestly think Lucas had a vague outline as I think people are making way more out of it. Lucas has always made this stuff up on the fly, even the PT, as he changed Anakin’s turn in ROTS after he didn’t like the first context he shot it in.

      I’m sure he had some notes and ideas but I think his comment, “Disney wanted me to make a movie for the fans and that’s not what I wanted to do,” was sort of sour grapes. The irony is when he won the People’s Choice in 2005 for ROTS he said, “I make movies for you the fans!”

      • May 16, 2016 at 4:50 am
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        Lucas’ original biographer was the only person outside Lucas who ever saw the original treatments for EpVII-VIII (up until Disney). He said the story arc was far better than the OT. The way this was talked about came across as if there was more detail than what we realize. He may have not had the dialogue but I believe he had all the main plot points. Hopefully some day we will all find out.

  • May 14, 2016 at 7:41 am
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    More interested in this than I am in Episode VIII, I been waiting over 30 years to see what direction he would have gone in.

  • May 14, 2016 at 7:52 am
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    George’s ideas have already been leaked. He was going to have Finn as Lando’s son, Poe as Biggs’ son & Rey as Sio Bibble’s granddaughter. We also find out that Kylo made BB-8 as a kid for a science project, out of spare parts & a bowling ball. The First Order was going to attack the Republic with economic sanctions & trade embargoes. Exciting stuff.

    • May 14, 2016 at 9:17 am
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      Reported for the snarky disrespectful comment towards GL.

      • May 14, 2016 at 9:23 am
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        Snarky comments are fine as long as they’re actually funny.

        • May 14, 2016 at 9:31 am
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          Not if they’re masking inderlying disrespectful and vitriolic feelings and based on my impression of the OP’s comment, it falls under these categories (and there’s nothing funny about disrespect) This is not up for discussion as I have no plans to argue with anyone about this.

          • May 14, 2016 at 10:18 am
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            “Vitriolic”!? Please! Good natured humor directed at Lucas, Abrams or anyone else is fine. Lighten up.

          • May 14, 2016 at 4:35 pm
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            Please! I see through your comment. Anyone with any shred of intelligence can see the true intended implication behind it.

          • May 14, 2016 at 4:37 pm
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            I hope so. The intention was to make some humorous remarks at GL’s expense. It’s not complicated.

          • May 14, 2016 at 4:47 pm
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            Thank you for proving my point 😉

          • May 15, 2016 at 6:11 am
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            Are you the Positivity Police? Where in the rules does it say we must always be positive?

          • May 14, 2016 at 5:01 pm
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            Some people just don’t have a sense of humour. Anyone whom’s read my comments before would know I actually like the prequels despite the faults.

          • May 15, 2016 at 5:12 am
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            Sorry MARSHA, but you don’t get to decide what kind of comments do and don’t belong on this website.

      • May 14, 2016 at 9:34 am
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        Chill out Les.

    • May 15, 2016 at 5:11 am
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      Accurate.

  • May 14, 2016 at 3:49 pm
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    This website is now unusable on iPad. Now I get this popup banner on the bottom of a screen that is persistent and won’t go away. Every webadmin has to make decisions between its users and advertiser money. This site chose to allow every possible type of intrusive ad and sacrificed its readers. Most web admins draw the line but not here.
    Good bye SWNN, it was great content until you sold out. The next SW site will probably crush you because of this. So it is written, so it shall be done.

    • May 14, 2016 at 6:11 pm
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      You couldn’t be more wrong with this statement, and I will explain why, since there is no way you could know that.
      If you have a pop up ad that appears on your iPad, that’s completely against our rules and shouldn’t be happening. It happened before again, and I banned the ad company who did this without our knowledge.
      Also we don’t have any pop up ads on our desktop version, and we don’t have pop up on our mobile version. We had issues before on our mobile version but now we’re paying a company to support our mobile site and everything is fine there. Unfortunately this company got delayed for our version for the iPad which we deal with the issues you mentioned. Our iPad version of the site is now ready and we’re testing it. We will implement it very soon and then all such problems will be gone.
      Believe me I received hundreds of offers from ad companies. I turned most of them down. I tested a few and only picked the ones that cause less issues.

      • May 17, 2016 at 8:01 pm
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        I am going to suggest you access the site on iPad. The entire internet has moved to mobile. There are easy to use free metrics to rate your site in terms of usability.

        • May 17, 2016 at 8:11 pm
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          I have an iPad and the site works good on it. That’s the problem with mobile devices. Still as I mentioned, our mobile version for iPads is ready and it’s just a question of days before it’s implemented.
          BTW, here are our mobile stats according to Google Insights:

          • May 17, 2016 at 8:43 pm
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            Firstly, thank you for replying.
            It probably doesn’t pay to mention iPad issues if you have a new version coming out that hopefully addresses them. It seems different today.

            No one begrudges you guys the revenue you deserve, I know I just want the site working optimally. Is there a forum where people can post issues and screen shots if issues arise?

    • May 16, 2016 at 4:35 pm
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      Is that a picture of Brian “shot down” Williams?

      It figures you’d make these kinds of comments with that person as your profile picture.

  • May 14, 2016 at 5:23 pm
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    It’s a dick move for Disney/Lucasfilm to let Rinsler go and then delay or cancel the Making of The Force Awakens book, with absolutely no explanation whatsoever to the fans… This reeks of douchbag executives who think they owe no one an explanation…

    • May 14, 2016 at 10:04 pm
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      Why would they owe anyone an explanation? I would love to see Rinzler’s book published, but if it’s not I’m not sure that I’m entitled to a reason why. It’s not as though any of us have anything invested in it other than wanting to read it.

      Still, I hope this book sees publication. I’ve read his OT “Making of” books, and they’re outstanding. Fingers crossed….

      • May 15, 2016 at 12:29 am
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        I never said the fans were entitled to anything. I was commenting on Lucasfilm’s behaviour. Lucasfilm doesn’t owe the public announcements of future releases either, but they do it. If a company announces a release, it would be common courtesy to make another announcement if they cancel that release. It’s called Business 101 Best Practices…

        • May 15, 2016 at 2:15 am
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          Public announcements of future releases is just marketing. And it’s quite possible that Lucasfilm will announce the cancelation of the book. It just sounds like Rinzler beat them to it. That all being said, informing folks that a book has been canceled and giving an explanation as to why it was cancelled are two different things. Not to split hairs, but you did say that Lucasfilm thinks that they “owe no one” an explanation. Until they have my money in their hands for this particular product, they don’t “owe” me anything.

          • May 15, 2016 at 3:38 am
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            Sure, they owe no one… again, I was referring to common courtesy.

    • May 14, 2016 at 11:09 pm
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      Chill out man. Projects get cancelled and delayed all the time. This type of knee jerk reaction to Disney from fanboys that know nothing about the entertainment industry is ridiculous.

      • May 15, 2016 at 12:37 am
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        I was referring to common courtesy; something you didn’t catch apparently, but I think I know why… Your careless declaration regarding my knowledge of the entertainment industry only reveals that you, Mr. Wookiee Jizz are, in fact, a part of the collective nerd Lucasfilm fanboy Hive Mind. ….Now I can feel your anger flowing through you after reading this… go ahead and reply with an ad hominem attack.. I’m defenseless… Strike me down…and your journey to the Dark Side will be complete!

        • May 15, 2016 at 2:19 am
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          So…he’s guilty of a “careless declaration” in terms of your knowledge about the entertainment industry but you’re in a position to state that he’s part of the, “collective nerd Lucasfilm fanboy Hive Mind…”

          Try again.

          • May 15, 2016 at 3:35 am
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            How am I in a position to know? The dark side is a path to many abilities some would find… unnatural.

          • May 15, 2016 at 3:55 am
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            Oh boy…

      • May 15, 2016 at 10:00 pm
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        Lucasfilm calls these shots. Not Disney.

      • May 17, 2016 at 10:42 pm
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        Actually, knowing how the entertainment industry works (and specifically LFL’s track record with cancelling projects) is why there is such concern.

  • May 16, 2016 at 12:09 am
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    I think it’s pretty obvious that Rinzler is a bit too pro-Lucas for Disney’s liking. Sounds like his version of The Making of The Force Awakens may have inadvertently, or subversively, sided with Lucas in the scripting issue and this has pissed of Disney and offended JJ. I doubt will ever find out the truth in this matter.

    • May 16, 2016 at 3:43 am
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      I sure hope not. In speaking with Mr. Rinzler I got the sense that he really admires George Lucas and rightfully so, but I never got the impression he took sides. I got the impression he was pleased with TFA and is very interested in seeing where the SW films go from here

      • May 17, 2016 at 12:09 am
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        from what we are reading, there’s thing he’s implying between the lines that Disney is trying to censor or at least hide something

  • May 17, 2016 at 12:08 am
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    This sounds like Disney being total dicks and wanting him out because he talked to George and his take on the franchsie

    • May 17, 2016 at 1:44 am
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      It doesn’t sound like that at all.

      • May 17, 2016 at 2:00 am
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        as i’ve said, i am reading between the lines

        • May 17, 2016 at 3:50 am
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          sounds more like you’re reading smoke signals and tea-leafs. There are more realistic reasons the book doesn’t come out yet than random conspiracies. The most logical would be *spoilers*

          • May 18, 2016 at 2:25 pm
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            eh… The movie has been out for what? 6 months already. That excuse is bs as well

    • May 17, 2016 at 7:41 am
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      I didn’t get that impression at all from speaking with him. I would take what he said above as genuine.

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