George Lucas threw the EU/RPG/Comics "canon" out the window with The Phantom Menace. He completely contradicted the way the Clone Wars happened.

I have no idea how the video games are supposed to be worked into the canon aside from being tacked on, so I can't comment (other than commenting that I can't comment ).

Not really. Almost nothing about the Clone Wars was known before the PT came out. We knew of a few characters who fought in the war, a few ship, vehicle, and weapon models used in the war, and where a few battles were fought that's it. Palleon remembered fighting Clones during the war but that was covered by a comic where the CIS tried to make its own clone army and they went insane. It wasn't until TCW that major problems appeared when they decided to make the Mandalorians neutral when the ROTJ novelization stated that they were fighting the Republic during the war.

Yes, though what Zahn wrote was what was considered "canon" by the books and RPGs. A lot of fans (I'll admit, me included!) assumed that this was real canon.

GL ignored it and did what he wanted.

It was real canon. But Lucas has always maintained that his ideas come first and foremost. But to be fair to Lucas, it's hard to know if he ignored it. There's no way of knowing just how much he knew about what other authors were saying about the Clone Wars before he penned the PT.

George Lucas threw the EU/RPG/Comics "canon" out the window with The Phantom Menace. He completely contradicted the way the Clone Wars happened.

I have no idea how the video games are supposed to be worked into the canon aside from being tacked on, so I can't comment (other than commenting that I can't comment ).

Not really. Almost nothing about the Clone Wars was known before the PT came out. We knew of a few characters who fought in the war, a few ship, vehicle, and weapon models used in the war, and where a few battles were fought that's it. Palleon remembered fighting Clones during the war but that was covered by a comic where the CIS tried to make its own clone army and they went insane. It wasn't until TCW that major problems appeared when they decided to make the Mandalorians neutral when the ROTJ novelization stated that they were fighting the Republic during the war.

Yes, though what Zahn wrote was what was considered "canon" by the books and RPGs. A lot of fans (I'll admit, me included!) assumed that this was real canon.

GL ignored it and did what he wanted.

Yup, and Zahns work is what most people hold up as being something disney shouldn't touch with a ten foot pole because it's "sacred", which is kinda silly when you consider the fact that Lucas pretty much ignored what Zahn had written anyway.

People simply don't understand that not much has changed. The only difference is that Disney are upfront about what they're doing while Lucas kinda let the fans think that the EU mattered.

Some of us can't completely come out of the closet. Sure my family and close friends know I'm a geek. But, some of us may have jobs that, if we revealed we liked to pretend to be Wookies or Wizards on the weekends, it could directly affect our job performance and promotions. Seriously.

So, I don't make personal friends at work, only away from work. While a cursory visit to my house may keep me in the closet, any in depth observation or exploration by visitors is going to reveal inner sanctums decorated with framed movie posters, action figures, etc. My office at work doesn't have such except that one little Darth Vader hidden on a shelf that when asked, well, my daughter gave it to me.

So, logically speaking, you must be Barrack Obama. I'm ok with it, Mr. President... but that probably doesn't matter because I'm not old enough to vote...

Some of us can't completely come out of the closet. Sure my family and close friends know I'm a geek. But, some of us may have jobs that, if we revealed we liked to pretend to be Wookies or Wizards on the weekends, it could directly affect our job performance and promotions. Seriously.

So, I don't make personal friends at work, only away from work. While a cursory visit to my house may keep me in the closet, any in depth observation or exploration by visitors is going to reveal inner sanctums decorated with framed movie posters, action figures, etc. My office at work doesn't have such except that one little Darth Vader hidden on a shelf that when asked, well, my daughter gave it to me.

Well... this sucks. I figured job performance would be measured based on... oh... I dunno... maybe something like job performance! Then I thought about it and I wondered how many people would be OK with the President of the USA staying up late on Friday nights to get in a session of his favorite rpg?

So, logically speaking, you must be Barrack Obama. I'm ok with it, Mr. President... but that probably doesn't matter because I'm not old enough to vote...

Hehe.

I'm a cop. I'm an admin level cop that also is a SWAT Team Leader / Commander. I know I'm not being fair and generalizing, but cops, especially the SWAT types, tend to be from the jock cliche of high school, not the geek cliche. So, imagine if I mention I have Star Wars and Lord of the Rings action figures around my house, scifi movie posters in my home office, can have an in depth Star Wars lore conversation lasting hours, and playing RPGs would be rated as my #1 hobby. Now imagine what would have happened just 4? weeks ago when I was standing at a white board dividing up duties to a room of my own SWAT guys with an audence of reps from 4 other agencies on my tactical plan for removing the armed murderer from the surrounded house?

"Does Frodo really know what the f' he is doing?"

"Hey sir how about we just strafe the place with an X-wing?" snicker, snicker.

Geek = wierdo that they wouldn't have as much confidence in to some of these guys.

Perhaps I will come out of the closet right before retirement? Hah! Look who you've been following all these years.

Some of us can't completely come out of the closet. Sure my family and close friends know I'm a geek. But, some of us may have jobs that, if we revealed we liked to pretend to be Wookies or Wizards on the weekends, it could directly affect our job performance and promotions. Seriously.

So, I don't make personal friends at work, only away from work. While a cursory visit to my house may keep me in the closet, any in depth observation or exploration by visitors is going to reveal inner sanctums decorated with framed movie posters, action figures, etc. My office at work doesn't have such except that one little Darth Vader hidden on a shelf that when asked, well, my daughter gave it to me.

Well... this sucks. I figured job performance would be measured based on... oh... I dunno... maybe something like job performance! Then I thought about it and I wondered how many people would be OK with the President of the USA staying up late on Friday nights to get in a session of his favorite rpg?

So, logically speaking, you must be Barrack Obama. I'm ok with it, Mr. President... but that probably doesn't matter because I'm not old enough to vote...

Hehe.

I'm a cop. I'm an admin level cop that also is a SWAT Team Leader / Commander. I know I'm not being fair and generalizing, but cops, especially the SWAT types, tend to be from the jock cliche of high school, not the geek cliche. So, imagine if I mention I have Star Wars and Lord of the Rings action figures around my house, scifi movie posters in my home office, can have an in depth Star Wars lore conversation lasting hours, and playing RPGs would be rated as my #1 hobby. Now imagine what would have happened just 4? weeks ago when I was standing at a white board dividing up duties to a room of my own SWAT guys with an audence of reps from 4 other agencies on my tactical plan for removing the armed murderer from the surrounded house?

"Does Frodo really know what the f' he is doing?"

"Hey sir how about we just strafe the place with an X-wing?" snicker, snicker.

Geek = wierdo that they wouldn't have as much confidence in to some of these guys.

Perhaps I will come out of the closet right before retirement? Hah! Look who you've been following all these years.

And people wonder why there are issues between officers and the general population...

This seems to be an issue at almost all places of business but I have found long since that if you just smile and let it slide off you then the jokes stop quite quickly and the question and sympathies start coming out. I have always been open and upfront about my hobbies and I can tell you it then turns out their are way more likeminded people around you than you ever imagined.

And people wonder why there are issues between officers and the general population...

Please note who I was talking about:

I know I'm not being fair and generalizing, but cops, especially the SWAT types, tend to be from the jock cliche of high school, not the geek cliche.

Geek = wierdo that they wouldn't have as much confidence in to SOME of these guys.

I was speaking of a very specific, very small subset of police, and I said "some" of that small group. Please don't generalize it into all police. That was not my intention at all.

This seems to be an issue at almost all places of business but I have found long since that if you just smile and let it slide off you then the jokes stop quite quickly and the question and sympathies start coming out. I have always been open and upfront about my hobbies and I can tell you it then turns out their are way more likeminded people around you than you ever imagined.

Good advice and I do this somewhat. I'm still known as a geeky type, just not as the uber-geek that I truly am.

Since I did my part to bring it off topic I will do my part in an attempt to bring it back into the ballpark at least:

Yeah well Lucas was the guy in charge and honestly I think having the clones fight for the Republic rather then against as many, Zahn, you, and I included, was a nice touch.

After the OT (or was it after Ep 5?), my first ever Star Wars campaign (using Traveller) fleshed out a little bit of the Clone Wars from what little we knew - Kenobi had been a General in the Clone Wars, Boba Fett was a Clone Warrior, and the Clone Wars had occurred during the Old Republic. So, my teenage self speculated two factions fighting during the fall of the Republic had used cheaply made clone soldiers to fight it out. I had guessed both sides used clones, thus "Clone Wars". Afterwards, cloning was considered evil and banned.

I too liked G.L.'s later development much better then anything speculated before. I had always liked Stormtroopers, but they were the bad guys. Here were some "good" Stormtroopers. Well, until that Order 66 thingy.

Yes the good storm troopers were cool.

I should note that I have a veritable sh*t-ton of CDs in my living room as well.

Younger guys and girls are always mystified, yet intrigued by the racks of cases filled with these bizarre shiny dics...

That's adorable.

I have shelves of vinyl records.

Anyone with a a collection of wax cylinders want to trump this?

I should note that I have a veritable sh*t-ton of CDs in my living room as well.

Younger guys and girls are always mystified, yet intrigued by the racks of cases filled with these bizarre shiny dics...

That's adorable.

I have shelves of vinyl records.

Anyone with a a collection of wax cylinders want to trump this?

Well, I used to have heaps and heaps of cassettes. But once I made the switch to CDs in the early '90s? I sold all of those tapes to Record Exchange.

At least, I think that's what happened... *shrug* Maybe I just threw 'em out!

As for my "day job," I teach college kids in a mass communication program. And while I look young (maybe early 30s) and act young (maybe late teens ... ha), I'm always immediately relegated to "antique" the moment I start mentioning old forms of media. However, I do tend to rack up some cool points for being around "when music was cool." Ha.

* * *

I too believe Lucas' twist on the Clone Wars was a nice touch. One of the definite high points of AotC was seeing Yoda sweep down with that regiment of troopers (wearing what basically amounted to stormtrooper armor).

Understand I avoided spoilers going into that film, and even after having seen the facilities on Kamino? I figured those clones would still end up being the "bad guys." I mean, Jango was "bad," right? The appearance of the clone troopers and their 'walkers' and 'star destroyers' was a pretty great way to start bridging the gap between the prequels and OT. And, again, definitely unexpected. (At least for me.)

Since Day One, the vaunted "Lived-in look and feel" has left us hungry to know more about what's going on here. Who is this Vader guy? Why would Tarkin destroy Alderaaan? What's a clone War? Like no movie before or since

Yeah well Lucas was the guy in charge and honestly I think having the clones fight for the Republic rather then against as many, Zahn, you, and I included, was a nice touch.

Nice touch?The whole point of the saga was having the good-guy Jedi commanding a slave army. Who has the high ground now, Obi-Wan?

Its pretty clear that the point of the PT was that Palpatine played everyone like puppets and the Jedi were too blinded by dogma to figure it out until it was too late.

Some of us can't completely come out of the closet. Sure my family and close friends know I'm a geek. But, some of us may have jobs that, if we revealed we liked to pretend to be Wookies or Wizards on the weekends, it could directly affect our job performance and promotions. Seriously.

So, I don't make personal friends at work, only away from work. While a cursory visit to my house may keep me in the closet, any in depth observation or exploration by visitors is going to reveal inner sanctums decorated with framed movie posters, action figures, etc. My office at work doesn't have such except that one little Darth Vader hidden on a shelf that when asked, well, my daughter gave it to me.

Well... this sucks. I figured job performance would be measured based on... oh... I dunno... maybe something like job performance! Then I thought about it and I wondered how many people would be OK with the President of the USA staying up late on Friday nights to get in a session of his favorite rpg?

So, logically speaking, you must be Barrack Obama. I'm ok with it, Mr. President... but that probably doesn't matter because I'm not old enough to vote...

Hehe.

I'm a cop. I'm an admin level cop that also is a SWAT Team Leader / Commander. I know I'm not being fair and generalizing, but cops, especially the SWAT types, tend to be from the jock cliche of high school, not the geek cliche. So, imagine if I mention I have Star Wars and Lord of the Rings action figures around my house, scifi movie posters in my home office, can have an in depth Star Wars lore conversation lasting hours, and playing RPGs would be rated as my #1 hobby. Now imagine what would have happened just 4? weeks ago when I was standing at a white board dividing up duties to a room of my own SWAT guys with an audence of reps from 4 other agencies on my tactical plan for removing the armed murderer from the surrounded house?

"Does Frodo really know what the f' he is doing?"

"Hey sir how about we just strafe the place with an X-wing?" snicker, snicker.

Geek = wierdo that they wouldn't have as much confidence in to some of these guys.

Perhaps I will come out of the closet right before retirement? Hah! Look who you've been following all these years.

The truly sad thing...all that role playing is good practice for precisely the situation you were talking about...

Late to the party ehre but my 2 cents anyways..

As I told the Canon Star Wars Fan in my group of players.

"No matter how much we stick to Cannon My friend.... WE are not playing the Main star Wars Story Line.. so the only Ones Our game is 'Cannon' to is US. I will not be shackled by some other Gm's Game."