Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[Moviefan2k4]

They could've at least kept the books that take place between the Episodes, like "Labyrinth of Evil" and "The Rise of Darth Vader". I mean, why erase the whole thing anyway? I haven't read them all, but most of the arcs were pretty interesting. I'd have loved to see a live-action film featuring Mara Jade, or Leia's twins Jacen and Jaina fighting a lightsaber duel.

[pksmith74]

Picked myself up the Sphero BB-8 app enabled droid over the weekend. For people living in Australia that want one JB Hi Fi is selling them and they are $249 AUD.

Probably shouldn't have spent the money, but it's Star Wars and it's awesome!

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/features/c...hero-Star-Wars

[spanky87]

Was at the Disney store today and had fun checking out the merch and pressing the buttons on the talking Finn, Kylo Ren, and Captain Phasma toys.

What's funny is that there were plenty of kids in the store but it was mostly me and several other adults checking out these toys. That Star Wars nostalgia is running wild right now.

I tried to resist buying merch for this film because I obviously need to see it first before I know I like it, but **** it, I bought that Rey poster for $7 anyway. There's some great artwork on those various posters being sold now.

I hope I can contain myself from buying anything else until after Dec.18.

[toddly6666]

It took many years but I think it's now established that Star Wars fans are more obsessive and nerdier than Star Trek fans based on the merchandising madness from sellers and buyers starting with The Phantom Menace. Before the existance of The Phantom Menace, the general geek debate concensus was that Star Trek fans were nerdier and more extreme. Dressing up like Spock and doing the live long and prosper hand sign is not even close to being extreme as the Star Wars consumer slaves!

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

It took many years but I think it's now established that Star Wars fans are more obsessive and nerdier than Star Trek fans based on the merchandising madness from sellers and buyers starting with The Phantom Menace. Before the existance of The Phantom Menace, the general geek debate concensus was that Star Trek fans were nerdier and more extreme. Dressing up like Spock and doing the live long and prosper hand sign is not even close to being extreme as the Star Wars consumer slaves!

I'd argue that Star Wars is far more "mainstream" and accessible than Star Trek is or was.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

I'd argue that Star Wars is far more "mainstream" and accessible than Star Trek is or was.

Hmm. I'm not entirely sure I'd agree with it; I wouldn't necessarily disagree either, but I'd have to think it through.

I mean, Star Trek has had 6 different series (one of which was animated), totaling 716 episodes. 11 feature films, with a 12th on the way. All sorts of books, comics, etc.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Hmm. I'm not entirely sure I'd agree with it; I wouldn't necessarily disagree either, but I'd have to think it through.

I mean, Star Trek has had 6 different series (one of which was animated), totaling 716 episodes. 11 feature films, with a 12th on the way. All sorts of books, comics, etc.

Yeah, but Paramount only agreed to do the first "Trek" film because "A New Hope" was an unexpected hit. An argument can easily be made that without "Star Wars", the whole "Trek" franchise would've ceased with the Original Series.

[DJMcNiff]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

They could've at least kept the books that take place between the Episodes, like "Labyrinth of Evil" and "The Rise of Darth Vader". I mean, why erase the whole thing anyway? I haven't read them all, but most of the arcs were pretty interesting. I'd have loved to see a live-action film featuring Mara Jade, or Leia's twins Jacen and Jaina fighting a lightsaber duel.

The StarWars.com article announcing the end of the old canon and start of the new canon stated:

While Lucasfilm always strived to keep the stories created for the EU consistent with our film and television content as well as internally consistent, Lucas always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU. He set the films he created as the canon. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.

The same article also states:

While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s.

http://www.starwars.com/news/the-leg...rns-a-new-page

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

Yeah, but Paramount only agreed to do the first "Trek" film because "A New Hope" was an unexpected hit. An argument can easily be made that without "Star Wars", the whole "Trek" franchise would've ceased with the Original Series.

We'll never know. But the point is, we're talking 716 episodes and 11, soon to be 12 feature films. I don't know, but that doesn't sound like something that's not mainstream to me. And how many thousands of references have there been to it in other shows. I mean, heck, there's practically one every episode of "The Big Bang Theory" alone!

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

I'd argue that Star Wars is far more "mainstream" and accessible than Star Trek is or was.

sure and of course it's all subjective but the madness over the Star Wars merchandise over the years has embarrased me as a Star Wars fan. Kids not being able to get toys in toy stores due to man boys hoarding everything is very disturbing.

[detective392]

Originally Posted by Spike M.

The only canon material is currently the six movies, The Clones Wars (2008), and now Rebels. Everything else pre-Disney acquisition is part of the non-canon EU.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/s/lucas...0805.html?nf=1

Here's an infographic to guide you through it: http://www.slashfilm.com/new-star-wars-canon-timeline/

For fans who feel "robbed", Lucas himself has been consistent on where the EU stands in continuity.

"There are two worlds here. There’s my world, which is the movies, and there’s this other world that has been created, which I say is the parallel universe—the licensing world of the books, games and comic books. They don’t intrude on my world, which is a select period of time, [but] they do intrude in between the movies. I don’t get too involved in the parallel universe."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_canon

Actually the Aftermath books is part of the canon with the first being released a few days ago.

[DisneyBlu]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

I'd argue that Star Wars is far more "mainstream" and accessible than Star Trek is or was.

Truth.

And that will be proven correct when The Force Awakens to $650 million world wide and becomes the third highest grossing movie in record time. Don't see a Star Trek movie doing that, ever.

Star Wars has and always will be more mainstream (and more popular) than Star Trek. You can walk into almost any store and find all kinds of Star Wars things. Candy, school supplies, movies, toys, foods, clothes, suitcases, bed spreads - and that was before Disney kicked off the Force Awakens merchandise onslaught. It's been that way for a long, long time.

Star Wars is definitely more mainstream and more relevant, and I find that point hard to argue. It's been kept alive between the product tie-ins and things like cartoons and video games. I doubt the majority of kids even know, or care, about Star Trek.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I think Disney only rendered the EU non-canon, regarding things taking place after "Return of the Jedi"...so the ones between Episodes III & IV, plus the prequel novelizations, probably still count.

For the love of....

LUCASFILM rendered the EU non-canon. Disney didn't...good lord, people, you think someone like Alan Horn or Bob Iger spends their time - with all they have to supervise - flipping through Thrawn novels or Splinter of the Mind's Eye or Marvel Comics or obscure character guides or video games and deciding what is or isn't SW canon?

No. LucasFilm is in charge of all of that, and it would have happened without the Disney acquisition.

How many times do we we have to go through this?

[Forever Knight]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

You're also missing all the books.

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

None of the the original EU is canon, regardless of what period it was. It all has the legends banner.

However, I meant the books as in Tarkin, Aftermath, etc. those are all current new canon.

Are these Tarkin, Aftermatch, etc..books comics or novels?

[Scorpion Soldier]

Originally Posted by Forever Knight

Are these Tarkin, Aftermatch, etc..books comics or novels?

They're novels, but they should indeed be included in the timeline. Speaking of which, the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront is also cannon (not sure where in the timeline it falls though.)

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by yanksno1

Bummer, that Millennium Falcon bed costs $4,000! Someone has to come out with a cheaper (but just as good) bed right? Where's Ikea on this?


https://twitter.com/AwesomEmergency/...024256/photo/1

That must be so cool for them!

I swear, if you stare at that picture long enough, Boyega looks like a cardboard standee.

[aiman04]

Okay I'm done with toys. Need more footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now.

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by DisneyBlu

Truth.

And that will be proven correct when The Force Awakens to $650 million world wide and becomes the third highest grossing movie in record time. Don't see a Star Trek movie doing that, ever.

Star Wars has and always will be more mainstream (and more popular) than Star Trek. You can walk into almost any store and find all kinds of Star Wars things. Candy, school supplies, movies, toys, foods, clothes, suitcases, bed spreads - and that was before Disney kicked off the Force Awakens merchandise onslaught. It's been that way for a long, long time.

Star Wars is definitely more mainstream and more relevant, and I find that point hard to argue. It's been kept alive between the product tie-ins and things like cartoons and video games. I doubt the majority of kids even know, or care, about Star Trek.

Star Wars was accessible because it wasn't "weird" and "sci-fi-ish." It was just a relatable phenomenon. You'll find many people who are into Wars but not Trek but I'd argue that the only people into Trek but not Wars are fanboys with a grudge.

Living in NYC, I play a game. If I'm in Manhattan proper (or, Hell, even Queens where I live), I see how many Star Wars t-shirts I see a day during the summer. It's, at the very least, 1. You don't see that with any other franchise. You've got moms and dads who are indoctrinating their children now. It's a pretty great time to be a SW fan...

...unless, of course, TFA turns out to be TPM.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Star Wars was accessible because it wasn't "weird" and "sci-fi-ish." It was just a relatable phenomenon. You'll find many people who are into Wars but not Trek but I'd argue that the only people into Trek but not Wars are fanboys with a grudge.

Living in NYC, I play a game. If I'm in Manhattan proper (or, Hell, even Queens where I live), I see how many Star Wars t-shirts I see a day during the summer. It's, at the very least, 1. You don't see that with any other franchise. You've got moms and dads who are indoctrinating their children now. It's a pretty great time to be a SW fan...

...unless, of course, TFA turns out to be TPM.

I promise you, right now, there are George Lucas Prequel Defenders who cannot wait to savage Episode VII. For them, this will be their Episode I.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I swear, if you stare at that picture long enough, Boyega looks like a cardboard standee.

Yeah, there's some weird edge enhancement around the head. It's bizarre.