Club Jade

The Star Wars Books Facebook page held a chat with Pablo Hidalgo today, one of Lucasfilm’s resident continuity experts and author of The Essential Reader’s Companion.

So his most popular answer, naturally, addressed the relationship between the movies and the rest…

I think the EU will always continue to be part of the Star Wars experience, in that there are stories that are best suited for books, comics, games. etc.. The relationship between cinematic content and expanded universe content will continue to be what it is today and has been in the past. What happens on screen is one thing. What happens in the books is another. How they connect and interact is something I’m really eager to see.

More answers below the cut!

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Jennifer Landa talks to Sariah Gallego, the girl who gained internet fame by pledging herself to the Dark Side at Disneyland. Her inspiration may surprise you!

Sariah Gallego picks the Dark Side at Disneyland’s Jedi Academy. Is this really all that unusual? Kids love them some dark side.

Whoohoo! Beginning next Thursday, the Star Wars Books Facebook page will be posting a Heir to the Empire annotation from Timothy Zahn each week until the book’s release in June. Suddenly, I hate Facebook just a tiny, tiny bit less.

In the meantime, Del Rey is asking what Thrawn scene you’d like to see illustrated in The Essential Guide to Warfare.

The blogside. Paul S. Kemp on readers who complain there’s too much focus on Jedi and Sith in the EU. I’m so with him on this. Sure, it’s nice to have novels about other folks in the galaxy sometimes, but Jedi and Sith are pretty much integral to the DNA of Star Wars.

Pop quiz. Head on over to EUC to find out if you are smarter than a Star Wars blogger. I can neither confirm nor deny that some of the snarky quotes are mine.

C2E2. Not surprisingly, there are several Star Wars events at the Chicago con later this month, including Del Rey and Dark Horse panels. And I’m changing my mind every other day about going…

Weird facts. Pete at Lightsaber Rattling follows up his author list with a look at who’s written the most young adult novels. The ultimate result this time around, though? Not a surprise. Think if we pester him enough he’ll do one by word count?

Visions. The cat is officially out of the bag on the upcoming art book, and the previews keep on coming. I’m rather taken with the classical styles of the Daniel E. Greene and Will Wilson pieces.

First look. Bonnie Burton’s craft book!

The blogside:Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica draws a parallel between Grand Admiral Thrawn, Exar Kun, and the Sith of The Old Republic; Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff on making up planets.

Interviews: NJOE talks to Invasion’s Tom Taylor.

Lists. Topless Robot’s Adam Pawlus counts down his list of the ten best stories in the Expanded Universe. The vast majority of these are at best unnoteworthy to this EU fan, and I certainly can’t condone anyone who puts a Boba Fett comic above the Thrawn trology. (Zahn may not be perfect… But Boba Fett? How uncivilized.)

Namesake corner. Sideshow says Mara Jade will make “an appearance in one of our lines by 2011.”

Bonnie talks to artists Jamie Snell and Suckadelic about their contrinutions to the Empire Muggs Back project.

It was a busy week on the VIP blogs… First, a slightly defensive Drew Karpyshyn Rule of Two update (seriously fanboys, lay off the guy already,) then John Jackson Miller pondered keeping things unexplained, and we were favored with an Abel G. Peña double-punch on Darth names and, of all things, The Crystal Star.

• TFN took a seven-part look at Darth Krayt. I’m not really sure there actually is seven days worth of material on the subject, but that’s why I don’t work for TFN, I guess.

• Speaking of comics, a review of Legacy: Broken.
• A neat Darth Nihilus costume spotted at Comic-Con.

The dramatic chipmunk has been all over the internets – now he’s been ‘upgraded’ with a red lightsaber! (via TOSblog)

What do Avril Lavigne and Anakin Skywalker have in common? They both love to whiiiiine!
In this case, we even have Avril Lavigne (playing the part of Padme) whining about Anakin Skywalker. In this week’s featured filk, Luci asks why must everything be so Sith-Related.

Sunnyskywalker explores the origins of Varykino and wonders what Bail told Padme’s family about her death; DJ Maul reviews Bloodlines; The Infinite Force wraps up his look at the Sith.