Lightsabre publishes the last part of their Rick McCallum interview.
Face it: There is no Expanded Universe golden age
Oh TFN, your ability to bring the laughs to fandom is yet unmatched. Check out this winner: Is the EU really starting to suck?
First of all: Starting? Like any product of this magnitude, the Expanded Universe has its ups and downs, and always has. There is no EU golden age: even back in the days of Bantam, fans were bitching up a storm. There are great books, good books, bad books, horrific books and the work of Kevin J. Anderson. (A man who dared to write that Mara’s hair was ‘auburn.’ Oh noes!)
And, let’s not forget, these classifications are completely subjective. One fan’s Crystal Star is another fan’s Heir to the Empire. I can’t even begin to comprehend why anyone would see YJK as the pinnacle of the Expanded Universe, but if nothing else it shows the sheer variety of fandom opinion.
In any case, the potential for ‘suck’ has existed in the EU since the day the first bit of it rolled off the printing press. The main variable here is the reader, and their taste. Yes, it’s more or less inevitable that every fan will be disappointed at some point. The only real difference is how one deals with it.
It’s okay to be unhappy with the direction of a series. It’s okay to not like a book, or an author. But try to see beyond your own prejudice, or at least do something with your angst other than throwing around words like ‘suck’ and ‘trash’ on a message board all day. It doesn’t make you look any good, and it certainly doesn’t do the fandom as a whole any favors.
Embrace the pain. Mock it, snark it, twist it to your own purposes. But don’t let it rule you.
And, for the record, at least some at TFN are trying to detract from the negativity.
Useful things on the Livejournal
Fanspeak Help, a community more than willing to explain the latest lingo when the Fanfiction Glossary fails you.
Forty minutes with McCallum
Lightsabre interviews Rick McCallum about the prequels, Young Indy, and LFL. This is only the first of three parts, so stay tuned! (Thanks, Mark!)
Interview with a Content Manager
Fan site Lightsabre interviews internet rockstar Pablo Hidalgo.
Conan Antonio Motti, big on the Internet
George gaves Admiral Motti a full name on Conan the other night – after Conan – and some people are shocked and awed that Wookieepedia already reflects the change. Obviously they’ve never looked at the site during the run-up to a book release! Wookieepedians are always lurking around looking for bits of new canon… Or ‘canon,’ as the case may be.
Stupid shit on the Wookieepedia
Breast. Way to break those stereotypes, fanboys.
Is the honeymoon over?
Weird Things on the Wookieepedia
Alien Exodus, a never-produced book trilogy that would have detailed the origins of the human race in the GFFA. I… I… Um. Okay.
At least I finally know what the deal was with those Alien Chronicle books.
Fansite spotlight: FBTB.net
From Bricks to Bothans is a fansite that completely focuses on Star Wars and Legos. They have a huge gallery of custom constructions and minifigs, extensive forums, a marketplace, and even hold contests!