Star Wars Television Series Moving Forward

merg717 writes "George Lucas has confirmed that work has begun on a live-action Star Wars television series. This is the companion piece to the Clone Wars animated series, focusing on entirely new characters outside of the frame of the six movies. 'Lucas joked that the series would be about "the life of robots" but wouldn't let any details slip about the true premise. The "extended universe" of "Star Wars" has come to life already in Lucas-sanctioned novels, comics and games that chronicle the history of the Jedi and tell the tales of bit players in the films, such as the bounty hunters from "The Empire Strikes Back."'"

Great!

[Hawthorne01]

More marketing opportunities for LucasFilm! More toys! More action figures! More breakfast cereals!

People who think this was about things like "artistic vision" or "extended storytelling possibilities" probably like Jar-Jar Binks as well.

Cry some more

[ObiWanStevobi]

Cue the whining! Oh no, Lucas is making a TV series I don't have to watch, and wouldn't have to pay any extra money for if I do watch it!

Whatever. What is with everyone thinking Lucas should never do anything Star Wars again because it won't be as good as the originals? So he isn't going to top his early work, so what? I'm sure it will still be better than most the other crap I'd normally watch. Personally, I think some of the other works have had great plots. In some cases, poor execution, but the good far outweighed the bad.

Re:Expect lots of gratuitous cameos

[MontyApollo]

At least it is not going to be the Adventures of Young Luke Skywalker.

Well I hope its good, but not holding my breath!

[olddotter]

As a long time Star Wars fan, I was badly disappointed with the prequels. I'd like this to be good, but I'll watch it with low expectations.

Re:Battlestar Galactica

[rehtonAesoohC]

Battlestar Galactica has proven that it's possible to create cinema-quality special effects and atmosphere on a TV show budget these days

Firefly too; Man I wish that show hadn't been canceled.

Color me "who the fuck cares anymore"

[jollyreaper]

I'm not going to say George Lucas raped my childhood. That's hyperbolic and silly. What he did was run a very fun series straight into the ground. As a kid I was "yay, Star Wars!" As a teen I was still "yay, nostalgia!" Right up until the CGI-addled re-release I as "yay, I could watch these movies once a year and never get bored." Then Phantom Menace came out. "Huh, that was Star Wars?" By ROTS I'm "Meh, Star Wars." Watching the movies once a year around Christmastime was a family tradition. Well, I'll pick up the DVD version of the untouched original trilogy -- used, so Lucas doesn't make any more money, but that'll be my last Star Wars purchase. The expanded universe is boring, the games are uninspired, the "property" is being treated like a "franchise" and I just can't work up a shit to give about it.

Firefly was like the new Star Wars, a wild west space opera. That's the kind of wit and energy that should be brought to a new Star Wars project and it's just something we're not going to see. Lord of the Rings is now my big epic trilogy to watch over the holidays.

Re:Cry some more

[ObiWanStevobi]

Well done lightsaber duals? Check.

Cool looking robots fighting? Check.

Chase scene through asteroid field? Check.

Space battles? Check.

Wookies fighting robots? Check.

Yoda decapitating whatever is in his way? Check.

Excellent CGI? Check.

So there was some weak lines in it and Jar Jar was poor comic relief. Still way better than most movies.

Re:Battlestar Galactica

[andyh3930]

The reason why Firefly and BSG works so well is that the episodes are character driven first, great plots second and cemented with FX. You get to know them, hate them, love them, feel for them, with Firefly who wouldn't would to travel aboard Serenity. Joss wrote them as people you'd meet down the street, Star Wars and the Trek canon, its all to black and white goodies and baddies, life ain't like that. Picard trolls around the galaxy with his shiny Starship that can blow nearly anything out of the black, so they can afford their Prime Directive and when they can't they, the writers use some Dues Ex Machina to get round the problem. Thats turns boring real soon. In BSG and Firefly you have to fight, fight or die. It becomes interesting, right and wrong are shades of grey and you might think that some of the things the 'good' characters do are wrong and the 'bad' characters good. Mal shot First!! (Shiny)

I'll just wait and see.

[Amazetbm]

Instead of ranting, I'll reserve my judgment until I see what they've developed. The animated series looks like it could be half-way decent. But then again, that was only a trailer.

Re:Cry some more

[andphi]

Enormous Plot Holes? (The Jedi are mysterious, subtle, mystical monks in 4, 5, 6, and 1 and target practice in 2 and 3.)

Inverse Ninja Effect? (Two Sith vs hundreds of Jedi.)

One and Two Dimensional Characters?

Insipid Romance?

Huge CGI sets which swallow the cast?

Re:The Right Solution

[jjohnson]

You actually want Kevin Anderson to leave his poop trailings all over a Star Wars TV show? His rape of the Dune universe wasn't sufficient?

Well, after the first three I suppose the whole property can't be any more degraded...

done in 97 thanks to Troops

[tyroneking]

http://www.theforce.net/fanfilms/shortfilms/troops/ [theforce.net]

Re:Cue cynicism in 3 . . . 2 . . .(1)

[ultranova]

Like many people in the "entertainment" world, George Lucas is a megalomaniac, and needs constant "action" to feel personally validated.

Or he could be an artist who's not willing to retire and stop creating the second he got enough money to spend the rest of his days in comfort. Or he could be mindlessly greedy. Or he could just be bored. Or whatever.

Calling someone a "megalomaniac" just because they keep on coming up with plans well within their capability to implement is hardly justified.

At a certain point these guys didn't really need any more money, but a fate worse than being poor again would be to fade into the past.

Creating things can be a very fullfilling pasttime. If your financial future is secured, why not seek such fullfillment ? It doesn't imply mental problems, you know.

Re:Cue cynicism in 3 . . . 2 . . .(1)

[andphi]

No problem.

I can see your points. The core of the story is an interesting one: as you said, the slow descent into evil (via initially non-evil motives). It's a story I myself have thought about telling, though as horror fantasy rather than science fantasy. It's the details of execution that bug the hell out of me, so much so that I find it hard to get past them to appreciate the central story. Some people relate to Tolkien and LoTR the way I relate to the prequels. I love LoTR and see mostly flaws and squandered potential in PM, AotC, and RotS.