200 Days of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, part 2

I want to call your attention to a page I added to the blog.  The page will be the list of canon items (both official and unofficial) and in what order the content should be consumed.  Instead of keeping lists in the blog posts and eventually bringing it all together into one list, I decided to create a page to do the same thing.  As I post blog posts, I’ll update the page with entries for that blog’s content.

The next episode in Season 1 of The Clone Wars is episode 5, Rookies.  This is considered official canon and also continues a story arc retroactively started in Season 3’s episode 1, Clone Cadets.  I also watched the episodes titled Downfall of a Droid, Duel of the Droids, Bombad Jedi, Cloak of Darkness, and lastly, Lair of Grievous.  These episodes have a number of tie-in books that follow them quite closely.  I will be considering them part of the canon.

There was a book published, titled Grievous Attacks, which includes three parts that adapt four episodes into text.  The first part, titled Rookies, is an adaptation of the episode Rookies.  The second part, titled Downfall of a Droid, is actually an adaptation of the two episodes Downfall of a Droid and Duel of the Droids. The third and final section is titled Lair of Grievous, and adapts the episode of the same name.  These adaptations are nearly identical to the episode content.

There was one young reader book published that also adapted Downfall of a Droid and Duel of the Droids.  This book was titled R2-D2’s Adventure. Bombad Jedi was adapted into two books (both of which cover the entire episode).  Bombad Jedi and Jar Jar’s Big Day are the titles of those adaptations.  As previously mentioned, Cloak of Darkness received its own comic adaptation at the end of the book Ambush.

There are several books that used elements from several episodes as of this point.  Jedi Adventures adapts the episodes Rising Malevolence and Cloak of Darkness.  The book Jedi in Training uses several episodes as its source content.  Lastly, Watch Out for Jabba the Hutt contains images and characters from previous episodes as its source content.

As for story arcs, here are the episodes relationships:
Rookies (continued story started with episode 301)
R2-D2: Downfall of a Droid, Duel of the Droids
Nute Gunray: Bombad Jedi, Cloak of Darkness, Lair of Grievous

The last thing I want to bring up in this post is a trade paperback comic book that was published titled Tales from the Clone Wars: Webcomic Collection Season 1.  Starwars.com released a short webcomic each week leading up to the next episode in Season 1 of The Clone Wars.  This book collects each of those short webcomics.  These comics were written by two of the writers for the show, and were meant to tie-in with that week’s episode.  So far, I haven’t seen anything that would conflict with any of the episodic content.  I would go so far as to say that these webcomics actually tie the episodes together quite well.  I am going to include them in the timeline, also.

I do believe that is it for this round.  I’ll be back shortly with more content!

200 Days of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, part 1

Watching The Clone Wars in order is somewhat hectic at the beginning.  As production continued forward, they went back in time to fill in some story gaps, or to continue some previous storylines.  Thus, there is a lot of jumping around early on.

For this installment, we’ll look at the following episodes and some of the tie-in books that go along with these episodes. There is a lot to cover for this installment, so let’s get going!  The list below is what I consider to be the order of canon at this stage of The Clone Wars.

1. Season 2, Episode 16: Cat and Mouse (216)
2. Season 1, Episode 16: The Hidden Enemy (116)
3. The Clone Wars novelization
4. The Clone Wars junior novelization
5. The Clone Wars movie
6. Anakin in Action
7. Battle at Teth
8. The Battle Begins
9. The Galactic Photobook
10. The New Padawan
11. Operation: Huttlet
12. Season 3, Episode 1: Clone Cadets (301)
13. Season 3, Episode 3: Supply Lines (303)
14. Season 1, Episode 1: Ambush (101)
15. Yoda in Action!
16. Ambush (except bonus story at end)
17. Meet Ahsoka Tano
18. Season 1, Episode 2: Rising Malevolence (102)
19. Season 1, Episode 3: Shadow of Malevolence (103)
20. Season 1, Episode 4: Destroy Malevolence (104)
21. Ambush bonus story, Cloak of Darkness
22. The Clone Wars PopUp Book: Heroes
23. Season 1 Episode Guide

The Del Rey novel for the movie is certainly a good read.  Karen Traviss has some other fantastic books in the Star Wars universe.  However, when considering canonicity, I have to question how the novel fits into the canon.  I also question some of the writing decision for the book.  I do not know if those decisions were made by Ms. Traviss or LucasLicensing, but the novel certainly explores the dark side of Anakin, shows him struggling with some of the decisions he’s made, and fosters the dark side within.  Also, the book is written with a perspective on Palpatine that he’s Darth Sideous.  This isn’t horrible, but if you’re going through these for the first time, it ruins that revelation for the end of Revenge of the Sith.  This novel is written with the assumption that the reader is fully aware of who everyone is.  Again, the novel is a good read, and it doesn’t really deviate from the movie.  It could still be considered canon, but first time Star Wars readers will have some assumptions made about them and their knowledge of events that they may not yet have.

The Junior novel more closely follows the movie and does not really add much to the story.  Anakin in Action follows the events of the movie, except the end of the book seems to indicate that Anakin and Ahsoka were able to hop aboard a LAAT/i and deliver Rotta safely, when in fact, the movie continues on.  I don’t consider this to detrimental to the canon, so we’ll include it.

Battle at Teth and The Battle Begins both follow the movie with no deviations.  The Galactic Photobook, The New Padawan, and Operation: Huttlet also follow the movie, but leave a lot of holes in the storyline.  The New Padawan chronicles the battle of Christophsis and Operation: Huttlet chronicles the battle of Teth.  Again, not detrimental to the overall canon.  Meet Ahsoka Tano also follows the movie, but also includes material found in Rising Malevolence.  I have placed it later in the list to bridge the gap between the three episodes between the movie and Season 1 Episode 2.

Yoda in Action! and Ambush both follow the Season 1 opener, Ambush, closely.  Included at the end of the book Ambush is a short story, titled Cloak of Darkness, that follows Season 1 Episode 9 of the same name.

The Season 1 Episode Guide is actually more of a reference book.  Throughout are short blurbs that further some of the storylines, and set up other storylines down the road.  They also explain the backstory and history of each episode from a production standpoint.  Lastly, the Heroes pop up book uses scenes from various Season 1 episodes throughout.  It should be read at the end of the Season 1 episodes.  Content within is directly from the television content, therefore it should be considered canon, but it reads like a summary, of sorts.

Now, as for the episodic content.  All of this is considered Canon.  In days past, this would be considered G-Canon since George was directly involved in production/writing.  As you watch the episodes, you’ll see story arcs and relationships, which are actually quite nice.  You can sit down and watch three or four of these in a row, feel like you’ve seen a movie, and have received a decent story, all at the same time.  Or, it also allows you to take smaller bites of the story at time.  Here are the story arcs in this installment.

Christophsis/Teth – Cat and Mouse (216), The Hidden Enemy (116), feature film
New Clones – Clone Cadets (301).  This episode is foundational for other episodes scattered throughout that update us on these clones.
Toydarian system/Rugosa – Supply Lines (303), Ambush (101).  These episodes set up a story arc later in Season 1.
The Malevolence trilogy – Rising Malevolence (102), Shadow of Malevolence (103), Destroy Malevolence (104)

One thing to note regarding content here.  In Episode 16 of Season 1, The Hidden Enemy, there is clearly a familiarity between Asaaj Ventress and Obi-Wan Kenobi that implies they have met before.  This has yet to be explored as part of the “new” timeline, but I bet there are clues in other sources.  This merits additional research in the future.

200 Days of Star Wars: Watch Order, part 1

Much has been said on the interwebs about the watch order of Star Wars content. A lot of people will tell you that you should skip Episode I altogether.  There are also those who would say that Hayden Christensen was a horrible choice for Anakin Skywalker and that his acting was horrible!  So, I will attempt to weigh in on these things with this post.

If you want to watch it chronologically, the best watch order is:
The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, The Clone Wars, Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and finally, Return of the Jedi.

If you want to watch it in order of release, the order would be:
A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and finally, The Clone Wars.

Probably the most agreed upon order of watching them is:
A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and ending with Return of the Jedi.  This order, especially for people who have never before been exposed to Star Wars (like your children) will experience what is considered the best and greatest “reveal” in cinematic history that occurs in The Empire Strikes Back.

For a lot of people, Star Wars ended with Return of the Jedi.  The prequel trilogy did little to appease “hardcore” fans.  Here are my thoughts on the matter.

If the goal is to introduce someone to Star Wars and they are either your children or have been living under a rock their entire lives, then I would suggest this order:
A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi, The Clone Wars, and ending with Rebels.  Once all of the new ones are released, I will reevaluate this order.

I firmly believe that The Phantom Menace is an important chapter in Star Wars lore.  In it we are introduced to the struggle of Anakin leaving his mother to be trained as a Jedi.  We’re also introduced to the potential greatness of Anakin’s force abilities via the podrace.  We’re also introduced to Padme, Jar Jar Binks, and Qui-Gon Jin. Certainly there are other characters in the movie, but these are the important ones.  Yes, I called Jar Jar an important character.

I don’t think anyone would argue that Attack of the Clones wasn’t also an important chapter in Star Wars lore.  And within it is why I feel The Phantom Menace should not be left out.  From the very beginning of the movie there is tension between Anakin and Padme.  There is a love interest here.  The movie ends with the two of them getting married, which is a fulfillment of Anakin’s declaration of marriage in The Phantom Menace.  Granted, this isn’t huge, but it serves to further distinguish Anakin’s difference from other Jedi.  Jedi don’t marry.  Period.  Without the bonds that occurred in The Phantom Menace, the tension and marriage in Attack of the Clones really doesn’t make sense.  Teenagers are around beautiful women all of the time and seldom do they end up getting married.

Qui-Gon Jin is an important character to meet.  We hear his disembodied voice in Attack of the Clones, as does Yoda.  I really enjoy how the novel dives into how this is something new.  Even Yoda is caught off guard by Qui-Gon’s voice.  It also leaves it hanging.  More is explained on this in The Clone Wars TV series.  Qui-Gon’s rogue-ish nature actually introduces something new to the Jedi order.  This is what allows Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin to reappear at the end of Return of the Jedi.  This is also what allows Obi-Wan to “become more powerful than [Darth Vader] could possibly imagine” in A New Hope and encourage Luke to “use the force” to destroy the Death Star.  Without knowing Qui-Gon, this important aspect of the Force was simply something to be taken for granted.  It also helps explain how this is even possible and why all Jedi aren’t able to do this.

Lastly, Jar Jar.  I will grant that Jar Jar’s character in The Phantom Menace does little to move the plot along, besides helping to bridge the gap that had come between the Naboo and the Gungans.  Without the bond that developed between Padme/Amidala and Jar Jar, Naboo would have been lost.  The story would have been drastically different.  So there is an important aspect of Jar Jar’s inclusion.  The second reason, and probably the most important reason, is for his part in Attack of the Clones.  Jar Jar is the one who introduces giving emergency powers to Palpatine.  Jar Jar is certainly manipulated into doing it, and if you watch how the scene plays out, you can see how it’s done.  Every time I’m left sitting there thinking, “No, don’t do it, Jar Jar.  Can’t you see you’re being manipulated?”  Any normal person would probably have picked up on that, but with our knowledge of Jar Jar’s past, it works.  Without having seen his clumsy, almost clueless nature, this scene doesn’t make sense.  It just doesn’t work.  It becomes bad story telling with a leap of logic that is hard to swallow.  But, having been exposed to Jar Jar, it makes sense.  Jar Jar is who we have to thank for The Clone Wars, as it is with those powers that Palpatine raises “a grand army”.

So, without Jar Jar, we have no Clone Wars.  Without the Clone Wars, we have no Order 66.  Without Order 66, we have no Sith ruler sitting blissfully on top.  Without the Sith on top, we have no Empire, and thus no more story.  The Phantom Menace is a major foundational piece of the story, and as such, I believe it is necessary to watch.

As noted in the title, I’ll post a part 2 as I move forward.  At this point, I have only watched these two episodes and read most of their content.

200 Days of Star Wars: Begun the Clone War Has

The marketing machine behind Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones must not have been geared as much towards book tie-ins as it was for Episode I.  Or, the writing was geared much more toward literature for The Clone Wars.  The books that were released with “Episode II Attack of the Clones” as part of the title were much less than those released as “Episode I” titles.  These titles included: Anakin: Apprentice, Jango Fett: Bounty Hunter, Battle in the Arena, Clone Troopers in Action, I Am a Jedi Apprentice, the Scholastic Junior novelization, the Del Rey novelization, the Dark Horse Comics adaptation, the Mighty Chronicles adaptation, the Movie Storybook adaptation, and the PhotoComic adaptation.

I only own and have access to just under half of the aforementioned books, so my search will continue to track down a copy of the others.  First up, the Del Rey novel.  While it is largely based on the movie, there are a lot of scenes the book expands upon.  There are also a few extra sub-plots included in the book.  All in all, I would say the book could still be considered Canon.  There was really very little that conflicted with the movie.

The Scholastic Junior Novelization followed the movie very closely.  There were a few scenes added from the full novel, but very few.  All in all, the Scholastic Junior Novelization could be considered canon.  There was nothing included that would conflict with the movie.  As for the Dark Horse Comics adaptation, the same can be said.  Both of them read like they came from the same storyline.  The comic adaptation included the same additions as the Scholastic version.  So, since there is nothing that conflicts with the movie, I would place the Dark Horse Comics adaptation as canon, too.

Anakin: Apprentice and Jango Fett: Bounty Hunter do not go along with the canon.  When they do, only small portions go along with the canonical story.  As such, these should not be included in the list of canon books.

As I move into The Clone Wars, my posts should come faster.  But, let me go over what I will and won’t be covering.  The only thing marketed as “Clone Wars” that is technically a part of the canon is the Cartoon Network series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” aired from 2008 to 2014.  The feature length movie “The Clone Wars” also fits this bill, as it was an introduction to this television series.  There was quite a bit of tie-in material released as part of “The Clone Wars” marketing strategy, so I’ll be exploring those books along the way, also.  This will be the focus as we move through the Clone Wars forward to Episode III.

The Cartoon Network produced “Star Wars: Clone Wars” mini cartoons released from 2003 to 2005 are not considered canon, and will not be covered.  Any of the novels with “A Clone Wars Novel” as part of their title will not be covered, either.  Dark Horse Comics also released two series of Clone Wars related material, which will also not be covered presently.

200 Days of Star Wars: The Menace continues

With this post I hope to finish up the marketing madness that was Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  As I mentioned before, this was a BIG DEAL in Star Wars fandom.  But, in hindsight, the marketing machine may have gone a little overboard.  Each of the books listed below were released with Episode I branding, technically making them part of the storylines.  Only some of them were retellings of the movie.  A lot of them had other bits of story that are technically not canon.  Anything that was partially based on the movie, with the exception of the Scholastic junior novelization, I did not include in the final list.

The last few weeks I’ve spent some time reading through a lot of the Episode I material that was released over 10 years ago.  I also changed my mind and reread a few of the books I wasn’t going to read, as mentioned previously. Below is the list of books I’ve recently read and what kind of story it is.  At the end, I will give the updated list of what I propose could be considered canon.

Movie Storybook – This is directly from the movie/script.
Scholastic junior novelization – This is mostly from the movie/script.
Journal: Anakin Skywalker – This is mostly from the movie/script.
Journal: Darth Maul – This is partially from the movie/script, but it is mostly new storylines.
Journal: Queen Amidala – This is mostly from the movie/script.
Anakin’s Pit Droid – A new storyline, not part of the movie/script.
Anakin’s Race for Freedom – Right from the movie/script, podrace scene.
Dangers of the Core – Right from the movie/script, trip through the core in the bongo
General Jar Jar – Naboo plains battle about Jar Jar
Gungan Trouble! – This is partially based on the movie/script
Jedi Escape – From the movie/script where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon escape the Trade Federation control ship to Otoh Gunga
Obi-Wan’s Bongo Adventure – Right from the movie/script, trip through the core in the bongo
Podrace! – From the movie/script podrace
A Queen’s Diary – This is mostly based on the movie/script.
Ready, Set, Podrace! – From the movie/script podrace
Save Naboo! – From the movie/script battle of Theed
Watch Out, Jar Jar! – This is mostly based on the movie, but not all of it.
Dark Horse Comics adaptation – Directly from the movie
Queen in Disguise – A new story
Anakin’s Fate – A new story, but includes parts from the novel that aren’t technically included in the canon
The Queen’s Amulet – A new story
Anakin to the Rescue – A new story
I Am a Jedi – More of a reference book, I wouldn’t consider it part of the canon
I Am a Droid – More of a reference book, I wouldn’t consider it part of the canon
I Am a Pilot – More of a reference book, I wouldn’t consider it part of the canon
I Am a Queen – More of a reference book, I wouldn’t consider it part of the canon
LEGO Anakin: Space Pilot – I wouldn’t consider this a part of the canon, it touches on the major space battles in which Anakin has flown in a spoof kind of way
Who’s Who – This is definitely a reference book
Incredible Cross-Sections – This is definitely a reference book
Movie Scrapbook – This is definitely a reference book

Books I do not currently have access to:
Mighty Chronicles version of the movie
Book-and-Record version of the movie
Anakin Skywalker
Droid to the Rescue
Droids Everywhere!
Jar Jar Binks
Jar Jar’s Mistake
Meet the Jedi High Council
Sith Attack
The Fight for Naboo

As I have read these, what I keep asking myself is, “If I do not have access to the movie, will these books tell me the same story?”  That is how I am determining what should/could be considered canon.

In conclusion, here is what we have so far:
O = Official canon entry, U = Unofficial canon entry
1. O The Phantom Menace (movie)
2. U The Phantom Menace (novel)
3. U The Phantom Menace (Scholastic Junior novelization)
4. U The Phantom Menace (Dark Horse comics)
5. U The Phantom Menace Movie Storybook
6. U Star Wars Junior: Jedi Escape (young reader)
7. U Star Wars Junior: Obi-Wan’s Bongo Adventure (young reader)
8. U Episode I: Dangers of the Core (young reader)
9. U Anakin’s Race for Freedom (young reader)
10. U Podrace! (young reader)
11. U Ready, Set, Podrace! (young reader)
12. U Save Naboo! (young reader)

Next up, Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

200 Days of Star Wars: The Phantom Canon

I remember when The Phantom Menace first came to theaters in 1999.  I was in high school and was highly engrossed in all of the Star Wars literature.  This was a BIG DEAL!  At least, it was to me.  I remember going to see the movie in the theaters and being completely blown away by it.  It opened up a whole new world.  Granted, by this time in Star Wars lore, we pretty much knew the fate of Darth Vader and how Anakin made that transition.  But we’d never seen it.

I enjoyed the story and, no, Jar Jar did not really aggravate me too much.  I appreciated his character for the comic relief he provided.  Would the movie have been just as good without him?  Yes, but I don’t loathe the movie due to his inclusion.

This is where the official start of the new canon is located.  Officially, only the Blu-Ray release is a part of the canon, as minor and subtle changes were made before the release.  I cannot speak to the recent digital releases, but I suspect they are the same as the Blu-Ray release.  The novelization of the movie is not, as a whole, considered canon.  I have read several sources that have stated the same, but this site has some other good info on it, too.  “For the novel and comic adaptations only the scenes/dialogue which align to that seen on screen are canon, the rest of the adaptation is classed as Legends.”

The novel introduces us to Darth Bane, the rule of two, Anakin’s dealing with Tusken’s, and a few other gems that I think add something to the canon.  At this stage, I really don’t see why the stories out there (Darth Bane trilogy, Darth Plagueis, Outbound Flight, and Darth Maul novels, for example) could not still be a part of the canon as backstory.  There is also valuable content in comics and short stories that take place in this era of Star Wars lore.  I have not re-read them as part of this journey (perhaps next year?), though.

Furthermore, it appears as if Terry Brooks, the author of the novelization, was highly influenced by none other than George Lucas himself regarding content of the book.

“Brooks met with Lucas before writing the book and received his approval and guidance, including information about developments to come in Episodes II and III.” (starwars.wikia.com)

“The novelization is especially well-known for a passage describing the history of the Sith, including Darth Bane.  According to Terry Brooks’s memoir, Sometimes the Magic Works, Lucas spent an hour on the telephone with him discussing the history of the Jedi and the Sith.  Therefore, the information on this subject provided in Brooks’s novelization might derive from Lucas himself.” (starwars.wikia.com)

“Author Terry Brooks built upon the screenplay by George Lucas for his novel, benefiting from direct input from Lucas to confidently expand the story.” (Pablo Hidalgo, The Essential Reader’s Companion, entry on The Phantom Menace)

So, while not “officially” a part of the canon, a large part of what is included in the book but not a part of movie may very well be content from George himself.  This would, in the former days of canon, have made this potentially G-canon, which is the highest order of canon that can be bestowed on Star Wars material.

If you want the “complete” experience, there is an app that was published by Disney called Star Wars Beginnings.  This app is like an interactive storybook.  In theory, since it was published by Disney on December 18, 2014, it should be considered canon since it falls after the April 25, 2014 date.  The unfortunate thing about the app is that it is a money-grab.  There is no way to unlock the full story without purchasing the app.  The content looks promising, though I have to admit I haven’t purchased the app as of yet.

Thus far, my 200 days of Star Wars has been:
May 10 – Watched The Phantom Menace Blu-Ray
May 10 – May 17 – Read The Phantom Menace novel
May 16 –  Began looking at Star Wars Beginnings.
May 17 – Read Star Wars Junior: Jedi Escape, Star Wars Junior: Obi Wan’s Bongo Adventure, Episode I: Dangers of the Core, and The Phantom Menace comic by Dark Horse.  I also looked at two additional books for young readers: Episode I: Queen in Disguise and The Queen’s Amulet.

There are many more young reader books I’ll be exploring as part of this endeavor, and those will be talked about in the next post, as I have a chance to read through them.

So, let’s take a look at these extra books for this week and see what there is to discover.  Episode I: Queen in Disguise and The Queen’s Amulet are two stories that take place before The Phantom Menace.  The first book explains how the idea of Padme and Rabe changing places periodically as a decoy came to be.  It is an interesting read (I’ve read it before), but I skipped over it this time because it technically isn’t a part of The Phantom Menace.  The Queen’s Amulet dives into the history of the amulet that the queen wears throughout The Phantom Menace.  Again, this book is not a part of The Phantom Menace, so it did not get a read this time and does not make it into the list of canon, whether official or unofficial.

Jedi Escape, Obi-Wan’s Bongo Adventure, and Dangers of the Core are simply adaptations of the movie.  Jedi Escape tells how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan escape the Trade Federation blockade ship and survive to reach the planet.  Obi-Wan’s Bongo Adventure and Dangers of the Core are both stories about the adventure leaving Otoh Gunga to the arrival at Theed.  Lastly, the Dark Horse adaptation of the movie follows the movie quite close.  The only difference in any of these books and the movie is the dialogue being somewhat off.  Personally, I don’t think this is that big of an issue.  In a couple of the books, they incorporate the bongo-headed-to-the-waterfall deleted scene from the arrival at Theed scene from the movie, which previously would have been considered G-canon.  So, with that, I would also include these as canonical entries into the timeline.

In conclusion, here is what we have so far:
O = Official canon entry, U = Unofficial canon entry
1. O The Phantom Menace (movie)
2. U The Phantom Menace (novel)
3. U Star Wars Junior: Jedi Escape (young reader)
4. U Star Wars Junior: Obi-Wan’s Bongo Adventure (young reader)
5. U Episode I: Dangers of the Core (young reader)
6. U The Phantom Menace (comic)

200 Days of Star Wars: Begun the Countdown Has

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an avid fan of Star Wars.  Not just the movies, mind you.  We’re talking the entire expanded universe.  Until the New Jedi Order series came out, I had pretty much read all of the Star Wars novels that had been published.  Since the NJO, I have read a few here or there that happen at other times of the universe.  And a rich universe it has grown to be!  We’re talking a universe that spans thousands of years, just to tell stories that take place “in a galaxy far, far away.”

Many posts, articles, and research papers have been written on the lasting nature of Star Wars.  This is not going to be the focus of this series.  Nay, the focus of this series will be on some of the content of that universe as we move ever closer to December 18, 2015.  And with much thanks to Disney, this should be able to continue into the future, with planned movie releases for the next six years!

The content discussed here will be in regard to canonicity, chronology, and what my thoughts are on the matter.  Let me start by saying this: I am actually a little happy that they decided to ditch the expanded universe.  I do wish that they would have taken care and allowed some of it to stay, but the New Jedi Order turned me off in regards to Star Wars literature.  I guess the death of Chewie (SPOILER ALERT!) was simply too much for me.  Plus it is a very dark series. (I am still slowly working my way through these novels, by the way.  I’m about halfway through the NJO series.)

So, let’s get started by discussing the larger canon, in general.  I’m not sure even Chewie’s death caused as much of an uproar as the announcement that The Force Awakens will be its own story in a rebooted timeline.  I mean, WOW!  I was completely floored by a lot of the reactions about it.  As I mentioned above, I am actually a little happy with the decision, but I am largely holding off judgement simply to see what happens.  I remember when Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy came out.  That series was amazing!  And it essentially kicked off the modern Star Wars novel empire.  Ultimately I will probably be a little disappointed if a number of things that happened in those books, that were influential in a number of other stories and novels, are retconned into oblivion.  I’m hopeful that won’t happen.  I’m hopeful that a lot of the books will still be able to stand alone, alongside the “official” canon and exist apart from it, while still supporting the universe.

Much has been said about the new canon.  At this point, all that we know for certain is the new canon includes the following:
A. Episode I: The Phantom Menace (movie)
B. Episode II: Attack of the Clones (movie)
C. The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network series and movie)
D. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (movie)
E. Rebels (Disney series and tie-in books)
F. Episode IV: A New Hope
G. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
H. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
I. Episode VII: The Force Awakens
J. Most material that has been published after April 25, 2014.
source: StarWars.com press release

My main complaint about this whole thing is that there is a tremendous lack of “official” information coming from the Star Wars Story Group.  You wouldn’t think it would be too difficult to create a webpage that documents their progress on what is canon and what is not.  But, if you simply rule out everything that has come before (with the exceptions of the list above), then nothing is canon and everything from April 25, 2014 forward is canon and there really is no discussion about it.  There is one thing about the press release that strikes me as strange, and maybe this has been corrected or commented on elsewhere that I am missing.  The press release states that “Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe.”  This implies that all media prior to Return of the Jedi is still canon.  Hopefully we’ll get into that as we get closer to that time period, as there is already a handful of new literature out now exploring that time frame.

I don’t agree with this sentiment.  I think there are a large number of existing stories that, until specifically made invalid, can largely enrich the new canonical universe.  That is the direction of this series of blogs.  I will not bash the decision, because frankly, I think it was the right one.  So, nothing stated here can be taken as Star Wars gospel, but I will provide evidence in each post as to why I am saying what I am saying.

While I prepare for the next installment, I would like to leave you with numbers.  I officially began my countdown on Sunday, May 10, 2015.  On that day, if my counting was correct, that was 223 days distant from December 18, 2015, when The Force Awakens releases to theaters.  If you assign one day to each video that has been released that is considered canon (lumping online Clone Wars releases into a day per story arc), you have a total of 146 days to watch everything Star Wars you can.  (This does not include the Holiday Special or the two standalone Ewoks movies.)  That leaves only 77 days to read the novels, short stories, and other publications that have been or will be released between now and then to get caught up.  That is where this blog begins.

May the force be with you!

Guess who’s back…

Has it really been four months since I posted or have performed any activity on this blog?  Wow!  Well, kids, I’m back with ideas and topics galore!

First, if you’re familiar at all with Eminem’s repertoire, you have to think of the title in the vein of one of his songs:
“That’s why they call me Slim Shady…
I’m back, I’m back.
That’s why they call me Slim Shady…
I’m back, guess who’s back?”

Ok, now that that is out of the way, let’s get down to some business.  I published three posts this morning that were actually written those four or five months ago.  I apologize on the delay of posting.  Life and programming happened; and the blog didn’t!  So, a few updates regarding those posts:

1. Middle Earth – I finished The Fellowship of the Ring novel and then watched the movie.  To be fair, I did get bogged down in reading the novel.  I don’t know why, though; I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  I then started reading The Two Towers and again, was bogged down.  So, that project is still ongoing, but I needed a break from that realm, apparently.

2. Programming – I’m still learning programming.  I have signed up for some classes, which will be starting in less than a month.  I’ve also been working on a mobile app using the Corona SDK platform.  At this time, I have a fully functional app, but it still has some bugs and needs some design applied to it, as parts of it is quite ugly!  I’ll post on that as I complete it and place it the Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

3. I’ve been slowly working through all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe productions.  I’ll post about those in a separate, forthcoming blog post.

4. I’ve also started preparing for December’s Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens release.  I’ll be doing a series on this, so stay tuned!

With that, I’m out.
Peace.

Concerning Smaug and the Battle of Five Armies…

In my previous post about Middle-Earth, I noted that I still had some questions about story lines in the the first movie that hadn’t yet been accounted for in my readings.  These were: Thranduil, Dol Guldur, and Legolas.  Having now watched the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, I have even more questions!  Thranduil was not supposed to recognize Thorin, and vice versa, according to the book, yet they know each other in the movie.  I was hoping to find some mention of at least some interaction that had been written in a note or something.  Also, when they reach Erebor (The Lonely Mountain), Bilbo is supposed to be the only one to enter the mountain and deal with Smaug, but in the movies the entire company ultimately goes in and a battle ensues.  These made for good cinema, and neither really detracted from the story, but I was left wondering if there was more to the story in some of Tolkien’s other writings.  So, I must read on.  I have also successfully finished the following from my previous list, and then some:

14. Unfinished Tales – Part Two: The Second Age, IV – The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lorien
15. Unfinished Tales – Part Two: Appendices
16. Unfinished Tales – Part Three: The Third Age, II – Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan
17. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Prologue
18. Unfinished Tales – Part Three: The Third Age, V – The Battles of the Fords of Isen
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Appendix A, I – The Numenorean Kings
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Appendix A, II – The House of Eorl

Nothing I read in these stories included anything regarding the aforementioned story lines.

After watching the second film, I must amend an earlier statement.  In the previous post, I mentioned that Bolg was not mentioned in the movies.  Well, this was true only for the first movie.  Azog calls on Bolg to continue the pursuit of Thorin while Azog stays at Dol Guldur.  The relationship isn’t mentioned in the movie, but he did at least make an appearance and essentially do what he does in the book: chase after and heckle Thorin and Company.  Also, the scene in Laketown was slightly modified from the book, especially in regards to Bard.  But, again I state, this doesn’t really detract from the story.

The opinion I have come to, and my stance on the whole book vs. movie thing, is that there were certainly some necessary things that needed to happen to make three movies out of one book (whereas with The Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson essentially had six books of material with which to make three movies).  None of the new additions (Tauriel, for example) really take away from the main story line and plot. The love interest happening between Tauriel and Kili gave some more depth to the movies.  Therefore, I think I will simply try to read the rest of the material out there and form a timeline of events through which to read the story, without further searching for certain points or story lines that I have yet to find.

I had the opportunity to go and watch the final installment of Hobbit movies, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.  This movie followed more closely the end of the book, while also bringing to close some of the differences between the book and the movies.  The movie was quite good; I had a hard time believing I sat through a two and a half hour movie.  I will say this about it here: the third installment picks up right where the second installment left off.  So, if you’re a little fuzzy on how The Desolation of Smaug ended, watch it before viewing The Battle of Five Armies.

In conclusion, I feel it helpful to provide a list of links that I have found valuable in this crusade.  They are each worth a look if you’re even remotely interested in Middle-Earth lore.
The Tolkien Gateway
LOTR Project
Lord of the Rings Wiki
Middle-Earth Chronology

My next post regarding Middle-Earth will be an updated, chronological reading guide for those interested.  I will also include in the list where best to watch the movies, if desired.

Middle-Earth: A Suggested Chronological Reading Guide (v. 1)

Of course this assumes that you are already familiar with the lore of Middle-Earth.  If you are not, I suggest you visit this post and begin with the list titled: “A Beginner’s Reading guide to Middle-Earth”, reading at least through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Assuming you have done that, I have also made some other assumptions or decisions for the timeline that is below.  The first assumption is how the stories end.  If the story begins as a retelling of the past, with little more than a sentence or two at the beginning and the end indicating placement, I placed the story where the larger retelling takes place.  Some of the Appendices from The Return of the King fall into this category, where Bilbo is retelling the story, but the story itself actually takes place many years before.  A second assumption on placement is that of the ending of the stories.  One such story is the story of Arwen and Aragorn.  The end of the story is what drove me to place it at the end of the timeline because the story ends after the death of Aragorn.  A third assumption, at least at this time, is that video games and stories by other people are not included in this timeline.  This is mainly because I have not played the games nor can I speak to their canonicity. I do  include Peter Jackson’s treatments of the books in this list, however.  So, with these assumptions in mind, following is the timeline I have come up with.

One last comment regarding the timeline: This timeline does not include any of the First Age (or earlier) or Fourth Age, and very little of the Second Age.  The list at this time will start with the end of the Second Age and go through the Third Age.  As I continue reading through The Lord of the Rings and other books, I will update with new timelines with the hope that I will eventually arrive at a complete reading guide.  The guide is broken up by chapter in its presentation, unless large sections can be read as a whole.  My goal is to have read all of the fictional material by early April.

The Second Age
1. Unfinished Tales: Part Two: The Second Age: IV – The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lorien
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: I – The Numenorean Kings: (i) Numenor
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: I – The Numenorean Kings: (ii) The Realms in Exile
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: I – The Numenorean Kings: (iii) Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: I – The Numenorean Kings: (iv) Gondor and the Heirs of Anarion
6.  The Silmarillion: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

The Third Age
7. Unfinished Tales: Part Three: The Third Age: I: The Disaster of the Gladden Fields
8. Unfinished Tales: Part Three: The Third Age: II: Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan
9. Unfinished Tales: Part Four: The Druedain
10. Unfinished Tales: Part Four: The Istari
11. Unfinished Tales: Part Four: The Palantiri
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: III – Durin’s Folk
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue: 1 – Concerning Hobbits
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue: 2 – Concerning Pipe-weed
15. Unfinished Tales: Part Three: The Third Age: IV: The Hunt for the Ring: iii – Concerning Gandalf, Saruman and the Shire
16. The Hobbit: Chapters 1-6
17. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: movie
18. The Hobbit: Chapters 7-13
19. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: movie
20. The Hobbit: Chapters 14-19 (end)
21. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies: movie
22. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue: 3 – Of the Ordering of the Shire
23. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue: 4 – Of the Finding of the Ring
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1
25. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 2
26. Unfinished Tales: Part Three: The Third Age: IV: The Hunt for the Ring: i – Of the Journey of the Black Riders according to the Account that Gandalf gave to Frodo
27. Unfinished Tales: Part Three: The Third Age: IV: The Hunt for the Ring: ii – Other Versions of the Story
28. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: movie
29. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Book 3, chapters 1-7
30. Unfinished Tales: The Third Age: V: The Battles of the Fords of Isen
31. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Book 3, chapters 8-11 (end)
32. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Book 4
33. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: movie
34. Unfinished Tales: Part Three: The Third Age: III – The Quest of Erebor
35. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Book 5
36. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Book 6
37. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Prologue: Note on the Shire Records
38. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: I – The Numenorean Kings: (v) Here Follows a Part of the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
39. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers: II – The House of Eorl
40. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix B: The Tale of Years
41. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Appendix B: Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring
42. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: movie

At this point, if the reader is interested, the rest of the appendices found at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King may be read.