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Hosted Projects - Standalone => Fate of the Galaxy => Topic started by: BS403 on June 22, 2008, 03:56:06 pm

Title: A new Hope discovery
Post by: BS403 on June 22, 2008, 03:56:06 pm
Iwas reading the book of a new hope, by  george lucas, and originally the emperor wasn't a sith, he was a puppet being controlled by the bureaucrats.  I thought that was interesting to see how much it changed between the movies
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Snail on June 22, 2008, 03:57:29 pm
Was it an early plan or considered canon?
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: brandx0 on June 22, 2008, 04:07:11 pm
Well the novels are canon as long as they don't contradict the movies.  In this case it could be a contradiction, or perhaps simply a perception that the emperor purveyed to keep a low-ish profile.

I just re-read the books as well, hehe.  Interesting to note, however, that Darth Vader is specifically mentioned as "One of the many Dark Lords" which definitely seems to contradict the movies.

Odd considering that the book very explicitely mentions that Vader considers himself still the last of the Jedi, as do other high ranking imperials. 
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Mobius on June 22, 2008, 04:16:04 pm
Wasn't Darth Maul a Dark Lord?
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Snail on June 22, 2008, 04:29:35 pm
Wasn't Darth Maul a Dark Lord?
Yeh but he's dead... And AFAIK he was a Sith apprentice.

I assume it either means the the other deceased Dark Lords, or the Emperor's Hand(s), but they're not Dark Lords...
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: brandx0 on June 22, 2008, 04:35:21 pm
Plus Darth Maul was kept a secret.  He was a full sith lord though, but it was mentioned that of all the Dark Lords, Vader was the most willing to ignore the law (Hence Leia's line "Only you would be so bold")

The multiple Dark Lords comment was put in a very contemporary sense though, it sounded as if he was one of many who served the empire at once, rather than successors.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: haloboy100 on June 22, 2008, 04:38:03 pm
I hate retcon.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Snail on June 22, 2008, 04:39:23 pm
I hate retcon.
Ehh, I like Palpatine being all evil and Dark Sidish. If he was just some random Cos Da**** dude I wouldn't be very pleased. The most evil bad guy of Star Wars would be like, Bush, which isn't all that hot an idea.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Herra Tohtori on June 22, 2008, 04:45:14 pm
The prologue in the book version of A New Hope is supposed to be a piece of history text called "Journal of the Whills", which were supposed to be some kind of tranccendental species of beings (kinda like hyperintelligent shade of blue) that were supposedly closely related to the Force and lived kinda on another plane of existence just connected to the galaxy far far away universe via the Force.

A lot of things changed from the earliest ideas to the abhorrent display of greed and indifference that was the prequel trilogy. The Whills were dropped out pretty much completely (aside from a comment from Qui-Gon's spirit to Yoda - apparently the Whills were the ones who discovered how to join the Force without losing one's individuality), and Force was de-mystified via midi-chlorians at some stage of plot developement - it was originally supposed to be a lot more spiritual than what it ended up as... Lightsabers were supposed to be really heavy, Skywalker was supposed to be Starkiller, and Han was supposed to shoot first. Palpatine, I guess, changed just as well, from a puppet ruler into a manipulating tyrant.

Ironically, I think the story behind Palpatine became better for the changes they made in that regard. It's definitely a plot change too - if it were an ordinary history text in the prologue, I'd chalk it into a misconception of history but due to being a quote from this "Journal of the Whills" it's supposed to be accurate... therefore it's just one more thing that was changed.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Snail on June 22, 2008, 04:50:36 pm
Starkiller becoming Skywalker and Palpatine becoming more evil are the only changes from the original plans I really like (in both the prequels and the originals). However cool wielding 2 lightsabers at once was, I didn't like it.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: haloboy100 on June 22, 2008, 04:51:09 pm
Lightsabers were supposed to be really heavy, Skywalker was supposed to be Starkiller, and Han was supposed to shoot first.
I just find that hilarious :lol:
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: jr2 on June 23, 2008, 03:46:15 am
Heh, a bureaucrat-controlled, lightning-casting puppet?  :lol:
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Flaser on June 23, 2008, 04:50:45 am
Starkiller becoming Skywalker and Palpatine becoming more evil are the only changes from the original plans I really like (in both the prequels and the originals). However cool wielding 2 lightsabers at once was, I didn't like it.

Jedi or not, there shouldn't have been many who could handle that. The lightsaber combat was modeled on kendo which is the sport version of kenjutsu, the name of samurai swordsmanship.

There were samurai who could wield two swords (or more likely a katana and wakizashi) and their technique or school of techniques was called nitōjutsu but they were rare and far between. Their most prominent member is Miyamoto Musashi the stuff of legends, the most famous swordsman in Japan.

The downside of wielding two swords is that the strikes lack strength and speed compared to a blade wielded by both hands.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Galemp on June 23, 2008, 08:03:00 am
I believe that true Jedi masters like Palpatine and Yoda should have ascended so far into the upper echelons of the Force that they no longer had any need for lightsabers.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: haloboy100 on June 23, 2008, 09:26:52 am
What they gonna do? Rip apart bodies with their hands?
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: chief1983 on June 23, 2008, 10:03:30 am
The downside of wielding two swords is that the strikes lack strength and speed compared to a blade wielded by both hands.

Actually, I think that's the whole point of wielding two blades.  You get to the point wielding so much strength that it is wasted on dual-handing one blade, and it then becomes more effective to wield two, as you wield them each with the strength of someone else wielding one with both hands.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Herra Tohtori on June 23, 2008, 12:05:48 pm
Mmmh... one hand grip rather reduces the moment of the force available to use for, say, stopping the enemy's weapon or forcing/deflecting it to some arbitrary direction. Also the amount of control over the blade is reduced for the same reasons, but that can be compensated with training. Cutting power depends more on the velocity of the blade than the momentum available at the moment of the hit, so for swords primarily used for slashing (or just beating the opponent senseless) it does kinda increase the offensive capacity - especially against lightly armoured or non-armoured enemies - but also reduces defensive capability and demands greater skill to evade rather than parry attacks...

With light sabers, I daresay that the momentum behind the strike matters even less than with solid blade weapons, as far as damage potential is considered.

Also, stabbing or thrusting attacks become rather difficult without two hands on the grip. I myself would take a jō over almost any kind of sword any time of day... the exception being a lightsaber. :p
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Galemp on June 23, 2008, 12:06:18 pm
What they gonna do? Rip apart bodies with their hands?

(http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/8/81/BZZZZZZ.jpg)

Q.E.D.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 23, 2008, 12:51:10 pm
They'll rip bodies apart with the force. :yes:
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Topgun on June 23, 2008, 01:36:36 pm
What they gonna do? Rip apart bodies with their hands?

(http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/8/81/BZZZZZZ.jpg)

Q.E.D.
Now, at the end, do you truly understand...
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: brandx0 on June 23, 2008, 01:38:51 pm
Hehe, damn wish I had jumped in this thread earlier.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: haloboy100 on June 23, 2008, 09:26:51 pm
Now, at the end, do you truly understand...
Noooo!!! Father! please!!!

*ahem*

Why is this in the star wars conversion forum? I never knew it served as the resident topic of general star wars discussion.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: chief1983 on June 23, 2008, 10:52:14 pm
As much as it's not on topic of the mod, it really wouldn't go better anywhere else, except The Pu-, er, General Discussion.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: CaptJosh on June 29, 2008, 12:47:14 pm
In regard to the comment about special Samurai wielding two blades being Ninja, you are WRONG. The school of Ninjitsu Do was anathema to the Samurai. Ninjitsu is the Way of Stealth. The Ninja were an ASSASSINS' GUILD in old Japan. As for the Samurai, they all had two swords. A long sword, which they used in combat and which they took off when entering someone's house, and a shorter sword which could also be fought with, but stayed on them no matter what, as the Samurai had the right and duty to be armed at all times. Ninja were considered dishonorable and cowardly by Samurai.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: brandx0 on June 29, 2008, 02:45:10 pm
Okay, on topic.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: CaptJosh on June 29, 2008, 03:25:57 pm
Sorry about that. I just hate bad history.

ANyway, it's always interesting to me as a writer to see how a story evolves over time as the author revises.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Flaser on July 06, 2008, 05:33:22 pm
Sorry about that. I just hate bad history.

ANyway, it's always interesting to me as a writer to see how a story evolves over time as the author revises.

I wrote nitō - jutsu, not nin-jutsu. The art of fighting with two swords. Anyway enough Japanese history, back to SW.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Turey on July 07, 2008, 05:12:45 pm
Wasn't the ANH book ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope#Novelization)?
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: brandx0 on July 08, 2008, 01:51:26 am
Yes, it was
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Scourge of Ages on July 08, 2008, 10:36:34 pm
Wait, what?

(research)

Aw dang, you mean Lucas is not only nuts and a jerk, he's also a (more) unscrupulous creep.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: brandx0 on July 08, 2008, 11:31:32 pm
You think that's bad, you should watch The Hidden Fortress, a Kurosawa film from the 50s
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Flaser on July 09, 2008, 12:50:23 pm
Yep. I feel the love....I mean hate.
We're true Star Wars fans because we HATE STAR WARS...but LOVE the IDEA.

http://www.jivemagazine.com/column.php?pid=3381

"Maybe I’ll put it like this. To be a Star Wars fan, one must possess the ability to see a million different failures and downfalls, and then somehow assemble them into a greater picture of perfection. Every true Star Wars fan is a Luke Skywalker, looking at his twisted, evil father, and somehow seeing good.

My earlier statement needs slight revision. We hate everything about Star Wars.

But the idea of Star Wars…the idea we love."
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: jr2 on July 09, 2008, 03:24:49 pm
:yes:
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Scourge of Ages on July 10, 2008, 12:14:36 am
I don't know... X-Wings are pretty cool, I think I like them...

And yeah, I knew about the Hidden Fortress thing, but I figured that was just your run-of-the-mill ripping-off.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: LordMelvin on July 10, 2008, 11:43:44 am
It's not a ripoff of Kurosawa, it's an homage.

oh, god.
I can't even look at myself anymore.
Make it stop.
DAMN YOU, LUCAS!
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: haloboy100 on July 11, 2008, 05:43:36 pm
I always saw it this way:

Star Wars fails as a real science fiction. In fact, the only science-fiction feeling I got ever was when I got into the Yuuzhan Vong War part of the Expanded universe. Star Wars is more of a fantasy then a real Sci-Fi.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: Turambar on July 11, 2008, 06:29:37 pm
In fact, the only science-fiction feeling I got ever was when I got into the Yuuzhan Vong War part of the Expanded universe. Star Wars is more of a fantasy then a real Sci-Fi.

(http://i38.tinypic.com/27yv7ut.jpg)

It was sci-fi from Truce at Bakura until then, then it became fantasy again.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: chief1983 on July 11, 2008, 07:01:00 pm
In fact, the only science-fiction feeling I got ever was when I got into the Yuuzhan Vong War part of the Expanded universe. Star Wars is more of a fantasy then a real Sci-Fi.

(http://i38.tinypic.com/27yv7ut.jpg)

It was sci-fi from Truce at Bakura until then, then it became fantasy again.

ROFL

Dammit, I keep getting this thread confused with the ISD one, it keeps getting derailed onto similar topics.
Title: Re: A new Hope discovery
Post by: haloboy100 on July 11, 2008, 07:29:50 pm
In fact, the only science-fiction feeling I got ever was when I got into the Yuuzhan Vong War part of the Expanded universe. Star Wars is more of a fantasy then a real Sci-Fi.
It was sci-fi from Truce at Bakura until then, then it became fantasy again.
That's your opinion :P