Tag Archives: expanded universe

Zahn Talks Writing Han Solo and Standalone Films He’d Like to See

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With the barrage of rumors surrounding standalone films in the Star Wars, Hollywood.com decided to catch up with Expanded Universe author Timothy Zahn to discuss what it takes to write Han Solo and the kinds of standalone films and spinoff projects he’d like to see in the Disney Star Wars era.

On the topic of new projects beyond regular episodic installments:

Hollywood.com:First of all, none of this has been confirmed by Disney or Lucasfilm, and I’m not looking to you at all to confirm it. I’m just interested in your perspective as a Star Wars author, and even more importantly, as a Star Wars fan, on the rumor today that the first two standalone Star Wars movies will be about Young Han Solo and Boba Fett respectively.

Timothy Zahn: All of this is at the rumor stage of course, but, the fact is, I would like to see more Star Warsbeyond the core saga. I’d like more Star Wars TV, and certainly more Star Wars books. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. The Galaxy Far, Far Away is impossibly huge with story ideas and possibilities.

On writing Han:

HW: Is there a difference between the way you wrote Han in Scoundrels as opposed to the way you wrote him in the Thrawn Trilogy or Hand of Thrawn Duology?
TZ: Oh yeah, he’s much more mature in the later books. He’s taken on more responsibility. He still chafes at it at times. But he does the jobs that need to be done. He’s more aware of what’s at stake, what the consequences could be if he succeeds or fails. And that’s because he has a family at that point, which brings a whole new set of responsibilities with it. In Scoundrels on the other hand, since that’s set right after A New Hope, he’s much more footloose and fancy free. But even then you can see that once he’s assembled the team he’s working with, he’s not going to abandon them. The seeds of “Responsible Han” are already there. But he would deny it probably.

On spinoff Star Wars projects he’d like to see:

HW: What other characters from the movies would you like to see get the movie spinoff treatment?
TZ: Lando is an obvious one. You could do a lot with Lando during the time leading up to The Empire Strikes Back. If we’re going post-Jedi era I would frankly like to see Wedge put together Rogue Squadron. I think you could have a whole series of Rogue Squadron movies that would be great. Wedge is peripheral, but he is verypopular and rightfully so. Who else helps take out two Death Stars? You could even do an X-Wing TV show focused on Rogue Squadron that, just like the books, would be peripheral to the main Skywalker-Solo saga. That means you could introduce a lot of new characters anchored by Wedge. You could make wonderful stuff out of the X-Wing books.

See, I’m not the only one who thinks a Wedge-centric film and an X-Wing television series would be absolutely fantastic viewing.

The whole interview is fantastic and there’s a lot more to read. Head to Hollywood.com’s interview for more with Timothy Zahn.

New Expanded Universe Book Incoming? UPDATE: Something NEW New!

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Well this is interesting.

There’s no telling as to whether or not this is an adult fiction novel or an official title for a book we already know is coming (hello, Paul S. Kemp duology that has been in the void for as long as I can remember). If I were to wager a guess, I’d go with an official title for something like the aforementioned duology or the Kevin Hearne book.

If I were wagering with my heart, it would be a new X-Wing novel by either Stackpole or Allston. Alas, it hurts to dream.

Edit: If you’re thinking about asking Kemp if it’s his book, please don’t.

Edit 4:34PM: You can, however, ask Jen Heddle. 

Now this is a little more meaty and suggests that this is something beyond the Hearne and Kemp books. We know that it’s a novel and that it’s something that hasn’t (presumably) been discussed at San Diego Comic Con, Celebration VI, or any other outlet. Maybe my hopes of a new X-Wing novel have a little more life? Probably not! I just don’t envision Del Rey and Lucasfilm Licensing authorizing a post-RotJ era novel at this point in time. Again, if I’m placing a wager, I’d guess an Old Republic novel with Drew Karpyshyn being the odds-on favorite to write it. We’ll find out soon, hopefully.

Thoughts on what it might be? Leave a comment!

Jedi Prince Retrospective: Introduction

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I have many guilty pleasures.

I’m not ashamed to admit it. I love horrible entertainment in general. Lately I’ve been binging on the show “Say Yes to the Dress” on Netflix. Yes, the show where brides pick out way-too-expensive wedding dresses over and over. I have no explanation other than I think wedding dresses are pretty, I like window shopping, and I like shows that don’t make me think too hard.

So it should come as no surprise that I have many guilty pleasures in my fandom of choice, Star Wars. After all, I’ve been reading the Expanded Universe for over 20 years now. I love Union, the comic in which Luke and Mara get married, because of its cheese factor. I don’t care what anyone says.

But that’s not even close to being the worst thing in Star Wars that I love.

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