Tell me about it. And Del Rey keeps catering to her fanbase. They have all kinds of interesting material they could explore (Luke and Leia meeting their mother's family, for instance), and what are they doing instead? Assigning Zahn a novel about stupid Mara "at the height of her powers as Emperor's Hand"!
Look for him to simultaneously elevate her importance to ridiculous levels, and whitewash her until she's practically Mother Teresa. Also, look for plenty of elevation of Zahn's characters over Vader.
IT's why I can't even read a lot of the EU. My husband does, but he's become disenchanted over it as well. When you get to the point where the original characters are weak and stupid and the created characters are more powerful and intellegent, it ruins the point.
IT's why I can't even read a lot of the EU. My husband does, but he's become disenchanted over it as well. When you get to the point where the original characters are weak and stupid and the created characters are more powerful and intellegent, it ruins the point.
You said it. When I say this on a message board, EU fans always reply with something like, "Well, do you expect Luke, Han and Leia to always be the best at everything all the time, in galaxy of trillions?"
No, of course not. But it seems like every new character they meet is better than one of them in some respect: stronger in the Force than Luke, cooler/a better pilot than Han, more beautiful/a better action heroine than Leia, more important to the Emperor than Vader, or an eviler, badder bad guy than the Emperor.
(In the case of Mara, she's pretty much better at everything than all of them. She's become a gigantic Mary Sue. She's Mara Sue!)
Anyway...so while it would be tiresome to read about a Luke/Han/Leia who are the best at everything, so too is it tiresome to read about new characters who trump them, and Luke/Han/Leia are rendered weak and ineffectual on top of it.
From what I can tell, even many of the EU fans are, like your husband, starting to tire of the EU, and don't like the direction it's taken in the newest set of post-ROTJ books.
You've absolutely nailed it. It's like they can't leave well enough alone. Of course Luke, Leia and Han can't be the greatest ever at everything! They'd be parodies of themselves that that point. But it always seems like the EU verse authors want to rub it in that their creation is better.
And I am a bit pissed about Chewbacca, becuase I see his book fate as something they did to not have to deal with his lack of speech skills rather than characterization.
Sorry for hijacking your journal, leela! See the discussion you provoke? :)
You've absolutely nailed it. It's like they can't leave well enough alone. Of course Luke, Leia and Han can't be the greatest ever at everything! They'd be parodies of themselves that that point. But it always seems like the EU verse authors want to rub it in that their creation is better.
Exactly! And they undermine not only the movie characters but the relationships between the movie characters.
And I am a bit pissed about Chewbacca, becuase I see his book fate as something they did to not have to deal with his lack of speech skills rather than characterization.
Sorry for hijacking your journal, leela! See the discussion you provoke? :)
ROTFL! I too apologize for hijacking your journal, Leela.
I didn't like Mara from the very moment she appeared on the page (thought she was the beginnings of a Mary Sue from the start) and I dislike her even more now.
I stopped readng the books ages ago, mostly because of her.
Though I have to say it's a credit to Kate's talent because when I look at THIS picture I find myself thinking "If Mara really was this person (in the art) I might like her" because she very much seems very real and endearing in the picture.
I didn't like Mara from the very moment she appeared on the page (thought she was the beginnings of a Mary Sue from the start) and I dislike her even more now.
I stopped readng the books ages ago, mostly because of her.
I can't stand reading about her at all, even when she's being "nice." If I decide to give an EU book a whirl, I try to skip over her parts, or sort of tune her out, so to speak.
Though I have to say it's a credit to Kate's talent because when I look at THIS picture I find myself thinking "If Mara really was this person (in the art) I might like her" because she very much seems very real and endearing in the picture.
I agree. I'm guessing Leela used the actress Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent on "Smallville") as an inspiration -- she once said that she saw Mara as resembling her.
The books act like Mara is the most gorgeous creature in the galaxy; even her teenage nephew-by-marriage Anakin Solo drools over her in one book, and she emerges from her supposedly "fatal" disease looking younger and more stunning than ever (you know, like survivors of pernicious diseases always do *rolls eyes*). Ms. O'Toole, on the other hand, is normal-looking. She's pretty, to be sure, but she's not blindingly beautiful. She looks like a regular person.
Yep, Annette O'Toole slotted straight into place the first time I read a description of Mara, and she's who I based this drawing on. I am more affronted by Shannon Bashka (or whatever her name is) being used as the 'official' face of Mara than Mara herself. ;~P Go figure. ;~D
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leelastarsky) wrote2006-01-22 08:54 pm
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But I'd be lying. I hate Mara too.
Still -- this is beautiful! I love the colours -- and Luke's eyes are really amazing. So much emotion there.
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But I'd be lying. I hate Mara too.
High five!
Leela's work is always beautiful, even when the subject matter is something I don't care for or am disinterested in.
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Look for him to simultaneously elevate her importance to ridiculous levels, and whitewash her until she's practically Mother Teresa. Also, look for plenty of elevation of Zahn's characters over Vader.
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You said it. When I say this on a message board, EU fans always reply with something like, "Well, do you expect Luke, Han and Leia to always be the best at everything all the time, in galaxy of trillions?"
No, of course not. But it seems like every new character they meet is better than one of them in some respect: stronger in the Force than Luke, cooler/a better pilot than Han, more beautiful/a better action heroine than Leia, more important to the Emperor than Vader, or an eviler, badder bad guy than the Emperor.
(In the case of Mara, she's pretty much better at everything than all of them. She's become a gigantic Mary Sue. She's Mara Sue!)
Anyway...so while it would be tiresome to read about a Luke/Han/Leia who are the best at everything, so too is it tiresome to read about new characters who trump them, and Luke/Han/Leia are rendered weak and ineffectual on top of it.
From what I can tell, even many of the EU fans are, like your husband, starting to tire of the EU, and don't like the direction it's taken in the newest set of post-ROTJ books.
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And I am a bit pissed about Chewbacca, becuase I see his book fate as something they did to not have to deal with his lack of speech skills rather than characterization.
Sorry for hijacking your journal, leela! See the discussion you provoke? :)
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Exactly! And they undermine not only the movie characters but the relationships between the movie characters.
And I am a bit pissed about Chewbacca, becuase I see his book fate as something they did to not have to deal with his lack of speech skills rather than characterization.
Sorry for hijacking your journal, leela! See the discussion you provoke? :)
ROTFL! I too apologize for hijacking your journal, Leela.
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No problems. ;~) I mentioned to belovedranger that there might be some reaction... *cackles*
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I didn't like Mara from the very moment she appeared on the page (thought she was the beginnings of a Mary Sue from the start) and I dislike her even more now.
I stopped readng the books ages ago, mostly because of her.
Though I have to say it's a credit to Kate's talent because when I look at THIS picture I find myself thinking "If Mara really was this person (in the art) I might like her" because she very much seems very real and endearing in the picture.
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I didn't like Mara from the very moment she appeared on the page (thought she was the beginnings of a Mary Sue from the start) and I dislike her even more now.
I stopped readng the books ages ago, mostly because of her.
I can't stand reading about her at all, even when she's being "nice." If I decide to give an EU book a whirl, I try to skip over her parts, or sort of tune her out, so to speak.
Though I have to say it's a credit to Kate's talent because when I look at THIS picture I find myself thinking "If Mara really was this person (in the art) I might like her" because she very much seems very real and endearing in the picture.
I agree. I'm guessing Leela used the actress Annette O'Toole (Martha Kent on "Smallville") as an inspiration -- she once said that she saw Mara as resembling her.
The books act like Mara is the most gorgeous creature in the galaxy; even her teenage nephew-by-marriage Anakin Solo drools over her in one book, and she emerges from her supposedly "fatal" disease looking younger and more stunning than ever (you know, like survivors of pernicious diseases always do *rolls eyes*). Ms. O'Toole, on the other hand, is normal-looking. She's pretty, to be sure, but she's not blindingly beautiful. She looks like a regular person.
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I am more affronted by Shannon Bashka (or whatever her name is) being used as the 'official' face of Mara than Mara herself. ;~P Go figure. ;~D
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