"As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

It's been a pretty good twelve months for Star Wars fans. 2015 ended with the release of The Force Awakens, which has largely redeemed the franchise from the excesses and errors of the prequel trilogy, and this year will end in a similar fashion, with the next Star Wars prequel*,  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, hitting theatres on December 16th.

Hopes are high for Rogue One. Based on the trailers, everyone expects that it will match if not exceed the standard set by The Force Awakens.  However, Rogue One is also the continuation of a process started in Episode VII:  rewriting both the past and the future of Star Wars.

Almost everyone is at least aware of the Star Wars movies, even that small minority who have never seen any of them - like Star Trek, it's become embedded in the Western pop culture matrix.  More dedicated fans (or attentive parents) are familiar with the various computer animated TV incarnations such as The Clone Wars or Rebels. However, the general population is completely unaware of the full epic sweep of the universe in which these stories exist, a universe documented in comic books, video games, cartoons, and hundreds of novels.

Or rather, in which they used to exist. The Force Awakens marked the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

The Expanded Universe is exactly what it sounds like: an extended view of the milieu in which the  Star Wars movies take place. The SWEU chronicles a broad span of time, dealing with everything from the beginnings of the Star Wars universe (literally the beginnings, starting with the formation of the galaxy at 13,000,000,000 BBY**) to hundreds of years after the events of A New Hope. Continuity and canonicity for the SWEU are documented through the aptly named Wookiepedia, Lucasfilms' wiki for all things Star Wars.

The Force Awakens indicated a clear point of divergence from the post-trilogy future established by the Expanded Universe.  In the SWEU continuity, Han and Leia have three children, all of whom become Jedi Knights. One of them, Jacen Solo, helps to defeat the alien Yuuzhan Vong when they invade the New Republic in 25 ABY, although sadly both his brother Anakin Solo and his father's friend Chewbacca perish in the struggle against the invaders.

Jacen later turns to the Dark Side, becoming Darth Caedus and eventually killing Luke Skywalker's wife, ex-Empire assassin and fan favourite Mara Jade.  In 41 ABY Caedus is killed by his twin sister Jaina, who later becomes a Jedi Master and marries Jagged Fel, who is the son of Baron Soontir Fel, Wedge Antilles' brother-in-law.***  Jaina Solo appears in over 20 different SWEU novels - but unless Han and Leia were holding out on us when they talked about their son in The Force Awakens, she's no longer part of the continuity. (Not to mention Chewbacca's conspicuous lack of deadness in the same scene.)

And that's just the tip of the SWEU iceberg. We haven't even started on Mara Jade's story, not to mention the hundreds of other supporting characters involved in the events of the Expanded Universe.

Those characters aren't gone - Disney isn't foolish enough to abandon the income stream being generated by the existing material - but they're no longer canon, which in a lot of ways is the same as a death sentence as far as hard core geek fans are concerned.  The SWEU has been rebranded as Star Wars Legends, and Wookiepedia entries now distinguish between Canon and Legends as necessary. 

However, as Disney follows through on its plan to release more films like Rogue One that are set in the Star Wars universe, along with the next two films in the new trilogy, the two will diverge more and more. I expect that the Legends material will be quietly eliminated by Disney in the fullness of time.

Unlike most children, I was raised to think of Disney as a sort of evil empire. My mother, who was quite a hard core science fiction and fantasy fan herself, felt that Disney was a perverter of truth, whose adaptations of classic children's fantasies had very little to do with the original stories, and everything to do with making a quick buck at the expense of the source material.

However, the end of the Expanded Universe puts the House of Mouse into a whole different league of villainy.  In this case, Disney has achieved a massacre beyond anything the Galactic Empire, the Sith, or the New Order could ever dream of accomplishing, wiping out thousands of planets, countless alien species, and generation after generation of sentient beings with a simple corporate memo.

Welcome to the Dark Side, Mickey.

- Sid

* Something about the phrase "next prequel" sounds wrong to me, like military intelligence or government assistance.

** BBY - Before the Battle of Yavin.  For non-fans, the Rebellion base that is being threatened at the end of A New Hope is on the fourth moon of Yavin, so the encounter in which the Death Star is destroyed is commonly known as the Battle of Yavin.  Events following this landmark event are After the Battle of Yavin: ABY.

*** There's a scene in the Star Wars takeoff Spaceballs where Dark Helmet says, " I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate."  In the context of the Expanded Universe, that's no longer a joke.

For readers who may not remember Mr. Antilles, he's the only Red Squadron pilot other than Luke Skywalker who survives the Death Star attack. In a coincidence of names, Wedge becomes a member of Rogue Flight, Luke's squad from the Battle of Hoth. (Which is Canon.)  Rogue Flight goes on to have an extended life in novels, games and comics as Rogue Squadron. (Which is Legends rather than Canon.)  I can only guess as to any possible connection between Rogue Flight and Rogue One - I'll have a better idea once I've seen the movie.

Geekmas 2016: Shouldn't she be holding a candy cane?

There are times when I am amazed (and perhaps a bit saddened) by the extent to which Star Wars marketing has insinuated itself into everyday life.

- Sid

P.S. I may be a bit old fashioned, but you know, somehow this just isn't the same as the traditional gingerbread house of my childhood years.

Geekmas 2016: Hope Springs Eternal

The Christmas season is coming fast upon us, and with it, the inevitable challenge of gift-giving.  Secret Santa names have been drawn at the workplace, and our departmental potluck Christmas luncheon and gift exchange is scheduled for December 16th.

One of the new arrivals in our department expressed her surprise that the Secret Santa process was specific rather than general - that might make it easier, but I sadly suspect that if we were required to buy a completely generic present for the exchange, we'd have a big box with 20 bottles of wine in it. Given that we have one member of our department who is a long-standing member of Alcoholics Anonymous, this is not a perfect solution.

As it is, we rely upon a system of whispered inquiries and occasional name-swapping in order to find appropriate co-worker gifts.  In some cases, people have posted suggestions near their desks - I seem to be the only person with an online wish list.

The funny thing is that I don't ever seem to get any of the things that I list online. Having said that, I certainly don't want to suggest that I've been disappointed by the gifts I've received in the past.  In fact, I've been quite impressed by the degree of thought and imagination that people have put into the selection of geek-appropriate presents for me.  Still, you'd think that some poor desperate person would have taken the easy way out by now.  On which note...

Movies

Sigh - still no classic Doctor Who episodes, and both The Day of the Triffids (any version, but preferably the original 1962 movie) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon are still on the list of unfulfilled requests.  More recent choices would be Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Batman Versus Superman, and Star Trek: Beyond.   I checked on Amazon.ca and all of the movies come in under $25 in Blu-ray format - old Doctor Who episodes tend to be DVD only, and often a bit more expensive than they really should be.

Actually, come to think of it, I don't have ANY Star Trek movies on Blu-ray...

Books
About two-thirds of last year's list still stands:  Fran Wilde's Updraft, Elizabeth Bear's Karen Memory, Ian McDonald's Luna, Naomi Novik's Uprooted, and Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace.  They should all be affordable paperbacks at this point.

Toys

I think that if I was trying to come up with a name for a toy company, it would be hard to beat BOOMCo, which appears to be the licensed manufacturer of firearms from the first-person shooter Halo game franchise.  The weapon of choice is the UNSC Marine Magnum Blaster foam dart gun, which would go on the shelf beside my Star Trek Original Series phaser and my Buck Rogers disintegrator pistol. And I promise - PROMISE - that it will never be used to remind Jaq the Cat that he shouldn't be on the kitchen table.

Art

Here's a bit of a departure from previous years:  art prints.  The Museum of Popular Culture (previously the EMP/SF Museum and Hall of Fame) has original series Star Trek movie posters on sale.  There are twenty sets available, made up of four posters each.  They're designed by illustrator Juan Ortiz, with a fabulous retro feel, and any one of them would make an excellent addition to the geek wall of your choice.  Just visit the euphoniously named MoPopShop to view the selection - they're all equally desirable.

NB:  MoPop prices are in US dollars.  However, carefully timed shopping will help with that.  From November 25th to December 2nd, enter checkout code mopop25 to save 25% off your entire order (which just about makes up for the exchange rate). From December 12th to December 17th, use mopopfast to get 15% off your entire order and an automatic no-cost upgrade to express shipping for standard ground shipping orders - which may or may not apply to Canadian shipping.

And that's this year's wish list.  Please note that these suggestions aren't restricted to co-workers:  friends, relatives and squaddies are equally welcome to take advantage of this list.  All I ask is that an anonymous comment be posted announcing that a particular item is being purchased - I'm fine with not being surprised if it prevents the arrival of two gift-wrapped copies of Batman Versus Superman.

EDIT: Please note that as per the comment below, Karli has stepped in and is using her blog to coordinate purchases so as to maintain secrecy.  Just when I think I can't find another reason to love you, my dear... 

  - Sid

P.S.  For anyone wishing to throw caution to the winds and seek out their own choice of casual geek gifts, HMV has an excellent selection of fandom items: mugs, buttons, coasters, t-shirts, etc.  Shoppers in the lower Mainland can visit the Robson Street or Metrotown outlets.