Mark Beall's Geek Beat: Where Is Wedge Antilles When You Really Need Him?

by Mark Beall Nov 28th 2006 // 1:02PM

Filed under: Action, Fandom, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, The Geek Beat


Before we get started today, I want to mention the passing of Dave Cockrum this past weekend. Dave was a talented, familiar comic book artist who spent some time working with Superboy and The Legion of Superheroes at DC, and did amazing work on Uncanny and Giant Sized for Marvel. The family asks you not to call, but provides the following email address for those of you who wish to offer condolences: magnetorampant@yahoo.com.

It has been, well, years really, since I last picked up and read any of the Star Wars Extended Universe novels. Admittedly, I'm more than a touch behind, as I stopped reading somewhere in NJO and haven't caught up to anything new since my sophomore year of college. However, when standing in the middle of my study surveying my bookcases for something to occupy my lunch break a week or so back, I found myself picking up the first of Michael J. Stackpole's X-Wing series. As always, I enjoyed it tremendously; perhaps more so because it had been a number of years since I'd last visited. Currently, I'm in the middle of Aaron Allston's Wraith Squadron, and am planning to hit a selection of other New Republic era novels to get my space legs going before diving back into the NJO from Vector Prime. Honestly, the past several years of new Star Wars movies had soured me to the point I'd almost forgotten how much I love this universe. (Please note, there is also a lot of abject crap in the Extended Universe, and probably as many books which should be ignored as there are which should be read. I should know, I own most of them.) so all this rekindled geek literature love, combined with my insane desire for a Jedi game on the Wii, has driven my thoughts towards a galaxy far, far away. As George Lucas and company gear up for their TV series set between eps three and four, I find myself wishing I could control the direction of the franchise. What do I want?

I want a Rogue Squadron TV series based on the characters and scenarios created in the novel series. Amazingly, the cannon from these books is remarkably intact -- unlike most of the rest of the Extended Universe, it wasn't torn apart by the new trilogy. Sure, it is mostly void of Jedi, but it features tons of snub fighting, which you KNOW Lucas Films could pull off in brilliant fashion in a weekly TV series. Also, it already comes complete with a full cast of enjoyable characters, saving us those new creations from George. The theme of a squadron of fighter pilots not only allows for rotating cast when necessary, it also seems to be tailor-made for serial production. It has drama and an overarching plot, but can easily be broken down into individual episodes with plenty of drama, action, humor and romance. In the meantime, it doesn't do any major altering to already created characters and stories but allows you to play around in the immediately post-Fall of the Empire era.

I want the following people kept as far away as possible from anything having to do with Star Wars on TV or cinema: Michael P. Kube-McDowell, Vonda McIntyre and Kevin J. Anderson. The first two we probably don't need to worry about, because I can't picture a scenario which leads them to major production work -- but I don't trust that shifty Kevin J. That dude can pop up anywhere.

Speaking of writers, I want Timothy Zahn hired as a writer or creative consultant or something for this television series. I've probably lost my chances of seeing his wonderful trilogy ever hit the silver screen (not that Lucas would have ever entertained the idea anyway), but the man understands the nature of the Star Wars universe better than nearly any other writer who has ever been given license to play in Lucas's sandbox. The guy crafted fantastic plots and unbelievably enjoyable characters which gave new life to the Star Wars in the years between trilogies. Frankly, I'd take his three books over the newest three movies any day of the week.

Okay, so those three "wants" are just (mostly) silly commentary about the Star Wars novels. But if I can take a brief moment of unusual seriousness, I'll share with you the one want I truly have as I begin to re-explore the Star Wars world: I want to love Star Wars again. I don't really care what Lucas and his minions do with the new series, I just want something I can watch and love; I want something which wakes up the fanboy in me the same way the classic trilogy and some of the novels do. Star Wars has a lot of magic in it -- I want something to recapture the magic.

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Tags: cinema, film, geek beat, GeekBeat, george lucas, GeorgeLucas, movies, rogue squadron, RogueSquadron, star wars, StarWars, wedge antilles, WedgeAntilles, x-wing

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