Why do I not write in the so-called Lucas SW universe?
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| Title: | Why do I not write in the so-called Lucas SW universe? |
| Creator: | Nikki White |
| Date(s): | December 1979 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Wars |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Why do I not write in the so-called Lucas SW universe? is a 1979 essay by Nikki White.
It was printed as part of the editorial in the first issue of White's long-running zine series, Multiverse.
The editorials in the zine were all called "Corellian Omnibus." The title of the essay page here on Fanlore is a sentence within the essay.
Some Topics Discussed
- book fandoms and film fandoms are different
- in 1979, there was not enough canon for fans to use in their fanworks, so therefore most things had to be their original universes
- canon, and while the term is not used, head canon
- George Lucas' authorial intent is paramount
- don't write about open canon
- how fanfic can be boring when everyone makes up the same stuff, and while it is not specifically used, this is a reference to fanon
Introduction
The editorial begins with:
...I like to write "omnium gatherurm" or mixed universe stories as I believe they are a viable form of fanfic. There is no reason why characters of one TV series/film should be confined to one 'universe' nor that these creative universes should be mutually exclusive, I believe that such stories can be written as serious literature and not, only as, pastiches. They present infinite combinations which may be exploited not only for humour bu also for contrasting personalities and cultures, thus bringing each into relief by comparison. I would like to encourage other fans to submit such stories as I feel that ST & SW fiction has got itself into a rut to some extent. While this may not be the solution, it is certainly a solution to breathe something different and some variety into fanfic.
From the Essay
The short answer is that it is simply not possible because no one can know what he is going to do with it in the sequels, or how he is going to develop his characters and their backgrounds; therefore, no fan can possibly be writing in his universe unless she is clairvoyant (anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding her/himself) There is only one person writing in the Lucas SW universe and that is Lucas himself.
In STAR TREK, it is possible to write within the confines of that universe because we have 79 one-hour episodes which give a lot of background to characters, races and planets. The same is true of DR. WHO. But with only one film so far, of approximately 2 hours, such detail [in Star Wars] is not possible. Even with sequels, it will take time for SW to catch up to ST's or DW's richness.
Fans have to fill in the gaps with their own inventions if they are to write satisfactory stories. What is OK for film is not [OK] for literature. The latter needs depth of characterisation and background to stand on its own.
Once a fan invents her own background, cultures, etc, to set her stories against, it is really another universe of her own she is creating. And since she is creating her own universe, she should be free to put in what she wants, providing it is logical, consistent with what we know of the film's characters and self-consistent. We are all, in effect, writing variations on a theme by George Lucas. Any combination emphasis or development is possible and quite valid.
... I would, like to see a genuine exploration of the various possibilities the SW characters and situation present, either by themselves or in combination with characters and situations from other SF universes or with the author's own inventions. I place no restrictions [regarding submissions to my zine, Multiverse] on what is possible. I want to get away from the straight-jacketing of fanfic
into what is basically a film format.
One does not have to accept all the aspects of the SW mythos if one doesn't want to, and one is free to invent one's own, if one writes in an alternative universe. However, the SW characters must be recognisable and one should remain true to the spirit of fun and hijinks in space which is at the core of the film's popularity. No lengthy dwelling on technology a la Poul Anderson, for example. They took [technology] for granted in the film and so should the writer.
The characters must remain true to the film or as true as the author can make them, bearing in mind each person has her/his own interpretation of them. In other words, there "are as many Hans, Darths, Lukes, Leias, etc as there are fans. This is something the reader should also remember. Just because one person's view of Han etc, is different from your own, this does not necessarily mean it is a bad story unless he is radically out of character.
Many fans in this country [Australia] at least - in fact all that I have spoken or written to in 4 states, think a Vader disfigured by a fall into a firepit is a stupid and cliched idea. In the first place, it is a tedious, unimaginative and over-used shtick from horror films to have a villain who is masked because of disfigurement, thus making the childish equation Bad=Ugly (of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, HOUSE OF WAX, etc. etc.). And the view that this is why Vader is so hateful to others has also been done before. Terry Nation has been using it to explain the Daleks' motivations since 1963.
In an SF or SF/fantasy film, would it not have been more interesting and more in keeping with the spirit of the genre to make him wear that breathing apparatus for some other reason such as that he is from a methane or ammonia-breathing race? Or that he wears it for traditional, ritualistic reasons because no off-worlder/peasant/whatever is permitted to see the face of a Dark Lord, the more to instill terror in others? The breathing equipment always seemed to me to be part of full battledress necessary in a TIE-fighter
because it is without any life-support systems of its own or else why do other TIE-fighter pilots also wear masks and respirators?
[Much snipped about Darth and Ben Kenobi dueling, volcanoes, clones, the silliness of a mutilated Darth] This all makes as much sense as a three—legged goat or as that other silly idea Lucas tossed out in an interview (and which now, mercifully, seems to have been dropped) that Vader is really Luke's father.
Unfortunately, the disfigured Darth idea is going to be used in TESB and so becomes part of the cannon. It is the one aspect — and the only one so far - of the SW mythos I chose to reject as untenable for my series. However, if others want to send me stories in which he is disfigured, that is all right by me. Provided that they are well written, they will be acceptable. I am merely pointing out this deliberate departure of mine now so that you will be forewarned and know that I am well aware of what I am doing and why.