Loose Canons

Get it? Because I called our new characters loose cannons! lol

"Play it again, Sam." "Elementary, my dear Watson." "Luke, I am your father." Like famous movie misquotes, how often do we remember things that aren't really true?

I've been eating up analysis of The Force Awakens ever since watching it in the theaters. Right now, I am in middle of Screen Rant Underground's TFA-dedicated show [SPOILERS]. Screen Junkies has a few shows about it, especially the review with the now infamous Max Landis [more SPOILERS]. I listened to a fun episode of Cat Context last week—no wait, almost two weeks ago—where they discussed the movie [of course there are SPOILERS] without Liore. [yet another EDIT: I was seriously remiss in not including Dana Buckler's excellent two parter: The Phantom Mistakes and The Force Awakens Review.]

One thing that has come up several times—and I even went so far as to comment on it on the Cat Context episode page—is the question of canonicity regarding concepts and plot points in the Legends (formerly known as the Extended Universe).

[EDIT: For those confused what I am talking about, "Canon" (originally a religious term) refers to works (books, movies, etc.) that are considered official sources of information about a story or fictional universe. The current term used by Star Wars fans and Disney officials for works outside of SW canon is "Legends" (formerly the Extended Universe, EU for short).]

So many of the theories floating around on the Internet—about Rey's parentage, Finn's background, what will happen next—depend on a body of knowledge that is no longer canon:

As of April 25, 2014, the only previously published materials that are considered canon are the six Star Wars films and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series and film, while the Expanded Universe is no longer considered canon and was re-termed as the "Legends" brand. Most Star Wars material released after April 25, 2014—with some exceptions—is composed in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story Group, making it part of the "new canon."
~~Wookiepedia, "Canon"

That's not to say that concepts or characters from the EU might not make their way into the films or other new canon works.

@Hoopserwan It's all non-canon, but it all exists as a resource that could be used down the line.

~~ Jennifer Heddle (@jenheddle) April 25, 2014

However, that doesn't mean a character drawn from a Legendary work necessarily makes the work itself canon. Arolaide is really excited that Revan is mentioned in the TFA Visual Dictionary. And I agree that it is cool. But that does not mean that any book or game that includes the character of Revan (KOTOR, SWTOR) is canon, too. After all, it's a safe bet that Luke Skywalker (or Anakin/Vader) features in the vast majority of EU books. But that doesn't make any of them canon.

Even when people acknowledge that the EU is now legend, they end up making assumptions about what they "know" versus what is actually canon information. So is it significant that Rey has a British accent, while Finn has an American one? After all, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley grew up mere miles from each other (though in wildly different circumstances). So that has to mean something, like she's Obi-wan's grandkid because he had an accent, or she's Luke's and Mara Jade's kid because Mara was Imperial and all Imperials have British accents.

Leaving aside the fact that the character Mara Jade is no longer canon—a fact highlighted by the Cat Context folks—nothing in the original movies states that invariably Imperials have British accents. (This is a plot point in SWTOR, but not supported by the films, which take place some 4000 years later.) All the stormtroopers in the OT and several Naval officers (notably, the admiral Force-choked by Vader in the war council scene of A New Hope) are Americans. Meanwhile, rebels like Mon Mothma and Obi-wan Kenobi (OK, he was never actually part of the Rebellion) have distinct accents.

Of course, we can chalk up at least some of these discrepancies to casting expediencies. But what about when actors use an accent that we know is not their native one? Surely that's significant, no? According to Mr. Boyega himself, his American accent was a decision made on set, rather than something planned out by the writers. So it was not meant to convey information to the audience. Now, is it possible a future canon writer (like Rian Johnson) may make something of Finn's accent? It's possible. But we have no reason to hang a theory on it; or Rey's accent, either.

Another question for debate was whether Finn is Force sensitive, based on his ability to wield a lightsaber.  There is no basis for that in the current canon. However, as pointed out by Arolaide, the kyber crystals critical to a functioning lightsaber must be attuned to the Force before they can be used. And guess who is capable of that? As a side note, the use of synthetic red crystals by Sith Lords is a "Legend." Canon kyber crystals are colorless, and any color they pick up is a reflection of the user (it's still a bit hazy when the color becomes fixed). So the crystals given to Jedi players in SWTOR may be pre-attuned, colored, and fully in line with canon. Or they may be the legendary colored crystals seen elsewhere. Sith players acquire lightsabers rather than constructing their own.

I much prefer the approach taken by the folks in charge of Star Trek. Paramount established over 30 years ago that the only canon is what you see onscreen. Anything you might read about Captain Kirk or Lieutenant Worf may be contradicted at any time by a new episode or movie. Of course, Star Trek has many, many more hours of screen footage than Star Wars. Even then, there are elements of characterization, plot, technology etc., that are contradicted by later shows. Even within current Disney Star Wars canon there are contradictions, some of them very aggravating.

So this rant got a little nitpicky. All I am saying is that we may need to unlearn what we have learned, and go with the flow of the actual canon, rather than try to force the stuff of Legends into our pet theories.

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Couple Swag

Often, it's nice to have a rich relative willing to share a little wealth to help send a young couple off in style.

Thanks to a nest egg saved up by Heliantha, I was able to buy a few nice things for Baldrvar(me) and Vireena(Scooter), including some hawt lightsaber crystals and a couple cute Meirm Dart Frogs. Much like we often do in real life, we outfitted this pair in matching shirts: Republic Practice Jerseys.

I didn't want Baldrvar's saber to give away his dark affinity so blatantly, so I picked the white-purple-blue crystal which happens to match the blue and white jerseys they are wearing. That color was also relatively inexpensive on the GTN when I was shopping. Scooter preferred the magenta outline crystals, though, and I am beginning to wish I'd followed suit.

I picked up these beauties a few weeks ago when they were also a bargain on the GTN. Scooter and I have really fallen in love with the pug-nosed design of the Meirm speeders, having picked up some Skinks for Achillea and Harllie ages ago, and getting some Agamas for Lulara and Heliantha during our recently completed character run. One cool thing that sets these Dart Frogs apart from our previous Meirms is the fun little beep-beep they do just after mounting up.

One cool thing about the new companion system is that, since gear stats no longer matter for them, they can be outfitted however you please. And because I can use the Jersey as a costume stamp on Baldrvar, I decided to put Qyzen Fess in the "Team Uniform," which I will transfer to future companions as needed. I'm hoping Scooter does the same with Kira Carsen and Vireena's other companions.

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Loose Cannons

With the completion of the smuggler and the consular story, Scooter and I created new characters. In my case, I restarted my male Consular, Baldrvar. I invented it based on existing Norse names like Ingvar (warrior of Ing/Freyr) and the god Baldr (peace, light, purity). Since my plan is to take him Dark, this may be a little ironic. On the other hand, the association of Baldr with "day"—and therefore "sun"—along with a potential interpretation of "-var" to mean "wise," means "Baldrvar" could be a translation of "Sunsage"; my Legacy in SWTOR.

Hailing from the core planet Chandrila, Baldrvar is a member a noble house of galactic politicians and ambassadors. A gifted padawan, he arrived on Tython well aware of his own Force abilities. Though he was chastened initially for his apparent hubris, the Council acknowledged his strength in the Force after his discovery of the Fount of Rajivari and made him a full Jedi. Initially reluctant to deal with his master's friend, Qyzen Fess, he grew to appreciate the Trandoshan hunter's loyalty and skills. Baldrvar is adept at negotiation and diplomacy, but is prone to arrogance with people he sees as obstinate or obstructionist. Though charming, he has a vicious streak and will not hesitate to threaten or use the Force to achieve his aims.

Scooter didn't like her original Jedi Knight, a Twilek. Instead she created a Cyborg, Vireena. As is Scooter's wont, she picked the name more for its euphony than meaning, but liked that Verina/Verena can be interpreted as "true," and also has a possible etymological connection to Veronica/Bernice, "bringing victory."

Injured and orphaned during the Sacking of Coruscant, Vireena was treated for nerve damage and hearing loss before falling through the cracks of the social welfare system. She spent most of her youth in the twilight underlevels of Coruscant before being discovered as a Force sensitive by the Jedi whom she attempted to pickpocket. As do many street urchins, Vireena developed a family of sorts with a gang of other children, and values loyalty above all else. She will always have her companions' backs and treat them with respect, but will not forgive betrayal. Vireena is savvy, snarky—a bit of a smartass​, in fact​. She won't take crap from anyone, and has the skills to back up her boldness. She is reliable, honest to a fault; tireless and efficient; focused, but unpredictable.

After the overall Lightness of Heliantha (and Lulara), I plan to see how Dark I can take Baldrvar, without him also being an ass to people, because there's little call for that. Scooter is playing Vireena as fairly Dark, but mostly does what feels right for her character at that moment.

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Mirialan Monday

It's Mirialan Monday! Fitting, then, to focus on the exploits of our green gals in their moments of triumph.

It took longer than I thought it would, but on a lazy Sunday afternoon yesterday, Scooter and I finished up the original stories for Lulara and Heliantha, her Sage Jedi and my Gunslinging Smuggler, respectively. Ironically, thanks to the streamlined leveling process (though, near the finale, by way of a conscious effort on our part), both characters reached level 65—the current maximum—before finishing the third chapter. We have six more chapters to go till the end of KotFE, with a seventh in the offing early next month.

But for now, Heelee and Lulu are going on a well-earned hiatus while Scooter and I work on the rest of our "Legendary" status. After a short break while we watched Mad Max: Fury Road (perhaps more on that later) we started new characters, a Consular for me and a Knight for her (more on them later, too).

All in all, I did enjoy the end of the Smuggler story, though I will reserve my discussion of it (and ranking with the rest) for when I have finished all the stories. There was plenty of action, but coming off the amazing KotFE chapters, it's easy to see how the storytellers at BioWare have really stepped up their game recently. Interestingly, finishing the third chapter (and all the companion stories), while conferring the same Legacy "perks," did not have the climactic feel (by way of music queues and on-screen notices) that it had prior to the release of KotFE. Also, somewhere along the line, I must have rejected Corso without realizing it, because he just offered to take care of my (unborn) kids as if he were a protective uncle (much like Bowdaar did) rather than as their father.

While Scooter went all Light with Lulara (as did I, mostly), I plan to make my new Consular much darker in order to see how the story changes. I am a good chunk of the way through my own Knight's story, and it was interesting to see how the Consular story meshed with it, in a way the Warrior and Inquisitor stories do not. It was also interesting to have a Force user and a non-Force user paired up, though I think we'll not do that again until we revisit the Empire for Scooter's completion of the Warrior story (during which, I plan to re-run the Agent story).

As Scooter said last night, it's kind of sad to leave these two characters behind. We spent the past two and a half months playing them exclusively (unlike past run-throughs that overlapped a bit). We've gotten to know them: their quirks and personalities that, while being a minor reflection of us, are still quite different. But this is not goodbye, and it will be fun to revisit them once our Legends are complete.

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Where's Count Rugen When I Need Him?

Because, otherwise, I have to start using two hands to count how long I've been at this blogging thing. Yes, Dear Reader, this post marks the sixth year of IHTtS. With an extremely prolific birthday month—countered by a singularly negligent valentine month—on average, I managed to post less than once every three days this year, for a total of 116 posts.

I spent some time, early in the year, reacquainting myself with Star Trek Online. But my voyages there were brief. The bulk of the year from May on has been dominated by Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Interestingly, my biggest post of the year is almost two years old, with an embed of the awesome machinima short, "Death Knight Love Story" by Hugh Hancock. Of those I have actually posted within the past year, my recent spoilerific discussion of the latest entry of Star Wars canon has already shot to the top of individually accessed posts, but that may simply be a combination of the popularity of "The Force Awakens" and the fact that I hid most of the post behind a break. With most of my posts appearing in full on the main page and in RSS/Atom readers, it's hard for me to gauge the popularity of what I write.

As has become a regular feature of the blog, I feel the need to publicize my appreciation for Scooter and her support of my hobbies and eccentricities. She puts up with my foibles, and helps me do better. She regularly proofs my writing and spares you, Dear Reader, some pretty rough drafts. I'm not sure where I would be without her, but I am sure I would not be nearly as happy. Anyway, we have Lulara and Heliantha on Corellia; and hopefully, we will be able to finish their Original stories tonight—our first on the Republic side. Hooray!

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Settling In

After months of buying game time cards for SWTOR, Scooter and I finally just subbed directly just after Christmas. (Yes, I know it's been over two weeks.) Despite its flaws, I enjoy story mode at least, and they've made it very easy to play the game for that. Amazing how if BioWare hadn't been so hidebound about which companions did what, they could have made stronger stories in the first place.

So the commitment is real. We'll be getting the HK rewards, and unless something catastrophic happens, playing as HK-55 come August.

One "downside"—if you can call it that—of having my lovely bride as a gaming partner is that I have become less social in games. Back when I first joined the World of Warcraft community, I was recruited by a RL friend, who then introduced me to his guild. I had an instant circle of friends. Sort of. You see, because of work changes, he ended up not playing at the same times as me, and then less and less altogether. I haven't even heard from him in years. Eventually, because my ties to that guild were tenuous at best, I ended up leaving the group and finding another, thanks to a friend I had met online. I've never stayed with a guild in a game for super long, though the ones based on external friendships, like fellow bloggers I have met through Twitter, etc., have lasted longer.

Having a ready partner for gaming means that I don't need to be sociable in order to accomplish my goals. At least not sociable with anyone but Scooter. We both fall into our natural introversion and just play the games our way. It helps that I got off the gear treadmill of raiding a long time ago. If it were otherwise, I am sure we'd be involved.

But I do miss the social factor. We had a pretty good thing going in TSW for a while, both with the Knights of Mercy and Beyond the Veil. We joined a SWTOR guild a couple months ago that I thought Belghast was involved with, but Scooter and I are almost always the only ones on. Which gives me guild wanderlust.

Ultimately, I am lazy. My lack of rock hard abs and dearth of recent posts on this blog are evidence enough of that. Would the benefits of a guild outweigh the energy costs? With increasingly elaborate setups (and interludes) for quests, both voice and even typed chat are a distraction I can do without. Scooter is an excellent gaming partner, and we tear through content—or not—at our own pace. But I still kinda miss having that external social element in my gaming.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to this blog. If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after the fact. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.