Johun Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I have always felt that one of the great flaws of the Star Wars fiction is that it keeps introducing new stuff instead of elaborating on the old stuff. Almost every new movie, game, comic, book or TV show episode seems to add a new species of alien. Each more forgettable than the last In comparison, the Mass Effect series has only a hanzful of alien species, each of them unique and well-developed. Most fans could without a doubt identify each species by audio alone. Now I do understand that the Mass Effect series had much tighter quality control than Star Wars. Not to mention the fact that SW has been around for a considerable length of time and the number of writers that have cobtributed to the EU must be in the hundreds. It is also clear that the SW galaxy was never even intended to be a coherent, compact setting where everything had it's place. It's more of a space fantasy melting pot. There wasn't much worldbuilding. The cantina scene alone must have introduced at least a few dozen species. BioWare did an admirable job of using recognizable and cool species from previous SW canon, even shedding new light on some of them. Some of that much needed elaboration that I mentioned earlier. But they did go out of their way to create at least 4 new species(Esh-ka, Flesh Raiders, Gormak and Voss) that I'm aware of. The Star Wars galaxy is beginning to resemble the house of a hoarder, the bantha poodoo just keeps piling up. If you could choose, how many species does the SW galaxy need? Which ones? Personally I feel that Wookiees and Twi'leks are essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfninjajedi Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Theres never enough species, the galaxy is a big place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowpokeking Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I just want to know more about Yoda's species. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendaryBlade Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) I think it's more a case of how sloppily they are often presented. The biggest problem with the EU is that it's a big mess, and while a lot of it is well written it seems more often than not it isn't. A universe with a lot of species can be very well written, however. Look at Star Trek, for example. Ask literally any Trek fan, or most Sci FI fans in general, and they'll be able to tell you about Klingons and Romulans and Ferengi. If they've actually seen a few episodes of TNG or DS9 they can probably tell you about Bajorans and Betazoid's. Hopefully we'll see a more coherent universe as we are no doubt swamped with new content to our heart's desite now that the new films are slated for an eventual release. Edited December 17, 2012 by LegendaryBlade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VelvetSanity Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Keep in mind that the majority of species in SW that get introduced (at least, in the movies and games like TOR) are there as backdrop for atmosphere. That said, we definitely need more development of the ones that are focused on. I for one would LOVE to see more about Twi'leks, particularly their culture and society. I'd also love to *see* the whole "lekku are prehensile" thing represented, even if it's something as simple as using the lekku to raise or lower a hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarSquirrel Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 (edited) The biggest problem with the EU is that it's a big mess, and while a lot of it is well written it seems more often than not it isn't. Good reason to have Aurbere around. This is also why we have Wookiepedia and the various encyclopedias and visual dictionaries. I personally feel the fact Star Wars is becoming such a huge and diverse Universe is fantastic as it allows for there to always be something new to explore and learn. I mean, it's cool to see a previously undiscovered planet or a wacky new alien culture. Think of the great 'Star' franchises in history (to name a couple Star Trek, Stargate) and they have something in common. They are (or were) always adding new aliens and new planets. The urge to know more and explore is a core need of Sci-fi and Space Fantasy fans. Edit: and with the new series of movies, only expect the SW Universe to get bigger regardless of what EU material gets cut from official cannon. Edited December 18, 2012 by StarSquirrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnsignSorrow Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 (edited) It's not often that something new is introduced in SW. Like everything in this game is mostly taken from Tales of the Jedi comics, and other EU, which was originally written by George, or Lucas Arts. Most of the aliens from the EU are taken from the movies. Things that are in the movie although they are not easy to notice. Just saying if you go and watch the movies again, and look at the background more you will see just about everything that is in TOR right now. So it may seem there is a lot of new things, although it's rather that they are being refined by the Lucas Arts in the EU. Remember Lucas Arts is involved with everything Star Wars, regardless of the writer, or developer. It's brilliant really. There is a lot more to Star Wars than you think. Edited December 18, 2012 by EnsignSorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atduncan Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 It's not often that something new is introduced in SW. Like everything in this game is mostly taken from Tales of the Jedi comics, and other EU, which was originally written by George, or Lucas Arts. Most of the aliens from the EU are taken from the movies. Things that are in the movie although they are not easy to notice. Just saying if you go and watch the movies again, and look at the background more you will see just about everything that is in TOR right now. So it may seem there is a lot of new things, although it's rather that they are being refined by the Lucas Arts in the EU. Remember Lucas Arts is involved with everything Star Wars, regardless of the writer, or developer. It's brilliant really. There is a lot more to Star Wars than you think. This poster does have a point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSelkie Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 In comparison, the Mass Effect series has only a hanzful of alien species, each of them unique and well-developed. Most fans could without a doubt identify each species by audio alone. Firstly, I should point out that I'm a massive ME fan. Secondly, there's a good reason why species in ME seem much more "unique and well-developed". In ME each of the main species is representative of a certain attribute of humanity, resulting in a sort of "planet of hats" situation where every member of a species is very similar (e.g all turians are noble soldiers, all asari are wise, all salarians are scientists and spies etc.). Each species is given a different defining feature, making them appear unique, but in reality an entire species doesn't share a single set of values. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstanks Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I kind of agree with the OP. Often when reading a EU book I have to stop and look up wookiepedia to remember what species it is. Still variety is the spice of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johun Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Firstly, I should point out that I'm a massive ME fan. Secondly, there's a good reason why species in ME seem much more "unique and well-developed". In ME each of the main species is representative of a certain attribute of humanity, resulting in a sort of "planet of hats" situation where every member of a species is very similar (e.g all turians are noble soldiers, all asari are wise, all salarians are scientists and spies etc.). Each species is given a different defining feature, making them appear unique, but in reality an entire species doesn't share a single set of values. I'd rather see reliable and proven hats than no hats at all. It's brilliant really. There is a lot more to Star Wars than you think. Please don't make assumptions about my ignorance. Most of the aliens from the EU are taken from the movies. Things that are in the movie although they are not easy to notice. Just saying if you go and watch the movies again, and look at the background more you will see just about everything that is in TOR right now. . First appearing in one of the movies does not validate a species' existence. Like VelvetSanity already pointed out, background characters in the movies are created purely for their visuals. Any consideration to things like character or continuity come a distant second if at all. Basically George was shown a bunch of concept art, and he said "I like this one, he looks like a chicken. Make it happen." and the besalisk species was born. Jedi Council members from the prequels alone added 9 more species. It's not often that something new is introduced in SW. Like everything in this game is mostly taken from Tales of the Jedi comics, and other EU, which was originally written by George, or Lucas Arts. New, redundant thinks are added all the time. Like I already stated in my original post, almost every single piece of Star Wars entertainment intentionally or unintentionally adds more species into an already overpopulated galaxy. Major projects like Movies, the TV shows and Video Games especially. Just take a look at a random Wookieeepedia article "Sentient Species" section, chances are you will see the phrase "First Appearance" or "First Mentioned". As I already stated, I am not slamming BioWare, they did provide some much needed elaboration on existing species and the ones they added were mostly of high quality(not you, Esh-kha, you go in the shame corner). So it may seem there is a lot of new things, although it's rather that they are being refined by the Lucas Arts in the EU. Remember Lucas Arts is involved with everything Star Wars, regardless of the writer, or developer. The vast majority of new species added will never be mentioned again. There's a snowball's chance in hell for any sort of refinement or development. When will it be the anacondan's time to shine? When will the lurmen return? What about the harch? Personally I'm eagerly awaiting for more karkarodon action. WAIT A MINUTE! These are all just anthropomorphic animals! Come on Star Wars, you know I love you, but you have to try harder than this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexDougherty Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 How can there be too many species, do you really want a galaxy with only a dozen or so sentient species. You have to have a lot of species, or it seems empty, if this is too much to handle then maybe sci-fi isn't for you. Personally I would like more species in the game, maybe a few that aren't in the films or books, just for variety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaoslordfox Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 To the OP there is a book called the Ultimate Alien Anthology It has just about every spices in the Starwars Universe excluding Anything in the current mmo as it was published in 2003. Though its not huge amounts of detail it is interesting enough even if it was made for the table top game if you don't or or for anyone else that might not have it I have the pdf and would love to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookysage Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 (edited) Just take a look at a random Wookieeepedia article "Sentient Species" section, chances are you will see the phrase "First Appearance" or "First Mentioned". Okay, I gotta ask about this part, because I'm not even sure what you're trying to say here. Every article on an in-universe... noun on Wookieepedia's going to have a "First Appearance" notation, or else there wouldn't be an article there. Anyway, I don't mind a populated galaxy, and it's fun to see the "set dressing" species get fleshed out, even if there's just as much diversity within a species as between different ones. Some sci fi and fantasy settings have problems with one-note species (aside from humans and their amazingly unique versatility) - unless the writing is constantly top notch, it can get old fast. Star Wars is a pretty sprawling franchise, so the writing can't be top notch all the time... My one big setting complaint is that the Old Republic era is set so far in the past that technology of the whole galaxy seems to have hit a plateau at some point and gone stagnant, but everyone's happy they get to play with lightsabers so I'll live with it. Edited December 20, 2012 by spookysage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterMe Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Okay, I gotta ask about this part, because I'm not even sure what you're trying to say here. Every article on an in-universe... noun on Wookieepedia's going to have a "First Appearance" notation, or else there wouldn't be an article there. Anyway, I don't mind a populated galaxy, and it's fun to see the "set dressing" species get fleshed out, even if there's just as much diversity within a species as between different ones. Some sci fi and fantasy settings have problems with one-note species (aside from humans and their amazingly unique versatility) - unless the writing is constantly top notch, it can get old fast. Star Wars is a pretty sprawling franchise, so the writing can't be top notch all the time... My one big setting complaint is that the Old Republic era is set so far in the past that technology of the whole galaxy seems to have hit a plateau at some point and gone stagnant, but everyone's happy they get to play with lightsabers so I'll live with it. Yeah.. that's one of the incosistancies with Star Wars. It just isn't realistic. But we've got to accept that. Oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johun Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Okay, I gotta ask about this part, because I'm not even sure what you're trying to say here. Every article on an in-universe... noun on Wookieepedia's going to have a "First Appearance" notation, or else there wouldn't be an article there. Anyway, I don't mind a populated galaxy, and it's fun to see the "set dressing" species get fleshed out, even if there's just as much diversity within a species as between different ones. Some sci fi and fantasy settings have problems with one-note species (aside from humans and their amazingly unique versatility) - unless the writing is constantly top notch, it can get old fast. Star Wars is a pretty sprawling franchise, so the writing can't be top notch all the time... My one big setting complaint is that the Old Republic era is set so far in the past that technology of the whole galaxy seems to have hit a plateau at some point and gone stagnant, but everyone's happy they get to play with lightsabers so I'll live with it. Okay, I wasn't being very clear. What I meant was, if you look up an article for a piece of SW fiction, for example The Old Republic and go to Appearances/Sentient Species/ more often than not you fill see a few (First Appearance)-tags. This game was made with the express purpose of feeling like Star Wars, thus they had to use the same visuals, themes and character archetypes. TOR succeeded in its mission better than the prequels. I'm more than willing to overlook the technological statis thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneen Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I'd love to know more about Yodah's species as well, as previously states already. For species in the game: Wookie, Ortolan, Sullustan. Those are from the top of my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izorii Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 The strange thing is I kinda agree with the OP. The issue is too many near human species. Each species shold be differnt have a unique look and a unique history., There should be 1000's of speices but we only ned 10 or 20 but each has to be unique. Pale human, bald human, green human, blue human are not unique species but a dumbing down of what could be unique alien cultures with unqiue alien apperances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfninjajedi Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 (edited) The strange thing is I kinda agree with the OP. The issue is too many near human species. Each species shold be differnt have a unique look and a unique history., There should be 1000's of speices but we only ned 10 or 20 but each has to be unique. Pale human, bald human, green human, blue human are not unique species but a dumbing down of what could be unique alien cultures with unqiue alien apperances. There are many near humans in all sci-fi, so...its kinda a thing. But just because they don't have a strange appearance, doesn't mean that they aren't aliens. Edited December 22, 2012 by Wolfninjajedi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirasavior Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I actually think the fact that the Star Wars universe has so many different alien species, makes it more unique. It shows how infinitesimal the universe really is, and surely with such a large galaxy, there would be more species than a couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorArkon Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I hope that you will be able to play Kel Dor race, I love those strange aliens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquidacid Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 well according to lore the SW galaxy is populated by approximately 100 quadrillion different life forms with around 20 million sentient (sapient) species so I don't think we have actually seen enough variety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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