Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,201 
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Post by Confessor on Nov 19, 2020 19:43:08 GMT -5
This is so true. That excerpt from The Journal of the Whills before chapter 1 began used to really fire my imagination as a kid. Loved it! "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally they became heroes." -- Leia Organa of Alderaan, Senator. Great quote! That reminds me that Foster also novelized Star Trek : The Motion Picture, and the first few pages describing how the Mediterranean had been dammed really gripped my imagination. What great world-building. Oh yeah...that was a great novelisation. I actually got rid of my copy of that at some point, but just recently I've been eyeing copies of it on eBay. I feel like I'm due a re-read. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 19, 2020 21:20:00 GMT -5
Great quote! That reminds me that Foster also novelized Star Trek : The Motion Picture, and the first few pages describing how the Mediterranean had been dammed really gripped my imagination. What great world-building. Funny enough, he wrote the screen story treatment for the motion picture when he adapted a Gene Roddenberry idea into "In Thy Image" for the pilot of the aborted Star Trek: Phase II. In a strange twist of events, Roddenberry wrote the novelization itself. That's interesting! I didn't know about that twist. Good for Gene, then; that was a good novel! |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,201
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Post by Confessor on Nov 20, 2020 2:58:21 GMT -5
Great quote! That reminds me that Foster also novelized Star Trek : The Motion Picture, and the first few pages describing how the Mediterranean had been dammed really gripped my imagination. What great world-building. Funny enough, he wrote the screen story treatment for the motion picture when he adapted a Gene Roddenberry idea into "In Thy Image" for the pilot of the aborted Star Trek: Phase II. In a strange twist of events, Roddenberry wrote the novelization itself. I do remember Roddenberry's name being on the novelisation, but always kinda assumed it was like George Lucas's name appearing on the Star Wars novelisation. Nice to know it was actually Roddenberry who wrote it. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Nov 20, 2020 8:23:29 GMT -5
I had the novelization and I still don't believe for a millisecond it was actually written by Roddenberry.
Cei-U!
Color me skeptical!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2020 19:17:00 GMT -5
If that's the case (and IS entirely possible), then everybody involved was much, much better at keeping a secret for over 40 years than in the Star Wars camp.
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Post by Duragizer on Nov 25, 2020 21:58:01 GMT -5
Colour me unsurprised.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 25, 2020 22:13:10 GMT -5
I'd forgotten about that original Star Wars novelization, I misremembered a Han Solo book as being Foster's too when it wasn't. Now I wonder if they've done the same to Brian Daley who wrote the Han Solo At Stars' End and Lost Legacy books which came out around the same time as Foster's Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. Foster was hired to ghost write the novelization, then also given a 3-book contract to create new stories that could potentially be developed into lower budget films, if Star Wars failed to be a big hit (Lucas figure it would at least earn its money back). Costumes, props and sets were saved, to save money and the novels would feature locations that would be cheaper to film, which is why Splinter is set on a misty, swampy planet, and underground, in a cavernous world. Only the opening chapter involves space and spaceships. When Star Wars was a hit and Lucas went in another direction, they cancelled the Foster trilogy of books; but, he still had his name on Splinter and earned royalties on it. Now, Lucas wasn't exactly saintly on this note, either. When the new books came out, Timothy Zahn got a pretty generous royalty deal. When the books proved to be big bestsellers, not the more modest sales of previous books, other quickly followed and became bestsellers. Fairly quickly, the book contracts were revamped that that royalty participation in subsequent books was far lower. Still, he honored the contracts that existed, which makes me wish he would speak out in support. Disney has the legal muscle to bury any opponent in decades of legal maneuvers, which is part and parcel of how corporations have been allowed to destroy society by trampling on the rights of the individuals, while claiming the legal status of actual living beings, despite being artificial constructs. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 26, 2020 10:08:32 GMT -5
I'd forgotten about that original Star Wars novelization, I misremembered a Han Solo book as being Foster's too when it wasn't. Now I wonder if they've done the same to Brian Daley who wrote the Han Solo At Stars' End and Lost Legacy books which came out around the same time as Foster's Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. Foster was hired to ghost write the novelization, then also given a 3-book contract to create new stories that could potentially be developed into lower budget films, if Star Wars failed to be a big hit (Lucas figure it would at least earn its money back). Costumes, props and sets were saved, to save money and the novels would feature locations that would be cheaper to film, which is why Splinter is set on a misty, swampy planet, and underground, in a cavernous world. Only the opening chapter involves space and spaceships. When Star Wars was a hit and Lucas went in another direction, they cancelled the Foster trilogy of books; but, he still had his name on Splinter and earned royalties on it. Now, Lucas wasn't exactly saintly on this note, either. When the new books came out, Timothy Zahn got a pretty generous royalty deal. When the books proved to be big bestsellers, not the more modest sales of previous books, other quickly followed and became bestsellers. Fairly quickly, the book contracts were revamped that that royalty participation in subsequent books was far lower. Still, he honored the contracts that existed, which makes me wish he would speak out in support. Disney has the legal muscle to bury any opponent in decades of legal maneuvers, which is part and parcel of how corporations have been allowed to destroy society by trampling on the rights of the individuals, while claiming the legal status of actual living beings, despite being artificial constructs.Amen! Many people siding with these corporations will then say that they are but defending a free and fair market, where all interested parties are equal in the eyes of the law, and that objecting to this shameless abuse of power is tantamount to communism. That's what happens when we allow our politicians to be bought. Laws cease to be made for the people and start being tailored to suit corporate needs. |
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Post by badwolf on Dec 3, 2020 18:05:45 GMT -5
I'd forgotten about that original Star Wars novelization, I misremembered a Han Solo book as being Foster's too when it wasn't. Now I wonder if they've done the same to Brian Daley who wrote the Han Solo At Stars' End and Lost Legacy books which came out around the same time as Foster's Splinter Of The Mind's Eye. For years I "remembered" Tron as being done by Foster but it was Daley. I hope they aren't screwing over his family too.
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Post by beccabear67 on Dec 6, 2020 22:25:21 GMT -5
It's kind of weird how a company, long separated from a human founder or public face, becomes sort of hyper-defensive of it's creations that of course it never created. If they want to be like GE or Westinghouse to me they will have had to have paid their resident creators full-time employment wages with security and benefits, then they would've earned the right to claim the creation, but anything freelance falls outside that morally. In Foster's situation his contract with any previous employer is bought and stands and or is broken and thus not bought. Work For Hire is not something I've known existing outside comics and very cheap magazines.
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