occasionally subtle
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
blake kathryn
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
One Nice Bug Per Day
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
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i don't do bad sauce passes
Kaledo Art
ellievsbear
Show & Tell
d e v o n
will byers stan first human second
Love Begins
Game of Thrones Daily
Kiana Khansmith
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Jules of Nature
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@rtftransmedia-blog
Welcome to the RTF331K Course Tumblr
This Tumblr will be collaboratively authored by students in RTF331K: Transmedia Storytelling at the University of Texas at Austin. This is a space to post responses to readings, and to share/reblog relevant materials related to transmedia storytelling broadly, and the Star Wars transmedia franchise specifically.
Official site. BioWare and LucasArts bring you the next evolution in MMO Gameplay: Story.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is a video game transmedia extension to the Star Wars filmic universe. It is of the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game genre. The game takes place approximately ten thousand years before the events of the films. Events closely mirroring those in the films are occurring in the galaxy, but on a much grander scale. The empire of the Sith still exists and is at a galaxy wide conflict with the a Republic like group of systems backed by the Jedi, so the narrative of light versus dark side is still consistent as with the films, and most other Star Wars paratexts. The Old Republic, due to its nature as a multiplayer game, is an active narrative paratext that encourages fan interaction within the universe, with the universe and each other, and without in the same manner. From a functional perspective, The Old Republic serves as a prequel to the parent text of the Star Wars films, explaining the cyclical nature of the conflict between the light and dark side and how the two sides both came to be and what they stand for in more detail than is allowed in the films. It is easily accessible as it is not particularly skill intensive and is also free to play; although there are a number of transactions that can be made for aesthetic purposes so as to produce revenue for the producer of the game, that being the Canada based video game studio BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts. It can attract fans due to it being set in the Star Wars universe and (at least at the time of release) its lore is considered canon, thus peaking interest in any lore junkies like myself. It could also serve to introduce new people to the world of Star Wars (although this is probably a small minority of players due to the cultural spread of Star Wars at large, and one of the main draws of the game being it being a licensed game and thus an official extension within the Star Wars universe, giving the game a certain weight in the minds of the fan community.
Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award Winning author interview. Science Fiction writer of Star Wars novels, several other series, and many short fiction works.
This article is an interview of Thrawn series of Star Wars expanded universe books, Timothy Zahn. He is asked about the creation of his characters, as well as other things, but most interestingly from an authorial standpoint is his experience writing in an established universe versus writing within a universe he has created. In the interview, Zahn talks about writing within the rules of an already established universe such as Star Wars. He says that, when he writes his own universes, he can make the rules along the way, as long as he remains internally consistent. On the other hand, writing for an already established universe means he has to adhere to that universe’s rules, but he also doesn’t have to explain them to readers; they are already known and understood to the reader of his extensions. A quote from the interview that expresses Zahn’s thoughts would be, “It’s kind of the difference between playing basketball where you’ve got the edges, you’ve got rules, you’ve got how many people you can have on the court at the same time. Versus Calvin ball which Calvin and Hobbs like to play where I can kind of make things up however I want to do them.” Zahn also talks about his authorial thought behind creating his character, Grand Admiral Thrawn. He wanted to remain consistent to the universe of Star Wars, but also to create a character that wouldn’t step on the toes of the characters created by the original author of the text, George Lucas. “Not your usual Imperial. When I was offered the Star Wars books, the first thing I knew I wanted to do was that I wanted to do something that felt like Star Wars but was not doing what Lucas had already done.” He wanted to do this so that his character would be both interesting and recognizable. Being a villain in the Imperium, Thrawn needs to rule, so Zahn wanted him to rule differently from the rule by power or fear that distinguished Lucas’ Emperor or Vader characters, “How about a villain who leads by loyalty? Because in my opinion that’s a much more dangerous adversary because his people will fight for him whether he’s in the room or not.”
The publicity rollout for the franchise's newest installment confirms J.J. Abrams' greatest skill: harnessing the power of cinematic reminiscence.
The article talks at length of J.J. Abrams as the new author figure of Star Wars and how he uses nostalgia to boost the success of the upcoming film. The article questions the overuse of nostalgia and its power juxtaposed to the original trilogy’s “breath of fresh air”. Yet, it praises Abrams excellent use of old artifacts of the trilogy in a practical effects and almost gritty manner, especially against Lucas’s attempt at the bold CGI fest of the prequel trilogy. In summary, the article says the cards are stack in Abrams favor for success.
Each year Walt Disney World hosts Star Wars Weekends bringing together fans with celebrities and characters from across the galaxy. This year's expanded event spans five weekends, making some big c...
The article takes a look at a change in Disney’s Star Wars shows. The article frames the decision as a response to fan outcry. For years Disney had dance off shows with Star Wars characters, which some fans took as demeaning. Now, Disney puts on a Star Wars tribute show, something more serious to better “respect” fans, especially with Episode VII around the corner. But is this really respecting fans, or is this something more suited to the new face of Disney’s Star Wars, as well as a good introduction to the new generation. The tribute is based around introducing the characters to the crowd and letting them have their time in the spotlight. This all culminates with a Symphony in the Stars fireworks show, another spectacle showcasing the work of John Williams. Not only does this show please fans new and old, but it masks itself under the guise of taking Star Wars “more seriously”. ��j�
Even a rogue like Han Solo couldn’t contain himself.
This article describes the excitement and events at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Fan interactions with authors and actors create an interestingly rare atmosphere. Beyond that, the article really showcases how much the shadow of the original trilogy holds over the new movie. All of the returning actors had the most excitement and surprise built up around them, while the new comers less so. The most exciting bit was a surprise Star Wars concert, an interesting but extremely nostalgic medium to focus on: John Williams’ music. Conventions are largely about celebrating and debating the old, while simultaneously hyping the new. The industry more and more takes the advertising from convention hype to its advantage. pw>��j�
Stars Back Plea For Terminally Ill Star Wars Fan To See The Force Awakens Early
Mark Hamill and John Boyega have thrown their weight behind a campaign to allow a terminally ill Star Wars superfan to see ‘The Force Awakens’ early.
Both actors retweeted the #Forcefordaniel hashtag, after an appeal on 32-year-old Daniel Fleetwood’s local news show in Houston, Texas.
Daniel has a rare form of cancer attacking the connective tissue, and was told in July that he would only have two months to live.
So far he has defied his prognosis, but fears that he will not be able to hold on until December 18, when the seventh Star Wars film is due out in the US.
He told KPRC-TV: “Judging by how progressive the disease has gotten in the past two months I really don’t think that I’ll be able to make it.”
Friends have been appealing to director J.J. Abrams himself and his production company Bad Robot to come to the rescue, and allow Daniel, who is in hospice care in his home, some sort of studio-supervised look at the new movie.
He said that he’s been a fan of the series since he was a boy.
“I just love Star Wars,” he said. “With everything I got I love Star Wars.”
His wife Ashley, who has set up a GoFundMe page to help with medical bills, added: “It’s a commitment and he still has that commitment, that drive, and that love and I think that it’s a beautiful thing.
“Even if it’s just a movie. That’s magic for a lot of people.”
Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca, has also retweeted the #Forcefordaniel hashtag, but so far there’s no word from either Abrams or Disney as to whether a screening will be possible.
But Abrams has come through before.
He gave terminally ill 'Star Trek’ fan Daniel Craft a preview of his 'Star Trek Into Darkness’ in 2013, who sadly died just days later.
Read more Insane Jar Jar Binks Star Wars theory Star Wars: The Binks Awakens Cannot Be Unseen This R2-D2 Fridge Is Amazing
Image credits: GoFundMe/Ashley Fleetwood.
Upon seeing this on my tumblr feed, I was interested in investigating the story further (not simply because we had recently watched Fanboys but because it was a truly touching story). The first link I found was from Variety, which had released a story on November 10th about Fleetwood and his recent passing. In that article it mentioned that Fleetwood was able to see the film and passed away a mere four days after. The article featured several celebrity tweets about his story, and the most interesting one came from Mark Hamill. In it he said, “I just read this and am elated for Daniel & his family! Thanks to the powers-that-be for making his dream come true.” I felt like this tied perfectly to the discussion surrounding aura and authority. In this post, JJ Abrams and Disney were referenced as the gatekeepers involved with allowing Daniel to see the movie. Then Hamill’s tweet refers back to the very concept of authorship and the different forms of power and perception that comes with it. There’s the benevolent author god, the fanboy auteur, and the powers that be. Here he referenced the all powerful gatekeepers for allowing Fleetwood to see the film, and it just goes to show what kind of aura authors (whether it’s a director or a studio) can create for themselves. Here it was the powers that be (the often destructive and negative perception) that allowed Fleetwood to have his dream come true, which therefore turns the perception on its head because here they are seen as the benevolent, positive author figure.
Johnson, Derek. "Transmedia Architectures of Creation: An Interview with Ivan Askwith." A Companion to Media Authorship. Comp. Jonathan Gray. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 2013. Print.
Scott, Suzanne. "Who's Steering the Mothership: The Role of the Fanboy Auteur in Transmedia Storytelling." The Participatory Cultures Handbook. Comp. Aaron Alan Delwiche. New York: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Disney didn’t kill the EU.
The EU hasn’t died unless you and everyone else let it die.
Lucasfilm made the decision to create new stories.
Get to know these facts.
I spent a good minute staring at this trying to work out how Disney could possibly kill the European Union.
Drew this after talking about Empire! Empire! I Was a Lonely Estate. I know there are no parentheses.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2015 Dir: J. J. Abrams DoP: Dan Mindel
J.j. Abrams set the jar jar sith lord rumors in motion to redeem the character his mother named him after
i wholeheartedly believe the “sith jar jar” theory and if that doesn’t turn out to be canon i will be very upset
I feel exactly the same, i’m far too invested in it now.
i LOVE star war!!! PEW PEW, light saver! dark vader and luke skyscraper and obi 1 cannoli and r2b2 and 3pco and tobbaca. i love star trek.
d a r t h d a r t h b i n k s
Stephen Colbert was right about the new Kylo Ren Lightsaber!!!
New Star Wars Trailer
Stephen Colbert’s Segment
What I want to analyze is the clip of Colbert attached to this post. He goes on a tangent about winning a contest and being allowed to see the first Star Wars two weeks before release when he was a child. He then challenges peoples’ outrage at Kylo Ren’s crossguard saber with his knowledge of the lore of how lightsabers work. It is in no way an official paratext, but it is certainly promotion that Lucasfilm won’t turn down, because I would argue, because of his reputation and the way he sets up his own authority, what Colbert says could be received by fans similar to how they might receive an authorial paratext. J.J. Abrams could give an explanation about how the lightsaber works, but his job is to try to keep details under wraps. But if he did, his authorial position would not only legitimize, but canonize that description. Colbert on the other hand cannot canonize anything, but I would argue that he could fall close to the categories of undead author and fanboy auteur. He doesn’t quite touch these categories because he is not a creator, and he is not famous because of his intense fandom but because of his incredible acting skill. Yet, he has established himself in an authoritatively fannish position by doing things like challenging James Franco to see who knows more about Lord of the Rings. Overtime because of his unique position as an adored personality and professional fan, his theories and knowledge about media franchises that he holds dear have a respected position that not just any superfan can have. After all, he saw Star Wars to weeks before even J.J. Abrams.
Works Cited:
Jonathan Gray, Show Sold Separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts (NYU Press, 2010)
Suzanne Scott, “Who’s Steering the Mothership? The Role of the Fanboy Auteur in Transmedia Storytelling” (2013)
Disney, please give us this movie…
This goes back to the discussion we had about authorship and even earlier to when we discussed horizontal integration and conglomeration. This image and its caption references Disney’s ownership of both the Avengers IP and Star Wars IP. The image shows a grab from the new The Force Awakens trailer and has photo-shopped inserts of characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (to be specific: the Falcon & the Winter Soldier). It’s done almost as if this is a scene grab from a future film that combined the Star Wars universe with the MCU since John Boyega’s character is calling out about them. The caption takes it further by asking Disney to make it happen. Since Disney is such a huge corporation that now owns these IP they have the power to make decisions of this magnitude. Whether they would ever combine the universes in a movie is not the point, but the fact that they have the ability to do so because of their ownership of the texts gives them a lot of clout in determining what kinds of crossovers will happen in different narrative extensions.
Star Wars Journey to The Force Awakens Trading Cards
Retro-style digital trading cards were used to reveal character names for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and now the real thing, celebrating the entire saga, will help pave the road to the next Star Wars film.
Star Wars Insider and Topps have announced the all new Star Wars Journey to The Force Awakens trading card line, which will debut four exclusive cards in Star Wars Insider #160. Journey to the Force Awakens trading cards explore the key characters across the first 6 films and provide a sneak peek at content from the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The trading cards are printed on 24-point Heritage stock and feature the iconic blue starfield card design first seen on the original 1977 Topps Star Wars trading cards.
Today, Insider has joined forces with StarWars.com to unveil two of the cards set to appear in the latest issue, Han Solo and Princess Leia, below. The next two cards will be revealed in an update tomorrow.
We never talked about trading cards in our class, but apparently these new cards were the first reveal for character names in Force Awakens. However, these do not seem to be trading cards in the sense of Pokemon, but simple picture cards featuring character names. So what narrative purpose could they serve? Not much, but I would argue, as we see in the name reveal, that they could be an important factor in the collective intelligence world. They may be able to make an action figure and put a name to every character that has the briefest of background screen time, as they have in the past with Star Wars, but trading cards gives Lucasfilm an easy way to give information on any on screen detail from characters to vehicles to buildings in a way that other mediums cannot. This makes trading cards a valuable asset to people who contribute to wookieepedia or make fan fiction about obscure characters. It has a play aspect to it that reminds me of Jonathan Gray’s bit about making a story around Hammerhead from the cantina scene, but in this case it is far more encyclopedic on the end of the actual product.
Works cited:
Jason Mittell, “Sites of Participation: Wiki Fandom and the Case of Lostpedia,” Transformative Works and Cultures 3 (Fall 2009),
Jonathan Gray, Show Sold Separately: Promos, Spoilers, and Other Media Paratexts (NYU Press, 2010).
