Be Mindful of the Future: Information and Knowledge Management in Star Wars Tie-In Fiction

Volume 13 Spring 2017 djim.management.dal.ca | Be mindful of the future: information and knowledge management in Star Wars tie-in fiction Diana Castillo School of Information Management, Dalhousie University Abstract In the last fifty years, media franchises have been using tie-in fiction to expand their universes and tell stories outside the main source material. This paper examines how information management is used specifically in Star Wars tie-in fiction and its recent transition to using knowledge management. To start, this paper looks at the history of tie-in fiction from its roots in the 1960s to the modern day, before transitioning to the role of brand managers and editors as information managers. Then, this paper documents the history of Star Wars tie-in fiction and how information management strategies were implemented through 2014 and how it impacted the franchise’s internal continuity. Finally, this paper examines the recent move towards a unified canon and how this shift towards knowledge management has impacted storytelling. This paper concludes that while it is too early to evaluate its results, Star Wars was uniquely situated among franchises to move towards knowledge management through its prior information management efforts. Introduction universes and tell stories they may not be able to tell otherwise. Creating a well-run line In today’s entertainment environment, of tie-in fiction requires coordination between popular franchises are rarely limited to one authors, publishing houses, and the licensing type of media. They license their products company through information management. across various different formats to engage In the context of this paper, information fans and expand their footprint in popular management is defined as working with culture as much as possible. One of the most various stakeholders (writers, license common forms used is the tie-in novel. Many owners, editors, etc.) in order to ensure the visual media franchises, from the video game details of a shared universe are consistent. Mass Effect to the television show Leverage, One franchise that has been particularly use prose fiction to grow their respective successful in leveraging its brand through tie- Be mindful of the future 1 in fiction is Lucasfilm for Star Wars. Starting Diane Duane and Barbara Hambly shortly after the release of the original film contributing to the universe. The number of through the present day, Star Wars tie-in tie-in fiction works continued to grow in the books have become a key part of its brand. 1990s, with the advent of the Doctor Who line For a long time, however, Lucasfilm and the Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU). maintained different levels of canon (events When surveying the state of tie-in fiction at that are considered absolutely definitive in a the time, Anders (2009) writes that at this shared universe) across its various licensed point, nearly every decently-sized TV show products, including its novel line. This from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Alias began created a situation where even with systems investing in a line of tie-in novels. Today, in place to manage information and while few TV shows have an associated print knowledge about the series, continuity errors universe, video games have been filling that and different interpretations of the source space. Games such as Halo, Mass Effect, material occurred (Hidalgo, 2012). Only and Dragon Age have published multiple tie- recently did Lucasfilm fully align its canon in novels focusing on events outside of across all tie-in mediums, including books, gameplay. with the help of a centralized Story Group, a group of producers and creative executives One important element of tie-in novels is that charged with steering the company’s they allow for the exploration of events overarching narrative. Lucasfilm’s move to a outside of an episode, movie, or game. Diane unified canon allowed for better integration Duane, for example, wrote a series of well- and information transfer among the different received novels focusing on the Romulan components of the company to the culture and society, despite the species only publishing arm and allowed them to make a appearing in one episode of the original shift to using knowledge management within series with little explanation other than they the company in order to facilitate long-term were an offshoot of the Vulcans (Anders, planning, growth, and execution of strategy. 2009). For shows like Star Trek or Doctor Who, which were no longer airing at the time Tie-In Novels, Franchises, and Canon their tie-in novels exploded in popularity, the print adventures of their favourite characters Franchise writing began to take shape with were the only new content the fans were the advent of television. In her overview of receiving. Even when the shows returned to the history of tie-in fiction, Charlie Jane the air, the popularity of their tie-in novels Anders (2009) noted that, while today Doctor continued, but now they only focused on Who and Star Trek are known for their stories that could feasibly take place novels, they were not the pioneers in the field between episodes. The companies’ when they began in the 1960s. Instead, other respective licensing departments oversaw television shows like The Avengers, The Man the publishing line to ensure the novels from U.N.C.L.E., and The Six-Million Dollar aligned with the source material, but authors Man began publishing books that continued also had the freedom to explore or create the adventures of its characters beyond the new characters. Tie-in novels give franchises small screen (Anders, 2009). It wasn’t until the flexibility to broaden their universes and Star Trek left the air in the 1970s and 1980s present new concepts and characters for that its tie-in novels began to explode in fans to enjoy, albeit with some caveats. number and in popularity, with authors like 2 Be mindful of the future For most franchises, tie-in novels are a way movie producers to translate the novel’s to grow the brand and to keep their fans events to the visual medium. The flow of engaged in the stories being told; however, information, in this case what material is they are not considered to be the same level considered canon, for tie-in fiction only goes of canon that episodes or movies are. For one way, from the source to the licensed most franchises that began as TV shows or products. Franchise writing is tied to the movies, canon is what is shown on the source material, but rarely impacts it. screen. Novels and comics, while part of the universe, are not considered to be canon and Brand Managers, Information, and thus can be overwritten by the source Collaboration material later on, and are rarely included in Because there are numerous creators the future development of the main franchise. working in a shared universe at any given For example, while Diane Duane’s Romulan time, there runs the risk of accidental novels were held in high esteem by fans, duplication and internal inconsistency. For they were contradicted by later on-screen tie-in fiction, authors work with editors and appearances of Romulan society, most members of the company’s licensing notably with the film Star Trek Nemesis. department to formulate their story and When asked by the website io9 about her mitigate those harms through good reaction to the film contradicting her novels, information management practices. In John Duane replied: Jackson Miller’s (n.d.) blog post detailing the I've been working in both TV/film for behind the scenes activity for his Star Trek long enough that I knew perfectly well novel, Takedown, he points out that where books fit into the mass-media suggestions from both his editor and the pecking order (quite low down...), and executive at CBS licensing resulted in what was likely to happen to non- changes to his initial story idea, which made canonical material when it came into for a stronger novel. His editor, who worked contact with a production crew eager on the larger Star Trek line, was familiar with to prove that it wasn't beholden to stories already being told through other anybody else's take on the Romulans. novels and was able to give input on what (Anders, 2008, para. 3) characters could be used for maximum storytelling impact (Miller, n.d.). The editor Despite working closely with the respective also, according to Miller (n.d.), pointed out brand’s licensing division, authors are aware that the conflict at the emotional core of the that at any point in time their work can be novel already occurred, and switching roles contradicted by the source material. The of the characters could lead to a richer, more licensing representatives can help mitigate interesting story. Miller, a full-time author that harm by giving input into story ideas or who had just finished writing a tie-in novel for vetoing pitches that could impact the future Lucasfilm, did not have the familiarity with the of the franchise (such as killing Captain Kirk novel line and the character beats that the in a novel), but that is the extent of it. Brand editor did. managers ensure that authors are aware of the current state of the shared universe and Brand managers, in this case individuals help answer questions about the finer details. operating within a company’s licensing It does not mean that they work with show or division, serve as information managers for a Be mindful of the future 3 shared universe. This can include keeping a changes. The licensed tie-in materials were detailed timeline of events; maintaining a collectively referred to as the expanded database of characters, settings, and universe (EU).

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