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). Although the EU contained vehicles; or working to ensure storylines are multiple characters beloved by fans, those not accidentally duplicated. Editors within a characters or stories were rarely publishing house specializing in the licensed acknowledged by the movies or TV shows. In product can serve as information managers his introduction to Star Wars: The Essential in this situation as well. Tying into the Reader’s Companion, Pablo Hidalgo (2012) definition of information management, their notes that for Star Wars, the most definitive responsibility is to ensure that authors have canon came directly from George Lucas, and the information they need to write in a shared it was his vision that dictated the source universe. For a franchise with a large material. The EU, while related to the story quantity of information in the form of created and overseen by Lucas and episodes, novels, or comics, having managed by his company, was a separate someone who can work with authors and entity (Hidalgo, 2012). At a panel during Star provide feedback about the current state of Wars Celebration in 2015, Hidalgo the universe is essential. Without this brand elaborated further, stating: management, the shared universe inhabited by the novels would become difficult to In the past there were two camps navigate for fans and possibly lead to kinda developing the story. The intent frustration with the franchise as a whole. was to have them interact as much as possible, but the reality was that the Although many tie-in lines practice cinematic entertainment […] and the information management in this format, published entertainment weren’t as in knowledge management is a different story. sync as they could be. (Larsen, 2015) For this paper, knowledge management means collaboration across different One thing that made Star Wars fairly unique departments in a company to plot the future among franchises was that it codified the of the franchise, ensure consistent different levels of canon through nicknames. storytelling across mediums, and work with The movies, and eventually the TV series creators to implement a larger vision for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars, were known as brand. While there may be knowledge “G-level” canon after creator George Lucas, management being implemented in the while the books, comics, and other licensed source material—for example, Kevin Feige material were referred to as continuity level ensuring that all the Marvel movies are or “C-level” (Chee, 2006). Certain aspects of interconnected and planting seeds for future “C-level” canon might appear in “G-level,” films in the current ones—this rarely extends such as the name Coruscant for the galactic to tie-in materials. capital world or the occasional character appearing on screen; however, G-level Star Wars Tie-In Novels – From canon can and did overwrite established Standard to Unique elements of C-level if events in the movies or TV show contradicted events or Until 2014, Star Wars’ relationship with its characterizations in previously published licensed materials followed the same pattern novels (Zahn, 2011). as other franchises, albeit with a few key

4 Be mindful of the future The contradictions between different publishing an adult line of novels (Zahn, mediums began with the very first EU novel, 2011). Lucasfilm approached the publisher Splinter of the mind’s eye, published in 1978. Bantam Books, who then reached out to Written by Allan Dean Foster, the book was rising science fiction novelist, Timothy Zahn, set after the events of A New Hope. In his about the possibility of writing a new trilogy of annotation for the novel in the Essential tie-in novels. The only caveat from George Reader’s Guide, Hidalgo (2012) writes that Lucas, according to the head of licensing, despite being based on an unused treatment Howard Roffman, was that the novels had to for a second film, the book’s events and be set after the events of the original trilogy, characterizations were contradicted by the since he was interested in creating prequel release of Empire Strikes Back and Return of films (Zahn, 2011). With this in mind, Zahn the Jedi. He also notes that his book worked with Lucasfilm to put together an contradicted events in the Marvel Comics outline for a story taking place five years after series due to the lack of a centralized the events of Return of the Jedi (Zahn, 2011). information management system between It was hoped that the new series would not the two license-holders (Hidalgo, 2012). This only revitalize interest in a “dead” franchise, lack of consistency in licensed materials but also prove to be a viable publishing path appears to stem from Lucasfilm making no moving forward. effort to align continuity across different mediums, as well as not communicating While there were few other licensed novels plans for future movies with the author. to work around at the time, West End Games Despite being the earliest entry into the EU, was publishing supplementary materials and the novel became ignored and its impact on guidebooks for their roleplaying game. For the larger universe was negligible. The lack the first time, these guidebooks named of internal consistency continued to be a countless characters, vehicles, and alien feature of Star Wars tie-in fiction, despite species found in the movies in order to information from Brian Daley’s Han Solo categorize a universe (Veekhoven, 2015). In trilogy being incorporated by the tabletop an attempt to start creating a cohesive gaming company, West End Games, into universe for fans to enjoy, Lucasfilm mailed their Star Wars sourcebooks (Hidalgo, 2012). Zahn copies of what West End Games had The licensing focus was on merchandise, not produced up until that point and asked Zahn the published tie-in materials. Attempting to to use them as a resource when writing his align the novels and comics, as well as to novels (Zahn, 2011). The plan appeared to create some form of information be, if Zahn’s novels were successful, to use management system would not occur until those sourcebooks as an essential resource later. for authors writing in this shared universe. The lack of an internal database left these The change that shifted the course of the guidebooks as one of the few official sources Star Wars EU began at the end of the 1980s of information that was readily accessible for and impacted the next few decades of both fans and writers. storytelling for Star Wars licensed products. In 1989, six years after Return of the Jedi and While there was an attempt to align the ten years before the first prequel movie, information in Zahn’s books with the West Lucasfilm began exploring the possibility of End Games materials, the same could not be said with the other large project undertaken

Be mindful of the future 5 by Lucasfilm at the time. When Zahn was his script (Kogge, 2015b). In his retrospective approached by Lucasfilm and Bantam Books on Dark Empire, Michael Kogge notes that about the possibility of writing the novels, a this compromise led to the creation of the EU comic series set in the same time period was timeline used by both comics and novels to already under development. Although this create a continuity for licensed products to paper is looking specifically at the Star Wars utilize a moving storyline (Kogge, 2015b). prose line, this brief detour into the comics’ This timeline formed the basis of the EU, with line is necessary to underscore the lack of the unofficial creation of “C-level” canon centralized information management and through the coordination between Veitch and how it affected storytelling in future Star Wars Zahn. But, while licensing worked with licensed products. authors on stories and what could be included, there was still a lack of coordination In development for about one year before that affected continuity further down the line. Lucasfilm began exploring the possibility of an adult novel line, Star Wars: Dark Empire Zahn’s trilogy—later designated as the began as a pitch from author Tom Veitch to Thrawn Trilogy after its main villain—proved create a comic book miniseries exploring to be immensely successful, and launched what might happen if Luke Skywalker fell to the new Star Wars publishing line. In the time the Dark Side of the Force (Kogge, 2015a). that Bantam Books held the license from After receiving approval from Lucasfilm in 1991 to 1999, they published thirty-seven 1988, a series of delays pushed it back until novels and several short story collections. it was then scheduled to be published after While the editors and the licensing Zahn’s first novel, Heir to the Empire. department did their best to ensure that the Because the two projects were going to be timeline established by Zahn and Veitch was set during the same time frame after Return used, events and characterization did not of the Jedi, this presented a major always align. It could be interpreted that complication for both writers. As noted character traits did not always align because previously, in the past there was no internal many books were developed in a short continuity between the early novels and the amount of time, and communication between comics published by Marvel Comics, and different parties did not always occur. For there did not appear to be anyone in the example, in the annotation for the novel New licensing department assigned to oversee Rebellion, Hidalgo (2012) notes that a similar how the two projects might interact. Unless event occurred in a previous novel, but with Lucasfilm wanted to confuse or alienate fans the character involved responding in very by creating conflicting continuities between different ways. Hidalgo (2012) posits that if a the two mediums, communication was reader is looking for an in-universe needed between the two parties to ensure explanation, one could be found, but the some cohesion despite their very different duplication actually occurred due to the visions about what Star Wars was and what books being developed at the same time. it could be (Kogge, 2015b). This lack of communication and sharing of information about characterization between In the end, Veitch solved the problem by different projects undercut efforts to create a having Dark Empire take place after the more cohesive and unified shared universe. conclusion of Zahn’s trilogy and Much like the situation with Zahn and Veitch, acknowledging the events that occurred in

6 Be mindful of the future each author had their own vision about what The scope of Del Rey’s ambitions Star Wars entailed and there was little effort necessitated creating a centralized source of in ensuring a consistent tone or information and knowledge about the characterization across the novel line. storyline and ensuring that major beats were plotted out ahead of time in order to guide The turn of the century saw several changes writers. Bringing the stakeholders together to in the publishing program and Lucasfilm in create an outline to manage the series was a general. After nearly a decade of working shift in how Lucasfilm and its publisher with Bantam Books, Lucasfilm switched managed their resources, which could be publishers to Del Rey. This meant new seen as an attempt to prevent the type of editors, new directions for stories, and a duplication seen in the Bantam publishing chance to restructure the novel line. Under era. Bantam, books were written and conceived in relative isolation from each other. The This shift in how information was organized thirty-seven novels they published, with an and managed was not solely confined to the exception for the X-Wing series, were either publishing arm of the company. In 2000, single books or standalone trilogies (Hidalgo, Lucasfilm decided that they needed to 2012). Del Rey, armed with the growing change how they handled the expanding shared universe established by the previous amount of content being generated. The first publisher, wanted to do things differently. In prequel movie had premiered the year 1998, editors at Del Rey began plotting what before, and the second one was already became known as the New Jedi Order under development. There was no series: an ambitious multi-book, multi-author centralized database at this time story that would reshape the galaxy far, far documenting the various stories already away. Hidalgo (2012) writes that while the published as novels, comics, or short stories. series was initially envisioned as twenty-nine With the advent of the prequel trilogy and books, the series was shortened to nineteen Lucas finally opening up that era to books released between 1999 and 2003. publishers, the database became even more vital. The increase in information about the Because of the sheer scope of the project, Star Wars universe being generated Del Rey and Lucasfilm initiated a necessitated a change in how that development committee to discuss the information was managed on an internal storyline, plot major points in the series, and level. Prior to 2000, everything related to Star ensure all parties were on the same page. Wars was housed in various story binders This committee included editors from Del kept by Lucasfilm for reference (Chee, 2012). Rey, representatives from Lucasfilm, and Leland Chee was brought in to help design a authors James Luceno, Kathy Tyers, and system to not only catalogue what had come Michael Stackpole (Star Wars, 2000). In an before, but also assist Lucasfilm in tracking interview from 2000, Stackpole described the what was in development (Chee, 2012). process: “The discussions were wide- ranging, starting with the universe as a whole The database, also known as the Holocron, and the characters we wanted to have became the main information repository for involved; how the series and characters all things related to Star Wars, including would evolve and then details like aspects of pronunciations, costumes, and places where Yuuzhan Vong society” (Star Wars, 2000). continuity did not quite align across different

Be mindful of the future 7 mediums (Chee, 2012). Chee, in his role as one of the hallmarks of the EU was slowly “Keeper of the Holocron,” viewed everything becoming a tangled knot for fans trying to being produced by Lucasfilm to help keep unravel it. Unfortunately, on the continuity as orderly as possible (Baker, management side, as long as there was new 2008). He would also allow authors to use it G-level content being created, there was little if they needed information about past and they could do to address those concerns future stories in order to write their novels. In about messiness within the canon. an interview with a popular fan site, author Matthew Stover revealed that to write his On October 30, 2012, news broke that novel set during the Clone Wars, Lucasfilm Disney was acquiring Lucasfilm with an eye granted him access to the database for to creating a trilogy set after Return of the research purposes (TheForce.Net, n.d.). In Jedi. This put the EU in a state of limbo. an era before fandom wikis on the Internet Although fans appreciated the EU’s depth began documenting and classifying the Star and the richness of the stories told, the sheer Wars universe for everyone’s consumption, weight of the continuity and contradictions the Holocron was one of the only centralized with source material was taking a toll. While depositories of information available for some fans hoped that Disney would bring writers to consult. some of the well-loved novels like the Thrawn Trilogy to the movie screen, many However, the creation of the Holocron did not thought otherwise. With Disney paying four mean some of the problems with managing a billion dollars for the company, it seemed growing franchise disappeared. The New only logical that they would strike their own Jedi Order outline underwent multiple path and tell their own stories rather than revisions due to negative reception of The stay with what had been told before (BBC, Phantom Menace and concern by George 2012). Some hoped that Star Wars would be Lucas that audiences would confuse Anakin set up as a multi-verse with the EU as an Skywalker and his grandson, Anakin Solo alternate timeline, similar to what the Star (Larsen, 2012). Changes in the timeline Trek franchise did with their most recent brought about by the establishment of new movies, so that the movies and TV shows G-level canon through the prequel movies told different stories. In less than two years, and later TV show led to authors having to fans got their answer. find creative ways to address those discrepancies in tie-in fiction. The internal A blog post accompanied by a video timeline established by Zahn in Heir to the appeared on April 25, 2014, announcing the Empire became muddled with the addition of fate of the EU. Lucasfilm stated that all the new content, underscoring that the C-level EU content published up until that point canon was not considered when developing would be re-classified as “Legends” and that new movies or TV shows (Zahn, 2011). the tie-in fiction and comic lines would be Although Zahn (2011) jokes that issue away rebooted. Everything released afterwards, in with an in-universe reference to sloppy addition to the existing G-level canon of the record keeping and information being lost or movies and TV show, would be part of a destroyed, it became a reoccurring issue for larger, unified canon overseen by the fans who wanted a strict timeline of events. Lucasfilm Story Group (Star Wars, 2014). The timeline and continuity that had been The Story Group, which included Chee, Hidalgo, and producer Kiri Hart, had been

8 Be mindful of the future created by the new head of Lucasfilm back in coordinating all the various projects across 2012 to assist in the development of new different lines (Larsen, 2015). The structure movies and oversee the franchise’s canon of the Story Group allowed for both a micro (Baker-Whitelaw, 2016). While the newly and macro collaboration within the publishing classified Legends novels and comics would line and encouraged a conversation between remain in print and potentially be drawn upon creators about different content. as resources for the new status quo, their events would no longer be seen as having In an interview earlier this year about his occurred. The hope was to eliminate the two novel Catalyst, which serves as a prequel to camps developing the story that Hidalgo the film Rogue One, author James Luceno identified. Instead of George Lucas serving described how the book was developed: as the sole authority over what was The book and the film were coming considered part of the definitive version of together in parallel because the book Star Wars, there would be a group of is very character-driven and so are individuals evaluating and discussing what great parts of the film. I was brought in would be included. Now every piece of Star fairly early, going back to 2015. I read Wars material would be monitored by one the treatment, and then read the group of people whose job it is to serve as a shooting script and had a couple of centralized source of information and meetings with the Story Group to knowledge about the franchise and manage discuss various ways to go about both the content and the ideas. With a writing this prequel. I was shown art designated authority over what Star Wars and then got to see some early was, what it could be, and what it wasn’t, how footage that informed some of the information was managed across the book. (Floyd, 2016, para. 3) franchise changed. For Luceno, having the Story Group serve as At the Star Wars Celebration panel focusing a resource for both potential story ideas, as on the Story Group, the senior fiction editor well as knowledge about the plan for Rogue at Lucasfilm, Jen Heddle, spoke about how One, was essential in crafting his novel. The the new publishing model functioned. As the Story Group was not only able to provide liaison between Lucasfilm and Del Rey, she Luceno with information about the still in- had previously served as the representative production film, but it was also able to from the company in working with the editors provide insight into the characters and their and authors. After the reboot of the EU, her motivations, which may not have been role changed. Working with the Story Group, available information for previous authors. they focused on both the smaller details, as well as a longer-term strategy across various While Star Wars had been previously publishers (Larsen, 2015). Events in an adult managing information amongst the novel under development might be impacted publishing line through its use of the by a comic book storyline currently being Holocron and maintaining a supervisory published, which might then impact a young position on what was being produced, the adult novel currently under consideration establishment of the Story Group can be (Larsen, 2015). The Story Group, in Heddle’s seen as branching into the knowledge words, served as her “brain trust” in management sphere. Rather than focusing

Be mindful of the future 9 on the details of the story (the names of ships foundation of the EU, and now it has been or alien species, the various timelines, or the augmented with knowledge management lists of characters alive at a certain point in through the Story Group. Although it is too time), the Story Group is in charge of a larger, early to evaluate how effective this strategy overarching vision for Star Wars. Their job is will be once there are more movies, novels, to help translate how different authors view and comics to juggle on a timeline, for the characters across an entire franchise and moment it appears to be working well. It is coordinate the various projects on a much currently unknown if other franchises could larger scale. This group of people ensures implement a similar knowledge management that each creator is envisioning Star Wars as plan without a change in how they value the a whole instead of prioritizing specific canonocity of their tie-in materials. Other aspects of the narrative. Distributing franchises would need to evaluate if knowledge of the franchise throughout a jettisoning possibly decades’ worth of group of people prevents resources from continuity for the chance to realign canon being consolidated and monopolized in the across all mediums would add value to their mind of one individual to the limitation of product or anger their fan base. Even others. If one person leaves, there are others establishing an internal database for within who prevent knowledge loss from information management purposes, similar affecting the line. In addition to that, they can to the Holocron, may be too much effort for take a longer view of the franchise and use those lacking resources or commitment from that to help creators formulate the best their parent organization. Lucasfilm will be stories possible. Their unique position gives unique among franchises for how it manages them the opportunity to create an its canon and continuity through its atmosphere where collaboration and information and knowledge management communication across different segments of systems, and only time will tell how effective the company is encouraged, and break down it is. the silos that may have developed under the previous system. References

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Be mindful of the future 11 TheForce.Net (n.d.). Interview with Matthew Zahn, T. (2011). Star Wars: Heir to the Stover – Traitor author. Retrieved Empire – 20th Anniversary Edition. from New York, NY: Del Rey. http://theforce.net/jedicouncil/intervie w/mattstover.asp Veekhoven, T. (2015, October 30). West End Games: Expanding a galaxy far, far away… Retrieved from http://www.starwars.com/news/west- end-games-expanding-that-galaxy-

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