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The
Lightsabre Interview Bob Vitas
Welcome to Lightsabre. Our
latest guest is one of the key figures in the Star Wars fan movement, having
spent many years compiling, updating and editing the Completely Unofficial
Star Wars Encyclopedia. Please say a big
hello to Bob Vitas Q -Bob, welcome to Lightsabre. A - Thanks for having me! Q – Star Wars has had a profound effect on all of us
– it’s why we’re here talking about it, but what was it that started you off
on your Star Wars journey? A – Well, it all started for me with the
original release of "Star Wars," back before there were episode
numbers. I was 12, and an old friend asked me to go see the movie. I had been
skeptical of sci-fi films of the time, which
were pretty cheesy both in plot/story and special effects. Thus, I initially
refused to go see "Star Wars" at all! Needless to say, seeing the
film that first time blew me away. I spent the rest of the summer
drawing Darth Vader's helmet and X-Wing fighters, and I've been hooked even
since. Q – You’ve been involved in Star Wars fandom for
many years through your work with the Encyclopedia. How does it feel to
have carved yourself such a prominent niche in the
Star Wars fan community? A – I wasn't originally in the encyclopedia
business for fame and glory. I just saw a niche that needed to be filled on
the Internet, and set out to fill it as best I could. I thought that I was
"on my way" when I heard that Steve Sansweet was going to write the
official encyclopedia, and I actually talked to him about it
at length, but he ultimately decided to write it on his own. (I'm sure that
LFL's decree to use experienced writers had something to do with it.) So, I
just kept plugging away, never really trying to get famous. However, I
figured that I had finally become a recognized member of the community when I
actually got my own "Star Wars" character in the online version of
HoloNet News (see the article at this URL: http://www.holonetnews.com/48/sports).
There was some trepidation, however, because the authors (Pablo Hidalgo and
Paul Ens) were already hard at work on the official Star Wars Databank. I was
assured that Vob Bitas' fate had nothing to do with my own! Q – Which of the six episodes stands out as your favourite? A – I'm a big fan of
Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. It was the first of the six episodes
that I actually waited in line for (in line, wrapped around the entire
theater twice, about a week after the original opening),
and it was the most emotional of the six films. It broke the conventional
"happy ending" script, leaving the fate of the main characters
completely up in the air. My friend and I then spent three years writing our
own Episode VI scripts... none of which had Ewoks! Q – There have been Star Wars encyclopedias since
before the internet, that added characters, worlds, weapons and starships from the
comics, as well as the novels and films. Now the net is the standard
repository for knowledge about everything, never mind just Star Wars, how do
you think this has helped the development of the encyclopedia? A - Well, as I mention in the preface to the
encyclopedia, I always saw the Internet as the primary outlet for the
encyclopedia. At the time I started, however, LFL wasn't too sure about the
Internet as a place where "Star Wars" fans could play. There were
several mistakes in their attempt to create an Internet
policy that allowed fans to express themselves while still maintaining the
copyrights and trademarks of the "Star Wars" universe. That's why,
for many years, the encyclopedia lacked any form of images... LFL really
cracked down on images, but the text seemed to be OK. As you say, the
explosion of the Internet as an information repository has helped greatly,
and even LFL has embraced the inline version of the encyclopedia (the Star
Wars Databank) as opposed to another print version. Add to this the
continually-changing nature and content of the
"Star Wars" universe, and the Internet became
THE place to maintain the encylopedia. Q – As a fellow fan you must have many golden
Star Wars memories. Tell us about some of them. A – Getting my own
character is probably the top memory (if only he had an action figure...),
although being named by Daniel Wallace in the Acknowledgements sections of
both Essential Chronologies was the most important of
the memories. (Dan is my hero... the last non-prolific author chosen to write
in the "Star Wars" universe.) One of my first memories was being interviewed
in my hometown newspaper while I waited in line for the premier of "Return
of the Jedi," although rereading the article now makes me sound pretty
childish! I also remember spending summer days with my friends, taping our
own versions of the movies by taking parts and reading aloud from the
scripts. Q – Which of the Star Wars characters is the
closest to you? A – I associate myself with Qui-Gon Jinn. He was one of the most knowledgeable Jedi Masters of his time, not above taking risks whenever he felt the Force was pushing him to a conclusion. Although he was emotional, he was always in control, and tried to act as the Force willed him. He accepted his mistakes as merely learning experiences, and continued to develop throughout his career. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if he had survived the struggle with Darth Maul, and had gone on to teach Anakin...
Q – What would you change about Star Wars if you
could go back in time and make alterations? A – In the Episode IV cantina
sequence, Han Solo shot first. End of story! His character,
and his ultimate "redemption" during the Battle of Yavin, are
more poignant in the original film. That fact that Lucas caved in to fan
questioning and had Greedo shoot first (and badly wild, like he was in
another room) lessens the impact of Han's transformation. Q – With new Star Wars product coming out weekly
and new characters and situations being developed you must find yourself
working almost constantly on the project. We write our own stories here
at Lightsabre and I find myself working long hours just to keep that updated. How do you
organize yourself to stay abreast of new developments? A – I try to schedule
encyclopedia updates to occur in the relative lulls between major book
releases. This gives me time to map out the major additions, investigate what
comics are coming out, and gather up the online material.
(The comic’s side of things is actually pretty easy for me. I have a loyal
reader - Rilla Freeman - who maintains the most impressive comic’s collection
I know. She reads all the new ones and then puts them in a pile, and sends
them to me on a regular basis.) For novels, I read them through completely,
using a ballpoint pen to make notes in the margins. I
then go back through the novel, scanning for pen marks and entering new
information in the database. For comics, I'll read a series through from
start to finish, then reread them and add in information as I go. Games are
the hardest, because I usually have to find ways to pause
them and write stuff down while playing in "god mode," so that I
can find every secret and defeat every boss. That's why I'm constantly using
the Prima Games guides for games. I end up spending
about 2 hours a day (usually between 9-11 at night) typing stuff into the
database. It then takes about a week to prep a new edition for publication to
the Internet. I think the best thing I ever did was migrate
to using Microsoft Access to store the encyclopedia as a database. I can
store tons of information on a relatively small footprint, and organize and
retrieve it in any way possible. Q – Where do you think Lucas will take us next on
our trip through the Star Wars galaxy? A – I'd like to see the
early history of the Jedi and the Old Republic explored some more. Dan
Wallace hints about several pre-Republic civilizations in the new Essential
Chronology, which might be cool to explore. Q - What do you foresee for yourself and the
Encyclopedia in the future? A – I want to keep doing the encyclopedia as
long as there is interest in "Star Wars." I think that LFL has more
or less decided that they'll never print another full-scale encyclopedia, let
alone one that is all-encompassing. Thus, I believe that there will always be
a place for me in the "Star Wars" universe. I'd love to work on a
"Holocron" version for offline reading, which has a nice graphic
interface and is easily updated by pulling
information from the website. Personally, I've had an idea for a
trilogy of novels in the back of my mind, telling a tale from the Galactic
Civil War in which a planet is subjugated by the Empire. The first novel
would chronicle the initial invasion from the point of view of an Imperial
Star Destroyer and her crew. The second novel would focus on the resistance
by the local population. The third novel would resolve
the conflict from the point of view of the Alliance. With any luck, I'll get
around to writing them someday, if only as fan fiction. Q – A quick question about our site,
Lightsabre. Any comments? A – I have been out there several times, reading
through your chronology. I recently stumbled upon the staff bios, and got a
good chuckle out the pictures and their captions. I'm currently
listening through the "Setnin Radio" broadcasts. Q - It's been a great interview, and thanks for
being our guest on Lightsabre. Just one final question. The GFFA
contact you and offer to make your encyclopedia `official’, but with a few
provisos. First, your book must be illustrated by Charles Shultz.
Second, the audio version
must be read out, Hitch-Hiker’s style by Joan Rivers and thirdly it will be
published in only two languages – basic and Klingon. What would you do? A – I was OK until you mentioned Joan Rivers. If
she's narrating, then all bets are off! How do you say "Can we
talk?" in Klingon? Anyhoo, thanks for having
me on the site! I look forward to reading (and
hearing) more from you and the Lightsabre team! |
