"mcguff- ...crystal."

"Splinter" was my favorite SW book in the Expanded Universe! I truly wish it had been made into a film.

The first and still the best SW novel. I love the early Star Wars media (books, comics, games) ... the galaxy far, far away was so fluid and undefined after the first movie, and before any sequels came out (mid-'77 to mid-'80). So many possibilites. THAT is what made it irresistable and so widely appealing.

“They’re just two young people fingering in the jungle. Don’t make it weird.“😂 I remember as a kid, it being strange: I would see this Splinter book on shelves. I somehow knew it was another Star Wars story, but not one of the movies. This is long enough back that the very idea of something being outside the three original films was completely unique. I never read it when I was young, wish I would’ve. I know that by the 90s it was rare to even come across a copy. (EDIT) came across a used copy in a bookstore today. I know what I’m reading next

This story is necessary as cannon. Luke learns the force grab in this story. Luke fights Vader in a jungle temple which he sees as a vision in the dark side cave on Degeba. Also when Luke chooses not to finish his training with Yoda in favor of confronting Vader to rescue his friends, Obi-Wan’s ghost tells Luke “if you choose to face Vader I cannot interfere”. Why would Luke think Obi-Wan could interfere? It’s because he did interfere when Luke fought Vader in Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. This story absolutely is cannon.

Bought the book years ago from a second hand bookshop. Still haven't read it. Now I have an idea of what it was about. Great video!

Read "Splinter" in about '86 and it absolutely blew me away. I always thought it should've been made for screen, it's such a good story but breaks what became canon from "Empire" onward.

I read *Splinter of the Mind’s Eye* back when it was new and I remember enjoying the book. Interesting to know its backstory.

I had Splinter as a kid, it was pretty good!

Thanks Moid. I grew-up on Star Wars, my first Sci-fi before I even knew sci-fi was a thing. Great to have such an awesome insight that isn't from the horde of Star Wars KZfaqrs!

I purchased Alan Dean Foster's "Slinter of Mind's Eye" in 1978 when it hit the bookshelves in my community. I only read it decades later cover to cover and found it largely incongruous with the Star Wars universe that we all came to know and love. In fact, I kind of hated it. It was not that it was poorly written, just didn't fit at all with the Star Wars that was to be. Also, when I had purchased the book, there had already been rumours that the book actually contained the history of Darth Vader, which was that Obi Won Kenobi had been Darth Vader's teacher in The Force, but Vader turned to the Dark Side and Obi Won fought him on the edge of a volcano into which Vader fell, but survived, requiring him to wear his specialized armour. None of that was in the book, yet that information was known in the fandom somehow back then. I did enjoy the original novelization, which differed from the New Hope we all saw on screen in 1977 (those of us that did) and I have to say that knowing that was Alan Dean Foster's work as well as a ghost writer gives me new admiration for his writing. I remember he had also done novelization in 1979 for another movie franchise that has also stood the test of time over the decades, ALIEN. All that said, if you are a devout Star Wars fan but have never read "Splinter of Minds Eye" either do not read it as it will cause you nightmares and rage for its falling so far outside of cannon, or read it as if it is an alternative timeline or a "what if?" Star Wars universe. Thank you for this video, it has helped me to rethink all the horrible things I said about the book after I read it outside of the context I have learned here.

I wonder if AI can be used to create this as a full-length film...

I remember reading this when I was about nine. Episode V was already seen by the public. I always just understood this as an adventure that took place between episodes IV and V. Splinter didn't exactly excite me 😂

Found a copy of it at a swap meet. Bought it for a dollar.

A fantastic trip down memory lane on this one; thanks a lot! I remember reading this when I was a kid, and I loved it. Great work on the video and editing Charlie!

My mom bought me Splinter of the Mind's Eye when I saw on a bookstore bookshelf. It was fine for the era, and I was only 10 or 11, Empire hadn't come out yet, and I was still firmly of the mind that Leia was going to end up with Luke romantically. However, I ended up getting into Foster's novels, and read an absolute masterpiece of sci-fi he wrote called Nor Crystal Tears, which is a first contact novel, but written from the perspective of the mantid-like insect aliens meeting humans for the first time.

Issue #7 of the Marvel comic book (October 1977) was a new adventure, well before the March 1978 release of Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, by my reckoning. So I think the Marvel comic book started the expanded universe, at least as far as release order goes.

I remmber the massive queue outside the Odean on Oxford Road in Manchester.

As a kid I read Star Wars and Splinter of the Minds Eye when they first came out. They were both awesome and I loved them. That got me reading Sci-Fi, Star Wars, and Alan Dean Foster. Mr. Foster does have an awesome universe of his own with Pip and Flinx!

Heroes trying to keep a mystical artifact of power out of the hands of a militaristic evil empire. What else does that remind me of?

Alan Dean Foster, one of my favorites from back in the day.

My friends and I read this book in the mid 90s of middle school, it was in our school library ! We were so excited when we found it, it was a fight over who got to read it first !

Not a laser sword but light saber.

Have to go read Splinter now. Interesting hearing about Lucas’ prerequisites. Although, I do wonder when he first conceived of Luke and Leia being siblings?

Love this man

I read Splinter years ago as well as over 150 other SW novels & Splinter definitely sticks out as different. I honestly can't remember much about Splinter except it featured a "magic item" & that's what sets it apart. The Han meeting Chewie scene was also reminiscent of novels where Han met Chewie but w/out other wookies. I also read the Star Wars "New Hope" screen play novel but I could only find UK copies, not sure if it was released elsewhere. Though I searched for that decades ago before eBay etc was a thing.

Wow! Production on Endor must have cost a fortune. You spoil us, Moid. Yub Yub! Great video, as always. Splinter sounds like a bit of a hot mess, but interesting nonetheless for the elements that did make it into the saga. And your point about falling into large holes was revelatory and strangely profound. I could almost smell this forest-y video.

I watched you’re Primer 2 trailer and the Dune video enjoyed then both and subbed this was bout 7/8 months ago……then today this Star Wars vid pops into my recommended and I click on it to watch then clicked on to you’re page to check out other vids and it was showing I wasn’t subscribed…..anyone else noticed this ?

Never get on camera without your gun. It is vitally important to remember that.

I loved the book when I was a youngster in the late '70's/early'80's and it's still a great read. It always bugged me though that in it Luke (from a desert planet) can swim but Leia can't.....

I read splinter of the minds eye a long time ago and loved it. I never knew it was a possible sequel to a new hope. Excellent video, thank you!

Used to have a copy of Splinter, I thought Alan did a good job with it, I'd already read some of the Flinx stuff, you can see echoes of that in Splinter I think. It also would have been easy to see it fitted into the main storyline, as it didn't really change anything. Had no idea there was a movie possibility that would hev been fun.

I must be one of the few people who read the Star Wars novel prior to seeing the film on opening day. We were traveling down to Florida from Connecticut, so I had plenty of time to read it. I also read Splinter of the Mind's Eye when it came out and, even as a kid, I felt it was a bit claustrophobic compared to Star Wars.

I highly recommend the graphic novel of this story. The art is insanely good.

Pedants corner: indigenous alien? 😂. More top content - thank you. Subscribing to Patreon today.

When he says "I've got a bad feeling about this ", he sounds more like Bolo, from the Mighty Boosh.

It would be fun if this was done in Visions. Foster should get residuals.

Damnation Alley(1977) and Star Wars were produced by 20th Century Fox.

I've got the Splinter of the Mind's Eye book by Alan Dean Foster.

Just finished Splinter of the Minds Eye last month

Splinter was the first book that I read more than once growing up.

Great homage to a classic. The book is in my collection, though I've yet to read it. You have inspired me to grab that one next. Because .... I really should. I have to do the nerd thing now and point out a correction: Characters have been falling down "big holes" since the O.G., Star Wars 1977 (later A New Hope). Think Stormtrooper shootout before the iconic swing across the chasm scene, I believe with the legendary Wilhelm scream. Cheers, mate. Cheers!

Very Well Done! 👏👏👏

You're getting every kind of weather in this forest haha

I bought splinter of the minds eye back in 1978. I still have it.

There’s a reason some things never happen 😂😂😂

vagaries of rural living- never saw Star Wars in theatre - so read novel. then Splinter, before even the xmas special..felt extremely creepy about the Luke/Leia twindom later... but understand Splinter is in no way canon.... the Star Wars novelization was credited to Lucas but I always assumed Foster wrote it.

I've got a bad feeling about this *proceeds to have holiday special flashbacks*

I remember waiting to go and see the original. As a seven year old I thought I'd burst at the seams waiting.

I don’t know how I never picked this book up. I need to find a copy now.

I completely forgot about Splinter. I got it as soon as it was published (78?). I read it and, over the decades, forgot about it.

I loved Alan Dean Foster even before he wrote Splinter. I was introduced to him via his Star Trek the Animated Series novelizations, which were fantastic, and went on to read most of his Commonwealth novels. Since I read Splinter long before The Empire Strikes Back was even on the horizon, it never seemed weird or out-of-place to me. As a matter of fact, I've always thought that Lucas did Luke dirty by giving Han his girl and, as if to add insult to injury, even made her his sister in RoTJ, just because he ran out of screen time to properly introduce Luke's sister as a separate character, as she was originally envisioned, and because he couldn't think of a better way to extricate himself from the love triangle he'd built. I also miss the idea that a Obi-Wan was able to "possess" Luke to fight for him at the end of the novel, an idea that I think is present in Luke's reactions to using the Force to destroy the Death Star in the original film, as well as in Obi-Wan's line from ESB where he says "If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.", implying that he HAD interfered, somehow, at some point in the past. I believe that is a direct reference to the final fight in Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Unfortunately, Lucas chose to drop the concept, although his comments about what he had planned for his version of the sequels make me think he was going to pick it up again. Missed opportunities.

"Frog Puppets" lol :D

I read this many years ago when it was first published and I was thirsty for more Star Wars. It's been so long I don't remember much of it, though. I'll need to pick up a copy and reread it now! 😅

I read Splinter when Star Wars hit general release here in the UK in 1978. It was okay, not great; and yes, it did have a distinctly low budget feel to it.

This and "Shadows of the Empire" deserves some recognition.

I've read s ton of Foster's work. Always a great read!

Splinter has that pulpy feel that the series, I think, was originally meant to convey. It now feels more in line with the weird early Star Wars comic books and those Ewok movies than anything truly timeless, but it was a fun dime store adventure for the era.

I saw Star Wars in 77,but didn't wait in a long line like that.

The original novel is fantastic. The Whills and The Emperor are mentioned in the prefix

Quite a few major Star Wars fans I know never heard of it so I purchased several of them from a bookstore and got them up to date.

Why are you wearing a gun while recording this? And what are you holding? It looks like a grenade Im so confused

I read that book. It was clear Alan Dean Foster had not thought it through. One of the logical problems was a scene in the book in which Princess Leia confesses to Luke that she cannot swim and Luke has to guide her through. Wait... A kid from a desert work that meed moister evaporators can swim by a Princess of a planet with rivers and streams and likely access to swimming pools cannot? And the whole 'magic crystal' thing had already been overdone by 1980. "Splinter of the mind's eye" is a classic... but it's not a classic.

I remember reading the novel way back when there was nothing but the original Star Wars movie and novel available. Not even the Holiday Special or the Han Solo and Lando Calrissian novels! And I still think it's better than the story they gave us instead.

Allan Dean Foster is a great SciFi writer. My favourite of his many novels is "Icerigger!" In fact, the "Tran" characters in that book could be the precursors to the Ewoks of Return of the Jedi. Less cute, but just as hairy! Cheers

The first time I the original Star Wars film waited in the longest line I have been. At least that's how it seemed to me at ten. But it was worth it.

Yeah, great! Why are you wearing a gun mate?

WHY stop at the most crucial point in the story? Luke & Leia meet Darth Vader and then.......WHAT??!!

Yuzzem (or, A Yuzzem) appeared in the Special Edition of ROTJ singing in Sy Snootles' band...he did NOT look like how I imagined Yuzzem to look when I read SOTME...

Its odd the story Splinters of The Minds Eye was never reworked with different characters because the story is quite solid. Foster's work is extraordinar. Seems Lucas did the same with Shadow of The Empire. Starting out as a novel then he had Joel McNeely write a score just for the book that was later used in a video game. It's a waste to lose the stories and music for what would be wonderful projects.

Even a decent amount of the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn made it into canon.

Why is he wearing a gun holster?

In one section of my book WAVELENGTHS: Covering Sci Fi in EVERY Reality, I get into an alternate history in which several factors lead George Lucas into blowing it with STAR WARS and having to make this much lower budgeted sequel. Without the spaceship battles, without Harrison Ford, without a lot of what moviegoers associated with the first one, the filmed Splinter just doesn't click with audiences. But it's not just these movies that are different. Without what made the original STAR WARS a success, lives, careers, and entire industries are thrown off into a very different direction. If you're interested in where this goes, WAVELENGTHS: Covering Sci Fi in EVERY Reality by me, Daniel A. Dickholtz, is available at Amazon and other online retailers. (And there are two other alternate histories of science fiction pop culture too!)

I don't remember it being that great. We went to see it at the drive in, and that was that. One board game for Xmas, Escape from the Death Star, not that bad. It was only until I visited a friends house later in high school that I found their house was inundated with tons of those crrrp Star Wars plastic dolls. There were a lot more interesting things going on at the time, like Pong, video games, and the first 8bit computers.

The Kyber MacGuffin

I bought Splinter of the minds Eye shortly after it came out.

never heard any one mention Han saying i have a bad felling about this is clearly him being force sensative

The new story sounds like something I could have written. Luke, with his force, just so happens to meet a woman with a special object?

I have his Alien on my reader waiting in a long line of books ;) p.s. jungle boogie

I remember seeing this book and never reading it.

The Cover Art for Splinter Of The Minds Eye, and the title are awesome...but the more I read it, the less I liked any of it...almost as if it were the opposite of everything that made the original movie so great. It was depressing to read. The opening monologue about the universe set this tone and it quickly went right into the swamp...no thanks

Lucas always claims that he had the whole idea of Luke, Leia and Vader being related from the very beginning. I think that's a load of bull. This book proves it. I actually have a copy of it somewhere. I read it when it first came out and there was NEVER any mention of them being siblings, or Vader being their father.

Considering how much Lucas struggled with the writing process making the first film (he hated it, actually), it makes perfect sense he would hire someone like ADF to continue the story. According to at least one source, SOTME was intended to be the first of a series of novels taken "from the adventures of Luke Skywalker", but this idea was of course quickly dropped, making SOTME a one-off curiousity.

There's some good stuff in Splinter. But it's a bit of a mess. Still, it'd be a fun standalone movie. Never happen, tho. Everything's gotta be goddamn canon bs these days...

I have that book

6:29

Consider the idea that George Lucas made a bet with Steven Spielberg that 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind' was going to beat Star Wars at the box office. Lucas betted 'AGAINST' his own movie.

What’s with the side arm? Am I missing some irony here?

👍🏻😎👽

Цікава історія. Дякую ❤️

Who tf is Patreon?

Why are you wearing a holstered gun in your lounge?

I honestly can’t blame Lucas if it’s true he eventually just washed his hands of SW because of so many rude, whiney fanboys dumping on his creation and demanding too many changes. An artist doesn’t take well to that, that’s like calling an actor a shit actor to their face. He might’ve been tired too, he worked steady for like 40 years. Well, whatever people wanna say about him, I thank this man forever, especially for Willow, my defining childhood movie.

👌👍

This should be explored deeply if there was ever to be a reboot of the Star Wars saga. This and stop enfentalizing the whole story. Just take reference on the Andor série if you dont get it.

He should try to write TMNT film.., follow the pattern and nudge.

Can we use AI to make Splinter of the mind's eye?

Would make for a underwhelming movie.

Why are you wearing a gun in the video?

Why are you wearing a gun to make your video?! 😂