Jay LeonardEver since Disney bought Lucasfilm, Star Wars has gone through a massive overhaul. The entire expanded universe, which consisted of hundreds of stories, many of which have long been through of as canon, was obliterated. But, in their defense, it makes sense. How could they have continued the Star Wars saga with so much material already out there? It would have been impossible, nothing would have made any sense.
This video does a fantastic job of clearing up the confusion, telling us what is still part of the official Star Wars timeline, and what has just fallen into “legend”.
So what does remain canon?
- All six movies
- The Clone Wars animated TV series
- Star Wars Rebels
- All new comics published under Marvel
- All new and upcoming novels and movies
That is still a lot of material to work with. The Clone Wars takes place between episodes II and III, and Rebels taking place between III and IV. Now, unfortunately, a lot of the expanded universe material was significantly better than the prequel trilogy, and to add insult to injury, George Lucas has stated that he has no interest in the expanded universe, has never read any of it, and considers it all in a sort of parallel universe.
But, then again, a few expanded universe creations did leak into the prequel trilogy, such as places and characters, so perhaps it’ll happen again with the new trilogy.
Getting back to my previous statement about material falling into “legend”: that is how Disney is dealing with all expanded universe material such as comics, books, and video games; they are being labeled as “legends”. This isn’t the worst thing that could have happened, I mean Disney could have really scrapped everything, and made it all disappear, but instead they are actively making them available for purchase, with the “legend” banner across it.
All in all, i’d say Disney is doing a good job of not upsetting too many people. They had a lot of material to deal with, and their path does seem to be the least confusing, keeping it accessible for most people.
The video does a great job of clearing up the Star Wars canon, and is worth a watch to all curious fans.
Read more: Star Wars Image Leaked, Disney To Seek Subpoena Against Leaker
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Jay Leonard.
Learn how to publish your content on B2C
Join our Telegram channel to stay up to date on breaking news coverage
Add B2C to your Google News Feed
This is a letter I wrote to Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Company, it’s also for all to see:
I’m a member of such groups as The Alliance to Preserve the Expanded Universe and The Galactic Remnant of the Expanded Universe. I’ve been a fan of the Star Wars franchise my whole life. More than anything, though, I’ve always held the Expanded Universe to heart. Like many fans I was devastated to hear that Disney declared the whole EU irrelevant. I have no doubt that your company has great things in store for the franchise.
However, I must respectfully protest. Although you’ve decided the EU is noncanon, does it really have to end? Must it truly be discarded? We are talking more than thirty years of stories and characters that we all came to love, cherish, and accept as major pillars in the Star Wars universe. A lot of money, work, and countless hours were contributed not only by the authors and media but the fans as well. This has all been due to their undying love for the franchise. After years of collecting everything related to the EU I even have my own library. Now it’s as if none of it ever happened. I hate to even think of the memory of the Expanded Universe being obliterated in the years to come.
Please take serious consideration of the suggestion I’d like to make. As Darth Bane stated in his book trilogy, “Two there shall be, no more, no less”. Why shouldn’t the same thing apply to the Star Wars Universe? Why shouldn’t the Expanded Universe continue as an official story line parallel to Disney’s canon, a parallel universe so to speak? There are many franchises that have adapted multiple canons throughout the years. Good examples are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and both the DC and Marvel stories. They continue to do so without discontinuing anything to this day. I don’t see why the Star Wars franchise can’t do the same.
There’s another justification for the continuation of the Expanded Universe, it’s incomplete. There are still many unanswered questions/missing pieces unresolved. A major gap exists during the time period between the latest EU book Crucible and the Dark Horse Comic Legacy series. There are questions like how did the Imperial Knights come to be? What became of the Lost Tribe of the Sith? Do the quest knights locate the Mantis Blade to destroy Abeloth? Does Boba Fett find the cure for his aging? There are other topics like the rise of the One Sith and the secret Jedi temple. The issue that eats me up the most is Ben Skywalker and Vestara Khai. Again, so many unanswered questions. One of the worst things in life is never knowing. I’m simply suggesting a compromise that would make everybody happy on both sides. Disney might even increase its revenue by publishing new EU stories under the Legends Banner of course.
It’s my hope that whoever reads this letter will take the time to give reasonable consideration. I speak not only for myself but for all the fans who have come to develop a special place in their hearts for the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I also have no doubt there are those at Disney who have the same love for this part of Star Wars history. Please, don’t let the last thirty years be in vain. Whatever happens the EU will always be the true canon to me. In time I hope to develop the same love for the Disney canon. Thank you, and May The Force Be With You.”
Nick, let’s change the headline to canon instead of cannon.
Thanks Matt. I fixed this.
The only thing he got wrong was George Lucas’ feelings about the EU. On the Clone Wars featerettes Dave Filoni states several times how George went to the EU for story ideas. According to Filoni,Lucas reads the comics and loved the RPG books by West End Games.
Timothy Zahn and Sue Rostoni (Chief Editor at Lucasfilm) have said the same about George. Also you have a wonderful introduction to the 94 reprint or Splinter in the Mind’s Eye where Lucas speaks kindly about the importance of the Expanded Universe within Star Wars.
Anyway, Disney can do whatever they want with the franchise because they own it now and are free to do whatever they want. I just hope they continue the EU under the Legends banner with new stories within the old canon. That’s all I’d need to make me happy.