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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit Expanded universe. Canon or pro fan fiction?

Discussion in 'Literature' started by sithtimelord, Jan 20, 2013.

  1. sithtimelord

    sithtimelord Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Dec 29, 2004
    Okay i'll also be brave and ask this because this is a fascinating idea.

    Had a conversation with a mate of mine and i told him i was into the Star wars novels, and he retorted "aaaah the expanded universe, the greatest body of fan fiction ever"

    So i thought i would throw this out and get a feel for peoples take on this.
     
  2. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    Don't need opinions, we have facts.
     
  3. DARTH_MU

    DARTH_MU Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2005
    All media related tie in novels are fanfiction.
    However, Star Wars and a handful of other fandoms maybe unique in that they have a continuity.
    With the Sale of Lucasarts to Disney however, I don't know if said continuity will continue.
     
  4. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Just for the sake of reference: it's Literature forum policy that we observe Lucas Licensing's official canon policy, which states that the EU is, in fact, canon.

    I don't know whether or not the Lit mods will keep this thread open or not, but in terms of the likely opinions you get: most people here are generally going to be pro-EU.

    Now for the sake of participating myself: my view of the EU is that it is of course canon, though I wish certain works (particularly TOR and TFU) were branded as Infinities. That doesn't mean I think all video games should be: just ones that don't fit well.
     
    TheRedBlade likes this.
  5. The Kulvax Sisters

    The Kulvax Sisters Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 10, 2013
    This.
     
  6. Zorrixor

    Zorrixor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Is The Snowman and the Snowdog canon?

    Raymond Briggs didn't write it and didn't like the happy ending.

    People are now probably rolling their eyes at me and thinking "What the hell does it matter?"

    Exactly.
     
    Lugija likes this.
  7. kataja

    kataja Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 4, 2007
    Considering three of the gospels are technically fanfiction, I'd say the EU is in pretty good company.
     
  8. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    In my view the EU is cannon along with the movies. One big continuity. They have become too intertwined for me to just throw parts of them out. Though if I could throw TFU 1 and 2, TCW 08 series and DNT/LOTF/FOTJ out I wouldn't complain.
     
    lukemaraben and rumsmuggler like this.
  9. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    I wouldn't consider any officially licensed and published tie-ins to be fanfiction, even if they're not considered part of the franchise's canon (which the Star Wars EU nominally is). The Star Trek novels aren't canon, but they were commissioned and published by the official Star Trek license-holders; are they fanfiction? I don't think so, but maybe it's an issue of semantics.
     
    beccatoria likes this.
  10. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    If you're paying for it, or being paid for it, it's not fan fiction.
     
    Jedi Ben, Apophis_, Esg and 12 others like this.
  11. rumsmuggler

    rumsmuggler Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2000
    EU is canon, except for infinities ..
     
    Kyris Cavisek likes this.
  12. Gorefiend

    Gorefiend Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2004
    If it were fan fiction it would not be so utterly devoid of sex scenes....:p
     
  13. thesevegetables

    thesevegetables Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 11, 2012
    Only in western fandom. In Japanese fandom, doujinshis bring in notable money as a whole.
    They're, like, illegal, technically, because of copyright and all, but no one's stopping all of the creators.
     
  14. thesevegetables

    thesevegetables Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 11, 2012
    Yeah, they are not FANfiction because they are official, not fanworks.
    The Lord of the Rings movies, in the whole Tolkien Legendarium universe franchise thing, are official but not canon. The books are.
     
    rumsmuggler likes this.
  15. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    And, last I checked, George Lucas wasn't Japanese.

    The point still stands.
     
    Esg likes this.
  16. son_of_skywalker03

    son_of_skywalker03 Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2003
    Is, or at least now, was Lucas making money directly from the publishing of the works? Yes? Not fan-fiction.
     
  17. thesevegetables

    thesevegetables Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 11, 2012
    It's just that some people are ridiculous enough to assume that EU isn't canon because George Lucas didn't make every aspect of it himself.
     
    Apophis_, Esg and rumsmuggler like this.
  18. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    You're posting in the EU forum, what response were you really expecting?
     
  19. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    He barely even made any of the movies himself.
     
  20. Arrian

    Arrian Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2011
    NOT CANON!!!!!111!!!!!!
     
  21. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    I am defeated.
     
    Zorrixor and instantdeath like this.
  22. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    I thought this was going to be popcorn-worthy but I underestimated you all.

    Yeah, there is an established hierarchy of canon, and if it were fan fiction, it would be like Melrose Place in that every character would have had sex with every other character at some point.
     
  23. RC-1991

    RC-1991 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2009
    [​IMG]
     
  24. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    In other words, it'd be as if Denning were writing all the time?
     
    instantdeath and RC-1991 like this.
  25. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    LOL, from him I've only read Tatooine Ghost and I enjoyed it, can't speak as to the rest of his work.

    If I had to choose, I'd say it would probably all be as soap-opera-ish and mind-bogglingly awful as Courtship of Princess Leia.