Discussions Official Disney/EU discussion thread.

The way I understand it is that all the stories that are post ROTJ are moving to the Legends line and won't be apart of the official canon. However some of those stories and characters can, and in some cases, will most likely be transferred over to the official canon but not exactly as they were. So what does that mean? It means that characters like Thrawn and Mara Jade could appear somewhere down the line in the new official stories but the events and stories that they were in may be different. And maybe some will be exactly as they were in previous stories, it depends on how the new movies affect the canon. So we could see a resurrected Thrawn and Mara Jade in the future, which I would love to see again despite the fact I would be sad to see a lot of my favorite EU stories get erased from canon. I don't see them getting rid of Thrawn, especially after the official video had Timothy Zahn talking about the future of the EU. I hope. Right now everything before ROTJ has not been "officially" erased and is still canon, but can be thrown out if it contradicts the movies, TV shows, or any of recently announced novels coming out within the next few years. I don't see the stories about Plagueis, Bane, or Revan being greatly affected or anything before the Old Republic era, unless one of the spin-off films is set in any of those time periods.

 

I really hope they keep characters like Thrawn too. However, I am very skeptical about how those "new" characters will be presented: Will Mara Jade be a non-Force Sensitive? Will Thrawn become a generic villain and not the military genius he is?

 

Well there we go. I must have the Force too.


Now I gotta go and get a canon bookshelf.

 

That's something I'm afraid of happening too, but I'm hoping that Lucasfilm will be smart enough that if and when they bring Thrawn and Mara into the new canon they will at the very least consult Zahn. Or maybe have him write a new novel to reintroduce them.

 

What I want to know is if "Legends" is a replacement for what they currently call "Infinities" in the Dark Horse timeline. And if they aren't the same, then what's the difference?

 

They sound kinda like the same thing to me from the press release we got today

The novels thus far haven't had any type of Infinities line, that's the only difference. Now I think they do, they're just calling it something else.

 

In a way, it's a breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong. There are many things that I will miss, but plenty I won't too. Everything after RotJ we can certainly consider an alternate universe(Infinities), and everything before and in between the first six films we will just have to wait and see. Unless specifically stated in an announcement, film, or new novel, I wouldn't be quick to shuffle those parts into the alternate timeline.

 

Ultimately it doesn't really matter what's cannon or not the fans will still accept and reject whatever they choose. Though it's nice to finally know the state of the 'old EU'. I likely will jump ship. I'm tired of being burned and all the needless nitpicking and fighting amid the fandom. While I'm shocked that Tarkin is one of the maiden novels of the 'new EU' I very likely will reject it as well even if I do bother reading it. It's simply not Sir. Interesting day and an end of an Era.

 

Exactly. Full-canon or not, I'll never have the slightest interest in the "half of Darth Maul comes back as a robot" TCW storyline. The fact that a Disney executive doesn't consider the EU to be canon doesn't alter the books in the slightest, and doesn't make them less enjoyable to read. The Star Wars EU was always about selecting your own material, about deciding which of the storylines to admit into your own 'universe' so to speak (you had to do that, because a lot of the stuff contradicted other stuff!). Carry on and read Heir to the Empire.

Still, I think Disney might have jumped the shark in terms of PR for the new movies: they've just had a bigger 'fan moment' than Jar Jar Binks and the things aren't even out yet.

 

BARDAN EDIT: Other days it's good to not rub it in.

 

I'm a little confused about how this "news" is any different than Lucasfilm's stance on the EU for the last 25 or so years...they've always maintained that the movies are canon and anything else is just a "What if?"

 

No, before there were levels to the canon, of which the movies were the highest order, but the books, comics, video games were all also seen as a part of it all. Now it seems they have mostly been regulated to "what ifs" and possible resource material to draw from.

 

Well, at least now, Chewbacca isn't dead!

 

Chewbacca can't die as long as you believe in him.

 

I always believe in Chewie.

 

So the question is, what's next? Could the new movies draw from the EU? That does not appear likely except as lip service. Could the new movies be better than the EU? Professional authors put years of hard work into the existing EU. If Disney draws from their experience with the property then, like the Marvel movies they have put so much money and energy into, the new movies will be a success. The Marvel movies used previously established characters and storylines as a guide for what came on screen. I believe Disney should do the same with Star Wars. So much time and effort could be saved if they would use as many of the EU authors as they could as active consultants about what fans do and do not like. Not every fan loves every part of the EU. That's inevitable. I doubt you could find two people who would agree on every aspect of life all the time. Here we are talking about millions of fans from just as many different backgrounds. But professional authors, and especially professional star wars authors know what the fans like. I can reluctantly accept not using the existing material for the new movies and books etc. But for the sake of the force, use their knowledge for what you plan for the next couple decades of movies. There might be fans at Disney, but how many of the execs there have decades of experience writing and reading in the Star Wars universe.

And just so this is clear: I am not nor have I ever written anything for the Star Wars Expanded Universe. I just enjoy being creative on my own time and sympathize with the authors whose works have now been for all intents an purposes deleted from the Star Wars canon. I'm just one fan, but I truly hope that the authors of the original EU find success going forward. Today, and really the past few months, has not been kind to them.

And now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to reading Dark Force Rising from the Thrawn Trilogy.

 

Here is the key thing to remember from the official Lucasfilm press release:


While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s.

In this sense, Star Wars will be a lot like Marvel only from here on out there is but one canon that crosses movies / TV / books / comics / etc. for Star Wars. That can only be a good thing where we no longer have to worry about whether something counts or not.

 

Hopefully they don't draw any inspiration from Fate of the Jedi/Legacy books though.

But by all means, adapt the Legacy COMICS in some way, 'cause they're awesome.

Here's hoping the books will get better from here on out, but somehow I doubt it...

 

Enjoy your book

In any case, I hope Disney is sensible enough to understand that there is a large and loyal fanbase to the Star Wars EU. If they understand that, then the new content produced will draw from the original EU, and maybe..maybe it won't suck as much. On the other hand, Disney might realise that creating new EU content which are essentially copycats to the old ones, will not get enough praise. Thus, they might try something "original"; using the old characters as a base, but creating them from the start again.
Like using Thrawn's appearance, but making him a Grand Moff, rather than a Grand Admiral. This way, the character is still there and the book is not a copycat of Heir to the Empire. Success right? WRONG

 

I'm not terribly interested in the new Star Wars material from Disney. As long I have access to the books, comic books, video games, and other material that came before Disney bought Star Wars, I don't really care whether Disney calls this story or that story canon.

 

I think this gives newer a fans a less daunting way to enter the universe beyond the movies. There was just so much previous EU minutia, it could seem almost impossible for the uninitiated to feel ready to dig in. I mean how many times has the question of where to begin reading come up?

It all got too confusing for me after NJO, and I started reading EU novels in 1993 when the scond Thrawn novel came out!

Glad to see a fresh start.

 

I'm glad that the dark turn during and after the NJO is being erased. That stuff just didn't feel like Star Wars to me. LotF was a special kind of abomination.

 

So, the current canon is:

The movies (Ep. I-IX, spin-offs)
The TV series (TCW (+movie), Rebels)
Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir
New novels (A New Dawn, Tarkin, Heir of the Jedi, Lords of the Sith)

Did I miss anything?

 

Possibly Character Encyclopaedias for the movies & TCW series?

 

I wonder if the novelizations & the deleted scenes from the movies also count as canon...