Lit One Canon - Merging Legends and the New Canon - TFA spoilers, very much so

Alright, there's been a fair amount of anticipation across the boards and Net for this, for my interpretation of events in The Force Awakens, in respect of Legends material.

Let's start off with the basics.

Everything is Canon.

But, because this is Star Wars, it is Canon from a certain point of view.

However, I am obligated to make this point. Making this gel is now hard. Han Solo died in 34 ABY, rather than being his healthy roguish self in 44 ABY and sailing into retirement with a new eye courtesy of Vestara Khai nearly killing him in Crucible.

I would also like to point that every single reference to Legends in the new story strengthens the connection between the two. And, as we all know, there are a lot of planets, companies, ships and organisations making it across. It is only a matter of time before a character is resurrected, or referenced. Thematically, we all know the taste of the Tragedy of Jacen Solo, reborn and all the more devastatingly in the guise of Ben Solo. It is likely also a matter of time before the Fantasy Flight works, or the Old Republic game, makes a full blown connection and we have that to handle. Snoke is Vitiate, you all heard it here first, people.

Moving on.

Unfortunately, there is the inescapable theory 1.0; we can't make it (all) fit. I'm managing expectations here because that is a very real possibility. Especially as we get less and less Legends material and more and more new. For now, however, we far outgun the new works, by a factor of events running for 100,000 years, as opposed to the very narrow seventy ish we have for now.

So let's roll with this.

Rey has been on Jakku for a minimum of nine years. Her age is 19 in the film, and she is creating dolls out of pilot fabric at the age of 10. Her fate appears, if her vision is factual, connected to that of Kylo Ren. Particularly, I would note that nobody refers to Luke have been missing for a decade, which and at some point Kylo Ren’s age, being around twenty-nine, is such that he cannot be seriously expected to slaughter the Jedi Order much earlier than this. For conjecture purposes, let us assume that nine years take place between the destruction of the Order and the Force Awakens in 34 ABY.

However, there are five years between the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and the destruction of Hosnian Prime.

Making five out of nine is difficult, not impossible.

We all remember when Anakin Skywalker had his Knighting moved from 30 months after Geonosis to 7 weeks after Geonosis, to make space for the new Clone Wars TV show. This resulted in a lot of references being moved forward and those 7 weeks being quite busy.

The Battle of Jabiim proved an issue but not until the situation was manipulated so the battle itself started before Geonosis as a local civil war which the Separatists and Republic joined (led by Alpha), and Obi-Wan, Anakin and the Padawan pack arrived later still to fulfil the length of the battle mentioned in the comics. There remain some narrative issues with Tholme due to Dark Disciple, but with a character that is repetitively mistaken for dead throughout his arc it has to be chalked up to 'one more trick' and he is back in time for Saluecami. But I digress here.

Taking a leaf from the Clone Wars, there is thus an answer in pulling forward events. However, while the Knighting of Jacen, Jaina and Anakin are not especially fixed (with two Knightings occurring), their ages in their respective arcs are until after the Yuuzhan Vong War, when their ages become less relevant to the plot. However, shortly after that we encounter the age of Ben, and shortly after that we encounter the age of Allana.

So, from 9 ABY to 44 ABY we have the potential of a fixed series of births and events.

Politically during this time frame we have a treaty between the Remnant and Republic by 19 ABY, but not all of the Empire signs it. The Deep Core Imperials keep fighting under the guise of the Second Imperium, and then the Maw Command, though the latter takes a longer view of events and hid behind the Yuuzhan Vong War, as much as Lumiya does, also. Similarly, the New Republic signs the Galactic Concordance with the Empire in 5 ABY, while the Sith are destroyed and non-Force sensitive Sith mages appear to be around in Aftermath. However, we also have two points in the Galactic Civil War where it appears due to come to an end, firstly after Zsinj is defeated and then after Carnor Jax falls. Further treaties flow from both points and are sabotaged respectively by Thrawn and Nom Anor.

However, only one of those points correlates with the predetermined specifications; the births of Jacen and Jaina, so, taking a leaf from the Clone Wars, let us move it.

Assume the Republic wins at Jakku and the Empire sues for peace. This is not a static political point – it was described as an uneasy peace – why? Because it was breached? If we shuffle everything pre Thrawn Trilogy into that opening year, we create four/five years of space. The Thrawn Trilogy kicks off, and the Empire counter assaults and loses under Palpatine Reborn and Carnor Jax. We do have to assume that Ben Solo is born before, but that's not an unfair assumption, considering he is supposed to be 29/30 by TFA. Ben; Jacen & Jaina; then lastly Anakin. Rey would be born in 15 ABY, just before Luke and Mara’s marriage, perhaps. Tatooine Ghost needs to be moved earlier than Ben’s conception.

Now, mechanically, the only timing whereby we have fixed information about the whereabouts of the cast is during Rogue Squadron, namely Wedge Antilles, who is covered by X-wing 1 to 7. The time frame for that is roughly one year and six months. However, the last year of it are set against Thyferra and Zsinj as opposed to the Empire itself. If we basically assume the Empire sues for peace a year or so after Endor, we can have it surrender and the war against Iceheart after Coruscant falls and Warlord Zsinj continue as illegitimate threats before Thrawn takes over the Empire which has sued for peace. Notably, however, there portents to be a year between Coruscant and Selaggis, though apparent Han is only off on the hunt for Zsinj for five months according to Courtship – so your mileage can vary. Being as Han, Luke and Leia are only peripherally tied to X-Wing, the other novels and events, be they Truce at Bakura, the Marvel comics, and Shadows of Mindor, can take place at their respective positions in the timeline. Regardless, Thrawn gets his moment in the last six months of 5 ABY (though Orinda can claim him a rogue for much of the novels) and the Empire proper is beat at Jakku and treaty signed on Coruscant. Palpatine picks up matters thereafter, with 10 ABY being in the new 6 ABY.

When Byss is lost the New Republic goes back to imposing the Galactic Concordance for example over Xa Fel, and Kuat Drive Yards, and so on. Save for when the Empire attacks, and by the Empire, I mean the mainstream regime, the Galactic Concordance can apply and all engagements are peacekeeping – this matches how the Battles of Gravlex Med and Korriban can take place and the New Republic in the Black Fleet Crisis considers a thousand days of peace have nearly occurred. The Galactic Civil War is considered to have ended with the Bastion Accords (now in 15 ABY), yet the Deep Core Imperials never sue for peace and keep fighting. Still, the galaxy has peace, in spite of this – what works for the old canon can work for the new.

Continue everything forward 4 years and the Vong arrive in 21 ABY, and are defeated by 25 ABY.

If the timeline is fixed between those two points, it is impossible, on the surface, to move the timeline any more than what we have discussed. Jacen, Jaina, Anakin, Ben, Allana. It's all fixed until 40 ABY, the new 44 ABY.

Unless you decide to end Legends at The Unifying Force, and then jump to the Legacy comics.

So I offer for some of you, those who loved the Bantam era, the NJO era, and the Legacy era, but did not the DNT-LotF-FotJ era, which I reluctantly gather is a sum of the Legends fan base, a solution which allows for the rest of you to allow both to exist.

Moving on, of course, for if we can move backwards events, let us move them forward. The only real elements that need to be fixed between the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Dark Nest Crisis are the length of Jacen’s sojourn and Ben Skywalker’s age. Without them, why not move them forward to after TFA?

The new Chancellor, Villecham from TFA, was in charge from 29 ABY, thus him being is on the first year of his second term for TFA. A simple assumption that Omas gets hit with Churchill syndrome (somewhat amusing beside Neville), and isn't elected for peacetime. Even better a fit is that there is a mobile capital between Denon in 29 ABY and Coruscant in 35 ABY for Dark Nest.

All the more usefully, the leadership of the Remnant is unknown from the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War as Pellaeon retires at some point, and reassumes control by 41 ABY. Snoke thus has plenty of time to seize control of the Remnant, and its expansion could easily be in violation of the Galactic Concordance, probably post 34 ABY.

I am labouring the political point because of how well the Dark Nest Crisis plays into events. The Chiss have been decimated by the civil war, caused by First Order agents sabotaging Killik controls, and the Empire of the Hand has been annihilated by the First Order fleet. Formbi is stuck balancing the Imperial elements within the Chiss regime and the Jedi interference within his territories, just as much as Cal Omas is managing Chiss loyalties when the First Order exists, thus appointing Pellaeon as an appeasement to Imperial elements willing to stay loyal to the Galactic Concordance signified by the Galactic Alliance. The threat that the Empire of the Hand could rise again - in opposition to the Alliance, raising the spectre of another Imperial power opposed to them, is something the subtext of the Dark Nest Crisis benefits from. The Moffs who took down Pellaeon could be in league with Snoke (if he is around in 41 ABY), and so on, until the First Order takes back control after Reige rises.

Let's assume that the New Jedi Order is, narratively, finished by the Vong War and Ben Solo's betrayal in 25 ABY, him decimating an Order weakened by the Yuuzhan Vong purges. Let us also assume by then Jacen is off on his sojourn, probably on Ziost by the point of TFA, Jaina may be meeting up with Jagged in the Unknown Regions, and Luke, Han and Leia are covered by the main plot. Of the Jedi, Mara and Ben are off with the Council and other Jedi that are known to survive post-TFA by their presence in Dark Nest, LotF and FotJ, perhaps on Sekot, perhaps hiding as the Council did after Nihilus destroyed Katarr.

At this point you likely get fairly critical as to 'where' the rest of the Jedi appear from, what with the totals of the Order being 400 in 36 ABY and 1000 in 43 ABY, including Padawans. Equally however we have a lingering loose end in Legends as to the return of K'Kruhk, T'ra Saa, potentially the Vos family line, and also the children of the Hidden Temple. If we need to factor a massacre in to the timeline, we may as well factor the return of the lost Jedi too.

Han, of course, becomes relevant at this point. He's supposed to be dead. Suppose he's not. Suppose... A HRD died in TFA, or a HRD replaces him. Or that an Empire of the Hand clone takes over his arc. Or suppose Jacen tested his ability to change time by collecting Han before his death, or he created a fixed point in the future so Han cannot die. That's the weak point in all of this, but we have had a lot more unlikely survivals; Maul, Granta Omega, Aurra Sing, and so forth. As I say your mileage may vary.

So, in summary.

4 ABY - Battle of Endor

Between this and Jakku, X-Wing takes place to the point you are happy with

5 ABY - Battle of Jakku

5.5 ABY - Thrawn Trilogy starts

6 ABY - Thrawn Trilogy ends

7 ABY - Reborn Emperor defeated

13 ABY – the First Order undoes the Black Fleet

15 ABY - Remnant re-signs the Galactic Concordance, the Deep Core and Empire of the Hand does not

21 ABY - Yuuzhan Vong War begins

23 ABY - Coruscant falls, the First Order sabotages Chiss controls over the Killis, and then destroys the Empire of the Hand

25 ABY - Yuuzhan Vong War ends

Between this and the destruction of Hosnian Prime; Chewbacca resurfaces, Ackbar, concerned with the rise of the First Order, fakes his death to secretly retire and wait for the eventual call to arms, Ben Solo destroys the New Jedi Order, Snoke secures control of the Remnant from a retired Gilad Pellaeon, Luke goes into hiding, and Han and Leia separate, while the Alliance becomes a reference to the combined Republic-Imperial effort during the Yuuzhan Vong War, and following the logic of the later Treaty of Anaxes, an addendum to the Galactic Concordance.

34 ABY - Hosnian Prime is destroyed and the events of TFA occur

I cannot say much more, nor can I add much more. It is really a matter for you. If you disregard some parts of continuity, then you do. If you do not, then you do not. If you separate them, do as you will. It is called One Canon not just because the story can be made one, but it is down to the belief of one; you.

 

This will (probably) be my only contribution to this thread: Sinre, you're insane. But good luck.

 

Oh yes I forgot that.

Malachor V was inhabitable after its destruction by a gravity weapon.

Let's assume Sernpidal was similarly so, and the Vong kept it together to take prisoners until they later broke it apart.

Han and Chewbacca lost the Falcon years ago, as in, less than a decade ago. There is lots of time from the new 25 ABY to 34 ABY to lose it.

EDIT:

I probably could have summarised this as 'Move everything post-Endor, but pre-TFA four years forward and leave the rest where it is, Chewbacca, Ackbar and Han are alive'.


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It does all work! Just take liberties with Han's demise and done!


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