Lit A few questions...

A few things that I have been wondering lately...

1. Why are the 'Clone Wars' novels printed in an irregular size in their paperback form when compared to all the other Star Wars novels? They are in a bigger format.

2. In the new continuity novels, will both the Legends and new continuity timelines be printed? Talking about the timeline printed in the front of every novel in the recent past. Or has LucasFilm wiped it's hands of the Legacy timeline so to speak.

3. I realize that the novelization of The Force Awakens will have new continuity content in it. But do either of the new continuity novels released to date (Tarkin and A New Dawn) have any content that is strictly pertaining to the new continuity? Or can they be included in both timelines as they do not contradict any content from the Legends time line.

Thanks, Boomer

 

A New Dawn (as well as Rebels) establishes Depa Billaba as the master of Kanan during the end of the Clone Wars. This almost certainly wipes away the events of Shatterpoint, where Depa becomes a disturbed comatose mentally and physically devastated shell of a person.

Tarkin contradicts Rogue Planet's characterization of Tarkin, as well as the idea that Tarkin was a boisterous bigoted moustache-twirler claimed responsibility for the Death Star Plans that, according to RP, he 'stole' from Sienar.

 

Hmm...well that's disappointing. I think it would have been easy enough to mesh the old Legends continuity with the new continuity in these aspects, but they have chosen not too.

I can understand why they want to start fresh, but I was hoping they'd 'respect' the Legends timeline (for lack of a better word) where possible.

 

As far as these go, I think I can provide an answer.

1. The 'Clone Wars' novels were Premium paperback novels instead of normal digest paperbacks. These were planned prior to the Recession, and when Del Rey realized that customers would pay more for a better format. They released these and most of their other books were hardcovers. Then the recession hit and they realized it was a bit of a mistake, but the contracts were written. This was discussed with Del Rey representatives on the StarWars.com message boards, back when those forums existed, I can't quote it because they no longer exist.

2. In Tarkin and A New Dawn, there is no timeline in the beginning. The Legends reprints include the old Timeline, rebranded as 'Legends'. I think that when we get more canon content, there will be a canon timeline. I don't think it will be in the Legends reprints, though.

 

Thanks!

I wonder if the new continuity books will include the Legends timeline at the front (in addition to the new timeline) or if they will pretend it doesn't exist.

 

New continuity books will probably not have the Legends timeline. Not because they're pretending it doesn't exist (they can't, it's in all the Legends novels), but because it doesn't apply to the novel and takes up extra page space.

 

Plus it would confuse new readers

 

The Depa thing can be retconned if you WANT to fit AND into Legends simply by assuming she was healed before the end of the war (since Shatterpoint happened relatively early in the war).

The Tarkin characterization is hardly the most eggregious change in character we've seen between authors anyway. And those books are 20-ish years apart. So to see changes in character aren't terribly surprising.

So far there aren't really contradictions of a major nature. Key word" SO FAR"




As for the Timeline likely Canon novels will have the Canon timeline, and Legends novels will have the Legends timeline to keep things separate. Though that is a loss of possible cross-promotion and is likely to confuse fans more as to why the books contradicct each other .

 

Eh, those are both a stretch. It might not be on the level of "Chewie is alive in the ST" or anything, but it's not exactly as easily glossed over as all that either.

With Tarkin in particular, your suggestion doesn't work because the book has so many flashbacks - his personality can't just have changed, because we see him before the time of Rogue Planet not being like that either.

 

Bingo. And we learn from his thoughts that he has no idea where the Death Star came from, where Rogue Planet has him stealing the plans for Sienar and claiming them as his own

 

Would make no sense to have the Legends timeline at the beginning of canon books. No disrespect meant to the EU in that statement. It would just be to likely to cause confusion for new readers with no potential reward to justify the risk.

 

I have to conceed the Tarkin one then. Haven't read either. So contradictory there

AND isn't any more of a stretch than many others though. *shrug*

 

like it or not, they are not the least bit interested in providing a bridge from legends to the NU.