Lit A/V The Force Awakens and the EU [TAGGED spoilers.]

Never mind.

 

I guess an adventure takes place on "Kessel", but the boy is from Lothal.
It sounds to still be a mining world with slave labor... just one more-or-less completely unlike Kessel in any other respect.

 

The spice must flow

 

Eh. Maybe the lightsaber scene happened after Ezra joined. I assumed that's how he joined.
Maybe there is a section for the spice mines. I hope so anyway. C-3PO mentions them in ANH after all.

 

But that's the long and short of it. Not only is it not canon anymore, it never was when it came to primary media. To use your example, ROTS could have totally redefined Bothans, and Lucas was in his rights to do so since he never considered himself bound by the EU in the first place. In this way, the old EU material has as much import as it ever did when it comes to primary media: useful but not canonical.

 

Oh sweet Waru, that sounds annoying as hell.

 

@ForceSmuggler
From the original post:
"As to things that crossed over: well, they didn't say it clearly, being à kids book, but spice from kessel is 'medicinal' but illegal which maybe implies drug in the bad way."
Basically, the things referenced in ANH are the only things about Kessel that look to be staying.

 

Calm down, Smuggler. We've only got half of the information, and the original poster didn't have the guide to hand, just took a "long look". My guess is, we start on Lothal in the pilot to introduce us to Ezra since that's his home, then move to Kessel as the Ghost's crew makes a strike to free the Wookiee slaves who are working in the mines. Remember, the spice mines of Kessel are mentioned in ANH, they're not going to just not be there. Aside from Kessel being a full planet instead of an asteroid/ fragment of one, I don't see much cause for bother. And the mention of disruptor weapons (a sort of weapon that was never used enough in the EU) having a connection to one of the new cast makes me wonder.

 

WE KNOW! That has nothing to do with the discussion at hand, about whether or not we like the decisions that are being made.
You don't care? That's fine. We Know. You can stop telling us. Please.
It doesn't change or delegitimize how EU fans feel about a favorite fictional universe being changed.
You've made some quite cogent and witty post on these forums that I've read, and if you have anything constructive to say about your hopes/fears, likes/dislikes, etc. for the new canon, please do share; but people reminding EU fans of the official status as if that settles some kind of argument whenever someone voices a subjective opinion has been past annoying for months now.

 

The only disruptor weapon I can recall right now is the sniper rifle in Jedi Outcast.

 

Well, this is five years BBY, right? Still enough time for a massive cataclysm later in the series to break that planet up into ... no, you know what, never mind.

 

This. A gruesome metaphor, but apt.

 

Sorry. Don't like change. Just assumed that the lightsaber reveal was on Lothal right before Ezra joined the crew. I just like the idea of Kessel as it was. Made it cool. Just have to pick up the guide for myself I guess.

 

Guys Death Star prototype

 

Have to agree with this. The little details from EU were some of the best parts. To relearn that stuff makes it feel hollow this time around.

 

Guys, two words: Little Kessel.

 

While I admire your optimism, I don't think that's how this works anymore. Rebels-Kessel isn't going to be handwaved away any more than TCW Greedo was handwaved as Greedo the Elder, but more crucially, Potato-Kessel doesn't even "exist" now so why would they bother?

We squeaked by with Raxus Prime/Secundus, but that's far below the radar compared to something mentioned in ANH, and anyway that was under LU rules.

Maybe if we're lucky we can salvage Potato-Kessel as a moon of Rebels-Kessel, but I wouldn't bet money.

 

So The Glove of Darth Vader Kessel is now more canonical than The Jedi Search Kessel?

I don't know what to think.

 

Heh, that was my first thought as well.

Essentially we're up to, what, four Kessels now? Maybe a few of them fell into the Maw....

 

If the monarch of Kessel (or whatever it ends up being) turns out to be Trioculus then I'll forgive them for taking away potato-Kessel. Simply because the EU haters will throw a hissy fit.

Btw, what is it with these shows and monarchies. It was annoying in TCW when every planet seemed to have a king or something and now Rebels will do that too? Can't they explore other types of goverments?

 

Firstly, thanks for the compliment.

Anyway, here's my understanding of the conversation:

You: Why couldn't they have used a planet other than Kessel, in order to preserve the EU?
Me: Because the whole purpose of Rebels is to provide backstory to ANH, and using a planet other than Kessel just wouldn't have the same impact in that regard. When it comes to great story potential versus EU preservation, the story will win every time, especially given that the EU isn't even canon.
You: But can't we have both? Why not great stories that preserve the EU? What's the relevance of the EU not being canon?

So let me address the larger point here. The EU has been rebooted (as you know) and the internal LFL mandate seems to be to write with a clean slate, but draw upon the EU as needed (similar to TCW). It's my genuine belief that SW will be better for this policy--they can build a much more coherent universe this way while still honouring the EU (without being a slave to it).

In the case of Kessel, they were obviously working backwards from ANH, and the fact that it was first detailed in 1987 by WEG wasn't really their primary concern. The team making Rebels are creating primary media entertainment for an audience who, most likely, will never hold a "Legends" book in their entire life. The show is designed to lead into ANH and the SW canon--no more, no less. It's certainly not designed to honour 27 year old RPG source material that was not written with specific stories in mind.

You're asking why they can't make a great show and still work within the constraints of the EU; I'm saying that, while maybe they could, they don't want to expend that energy if they don't have to, and they made their intent clear in April.

 

Bothans will be snake-like people now. You know that.

Actually no, Bothans won't be a species but a rank!

 

He doesn't even need to punch it:

Kyle looked at reality. Reality died.

 

I just didn't want to give away plot details but the Rebels spoilers out there seem 100% accurate after reading the book (pilot starts on Lothal but journeys to other places ending with Kessel, theeguide though did seemingly have hints to the next two episodes after too both taking place off Lothal, but this iisn't the place for them). BTW, my long look was at a bookstore and it was for sale, I've just blown too much money this week to get it but I did look at it with another EU reader (much more of a Marvel fan though) for over an hour. Point is apparently the book was supposed to come out later this month but didn't have a strict date release date so the store put it out early (and if they did odds are your local store did too) this wasn't some secret sneak peek I got from a friend of a friend. Odds are you can check it out for yourself soon enough.

Honestly though the EU kessel is DARK... Perhaps too dark for a kids TV show. Now the mine tunnels where described BRIEFLY but sounded closer to Kessel from the EU, at least in the aspect of once you go down into the mines the odds of seeing the surface again hit near zero. I personally thought Mandalore was a bigger planetary change when TCW changed it from its EU design but thats likely just since it mattered more to me. However as an EU fan I was upset, as a hater of just about anything KJA though it made me kinda happy in conflict with my EU love causing me disappointment.

 

I can't believe we're arguing about Kessel not being an asteroid when we're gonna be meeting Steve Solo and Judy Skywalker any day now.