Lit Ignoring the New Canon and fitting it all in anyway...

Over the years, I have taken part in many continuity debates in regards to the Expanded Universe and the films. There are so many different layers of officiality when it comes to canon, I honestly cannot keep track of it all, and admittedly part of that uncaring attitude is because I find it to be ridiculous to argue about what version of fiction is more "real" than another. People seem to forget that Star Wars is just a story. Consequently, I always held my own view of what is canon, and it tends to be all-encompassing.

Now, I understand *why* Lucasfilm made their announcement about older material being branded as Legends, and why only a new timeline will seamlessly fit with new TV shows, the Sequel Trilogy, and spin-off films. They basically did the correct thing from a marketing perspective.

My main beef is that so many people's emotional investment...my own included...for the past few decades feels to have been brushed aside. The Star Wars universe has *always* fit together (roughly 98%, yes...), and now suddenly it feels...fragmented. Thrown into chaos.

Part of the fault for this chaos...in relation to The Force Awakens...must be laid upon the authors themselves. Why, oh why, did they delve so FAR into the post-Endor timeline? I remember back in the late 90s thinking that Timothy Zahn's Hand of Thrawn duology was chancey, going fifteen years after the films. Boy was I naive. Little did I know that Del Rey would push it another 11+ years ahead with the New Jedi Order, and then over the next several years go even *further* with the Dark Nest books and many others. Sure, no one in a million years could have foreseen that we would actually see a Sequel Trilogy, but gosh...this really screwed everything up.

They had decades of in-universe years to flesh out and expand (here I was thinking that we would get a really cool series of novels, comics or games that would bridge the prequel and classic trilogies...perfect title: The Dark Times!), but no, they kept cranking out the adventures of Han, Luke and Leia. It's almost like no one learned about the success of well-written original Star Wars characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, Kyle Katarn, Corran Horn and many others that got their own books during the Bantam years.

Secondly...If George Lucas was the one that *approved* all of these major changes in story since the 90s (Han and Leia's kids, Chewbacca's death, Luke's marriage), why wasn't HE keeping track of his own actions when it came to plotting the Sequel Trilogy outline? If there is anything I hate it is inconsistency. Honestly, George, I love ya'. But I'm glad you're taking a back seat these days.

Anyway...I know this message is rambling...perhaps angry...perhaps filled with 80s and 90s nostalgia for novels, comics and games long past...But by the Core, once The Force Awakens is released, I will personally lead a timeline reconfiguration that will fit EVERYTHING. Yes, new and old canon. I don't care if someone died. They have returned. A disturbance in the Force caused a splitting of universes and time travel was involved. Whatever the case, I will make it fit. Just for fun. I won't take it terribly too serious. Let's just see what we can come up with, collectively.

 

For some Star Wars is much more than simply a story. That's fine. I have long decided I don't bother about labels as I don't care to let a corporation dictate what I consider valid. As Post-RotJ books was what I grew up with and what interested me I like that they went roughly forty years post the films with the Three. I didn't like the handling of the families though.

 

I wasn't really into the old books. After ROTJ doesn't get my interest much.
I look forward to seeing material between ANH and ESB and ESB and ROTJ and hope it's good.
I don't like some of what Disney has done already though. I don't like Rebels.

It would be nice to see something similar to SOTE. I use to wish they'd make that into a movie.

I'd like it if Luke didn't fit into a Jedi like the ones in the PT order.

AU (if I like it)is more interesting to me than canon anyway.

 

Honestly, no limit on how far into the post-ROTJ timeline the EU went would have made a difference. While Lucas may have had a certain amount of executive veto over it, I don't think anyone involved at the time really thought the Thrawn Trilogy would be binding on him if he ever made the sequel trilogy - and the reason for that, of course, is that even then it was an if. By the time of Del Ray Lucas was insistent that he had only ever planned six films and had no intention of venturing beyond the "Tragedy of Darth Vader", meaning that there was very little reason not to carry on the story in the assumption that there would never be a ST. All that material getting thrown out now that there actually will be a sequel trilogy is understandable, but it's hardly fair to say the authors should have restrained themselves - they were establishing details without particularly worrying about future Star Wars films because Lucas had given them every reason to think there wouldn't be any.

At the same time, though, Lucas has never been shy about admitting that he didn't see the EU as "his" universe. He may have mandated certain points, but there isn't much reason to think he seriously bothered to take them into account when considering the future of the Star Wars universe. So I wouldn't entirely blame him either.

 

If that's the case they shouldn't have presented it like it was the official continuation of the Saga then and they did in the early days.

 

Oh this is new; a thread for people to show how powerful the denial phase of grieving is.

This is very unique and we haven't seen lots of threads of people coping poorly with change. I applaud the courage and creative vision that saw a gap and filled it with low-resilient complaint.

 

At the moment, The Official SW Fact File includes content from both Legends and Rebels - so it does seem like, movie-era and before, they're trying to fit both NewCanon and Legends material into the same setting.

 

If you keep showing up in Legends threads just to tell people how wrong they are you will quickly turn into another Zeta, just on the other end of the spectrum.

 

The thing that makes me sad is that we haven't even seen the huge contradictions yet. A New Dawn, Tarkin, and Heir To The Jedi could all pretty much still fit into the established Expanded Universe without much trouble. These new books that were just announced are what is going to really obliterate the old EU. I knew it was going to happen, but it still makes me sad.

I just really hate that they couldn't have given us at least one "final" novel to close off the EU for good. Give us a satisfying conclusion to a story that's been building for 30-some years. But no. Like The Clone Wars, the entire EU was just cut off without having a real ending. That's what bothers me the most.

 

I didn't like them canceling TCW, sure the show wasn't perfect but there were some things I would have liked to see and character stories resolved. Maybe more flashbacks to Satine, Lux/Ahsoka, and Ventress's story and what about Bo-Katan?

Having Ahsoka appear in Rebels and get involved with the rebellion is not what I had in mine. I don't like that.
What's next Mace Windu appearing out of no where?

 

Is there any reason why you keep coming into a sub-board and into threads concerning something you don't like? I barely go into New Canon threads.

Seems to be in line with them pulling Maul out of nowhere. I mean I can't argue that it brought for a somewhat decent story, but you could've just had Maul and Oppress be one character called.. hopefully not Savage Oppress, but the idea of Maul's brother going on a revenge spree against Kenobi is good, just not with the way they did it.

 

How many threads though need to exist flogging the same damned dead horse? It's pitiful, pathetic, and most of all, weaksauce. I get you're upset and not coping; not every martyr needs a thread for their visceral pain.

 

If you feel that way, why post in such a thread then ?

 

Zeta, Ender Sai.
Red Oni, Blue Oni.
Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum.

 

We have a thread to serve as a haven for fans of the EU, HERE, which is where we'd rather this particular conversation was contained.

If you'd still like to undertake a wibbly-wobbly timeline reconfiguration thing for sith and giggles after TFA has been released, I've certainly got no issue. For now, however, this thread will be locked.