For fans of both New Canon and Legends which do you prefer?

While there has been a divide among fans over the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm and their decanonisation of the Expanded Universe there is a large number of fans (myself included) who enjoy and buy both Disney Canon and old Legends material.
And to those fans who like both my question is which do you think is the better of the two? As it is possible to enjoy two things without imagining them as equal I think for those of us who like both we can still say which we like the most.
I would also like to hear your thoughts and reasons for why you prefer the one you pick.

 

For one reason I prefer Canon over Legends. Canon is just so much easier to get into.

 

For most things? I will choose Legends.

 

Canon.

 

Legends

 

Legends. I took a real quick look at some of the stuff in the new canon, thought it seemed silly, and decided I didn't want to put effort getting into it.

Mmm nevermind...re-read the thread title and I guess I don't count as a fan of "both" lol.

 

Going by the amount of stories I like, Legends. Going by the universe as a whole, Canon.

 

Legends

 

Legends mostly.

In canon I'm a fan of Lost Stars, A New Dawn and some episodes of Rebels. Tarkin is OK I guess. Nothing in canon after RotJ though, that is Legends all the way for me.

Choosing between Rogue One and Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire is difficult for me as I really like both. Rogue One's mission to steal the DS plans is much better than Kyle Katarn's, but then Dark Forces has much better character building and also follows on into the Jedi Knight storyline and its links to the Jedi vs Sith/Darth Bane story, edges it for me.

Han Solo's story and Millennium Falcon's, legends 100%.

Original Clone Wars media > TCW (I headcanon TCW out of legends)

I can't stand SWTOR mmo stories in Legends though (ruined KotOR I+II), and I have zero interest in the stories set after NJO ended.

Canon would get a big boost for me if they would just recreate Tales of the Jedi, sticking very close to the original material.

 

I guess some Stories from both Canon and Legends have there Hit and Misses, Maybe some of not only the Legends material can come back to canon, but the stories to but I doubt it.

 

Mainly Legends given the amount of depth it adds to the saga.

 

Legends for now. It’s just more info depth and story. If they can incorporate more into canon then eventually canon will surpass legends. You can’t discount almost 20 years of storytelling with just a few years

 

I kind of like both. I'm glad that Rebels brought back Thrawn from Legends and made him canon. He was one of the first Star Wars villians I really liked.

 

This is a hard question. If I'm looking at the two universes as a whole I'd probably go with canon. While Iove both I feel like the politics in canon are more complex and interesting. After the post NJO I really didn't like anything about where they took the universe. I do enjoy Legacy, a lot, but can't stand what it did to the universe. LOTF and FOTJ were worse. I feel the ST has led to a more hopeful potential for the universe and will prevent the post ROTJ being too repetitive and having inconsistent characterization. I'm going to break my answer down into eras. Even if I give am advantage to the ST, it's not as simple as I like this better. I'll probably spend a lot of time on the Clone Wars era because it's the most complete timeline in both canons and when I think about a lot.

Giving an advantage to one timeline for the Clone Wars is difficult. I separate TCW from Legends, because of how much I like both. The timelines were intended to be separate and I feel they're both better that way. If I had to pick my favorite it would probably be TCW, but it's not an easy choice. The best of the multimedia project is better than anything in TCW. When I say this I'm thinking of Shatterpoint, which is probably the best Star Wars novel. Yoda: Dark Rendezvous would be up there as well for its portrayal of Yoda and Dooku. The latter in particular benefits from the characterization in this book. I've always loved Medstar, but I'm not sure it tops TCW beyond being a personal favorite. I'm not sure if TCW can top Labyrinth of Evil in terms of a lead in to ROTS. Based on the unproduced arcs they could do so, but it's hard for me to imagine. The hunt for Sidious paralls Greivous' campaign to nicely tie into the film while deepening the tragedy. The book handles Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship very well but nothing above TCW. And here's the important part for me. The multimedia project is a complete missed opportunity when it comes to Anakin and Obi-Wan. They each get their own novel, but never work together in either book. The molicroseries doesn't add much to them. Their arc in the Republic comics was really good, and there was a one shot (not part of Republic where they had a good conversation). You can see how much they care about each other and Anakin does have heroic moments. But nothing gets me invested in their relationship like TCW. And I feel like there story arcs have more depth in TCW.

TCW also had an advantage in terms of characters. It makes better use of their original characters while integrating them into the wider universe. Ahsoka particular. The show gives her a complete story arc that is good on its own right but also adds depth to Anakin's story in the PT. In Legends there are good original characters, but they're more contained in stand alone stories or have small appearances throughout. The multimedia project feels like isolated adventures; TCW feels more alive, as a connected universe. It defines the era. I think TCW does a good job with Ventress's story and I'm developing Dooku as a villain. I'd disagree that the Separatists come off as bad. So while, I like the best of the multimedia project better, I think TCW is a better story that adds more to the films. So I'd have to give it an advantage.

The Dark Times era would probably go to canon. But the overall focus of the timelines is different. Canon has focused on the Imperial politics and Darth Vader as a character. It has done very good with both of these. The development of the Empire in particular is really good and not something we have in Legends. Legends focuses on groups of Jedi surviving Order 66. Legends does develop early Vader and canon does show Jedi surviving. So these focuses aren't exclusionary. I like Han's origin story better in Legends. I enjoyed Solo, but it's one movie compared to a trilogy I love. I really enjoy Rebels and got attached to those characters. So I'd probably prefer canon because political stories are more my thing but this is such a big era a comparison is hard. I like both a lot.

The OT era isn't a fare comparison. I never got into this era in Legends whereas I like the current comic series and the Twilight Company book. So canon.

Post ROTJ GCW. This is another hard era. I'll tentatively say a tie, but leaning towards canon. The Aftermath Trilogy is phenomenal. I really enjoy the look at the Imperial politics during this period. The Contingency keeps Palpatine as the center of the conflict and I love how the conflict plants the seeds for the next one. This along with Bloodline nicely connects the OT and ST. Battlefront 2's campaign also has a good story. I feel like the conclusion of the war is more complex than in Legends. One year for the end of the war is pretty short, but I don't mind based on how the story progressed.
Still the slow liberation of the galaxy along with Imperial resurgences in Legends allowed for some very fun stories. I enjoyed seeing the Jedi come in at the end. Honestly, what o love about this part of the war is how both timelines are simultaneously similar and quite different. I love both and at this time won't place one above the other. Alphabet Squadron could easily move canon above Legends for me. Right now canon feels like a more consistent story and has provided more depth to the conflict.

So the rest of the post ROTJ era is hard to compare because we don't know much about canon. Last Shot was super fun and showed that peace time adventures can lead to good stories. Bloodlines was a great political story and I like how the emergence of the First Order is being presented as well as the state of galactic politics. Resistance is a lot of fun and I love the ST. Rey, Fin, Rose, and Poe are fantastic characters that I became instantly invested in. Kylo is a good antagonist and the movies handle the OT cast pretty well. Like was great in TLJ. But up through the NJO was a very well developed and interesting universe. The Solo kids, Rogue and Wraith Squadrons, and Luke's new New were all really well done characters. While the NJO hasn't aged well, it passes the torch well and provided Jacen and Jaina Solo with fantastic story arcs. These stories felt really vibrant. Then LOTF happened and it became really bad. I probably like the actual canon books better than the majority of books in the Legends post ROTJ. So even though Legends had more time to develop its characters, I'm still going to give this one to canon. I prefer where the story is going and the ST cast is my favorite in Star Wars. I loved the new characters in Legends and was attached to the way the universe developed. There was so much I really liked. But I can't place it above canon.

To summarize, I prefer canon in most ways and, given time, probably in every way. I love what they've done with the story and find the hints of where it may go are very interesting. The ST immediately convinced me it would be a great follow up to the OT due to it's phenomenal cast. Still I really like Legends and their are aspects that rival canon or even surpass it in some ways.

 

Obviously Legends since the lore is bigger and there are very charismatic characters there I think the new canon is fine but i dont like the sequels

 

Ah, the topic of pain, the topic of two camps. I remain faithful to the Expanded Universe, and I will remain faithful forever. I liked everything and even all the characters there. And that's the real Luke Skywalker, not the homeless coward Disney gave us. I recognize that there are some points in the New Canon that deserve a positive assessment. But these moments are very few, and the sequels I will never forgive and never admit. In a word, I only choose the Expanded Universe and won't call them Legends because to me they are canon. *reciting mantra* Luke has wife Mara Jade and son Ben. Han and Leia have three children - Jasen, Jaina and Anakin. That's the truth, not this New Canon that destroyed our favorite characters...

 

Oh... if only it had been fun... In fact, everything is very sad. There will never be a screen version of the Expanded Universe...

 

I was referencing the fact you unironically used *reciting mantra*, but sure, why not.

 

Sure is ironic. It's for complacency. Often accounted for to intercede in disputes, where me argued that Solo have one son, not three children, and Luke at all an unmarried... It's angry and frustrating...

 

I was not always happy with the Legends material. There were things that were hard for me to fathom such as Jaina Solo going to Boba Fett to learn fighting techniques to defeat her brother Jacen just as an example. However I could still recognize that it was Star Wars. Rey is over powered and seems to have no weaknesses other than seeing Kylo Ren shirtless. That being said I prefer the Legends material over the new cannon.

 

Legends, clearly. The timeline spans tens of thousands of years, and I feel there is so much more depth. There are so many planets, a lot of risks. Some of the risks don't pay off. The cloning Palpatine idea is really stupid. I haven't read those stories yet, but I know the basic premise. Plus, too many cooks lead to some inconsistencies. I will take some inconsistencies and risk though.

I saw a user on these forums before say that the New Canon mostly feels like the Original Trilogy, and Legends mostly feels like the Prequel Trilogy. I prefer the original trilogy over the prequels a lot, but I think that's as films. The Legends material around the prequels is very compelling.

I prefer Maul in the new canon. I know there was some TCW Legends material, which I like to forget since it conflicts with Legends material, but all of Maul's post-TPM moments I tend to lump in the new canon.

 

I’ll take the new canon. There is some great stuff in the legends, but a lot of it was bad and needed purging.

 

From what I've read of the books, I'd definitely say I prefer Legends more than Canon. I still like some of the Canon books, but I can't get as into them as the Legends ones. I'm not sure if it's because of familiarity or the storylines, but Canon doesn't seem to have as much humour and those iconic battles. Or from what I've read anyway. Though keep in mind that I have only read the end series' of Legends.

 

I'll have to go with the new canon right now. I've always been a huge fan of the expanded universe as it has a lot of fun stories, but even I knew it was a complete mess storywise. A lot of it was stupid and even more completely disregarded the source materials. I feel like the only thing Legends has above Canon is the fact that there are so many stories to pick from and you can kind of ignore the ones you don't like.