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Summary
In April 2014 , theStar Warsfranchise made its biggest canyon and continuity change in its 47 - twelvemonth history . Disney purchased Lucasfilm andStar Warsin 2012 , and two years later the studio annunciate a fond reboot . There are now twoStar Warscontinues , canon and Legends ; what is ( and was ) canyon is not always clear , especially concerning the original inflate Universe that has now been rebranded as fable .
Star Warshas always been a transmedia franchise . The noveliization of the first movie ( later retitledA New Hope ) came out six moths before the flick ’s theatrical discharge , and new account were being told in other mediums within a yr of the film ’s debut . For the retiring 47 days , Star Warsstories have been tell in every medium and across two mainstream continuities , but their respective canonic statuses have exchange over sentence , with April 2014 ’s fond reboot being the most significant change .
Legends was Star Wars ' first persistence , so it by nature inspires numerous elements of Disney ’s new Star Wars canyon . Here ’s everything Disney kept .
How Star Wars Canon Evolved Under George Lucas
Most viewers knowStar Warsas a film dealership , but in truth there ’s a slew more to it than that ; there are comics , novel , Mangas , computing machine plot , trading card game , RPGs , and more . The terminus " Expanded Universe " is used to refer to these other mediums , and to their share toStar Warscontinuity - at least until 2014 . The EU had always been part ofStar war , but it notably flourished in 1991 , after the release of Timothy Zahn’sHeir to the Empireand Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’sDark Empire .
George Lucas never care for the Expanded Universe systematically . For most of theStar Warsfranchise ’s story , George Lucas has cover the EU as though it was canyon . Lucas often work elements of non - movie textile into the picture show themselves , pass the materials his approval , negative ideas that did not fit with his vision of theStar Warsfranchise , and devote variegate stage of stimulation to creatives for their respective projects .
Lucas often brought elements of non - movie material into the films themselves , gave the materials his commendation , vetoed idea that did not go with his vision of theStar Warsfranchise , and give vary point of input to creatives for their respective project .
Major example testify George Lucas ' relationship with the EU
Timothy Zahn enclose the majestic capital of Coruscant ; rename it from the Return of the Jedi concept of Had Abaddon ; Lucas uses Zahn ’s imaginativeness of the urban center - planet , and even keeps the name .
Lucas vetoedDark Empire ’s original villain architectural plan , mandate the resurrection of Emperor Palpatine alternatively
Lucas adapts the comic book weapon of Exar Kun , bringing it to life asDarth Maul ’s forked - bladed lightsaber
Lucas incorporates the Jedi Aayla Secura , from theStar Wars : Republiccomics , intoStar Wars : Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Lucas mandate that Quinlan Vos come through inStar Wars : commonwealth
Despite this , Lucas would later claim he saw his motion-picture show and the EU as different world , even take down he does not suppose Luke Skywalker getting wed ( to Mara Jade ) nor Palpatine being uprise - even though that was his idea and mandate forDark Empire . Lucas worked tight with Dave Filoni on the 2008 flick and goggle box seriesStar Wars : The Clone Wars , which constantly contradicted EU lore from that geological era - let in ideas Lucas one sanction of or even come up up with . Lucas was even infamously quoted by Filoni as say " persistence is for crybaby . "
Star Warscreatives gradually realize Lucas ’s discrepant attitude towards the expand Universe , with generator Kevin J. Anderson noting in the introduction to a graphic novel printing ofDark Empire :
When you learn Dark Empire , or any of the other novels , think back that although Lucasfilm has approved them , they are our sequels , not George Lucas ’s . If Lucasfilm ever makes films that take place after Return of the Jedi , they will be George Lucas ’s own creations , credibly with no connection to anything we have written .
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
The Star Wars Expanded Universe Was Always A Central Part Of Canon
Despite Lucas ' ambivalent and inconsistent relationship with the EU , the the true is thatbefore the 2014 Legends rebranding , theStar WarsExpanded Universe was formally canyon . Lucasfilm executive and creatives went to capital length to control that all attribute – be they resilient - action films or non - movie material – accommodate together . George Lucas is correctly credit as the chief Lord of theStar Warsuniverse , but as soon as other creators recount original news report in an official capacity , it became a corporate consistence of work rather than solely George Lucas ’s .
Before the 2014 Legends rebranding , theStar WarsExpanded Universe was officially canon .
speak toWiredin 2008,Lucasfilm administrator Leland Chee and Howard Roffman discussed the canonicity of Expanded Universe work . “ The thing about Star Wars is that there ’s one universe , " Chee discover . “ Everyone wants to know stuff , like , where did Mace Windu get that purple lightsaber ? We want to establish that there ’s one and only one answer . ” Roffman also weighed in , reward the point . “ We set parameters , " Roffman mention . “It had to be an of import extension of the continuity , and it had to have an internal wholeness with the events portrayed in the films . ”
' gospel singing , ' or canon as we refer to it , includes the screenplays , the film , the receiving set dramas and the novelizations . These oeuvre spin out of George Lucas ' original story , the eternal sleep are written by other writer . However , between us , we ’ve understand everything , and much of it is take into explanation in the overall persistence . The entire catalogue of published work comprises a vast account — with many off - shoot , variations and tan — like any other well - modernise mythology .
If there was a variant between two works , whichever one belonged to a higher level would be considered canonical . While this knead in theory , in practice the tier system was unnecessary , becauseskillful writer smoothed out any inconsistencies . tone-beginning of the Clones , for instance , contradicted Boba Fett ’s multiple parentage stories and the original description of the Clone Wars in Zahn ’s Thrawn Trilogy ; afterwards EU mould established retcons that fixed this , explain away Boba Fett ’s " untrue " backstories and integrating Zahn ’s vision of the Clone Wars as the Siege of Saleucami .
Star Wars Canon Began To Fracture With The Clone Wars
The consistency and canonicity of theStar WarsExpanded Universe truly start to bumble with the press release of 2008’sStar Wars : The Clone Wars . Throughout the show ’s theatrical film and first six seasons ( before its 2020 revival on Disney+),The Clone Warscreated a massive number of persistence problems , ignoring established traditional knowledge from the originalClone Warsmultimedia projection in ways too glary to be fixed with the usual retcons . While the show gained a loyal following , it never belonged in the ground amplify Universe canon , as it only adhered to what was shown in the original and prequel trilogy .
Star Wars : The Clone Wars proves George Lucas was always going to retool the canon , foreshadowing Disney ’s Expanded Universe decisions .
In 2012,The Clone Warsshowrunner Dave Filoni confirm that he never saw the serial as being part of the established Expanded Universe . As he excuse inStar Wars Insider#134 , “ The EU is a well of ideas , and there ’s what ’s on screenland . They do n’t live in the same population . ” Since the modernStar Warscanon would go on to be build around the original six saga films and Filoni ’s serial publication , The Clone Warsmust be handwaved as exclusive to the modern canon and not part of what is nowStar WarsLegends .
Why Disney Relaunched The Star Wars Canon In 2014
Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 , and established the Lucasfilm Story Group in 2013 to ease storytelling and manoeuvre the growth of the sequel trilogy . The Expanded Universe ’s place in the enfranchisement ’s future was uncertain , specially givenThe Clone Wars’continuity job . On April 25 , 2014,Lucasfilm announced that the inflate Universe was now rebranded as Legends and that a newStar Warscanon had been originate . The only properties that would initially be part of the new canyon were the original sixStar Warssaga film andThe Clone Wars . caption was considered an alternate continuity .
The reasonableness forthe partial continuity reboot was to maximize creative exemption for theStar Warssequel trilogy . Fascinatingly , just as Dave Filoni treated the dilate Universe as a generator of inhalation rather than canonical materials thatThe Clone Warswas beholden to , Legends would be used to animate numerous element of modern canon properties . The fall of Han and Leia ’s son Jacen in Legends mirrors Kylo Ren , Palpatine’sDark Empireresurrection inspiredStar Wars : The Rise of Skywalker , and Legends characters likeGrand Admiral Thrawnhave become full of life to canon .
Marvel’sStar Wars#108 and fresh content added to theStar Wars : The Old Republicvideo biz are among the fewStar WarsLegends sour to be free after April 25th , 2014 .
Disney’s New Canon Has Grown At An Incredible Rate
Now possess by Disney , Star Warshas become far more mainstream . In addition to the three sequel movies , advanced canyon includes two live - action spinoffs and numerous live - activity and alive TV appearance . There has been a constant stream of unexampled comics , novels , and video games . Since its partial reboot , theStar Warsfranchise has uprise at an astounding pace . This can be see by comparing the number of canyon Good Book to Legends - a continuity that had far longer to modernise .
fable
Canon
Number of fabrication Scripture
359
246
Original novels
144
42
Novel adaptations
9
5
Original junior novel
125
45
third-year novel version
20
35
Gamebooks
22
0
Young Readers record book
93
Disney has had a notably different attitude toward continuity than Legends . With a clean slate and a new Lucasfilm Story Group , it ab initio seemed as though continuity would be more consistent . This has not been the cause , however , as there have been manyStar Warscontinuity problem in the Disney earned run average - usually flowing fromStar WarsTV shows retconning write works . Lucasfilm seem to view continuity something that is true " from a sure point of view , " but to rest coherent , the tiered system - never needed for EU - palpate like a necessary for the modernStar Warscanon .
Legends used retcons to make prop count more , while the innovative canyon uses retcons to make properties weigh less .
Ultimately , fable used retcons to make property matter more , while the modern canyon uses retcons to make properties matter less . This , of course , does not mean that either canyon or Legends is in any way superior or more licit than the other . The two timelines simply have different glide slope to the concept of persistence . Legends sought to make every property as canonical , crafting a unseamed chronicle woven through lively - activity flick , published whole works , picture games , and TV show . The modern canyon approachesStar Warsas a tall tale , treating variance as a benign inevitability instead of a problem .
Star Wars is a multimedia dealership that get in 1977 by Lord George Lucas . After the release of Star Wars : Episode IV- A New Hope ( to begin with just title Star Wars ) , the franchise quickly explode , spawning multiple sequels , prequels , TV show , video games , comics , and much more . After Disney develop the right to the franchise , they apace inflate the universe on Disney+ , starting with The Mandalorian .
