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New canon for Star Wars EU novels, etc.
I'm not holding out much hope for this new movie to be honest, especially when they can't leave EU stuff alone. What's the point of fans even reading EU stuff if it's not even considered canon now?
Sadly, some of the EU stuff was fantastic and likely better than anything Disney will come up with. The darker, less Campbellian tones may have conflicted with Lucas/Disney's intended reception and their intended ratings. Stuff like Timothy Zahn was so good, and it's too bad if they don't use it.
Why worry, it's all in good fun. A lot of Star Wars came from Burroughs anyway, and the series also owes a big debt to Asimov and the Foundation trilogy. A good book is a good book regardless of whether or not it is canon. Comics companies redo their canon so often that it's created a term, "Retcon" for retroactive continuity. This is no different.
Yeah if it's a good story that won't suddenly change.
Tipper27 wrote: "I'm not holding out much hope for this new movie to be honest, especially when they can't leave EU stuff alone. What's the point of fans even reading EU stuff if it's not even considered canon now?"The EU was never considered canon. The prequels contradicted a lot of the early books -- it's pretty much impossible to fit C'baoth into the version of the Clone Wars that Lucas developed.
And you know, fans in other franchises have had tie-in novel continuity wiped out before. NuWho writers don't pay any attention to the New Adventures or Missing Adventures when they write episodes and end up contradicting things left and right. TNG destroyed a lot of what was established in Star Trek novels of the early '80s, particularly related to Klingon and Romulan cultures, and yet a lot of fans still hold The Final Reflection in high regard even if it is incompatible with the modern canon.
It was the sell to Disney that gave fans some hope for seeing the EU on the big screen. It was a fool's hope perhaps, but it was a hope. There were encouraging signs. Almost all the pre work on episode VII before Lucasfilm was sold to Disney has been quietly thrown out over time, and many of the people in key production areas replaced. It made it seem like Disney was changing things piecemeal so Lucas wouldn't make a fuss.Everyone expected Disney to throw out the EU. Lucas made it very clear when he sold to Iger that certain things would not be done. Iger had to make several assurances in writing. One rumored assurance is that none of the books will see a big screen treatment. I don't know if this is true, but it explains several things Iger and others have said when asked about their plans for the EU material.
It does seem odd that Disney of all companies will not be making even direct to DVD cartoons of the X-Wing series or the Thrawn Trilogy, despite having the rights to do so. This is the same company that is on its fifth Tinkerbell DVD, after all.
My guess is that long-term, we will see something from the EU on the screen, big or small. I'm just not sure I can sit through a movie where Luke never met Mara Jade.
Kim wrote: "I'm a sad, sad Wookie today,"Why? The end of the EU means Chewbacca's alive again.
Sean wrote: "Kim wrote: "I'm a sad, sad Wookie today,"Why? The end of the EU means Chewbacca's alive again."
It means he was never dead in the first place. However, as a fictional character, he was never alive at all. Whoa
p.s. Somebody should check on Peter Mayhew, just to be certain.
Sean wrote: "Kim wrote: "I'm a sad, sad Wookie today,"Why? The end of the EU means Chewbacca's alive again."
Yes but that means we went through all that for nothing.
You know, for years after the Chewbacca incident my friends and I would say to each other; "Go! Before someone drops a moon on you." In the Witch's voice from Wizard of Oz.That's the kind of quality entertainment the EU has brought us over the years.
I'm also aware that the Witch did not say that line in the Wizard of Oz, it just seemed appropriate.
John wrote: "Why worry, it's all in good fun. A lot of Star Wars came from Burroughs anyway, and the series also owes a big debt to Asimov and the Foundation trilogy. A good book is a good book regardless of ..."Spot on!
I have read quite a bit of the EU over the years and have 2-3 more of them qued up already for the end of this semester. They are light fun and mostly entertaining books. I can't wait to see where Disney takes this new epoch of the Star Wars universe both on screen and in the new EU. Truly I think this is the only move that any content creator could really make. There is too much material there to be beholden to anything and Disney needs to be free to tell their own stories. And since they are keeping the old material under the "Legends" banner it's not like they aren't acknowledging the materials existence anymore. And like Sean noted above everybody can now leave Mr. Salvatore alone because Chewie lives again.
Overall I think this is a great time to be a Star Wars fan and I can't wait to take my kids to see episode VII. I may be one of those people that makes the news for camping out for tickets in 2015. I have always shunned that type of fandom but may give in for this.
Huh. I'm actually hoping the Old Republic stuff is being kept in as cannon somehow. IMO it's the most interesting part of the whole Star Wars universe.
Dark Horse didn't get quite as good a deal as Del Ray. Not only are they loosing the going forward publishing rights to Marvel at the end of 2014 ( that was expected as soon as it was known Disney bought the series). But it was strongly implied in the letters section of this months comics that they can only sell their existing collections until then as well. So if you have any desire to read any of the last 20 years of Star Wars comics, get um before they are gone.
what they are doing is burying good stories under stories that sell to a mass-market audience enthralled with YA.It's a good marketing move considering how semi-YA EP4-6 and 1-2 were.
But it's also a shame because a lot of the EU stories, while darker and more adult in theme, are good stories which don't fit the hero/YA scheme Disney likes.
As has been said before, the vast majority of the EU was never considered canon to start with. This is actually really good news, because the upshot is that some EU stuff may become canon when traditionally with Star Wars, canon was:1) The movies. These trump all.
2) The radio plays. These trump all except the movies.
3) The official novelizations. These trump all but 1 and 2.
And that's it, until The Clone Wars series came out and sort of muddied the waters a bit.
Now a lot of other awesome stuff like Mara Jade, and game content, and other book content has a chance to become official canon.
A lot of people seem to read the quotes from the EU video and take away from it that "telling a different story" somehow equates to "discarding everything that everyone other than Lucas ever created and proceeding as if it didn't exist."
Just because they're telling a DIFFERENT story does not mean it's an INCOMPATIBLE story. And while I'm certain there will be SOME incompatibilities, I'm also certain there will be plenty of EU content on screen.
Actually it looks like the radio plays and novelisations are not canon. And yes the books were considered canon. Lucas had some input on storylines and had been known to veto ideas.
Out of the multitude of now "Legends" books that I have read the only ones that I hope they might make cannon is the Darth Bane trilogy. Those were good. Thrawn too of course but they could always take various elements of those and create their own story.
Tipper27 wrote: "I'm not holding out much hope for this new movie to be honest, especially when they can't leave EU stuff alone. What's the point of fans even reading EU stuff if it's not even considered canon now?"It was never considered canon. Lucas called it "that stuff over there" and insisted only his movies were canon. Since it's his universe, he got to decide.
I don't see how this changes much at all.
Trike wrote: "Tipper27 wrote: "I'm not holding out much hope for this new movie to be honest, especially when they can't leave EU stuff alone. What's the point of fans even reading EU stuff if it's not even con..."Lucas has more or less consistently compared the EU to an alternate universe, but others like Leland Chee and Sue Rostoni have contradicted this at different times.
As I understand it, there has pretty much always been (at least since Heir to the Empire) an attempt on the part of EU authors, LucasBooks, etc. to maintain a generally cohesive single continuity. Obviously Lucas has taken (Coruscant) and discarded (Boba Fett's backstory) as he is entitled to.
It doesn't change anything in the sense that they'll continue to have that approach, just that they're effectively hitting the giant reset button.
Tamahome wrote: "Stackpole's "I, Jedi", the best Star Wars novel? http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/04/the-..."That is in my TBR pile for next month once this semester is over. I'll let you know. ;)
Mod
1) The movies. These trump all.
2) The radio plays. These trump all except the movies.
3) The official novelizations. These trump all but 1 and 2.
And that's it, until The Clone Wars series came out and sort of muddied the waters a bit."
Don't forget the "Star Wars Holiday Special"
We'll call that 1.5 on your list ;-)
Ben wrote: "Trike wrote:"As I understand it, there has pretty much always been (at least since Heir to the Empire) an attempt on the part of EU authors, LucasBooks, etc. to maintain a generally cohesive single continuity. Obviously Lucas has taken (Coruscant) and discarded (Boba Fett's backstory) as he is entitled to."Interestingly, if you read the annotated scripts, or the Original movie novelization of Episode IV, you find out that Lucas came up with the idea or Coruscant as what Alderaan would be when he wrote the original script. The city-planet was unfilmable at the time, and was dropped.
Just giving Lucas props where it is his due.
I will say that while Lucas was entitled to editorial oversight, it might have behooved him to exercise it a bit more. Lucas has said many times that he did not read the EU novels, or comics, and was only involved in the video games as far as story approval. If I had a company whose vast majority of income was from a single franchise, I would have paid more attention to what I affixed its name to. No book would have been published without a throughout reading.
After Episode I, it really seemed that Lucas was just completely disconnected from his fanbase. When you consider the people who came after (Joss Whedon, Peter Jackson) who made editorial decisions, they always consult and interface with the fanbase first. They may go in a different direction, but at least they know what their fans are thinking.
Tassie Dave wrote: "Don't forget the "Star Wars Holiday Special" We'll call that 1.5 on your list ;-) "
*Jedi hand wave* You don't want to remember the Holiday Special. You want to go home and rethink your life.
;)
Hmm too bad Star Wars doesn't have time travel, like Star Trek, it fixes these messy problems......*The Department of Temporal Investigations does not endorse this comment, and has been realigned.
Time cop approved.
There's only one way to handle this.DOC: Luke! Luke! You've gotta come back with me.
LUKE: Back, Doc? Back where?
DOC: Back ... to the FUTURE!
LUKE: What happens to us in the future? Do we become assholes or something?
DOC: No, no, no. Both you and Mara turn out fine. It's your kids, Luke. Something has gotta be done about your kids.
Sean wrote: "There's only one way to handle this.DOC: Luke! Luke! You've gotta come back with me.
LUKE: Back, Doc? Back where?
DOC: Back ... to the FUTURE!
LUKE: What happens to us in the future? Do we bec..."
That has got me rolling and is awesome.
Kenneth wrote: "Sadly, some of the EU stuff was fantastic and likely better than anything Disney will come up with. The darker, less Campbellian tones may have conflicted with Lucas/Disney's intended reception a..."
This is disappointing but not surprising.
Reading the Zahn trilogy in middle school was what made me a true lifelong fan; I loved the movies but missed out on the halcyon days of early SW fandom, they were only on tv by the time I was old enough to appreciate them. I devoured the Thrawn books, Jedi Academy, Rogue Squadron and associated series... I lost interest when the execrable second movie trilogy appeared in theaters. How about those movies get retconned instead? ;)
So much for hoping that Thrawn, or his clone, would make an appearance in the new film then.
Addendum:Though at least this means a certain beloved character was potentially not killed off.
Gord wrote: "Re: a certain beloved character... [spoilers removed]"I wonder if they will drop a moon on anybody in this trilogy? Because hey man...if you gotta go that's the way to do it.
Oh I saw that over on theforce.net the other day. Pretty cool!
Tipper27 wrote: "I'm not holding out much hope for this new movie to be honest, especially when they can't leave EU stuff alone. What's the point of fans even reading EU stuff if it's not even considered canon now?"Yeah I agree. I will probably still read Star Wars stuff till EP7 comes out then call it quits. Thx for nothing Lucas/Disney.
If you're asking yourself what the point in reading the Legends novels is, then you've completely missed the point of reading them. It was to have fun. Did they take that fun from you? No. And at any rate, those books were already contradicted and discarded by newer films television, games, comics, and yes books. Star Wars continuity was a mess with more questionable cannon than any franchise outside perhaps doctor Who. So why are we complaining? We are not losing those books, they are as real as ever, and we are getting new SW with decent brand management like we should have had from the start.I'll add one more thing, to everyone saying they'll give up on Star Wars now, Bull. You are just pitching a fit right now, you'll all be in line with all of us when the new film comes out. You'll be their because it's Star Wars damn it, and if any of us could have walked away, we'd have done so already. We would not be arguing and complaining about it on the internet.
I gave a similar answer when a work colleague asked me about the X-Men movie and why it contradicted other movies. I gave her the "inside" explanation that Professor X read Wolverine's mind and could therefore avoid the future events, and also the "outside" explanation that writers reset continuity regularly so they can tell fresh stories.Her objection was that if she invests in a story she wants it to follow continuity. I can understand that. Marvel used to be great on continuity, now it's got multiple universes and doesn't care. It helps tell new stories, but does devalue the old.
Christopher wrote: "If you're asking yourself what the point in reading the Legends novels is, then you've completely missed the point of reading them. It was to have fun. Did they take that fun from you?"Well said. That is all. I am going to go back to my "legends" books now and read my Darth Revan book next. I hope it is as good as the Bane trilogy was.
Christopher wrote: "If you're asking yourself what the point in reading the Legends novels is, then you've completely missed the point of reading them. It was to have fun. Did they take that fun from you? No. And at a..."I agree with you so hard right now.
Christopher wrote: "If you're asking yourself what the point in reading the Legends novels is, then you've completely missed the point of reading them. It was to have fun. Did they take that fun from you? No. And at a..."Agreed! I mean really. If we didn't walk away after Phantom Menace and the Jar Jar monstrosity, you know you aren't going to walk away BEFORE you see the new movie. I love the Legacy books, and I always will. Who cares if they are official anymore? They are some of the best stories I've ever read, and I will continue to love them and their characters, even when the new movies squash their storylines with new content.
Sophie wrote: "They are some of the best stories I've ever read,"Whoa. Whoa. Hold up there. Maybe taking it a bit far... :)
Micah wrote: "Sophie wrote: "They are some of the best stories I've ever read,"Whoa. Whoa. Hold up there. Maybe taking it a bit far... :)"
I didn't say they ALL were. And I didn't say THE BEST. But some of them are my favorites and have a spot on my favorite books shelf. And hey, if you don't agree, that's cool too!
For my part, I'd stick the Thrawn Trilogy up against most mainstream fantasy of science fiction when it comes to writing, developed characters, or story.
Sophie wrote: "I didn't say they ALL were. And I didn't say THE BEST. But some of them are my favorites and have a spot on my favorite books shelf. And hey, if you don't agree, that's cool too! "I was just having a little fun. I have read A LOT of the EU novels and wouldn't continue on if I didn't think they were worth it. LoL.
Daran, those are three of my favorites and the ones sitting on my favorites shelf :)Micah, I figured you were, I just wanted to clarify my point just in case. :D
I'll also say, that when I read Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future I thought to myself, "this is the best possible ending for Star Wars" And while I still read the occasional Star Wars book (the last thing was the Karin Traviss Clone Books), that was the last time I read Star Wars regularly.
Daran wrote: "I'll also say, that when I read Specter of the Past and Vision of the Future I thought to myself, "this is the best possible ending for Star Wars" And while I still read ..."Woah, spooky. That's kinda what happened to me too. I have a bunch of the "newer" books, but I never got around to reading them.
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
Vision of the Future (other topics)Specter of the Past (other topics)
Vector Prime (other topics)
Heir to the Empire (other topics)
Jedi vs. Sith (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Timothy Zahn (other topics)Drew Karpyshyn (other topics)
Kevin Hearne (other topics)
All upcoming novels will be considered part of a unified canon consisting of EP I-VI (plus future films), The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.
A bit sad for those of us who grew up reading a lot of EU before the prequels but I think giving people a new jumping-on point is probably a good idea. I'm sure the old EU will continue to be mined for characters, locations etc. as well. For example I'd be very surprised if we don't see some canon version of Thrawn or Mara Jade at some stage.
Source: the force.net