The supposed validity of the EU

First: read this amazing article about the history of the EU’s canon status https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2019/08/guest-editorial-did-george-lucas-consider-the-expanded-universe-canon.html

Second: it’s been crazy to me how so many people blame Disney for bombing the EU and declaring it all “non-canon” even though Lucas never was beholden to the EU in all cases, some which the article highlights. A big problem with the EU was Lucas didn’t care and just let it run it’s course. He took from it what he liked and what he didn’t like he just ignored.
It is just so sad to me how people say the de-canonization of the EU was a sign of Disney’s mishandling of the license and if they just followed the books then everything would have been fine.
Stuff to ponder…

Yeah. I find it weird how some people think one set of fictional stories is somehow more “authentic” than another set of fictional stories.

RogueLeader said:

I can’t recall if Lucasfilm made an official declaration when they relabeled the EU as Legends, but maybe that information should have been brought up in a more casual way. Some fans clearly took that as an attack or something. Lucas only briefly talked about the EU in some interviews, and it came to producing the films and Clone Wars, he just did what he wanted regardless if it contradicted the EU. Maybe Lucasfilm should’ve taken the same approach, and let the fans figure it out on their own!

In the article it brings up Lucasfilms actual statement on the EU and the canon and all it talked about was that in the stories they are going to make the only Star Wars material they must stay 100% true too are the Films and Clone Wars movie and show. It never said they were decanonizing the EU, it just said that everything from 2014 forward would hold the same validity in canon as the films and everything else COULD be rewritten. Not that it would be, but that I could be.

I personally have no issue with them rebooting the EU, despite being a huge fan of Legends canon. The only minor gripe I have with it is the whole “there are some truths to Legends” slogan they’ve been using as it kinda implies that the new stories are the correct or "true" SW stories, while the old ones are false ones. As far as I’m concerned they should just treat it the same way DC comics does with their multiple continuities and just be blunt about the fact that some times you need to clear up the clutter and start over. If superhero comics can have multiple timelines why can’t SW? I mean it technically does, but they don’t treat it the same way. A lot of fans simply overreacted to the EU being rebooted for the sake of the new movies, but many other fans mostly just seem annoyed by the somewhat negative and dismissive attitude that a lot of people have towards the old stories.

There so many good old EU stories that I always took the “there’s truth in legends” idea as that it’s all canon unless the new 2014- stuff says otherwise. Almost like how the EU was anyways with Lucas

I’ve said it before and I will say it again , this issue never bothered me , the original Marvel Star Wars series was considered non canon for a long time after it ended , a lot of articles I read looked upon it as being ridiculous around the early 90’s …and then the EU realized it had some merit and brought back characters like Lumiya decades later , then there was the whole issue of the Mandalorians having their back stories changed continuously ,all of this happened long before the Disney acquisition . Now they have even brought back Valance The Hunter from that original Marvel series . I just watch and read the stuff I like and ignore the stuff I don’t . The funny thing is , all of those books branded “Legends” can still be found in most major bookstores . They had to spend the money to reprint them , so to me , it shows they care on some level.

I feel like Disney made the mistake of talking about it in the first place. Their memo was so matter of fact. They never said they were decanonizing anything but just rebranding all that had come before.

I always thought about what it would be like in Lucasfilm just spent some time and allowed all the loose ends in Legends canon to be resolved. That way the Legends canon of comics and books would be “complete.” I just don’t think they’re going to.

Maybe they should do an animated series like Marvel is gonna do with their “What if?” Show and allow for Legends stuff like the Sword of the Jedi to be shown in some sort of filmic media

The recently released Marvel comics Star Wars #108 was a continuation of Legends material, so its not impossible. But since they’re making new movies that can’t connect to Legends they’re focusing on new tie-in stories in stead. They most likely know that they could make money by continuing Legends, but focusing on a new audience rater than catering to the old and making stories that connects with the new movies is probably (I would assume) the most profitable thing to do at the moment.