Lucasfilm’s retconned claims on canon debunked - by the project creators
+ Lucasfilm’s own previous statements, PR releases and articles, as well as quotes from George Lucas and other EU creatives.
On the subject of Dave Filoni, he is wrong when he claims, and repeats this incorrect assertion:
“Having worked with George, I can tell you that it was always very clear, and he made it very clear, that the films and the TV show were the only things he considered canon. That was it.”
^ https://youtu.be/hcNXPNXOv2A?t=2460 - 2016 Dave Filoni interview on The Star Wars Show Youtube Channel (at 41 minutes)
or similar Lucasfilm claims before Disney’s buyout in 2012, that ‘only the six films and The Clone Wars series are canon’, or even a couple of years after the purchase of Lucasfilm in the 2014 official “Legends & Canon” announcement, on StarWars.com
Lucasfilm’s own ‘Canon Tier’ ratings (prior to the canon reconstruction in April 2014):-
‘Regarding the Holocron database in 2012, Chee said: “What sets Star Wars apart from other franchises is that we develop a singular continuity across all forms of media, whether it be the films, TV series, video games, novels and comics, and the Holocron is a key component to Lucasfilm being able to do this.” The Holocron was divided into five levels of canon (in order of precedence)’.
^ Holocron database and canonicity - at Wikipedia
A Brief History Of Star Wars Canon, Old And New - 2015 article at Gizmodo
Some examples that contradict Dave Filoni’s claim above, and also other similar incorrect assertions from Lucasfilm:
‘The new game, known by many simply as The Force Unleashed, is the first Star Wars game to be considered by Lucas an actual chapter in the overall story line…’ - CNet article link from 2009
and
‘George Lucas approved of Shaak Ti’s canonical death in The Force Unleashed video game.’ - Twitter thread with a screenshot of extract from ‘The Art Of and Making Of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’ book, by TFU project lead Haden Blackman, released in 2008.
^ both are from oojason’s The Force Unleashed | Lucasfilm’s 2007-2010 EU multimedia project thread.
“The Force Unleashed: Behind the Scenes George Lucas Involvement” - a 6 minute video at the Callum Johns YouTube channel.
at the Clone Wars boss explains “suspicious” similarities between his show and The Force Awakens interview in 2021 at Digital Spy.
^ from oojason’s Clone Wars | Lucasfilm’s 2002-2007 EU multimedia project info post: and Genndy’s 2003 Clone Wars series.
Long time Star Wars author Michael A Stackpole, of the ‘X-Wing’ & ‘New Jedi Order’ novels (among others), said this in 2020:
^ _https://twitter.com/MikeStackpole_
Michael Stackpole’s work in Star Wars: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Michael_A._Stackpole
Long time Star Wars author Mathew Stover, of the ‘Episode III: ROTS’ & ‘Shatterpoint’ novels (among others), said this in 2021:
‘Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Author, Matthew Stover LIVE’ - at 19 minutes into the Beyond The Blast Doors YouTube video:
“I had a long talk with Mr Lucas out at Skywalker Ranch about Revenge of the Sith. And I asked him a lot of questions, we spent a lot of time about Jedi, and you know, how he wanted the book to feel, and stuff like that. And in those days there’s none of this kind of ‘Canon Wars’ that came about later on. It was all canon. Everything published was canon.”
Matthew Stover’s work in Star Wars: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Matthew_Stover
And it was George himself who suggested doing the novels (New Jedi Order) as the Sequel Trilogy to his then 6 film Saga:
George Lucas in a 1999 interview with Wired:
George also contributed to the New Jedi Order novels himself, despite later claiming in a 2008 interview with TotalFilm:
“And now there have been novels about the events after Episode VI, which isn’t at all what I would have done it.”
^ despite Lucas actually suggesting & okaying ‘novels as the Sequels’, and then also contributing to the New Jedi Order project.
“New Jedi Order” TV advert a 30 second YouTube video, featuring Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.
This link to an informative article by xezene on the Reddit/StarWarsEU, with quotes and citations, highlights George Lucas’ significant input and involvement in the ‘New Jedi Order’ EU project:
www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/hr1tnz/behind_the_scenes_the_making_of_the_new_jedi
^ a screenshot of the above article (click on ‘Expand’ below to see the lengthy screenshot):
a screenshot of xezene’s 2 infographics for the New Jedi Order (click on ‘Expand’ below to see the lengthy screenshot)::
And also Lucasfilm’s recent baffling attempts to try and downplay or even deny George’s input and contributions in the EU. This despite numerous EU creatives stating they conferred with George on their projects. Some EU creatives sending their work to be ‘okayed’ by Lucas before going to print. At other times talking over ideas, stories, plotlines, characters, drawings etc, and also receiving feedback from George:
It is pleasing to see Tom Veitch getting some recognition, and “nods” to his work also featured in modern Star Wars.
His and Kevin Anderson’s work for Tales of the Jedi really gave us all the engaging backstory for much of the Sith and that beguiling early Star Wars era history.
I hadn’t realised that they had such a free reign with the project, and had feedback from George on it.
Yet they and the illustrators, had to send off their work to be ‘okayed’ by George, before going to print:
www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/n5qjrl/i_find_it_interesting_that_lucaslucasfilm_allowed (with quotes, links & backup)
& www.darkhorse.com/Interviews/667/Kevin-J-Anderson
www.cbr.com/star-wars-tom-veitchs-10-biggest-impacts-on-the-franchise/#the-old-republic-era (some of his many contributions)
Personally, I think fuck their made up and changing “official canon” claims/rules. Whatever you want it to be, that’s your canon.
If you love or bought the books, novels, comics, toys, and merchandise from any and all the multimedia projects and EU or whatever, then that is your canon if you want. It doesn’t matter what George, Filoni or Lucasfilm says; they are trying to retcon more Star Wars history, and can’t even manage to keep their own later invented rules, stories, and incorrect claims, straight.
In addition to the informative article by xezene on the Reddit/StarWarsEU, with quotes and citations, highlighting George Lucas’ significant input and involvement in the ‘New Jedi Order’ EU project:
www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsEU/comments/hr1tnz/behind_the_scenes_the_making_of_the_new_jedi
^ a screenshot of the above article (click on ‘Expand’ below to see the lengthy screenshot):
a screenshot of xezene’s 2 infographics for the New Jedi Order (click on ‘Expand’ below to see the lengthy screenshot)::
xezene has also compiled an Index for some infographs and posts on George Lucas’ involvement in other EU projects:
https://www.reddit.com/user/xezene/comments/126sm45/collected_star_wars_expanded_universe_posts
So far, there is:
• George Lucas and Tales of the Jedi
• George Lucas and the Thrawn Trilogy
• George Lucas and the Jedi Academy Trilogy
• George Lucas and The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
• George Lucas and the Bantam era
• George Lucas and the Bantam era (Part II)
• George Lucas and Shadows of the Empire
• George Lucas and the Hand of Thrawn Duology
• George Lucas and the New Jedi Order
• I find it interesting that Lucas/Lucasfilm allowed Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson to develop the Sith so much before Episode I was released (see xezene’s post; their free reign on the project, and even had feedback from George, before going to print)
There are also many other similar themed infographs & posts in the above linked Index by xezene - on numerous EU projects.