Today* marks the 10th anniversary of the old EU being decanonized.
*Well, for me–it’s probably yesterday for where a lot of you guys live
Time flies! ScreenRant ran a couple of articles on this yesterday (or today, maybe? lol):
Star Wars’ “Legends” Rebrand Was A Mistake - But We Know What Way Would Have Worked
Canon, or rather any consistency across the stories and world building since 2014, stopped becoming a thing long ago. I am a broken record on this, but how can fans have any meaningful investment and immersion in the Star Wars universe when that consistency, worldbuilding, integrated storytelling, or canon, is contradicted or retconned in later stories? The quotes from Lucasfilm people in the announcements at the time are almost laughable considering what has happened since:
An Index & Help Thread for _The Expanded Universe:
• Lucasfilm clarifies the future of the EU (a 2014 thread; re the 25th April Lucasfilm announcement about the EU; Legends & Canon)
• The Star Wars Expanded Universe: Past, Present, & Future (2014 official Star Wars ‘Legends/Canon’ announcement video)
^ “We now have a story department that so that there truly can be one consistent narrative - and that’s always been the dream. I think the idea of aligning the content is really fantastic and exciting opportunity that no other fictional universe could even support. We’re going to be able to bring fans a unified vision in a way that we’ve never done before. And I think it’s a also sacred trust to be invited to be telling stories inside this universe because it’s so precious to people, and I understand because it’s precious to me.” - Lucasfilm VIPs.
and:
^ “It feels real when everything is in line. And I think that is the challenge for all of us going forward with Star Wars. How are we responsible with what was? And how do we still move forward even if things become very different? I think the EU will be a legacy that is mined forever.” - Dave Filoni.