Vaderisnothayden said:

Canon is the OOT. Like a rock, it is the hard truth of Star Wars.

If my views on what's canon were based on my personal preference, I would include various other things in the canon. But my priority is to follow a canon that's real, based on what's the real thing.

Even you have to recognize that as circular reasoning. The canon as you define it is real because it's real.

They are not consistent with the original intentions behind ANH, but they fix up things well enough so that ANH works with them.

Well enough is whose opinion? I'm assuming yours, because there are members of this board who totally reject ROTJ and at least one who doesn't dig on ESB (and for those of us who love ESB, I've heard Lucas doesn't care for it, as it departs strongly from his original intentions).

Most canons have some inconsistencies. The thing is not to have huge gaps like the total change in the nature of Anakin.

So, you have an image of what PT Anakin should have been based on... six, maybe seven sentences in the entire OT. And while PT Anakin literally fits these factors ('good friend' 'great starpilot' 'seduced by the Dark Side') he doesn't fit them in the spirit of the "canon" as defined by you.

And while we're at it, which audio mix of "Star Wars" counts as canon? Which Beru voice? And does the '81 rerelease that added "A New Hope" could as EU?