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I went back and read an old thread of the "correct" reading order of all the novels as well as the current thread of the "correct" viewing order of the movies et al, and just got depressed. Trying to keep up on the dozen or so TV and film projects, the hundred or so novels and the hundreds of comics, not to mention the card games and video games is just too much work. It really sucks the fun out of being a fan of Star Wars.
To me, there are two issues that spoil my fun. First is the tendency for the official movies as well as the so-called expanded universe to shrink in size the more material is produced. If it turns out that Anakin 'created' C-3PO and then 'created' Luke, this makes Luke and C-3PO brothers of sorts. So when Luke buys the droids on Tatooine, it is a family reunion for Luke and a homecoming for 3PO who used to live there back before the clone wars. It is just too much of a coincidence and really taxes the believability of the movies. It reminds me of the TV show Heroes, where a group of people about wreck the world and their children are brought together by fate to right the wrongs that their parents did. It made the Heroes characters live in a small world.
Second, the tendencies of the books and other stories to fill in every single detail of the movies. Knowing that every single character in the Mos Eisley cantina has an exciting, adventurous back story really doesn't help me enjoy the movie. It makes the movies a bit suffocating. I liked following the story of a farm boy who gets caught up in an adventure and ends up saving the galaxy. The idea that everyone around him is also involved in huge adventures kind of cheapens the heroes call to adventure.
With so much out there, it really seems to discourage a fan from using his own imagination to create his own stories in the cool worlds George created in '77 (and beyond). I really liked letting my imagination run when it wasn't trying to be smothered by an official 'canon'.
What's your opinion? I think less is definitely more. Is more more? Or how much is too much?