Saberstorm said:

I understand that their is a great deal of trepidation regarding the EU, primarily because of it's incessant need to connect everyone to everyone.

That depends on which authors you read. The EU is so vast that some of the story lines are completely separate. As a non-prequel follower, I stick to stories that don't interact with anything prequel.

I had that same trepidation myself. I thought the EU was so contaminated that it was unnavigable. With some in-depth research and the input of this community, I found which novels to read and which ones to ignore. I'll tolerate a very brief prequel mention, but only if it's a name-check, a date reference, or location. Beyond that, the novel goes in the trash can.