The entire franchise is make believe.
Lucas and/or Disney deciding what’s real vs otherwise is laughable. That levels ranking they came up with is even more so. If you like a series of novels, read them. That’s canon for you. If you don’t like something, ignore it.
Your imagination decides the story that moves you and the world you escape into when you read. Same goes for the films, games, or TV shows. When you were kids, did you stop playing with the toys or figures if someone said you weren’t imagining your own story correctly? Of course not.
Why in the world would you allow Lucas or Disney to do that now? Man, some of the takes that Lucas came up with and then claimed they were the real story were idiotic. Darth Vader as a little kid building 3PO? That is spit-take level ridiculous.
I really like the Zahn novels. So for me, Luke grows up, marries Mara Jade, and they have adventures fighting the good fight. That’s my Luke Skywalker. It sure as hell isn’t some old kook who tosses his lightsaber over his shoulder and then goes off to milk a giant sea creature for a snack. WTF?
There are hundreds of Star Wars novels and stories out there. Read and enjoy. They’re every bit as real as the rest of the GFFA.