The NEW Star Wars Canon

The NEW Star Wars Canon

The Star Wars Expanded Universe is dead. At least in terms of canon. After the Disney / Lucasfilm buyout (which has thus far given us more good than ill) had taken place, fans were left to speculate how current Star Wars lore would fit into the cinematic franchise upon the announcement that Episode VII was in the works. However, to the dismay of many, executive producer Kathleen Kennedy explained that in order to give the upcoming films the freedom they needed, they would not be following the future mapped out in the novels - therefore single handedly rendering the Expanded Universe non-canonical.

However, a slight concession was made to maintain the existence of this material as writer Simon Kinberg (providing story direction for the franchise as a whole) promised that those Expanded Universe stories would remain in publication under the 'Legends' banner and could still potentially be used as "inspiration" for canon projects. Additionally, Del Ray publishing editor Shelly Shapiro also chimed in :

"Well first of all, we don't want to just disappear stuff that everybody read and loved - including myself. Legends are things that are often told over generations so they're not ... they change constantly with the telling, so you can't actually attribute an author to any particular one. Often it wasn't someone who was actually there. You can go back to any of the legends ... they're pretty sure there was a 'King Arthur,' but most of the stories probably didn't happen. But that doesn't mean that there aren't kernels of truth in it." 

"Everything now - starting from "A New Dawn" on - is canon. So if you care about that - which you really probably shouldn't, but if you do - it's all part of this whole new collaborative process ... All of this stuff happened." 

So how exactly does the Star Wars canon look now with the slate wiped clean?

For a fan who never had the opportunity to explore the far reaches of the Expanded Universe, I'm actually thrilled. Chewbacca is alive, Emperor Palpatine doesn't have a clone, Mara Jade is a myth and the Yuuzhan Vong are an alien race that may not even exist.

If you're looking for a jumping on point with the Star Wars universe, now's the time.

The first three canon novels, A New Dawn, Tarkin and Heir to the Jedi are available now at your favorite retailer with Disciple, Lords of the Sith and Aftermath scheduled to release July 7, April 28 and September 4 respectively. Additionally, Marvel Star Wars comics beginning in January 2015 with Star Wars #1 by Jason Aaron and John Cassady are also considered canon.

A New Dawn and Tarkin have been ordered from my Amazon Wish List and are scheduled to arrive early this week. Keep an eye out for additional NGP thoughts and reviews as I embark (and attempt to keep up) on the journey.

Questions or Comments? Sound off below, or find me on Twitter as @ArchangelEZE and for more exciting news and reviews, follow NGP on Facebook!

Until next time True Believers,

-ArchangelEZE