New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page, april 25th, 2014. In april 2014 lucasfilm and disney publishing stated that the existing. George lucas has famously never read any of the novels published under the umbrella of his own franchise. This is a list of novels considered canon in the new continuity of star wars. The star wars expanded universe even has its own page. Star wars has been expanded to media other than the original films. The clone wars remained canon and became part of along with serving as the basis the new star wars canon as result of being created by or directly involved with george lucas while.
All novels here are published in collaboration with the lucasfilm story group, and are canon with the films and animated. With the star wars expanded universe settling into its new status as an alternate timeline called legends, fans bid goodbye to many of the jedi they knew and loved. Star wars expanded universe eulegends contradictions. See, before disney took over, star wars had a huge amount of extra material novels. The clone wars television series and film, while the expanded universe is no longer considered canon and was re.
One of the most controversial decisions of disneyera star wars was wiping away the decades of nonmovie expanded universe content to start a brand. See, before disney took over, star wars had a huge amount of extra material novels, comics, etc. These works spin out of george lucas original stories, the rest are written by other. Episode i the phantom menace, lucasfilm has divided its titles by fictional era with symbols designating such. For over 35 years, the expanded universe has enriched the star wars experience for fans seeking to continue the adventure beyond what is seen on the screen. The force awakens instead of using plot ideas from episode iv. Canon refers to an authoritative list of books that the lucas licensing editors. As a result, the company made a swift and decisive move that guts what star wars meant for many fans. Star wars expanded universe no longer canon the mary sue. Though there was a star wars novelization published by del rey who still produce and publish canon star wars books to this day, the first.
Sep 17, 20 a nobullshit beginners guide to star wars books i know far too much about star wars. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the. A nobullshit beginners guide to star wars books simple. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page. Set five years after the battle of endor, the thrawn trilogy was the official continuation of the original star wars trilogy.
For those puzzled as to why the postdisney buyout titles would be included on a star wars eu timeline, the complete saga page follows the one canon approach, which permits any story that reasonably fits into the expanded universe on the timeline. The clone wars television series and film, and part i of the short story blade squadron. Originally conceived of as a loose trilogy featuring the principle heroes of the star wars films, one of the books, kevin hearnes heir to the jedi, is actually in the new canon. The best star wars novels from the new canon and legends. This is the realtime chronological novel publishing timeline.
When disney traded the older expanded universe books now known as the legends continuity for a new canon in 2014, it opened up a host of new possibilities. The old expanded universe eu now known as legends encompassed all of the officially licensed stories from the star wars universe. The term comes from star wars, which has an extensive expanded universe covering events before, during, and after the films. Last friday, i wrote with no small amount of vitriolabout the astonishing mess that is the star wars expanded universe eu. Even if it isnt canon, the expanded universe often serves as a place to apply handwavium to the canon through retcons. It includes shows, novels, and comics that cover many stories in the star wars galaxy the expanded universe underwent a continuity reboot on april 25th, 2014 after disneys acquisition of lucasfilm. New movies and other stories arent based on these books, and will sometimes contradict them. For some lucky fans, writing a star wars novel is a dream. The resulting 19 books changed a lot about the star wars universe, from killing off major characters to establishing whole new government paradigms. These stories are the immovable objects of star wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align. In a similar fashion, george lucass canon films and television borrowed liberally from the expanded universe, but did not maintain strict continuity with it. Nov 18, 2015 understanding the star wars universe will be easier than ever now since all of it is technically canon. Disney is making an effort to cull the enormous, multitiered. Apr 21, 2019 when lucas sold the star wars franchise to disney in 2014, everything that had been written about the star wars universe before was no longer considered canon.
Most of the material from the expanded universe including books, comics. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. Simple star wars book list timeline of star wars novels. Star wars expanded universe eu was rebranded to legends and considered noncanon in april 2014.
This policy has been further refined and fleshed out over the years. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired. A complete guide to the new star wars canon before the force. The star wars expanded universe is my canon home facebook. Apr 25, 2014 when lucasfilm announced on friday that the expanded universe of the star wars franchise essentially, all of the stories told in ancillary material outside of the six core movies and clone wars.
The clone wars remained canon and became part of along. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated eu, encompasses every one of the licensed, fictional background stories of the star wars universe, outside of the original six star wars films produced by george lucas and certain other material such as star wars. The expanded universe has been a part of star wars for almost as long as the movies have, starting with alan dean foster s novel splinter of the minds eye, which was published in 1978 and was. Almost as long as there have been star wars movies, there have been star wars books. See this article in wookieepedia for how it all works.
From the adventures of luke skywalker in december 1976 to the latest novel, this timeline tracks the month and year of every star wars novel excluding childrens and graphic novels published. The world was hungry for any new star wars story, wrote chris taylor in how star wars conquered the universe. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page, april. Oct 30, 2012 it is important to note that expanded universe, while technically including the infinities and classic star wars, also frequently overwrote those stories. Author timothy zahn, the mastermind behind the series, created some of the most iconic eu characters through these books. On april 25th, 2014, it was announced that the expanded universe of star wars is no longer. It was renamed star wars legends, and considered sort of an alternate timeline to the main events of the star wars saga, similar to what happens in comic book series. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be forgotten. The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe. Debunking expanded universe myths disney star wars is dumb. New star wars expanded universe plans greeted with. The expanded universe underwent a continuity reboot on april 25th, 2014 after disneys acquisition of lucasfilm. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated eu. Disney has been engaged in a secret war against the star wars expanded universe in order to sell more books, comics and toys.
While its cultural impact wouldnt have ever gone away entirely, the world that became known as the expanded universe let people explore the galaxy far. Although official star wars canon was redefined in 2014 to focus on the films and exclude the complex expanded universe created by decades of novels, comics, and games, some authors have found ways to drop little references from those older. The sheer scale and complexity of star wars expanded universe made it. The alliance to save the star wars legends, expanded universe page was created on september 2, 2014, the day that lucasfilms first canon star wars novel, a new dawn, was released. Did george lucas dislike star wars expanded universe. In april 2014, lucasfilm rebranded the expanded universe material as star wars legends and declared it noncanon to the franchise. Fans hoped that meant revan, who was both a prominent jedi knight and a prominent sith lord who returned to the jedi order, would be canon once more. All novels here are published in collaboration with the lucasfilm story group, and are canon with the films and animated tv series. The legacy series is another important book series, which is written by aaron. As of april 25, 2014, the only previously published materials that are considered canon are the six star wars films and the star wars.
Dec 14, 2015 instead, of course, star wars was a massive success, and del rey simply released splinter of the minds eye in 1978 as a further adventure in the franchise. It is significant that the activities of these groups were intertwined from the beginning with a new dawn, which was written by john jackson miller as a tiein to. In 1991, del rey books launched a new novel from author timothy zahn. That whole tier bs chee used to lie to you people because his boss howard roffman couldnt get lucas to agree to be the same universe. The breadth of these original stories, all based on the world of. Jul 02, 2014 with the star wars expanded universe settling into its new status as an alternate timeline called legends, fans bid goodbye to many of the jedi they knew and loved. May the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels. This list of the top 15 noncanon star wars stories includes books that examine sith mythology, jedi training, ancient worlds and the murderous rampage of darth vader. Mar 28, 2019 when the new trilogy debuted with episode vii. Star wars really is the poster child for how this trope works. Disneys secret war against star wars expanded universe.
The star wars expanded universe is an expanded universe set in the star wars franchise. Heres my ranking of 31 individual books and multibook series in the star wars universe, minus the movie novelizations 31. So that would be proof that george lucas didnt like the direction that the expanded universe went. Notable first appearances included grand admiral thrawn, mara jade, talon karde, and more. Star trek gave up on its 24th century setting years ago, but that hasnt stopped the star trek tiein books from continuing telling the story of, for example, deep space nine long after the tv.
When lucasfilm announced on friday that the expanded universe of the star wars franchise essentially, all of the stories told in ancillary material outside of the six core movies and clone wars. Dec 27, 2019 the resulting 19 books changed a lot about the star wars universe, from killing off major characters to establishing whole new government paradigms. Author james lucenos new canon star wars books have woven a number of familiar imperials back into canon. Oct 03, 2000 because the star wars universe this guide covers is as vast and populated as george lucas galaxy far, far away, its impossible for even the most prolific researcherwriter to keep up with all the new additions as books, games, collectibles and even animated episodes appear almost on a monthly basis. As of april 25, 2014, the only previously published materials that are considered canon are the six star wars films, the star wars. Aug 08, 2019 this includes the six star wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in star wars. And so, so much of this is in relation to the expanded universe aka the eu, which is basically the official ubergeek term for star wars books and comics. Christopher cerasi stated, when it comes to absolute canon, the real story of star wars, you must turn to the films themselvesand only the films. Plus, theres the fact that even most star wars fans havent consumed every aspect of the expanded universe, never mind the people who are working on the new movies. Regarding the status of the expanded universe canon in relation to the official canon established by the films.
Although official star wars canon was redefined in 2014 to focus on the films and exclude the complex expanded universe created by decades of novels, comics, and games, some authors have found ways to drop little references from those older stories into their new books for longtime readers. Star wars just nuked its entire expanded universe the. If so, i highly recommend reading books from the star wars the expanded universe. Many star wars fans are not particularly happy about the new movies, and some feel that disney threw out the baby with the bathwater when it came to the expanded universe. It is derived from and includes most official star wars books. Theres my world, which is the movies, and theres this other world that has been created, which i say is the parallel universethe licensing world of the books, games and comic books. This became the expanded universe, or eu, of comics, novels, videogames, and more. Meanwhile, the expanded universe is no longer considered canon and was retermed as the legends brand. Star treks expanded universe is a glorious mess ars. Most works produced after april 25, 2014, are part of the official canon as defined by lucasfilm, although a handful of legends media has been released after that date. Everyone knows that star wars has a rich and storied history when it comes to its expanded universe of books, most of which have now been taken out of canon and deemed.
Fifteen inconsistencies in the eulegends are highlighted in this article. The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. Under lucasfilm president kathleen kennedys direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and coordinate all star. The story of star wars, for the kind of fan that wants to know everything, is much bigger than the movies, spanning several novels, comic book series, video. The 10 best star wars legends books, ranked screenrant. Lucasfilm later rebranded the expanded universe as star wars legends and declared it noncanonical to the franchise. Understanding the star wars universe will be easier than ever now since all of it is technically canon. In a flash, literally decades of stories from its expanded universe were. How disney killed the most interesting thing about star wars. From the press release regarding the new disney vs legends canon now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments of star wars, all aspects of star wars storytelling moving forward will be connected. In other words, in what disney now calls legends, here are the best noncanon stories we. May 25, 2017 in star wars rebels this year, dave filoni and company made the jedimandalorian wars, the kickoff event to how revans story was told in star wars.
Many have argued that the success of timothy zahns trilogy of star wars novels collectively. They include armand isard, admiral yularen, sate pestage, ars dangor, moff therbon, and terrinald screed. For purists, the other pages on this site remain free of post20 stories. Star wars expanded universe eu was rebranded to legends and considered non canon in april 2014. This spinoff material is licensed and moderated by lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise george lucas reserved the right to both draw from and contradict it in his own works.
The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be. Creators of new star wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the expanded universe. The star wars website also details the role of canon, expanded universe or eu sources, and how they fit into overall star wars continuity. George lucas on the expanded universe thats a different world than my world.
The star wars website also details the role of canon, expanded universe or. The force awakens premiered, the expanded universe was to be considered an alternate. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. Oct 02, 2015 disney may be creating its own canon book universe now since they decided the original expanded universe is no longer canon, but that doesnt mean the books currently labeled legends should be forgotten. Gone are the days where new storylines are floated in thousandpage novelsappendices. Dec 10, 2019 when disney traded the older expanded universe books now known as the legends continuity for a new canon in 2014, it opened up a host of new possibilities. Feb 24, 2019 the eu was never considered canon at all. I personally liked the expanded universe, and wished that disney would have used plot ideas from the expanded universe for episode vii. The force awakens, the expanded universe was no longer considered canon. In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, star wars episodes viiix will not tell the same story told in the postreturn of the jedi expanded universe. While the star wars franchise celebrates 40 years today, many credit its lasting success to the work of the novelists, comic book creators and tabletop and video game makers who kept it alive when there were no movies or cartoons to be seen.
This body of work was collectively known as the star wars expanded universe for decades. Jan 18, 2014 last friday, i wrote with no small amount of vitriolabout the astonishing mess that is the star wars expanded universe eu. So it is possible that disney will bring more legends material into canon indeed, disney has introduced grand admrial thrawn into canon. And in 2014, to much fan protest, they were designated noncanon as the star wars legends, with a new series of novels interwoven into the canon taking their place. The franchise as a whole publishing company for the books fans of the expanded universe consider just about everything in the expanded universe canon in some way. It removed the entirety of the expanded universe from canon. I think it gets built up quite heavily around most star wars subreddits and while it is good, i dont think its for everyone and distant 11 and 12 for the first aftermath book and heir to the jedi. A lot of random tie ins to scenes from the movies that can feel a bit forced. Luceno also canonized 114d, a droid servant of palpatine from his own previous star wars books. The new star wars expanded novel universe that includes all star wars novels and media created after the legends rebranding of the old eu. The expanded universe, or eu, is the moniker for the entire body of work that comprises the stories set in the star wars universe ranging from novels, comics, cartoons, short stories, young adult books, television shows, animated features and more.
They began shortly after the films debuted in the late 1970s, and scores have been written. A brief history of the star wars expanded universe film. The expanded universe is generally considered to have begun with alan dean foster s february 1978 star wars spinoff novel, splinter of the minds eye, although technically it began in october 1977 with the story the keepers world, in marvel comics pizzazz magazine. Theyre among the worst star wars books ive read including legends. The star wars universe is more than just a handful of blockbuster films and.
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