This Handy Star Wars Video Explains What Is And Isn’t Canon
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There has been a lot of Star Wars stuff floating around over the years, like ridiculous amounts. Of course there are the six movies, with more to come, but there are countless novels, comics, videogames, holiday specials, and much more that form the Expanded Universe. When Disney bought out Lucasfilm they scrapped most of this in an effort to streamline things moving forward, and if you’re still not sure what is and what isn’t official Star Wars canon, or the officially recognized part of the universe, this handy dandy video should help to clarify things. There’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s still fun.
From Mr. Sunday Movies, this entertaining tool (the video is a tool, not the dude) lays out what is and isn’t considered Star Wars these days. The general gist of it is that the six movies, the original trilogy as well as the prequels, and The Clones Wars animated series, are official. Also, everything that has come out since the Disney takeover, and that will come out, is hard and fast Star Wars. This includes Star Wars Rebels, The Force Awakens, all of the upcoming standalone and Episode movies, any new novels, and those new comics from Marvel.
That’s pretty simple. The big stuff from before still counts, as well as anything new, but any obscure novel, comic, or other bit—and George Lucas was nothing if not a master of merchandising and brand expansion—doesn’t. Which is too bad, because there are some fun, fantastic stories out there.
This video does drive home the point that just because the EU isn’t official, doesn’t mean that it can’t still be mined for content. A while back, when they strictly defined what is and isn’t canon, they made this clear. I like the “legend’ aspect of this—most legends contain at least a nugget of truth. It essentially creates a larger, rich mythology within the Star Wars universe, like maybe, “oh, we heard Chewbacca was dead,” but it turns out he’s alive like he is in The Force Awakens. Maybe they heard Boba Fett escaped from the Sarlacc pit, but no one really knows for sure. It’ll be interesting to see how and if this wealth of supplemental material informs and creeps into the ever expanding world Disney is creating.
This is comforting, because it means that if you have favorite bits lurking around out there, there is still a chance you could see them pop up again. It’d be a shame not to use some of these stories. For his part, Lucas never paid much heed to the EU, referring to it as a kind of parallel universe that doesn’t have much, if any, direct impact on the main world he created.
In the end, there are still tons of exciting, interesting stories and arcs waiting out there for Star Wars fans to explore. Whether or not their official canon shouldn’t impact your enjoyment of them one bit. And if you’re looking for more Star War, many of these are still available, and will continue to be available, for your entertainment.
