Star Wars Celebration Anaheim: Regarding the Canon.

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The masters discuss the new canon going forward in the Star Wars universe.

 

While I’m not in a position to write an extensive essay for an article right now, I feel this information is important to report. So without further ado, I give you a list of major points that were discussed at this panel.

  • One cohesive saga across all media is being told going forward with the new setting.
  • A goal of the Lucasfilm Story Group is to make sure that no real conflicts in storytelling take place in regards to continuity errors.
  • The concept of the LSG was Kathleen Kennedy’s idea, and it helps with the flood of the rapidly-increasing amount of canonical content being made.
  • The old EU (Legends) was completely liquidated to avoid playing favorites; it was described as being a tough call, though completely necessary.
  • Legends are used as source material for filling in some details (such as the physical size and mass of the Death Star).
  • Legends re-canonization only happens when it makes sense (Hutts are no longer hermaphrodites for this reason).
  • The Empire does not immediately invade Yavin IV immediately after the Death Star is destroyed.
  • Kanan was the first comic that Lucasfilm did not initially request, but it was proposed by an employee; the relationship between LSG’s orders and the requests of the writers is described as a two-way street.
  • They seriously want Jaxxon back in the canon.
  • Journey To The Force Awakens is a multimedia project set to appear in September and will help newcomers jump into the franchise.
  • J. J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy approve of the LSG’s actions thus far.
  • Battlefront: Twilight Company is the tie-in novel for the Battlefront video game; video games are described as an important medium for the overall narrative.
  • LSG thinks that the new, canonical stories are some of the best that have come out in the history of the franchise.
  • Rebels is said to have been easier for the LSG to get into and work with than The Clone Wars was.
  • Novelizations and comic adaptations retelling the OT and PT to fit the new canon are low priority due to an abundance new content, but LSG is interested in revisiting the movies in a different way to clear things up canonically.
  • Disney helps Lucasfilm with an international approach to creating a greater amount of content.
  • An LSG credit on a work does not necessarily mean that the work is canon (The Old Republic being an example).
  • Legends stories may not be left unresolved forever, but revisiting them is not a priority now. Once the new continuity is fully established, continuations of Legends stories are potentially possible. Fan-favorite Legends characters can come back if the stories require them and can do them justice.
  • Canon Old Republic Era stories are not planned for the immediate future, but could happen eventually.
  • The LSG exists to prevent a system like the canon-tiers from being re-created, and all projects are being approached in such a way that everything will make sense.
  • Published books are meant to stand on their own, but also tie into the films.
  • The Darth Plagueis novel, which was alluded to in Tarkin, is not necessarily canon even though it is alluded to (although the details about the character in Tarkin are).
  • LSG describes everything as being non-canonical until they pull an idea forward and make it canon.
  • Multiple-book series (with or without rotating authors) are not planned anytime soon; nothing on the scale of New Jedi Order is planned to be made as far as novels go.

 

All in all, it was a really cool experience, and it’s interesting to hear about how the canon will go forward from here on out.

+ posts

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

67 thoughts on “Star Wars Celebration Anaheim: Regarding the Canon.

  • April 18, 2015 at 4:10 am
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    Thanks for this, guys. Really important information, whatever the haters plan on saying down-thread. I enjoyed the old EU but it was clearly littered with continuity errors from the very start. The Dark Empire/Thrawn mess way back in 1992 was only the beginning. Unlike some, I’m willing to give the creators time to flesh out this new, unified Star Wars EU. Exciting times to be a fan.

    • April 18, 2015 at 4:49 am
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      Paul, Can you expand on what you called Dark Empire/Thrawn mess? I was an avid read back then. What was the problem with those two?

      • April 18, 2015 at 8:09 am
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        Jaxxon,
        Dark Empire was set immediately post Endor. Zahn was asked to include elements of DE in his books but refused. Thus, DE was shifted to be post-Thrawn. This required some major backflips and changes. Since the original run, the text has been altered, replacing ‘Rebel Alliance’ with ‘New Republic’ and adding a quick reference to Thrawn. Overall, though, the two stories don’t mesh at all. When I read the original run it was impossible to tell if the story was post Endor or post Thrawn. The failure to properly plan the universe created huge conflicts.

        • April 18, 2015 at 9:09 pm
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          That’s Dark Horse’s problem, not Zahn’s. What I’m hearing from you is that DH’s flubs are the reason why the Thrawn trilogy is ‘flawed’. If you have something specific about the Thrawn trilogy that’s ‘flawed’, post it. Btw, Retrotek, nice alt.

          • April 19, 2015 at 1:14 am
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            I don’t have any particular issue with either work, except that they don’t mesh properly as they would have done if Lucasfilm had had a grand plan like they do now. Chill out, dude.

  • April 18, 2015 at 4:13 am
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    Huge bummer that nothing in the old republic is planned. That was always my favorite Star Wars era. Glad to hear fan favorite characters may return though. Gives me hope for revan and Mara jade to return even if they are changed somewhat from their original characters to fit new canon

    • April 18, 2015 at 1:19 pm
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      For me, the Old Republic era was one of the most exciting eras to explore in Star Wars. Really got me into Star Wars in a way that I hadn’t been since I was a kid. Here’s to hoping that they bring it in someday.

      • April 18, 2015 at 8:29 pm
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        I think after the currently planned movies, I think that will be what they give us post New Era.

  • April 18, 2015 at 4:48 am
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    Nice piece of information. I really hope they manage to keep all in order in the future. It will be hard later on with literally tons of content being published in time, more and more.

    btw. I had an inspiration after this second trailer so I made my version which is combination of all Official footage. My rusty bucket of bolts barely managed to produce and publish it so please check it out! 🙂
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf6BxOYhKtg

    • April 18, 2015 at 8:11 am
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      Great work! This is the BEST fan-edit of the combined trailers out of the few that have hit the net so far. Hats off

      • April 18, 2015 at 3:05 pm
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        That means alot. Thanks! 🙂

    • April 18, 2015 at 9:30 am
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      Don’t quit your day job

      • April 18, 2015 at 12:44 pm
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        At least he has a day job

        • April 18, 2015 at 3:03 pm
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          In fact, I don’t have a job. Not yet anyway. If I had I would invest more into my computer to be able to bring more awesome content :]

          My country (Croatia) is in such a sorry state that getting a job is like winning a lottery.

          • April 23, 2015 at 2:15 pm
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            Very nice work. I need to learn to edit like that!

      • April 18, 2015 at 7:10 pm
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        Rude…Can you do better?

    • April 18, 2015 at 9:32 am
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      Really Nice , i Will watch your “trailer” instead of the official ones for My Daily dose of star wars 🙂 & i think Its à good Idea to wipe the slate clean Regarding the Canon

      • April 18, 2015 at 3:04 pm
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        wow, that means alot. Thanks! 🙂

  • April 18, 2015 at 4:49 am
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    Dreading the green rabbit. Although I know nothing about it- just looked up Jaxxon based on the post and it scared me with it’s made for Disneyness.

    • April 18, 2015 at 4:58 am
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      I was around for Jaxxon way back in the beginning. He was more Bugs Bunny than Mickey Mouse, but still… a monumentally shitty idea, especially in the first story that Marvel ever created to follow the original Star Wars adaptation. Putting Han and Chewie in a Magnificent Seven takeoff was a great idea, but Jaxxon, “Don Wan Kihotay”, and a thinly veiled Luke Skywalker clone were just TERRIBLE choices to flesh out the character roster.

      And now? Again with the big green space bunny?

      “Jaxxon… why’d it have to be JAXXON?!”

      • April 18, 2015 at 8:20 pm
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        You butthurt fanboys were probably bitching about Rocket Raccoon too (that turned out okay). Also, STOP with the Disney hate. The franchise is in good hands and knee jerk, baseless quips about the “Disneyfication” of Star Wars just make you sound ignorant.

        • April 20, 2015 at 5:51 am
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          I think Jaxxon and Lumpy in a buddy movie.
          Tad and Bink was awesome.
          Why not Jaxxon and Lumpy Anthology films.

          Jaxxon and Lumpy: Get Oola
          Jaxxon and Lumpy: Gungan Hunt
          Jaxxon and Lumpy: Across the Galaxy
          With the Tonnika Sisters.

      • April 19, 2015 at 3:45 am
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        They think they can turn Jaxxon into a Rocket Racoon. I hate absurd characters. It can turn Star Wars into a big cartoon joke. Keep it real!

  • April 18, 2015 at 4:54 am
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    “They seriously want Jaxxon back in the canon..”

    Oh, fer the luvva…

    (Slow, sad head shake)

  • April 18, 2015 at 5:01 am
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    Yeah, just when you thought Lucasfilm loved the fans, they turn around and flip us the green rabbit’s foot. Thanks a lot, Jerks.

  • April 18, 2015 at 5:16 am
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    Were they joking about Jaxxon?

    • April 18, 2015 at 7:31 am
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      Kinda-sorta; I couldn’t tell.

  • April 18, 2015 at 5:53 am
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    Obviously they were kidding about Jaxxon

  • April 18, 2015 at 6:33 am
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    A very comprehensive rundown. Thank you for the effort.

  • April 18, 2015 at 7:04 am
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    But is Imperial Assault canon?

    • April 18, 2015 at 7:32 am
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      If it came out before 2014, the answer is probably no.

  • April 18, 2015 at 7:32 am
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    Marvel said they wanted Jaxxon, not Lucasfilm. And they were only joking.

    • April 18, 2015 at 7:34 am
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      This is just what they said today.

  • April 18, 2015 at 8:21 am
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    I wish they would hold a poll so that fans could have some say into which characters should be re-canonized, instead of just blindly doing it. I’d like Dash Rendar, Revan (if they revisit the old republic era), and Kyle Katarn to be part of the new canon even if their characters are modified to fit the new time line.

    • April 18, 2015 at 9:12 am
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      Yeah but that’s the whole point of the new canon guidelines. There are fans of just about EVERY element and character of the former EU. Wouldn’t work out squarely or conveniently.

      However, it would be interesting to see a poll on whether the PT should be re-told and re-done or not lol. I think we know how that would turn out 😉

    • April 18, 2015 at 9:49 am
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      Kyle and revan need to back into canon ASAP!

  • April 18, 2015 at 9:27 am
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    Glad they gave Jabba back his manhood. 😛

    • April 18, 2015 at 10:44 pm
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      Just thinking. In the special edition of ANH, did Han really say to Jabba, “Jabba, you’re a wonderful human being”, or is my memory faulty? There’s some retconning needs done, surely!

  • April 18, 2015 at 10:34 am
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    There was a continuity in the old canon and I think it worked great. There are lot continuity errors in the history of the earth too so I guess there could be some in the history of a galaxy.
    I still think Star Wars will loose it’s magic with starting new. But okay the new canon will save me a lot of time and money in the future. The downside of course is that I soon will not recognize the costumes on conventions anymore.

    • April 18, 2015 at 2:25 pm
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      How anyone could be upset that they are throwing out all that garbage is mindblowing

      • April 18, 2015 at 3:44 pm
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        I agree, but there where a few gems

      • April 19, 2015 at 10:54 am
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        Trust me, there is a lot of crap from the old EU that I am glad to see gone. But there is also plenty of really good stuff (characters in particular) that they could have (and probably should have) at least thought of keeping.

  • April 18, 2015 at 10:52 am
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    What is LSG?

  • April 18, 2015 at 11:28 am
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    Lucasfilm story group

  • April 18, 2015 at 11:31 am
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    LucasFilm Story Group.
    Oops seems we were both typing it at the same time.

  • April 18, 2015 at 3:42 pm
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    So far, I’m very happy with this whole canon thing. It was always my biggest compliant with the old EU, all the inconsistencies. I love Rebels! The comics are kind of cool, but could be better (opinion). And I’m really liking the novels. Thanks LSG for giving me the story I’ve always wanted!

    • April 18, 2015 at 7:53 pm
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      The best part is that Leland chew ( the original watcher for canon on legends ) is part of it which makes it better + the only reason the books are kicking ass is because some of them are written by old EU authors 😉

  • April 18, 2015 at 4:47 pm
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    “One cohesive saga across all media”

    Does that mean Vader fighting rebels on Endor is canon since the trailer for Battlefront shows him there? Does that really fit the film continuity?

    How will games with multiple outcomes be canon? Will there be canon and non-canon outcomes?

    • April 18, 2015 at 8:03 pm
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      I think you should just take what you saw on the trailer with a grain of salt. What matters are the stories told in the new EU,the Darth Vader reveal on the trailer was just for show nothing more, to mainly showoff what will be in store, so that the game in general would not be such a total bore

  • April 18, 2015 at 5:26 pm
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    I like this. It means when they are ready, they can pull in great story elements from the Eu (like some of the thrawn era and rogues) and trash all the garbage (like chewies lame death) I feel much better about the Eu after reading this.

    • April 19, 2015 at 10:46 am
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      I agree. The problem is that the chances of even the best parts making it into the new canon are slim. So in the new official universe, Mara Jade, Thrawn, Kyle Katarn, Revan, etc almost certainly never existed and never will.

      (And I’m speaking in-universe here. I’m well aware they are fictional characters.)

  • April 18, 2015 at 6:45 pm
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    “LSG thinks that the new, canonical stories are some of the best that have come out in the history of the franchise”.

    Are you’ll fucking kidding me?!
    This new canon is a pile of shit.
    The stories are horible, lifeless, too politically correct and don’t feel like SW at all, except for the name title.
    I’m speechless….yet I knew this was how it was going to be the day GL sold to disney.
    The spirit of the creator is no longer in SW.
    Now, it’s just another blank staring “awesome!” cashcow for a faceless company.
    People thought that the PT/EU was the dark times, they were wrong. Now is that time.

    • April 18, 2015 at 7:56 pm
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      R u serious? Get off the computer your drunk

    • April 18, 2015 at 8:26 pm
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      Once again, butthurt fanboys need to stop bashing Disney. Lucas ass raped Star Wars to the point of near death after the PT. It is nothing but up from that utter piece of shit GL created at the end of his watch. He should have retired after Jedi…

      • April 20, 2015 at 6:03 am
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        Yeah like 2 billion in revenue, then a 4 billion dollar deal…what was George thinking?

    • April 21, 2015 at 6:54 am
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      Kind of worrisome if they think this new canon is some of the best in the history of the franchise. New movie plots, maybe we will see but the new books/comics? Nope not even close to some of the old EU stories, agree with you there.

  • April 18, 2015 at 6:49 pm
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    This for me to look up jaxxon. Lol. They can’t be serious.

    I +/- stopped with the EU after thrawn trilogy and bakura etc… around it. Too bad they can’t keep some things that happened in the 30 years after the OT. Seems like not that much was differrnt, perhaps do a heavy re write and edit. Dark Empire is obviously crazy but some of the stuff could be re-integrated. It will take 10+ years though till they get done with these movies.

  • April 18, 2015 at 7:40 pm
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    Tython must be re-canonized.

  • April 18, 2015 at 8:39 pm
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    While the clean start on canon was depressing for me( havin been an avid reader for over 20 years), it was a bold decision and one I almost expected with Disney/Marvel and all I the alternate universes they have in other works. And it is exciting to see a new universe emerging an new “what if”.

  • April 18, 2015 at 10:06 pm
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    “They seriously want Jaxxon back in the canon” *sigh* You know, i wouldn’t be surprised at all. Lets get rid of Mara Jade and bring back frickin Jaxxon…a failed experiment in Marvel’s madhouse. It’s getting to the point where I cant even get excited about star wars anymore..

  • April 18, 2015 at 10:36 pm
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    I can’t say I ever really got into or liked the EU, so I am not sad that it is considered non canon. Of the books I did read there were too many inconsistencies with themselves and the movies, particularly Boba Fett’s backstory when the prequels came out. Although books and videogames can be fun, I have never considered them anything but a money grab and not part of the real story, and it is great to see they are resetting all that and trying to make it more cohesive. The only reason Lucas allowed so much of this to go on and say it was canon was because he was getting a slice of every sale.

  • April 19, 2015 at 4:06 am
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    “A goal of the LSG is to make sure that no real conflicts in storytelling take place in regards to continuity errors”.
    Assuming this is true, then why lightsabers in Rebels are thin and pointy as if they were needles?

  • April 19, 2015 at 5:30 am
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    I can understand their reasons for doing this, given how cumbersome the old EU had become. That said, although many stories were lacklustre, others were great and many of their characters truly enriched the universe. Seeing those gems getting tossed out with the rest of the garbage is just depressing.

    I’ll likely still read the EU books (many of which I inherited off my older brother), but I’ll probably have to regard them as an alternate reality of sorts – one that will never get the same level of respect and attention as the Disney variant.

    And you have to admit… that does kind of suck.

  • April 19, 2015 at 9:11 am
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    What did they mean by Hutts arent hermaphrodites canymore cuz it doesnt make sense? What new piece of canon does away with the fact that they were hermaphrodites???

  • April 20, 2015 at 1:54 am
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    I thought Jaxxon was already canon. His dead dry carcass was in a clone wars episode.
    Space rabbits can time travel… Apparently.

    • April 20, 2015 at 6:10 am
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      That Was not Jaxxon, its just like the three Rodians in the special Edition.
      There was a cut scene apparently, “It was not Jaxxon…there was another.”

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