Lucasfilm makes Star Wars' 'Expanded Universe' more... Legendary

Published April 28, 2014 10:26pm

Star Wars fans have known for decades that George Lucas and his production company at Lucasfilm have never considered themselves beholden to the Expanded Universe, that aggregation of comics, video games, novels and other media. In 2012, the Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and announced its intention to continue the saga with motion pictures that include Episode VII.

And all this time, the role of the Expanded Universe has been regarded as difficult to see, with its future always in motion.

Late last week, Lucasfilm released a full statement regarding this future:

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 VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe.

This simply confirms what most have speculated regarding future films in the saga, which is that a re-telling of the subsequent adventures of Luke, Han, Leia, and/or their progeny or proteges—as depicted in various novels and comics—would not only be moot but creatively limiting to Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams, the latter of whom is slated to direct Episode VII.

Close followers of the Star Wars property know that the recently concluded Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the upcoming Star Wars Rebels, as productions of Lucasfilm, are considered canon. According to supervising director Dave Filoni, both series are based on material developed in collaboration with George Lucas prior to removing himself from the affairs of Lucasfilm.

With regards to what will happen to many of the popular elements of the Expanded Universe, the statement had this to say:

While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s.

According to the statement, future printings or re-releases of prior works in the Expanded Universe (such as the Zahn trilogy, the Knights of the Old Republic videogames and the popular Legacy comics produced by Dark Horse) will be rebranded under the 'Legends' banner.

All these decisions are part of a broader attempt by Lucasfilm to revise the concept of canon and continuity in Star Wars as one cohesive whole. The statement reveals that the current direction of Star Wars under Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy includes the formation of a story group that will "oversee and coordinate all Star Wars creative development." This is widely interpreted to suggest that all future works, not just the movies but the novels and comics will be part of a single unified continuity.

Previously, canon in Star Wars was treated by Lucasfilm as a hierarchy, in which the canonicity of works were treated according to the class of media they were associated with. G-canon, referring to statements and works made by George Lucas himself, take precedence over C-canon which are the media produced under the Expanded Universe label. Close to the bottom was S-canon, which refers to media such as the 80s Marvel Comics produced prior to attempts at a coherent Star Wars vision.

Meanwhile, the future of Star Wars canon begins not just with Star Wars Rebels later this year but in the form of books beginning with Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller and Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno. Both Luceno and Miller have a working relationship with the Star Wars property and their books are being written with input from the newly formed story group. While the history of Star Wars is being written anew, fans can be rest assured that it is in the good hands of its veteran creatives. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: starwars, lucasfilm, georgelucas