The Star Wars Canon is getting REALLY messed up, folks...care to help me sort it out? by DeSangro

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The Star Wars Canon is getting REALLY messed up, folks...care to help me sort it out?

POSTED BY: DESANGRO
UPDATED: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 14:23
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Monday, February 23, 2004 6:56 PM

I know that there are Star Wars (or is it EX-Star Wars) fans on this board, so please lend me your ears!

I just got through looking at a message board thread that debated the finer points of Star Wars canon; specifically, what is and is not to be considered canon. The Expanded Universe Novels were not considered canon by the board's FAQ. The message board members were debating the fact that the Phantom Menace specifically contradicts things in the novels, such as C3PO being 200 years old in the novels, whereas in the Menace, he's a "30-year old model kit". (Quote-unquote.)

However, I also heard somewhere that the LucasArts people consider the EU to be a valid part of Star Wars history...so, what the

!!??

I read the Star Wars novels way back when I still loved the Original Trilogy, and I loved the novels. Not all of them of course; there were a few that I virulently disliked, and said so, but I accepted these Officially liscensed and authorized novels as being part of the Star Wars universe. I accepted them as being the continuation of the story, and as being some form of background for the three movies themselves.

Now I find that the prequels have, for the most part, destroyed this. They've made C3PO into a model kit. They've completely removed the mystery and presence from Boba Fett and his background (and I was never a huge Fett fan in the first place, but wasn't he so much cooler when you DIDN'T know what he looked like?). They've even got those stupid midrichroleric things that make the Force or whatever!

My point is, why would Lucas authorize the EU novels if he ended up contradicting them? He should know that people will latch onto them as the OFFICIAL AUTHORIZED Star Wars canon. Geeky fan that I am, I like to have a fictional Universe make sense and have a rich backstory and history to it, and for the most part I felt that the novels did this.

I for one feel severely played around with here. I feel as though I have been played for a fool. And I don't like the feeling at all.

Let me know what you think, my fellow fans.

Cheers, DeSangro.

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Monday, February 23, 2004 7:59 PM

LINDLEY

As someone who's read virtually every non-young-adult SW novel, and a good number of YA ones as well, but virtually none of the comics, here's my view.

I consider the EU novels to be more or less canonical. Since there have been multiple contradictory statements regarding whether or not they are canon, I've just chosen to take a stand and stick to it. Easier than trying to work everything through.

Yes, there are some details that have been contradicted by the prequels, but they're surprisingly minor. The Boba Fett backstory is the most notable change; not being a Fett fan, I don't really care about that, but even so, I hear there's an "official" reconciliation of the novels and movies that's been put forth.

Other minor changes include: Dark Force Rising implied the Clone Wars were 50 years earlier, not 25. I explain this (and other such time discrepancies) by different planets having different length years. Maybe Honghr's years are half the length of a Galactic Standard year.

I honestly had no idea about the age of 3PO thing, and with the amount I've read, you'd think I'd notice something like that if it were important....so it was probably a throwaway line somewhere, which really doesn't bother me too much if its inaccurate.

One change which could possibly cause problems is Lucas' claim that the Stormtroopers in the OT were clones. Personally, that doesn't make sense to me from a number of different perspectives, so I'm going to say that if there were clone Stormtroopers, they were just a "Core" unit, and there was a plentiful number of enlisted 'Troopers as well.

So, yeah, I consider the novels to be "canon except in those details that have been contradicted", and I try to reconcile those if possible.

There are a few exceptions to that. Anything published after Heir to the Empire I consider canonical for sure. But of the stuff published before that, I think it needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis. The "Glove of Darth Vader" series is too difficult to reconcile, IMO, and should be dismissed.

Also, I think that comics should be taken on a case-by-case basis as well, mostly because, not having read them, I'm not comfortable making a blanket statement. And there's the fact that Dark Empire went *way* overboard with the Force powers. (Sorry, don't care how strong a Sith lord you are-----its impossible to transport someone accross the galaxy with nothing but the Force.)

EDIT: You say you read the novels, past tense. I highly recommend checking out some of the newer ones-----in particular, The New Jedi Order series is terrific. Its an 18-book story arc which spans 5 years, detailing the coming-of-age of the new generation of Jedi amidst the invasion of the New Republic by an extra-galactic force. Far, far more hiqh-quality than the prequels (although, the first few books of the series are so-so----it picks up a *lot* later on). And its not afraid to kill off characters. I've read every NJO book except the last, and so far, one OT movie character has died, one *major* character from the books has died, and a number of smaller book characters have bitten the dust as well.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2004 4:52 AM

DESANGRO

Thank you, Lindley. You've made a lot of good points, many of which I haven't considered given that my ire was so high and frothing.

I have read quite a few of the New Jedi Order novels. I thought that the first one was weak, but I've never been an R.A. Salvatore fan, so that's just my humble opinion. The rest actually got progressively better.

Sad to say, I sold my SW novels to a used bookstore a while back, and I haven't read the other novels in the series. Maybe I should since they deal with the old characters that I loved so much. Thanks for the recommend.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2004 5:58 AM

VICPALISADES

Heya....

Just my thoughts.

As far as I know, Lucas, while licensing the EU, has never officially regarding any of it as canon. The fact of the matter is that there will always be fans who desire more stories about Han/Luke/Leia and George is giving them what they want...

However....

It can be confusing and a headache. In fact, there is an entire write up devoted to the cannon argument:

http://www.st-v-sw.net/STSWCanonwars.html

A lot of interesting points. But when it comes right down to it, I treat my Sci-Fi like I treat a buffet..I take what I really like and enjoy the hell out of it, and discard the rest. Especially when you start having a LOT ofdifferent writers and creators onboard. Not everything everyone does suits my tastes, so I try what they produce and if I like it stick with it, if not, I move along. Thats the best way to enjoy something and saves you a lot of headache.

"My mind is like a steel trap- rusty, and illegal in 37 states."

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Tuesday, February 24, 2004 8:36 AM

JASONZZZ

WRT C3PO, perhaps the essence or the core of his being and programming is 200 yrs old. Maybe parts of him were reused and added to the "kit"... Anakin did work in a junk yard after all...

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Tuesday, February 24, 2004 9:00 AM

TALONPEST

I personally don't consider anything other than the movies to be canon. There are to many idiot authors (see Kevin J. Anderson) who mess everything up.

Of course, I would personally much rather Timothy Zahn's books been part of the canon than Episodes I and II, but oh well.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2004 2:23 PM

LINDLEY

Kevin Anderson is not my favorite author, not by a long shot, but he's not *that* bad.

The Jedi Academy Trilogy, while definately having some issues, was a decent read. Not great, but decent. Same with Darksaber.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoy the Young Jedi Knights books a lot. Must be the moderating influence of Anderson's wife.

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