Sunday, April 27, 2014

Star Wars EU No Longer Officially Canon to Go Along With Films



Apparently it is official now that the EU we have all been following for so many years is basically being wiped clean.  There was an official announcement the other day, although like most "big announcements" they keep making lately, I read it and find myself thinking, wait, didn't they already announce this?  Well, apparently it wasn't officially official or something, because suddenly it's breaking news and we're supposed to think we didn't already know this was going to happen.  I fully expect on May 4th to hear that they are making Episode VII, like it's something we haven't already known for like a year and a half or however long it's been now.  

So, how do we feel about this?  It's hard to decide how I feel until I find out what they kept and what they didn't.  They have reserved the right to pick and choose elements that they may keep the same, but I'll be really curious to see if they go to great lengths to make it as different as possible or just use things here and there and not worry about it.  In a lot of ways it's nice that they have this freedom to do whatever without having to conform to anything prior, and we all know how annoying it was at times for them to try and fit things into existing canon given the fact that there are ridiculous amounts of comics and books and such.  

The good news is apparently now COPL never really happened!  Although of course depending on what they wind up doing we all may find ourselves wishing it did.  To be honest though, I'm not that worried about a few key elements being ruined for me.  I'd be really, really surprised  - and, let's face it, completely heartbroken - if they decided that Han and Leia never got married.  I genuinely don't believe they'll do that, though.  I just want to see old, married Han and Leia kicking ass into their retirement years, watching their kids grow up and kick some ass of their own.  I do admit though I've grown attached to many elements of the EU, and it's all lodged in my memory, so it'll be weird to suddenly be like, wait, who are their kids?  And, frankly, it seems a little odd that going into the future there are dozens of books about this entire alternate universe that we are supposed to ignore now.  Do you think that new readers are going to get into an EU now that previously existed but now has nothing to do with the movies we're going to be seeing or new books going forward?  I really doubt it.  

And, selfishly, I feel like it sort of wrecks some of my stories.  I know that's dumb, but it is something that crossed my mind.  I do need to keep reminding myself that now Chewie lives, we should probably assume that if they had them, none of Han and Leia's kids have died.  Maybe poor Luke will also get a wife who doesn't die fairly young, either.  These bits of consolation haven't stopped me from being fairly nervous about the new awful things they could do to replace this, though. 
May the Fourth is fast approaching.  Months ago if someone had told me that we'd still barely know a thing by then I'd have laughed, thinking there was no possible way it could go that far before we heard some real news.  Well, apparently they can hold out on us longer than I thought.  If any of you are on facebook and follow Star Wars, they seem to be talking about May 4th an awful lot and making me wish if I could remember years past and whether or not they brought it up this often.  I'll admit though, they are doing the best job I've ever seen at keeping this stuff under wraps, but seriously, just tell us something already!  

Anyway, bye-bye original EU that is now AU.  I really hope that what replaces it is better.

19 comments:

  1. I kinda like it I figure if nothing else we will get a whole new batch of stories to connect the dots from the original trilogy to this new one. I think some things that didn't make since might get fixed or made worse. It never made since to me that Leia waited so long to start training to use the Force. I would think she would be the type to want full understanding of her abilities if for no more reason than to prevent a slip to the darkside

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  2. I look at it like this: if we love Episode VII, we'll have a whole new bunch of fic to write. If we hate Episode VII, then we'll have a whole new bunch of fic to write.

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  3. I think most of us knew this was coming, but it still seems like a bit of a shock. What IS VERY surprising is that they have decanonised ALL of the EU, not just the stuff after ROTJ, but the whole darn lot of it. Which of course now means that BRIA never existed, so that's one good thing to come out of this :)

    I kind of feel cheated in a way. For over 20 years we've been told that the post ROTJ EU was the official continuation of the movies, and even though I hated some of it, I learned to except that and now for them to say, oh sorry, none of it counts anymore just seems cheap, and a bit of a kick in the teeth to all the loyal fans who have invested time in it.

    I'll admit I'm nervous as hell about what comes now. As of now, Han and Leia getting married is no longer canon, it didn't happen, unless episode 7 tells us otherwise. I can't really see them not being married, it seems like the most natural extension of their relationship, it makes sense. So to split them up just seems forced and craps over the romance that was built up so beautifully in the movies. But part of me just thinks they will do the total opposite of the EU just for the sheer spite of it. I really hope I'm wrong. Let's all hope for the best. Maybe we will get something even more awesome. We still don't know.

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  4. Hello ladies, sorry I've been away for so long. Life has a way to keeping us very busy. Been away from blogs for a long time, trying slowly to get caught up. As far as the EU no longer exists news, my daughter (who is going to be a senior in high school this fall) and I predicted it. She is a huge Mara Jade and Rouge Squadron fan. We are both pretty much accepted that there is nothing we can do and we will keep on liking what we like and head canon will always be what we want it to be. Even though I may not have liked every detail of the EU, I've made peace with it. I do have a sense of completion of a love story. Han and Leia will forever be married with three kids and a bunch of "life happens" along the way. Even if they change everything, in my head I'm satisfied. We will be attending Star Wars weekends at Disney this year, be interesting to see what they announce if anything. Rebels seems to be the big thing right now. Actually we have a friend who was the inspiration for one of the characters:) Hope you all are well.

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    1. Seams! Welcome back, so good to hear from you :) You have good perspective on it. For me, I'm still irritated because I just want to know what they are changing it TO, you know? I mean, for all I know they could be making it a hundred times better. It's the infinite and often bad possibilities that scare me!

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    2. Lovely to see you Seams, you are most definitely missed around here.

      I'm with you, Zyra, I am impatient and just want to know now if I need to worry about this or not. But I get the feeling we will have to wait for the movie itself to know for sure, and it seems a long way off! But yes, it could be a hundred times better. Like if they get married straight after Endor, have about 10 kids and live 30 years of peace on some quiet, back water planet where no one knows who they are. And they are only thrust back into the action when the new threat appears.

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  5. Wow that is big news. But I'm not overly concerned with the EU as long as Episode 7 is a great movie. I seriously hope they don't mess it up.

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  6. In a way, it feels like deja vu, as I was a devoted follower of the SW Marvel comics and remember the shock I felt when the series ended so abruptly at issue 107.

    But this time around I haven't invested enough of myself in the EU for this announcement to elicit any hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth on my part. I've seen enough franchise inconsistencies over the years, not to mention EU storylines I didn't care for, to feel quite comfortable in keeping what I like and ditching the rest. There are fanfics that I personally consider more canon than some of the EU. Similarly, if I like eps 7-9, they'll be incorporated into my headcanon, otherwise, no big deal.

    I really do hope the upcoming movies are good, of course, and honestly, I'm thinking that not having to mesh with the EU gives viewers the best chance at something awesome.

    My two biggest concerns at this point are relatively minor:

    First: Since it's clear now that the PT will be considered canon, this now means I'll have to watch it. I saw only TPM, which left me feeling very meh. As a result I never bothered to see 2 & 3. But I guess I'll finally have to take the plunge, for no other reason than to give myself the best chance of understanding and enjoying 7-9.

    Second: I'm a little ambivalent about the proposed Han Solo stand-alone film, for the admittedly silly reason that I have troubling visions of whoever-ends-up-playing-young-Han being depicted on grown-up-Han novel covers and such where Harrison Ford's likeness should be. I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but if the franchise starts to use Other Actor's likeness to depict Han Solo in his twenties in tie-in material, I will be annoyed. Kind of like what happened with the live-action Flintstones movie: when they cartoonified some of the tie-in material, instead of featuring Original Cartoon Fred, they depicted a cartoonified John Goodman! Sacrilege! So yeah, it's a minor rant, but it will definitely irritate me.

    - Sabacc Gal

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  7. I'm sort of relieved by the news...perhaps temporarily (hopefully not!). There were plenty of stories I enjoyed, but for the most part I could never accept them completely, and there was a lot of garbage that just made me say, 'really?' But I feel for the fans. It's odd to see years and years of material made obsolete.

    Haha, you know...I'm almost tempted to think COPL existing would be worse than having them separated. Who knows, I guess we'll just have to wait. And wait. And wait...

    Speaking of EU, anyone read Honor Among Thieves yet? I just picked it up. :)

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    1. Yes, I've read Honor Among Thieves, and thought it was definitely worth the (Amazon discounted) hardcover price I paid for it. I'm looking forward to discussing this one!

      - Sabacc Gal

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  8. I'm super happy with this news. It's exactly what I wanted - a fresh start. I don't feel cheated or angry over the EU being non-canon now. I just look at it as alternate realities that I can now continue to ignore or accept as I please. Mostly the things that are gone are great news. I'm confident that they'll have Han and Leia together and I'll wait until the bitter end to find out if I'm going to be disappointed on that (as if I have a choice). I still see the scroll coming across the screen with: After decades of peace, the New Republic yadda, yadda, yadda..... and our heroes will be brought out of retirement to save the day once again. No COPL, No dead Chewie, no Anakin Solo (hopefully), no Bria, no Vong, no.....

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  9. I think there was no alternative to eliminating the EU. So much of it conflicts in terms of time and events. The script would be a mess if they attempted to incorporate it.

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  10. This thread pretty much endorses their decision. If we all are saying now we HAVE to see it, now we can't wait...
    Now maybe they will actually develop Leia into the character she could've been.

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  11. It's going to be so weird when they have different kids to the ones we've known the past 20 years...assuming they have any at all...crap, how much would that suck if they didn't?

    I wasn't always their biggest fan, but I grew to like their EU kids and they are so ingrained in my head as their "official" kids it's going to be so hard to overcome that.

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  12. I don't think I'm bothered that the EU is gone. I look at it, as others have, some of it I like, some not so much. And I think because I never saw it on a movie screen, I always felt like it was just like fan fiction.... someone's thoughts on a story that 'might' have happened. I just hope that what they came up with is a good character story as well as the action.
    And has anyone else gotten a little excited now that Mark, Carrie, and Harrison have all been spotted in London? Can you imagine their conversation when they all get on set? I hope they are just a little bit as excited as we all are.

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  13. I'm one of the weirdos who will be happy to see the EU bite the dust. As long as H/L have some HEA kind of ending that's implied by their movie cameos, I'll be good. Then again, once I found COPL, none of it ever regained any of my regard. It's all AU not EU for me. :-)

    PS - well at least in my mind, coz of course episodes 1-3 are AU, right? Oh well. Maybe not. Sigh.

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    1. Oh, man. The prequels should be AU. I'm totally with you there. Couldn't even make them match to what was in the OT.

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  14. Cast announced guys! Go look! The band is back together. :D

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  15. Probably the wrong place to ask, but I've got this mature FF story in my head and can't shake it out. With the sequel coming out, some times one wonders. I've gone through the posts at Nerfherder's Playground -- can't seem to find anything on it. The story is about a former flame of Han Solo coming into Han & Leia's life - post ROTJ/EU. Years before Han met Leia, Han was a Wingman at the time and had an affair with Ash his superior. Ash just wants to know why Han just junked his entire military career (for Chewbacca, of course). Leia gets both of them together to talk briefly. The story isn't graphic, but there's a mature theme about two women who have been with Han as lovers and discussing how he grew up. Can't seem to find the fic on FF.net since I don't know who wrote it or the title of the story. Can anyone help?

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