Lucasfilm just released a statement and YouTube video on the Star Wars Expanded Universe and its place in upcoming Star Wars projects. The video contains interviews with various Lucasfilm personnel discussing their history with the EU and their vision to create a unified storyline in preparation for Episodes VII, VIII, and XI. The statement goes into further detail, saying that upcoming EU works will be coordinated to fit together in the new storyline, and that the new movies and works will not follow the old post-Return of the Jedi storyline. However, Lucasfilm is not completely dropping the old EU, and new works can reference and use aspects of it. They present the upcoming animation project, Star Wars Rebels, as an example, saying that elements from the 90s West End Games roleplaying system (eg Sienar Fleet Systems, the manufacturer of the TIE Fighter) are being integrated into the show’s plotline. Previous EU works will still be published under the “Legend” banner.
Personally, I feel that this was the best possible outcome for the Expanded Universe. Even if the actual stories aren’t canon anymore, I am happy that parts of it will be preserved and used in future works. And considering that a lot of the EU have better ideas than stories (I’m looking at you, Shadows of the Empire), I think it’s for the best. I’m really excited to see what parts are re-introduced, and how the next generation of stories will handle them. I’m a little nervous if they’ll retain the “spirit” of the original, but considering that the people interviewed showed love for classic Star Wars stories, especially the Brian Daley books, I’ll remain optimistic for now. What are your thoughts? Happy/Disappointed with their plan? What parts of the old EU do you want to see/not see in the new one? Sound off below!
