Star Wars expanded universe

The Star Wars logo, as seen in all films

The Star Wars expanded universe (SWEU) encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional material of the Star Wars saga, outside of the seven feature films, The Clone Wars film and series, and Rebels series produced by Lucasfilm. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, toys, television films and other assorted media.

On April 25, 2014, following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company in November 2012, it was announced that all previously released expanded universe content would be declared non-canon and rebranded as Star Wars Legends. A new company division, Lucasfilm Story Group, would ensure from then on that all forthcoming comics, books, games and other media were non-contradictory to the films, each other and previous works written since the announcement. Given they are part of a similar story, however, content and characters based on Legends works may appear in the new "storytelling approach".[1][2]

History

An overall map of the Star Wars galaxy

Development

The early development of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) was sporadic and unrefined, particularly because there was so little official material for the creators to build on. For example, the "Expanded Universe" is generally considered to have begun with Alan Dean Foster's February 1978 Star Wars spin-off novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye (although technically it began with Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7 in mid-January 1978). This novel drew inspiration primarily from an early draft of the Star Wars script and was conceptualized as a possible filmed sequel. Furthermore, while George Lucas was given sole writing credit for the original Star Wars novelization, Alan Dean Foster actually ghost-wrote it, contributing heavily to the Universe in the process. While he worked on the novelization, he was given a copy of the working script and a tour of the production.

Much of the early SWEU material from the early 1980s contained analogies to the real world, rather than embracing the holistic fiction of the Star Wars films. Much of this material now seems rather detached from the rest of the SWEU.

A turning point was reached when West End Games began publishing Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game in 1987. In order for players of the roleplaying game to create new adventures, West End Games needed to provide supplemental material describing the Star Wars universe in previously unknown detail. For example, the Aurebesh alphabet was originally a random piece of set dressing in Return of the Jedi. Stephen Crane copied those symbols and turned them into a complete and coherent alphabet (which would later be used in the feature films). Developing details like this in a consistent fashion turned West End Games' Star Wars products into a de facto reference library for the Star Wars universe, to the point where Lucasfilm actually sent copies of the game supplements to other SWEU developers to use as source material.

Shortly thereafter, in the early 1990s, Bantam published Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Widely publicized as the "sequels which were never made", Zahn's novels reignited Star Wars fandom and sparked a revolution in Star Wars literature. Around this same time, Dark Horse Comics acquired the Star Wars license and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy, including the popular Dark Empire stories.

All this development began to feed back on itself: West End Games was producing roleplaying supplements detailing the material from Dark Horse's comics and Zahn's novels. Novelists and comic creators were using West End Games' supplements as reference material. Sequels to the novels were being published as comics and vice versa. The scope of the Expanded Universe grew at a prodigious rate.

To date, the bulk of the Expanded Universe has detailed the Star Wars universe after the end of Return of the Jedi. Numerous topics, including the rise of the Galactic Empire, the personal histories of Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine, and the Clone Wars had been declared off limits by George Lucas before the development of the prequel trilogy.

It was decided in the late 1990s that using the Empire as the villains had become repetitive and monotonous. Hence a new threat, the Yuuzhan Vong, was introduced in The New Jedi Order, more specifically, in the first book of the series, Vector Prime. Vector Prime proved controversial, as it marked the first and only time a major character from the films (Chewbacca) was killed off in an Expanded Universe work.

The Expanded Universe and the prequel trilogy

A divided and more detailed map of the Star Wars galaxy

Before the release of The Phantom Menace Lucasfilm specifically prohibited development of the time period before A New Hope in the Expanded Universe (except the Tales of the Jedi series which took place thousands of years before the movies).

Attack of the Clones, on the other hand, introduced another conflict. Aside from being explored in comics and novels, the Clone Wars would be given their own animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, which would serve to lead up to the release of Revenge of the Sith.

2008 saw the introduction of a new animated television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This series, consisting of 6 seasons and 1 film, greatly expanded the Star Wars universe, and was well received by critics and fans alike.

Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm

Prior to Lucasfilm's purchase by The Walt Disney Company on October 30, 2012, it had already been decided that a sequel trilogy would be made. Much as Lucas had contradicted the SWEU in the making of the Prequels and The Clone Wars, this new trilogy would not tell stories of the Expanded Universe, and instead be completely original. On April 25, 2014, it was revealed that existing SWEU material would be republished under a new banner, Star Wars Legends. Also, a new line of material would be published by Disney Publishing Worldwide, starting with Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, a prequel to the TV show Star Wars Rebels. This would be followed by Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno, Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne, and Star Wars: Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp and more. To ensure continuity within Star Wars canon going forth, a close story group has been formed by Lucasfilm to watch over all Star Wars development.

Star Wars Legends: chronological storyline

Unlike the films, which are set over a span of over 66 years, the "Legends" branded expanded universe takes place over 37,139 years in the Star Wars "Legends" universe. The earliest work involving the expanded universe chronologically is the Dawn of the Jedi comic series, whose earliest events take place 37,000 years before the films. The latest content on the timeline is the Legacy comic series, which is set at most 138 years after Return of the Jedi.

The Galactic Standard Calendar was the standard measurement of time in the Star Wars galaxy. It centered around the Coruscant tropical year. The Coruscant solar cycle was 368 days long; with a day consisting 360 NET degrees (or 24 standard UTC hours). Numerous epochs were used to determine calendar eras. The most recent of these calendar eras used the Battle of Yavin (i.e. the destruction of the first Death Star) as its epoch, or "year zero": BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), and ABY (After the Battle of Yavin).

The timeline below uses the in-universe BBY dating system, based on the years before and after the Battle of Yavin featured in A New Hope. The earliest date in the Expanded Universe as a whole is 13,000,000,000 BBY, which serves as the year the universe was created.

Pre-trilogies story eras

Set before the rise of the Republic and first mentioned in the Knights of the Old Republic, this era saw the Rakata, a bipedal species from the world of Lehon in the Unknown Regions, establish an empire using the Dark Side of the Force. This era ended with the collapse of their Empire and the establishment of the Galactic Republic in 25,053 BBY.

Original/prequel/sequel trilogy story eras

In this era (set thousands of years before the films), the Jedi are numerous and rule the galaxy, serving as guardians of peace and justice. The Tales of the Jedi comics series takes place in this era, chronicling the immense wars fought by the Jedi of old, and the ancient Sith. The Knights of the Old Republic series and the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place during this time, as well as the Darth Bane series. The Sith Era also takes place during this time.

Set in the time around the prequel trilogy this era takes place after the seemingly final defeat of the Sith. In the waning years of the Republic, the Senate was rife with corruption and scandal, and saddled with a bureaucracy so immense that effective governing of the galaxy was nearly impossible. The Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, secretly orchestrated his rise to Supreme Chancellor under the guise of Senator Palpatine and personally engineered the Clone Wars. He promised to reunite the galaxy under a New Order, and killed the majority of the Jedi. The Phantom Menace takes place in the year 32 BBY, Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars film in 22 BBY, and Revenge of the Sith in 19 BBY.

With the Old Republic gone, an outcry of resistance begins to spread across the galaxy in protest to the new Empire's tyranny. Cells of Rebellion fight back, and the Galactic Civil War begins. This era begins with the Rebel victory that secured the Death Star plans, and ends after the death of Emperor Palpatine high over the forest moon of Endor. The Rebellion starts to reform itself into a body of government, first as the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and later the New Republic. The original trilogy takes place during this era. Specifically, A New Hope takes place in 0 BBY, The Empire Strikes Back in 3 ABY, and Return of the Jedi in 4 ABY.

Having defeated the Empire at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance must now transform itself from a militant resistance force into a functioning galactic government. As Imperial territory is reclaimed, the New Republic suffers growing pains, having to fend off insurrections, Imperial loyalists, crime lords and wayward warlords. Also, Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, begins to rebuild the Jedi Order and train new apprentices.

With the Jedi Knights now over one hundred strong the New Republic has signed a peace treaty with the remains of the Empire. The galaxy is finally enjoying a peaceful respite from decades of war. It's in this era that a horrible alien menace invades the Republic from beyond known space. The Yuuzhan Vong lay waste to entire worlds in their scourge, as depicted in the novels of The New Jedi Order. The Dark Nest trilogy falls at the end of this era. The mysterious Killik encroach upon Chiss-controlled space, inciting a three-way war between the Chiss, the Killik Hive, and the Galactic Alliance, with Jedi falling in on all sides.

Post-trilogies story eras

Having reached peace with the Yuuzhan Vong, the newly formed Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (commonly referred to as Galactic Alliance or GA) struggles to keep itself working as a single government. But many threats from inside are joined by a danger that comes from the remains of the Dark Side, that threaten to give rise to a new Sith Lord more powerful than Darth Vader or Emperor Palpatine. The new Jedi Order created by Luke Skywalker faces a new era as the heirs of the Skywalker legacy grow up. Jacen Solo has partnered with a nemesis from Luke Skywalker's past, Lumiya, who has promised him only if he becomes the next Sith Lord will he be able to bring peace to the galaxy. The Legacy of the Force novels are set at this time. Following the culmination of the Legacy of the Force novels, a series titled Fate of the Jedi begins, involving Luke as he tries to correct the blemish left on the Jedi Order by Jacen Solo. This is followed by the book Crucible. Much later in this era, as suggested by the title, is the Legacy comic series. Set one-hundred thirty years after the films, these comics follow the story of Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke Skywalker, who has to confront a resurrected Galactic Empire under the control of a new Sith Order. Volume 2 follows the adventures of Ania Solo, a descendant of Han Solo, as she wanders the galaxy trying to stop the plots of the evil Darth Wredd.

Works

Film, television, and web series

Radio and audio drama

Further information: Star Wars (radio)

A radio adaptation of A New Hope was first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981. The adaptation was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. It was followed by adaptations of the next two films in the original trilogy: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The radio adaptations were notable for including background material probably created by Lucas but not used for the films. Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and Lando Calrissian, respectively; John Williams composed an original score; and Ben Burtt, who designed the sound for all of the Star Wars movies, did the same for the radio adaptations.

In 1983, Buena Vista Records released entirely original Star Wars audio drama, Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell. Like the radio adaptations of the films, Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell was written by Brian Daley.

For more than a decade, Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell was the only Star Wars drama not adapted from a feature film. Then, between 1995 and 1998 more than a half dozen audio dramas were released as audio tapes and CDs. These audio dramas were adapted from Dark Horse comic books, and include: Tales of the Jedi (1995), Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (1995), Dark Empire (1996), Dark Empire II (1996), Empire's End (1997), Dark Forces (1998), and Crimson Empire (1998).

Adaptations of the prequel films have not been made at this point.

Books

Further information: List of Star Wars books

Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first movie, with the 1976 novelization of "A New Hope" (ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster and credited to George Lucas). However, Foster's 1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was the first Expanded Universe work to be released. Some of the earliest SWEU material was contributed (in trilogies) by science-fiction writers Brian Daley (The Han Solo Adventures) and L. Neil Smith (The Adventures of Lando Calrissian) in 1979 and 1983, respectively. In addition to filling in the time between the movies, this additional content greatly expanded the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series.

Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of the original series (1977–1983), but slowed to a trickle afterwards. In 1991, however, Timothy Zahn's celebrated Thrawn trilogy debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star Wars universe. Since then, several hundred tie-in novels have been published by Bantam and Del Rey. The books have covered most key timeframes in the Star Wars universe, but most works have focused on the time period following Return of the Jedi and on the events of the Clone Wars. Select books have helped fill in the gaps between the original trilogy movies (e.g., Shadows of the Empire, Death Star, Tales series).

Other notable books in the series include the X-wing series by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston, the Jedi Academy trilogy and Young Jedi Knights series by Kevin J Anderson, the Republic and Imperial Commando series by Karen Traviss, and the multi-author New Jedi Order, Legacy of the Force, and Fate of the Jedi Series.

Comic books and strips

Further information: List of Star Wars comic books

Marvel Comics published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Gene Day, Walt Simonson, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Whilce Portacio, Jo Duffy, and Ron Frenz.

Serialized Star Wars comic strips, featuring original material written by Roy Thomas, also appeared in Marvel's late-'70s youth-oriented magazine Pizzazz. As the earliest of these strips were published before original material began to appear in Marvel's Star Wars comics (which began by directly adapting the 1977 film) and before publication of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, these strips hold the distinction of being the first Star Wars material in print that was not adapted from one of the films.[6]

In the 1980s, as part of its Star Comics line aimed at young children, Marvel also published the short-lived series Ewoks and Droids, based on the two Saturday morning cartoons of the same name.

Star Wars was also a daily newspaper comic strip from 1979 to 1984. Among the creators were Goodwin, Williamson, and Russ Manning. Dark Horse has also published the newspaper comic strip in a collection entitled Classic Star Wars.

In the late 1980s, Marvel announced it would publish a new Star Wars comic by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. However, Dark Horse Comics published this story — titled "Dark Empire" -instead, when Marvel's license on the Star Wars property lapsed. Dark Horse has gone on to publish a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. These include: Star Wars Republic, Star Wars Empire, Star Wars Tales and Star Wars Tales of the Jedi. Dark Horse has also published the Marvel series in a collection entitled Star Wars: A Long Time Ago. In addition, the company has reprinted several Japanese manga-interpretations of the films, including Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by Yoshiki Kudo and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by Shin-ichi Hiromoto.

After The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, it was reported that Marvel, which Disney bought in 2009, will once again be distributing Star Wars comics once Dark Horse's contract expires.[7] It was later confirmed on January 3 in 2014 that Marvel will, in fact, be publishing the Star Wars comics again in 2015 ending Dark Horse's publication of the series that began in 1991. The new comic series include one set after Episode IV and before Episode V, penned by Jason Aaron, as well as ones focusing on the exploits of Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Kanan (a character from the Star Wars Rebels television series).[8][9][10]

Computer and video games

Since 1983, over 120 video games have been published bearing the Star Wars name, beginning with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back published for the Atari 2600 by Parker Brothers. Other early titles include the Star Wars Nintendo Entertainment System game (published by JVC) and three other titles for the Atari 2600.

Atari produced arcade games based on the original trilogy, beginning with Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, which were both 'flight sim' style games that used vector graphics. The third, Return of the Jedi, used more traditional raster graphics.

Star Wars has also opened the way to a myriad of Space-flight simulations that take the space wars of the saga in a more serious manner, teaching the player to fly various Star Wars universe starfighters like more traditional Modern Aircraft flight simulators. The first among these were X-Wing and its two expansions, B-Wing and Imperial Pursuit, dealing with the Rebellion's side of the war, taking place in the period right before, and up to, the destruction of the first Death Star. The second was TIE Fighter, dealing with the Empire's starfighters at the time before Episode VI. Both games were released for DOS and Macintosh. TIE Fighter also had two expansions, "Defender of the Empire" and "Enemies of the Empire". In addition, both the original X-Wing and TIE Fighter games saw two collector's edition releases (one for DOS and another for Windows 9x) which featured enhanced graphics quality and added missions. Newer simulators are also available, with X-Wing Alliance in the lead.

The first Star Wars first person shooter, Dark Forces, was introduced by LucasArts in February 1995. Telling the story of Kyle Katarn, Imperial soldier gone mercenary, the game featured a little over a dozen levels where the player explored various original and familiar settings. Featuring an original and interactive soundtrack by renowned game composer Clint Bajakian using the iMUSE sound system, along with state-of-the-art graphics, the game succeeded in capturing many gamers' imaginations. The 1997 sequel, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, was notable for having a few cut scenes which were made up of live-action footage of certain Expanded Universe characters, such as Kyle Katarn.

Rogue Squadron was a cross-platform title on Nintendo 64 and PC which allowed the player to experience a more arcade-action version of the same gameplay in X-Wing and TIE Fighter. The game consisted of piloting several different Star Wars vehicles through missions on planet surfaces and in space. Rogue Squadron saw two sequels, both on the Nintendo GameCube system.

Star Wars: Rebellion allowed players to compete in the Star Wars universe on a larger scale, focusing more on the strategic aspect of handling (or defeating) a rebellion, with resource management and agent-allocation, as well as large-scale conflicts between entire fleets of starships.

Knights of the Old Republic by BioWare, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords by Obsidian Entertainment are recent additions to the SWEU, and take place in the Old Republic era, right after the Mandalorian Wars.

Other games are: Battlefront, Battlefront II, Battlefront Renegade Squadron, Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron, Galactic Battlegrounds, Republic Commando, Episode III: The video game, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Star Wars II, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy, Star Wars Galaxies, and Empire at War. Also released were Rebel Assault and Rebel Assault II which are considered by many to be more interactive movie than actual video game.

On September 16, 2008, LucasArts released Star Wars: The Force Unleashed which bridges the events from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, to Episode IV: A New Hope. The game centers on Darth Vader's secret apprentice, called Starkiller, who goes out to destroy the last of the Jedi. A sequel, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, was released on October 26, 2010 that follows Starkiller as he attempts to exact revenge on Vader following the events of the first game. Both games received a novelization treatment released alongside them that expands on the events of the game and ties them in to the larger Expanded Universe.

In the fall of 2008, it was announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic (an MMORPG) was being developed by BioWare for the PC, it is intended to be a sequel to the successful Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) games, also produced by BioWare. Fans of the series were told to expect The Old Republic to be KOTOR 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9...alluding to the massive content the game is supposed to be planned to launch with.

Board and roleplaying games

In a 1996 game from Hasbro, entitled Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game, which is set during the era of the original trilogy, new live-action scenes were shot of Darth Vader on the Death Star around the events of Return of the Jedi. The footage was made available on a special VHS tape, included in the box of the game. When playing the board game, the players could put in the tape, which would play while they were in a game. David Prowse reprised his role as Vader, and James Earl Jones returned as the voice of Vader. Some of the original crew for A New Hope came back to shoot these scenes. A Star Wars board game was also released by Ravensburger in Germany in 2002.

Several editions of the Star Wars role playing games have been published.

Bill Slavicsek worked on all the editions. He included a conversion table (from the previous d6 versions to the new d20 version) at the end of the 3rd edition that helped Star Wars RPG players adapt to the new d20 version.

In 2005, Hasbro developed and released a DVD TV Game based on Star Wars and utilizing the Trivial Pursuit game-play format.

In August 2011, Fantasy Flight Games acquired the rights to produce Star Wars roleplaying games, and released the first such book in June 2013. They have since gone on to produce a sizeable range, which distinct volumes covering groups working as smugglers, members of the Rebellion or even Jedi.

Fantasy Flight have also released the miniatures battle games Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Wars: Armada and Star Wars: Imperial Assault.

Multimedia projects

Parodies

Attractions

Main article: Star Tours

In 1987, Lucasfilm and Disney, utilizing the power of ILM, teamed up to produce Star Tours, an amusement park simulator ride through the Star Wars galaxy. It was to have been placed in the Tomorrowland section of the park, in place of the dark ride Adventure Thru Inner Space. Later on it was decided to be placed in Disney studios. The ride is advertised as an opportunity to take a tour to the forest moon of Endor via the Starship 3000. The ship is controlled by a robot named Rex (voiced by Paul Reubens of Pee Wee Herman fame), who is new at giving the tours, and the ride experience is his first time at the controls. Along the way, the rider encounters many mishaps, including run-ins with Imperial Star Destroyers, and near collisions with asteroid fields, until their ship finally makes it safely back into the port. A Star Tours II has been announced by George Lucas, to be based on prequel situations, although exactly when it will begin production or its opening date are yet to be confirmed. A limited-run line of action figures is also available exclusively in the Star Tours gift shop, based on droid characters from the ride and the line leading into it.

The ride was closed temporarily in 2010 and renovated under the title Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. The ride reopened in all parks in 2011, while the Tokyo Disneyland version opened in May 2013.

Toys

In addition, many other toys have been made. The Star Wars toy phenomenon began in 1978 with the original action figures, toy lightsabers and blasters, twelve-inch figures, toy vehicles, and much more products. These toys are known as the vintage Star Wars toys. Today many of these "vintage" figures are quite rare and hard to find. Many are also worth a lot of money. Recently, a toy line called Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Collection, brought back elements of the original vintage toy line, such as vintage packaging. With the coming of Star Wars: Episode I, Lego began creating little (and quite large) buildable Star Wars characters and scenes. Recently, the Lego creators have invented light-up lightsabers for their figures. Lego has even licensed these toys in the LEGO Star Wars video game series (mentioned above).

Many types of toys have been made. Darth Vader helmets and voice changers now inhabit the shelves, usually right next to the Ultimate Lightsaber Kit, which contains parts to design and assemble your own functional lightsaber toy. The term "Expanded Universe" was first used with Kenner's assortments of action figures based on the various Star Wars novels, comic books, and video games. Previous toys based on novels were sold by Galoob as "Epic Collections."

In the late 1990s, Star Wars toys reached deep into the Halloween and specialty markets where Officially Licensed Star Wars helmets, costumes and collectibles could be purchased easily from online retailers on the internet and from retail chains. Star Wars fans of all ages could easily purchase like Star Wars costumes for Halloween and plays from online specialty stores. From lightsabers and blasters to robes and helmets, many of today's costumes and accessories are licensed through Rubies Costume Company of New York and sold through independent and retail chain stores. Likewise, companies such as Hasbro have developed and sold toy weapons, action figures and collectibles from the Star Wars series.

With the development of the newest Star Wars CGI movie and popular TV series, The Clone Wars, even more toys have been developed by introducing new characters and adventures to a younger generation outside of the original Star Wars series.

In 2014, the Disney Store created some controversy by stating they had "no plans for Leia products at Disney Store" alongside the other male Star Wars character merchandise. After the social media hashtag campaign #WeWantLeia, the company changed their mind and promised to include Princess Leia in the store's Star Wars line.[12]

Continuity and canonicity

Main article: Star Wars canon

The Expanded Universe was intended to be a continuation, and an expansion, on the six Star Wars theatrical films produced by George Lucas from 1977–2012. All SWEU material, combined with that presented in the films is meant to function as a complete story. However, to allow this story to function as a whole, it must be kept under in an order of continuity. Lucasfilm holds this of such high importance that a teams' sole job at Lucasfilm is maintaining continuity between Lucas's films, and the SWEU, which is written by many other authors and artists, many times out of order, and with many different ideas. Lucas, however, was free to go in any direction he wishes in his films to tell the story he intends. He acknowledges and supports the works of the SWEU but tells the stories he wants to tell in the six films. When asked in an interview his general opinion on the SWEU, he replied:

I don't read that stuff. I haven't read any of the novels. I don't know anything about that world. That's a different world than my world. But I do try to keep it consistent. The way I do it now is they have a Star Wars Encyclopedia. So if I come up with a name or something else, I look it up and see if it has already been used. When I said [other people] could make their own Star Wars stories, we decided that, like Star Trek, we would have two universes: My universe and then this other one. They try to make their universe as consistent with mine as possible, but obviously they get enthusiastic and want to go off in other directions. - George Lucas, from an interview in Starlog #337

George Lucas has also stated that as far as he was concerned the rule of the Sith ended with the death of Palpatine and freedom and democracy were restored to the galaxy with the Jedi's return, as he symbolized this by including the Senate building and the Jedi temple during the celebratory scenes at the end of Return Of The Jedi. He has stated that although he is aware of SWEU literature and welcomes its creativity, he has no part in the resurrection of Palpatine and the Yuuzhan Vong invasions (though this would contradict comments by Tom Veitch that it was Lucas himself who suggested they resurrect Palpatine instead of using the original idea of a Vader impostor in the Dark Empire storyline).

George Lucas retained ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe up until the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney. For example, the "death" of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes considerable effort to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across multiple companies. Nothing in the Expanded Universe is supposed to contradict the films or any other part of the Expanded Universe. Upon occasion, Lucas's new films, reedited Original Trilogy films, or statements have contradicted existing SWEU material, and several retcons have been used to fix these inconsistencies.

Some purists rejected the Expanded Universe as apocrypha, believing that only the events in the film series were part of the "real" Star Wars universe. However, elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films. For example, the name of planet Coruscant first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire before being used later in the prequel trilogy (although its pronunciation changed) - though the planet itself, under a different name, had existed in a previous version of the script to Return of the Jedi. Also, the Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura originally appeared in the ongoing Dark Horse Comics series Republic - apparently Lucas saw the cover which featured her and liked the look of her character so much that he included her in the Jedi battle at the end of Attack of the Clones, played by Lucasfilm employee Amy Allen, and her demise is later shown in the Order 66 Jedi Purge scenes of Revenge of the Sith. These examples sometimes end up confusing the issue, as they have blurred the lines between the Expanded Universe and "his world".

There are also minor disputes about what is, and what is not, part of the Expanded Universe. For example, the two Star Wars spin-off films: Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor were written by George Lucas and are films, but they are not among the six main films in the series, so they are usually considered to be a part of the Expanded Universe. It has since been clarified that everything that is not one of the nine main Star Wars films, any television show after and including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and all theatrical Star Wars spin-off films, is part of the Expanded Universe.

Official levels of canon

Since its acquisition by Disney, Lucasfilm now considers official canon to be only the seven released Star Wars theatrical feature films, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film and television series The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, and every other material released after April 25, 2014, unless otherwise stated.[13]

Prior to April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm maintained an internal database called the Holocron for the express purpose of trying to maintain continuity within all licensed products.[14] The Holocron was originally sorted into four levels, reflecting LFL's canon and continuity policies: G, C, S, and N. A fifth level, T, was instituted to comprise Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, as well as a sixth level, D, for Star Wars Detours. It is unknown if the current LFL decisions on canon are reflected internally. Below are the known levels of the Holocron prior to April 25, 2014:

George Lucas' use of the Expanded Universe

Cameo appearances

C-canon elements from licensed creators have been known to appear in Lucas' films. Most of these are brief, cameo appearances, almost taking the form of Easter eggs (which may have been added by animators or others under Lucas, rather than specifically dictated), but others are more substantial:

SWEU creators

Lucas has sometimes worked with SWEU media:

See also

Star Wars lists

Other Star Wars articles

References

  1. ↑ "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  2. ↑ StarWars.com. "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  3. ↑ "New Star Wars Animated Series in the Works". CINECHEW.
  4. ↑ "A NEW DIRECTION FOR LUCASFILM ANIMATION". Lucasfilm. Star Wars.com. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ Eric Goldman (March 5, 2007). "IGN: Paley Fest: George Lucas Gives Details on the ''Star Wars'' TV Shows". Tv.ign.com. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ @ 09:38 AM (June 17, 2011). "'''Comic Book Legends Revealed''' #318". Goodcomics.comicbookresources.com. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Star Wars Comics Moving to Marvel?". IGN. December 20, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Marvel to publish new 'Star Wars' comics in 2015". USA Today. January 3, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ "SDCC 2014: Inside Marvel's New Star Wars Comics - Exclusive". Star Wars. July 26, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Marvel Star Wars April 2015 Solicitations". Geek Gusher. January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Official Website". Lucasarts.com. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  12. ↑ "#WeWantLeia? We’re getting her according to Time.com". ManVsPink.com. 2014.
  13. ↑ McMilian, Grame (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for 'Star Wars' Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  14. ↑ Leonard, Devin (March 7, 2013). "How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for 'Star Wars'". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Lucasfilm Announces Second SW Animated Series". EUCantina.net.

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