Has there ever been anything like this Star Wars EU de-canonised thing

[t hedge coke]

Lots of lengthy continuums of stories or big fictional worlds have taken things out of continuity or refit them. It just doesn't matter much, to most fans, most of the time. It probably, here, doesn't even matter to most Star Wars fans.

I have to imagine the average Star Wars fan doesn't even know what EU stands for in relation to Star Wars.

Well, Doctor Who explicitly doesn't even have a canon.

There's a nice piece of filler/intro art in one of the Who comics laying out the various incarnations of the Doctor, how they fit together, and Peter Cushing's Dr. Who, without attempting any in-story connection.

[Trevor]

There is no such thing as canon in a fictional universe. The only thing that matters is what you enjoy reading.

[WillieMorgan]

My attitude to this has changed as I've gotten more used to the idea over time. At first I was really annoyed that I'd invested so much time and effort into a fictional universe that was obviously going to get discarded the second Disney got their mitts on the SW licence. Being a comic book fan I should have known better but it still irked me.

Some of the novels are rubbish though. The Kevin J. Anderson novels and stuff like 'The Crystal Star'. On reflection it's no loss whatsoever to get those expunged from the SW continuity.

Still can't get much enthusiasm for the new movies though. I don't even know why.

EDIT - The authenticity of the Star Wars EU canon has always been debatable. This has been caused by George Lucas himself and LucasFilm developing a 'having their cake and eating it' approach to the whole enterprise. There were different degrees of canon for the EU, each given a different letter/level of importance. There was G canon for Lucas himself and others like C (continuity) and S (secondary). This meant that Lucas could personally distance himself from the EU but LucasFilm could still sell SW EU products with an 'official' stamp.

[jeanvaljean]

I'll never forgive Lucas for not making Jabba the Hut a yellow ape like he'd been in the Marvel comics.

[Hiromi]

That's a really condescending answer considering; you're wrong, and Lucas publicly stated none of the EU was canon. I wish I had that level of confidence when I say things that have no basis in reality.

Lucas has said a lot of things over the 3 and half decades the EU has been a thing, he has however never come out and said "this stuff is not canon," some of the stuff he's said has been interpreted as that, but that's a long way from him flat out saying it. He's also said things like this:
"Part of the job of the director is to sort of keep everything in line, and I can do that in the movies - but I can't do it on the whole Star Wars universe." Star Wars Insider 45

The fact is however his company, Lucasfilms, had officially designated works in the EU as "canon" so long as they don't contradict the movies

"The database does indeed have a canon field. Anything in the films and from George Lucas (including unpublished internal notes that we might receive from him or from the film production department) is considered "G" canon. Next we have what we call continuity "C" canon which is pretty much everything else. There is secondary "S" continuity canon which we use for some older published materials and things that may or may not fit just right. But, if it is referenced in something else it becomes "C". Similarly, any "C" canon item that makes it into the films can become "G" canon. Lastly, there is non-continuity "N" which we rarely use except in the case of a blatant contradiction or for things that have been cut.

I will not go into specifics as to what is considered "S" canon or what items that are seemingly "C" canon are actually "G" canon." -Leeland Chee, maintainer of the Star Wars Holocron, which is an internal continuity database which is kept secret from the public and which informs Star Wars authors what they must stay consistent to

My attitude to this has changed as I've gotten more used to the idea over time. At first I was really annoyed that I'd invested so much time and effort into a fictional universe that was obviously going to get discarded the second Disney got their mitts on the SW licence. Being a comic book fan I should have known better but it still irked me.

Some of the novels are rubbish though. The Kevin J. Anderson novels and stuff like 'The Crystal Star'. On reflection it's no loss whatsoever to get those expunged from the SW continuity.

There were a couple real stinkers in the earlier EU from before they started clamping down with Quality Control, Crystal Star in particular was awful, if there's one thing I am glad of about Disney's approach it's that it gives them a chance to get the continuity consolidated from the ground floor instead of a bunch of ret cons years down the road. Also allows them to make a better "EU" without the tier stuff forcing more retcons.

[Shawn Hopkins]

i did use to run into the arrogant "Boba Fett's not dead, dummy!" fan once in a while. But common sense would tell you that none of that stuff was intended to be official, no matter how It was marketed, because they were never going to let some hired gun novelist limit what they could do in the films. It's not like Lucas was going to go back and read all the books before making another film to make sure he we didn't step on Zahn's toes. It's not like he was going to read them, period.

[Don C]

I've been reading the EU since the beginning. Before the beginning, actually. I have a copy of Splinter of the Mind's Eye from 1978. My advise, quite simply, is stop caring about canon. Care about good stories and bad stories. "Canon" changes too much to worry about.

Hell, given the reaction to Chuck Wendig's new novel, that'll probably be cut out of official canon soon, anyway.

[Starter Set]

The new republic era books are still my favorite part of the Star Wars franchise.

Canon or not, new movies, i don't care, it remains a highly entertaining piece of Star Wars for me. (it pains me a bit that they aren't going to use any of it, feels like a huge waste, but anyway)

Though, the fact the EU has been putted out of existence is not without consequences. It may be difficult now for new readers to find copies of those books. (real copies i mean, of course you can find it in a couple of seconds on the web)

[CSTowle]

It's very unsurprising that they didn't keep the EU.

I don't really see how they could possibly have kept it.

They're doing a sequel trilogy; there's almost 15 years worth of post-Return Of The Jedi stories, and that's without counting the original Marvel comics.

It'd be utterly daft to handcuff their new movies to that.

I agree with this, and with those who say "enjoy those old stories anyway". I do. Some great novels, some not-so-great but time filling novels, and a lot of great comics. I was really into the recent series of Ostrander minis from DK about the "Agent of the Empire", a sort of James Bond set in the Star Wars universe and working for the Empire. In a few years I'll probably dig them out and reread them, and I never imagined I'd ever him on the big screen.

Honestly I have very little interest in the new movies. I'll probably see them at some point (though almost certainly not in a theater, unless someone else is picking the movie), but chances are I'll have gotten more enjoyment out of that one series of comics than I'll get from the new films. Certainly from the last series.

[jeanvaljean]

This will always be the one true Jabba the Hutt for me:

[Don C]

Though, the fact the EU has been putted out of existence is not without consequences. It may be difficult now for new readers to find copies of those books. (real copies i mean, of course you can find it in a couple of seconds on the web)

LucasBooks says they have no plans to take the books out of print. They're just adding the "Legends" logo/disclaimer to each cover.

[Starter Set]

LucasBooks says they have no plans to take the books out of print. They're just adding the "Legends" logo/disclaimer to each cover.

That's good news.

[Don C]

This will always be the one true Jabba the Hutt for me:

They actually did an in-story explanation for this. This character is Jabba's accountant, Mosep Binneed. Binneed would often use Jabba's name when he was on official business for the Hutt. It was in John Jackson Miller's outstanding novel Kenobi.

[jeanvaljean]

They actually did an in-story explanation for this. This character is Jabba's accountant, Mosep Binneed. Binneed would often use Jabba's name when he was on official business for the Hutt. It was in John Jackson Miller's outstanding novel Kenobi.

I always found it hard to believe that Han Solo would fall for that.

[Don C]

Didn't say it was a good explanation.