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Thinking about the Pre-Disney Star Wars Expanded Universe...

Prosystemsearch

Entry posted by Prosystemsearch

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Most of what I experienced of the pre-Disney Star Wars EU was via 2003 Clone Wars, Pandemic Battlefront games, and Lucasarts TFU. Honestly, I was at first mildly-moderately shocked when Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy allowed for the EU wipe to happen. True, there were stupid and nonsensical things here and there in the old EU for sure; you could find stuff of that quality in the pre-2005 Star trek books as well. That doesn't cancel out any of the good parts, such as the Thrawn Trilogy, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Republic Commando, 2003 Clone Wars animated series, the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion and Jango Fett Dark Horse comics, Droids Cartoon, Shadows of the Empire, New Jedi order book series, and Fate of the Jedi novels.

>INB4 THE EU WAS NEVER CANON! 

WRONG!

The Star Wars continuity originally had several layers of canon/continuity. Before the time of the EU wipe in April of 2014, it went like this:

G- Absolutely, positively canon. All of the films in the saga are in this category.

T- Also canon, but not exactly as crucial as material in G level. Occupied primarily by 2008 CGI Clone Wars TV Show and the animated movie that directly preceded it. (This level is one of the few gripes I have with the old canon, as TCW is explicitly set in-between Episodes II and III, plus Lucas had quite more involvement in it than the 2003 series, mainly as the executive producer. Plus, the show was made in-house by Lucasfilm animation!)

C- Canon as well, but can be overridden by material of higher-level. The bulk of the EU was in this category. Stuff in this category included the Jedi Academy novels, Lando Carlissian novel trilogy, Han Solo Origins and Han Solo Adventures books, most of the Dark Horse comics, Heir to the Empire novels aka "Thrawn trilogy", New Jedi Order novels, Fate of the Jedi novels, 1980s Droids cartoon, Ewoks cartoon, Kenobi novel, many of the SW video games by Lucasarts such as Shadows of the Empire, Dark Forces 1 and 2, both KOTOR games, Republic Commando, and the Pandemic Battlefront games, and the Darth Plageuis novel. 

S- Secondary continuity. Material in this category is mostly stuff that has been overridden, but not so much that its entirely out of the window canon-wise, and thus could be seen as an alternate universe. Included most of the old 1970s-1980s Marvel comic books, Traviss Mandalorian novels, the "life day" part of the Holiday special, Galaxy of fear books, The Force Unleashed 1&2, Death Troopers book, and the Crystal Star novel.

D- Detours level. An even lower form of canon than S. Reserved mostly for parodic works, such as Detours(A CGI show that had one season made but never officially released due to the Disney buyout), and maybe also the Robot Chicken sketches.

N- Non-canon. Stuff in here is at best a "what-if" kind of story. stuff in this level included the majority of the Holiday Special, the 2003 2D animated Clone Wars mini-series after the coming of 2008 CGI Clone Wars TV show, some comics such as the Skippy the Droid comic mini-series and another comic where a cyborg Darth Maul gets into a fight with post-Phantom Menace Obi Wan Kenobi, and some novels.


I am not one of the folks who believes that Star Wars cannot survive for long without George Lucas. The sequel trilogy that Disney is giving us would have been better had the post-IP sale Lucasfilm Story Group at most only slightly tweaked the canon policy, not wiped out every single non-film SW media that wasn't the 2008 TCW or the Son of Dathomir comic(the latter of which was kept likely because it directly tied in to TCW show).

post-39329-0-96684900-1456518822.gif *sigh*

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Prosystemsearch
3 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

What's wrong with Canon/Legends as is?

Its too black&white in its overall structure. There are indeed good things inside the current canon by Disney that aren't from the main films nor 2008 TCW, such as Rebels, Rouge One(which in my opinion is the only Star Wars film made after the Disney buyout that is better than both all of the Lucas prequel films, TFA and TLJ), parts of Solo(I think it would have been better had Lord and Miller stayed as the directors), and some of the newer Marvel comics as well as some of the new canon novels(such as the newer Thrawn novels) and a number of the Marvel comics from 2014-present. The sequel films that Disney is giving us is too derivative as well as not that creative or appealing. To me, only Phantom Menace and the 1978 Holiday Special are worse than TLJ. Resistance has an art style that looks and feels cheap to me(even more so with Forces of Destiny), and doesn't answer certain key things in the era of the Disney sequel trilogy, such as what species Snoke is, his main motivations, nor does it show Luke's Jedi Academy before Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side and (somehow) single-handedly brought it down. The thing with The Rise of Skywalker bringing back Paltpatine as a ghost is indeed enticing to some folks, but it doesn't make all that much sense, particularly in the sense that it nullifies the old Jedi prophecy that Anakin was the "chosen one" who would bring balance to the Force as well as destroy the Sith(something which, even though turning into Darth Vader by the climax of Episode III, he ended up eventually fulfilling it with some help and convincing from his son in the climax of Return of the Jedi even though it ended up costing him his own life).

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Atari_Warlord

Everything is canon for me.  Disney should just embrace some of the best stories and turn those into series / movies, an X-wing series would be great.

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Mike Harris

Bob Iger and Kennedy have destroyed what was some great franchises in the name of social justice because it's the "IN" thing at the moment.

I watched 5 seconds of that new BatWoman then deleted it from my feed.
I tried to view the new Watchman....Once again deleted.

 

I pay money to escape and be entertained, not preached to.
I can somewhat believe in Superhero's as long as they are contained within the movie.
However, when I see some secret agent chick that is 4'11 and 95 lbs beating up a 200 pound 6 foot stuntman that is when I've had enough.

Princess Leia was smart, witty and beautiful.  She didn't need all the crap that is forced down your throat these days.
Wonder Woman was really good despite that crappy accent.  Stiv, I love you Stiv...

Ripply from Alien???  These are the top contenders that come to mind.


Don't even get me started on Star Trek Discovery or I will strangle someone.  RUINED!

If you grew up in my era there were plenty of strong women characters and I don't mean Maud.
There was Police Woman, Marion from Happy Days...Hill Street Blues...The Greatest American Hero...Lots of other woman or even gay characters in supporting or lead roles that did not have to preach.

 

Edited by Mike Harris
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