http://starwars.com/news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page.html
They are scrapping all teh stories for the EU, but reserve the right to borrow some things from it. The article mentions a few things they will borrow, such as the Inquisitor, Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems.
Wonder if they will keep Thrawn in the new Canon, perhaps as a cameo at least?
Sad news, but not at all unexpected. They could hardly set new stories post-ROTJ without either following the "Heir to the Empire" template or scrapping it completely, and they heavily hinted it was going to be the latter.
Sad sad sad day.
If they did straight up EU stuff, they'd end up paying a metric arse-ton of money to Zahn.
Then Star Wars really is dead.
Currently looking at my Heir trilogy and Rogue/Wraith squadron books on my shelves, very sad
As Vorpal said, sad but not unexpected.
I kind of thought they would steam roll the later material (Luke & Mara, the Vong, jedi academy, etc) not because I didn't like it but because it was in the time frame of the new movies.
I was hoping that that most of the Thrawn trilogy would be left intact. Oh well.
Then Star Wars really is dead.
More like reincarnated into something that resembles its former self...except something just isn't right about it...
This does not get FFG off the hook for the Skipray! You hear me FFG?!
You can still read the books. They just won't be 100% consistent with the movies. They will still be in the Star Wars Universe, just its own little pocket universe called fictional inconsistency.
Compare this to the Marvel / Avenger movies. There has been soooo much stuff written in the Marvel Universe. It would be impossible and really not even a good idea to keep it all consistent with the new movies.
I know many people love these stories. I love the Thrawn books (though I haven't read much past them) I am sure they will take cool stuff from it. And it fun for fans to find the obscure stuff.
I wonder if FFG's non-film ships will be required to have a LEGENDS banner on them. =P
except something just isn't right about it...
It's the Micky Mouse ears on Han...
I honestly thought Heir to the Empire would of survived the great EU purge, it happened long enough ago in the time frame of the new movies to not have any huge impact on what they do.
Unless the new movies are set up so there is no such thing as a New Republic...
You can still read the books. They just won't be 100% consistent with the movies. They will still be in the Star Wars Universe, just its own little pocket universe called fictional inconsistency.
Yup, that's pretty much what I'll do. I always picked and chose what was in my own personal canon anyway.
If the new movies don't completely destroy the Thrawn triology, it will remain canon to me.
Then Star Wars really is dead.
It'll be alright. Star Wars died when the Vong Came out for me anyway. We'll just get to decide what Canon we like... I just hope that they keep the more Iconic EU characters.(Mara Jade, Jacen and Jaina, the Dathomir Witches, the Hapes Cluster, etc. If they rearrange the entire Universe it'll be worse than just cutting the Thrawn Stories.
except something just isn't right about it...
It's the Micky Mouse ears on Han...
I can't argue that. Toss in some J.J. Abrams, and your good to go.
Currently looking at my Heir trilogy and Rogue/Wraith squadron books on my shelves, very sad
But you still have the books. They're not going anywhere. They even said they're going to keep the more popular EU stuff in print under the Legends imprint. You're stories still exist. They're just not going to be the basis of the movies. Which was never really going to happen anyway.
It sounds like they've basically made the EU the Star Wars version of DC's Elseworlds line.
Now, they didn't say they were throwing out anything specifically, More so, they said that they need a blank slate.
They are already picking and pulling from the EU (Just look at clone wars and all of the things that they pulled).
I could see modified history in the period before the Vong. Anything after that though is probably trashed... Heir to the empire really could stand by itself with a few changes.
Also, the X-wing series, though big and pivotal, could exist without being destroyed.
They can't disillusion fans too greatly. Core fans provide great advertising.
Honestly, I bet we will see the HWK-290, the Tie Phanom, Tie Defender, E-wing, and the Z-95 in other, future products still.
Boo. Decades of novels all thrown out for a few movies. They could have just set the new movies 50 years after ROTJ and not had to scrap anything. Well, at least I'll go into the theater for Episode VII not expecting much.
Of all the garbage in the EU, they decided to retcon the Thrawn trilogy - one of the most well-written, consistent narratives out there!?
Stupid, stupid move.
For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels . The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems
How are the ISB and Sienar part of the EU? There are ISB members all over the Death Star in ANH and Sienar is the maker of the TIE/ln....
Ok, I know we have some Die-Hard Star Wars fans in here. Claiming Star Wars is dead, is just silly. Lets be honest with each other. The Star Wars franchise has been rotting on a vine for over a decade and Episodes 1-3 accelerated the process. Lucas created a absolutely wonderful universe for telling stories of a galaxy far, far away. Disney has gotten out the defibrillator and is going to shock some life into the Universe. As Disney opens a new chapter in the saga, they had to close another. Lucas always said the books, games and comics were not canon, so why would Disney say they are? J.J. Abrams is one of the best directors of the modern era. Disney has made good on bringing the Marvel universe to the screen. I see great possibilities for the new films, and dare I say, could be the best films of Star Wars ever made!!
I read the Heir to the Empire Trilogy when they were released (I still have the first edition hard covers of them somewhere in my house). They came out back when I was in grade 7. Man I feel old.
To be completely honest, and I kind of hate myself for saying this, the Zahn books kinda read like fan fiction. Very good, amazing fan fiction, but fan fiction none-the-less. It really suffers a lot from blantant deux ex machina.
1) Emperor's long lost cloning chambers "Ok I came up with a plausible explanation as to how the Empire can rebuild its military might very quickly (long lost Dreadnought fleet)... but how will they man those ships?... oh right! Clones!)
2) those force negating plants yslamir? "Ok we gave a half believable explanation as to why it takes a long time to clone something, I need something that will get around that completely."
3) Joruus c'Boath in general. "I need an Emperor replacement. But all the Jedi are dead... oh I know, since we are using clones, why not a clone of a Jedi Master!... but why wasnt he killed by Darth Vader?.... oh right, he was out in the outer rim."
Don't get me wrong, the books were great, just not what I would qualify as cannon caliber. Thrawn was awesome. Talon Kaarde was cool.
But then again, midichlorians were "cannon caliber".
I digress.
I think we all knew this was coming. Don't be sad, be awesome instead. This gives us NEW stuff to look forward to!
Question: FFG works with Lucas Licensing on all the stuff they put in X-wing. Wondering if that means we'll be seeing more of at least some of the Wave 4 ships.