And if they are ditching a lot of the EU that frees us independent systems..i mean designers..to make the ships that DIsney is not going to use...sort of

The canon reset is more about scrapping the narrative than it is about scrapping the characters, ships and other things introduced in the EU. After all, why reinvent the wheel.

I have a hard time believing that Luke and Mara Jade won't end up together, just like I believe the next trilogy will (eventually) focus on the Solo twins but with a very different story (I hope at least).

It's easy to think everything I love is being taken away from me, but realistically this is basically what happens in comics all the time. Characters created don't cease to exist, but get cycled back into the mythology because the fans want to see their favourite characters return, even if they are slightly different than they were before.

Bring it on. That being said JJ Abrams was a terrible choice in my opinion. I think you need an encyclopaedic knowledge of Star Wars to do it justice, and it takes a lifetime to accumulate. I think it needed to be someone who had that knowledge already.

Bring it on. That being said JJ Abrams was a terrible choice in my opinion. I think you need an encyclopaedic knowledge of Star Wars to do it justice, and it takes a lifetime to accumulate. I think it needed to be someone who had that knowledge already.

I hope Disney has someone like Kevin Feige (the guy in charge of the Marvel cinematic universe) for Star Wars. If Disney does use some of the same characters from the EU, just with different events, then an in-depth knowledge of what makes those characters tick is essential. More important is knowledge of the planetary culture and whatnot, but I expect the guys at LucasArts to know that stuff pretty well, as the video games and novels all are pretty consistent with settings - its the characterization that changes from author to author.

Casting call, gentlemen. Who's playing who in the next episode?

Kyle Katarn: Kiefer Sutherland

Thrawn: Clive Owen

Corran Horn: Jeremy Renner or Tom Hardy

Dash Rendar: the other one not cast above - or Chris Pine as long as were double dipping anyway

Thrawn: Hugo Weaving ( because he's in every movie and plays a great villian)

Booster Terrik: Adam Baldwin

Mirax Terrik: Jenna Malone?

Thrawn: Hugo Weaving ( because he's in every movie and plays a great villian)

He would make a fantastic Thrawn

Casting call, gentlemen. Who's playing who in the next episode?

Kyle Katarn: Kiefer Sutherland

Thrawn: Clive Owen

Corran Horn: Jeremy Renner or Tom Hardy

Dash Rendar: the other one not cast above - or Chris Pine as long as were double dipping anyway

Thrawn: Hugo Weaving ( because he's in every movie and plays a great villian)

Booster Terrik: Adam Baldwin

Mirax Terrik: Jenna Malone?

Chris Evans also has free license to double dip.

Benedict Cumberbatch would make a great younger Thrawn IMO.

The important thing is its offical, everything from the Holiday Special is canon. They said everything from TV is canon.

Oh good, maybe we can expect to see a digitized Bea Arthur reprise her role as the singing cantina wench.

Benedict Cumberbatch would make a great younger Thrawn IMO.

The important thing is its offical, everything from the Holiday Special is canon. They said everything from TV is canon.

Let's be honest, if the other Star Wars movies are anything to go by, the villain in the new movie is going to have an English accent (if it isn't covered by heavy breathing). I'm not opposed to Cumberbatch but I feel like he already filled his sci-fi quota with Star Trek. Hopefully, it really comes down between Cumberbatch and Weaving.

Cumberbatch for the Villian hat trick (Smaug and Kahn)...

Prince Xizor - Zach Galafanakis.

Cumberbatch for the Villian hat trick (Smaug and Kahn)...

Prince Xizor - Zach Galafanakis.

I was actually thinking Zach might play Lowbacca. Or just a gonk droid.

Or, since both the Muppets and Star Wars are Disney properties, he could just be Hobo Joe again. I think I'd be okay with that.

I'm a big EU fan and hearing talk of Disney/Lucasfilm scrapping it in favor of new canon makes me sad but after watching the video and reading the article I did not get that feeling at all. Instead what they said was what I more or less expected to hear. I think some people are overplaying the idea that the powers that be will disregard the EU completely. The question now is how much of the EU some of us know and love will carry forward into the new canon? I just hope that characters like Thrawn, Mara Jade and the Rogue Squadron characters make it through. The Vong might be a long shot but I hope that one goes through too. Oh and will Chewie stay dead?

Indifferent to this. Having said that, the Plagueis novel was really great and filled in a lot of the unanswered stuff from ROTS.

The original 3 movies created and incredibly rich universe with limitless potential as an escapist fantasy. As far as I'm concerned, everything since then has just been playing in the sandbox.

Personally, I think a clean slate is the best possible solution. Trying to create a trilogy of movies woven through the contributions of thousands of creative minds across many mediums in the nearly 40 years since the initial release is a monumental task. Add to that, people take Star Wars so personally that the slightest misstep will result in (so far) over 15 years of fans screaming "Han shot first!" at the top of our lungs.

Would you want to take that on?

There is no "cannon." Just 40 years fans trying their damnedest to inspire other potential fans the way Star Wars inspired all of us.

So how bout we all cut them some slack and let the movies speak for themselves?

I'm a big EU fan and hearing talk of Disney/Lucasfilm scrapping it in favor of new canon makes me sad but after watching the video and reading the article I did not get that feeling at all. Instead what they said was what I more or less expected to hear. I think some people are overplaying the idea that the powers that be will disregard the EU completely. The question now is how much of the EU some of us know and love will carry forward into the new canon? I just hope that characters like Thrawn, Mara Jade and the Rogue Squadron characters make it through. The Vong might be a long shot but I hope that one goes through too. Oh and will Chewie stay dead?

Did you see the clip in the OP? They were basically saying, 'Were not going to really go that way, but that's a good thing, right?!' I don't think there's guarantee for anybody, however I do think they'll pull a few favs. Mara Jade I'll bet is in there. How many years after does this take place? Luke's not the protagonist, right? So, if not the twins, anakin solo or Ben sky walker, then who?

Tony Stark for new emperor.

Edit: RDJ for new emperor

Heir to the Empire can't be canon, but the garbage Clone Wars show still is? **** that, I'm out.

While I like a lot from the EU, it did tend to get ridiculous. From time to time.

Kyle turning Jedi for no particular reason. Corran as well, sometimes it felt as if every lead character in the EU suddenly was force sensitive. It's a relieve Wedge never shut down his targeting computer, even though he basically had to blink to blow up another squadron of TIEs.

So it's good there is a clean up and rearranging of the furniture, polish off the old stuff and look at it in a new light. Look at all the large fictional universes and the messes they get into. How many spiderman, superman, wolverine, whathaveyou continuities are there? Optimus died how many times and what is his form these days?

And Disney doesn't make bad movies, some may not be great but not bad either. Even John Carter and The Lone Ranger aren't bad movies, they've just been mismanaged. Look at them again with the eyes of ten-year old you who saw Star Wars for the first time, and Indiana, Goonies. They're exciting family adventures for a sunday afternoon.

Oh, and while I love Benedict Cumberbatch, can we please not put him in everything? Not to mention he already confirmed no, and that he'll be on stage next year, there are a lot of great british actors to play villains without going to the big names like Cumberbatch, Irons, Hiddleston, Fassbender. There is a large pool to draw from, just look at GoT for instance, plenty of talent there.

I wouldn't mind seeing a woman be the villain, get me someone like Robin Wright in House of Cards, that'd be cool. Gina Torres? Yes please. Michelle Fairley as a dark lady of the Sith? Run for your lives. Cate Blanchett evil? We're doomed.

I wouldn't mind seeing a woman be the villain, get me someone like Robin Wright in House of Cards, that'd be cool.

I am not sure geek fandom could cope with Princess Buttercup being a villain.

I am not sure geek fandom could cope with Princess Buttercup being a villain.

They seem to be handling Claire Underwood just fine. .

If they did straight up EU stuff, they'd end up paying a metric arse-ton of money to Zahn.

Is that different from an Imperial arse-ton?

Hard to beleive episode I was made 1 and a half decades ago already. Man that makes me feel old. I remember watching episode IV when i was 4. Holy crap, new trilogy for every generation?

In the end though, if they kept pelting us with star wars movies it would get stale, like star trek did.

I think starting fresh is one of the better approaches. That was actually one of better qualities about the new Star Trek films. Having too much predefined stuff makes for a richer universe, but it limits the storytelling in specific cases.

Knowing too much about the fate and character of certain characters in the star wars prequels was one of the reasons why one didn't really care about them or how the get to their final end. (ok, there was also bad storytelling leaving only a few out of context star was references and special effects as positive features )

the biggest problem disney has now, they have to deliver a story that can compare quality-wise with the stuff they scrapped, or people will just point out: "you should better have kept the good stuff ..."

Hard to beleive episode I was made 1 and a half decades ago already. Man that makes me feel old. I remember watching episode IV when i was 4. Holy crap, new trilogy for every generation?

In the end though, if they kept pelting us with star wars movies it would get stale, like star trek did.

Dude, you need to catch up. I watched ANH at the movies when it was released in '77 and you think you feel old.

As for the speculation about what bits of EU they might or might not use, I think with JJ Abrams behind it, the only connections you're likely to see are going to be to the existing movies, and even that might be a bit loose.

I liked what he did with the Star Trek movies in making an entertaining movie, but to do a complete reboot kind of left me wondering 'why?'. I've heard something about getting Hamill, Fisher and Harrison back for filming, but how true that is, I don't know. But it may give an idea of where the story line might be heading if it is the case.

the biggest problem disney has now, they have to deliver a story that can compare quality-wise with the stuff they scrapped, or people will just point out: "you should better have kept the good stuff ..."

Nah, EU fans are a small number in comparison to global public. The biggest problem they have is not to deliver another Jar Jar.

Well, they've got Whedon on Marvel, maybe they can borrow him to set up long story arcs and let others fill in the blanks within the framework. He's good at setting up arcs after all.