How 'Star Wars' Legends Fits Alongside 'Star Wars' Canon

When it comes to fandoms, there is one question that is asked more frequently than any other and across all intellectual properties: "is that canon?" Fans desire to separate the "true" events of their favorite fictional universe from the speculation, fan theories, and online rumors and nonsense. However, a disturbing trend has emerged as a result of this, specifically within the already schism-prone Star Wars fanbase. Great stories are being shelved and overlooked, simply because they fall under the de-canonized "Legends" banner. While the events of these stories no longer line up with the films, the rich character development, innovative new ideas, and bizarre new locales found within Legends content can and have shaped Star Wars for the better.

One of the biggest sins of the Disney era in the eyes of many Star Wars fans is the scrapping of the Expanded Universe. The stories in the EU, including Heir to the Empire, the Old Republic era stories, and the stories of the Yuuzhan Vong, are near and dear to the hearts of many fans. These stories, like many entries in the Star Wars universe, have their problems (looking at you, Vong), but love for this legendary franchise allows many to look past these problems. This is true even for newer additions to the franchise, such as the Luke Skywalker cameo in the "Chapter 16" of Mandalorian. While the CGI effects on Mark Hamill's face weren't anything game-changing and didn't quite escape the uncanny valley, it was hailed by many as the best Star Wars moment in years.

The problem with this idea, that the house of mouse unceremoniously dumped established lore to make way for their own post-Return of the Jedi stories, is simply not true. While the EU does have some extremely compelling stories that carry the legacy of Skywalker and Solo better than the sequel trilogy, it was never considered canon by George Lucas. Anything outside the movies and The Clone Wars TV show, including books, comics, and video games, have been viewed as apocryphal at best by Lucasfilm. This is evidenced by Lucas' planned Episode VII that was in the extremely early stages of development when he sold to Disney in 2012, centering on a young girl training to become a Jedi named, of all things, Winky. (Perhaps an early nickname.) While Lucas certainly would have incorporated aspects of Timothy Zahn's work (as Filoni, Favreau, Abrams, and Johnson all have), he wasn't shy about dismissing EU work for the sake of his own ideas, or vice versa. Even the name of the Imperial capital was changed for the prequels, adapting Zahn's creation of the planet-sized city, Coruscant, for the big screen.

There are few villains in Star Wars more creepy or lovingly despised than Emperor Sheev Palpatine. While his rise to power is well documented as the main antagonist of the Skywalker saga, his background is further fleshed out in James Luceno's superb novel Darth Plagueis. The book reveals that Palpatine has been hiding his natural affinity for the dark side for sometime while living the life of a well to-do politicians son on Naboo. This book shows what it truly means to be a Sith of the line of Bane and the teachings of Plagueis are as brutal and unflinching as the Dark Lord himself. This Legends novel blends virtually seamlessly with Drew Karpyshyn's own Sith trilogy, dealing with Bane, the founder of the Rule of Two.

Both Darth Plagueis and the Darth Bane trilogy delve into the rich backstory and inner dealings of the Sith in a way that the movies never have. One scene in Luceno's work that really sticks with the reader takes place on a distant planet where the Master is teaching his apprentice how to channel the Force to perform extraordinary physical feats. With vibroblades in hand, the Sith swiftly run down a herd of peaceful, grazing animals, and butcher them. While the Sith have always been seen as puppet masters, willing to kill to get their way, the blazon slaughter of a herd minding their own business, is quite striking. The book details how the Sith allow the fear and confusion of their prey to wash over them and use those feelings to fuel their own rage and bloodlust, making them even stronger in the dark side. While this story, and the novel itself, are now considered to be non-canon legends, I can't help but think of this display of raw savagery every time I see Ian McDiarmid portraying Palpatine onscreen.

The first entry into the EU, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was considered the sequel to Star Wars when the novel was released in 1978. It was a safety blanket for Lucas to continue the story in a safer, inexpensive way if the movie wasn't a smash hit. However, this clause was not necessary, and Lucas began work on Empire Strikes Back in place of Splinter. However, even this story has its place in lore as it was the introduction of the planet Mimban and Kaiburr crystals to the minds of young readers. Both of these creations of Alan Dean Foster have made their way into established canon, Kyber crystals especially. While only considered "the official sequel to Star Wars" for two years, this story is still a worthy addition to the universe.

While there are people who are sticklers for canon (and more power to you), I am personally not willing to sacrifice any Star Wars story to obscurity simply because it doesn't line up with onscreen events in a fictional universe. I was extremely thankful when the Vong weren't the main antagonists of the sequel trilogy, but there were many people in the exact opposite camp. I felt the execution of Thrawn in Star Wars Rebels was great, others did not. I prefer Ben Solo to the trio of Solo children in the EU, but I'm probably in the minority there as well. However, none of these things prevent me from enjoying the stories of the Vong Wars, Heir to the Empire, or Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin Solo alongside the canonical stories. In this universe of space fantasy and science-fiction whimsy, why limit oneself when we can enjoy everything it has to offer with just a little imagination.

Written By Weston Erickson

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