Lucasfilm Licensing leaks EU status.

[Genghistwelve]

Lo and behold, Disney buys Lucasfilm and people are surprised that they're instituting the "Disney Business Model" .

 

Did Sleeping Beauty become anything less the selected years Disney chooses to take it out of circulation? The Little Mermaid?

 

Big whoop. It's not like these things "didn't happen" or anything.

 

What's the shock? It's the way Disney works. Wait until some big anniversary of the golden boys like Dark Empire or Heir to the Empire, and they'll be recirculated.

 

This will only help the EU. Disney knows business.

[agamemnon-]

Lo and behold, Disney buys Lucasfilm and people are surprised that they're instituting the "Disney Business Model" .

 

Did Sleeping Beauty become anything less the selected years Disney chooses to take it out of circulation? The Little Mermaid?

 

Big whoop. It's not like these things "didn't happen" or anything.

 

What's the shock? It's the way Disney works. Wait until some big anniversary of the golden boys like Dark Empire or Heir to the Empire, and they'll be recirculated.

 

This will only help the EU. Disney knows business.

 

 

There is a difference between taking something out of circulation and declaring said item to not be canon anymore, thus getting rid of it completely.

 

Incorrect, most of it is amazing. Certainly better than the prequels.

 

Sorry, most post Jedi EU is trash. Like I've stated elsewhere, nothing but monsters of the week, evil death machine of the week, and convoluted rehashes of the original trilogies.

Edited January 19, 2014 by agamemnon-

[Darth_Wicked]

Sorry, most post Jedi EU is trash. Like I've stated elsewhere, nothing but monsters of the week, evil death machine of the week, and convoluted rehashes of the original trilogies.

 

More power to Abeloth. That one was bad beyond belief.

[WSRB]

I suspect we'll be seeing more and more threads like this over the coming months: someone uncovers something that suggests the EU will be wiped from being canon by the new films and they just have to post it and declare how this will absolutely kill Star Wars because the EU was the greatest thing ever.

 

Except that the EU wasn't the greatest thing ever and wiping the slate clean of post RotJ stories certainly won't kill Star Wars. Taken as individual stories, the quality of the work ranged from very good to complete trash. But taken as a whole, it's a long, convoluted mess that makes "Lost" look like a tightly plotted, amazingly coherent mini-series. And that does not make for a good/watchable movie.

 

Quite simply, for the movie to have any chance whatsoever of being remotely half decent, losing the baggage of the EU is an absolute must. Regardless of anyone's feelings for the content of those EU stories, the best way for Lawrence Kasdan and JJ Abrams to craft the strongest possible story for the multi-million dollar movie they're about to film is to punt the EU continuity out the window. This frees them of the restraints of "what has come before" in 20 years of obscenely inconsistent novels and comics, and allows them to focus on making the most accessible movie they can, and that is a movie that isn't weighed down by twenty years of what amounts to nothing more than professionally commissioned fan fiction to begin with.

 

On a personal aside, I'm really surprised that so few people around here ever believed that the stories in the EU novels and comics weren't going to be wiped from canon the very second a new series of films came down the pipe: George Lucas himself said on a few occasions that if it wasn't in one of the films he doesn't consider it to be official. For myself, I'm reasonably certain that pretty much 90% of post RotJ stories will effectively be wiped out of possibility by the end of the opening scroll, and I've been absolutely certain of the "end of the EU" since the new films were announced.

[JimG]

Why would any of this be surprising? The EU isn't going to disappear. Disney bought the entire SW universe, not just the right to make a few films. Considering that they are moving all the comics and graphic novels to Marvel in 2015, that makes sense that they would start cutting back and laying off from the current operations. Just like with the Clone Wars animated series, they shut it down and started up on a new animated series. They are going through and sorting out what is canon from the EU. Clearly, they are trying to have a unified approach to the entire SW universe going forward. Lucas basically let the EU run rampant other than a few specific rules he had regarding certain characters or topics. As a result, there is a lot of conflicting stuff in the EU and then he just blew a lot of it right out of the water with the prequels and the Clone Wars show. Lucas basically didn't care what they did in the EU because he considered it all non-canon and basically ignored it. Since Disney is making Episodes 7, 8, 9, then why wouldn't they halt post-ROTJ works in development??? Of course they would...and should. They don't want the hands of the filmmakers of the new trilogy tied with post-ROTJ stories, characters, etc. and they don't want to continue having more conflicting and non-canon EU stuff developed for that era. All of this makes perfect sense.

[Euphrosyne]

You guys have gotten very wrapped up in discussing the merits of the EU and whatnot, which is fine. But I don't think most people actually read the article. It dates from May 2013. That's before they even created the new Story Group. It's not new and authoritative, it's old and speculative.

 

I mean, you guys remember this past spring, right? With eight zillion rumors flying around about who was going to be cast and what the story was going to be and whether there were going to be an VIII and a IX and spinoffs and and and and? Disney was changing its plans so often that all of these things might have been true at one point, but they're all subject to change. And since they created the Story Group to manage the Star Wars canon just in the last couple of weeks, none of the stuff in that article is valid. Sure, they might still wipe the entirety of post-VI EU, but the point is that it hasn't been decided yet.

[aeterno]

You guys have gotten very wrapped up in discussing the merits of the EU and whatnot, which is fine. But I don't think most people actually read the article. It dates from May 2013. That's before they even created the new Story Group. It's not new and authoritative, it's old and speculative.

 

I mean, you guys remember this past spring, right? With eight zillion rumors flying around about who was going to be cast and what the story was going to be and whether there were going to be an VIII and a IX and spinoffs and and and and? Disney was changing its plans so often that all of these things might have been true at one point, but they're all subject to change. And since they created the Story Group to manage the Star Wars canon just in the last couple of weeks, none of the stuff in that article is valid. Sure, they might still wipe the entirety of post-VI EU, but the point is that it hasn't been decided yet.

 

Seems to me the story group came into being to do just what's stated in the OP... to weed out the EU material in the way of their planned trilogies/spinoffs. Definitely more plausible than it being created to somehow make sure e7 tip toes around chosen core of EU material with enough respect. In fact, not a single indication so far supports the latter theory and all of it supports the former.

 

I find it humorous that the same people that were absolutely ripping into GL for years are now nailed on to start referring to the pre disney years as the "golden age"

Edited January 19, 2014 by aeterno

[Euphrosyne]

Seems to me the story group came into being to do just what's stated in the OP... to weed out the EU material in the way of their planned trilogies/spinoffs. Definitely more plausible than it being created to somehow make sure e7 tip toes around chosen core of EU material with enough respect. In fact, not a single indication so far supports the latter theory and all of it supports the former.

I don't see why it's more plausible, since the people in the Story Group are the ones who've been managing the canon for years by now. You think that Pablo Hidalgo or Leland Chee will cut the things they like best of the Star Wars canon out without a second thought? I'm thinking not so much. If you wanna just nuke the EU, nuke the EU, don't bring in the guys who're best suited to keeping as much of it as they possibly can.

 

Sure, the Story Group might still end up going after the EU with a blowtorch instead of a scalpel; Hidalgo and Chee aren't the only members (although they're the only ones known to the public) and the ultimate goal of the Story Group is to make sure everything fits with everything else so some things are almost out by necessity. There are mitigating factors either way. What people think will happen is most likely is probably based more on their personal sentiment than anything else.

 

Point is, again, that we don't know what they're going to do, and even if we did know, the old article in the OP wouldn't be what's telling us.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Euphrosyne

[Jandi]

 

I find it humorous that the same people that were absolutely ripping into GL for years are now nailed on to start referring to the pre disney years as the "golden age"

 

Well, what do you expect? If someone is idiotic enough to actually think GL is a terrible person then I'd like to ask them how many billions did THEY give to charity. .

 

Not liking the prequels is fine, but bashing him as a human being makes you a moron.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Jandi

[MaximusRex]

I'm not especially surprised. Disney wants to make more Star Wars. A lot more, and they want to do it around the movie timelines, and they don't want to be hog-tied by the EU. For Rise of the Empire, I don't think they'd go back much before Phantom Menace, anything happening during that time period would be much more cerebral, and not that fitting with the action component of Star Wars film. Post Battle of Endor is where the EU will likely take the real hit.

[Beniboybling]

Many others have stated this is so and I personally out of interest went to look for certain Star Wars novels and asked if I could order them in, their reply? sorry they are no longer in production and this was at three different book chains, including WHSmith's, Waterstones and Forbidden Planet.

Dun Dun Dun.

[agamemnon-]

The moment this becomes a threat to the universe you might have to rethink the post-ROTJ EU as a whole.

[ToMyMa]

The moment this becomes a threat to the universe you might have to rethink the post-ROTJ EU as a whole.

 

Hey, don't mock her! The authors tried to make an 'evilest evil of evil', like some kind of common enemy!

 

 

Almost like the Emperor in this game - he wanted to kill everything

 

[CheesecakeCzar]

I honestly want to see post-ROTJ EU stuff gone, or cleaned up a lot. It's a mess. It's one intergalactic drama crisis after another. Goodbye Yuuzhan Vong. Goodbye Fel Empire. Keep Thrawn and that is about it.

 

(Like seriously though it's like one intergalactic government after another it's like the bloody French Revolution.)

[twiggie]

Personally, I don't want to see the EU wiped out. I am aware of George Lucas' thoughts on the EU, but when he gave others the creative freedom to expand on his creation, they proved to be the superior story tellers that has kept me interested after all these years.

 

I don't see how people can call the EU garbage when the most laughable writing and most inconsistencies spawned from his newer creations: the prequel trilogy and The Clone Wars series. If you look at the EU, the authors involved actually did a decent job trying to maintain a single continuity before Georgie pulled the rug out from under them.

 

I am a huge Star Wars fan and while I'm expecting some of the EU work to be axed, I'm hoping that Leland Chee and Pablo Hidalgo will preserve, in my opinion, a sizable chunk of the better pieces of the Star Wars timeline.

[OddballEasyEight]

There is a difference between taking something out of circulation and declaring said item to not be canon anymore, thus getting rid of it completely.

 

 

They were never "canon" to begin with. If george had decided to make a movie or tv-series that contradicted them, they'd be out the window immediately anyway.

 

The big difference here is that anything they keep IS considered canon... for real this time...

None of that A B C crap...

[agamemnon-]

They were never "canon" to begin with. If george had decided to make a movie or tv-series that contradicted them, they'd be out the window immediately anyway.

 

No, they were, for all intents and purposes, canon. They are canon until another book supersedes it or a movie/tv series sets the record straight. It has always been like that in the EU. Let's not pretend that no one (including anyone at LucasArts or Lucasfilm) considered Thrawn, Kyle Katarn, Mara Jade or events at Bakura not to be canon.

Edited January 19, 2014 by agamemnon-

[Genghistwelve]

There is a difference between taking something out of circulation and declaring said item to not be canon anymore, thus getting rid of it completely.

 

The date notwithstanding, you should re-read the source. "Canon" was not mentioned at all. Not a single time.\

 

In fact, nothing was said of the "fictional" state of affairs. What was described regarding existing in-print material was a plan to remove them from circulation. Nothing more than Disney has done -- very successfully, we should add -- since its movies have been sold to the public. That source addressed business decisions -- slowing of new post-TOR/TOTJ era products, and the removal of circulation of existing works. That's it.

 

Anything about "canon" or "removing from the fictional history of the Star Wars universe" has been added by people making judgments of taste about the content of that "fictional history."

[Infernixx]

I honestly want to see post-ROTJ EU stuff gone, or cleaned up a lot. It's a mess. It's one intergalactic drama crisis after another. Goodbye Yuuzhan Vong. Goodbye Fel Empire. Keep Thrawn and that is about it.

 

(Like seriously though it's like one intergalactic government after another it's like the bloody French Revolution.)

 

Agreed. Aside from the distilled Thrawn character and his Imperial forces, there's little in the EU that's worth saving, and they really do need to clear out some temporal space to have the next movies.

 

Trust that they'll save the best bits and pieces to be reused in the movies and related books/comics/games. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Thrawn shows up as the primary antagonist for the next trilogy, nor would I be surprised to see a Rogue Squadron movie made. I'd also be surprised if they didn't use the idea of the Skywalker/Solo kids as the protagonists in the next few movies.

 

The rest of it can go into the trashbin.

[agamemnon-]

The date notwithstanding, you should re-read the source. "Canon" was not mentioned at all. Not a single time.\

 

In fact, nothing was said of the "fictional" state of affairs. What was described regarding existing in-print material was a plan to remove them from circulation. Nothing more than Disney has done -- very successfully, we should add -- since its movies have been sold to the public. That source addressed business decisions -- slowing of new post-TOR/TOTJ era products, and the removal of circulation of existing works. That's it.

 

Anything about "canon" or "removing from the fictional history of the Star Wars universe" has been added by people making judgments of taste about the content of that "fictional history."

 

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lucasfilm_Story_Group

 

You might want to stay informed.

Edited January 19, 2014 by agamemnon-

[nartiuslightlord]

Let it go man.... We barely control our own destiny's day to day, this matters not to me.

[Tweaked]

Incorrect, most of it is amazing. Certainly better than the prequels.

 

That's really not saying much.

[HoloTweed]

The date notwithstanding, you should re-read the source. "Canon" was not mentioned at all. Not a single time.\

 

In fact, nothing was said of the "fictional" state of affairs. What was described regarding existing in-print material was a plan to remove them from circulation. Nothing more than Disney has done -- very successfully, we should add -- since its movies have been sold to the public. That source addressed business decisions -- slowing of new post-TOR/TOTJ era products, and the removal of circulation of existing works. That's it.

 

Anything about "canon" or "removing from the fictional history of the Star Wars universe" has been added by people making judgments of taste about the content of that "fictional history."

 

As has been pointed out, the source of this thread is out of date; the new Story Team at Lucasfilm (Lucasfilm NOT Disney - again, just as Disney is not micro-managing Marvel comics, they are NOT micromanaging Star Wars) was created months after the source post, so it is now invalid.

 

The writers of the movies don't need to have huge acres of EU vaporized to give them free reign. Everyone is misunderstanding what the writers/directors do with Star Wars. They are GIVEN the story and timeline and such to work with. They may make suggestions but all of those are approved by LUCASFILM. They do not have autonomy to chart Star Wars in a direction they want -- only in the confines supplied by and approved directions of Lucasfilm -- the same company that will be making the decision on final one-and-only canon.

[Tweaked]

Agreed. Aside from the distilled Thrawn character and his Imperial forces, there's little in the EU that's worth saving, and they really do need to clear out some temporal space to have the next movies.

 

Trust that they'll save the best bits and pieces to be reused in the movies and related books/comics/games. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Thrawn shows up as the primary antagonist for the next trilogy, nor would I be surprised to see a Rogue Squadron movie made. I'd also be surprised if they didn't use the idea of the Skywalker/Solo kids as the protagonists in the next few movies.

 

The rest of it can go into the trashbin.

 

and.... /thread.

[agamemnon-]

That's really not saying much.

 

Especially since the prequels really weren't that bad (outside some of the acting). Then again, I was still in middle and high school when they came out, so I didn't find a need to over analyze and nitpick them to death; sort of what I am doing with the EU. Am I becoming like my father. DAMN YOU UNIVERSE!!!!!