Canon vs. Legends

I didn't hate it or anything Rogues, it had its moments and it's always good to see Thrawn. I was about 12 when the Thrawn Trilogy started coming out and I'm almost as nostalgic about them as I am the original movies. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. Thrawn himself was good but I didn't find the other characters very interesting and (I won't spoil anything as I know you're still reading it) I didn't care for the ending. I also had a few nitpicks about the writing but now that I'm forcing the Aftermath trilogy on myself they seem pretty insignificant.

 

I thought Aftermath book one was pretty bad. Book two was better (that's not saying much) and I liked the final book, even though I think the author is a bloody fool.

Personally I think they should publish material under both the cannon and legends labels. I mean why not? There is obviously a market for books under the "legend" banner. I'm sure the excuse is that it'd confuse people. Personally I hate when they assume we the people are too stupid to tell the difference and keep stories straight. The reading public is quite capable of doing that, in my opinion.

 

The main difference between the old EU and the current canon is relevance. At the time I ignored the SW books and comics (except for Legacy) because the stuff in them may or may not have happened and wouldn't matter if any more films were ever made. Heck, why films - when the Clone Wars came out, it became "more canon" then other stuff about the period, so whatever contradicted the show "didn't happen".
Now everything did happen and everything is relevant. So, instead of reading some random disjointed stories, we have a single (mostly) coherent universe to explore. Sure, it may yet have to live up the highest standarts of the Thrawn Trilogy, but at least now everything is worth checking out.

 

That's one of the problems I have though, if some of the books really blow (like the Aftermath trilogy) they are given too much relevance in Star Wars as a whole. It's very difficult to exclude them from your head canon because they are so tied in with the overall canon. Whereas before the books were as relevant as you wanted them to be or not to be.

 

That's the sad reality of a long-term worldbuilding. Besides, it's nothing new - remember how hated the Prequels were and they couldn't be thrown out of canon either.

 

i honestly don't think ignoring these books is difficult.
yes, the Battle of Jakku was the Empire's last stand.
but otherwise, thus far, nothing about the Aftermath series is absolutely critical to know.

Han helped liberate Kyshyyk, the Emperor had a contingency plan that is never really explained, some Imperials ran off to the Outer Regions and escaped (including Hux's pig father and Rae Sloane, a woman who nearly turned against her own people).
these details have almost zero impact (yet) on the ST. they may become important later but for now they're just nice to know.
it matters not one whit if people watching the movies know who Norra Wexley is, or Sinjir Rath Velas, or Mr. Bones ~ or that Armitty Hux was a bedwetter, or that Leia had to rescue Han while eight months pregnant.

to be honest, i do think that's a loss for them, but if it's not to someone's liking, ignoring it is easy enough.
i've mostly already purged Jas Emeri and her "boyfriend" whose name i can't even recall ~ hahahahaha

 

Worldbuilding is nothing new to Star Wars either, and I found the prequels quite easy to omit from my head canon. They never entered it.

It hasn't been that difficult for me to ignore them because my head canon doesn't include the new films (although I don't dislike them) or the associated books. I just haven't seen/read anything worth tossing out the parts of the old canon I liked. When I'm watching one of the new films or reading one of the new books I'll play along for that time period but once it's done it's gone. But it's not the characters from Aftermath that tie in so much with the new films as much as the events and politics that bridge the trilogies. The extension of the GCW to Jakku, the formation of the First Order (and Hux's origins for that matter), etc. Maybe they're not too hard for fans of the new canon to toss aside, that's their problem I guess.

 

Amen. There really isn't that much in the nu-cannon that is "MUST READ" material. It seems like it was simply a chance to publish new stuff and make money off of it.

Sad, but the stuff I enjoyed in the Aftermath series, the dark side acolytes guys, they have done nothing with (at least nothing that I'm aware of ). And Jas had a boyfriend? LMAO Yeah, totally forgettable.

 

I think one thing that Disney Canon just can't top is the Old Republic era in the EU. With SWTOR being updated still, legends Old Republic is still a going thing.
The Old Republic EU stories are fascinating.

While there's good things in post ROTJ EU, theres also some bad. To me the old republic EU is just awesome

 

Couldn’t agree with you more. I like the majority of the books after Rotj. Not all but most.
I loved dawn of the Jedi, revan, deceived and annihilation. I didn’t like fatal alliance though.
All 3 bane books were great as was knight errant.
Red harvest was a tough read for me. But in the end they’re not all going to be zingers. And I’m sure some people will disagree with my opinions of these books but that’s okay. The main thing is that the majority of these books in that time line are great.
It’s too bad Disney won’t use these stories. I’m pretty sure it’s a money thing. It’s all they care about. I’ve purchased a few books that were written after Disney purchased the franchise and couldn’t finish a single book.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 28, 2019, Original Post Date: Oct 28, 2019 ---

it’s nice to see some people are like minded with me about preferring the legends books.
after watching episode viii, and trying to read the new books but failing; I decided to reread all of the EU legends books. There were a few that I skipped that I remembered that I didn’t like but I’ve finished all the books after rotj. currently I’m re-reading dynasty of evil (book 3 of the bane series).
I started re-reading these books the week after episode viii hit the theaters. Once I’m finished reading the stories before rotj, I’ll start again with the truce at bakura.

 

I completely agree. The Old Republic is the Golden Age of A Galaxy, Far, Far Away... It has given is the most iconic characters to rival even the OT, such as Revan, Malgus, Bastila, Satale, and more. What I loved about KOTOR was how it balanced the elements of OT, like cantina scene, and added Prequel elements like the Jedi and Sith at their zeniths. In many ways the Old Republic Era is what I think we wish the Prequels had been; even though I do love the Prequels as they are too.

 

Gotta say, I have read and enjoyed several books in the new post-RotJ canon, but I can't help but feel a little blah about it. For my part the now Legends material has more color and life to it, maybe because I spent a good decade immersing myself in that universe. Though the Legends material is my favorite, there is room for both. I have and will mourn for the death of the future of the NJO characters that I and other fans will never get to read about. As well as for the version of the big 3 and the post-RotJ history that was lost.

 

Can you suggest a good New Legends series or book? Anything Jedi or Sith relTex would be ideal, but I am open to other tales; particularly anything about Poe or Finn.

 

My favorite Legends book is Darth Plagueis, it is one of the newest Legends novels even if it was released in 2012. It is very heavy on the Sith, the Rule of Two variant, which is more of a guideline than an adhered to rule during the time period the book takes place in. For my part, Darth Plagueis does exceptionally well to tie the saga together in fleshing out the backstory for the state of the galaxy as well as for Darth Sidious. For how illuminating the book is it is just terrible that it's rendered "Legends".

That said, I am also partial to The Old Republic novels, the Darth Bane trilogy, Cloak of Deception, Labyrinth of Evil, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Allegiance, Tattooine Ghost, the New Jedi Order series, The Dark Nest trilogy, and Crosscurrent. There are others as well.

For canon-EU material my favorite book is Bloodline, a more politically focused novel. It is in part a good backstory for the sequel trilogy that stars Leia and explains the origination of the Resistance. I did also like Lost Stars and the first (and only book I have read) of the Aftermath trilogy.

 

I might have to add Plagueis to my book list. I am currently reading SW: The Fate of the Jedi Allies. It is humorious to read the Jedi and Sith in an alliance, having to get along and making snarky remarks toward one another.

 

The Darth Plagueis book is absolutely must read. Seriously. The audible version is really good, and I can only image that the physical copy is just as awesome. As someone already said, all of the Knights of the Old Republic Era books are darn good as well.

For the last year I've been in the process of reading the New Jedi Order books, which I actually think are pretty darn good. I know people crapped on them (some did) for the Vong and Chewie dying, but they are well written. Some of the criticisms of them (saw someone say Chewie died when a moon fell on him, which isn't quite how it happened) were over the top and unfair. People caricaturing events for their own agenda.

 

There tends to be an ire, even a loathing mingled in by some for the old EU/Legends. I hear stories like you mentioned of “Chewie being slain by a moon,” when that’s not what happened. I have yet to totally ascertain why there is such hate for the EU. I suspect it is a resentment by fair weathered fans who do not want to be reminded that there were stories that die hards had to keep them content tell more canon films were made. I have met people bent on destroying our beloved Legends, calling them trash that should burn on Mustafar.

To Chewie’s death by moon I have these pics as a response:




I think I will check out the Plagueis Audiobook and to “learn how to cheat death..”

 

Well said! I myself became a more ardent fan of SW because of EU stories like:

Shadows of the Empire



Mara Jade: Emperor’s Hand



Tales of the Jedi


Knights of the Old Republic



The mythos of the Jedi and Sith has been so well told in Legends. My hope is this New Old Republic movie trilogy will do some of our favorite tales justice; but I fear I will not hear the names Revan or Malgus, but replacement names like how Jacen Solo/Darth Cadeus has become Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 20, 2019, Original Post Date: Nov 20, 2019 ---

The Vong were bizarre. How can a species be untouched by The Force when it is “everywhere and in everything, the source of every living thing?” Besides the Vong coming into A Galaxy Far would be exposed to Ashla and Bogan and so be effected.

 

You'll enjoy that audio book. Its very well done!

I wasn't either. I also did about 10 books give or take, including the Darth Plageius book, which I really enjoy. I started the New Jedi Order series about this time last year, and while I heard negatives about the Vong, I really think the idea is interesting. I don't know if I'd put them onscreen in a film, but as a book thing I like them. Although I admit they have problems. Like @Kato Sai mentions, how are they not susceptible to the force? That part felt like a stretch and a crap plot device.

@Trevor You hit the nail on the head when you note the problem with the nu-cannon is the fact they are locked into this 40 year period. I thought the comics might be cool to purchase, but again a bunch of them just don't appeal to me. I'm sure some are very well done, but for the most part it feels like stuff we really don't need.

And I think this is their problem. If they aren't careful they are gonna pull a Star Trek and get stuck in a fishbowl timeline wise where they just constantly retread the same stuff again and again and again. How many times to do we need to see Captain Kirk? Move on already.

Sorry for the discombobulated rant.