Is there confusion with the timeline?

Yeah I had to explain it to a few people. Look, there's hardcore fans like us who lap up every bit of news, rumour and occasional spoiler available. We know the galaxy inside out, but they don't need to sell it to us. They just need to say, hey, there's a new Star Wars film hitting the screens in December and it's about stealing the plans to the first Death Star, and we'll all be waiting for advance tickets to midnight screenings. But there are those people who like a good movie, have enjoyed other Star Wars films and are curious about this. They're the ones who they need to sell this to and explain the setting to.

 

I reckon this graphic can help a lot to clear out any lingering confusion about Rogue One lol...

 

this doesn't surprise me. the original Star Wars movie wasn't known by this name and as children we never called it that.
even today when i'm talking about it with my family, we refer to it as "the original Star Wars" or "the first Star Wars".

we do call all the other movies by their titles because that's how they were marketed, though these days when i say to my brother or sister "i'm watching Star Wars" we all understand that we're talking about TFA because it's what's new and on the table at the moment.
when viii comes out, we'll likely be more inclined to use the title distinctions to specify which part of the ST we're referring to.

 

I can sort of understand the confusion regarding the Old EU - now Legends - and the current canon. If there is a casual fan who sees two books with the Star Wars logo before the title, they would assume we are talking about the same stuff, it does not matter if one is "Truce at Bakura" and the other is "Aftermath". It is not a truth universally acknowledged that the Legends material was never sanctioned as canon by Lucasfilm, though it was marketed with the Star Wars logo on it so people would read the adventures of our beloved heroes after ROTJ, and then before and during the OT. I've met casual fans that had recommended me books from the New Jedi Order or the Han Solo trilogy and I have had a hard time trying to explain to them "well, yes the books are good but they will not be taken for sure into account for the current canon".

True.

My personal experience about casual fans and hardcore fans is that less than a year ago I was not a fan. I was sympathetic with Star Wars, but not really into it - hadn't seen the OT as a matter of fact! And I was constantly motivated by some friends to watch the movies. At that point I used to think there was black and white, either you were a Star Wars fan or not. It was yes or no.

But then I saw the movies and less than a year later, I've become a hardcore fan. Some of my friends who were astonished of me being a geeky one without being into Star Wars at all now are sort of astonished that I became a fan who knows more about Star Wars than them. So then I learned that most of my friends were casual fans, and it's funny since I find myself explaining them stuff from the current canon and even from the OT movies!! And yes, the Bothan spies detail confusion is quite common. I guess some people assume that as Mon Mothma was the one who mentioned that but for the Second DS, they think the Bothans participated this time too. And as Mon Mothma is nowhere to be seen in ANH at Yavin, this sort of confirms their assumption.

 

I have had to explain to more than one person just where Rogue One fits. Some get confused about the books and backtrack (A few people wanted to read Bloodlines for instance and wondered why Han was still alive).

 

I read your post about how you changed from a casual fan into a hardcore fan and I have to tell you that the same thing happened to my wife. When we met she was a person who had loved the SW movies ever since she was a kid but had not explored anything SW outside the movies. She would be with me and with some friends of ours and at first she was the one who least knew about things beyond the movies but as time went by she kept learning cause she loved it and got into it more and now I'm proud to say that just like you, my wife knows more about SW than most of our friends!

 

I remember how some of the Legends novels had pages in the front or back that listed novels in chronological order, saying how long after RotJ they occurred. I think something like that might be useful.

 

the new canon does this and it's pretty nice.
they've also reprinted all the Legends stuff with the Legends banner on it.
i haven't looked at that stuff close enough to see whether inside it explains what it means (i think it must).

 

Thanks! Actually at least she was a casual fan: I was not a fan at all. I didn't know anything but the basics (Vader is Luke's father, etc) but that's it. It was from 0 to hardcore in a few months! LOL.

 

Well, you must be if you're already at 8000+ likes .

 

It was "a canon" not "the canon"

While it was never canon too the movie, each work was canon too the rest of the works and there was a cohesiveness too the universe... follow that up with the fact taht George Lucas included references too it in the prequels, it is pretty easy too understand why people would call it "the old canon"

 

Lol guess the Force not only awakened on Rey

 

But that makes your case even more awesome my friend as old Ben himself would say regarding you when you became a fan:

 

Thanks!! Obi-Wan is wise

 

I agree. Growing up to my friends and I it was always Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. However, now I refer to Star Wars as A New Hope because that is the way my kids have become familiar with it and we address all the other movies in the same manner.

 

Well, in their defense...this has nothing to do with "old" canon versus "new" canon. The Bothans stealing the plans actually is canon...EXCEPT they stole the Death Star 2 plans. And since that's a movie line even casual fans remember, I can see the confusion. Even I had an "oh yeah" moment back when the movie concept was first announced.

Sorry...didn't see that you had already pointed out the same thing before I commented!

 

Good point, also, welcome to the forums!

 

I realized later, mistake on my part.

 

My boss thought Rogue One was the sequel to The Force Awakens. I had to explain it to her that this is a spin off film set before the first movie.

 

There is confusion, especially since they haven't really touched on it enough in the marketing. That needs to be pushed. Big time. This is also why I think that having an opening crawl would be hugely beneficial.