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I see plenty of (sometimes good natured, sometimes snide) comments that any content that used to be EU (C-canon) is not longer "canon" at all.

Now, personally, to me this treatment seems incorrect, in that Disney seems to treat the former-EU C canon (aka Legends) the same way Lucas Empire always treated it, which is by declaring it as a lesser level of canon as opposed to not canon at all (see details below).

As such, I think the only way this disagreement can be conclusively resolved is by explicit statement of Disney stating that Legends material is "not canon at all, as opposed to different, lower level of canon the way C - or even S - canon always was".

So, my question is: Have Disney ever made a statement calling Legends "not canon" as opposed to "old canon" or "lower level of canon" or simply "Legends/EU"?

As to why I think they treat Legends basically as a C+S canon (and thus why calling it "not canon" requires a proof from Disney that it isn't, in the face of evidence below), it's because:

  • Most importantly, they fully acknowledge its existence as a publisher and as a brand.

    Demand for past tales of the Expanded Universe will keep them in print, presented under the new Legends banner.

    ... While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded.

    Now, out of universe, we all know that this is simply a business decision to keep milking a cash cow; AND to not alienate existing fanbase. But whatever the reason, they keep the content as part of the NEW brand and new business. Whether they call it "officially licensed content" as Lucas did, or "Legends", is irrelevant.

  • They very explicitly called the new content "New canon" as opposed to simply "canon":

    On the screen, the first new canon to appear will be Star Wars Rebels.

  • While they consider the new content they create as "main" canon, and don't feel beholden to EU works and free to contradict them - this is 100% identical to how Lucas treated EU C-canon as well! They even mention that parallel explicitly:

    Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe. While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe....

    ... While Lucasfilm always strived to keep the stories created for the EU consistent with our film and television content as well as internally consistent, Lucas always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU. He set the films he created as the canon...

As such, it seems to me that what they are doing is, instead of calling former EU not canon, they are simply re-juggling canon levels to simplify their business/creative process, by simply creating 2 levels of canon: Main canon (GL created stiff plus anything created and/or licensed by Disney); and Legends canon (all other non-GL previous licensed works).

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DVK-on-Ahch-To
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  • Just to be clear - the second part of the question is basically a justification of why I feel the question is important, and disagreement with it shouldn't be part of the answers (and I'd also appreciate if you don't downvote the question merely because you disagree with my reasoning). The question of whether that reasoning is valid or not is a separate issue, and (assuming it's not too subjective) should be discussed as a separate Q&A – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 14:24
  • You've already quoted from the main statement on the issue. There appear to be three levels of canon now; Canon (films, Clone Wars, Rebels), Legends (licensed books, comics & games) and non-canon (parody materials, merchandising) – Valorum Dec 20 '14 at 14:29
  • @Richard - "appears to be" is the key word. It's an impression, and can be contradicted by Disney. I am pretty sure SOMEONE will/have asked Leeland Chee or Disney flacks explicitly. – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 14:32
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    I think this is a matter of conflicting views on the term "canon". There have always been multiple levels of canon. I feel like what the statement was really trying to simplify the levels (G + T = full canon, C + S = legends, N = non), and remind fans that G + T are the only things that Disney/Lucas is beholden to. – phantom42 Dec 20 '14 at 14:40
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    @phantom42 = Except that that's all gone now. Wookiepedia has a pretty good handle on the EU/Canon thing...http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Wookieepedia:Canon_policy – Valorum Dec 20 '14 at 14:42
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    And to be fair, it sort of needed to be done. We all often drew upon C-canon facts for our answers, but especially with the wave of new material that will be released in coming years, much of that info will likely get steamrolled. – phantom42 Dec 20 '14 at 14:42
  • @phantom42 - except, unless my memory fails me, you yourself have posted "this is not canon anymore" comments before. – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 14:50
  • @Richard (and phantom) - yes. I have a proposal in the works on how we should handle the Disney stuff, and it somewhat is influenced by Wookiepedia approach. – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 14:51
  • @Richard - and of course, Wikia being its usual less than helpful Wikia self, they made up unreferenced fact (a pretty important one) and stated "although the Expanded Universe has been relegated to non-canon "Legends" status" – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 14:53
  • It's a matter of what each individual considers canon though. There are lots of casual readers and fans that don't differentiate between the two. I could probably word myself better, but the point remains that the answer may no longer be 100% true based on upcoming materials. – phantom42 Dec 20 '14 at 14:56
  • @phantom42 - I'll sound like a broken record, but I have an upcoming Meta post to propose exactly the approach to deal with that, including the prefered wording :) I'm totally with you on the fact that this does need to be addressed as an issue – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 15:11
  • from wookiepedia; "[Lucasfilm senior editor Jennifer] Heddle confirms that the Expanded Universe now basically stands as a non-canon* alternate universe and that no new stories will be added to the Expanded Universe line of continuity."* – Valorum Dec 20 '14 at 16:02
  • @Richard - that's my point, there's no quote from Heddle saying "non-canon". If she indeed, did, that'd be the answer to this question, however. But I don't trust Wookiepedia, they love their made up narratives too mucg – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 16:09
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    @DVK - Per her twitter account; "Q. Does this mean everything post Return of the Jedi is no longer cannon, but everything before is canon or is it all non-canon now?" - "A. It's all non-canon, but it all exists as a resource that could be used down the line."; https://twitter.com/jenheddle/status/459803475770347520 – Valorum Dec 20 '14 at 16:11
  • @Richard - I was right. She did NOT use the word non-canon; and made the same disctinction as the quotes above: MAIN canon vs non-main canon, instead. "To be clear, there is no ‘new EU.’ There is only the established EU–hereafter known as Star Wars Legends, and the main, canon storyline" – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 20 '14 at 16:12
  • @dvk - I don't trust wookiepedia but their canon policy seems pretty sound. – Valorum Dec 20 '14 at 16:24

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Yes, on her twitter account dated April 25th 2014, Lucasfilm Senior Editor Jennifer Heddle stated that all EU properties that predate the deal with Disney are "non-canon" (her words).

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This aligns nicely with the previous press-release from Disney that stated that the EU does still exist (and can be drawn upon) but not as part of the main canon :

He [(Lucas)] set the films he created as the canon. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars....On the screen, the first new canon to appear will be Star Wars Rebels. In print, the first new books to come from this creative collaboration include novels from Del Rey Books.

Obviously there are still some niggling exceptions including the novelisations ('canon unless contradicted') and certain unreleased scripts but these are relatively small potatoes compared to the vast quantity of EU novels and comics that have to be dealt with.

Valorum
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