Does new Star Wars continuity only affect post-Jedi EU?

Question

I have read this press release a couple of times.

In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe.

Does this describe material set after Jedi, or published after?

Is it also saying that only things published as "Legends" are now non-continuity?

I have read that it is only films + Clone Wars + Rebels that are now in the main continuity but can't see this sourced by Lucas Film Story Group. Does anyone have a reference for this?

Answer 1

First let's look the press release to see what Lucasfilm has said about content which existed previous to the canon cleanup.

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. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.

They continue on, discussing Star Wars: Rebels in specific, stating that it is within the new official continuity.

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

Regarding the "post-Jedi" bit, there is this paragraph

In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, 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. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s.

This means that while the EU is non-canon, some Pre-ROTJ EU concepts and materials (up to 4ABY) may find its way into the new canon. Everything Post-ROTJ should be assumed gone at this point (the Solo children, Thrawn, C'baoth, Yuuzhan Vong, etc).

In regards to your question about the distinction between "set" versus "published", it should be noted that there was really not a lot of EU material published previous to ROTJ. Splinter of the Mind's Eye and The Han Solo Adventures were the only four books published before the release of Jedi. Beyond that, there were the comics and the Holiday Special.

Answer 2

Purely reading the press release, it looks like:

1. All Star Wars content produced from now on will (barring mistakes) be internally consistent, thanks to oversight from the Lucasfilm story group:

   all aspects of Star Wars storytelling moving forward will be connected. Under Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and coordinate all Star Wars creative development.

2. It will also be consistent with the existing six films, and the Clone Wars TV series:

   ...the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content... produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars... are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.

3. It won’t necessarily be consistent with other existing Star Wars content (i.e. Extended Universe content):

   In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe.

4. But Lucasfilm will happily re-use EU concepts when convenient:

   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. For example, elements of the EU are included in Star Wars Rebels. The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s.

5. And they’ll be delighted to sell you existing, now-clearly-non-canon Expanded Universe content, with a shiny “Legends” label on it:

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

6. But they’re pretty confident that your appetite for the new, story-group-coordinated content will be equally boundless:

   this is just the beginning of a creatively aligned program of Star Wars storytelling created by the collaboration of incredibly talented people united by their love of that galaxy far, far away…

Bend over and spread your wallets, nerds.