There has been a lot of talk since The Clone Wars began about the effects it’s had on some parts of the expanded universe of Star Wars.
It’s rewritten some things that have happened in novelizations, comic books, and other random bits of Star Wars lore and it has some fans pretty angry.
Named for the Petition of 2000 Senators at the end of the Clone Wars asking Palpatine to return his emergency powers, a group of…animated…Expanded Universe fans have called upon George Lucas to start following stringent rules regarding a continuity that he had nothing to do with and only a marginal hand in creating.
From their petition (which can be found here:)
Recently, however, there has been serious concern that this unified tapestry is under threat due to a seemingly relaxed attitude to continuity—particularly as it relates to the much welcomed Clone Wars animated TV series.
We, thus, politely request that tighter measures be put in place to help protect the history present in the established Expanded Universe as embodied in all its past stories (with the exception of the ‘Infinities’ tales, which are intended to be outside continuity), be they films, novels, comics, short stories, live-action and animated TV series. We understand that, at times, a change is necessary, or comes about through human error. However, with the talent and creative minds at your disposal, these can be minimized or retroactively fixed so that years of novels and comics aren’t rendered null and void, creating the division and resentment that has recently burst forth amongst the fan community.
First, I will give them that they’re very respectful, which hasn’t always been the tenor among certain sects of Star Wars fans. That gives them some credence in my book, but their request seems outrageous.
They’re asking the creator of Star Wars to handcuff himself to a milieu of continuity he has no knowledge of and really couldn’t care less about. And the things he’s been doing to the expanded universe continuity are usually BETTER than what they’re contradicting.
My take on this is that fans need to understand that there are hierarchies of continuity. Authors (with a couple of glaring exceptions) understand that they are a playing in George Lucas’ sandbox and at the snap of his fingers their stories can be rendered out of continuity. But should the fact that some aspect of a story well told is told in a different way in a different medium take away from the enjoyment you had during the first part? Why is the enjoyment seemingly based on whats canon and what’s in continuity and what’s not? George Lucas and the stories he tells are THE continuity. Everything else exists outside of that.
But how does that discount your enjoyment of those stories? Take Karen Traviss’ books dealing with Mandalore, for instance. She has a different and equally valid take on their history, though it’s now different in the official canon. Does that lessen the enjoyment from the books or the show? It’s two good stories well told. Why should they have to maintain the rules of each other?
It doesn’t make any sense to me. The fact that ANY of the expanded universe is creeping into the official George Lucas-level canon should be a reward in itself.
What do you think? I want to know how many of you out there are actually offended that George Lucas has the official canon and can change the EU without restraint?
Did it make you enjoy the books and stories you already enjoyed any less?