Star Wars Canon: History, Structure, and Timeline

What is Star Wars Canon?

Star Wars canon is the continuously expanding set of acknowledged works—movies, television shows, books, comics, and video games—that comprise the canonical Star Wars narrative. In the beginning, George Lucas defined canon as including the first six Star Wars movies as well as the material he created and oversaw for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The people, events, and fixed points of Star Wars history are considered to be those that all other stories must conform to.

Overview

The official Star Wars Expanded Universe began in the 1990s when Lucasfilm Ltd. licensed a vast collection of interconnected stories created by many authors, including video games, comic books, and novels. This universe coexisted with the one that Lucas was directly in charge of. Among the several levels of canon, Lucas' version was regarded as the final canon or the "only true canon," but the Expanded Universe was referred to as "quasi-canon."

In order to create a tiered canon system and handle the fictional components of the Star Wars world, Lucas Licensing created an internal database in 2000. The six films and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which were George Lucas' original idea, were at the top of this hierarchy. At a lower level of canonicity, Lucas Licensing oversaw the Expanded Universe, which came beneath this. The business also categorized these components into different publishing periods.

After Lucasfilm was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, the Expanded Universe was renamed Legends. Because of this, the term "canon" was limited to George Lucas' original canon, which included the six films and the seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that he designed and produced himself, as well as all movies, TV shows, comic books, video games, and toys that Lucasfilm produced after the acquisition, including the Sequel Trilogy and beyond.

How has the Concept of Canon Evolved Over Time?

From its inception in 1994, when it comprised movies, screenplays, and some licensed works, the idea of the Star Wars canon changed. By the early 2000s, a hierarchical canon system had been established, and after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, the canon was finally redefined.

Early Canon Concepts: Establishing the Foundations (1994-2000)

In the fall of 1994, the first issue of the Lucasfilm magazine Star Wars Insider introduced the idea of the Star Wars canon. "Gospel" or canon, according to Production Editor Sue Rostoni and Continuity Editor Allan Kausch, includes screenplays, movies, radio dramas, and novelizations that are all based on George Lucas' original stories. The collection of published works formed a huge mythological history with several offshoots and changes, and other works written by different authors were also seen as part of the continuity.

Bill Slavicek introduced a classification system for classifying Star Wars content in March 1994 in his second edition of A Guide to the Star Wars Universe. About seventy additional works, including The Thrawn Trilogy and Dark Empire, were classified as "officially licensed sources," while the Original Trilogy and its adaptations were regarded as "original Lucasfilm sources." These sources might not always support George Lucas' galaxy theory.

Lucas acknowledged the contributions of other authors while reflecting on how the Star Wars universe had expanded beyond his original work in the 1994 reissue of Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Although his films only told one tale, he said, others were using the universe he had created as inspiration to make many more.

Mark Cotta Vaz's 1996 book The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire established the concept of two distinct canons: a timeline produced by Lucasfilm's continuity editors and a core canon made up of scripts and novelizations. Allan Kausch explained that although the continuity team kept a "Canon" of significant occurrences and character timelines, more ancillary content, such as the classic Marvel Comics, was not necessarily included in continuity.

This distinction was further codified in Stephen J. Sansweet's The Star Wars Encyclopedia in 1998, which emphasized that the Special Edition of the Original Trilogy and approved adaptations such as comics, radio dramas, and novels were canon. In addition to these, other works were categorized as "quasi-canon."

While retaining creative control over his films, George Lucas was unable to supervise the entire growing Star Wars universe, as he explained in the August/September 1999 issue of Star Wars Insider.

Establishing a Canon Hierarchy (2000-2008)

To develop an internal database for the Lucas Licensing Publishing division, the Holocron, Lucasfilm hired Leland Chee in January 2000. In order to catalog and arrange all Star Wars fictional components, this database superseded the earlier "bibles" and introduced a hierarchical framework with several levels of canon. A cannon field was added for each source and entry. The term "G" canon referred to the original canon of George Lucas, which included the six Star Wars movies as well as unreleased internal memos from Lucas or the production crew. In contrast to the "S" canon, which denoted works produced prior to Lucasfilm guaranteeing internal consistency in the Expanded Universe, the "C" canon, which stood for continuity, included licensed assets like the majority of the Expanded Universe. Apparent inconsistencies were the only exceptions to the "N" canon for non-continuity.

Sansweet further explained the difference between canon and quasi-canon in an April 2000 post on the official Star Wars forums. The message emphasized that the films were the sole genuine canon while mentioning several levels of canon.

Star Wars Gamer's fourth issue, published in June 2001, covered what was deemed canon in the Star Wars world. Afterward, Sue Rostoni described canon as an authoritative list of books put together by editors from Lucas Licensing in Star Wars Gamer issue 6 (août 2001). As long as it didn't conflict with or undercut George Lucas' movies and screenplays, the intention was to provide a cohesive and ongoing history of the Star Wars galaxy.

When questioned on August 17, 2001, about what constituted canon, Sansweet cited a comment by Christopher Cerasi that emphasized that the films represented absolute canon or the central narrative of Star Wars. Despite minor variations brought about by the writing process, novelizations remained primarily faithful to Lucas' original vision. Further away from the films, he admitted, there was more excellent space for interpretation and conjecture, allowing for artistic diversity in many media.

Star Wars Insider's August 2001 issue 57 restated that the movies were the only authentic and definitive source.

George Lucas stated that he had no intentions for a third trilogy in an interview from 2001 that Cinemascape published in July 2002. He also noted that any further development of the saga would take place inside properties that were under license. He talked of two different "worlds" or "parallel universes": his world, which included the movies, and the other world, which he called the literary, video game, and comic book licensing world. Since his films focused on a particular era and licensed properties filled in the gaps, he pointed out that these two universes did not cross.

A debate concerning canon erupted on the official Star Wars forums in May 2003 following the announcement in Star Wars Insider issue 68 that David West Reynolds' Incredible Cross-Sections books would be included in the canon. Lucasfilm's canon, which encompassed all of the company's output (movies, books, video games, and online content), was distinguished from cinematic canon, which was limited to the films themselves by Leland Chee. In addition, Sue Rostoni admitted that although the canon could be perplexing, it had a distinct order, with radio dramas, novelizations, and movies at the top.

According to Rostoni's June 2004 confirmation, George Lucas does not usually contribute ideas to the Expanded Universe. He saw it as distinct from his Star Wars and only examined narrative themes or ideas when they concerned delicate subjects or characters he had created.

When asked if the C-canon and G-canon were separate canons, Chee said in August 2004 that they were part of the same general continuity.

George Lucas reaffirmed in an August 2005 interview with Starlog magazine that he did not read Expanded Universe material, reaffirming his earlier claims regarding the two distinct worlds or universes and pointing out that there might be discrepancies between the Expanded Universe and the movies.

Chee explained in December 2005 that although the Expanded Universe did not constrain Lucas, he was amenable to incorporating aspects of it, such as Aayla Secura and the term "Coruscant."

Chee confirmed that there were two canonical continuities—one based only on the movies and another that incorporated the Expanded Universe—in response to a fan discussion in November 2006. He pointed out that it would be unfair to ignore either group so fans could choose which continuity they liked.

Additionally, Chee explained that Cerasi's metaphor of "foggy windows" did not apply to film-only continuity but rather to the Expanded Universe's and the films' combined history. The film-only canon did not include anything that was not in the current versions of the movie.

Six Canon Levels, Three Pillars, and Two Different Perspectives (2008-2014)

The topic of canon was brought up by Lucas Licensing President Howard Roffman in February 2008 when he was talking about the marketing plan for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series. He underlined that the corporation has upheld a distinct branding strategy for the previous ten years, making sure that all content added to the entire body of Star Wars knowledge while maintaining the narrative's coherence under the Star Wars epic.

George Lucas explained his views on Star Wars canon at the ShoWest conference in March 2008. He didn't think the tale went beyond the arc of Anakin Skywalker. Lucas acknowledged that after Episode VI, there were books with characters like Luke Skywalker, but he said that these belonged to the "licensing world," which was distinct from his vision. He distinguished three separate "worlds": his own, the world of licensing, and the world of fans. He emphasized that there are times when these worlds don't coincide.

Lucas further developed this concept in May 2008 when he compared the Star Wars franchise to the Christian Trinity, citing three "pillars": the fans as the Holy Ghost, Howard Roffman as the son, and Lucas as the father. He pointed out that even if these pillars don't always line up, he still has authority over the films and television programs. He framed the story as Darth Vader's tragedy and reaffirmed that there would be no more feature films after Episode VI.

Lucas reiterated in other interviews, including one with the Los Angeles Times on May 7, that Star Wars concluded with Return of the Jedi and that there was no more tale to be told beyond the Skywalker family's redemption narrative.

Lucasfilm historian Leland Chee stated on May 8, 2008, that The Clone Wars TV series would have the same level of canon as the movies but would not be included in the Expanded Universe. He explained that TV shows were part of the T-canon, which was distinct from the Expanded Universe and shared the same "pillar" as Lucas' movies.

Lucas restated the extent of his responsibilities in September 2008's Star Wars Insider issue 104, which stated that he was in charge of the movies and TV series while the licensing department was in charge of the books, video games, and other content. It became more apparent how the Expanded Universe differed from Lucas' original works.

The Clone Wars supervising director, Dave Filoni, clarified in December 2008 that Lucas considered his movies, the animated series, and the next live-action TV series to be part of the canonical canon. Filoni often looked to Expanded Universe content, but he let Lucas decide what might be included.

Filoni highlighted the distinction between Expanded Universe stories and Lucas' canon in 2009. For instance, the backstory of General Grievous, which was explored in the comics, was only regarded as a possibility and not as part of the official canon.

Clone Wars author Henry Gilroy explained that while the Expanded Universe brought in a lot of new concepts, only Lucas' works were regarded as authentic canon; everything else was categorized as part of the Expanded Universe. His efforts superseded any previously created EU content.

Daniel Wallace discussed the distinctiveness of the Star Wars canon in 2010, in contrast to other properties, such as Batman, which have several canons across various media. Lucas could override anything in the Star Wars publishing universe.

Expanded Universe author Pablo Hidalgo likened the premiere of The Clone Wars in November 2010 to the 1999 debut of the Prequel Trilogy. Both were regarded as Lucas' final versions of the Star Wars universe, which occasionally clashed with the Expanded Universe.

In an October 2011 interview with SciFiNow, Lucas stated that he saw The Clone Wars as a continuation of the movies, merely a new medium for narrating more expansive tales, but all a part of the same overall plot.

In 2011, Leland Chee clarified the difference between Lucas' vision—which included the movies and The Clone Wars—and Lucas Licensing's vision, which oversaw the Expanded Universe. These were two different viewpoints that did not always coincide.

Dave Filoni emphasized that although the Expanded Universe might inspire the canonical canon, it remained distinct from Lucas' direct works in Star Wars Insider issue 134, which was released in June 2012. Although the TV series' writing process frequently drew inspiration from the EU, there were notable differences between published materials and the visual medium.

Pablo Hidalgo reiterated in The Essential Reader's Companion in October 2012 that the movies and television series in which George Lucas had a direct hand were the most definitive canon.

The Disney Era: Redefining Canon and Introducing Legends (2014-present)

On October 30, 2012, Walt Disney announced that it would acquire Lucasfilm; the sale was completed on December 21 of the same year. On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm changed the Expanded Universe's name to Legends in anticipation of upcoming Star Wars movies. From that point on, the word "canon" only applied to George Lucas' original plan, which included the six original films and the Clone Wars seasons that he created himself. It also covered all of Lucasfilm's post-acquisition films, TV shows, books, comics, toys, and video games.

The six original films, books that correspond with the on-screen content, The Clone Wars TV series and film, and Part I of the short novella Blade Squadron are the only previously published works that are still regarded as canon following this ruling.

The new canon includes all Marvel Star Wars comics and books beginning with A New Dawn, as well as any content published after April 25, 2014, including Star Wars Rebels. The recently formed Lucasfilm Story Group currently oversees this continuity. Although their prior tales are no longer canon, characters from the Legends universe are still usable.

Leland Chee first proposed the tiered canon concept in the early 2000s, and on September 29, 2018, Matt Martin of the Lucasfilm Story Group declared on Twitter that it was no longer in use. When it comes to contradictions, however, The Clone Wars and Episodes I–VI continue to have the highest degree of canonical status.

Howard Roffman talked about Lucasfilm's former canon approach in March 2018, stating that the team's goal was to maintain consistency between all content and the films that were deemed canon. However, as the inventor, George Lucas frequently made modifications that created an alternate universe by overriding the offshoot fiction and game program.

Roffman also pointed out that Lucas had the last word in disputes that developed between the Expanded Universe and new material, although there were regular discussions under his leadership. Now, everything is under the supervision of one committee, allowing for the maintenance of a single canon.

It has been challenging to maintain a cohesive canon produced by several authors and filmmakers. For instance, the events portrayed in the Battle of Kaller comic series Star Wars: Kanan are directly at odds with the premiere of The Bad Batch, which is named "Aftermath." In his May 7, 2021, response to this disparity, Pablo Hidalgo proposed that fans see canon as similar to a history textbook that embellishes events for the media in which they are given.

Notable Exceptions

Although they were published after April 25, 2014, the following content is not considered to be part of the canon of Star Wars:

• The video game Star Wars: The Old Republic
• LEGO Media and merchandise related to Star Wars
• The 2012–2021 Darth Vader and Son television series
• Short stories about The Old Republic that were posted on the developer's blog
• Star Wars Comic UK issues #5–#13 (2014) featured comic strips.
• The 2014 Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars television special
• Issues 17–20 of Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars (2013)
• The comic miniseries Star Wars: Rebel Heist (2014)
• The Jedi Academy series in Star Wars
• Issues 15–18 of Star Wars: Legacy, Volume 2, 2014
• A Commander's Guide to Star Wars: Imperial Handbook (2014)
• RPG add-ons from Fantasy Flight Games that combine Legends and canon
• 2016's Star Wars: Graphics
• The television series Star Wars: Visions and its spinoffs
• Marvel's original Star Wars comic series' hundred and eighth issue (2019)

Canon Classification Within the Holocron Continuity Database

In order to monitor and categorize Star Wars canon, Lucas Licensing assigned Leland Chee the responsibility of developing the Holocron continuity database in 2000. Every element in the database was assigned a letter grade that indicated its degree of canonicity: G, T, C, S, N, or D. The G-, T-, C-, S-, N-, and D-canons were the various canon levels to which the letters were unofficially applied.

G-canon, which reflected George Lucas's idea of Star Wars, was the highest degree. The term "T-canon" alluded to television shows like The Clone Wars. S-canon represented secondary material, frequently older content, whereas C-canon included the majority of Expanded Universe works. The canceled Star Wars Detours animated series was referred to as D-canon, while non-canon content was designated as N-canon.

In order to conform to more recent G-canon content, some Expanded Universe aspects were either retconned or promoted to C-canon over time.

The Relationship Between Canon and Video Games

The plots of some games are canonical, whereas those of others are not. Sourcebooks created for Star Wars roleplaying games, like Bill Slavicek's Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, were regarded as belonging to the official canon that Lucas Licensing maintained.

Only specific narratives were regarded as canonical in decision-based games, such as Knights of the Old Republic or Dark Forces/Jedi Knight, where players may select between various possible fates. While the Legends material cleared some of these questions, many were purposefully left unanswered.