I'm not entirely sure why, but MO has requested that I opine on the issues in this thread.

Unlike him, I do not think that most of the EU is, in his words, "freaking awesome"; I think much of it is poorly-written pulp (I'm not here to trash anything, though, so I won't belabor the point). I do completely agree with him on the issue of the disclaimer, though. The EU is purely the interpretation of the author, and should be taken with a grain of salt, no matter how difficult that is. It is not authoritative.

My own philosophy with respect to the EU will be considered heresy by many, I'm sure. I call it Personal Canon. If I like an element of the EU, I accept it; if not, it gets thrown on the proverbial ash heap of history.

I despise the idea of retconing; errors in continuity should be caught before publishing, and changing the facts (the equivalent of historical revisionism) after they happen is anathema to me. That said, there are so many continuity issues in play that something should be done about them. But for fans to expect anything at all is ludicrous. If people are that invested in Star Wars, they have misplaced priorities. And if you don't like something, reject it -- either ignore it from the standpoint of the story, or in an economic sense (stop buying SW). Star Wars (and by extension Lucas) does not owe anyone anything at all.

---

"In tax, as in comedy, timing matters." -- Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski in Paracchi v. Commissioner, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1998. 143 F.3d 487.

I do get frustrated by the attitude that George Lucas is The Creator and can do whatever he likes with Star Wars.

That "attitude" has been around, in print, for many years. At least two decades. Read this disclaimer.

I agree that much of the EU out there is freaking awesome, but it is simply an interpretation, whereas Lucas' vision is authoritative. That's how it's always been, that's how it always will be. The fact that readers have, over the years, developed the opinion that Lucas has no right to make adjustments that may affect the Expanded Universe is irrelevant.

That was brought up when the episode aired, and while they confirmed that the show was canonically the first time the characters in TCW froze themselves, they haven't provided an explanation for Shipyards of Doom. Presumably, it just takes place after the episodes.

Spot on!

Any confirmations about these characters?

• Garnac (the Trandoshan leader?)
• Lagon, another Trandoshan, but which one ...

• Ratter
• Katt Mol
• Clutch
• Sochek
• Goron

QFT.

We fans sometimes get a completely incorrect sense of entitlement. LFL puts out great stories, and as a result we choose to buy them. If some fans believe that the quality has decreased to below their standards (which is possible and fair), then the best thing to do is NOT BUY THE PRODUCT. LFL does not force anyone to buy anything, or watch their movies or TV shows. The single best way to protest bad Star Wars is not to consume bad Star Wars.

I personally enjoy everything that is produced, and I like the challenge of the occasional retcon. Ergo, I consume Star Wars. Should I change my mind, I am within my rights to cease consuming Star Wars.

And really, if GL wanted to, he could just as easily stop ever producing Star Wars ever again. He could liquidate all of his companies and properties and live comfortably for the rest of his life. He chooses to continue providing us with stories. And that's awesome.

---

Check out my new Column "The Star Wars Dissection" at www.eucantina.net!

I'm going to pray that that's the case. And I am not a praying man.

Eric Geller
Social Media Director, TheForce.Net/Rebelscum.com/The ForceCast
The Clone Wars Reviewer, TheForce.Net | Senior Web Editor, ForceCast.Net
Follow me on Twitter | Visit my website

That's hilarious.

*edit Even the forum thought so. A double post.

Just a heads up. There is a petition in the works calling upon LFL and GL to give EU and EU fans the respect we deserve.

More to come.

it used to seem that contradictions stemming from the movies were somewhat temporary, and didn't really represent the long-term strategy for Lucasfilm, but TCW really showed that they had no intent of stopping.

Good work yourself. The above is the summary I felt I was missing from that post. Pre-TCW the perception was one of a temporary crisis, rather than a long-term strategy. The first one can live with, the other not so much.

Incidentally, do you have the link (in old-to-new post thread format) to that obscure post that gives you hope?

http://forums.s tarwars.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7329303