For over 35 years, the Expanded Universe has enriched the Star Wars experience for fans who wanted a little something more after the movies. Lucas created a universe that sparked interest, and that made fans think long beyond just the movie experience. It’s no surprise then that there have been books, games, toys and more all spun off that initial Star Wars canon.
But StarWars.com tells us about how this Expanded Universe is set to change:
Now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments of Star Wars, all aspects ofStar 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.
“We have an unprecedented slate of new Star Wars entertainment on the horizon,” said Kennedy. “We’re set to bring Star Wars back to the big screen, and continue the adventure through games, books, comics, and new formats that are just emerging. This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before.”
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.
You can read the full piece from StarWars.com to keep up to date on all the news and be sure to watch the video below. As a Star Wars fan, what do you think about this announcement? What will this mean for the future of the Star Wars industry? Will we experience more of an Old Republic story?
In this special look at the Star Wars Expanded Universe, many of Lucasfilm’s brightest talents and authors discuss the legacy and exciting future of the company’s comics, books, and videogames.
