Old EU material re-instated (Possible Spoilers)

[Reverend]

Not sure if this really deserves it's own thread, but it's been touched on in other discussions these past weeks and it might be worth consolidating a little. Between the animated show and the TFA tie-in materials I've noticed a surprising amount of EU stuff being inserted into the new canon.

Most of what I've noticed seems to be straight out of KoTOR & KoTOR 2. From the ancient style transports in 'Rebels' to Malachor being linked to Kylo Ren's sabre design and the most recent thing I spotted while looking through the Visual Dictionary: one of the senators seen on Hosnian Prime is being officially labelled as "Andrithal Robb-Voti of Taris".

I haven't kept up with all the new books an comics, so as a matter of interest how about we use this thread to log and keep track of any EU related sightings? Also, any theories on what else might be reintegrated? I haven't read it, but I gather one of the new novel's ends with a tease for Thrawn. Could Mara Jade be far behind?

 

[Mage]

Malachor linked to Kylo's saber? Where is that from?

 

[Reverend]

Malachor linked to Kylo's saber? Where is that from?

It's in the visual dictionary. All it says is that the design is ancient and dates back to "the Great Scourge of Malachor".

That a working example of Jedi cross-sabre (is that what we're calling them?) showed up in the new Rebels trailer, apparently amidst the ruin of some ancient Sith cataclysm makes me wonder if Malachor might actually be putting in an appearance.

 

[Mage]

Yeah, I saw the other crossguard saber in the trailer, didn't know about the Malachor link. That's kinda cool.

Not sure of some name dropping actually means the old EU is re-instated though. I think it's more a nod to the fans of the KOTOR series.

 

[dahj]

I think it's more a nod to the fans

Pretty much this. I don't think people should take these easter egg mentions of past stuff as re-instating old material, or re-canonizing it.

In regards to Thrawn and Mara Jade, I doubt they'll actually mention them. But do the fans of those storylines even want them mentioned? Because those events clearly didn't happen in this universe so at best you can get "oh there's some people with the same name here", so it's just more of a reminder that the story you read and liked never happened...

 

[Relayer1]

I gather one of the new novel's ends with a tease for Thrawn.

Can anyone give any details ? I haven't managed to overcome my utter loss of interest in the old EU during the Vong war in order to actually read any of the new stuff...

 

[Reverend]

Not sure of some name dropping actually means the old EU is re-instated though.

I'm not suggesting it will (certainly nowhere near all of it) I'm just talking about isolated elements that are being slipped in here and there and wondering if something more substantial may eventually be canonised. Like say: KoTOR. For one, it's fairly isolated in the timeline and relatively safe from contradiction and as it stands, I don't think there's anything in canon that would preclude it's inclusion.

Things like Mara Jade & Thrawn on the other hand (no pun intended) would need to be presented in a different, somewhat re-imagined context *if* they were to be re-introduced and their characters would take different paths from their EU incarnations. But I think the characters are interesting and popular enough that it'll probably happen one way or the other.

In regards to Thrawn and Mara Jade, I doubt they'll actually mention them. But do the fans of those storylines even want them mentioned? Because those events clearly didn't happen in this universe so at best you can get "oh there's some people with the same name here", so it's just more of a reminder that the story you read and liked never happened...

I'm sure there would be some who would protest, but isn't there always? Personally I'd be fine with it and I'm certainly a fan of both the characters and the Zahn authored books.
I think it would work because the characters themselves are far more interesting than the stories they were introduced in.
I could see both characters fitting rather seamlessly into 'Rebels' for instance as the show already concerns itself with Imperial agents hunting Jedi and naval officers fighting the rebellion. It matters not to me whether Jade will eventually infiltrate Jabba's palace and fall in with Talon Karrde after the Battle of Endor or that Thrawn won't eventually rally the Imperial remnant into nearly bringing down the New Republic. So long as they're faithfully characterised and used in worthwhile stories, I'm sold.

Can anyone give any details ? I haven't managed to overcome my utter loss of interest in the old EU during the Vong war in order to actually read any of the new stuff...

Like I said I haven't read it myself, but from what I gather the basic gist is that the novel in question ends with a holo-call to a mysterious Admiral and classical music can be heard in the background.
Could be utterly meaningless, but I see why some might wonder at it being Thrawn.
After all, generally speaking Imperials aren't noted for their appreciation for culture (indeed it's actively discouraged) while with Thrawn, it was a signature factor in his strategies.

 

[The Wormhole]

Can anyone give any details ? I haven't managed to overcome my utter loss of interest in the old EU during the Vong war in order to actually read any of the new stuff...

The TFA set-up novel Aftermath (which is set shortly after ROTJ) has an Imperial Moff and Admiral discussing someone who is revealed to still be alive, someone who is considered a tactical genius and could be the Empire's last hope for victory. The epilogue of the novel has the Admiral meeting with this person, a man referred to only as "the Fleet Admiral."

There are a variety of theories going around about him, some think he's Thrawn, other's think he's Snoke, others think he's a completely new character, a blank slate for Disney's novel continuity to flesh out.

 

[Corran Horn]

I've been going through as I read the 'new' canon books on my kindle and highlighting 'old EU' references as I see them.

Rey's Survival Guide had a mention of the Tierfon Yellow Aces, even.

 

[Ithekro]

The helmet she owns is from a female pilot of the Tierfon Yellow Aces.

Rebels is starting to use a lot of EU materials. KOTOR materials are being mined for designs and perhaps story elements in the near future as exploration on the distant past of both the Sith and Jedi starts happening.

Also stuff from the novels. Truce at Bakura is being reference via a Rebel carrier like the Flurry is making an appearance.

 

[Jedi_Master]

The EU has a lot of good material for the current custodians of the Star Wars franchise to use, if they wish. I hope they use the best and ignore the rest.

 

[Reverend]

That was my hope back when they first announced that they were dumping the EU continuity. That they'd cherry pick the best bits to re-insert/re-work and just leave all out the dross.

I'm curious just how much material they're going to base in the period between RotJ & TFA. Though there has already been *some*, it's mostly skirting the edges as I suspect anything more than a few years after RotJ has been basically locked off at least until the new trilogy is done.

This plus Disney's purported desire to avoid the PT-era like the plague would mean that the EU material that's applicable is rather surprisingly limited.
But then, how much from that era of the EU is worth saving? Jade, Thrawn, Karrde, Horn & Mirax are about the only original characters I can recall being at all interesting. Most of which can still appear in the OT or even pre-OT era, in a slightly younger form.
The Vong were a terrible idea, best forgotten. The Solo kids are obviously off the table (though I think there's more than a little Jaina in Rey & of course the obvious Jacen/Kylo parallel.) The original Dathomir concept has already been changed almost beyond recognition (I would argue, greatly improved.) Some lore relating ideas like the isolationist powers (the Chiss & the Hapes mostly) are perfectly serviceable as they can be transplanted into almost any era. Oh, and anything would be a better depiction of Luke training a new generation of Jedi than what we got with the KJA trilogy.

It's actually no wonder the KoTOR stuff keeps popping up as like I said, it's pretty free and clear of the core stories. Unless someone has a KOTOR era movie planned (not bloody likely) they can pretty much do as they please without worrying about directly clashing, while still being able to set down some deep lore.

 

[Kor]

I, for one, liked the "Tales of the Jedi" stuff more than KOTOR, as far as ancient SW lore goes.

For post-ROTJ, there is "Dark Empire" and its sequels, which I liked more than the Thrawn trilogy. Perhaps I am in the minority in that regard.

Kor

 

[Booji]

For post-ROTJ, there is "Dark Empire" and its sequels, which I liked more than the Thrawn trilogy. Perhaps I am in the minority in that regard.

I enjoyed the Dark Empire series more than the Zahn books as well. I never liked the characters of Thrawn, Mara Jade or Talon Karde so it's tough to then enjoy the books since those characters pretty much dominate the stories.

 

[The Wormhole]

I'm curious just how much material they're going to base in the period between RotJ & TFA. Though there has already been *some*, it's mostly skirting the edges as I suspect anything more than a few years after RotJ has been basically locked off at least until the new trilogy is done.

There's a new novel due out this spring, Bloodline, which is set six years prior to TFA.

 

[Reverend]

There's a new novel due out this spring, Bloodline, which is set six years prior to TFA.

That's surprising. I was sure they'd steer clear of that period other than direct aftermaths & preludes of episodes 6 & 7 respectively. Though now that I think about it it shouldn't be too hard to avoid touching on things reserved for the films so long as it focuses on new/peripheral characters and events.
Indeed, from what I gather Aftermath was nothing but peripheral characters and events to the point of irrelevance while 'Lost Stars' sees to revolve around two invented characters who happened to be just out of shot, but still present for almost every major event in the OT.

 

[JRoss]

I, for one, liked the "Tales of the Jedi" stuff more than KOTOR, as far as ancient SW lore goes.

For post-ROTJ, there is "Dark Empire" and its sequels, which I liked more than the Thrawn trilogy. Perhaps I am in the minority in that regard.

Kor

KotoR was a continuation of the story of TotJ. I liked them both very much. I only wish that the art for TotJ had been better.

 

[Ithekro]

There is a rumor that Admiral Thrawn might be in season three of Rebels as one of the antagonists. If so, he will be classy and blue in the least.

 

[Reverend]

KotoR was a continuation of the story of TotJ. I liked them both very much. I only wish that the art for TotJ had been better.

Kinda-sorta, but not really. Yes they take place in the same century (within 40 or 60 years IIRC) but the stories don't really relate to one another. Hardly at all in fact. The Sith we see in KoTOR are not a continuation of the Sith from TotJ. The Jedi in TotJ are almost unrecognisable compared to the KoTOR Jedi Order.

Leaving aside the significant aesthetic deviation--TotJ depicted a truly ancient, mythic looking version of the Star Wars galaxy, while KoTOR opted to deliberately evoke the movies' style--there are no shared characters, nor continued plot threads.

Originally that wasn't the case, but some rights issue prevented them from using Vima Sunrider, but as it stands they have very little in common. Indeed I suspect that the backstory was also initially intended to be much more closely linked (you can clearly see the parallels between the Sith War story with Jedi turning on their masters, Mandalorian crusaders running around etc. and what happened with the Mandalorian Wars & Revan's campaign.)
I suspect Revan & Malak were at one point envisioned as being former deciples of Exar & Ulic, who reappeared after being missing presumed dead for years. it would also mean the setting would closer in time than it ended up being (hence Bastila's role originally belonging to Vima, who was a child during TotJ and a teen by the end of TSW.)
That whole business about finding the "real" Sith Empire on Dromund Kaas and being brainwashed & sent back always felt like a massive retcon.

There is a rumor that Admiral Thrawn might be in season three of Rebels as one of the antagonists. If so, he will be classy and blue in the least.

There was also a rumour he'd be in the first season and then the second. It was just wishful thinking then and probably still is. Same goes for Mara Jade incidentally. While I'd certainly welcome it, I'd wait until something substantive comes up before I get my hopes up.

 

[Kor]

TotJ depicted a truly ancient, mythic looking version of the Star Wars galaxy

And I loved that visual depiction.

Kor