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'Gospel,' or canon as we refer to it, includes the screenplays, the films, the radio dramas and the novelisations. These works spin out of George Lucas' original stories, the rest are written by other writers. However, between us, we've read everything, and much of it is taken into account in the overall continuity. The entire catalog of published works comprises a vast history -- with many off-shoots, variations and tangents -- like any other well-developed mythology.

There's been some confusion of late regarding the 'Infinities' symbol, and Star Wars Expanded Universe continuity in general. Terms like "canon" and "continuity" tend to get thrown around casually, which doesn't help at all.

When it comes to absolute canon, the real story of Star Wars, you must turn to the films themselves - and only the films. Even novelizations are interpretations of the film, and while they are largely true to George Lucas' vision (he works quite closely with the novel authors), the method in which they are written does allow for some minor differences. The novelizations are written concurrently with the film's production, so variations in detail do creep in from time to time. Nonetheless, they should be regarded as very accurate depictions of the fictional Star Wars movies.

The further one branches away from the movies, the more interpretation and speculation come into play. LucasBooks works diligently to keep the continuing Star Wars expanded universe cohesive and uniform, but stylistically, there is always room for variation. Not all artists draw Luke Skywalker the same way. Not all writers define the character in the same fashion. The particular attributes of individual media also come into play. A comic book interpretation of an event will likely have less dialogue or different pacing than a novel version. A video game has to take an interactive approach that favors gameplay. So too must card and roleplaying games ascribe certain characteristics to characters and events in order to make them playable.

The analogy is that every piece of published Star Wars fiction is a window into the 'real' Star Wars universe. Some windows are a bit foggier than others. Some are decidedly abstract. But each contains a nugget of truth to them. Like the great Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi said, 'many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view.'

Returning to the question at hand. Yes, Star Wars Gamer is part of continuity, though as game material, there is room for interpretation. Only specific articles marked with the 'Infinities' logo within the magazine should be considered out of continuity.

Fans of the old monthly Marvel Star Wars comic will be heartened to know that LucasBooks does indeed consider them part of continuity. Decades of retrospect haven't been kind to all the elements of the comic series, but the characters and events still hold weight and are referenced in newer material whenever possible.

In order to allow unlimited freedom of storytelling, the Infinities label has been placed on the anthology series, Star Wars Tales. This means that not only can the stories occur anywhere in the Star Wars timeline, but stories can happen outside continuity. Basically, if an event happens in Tales, it may not have necessarily happened in the rest of the expanded universe. For some stories, the distinction is largely inconsequential. For others, it's the only way they could exist (for example, there's a Darth Vader vs. Darth Maul comic coming soon).

Canon refers to an authoritative list of books that the Lucas Licensing editors consider an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as that history does not conflict with, or undermine the meaning of Mr. Lucas's Star Wars saga of films and screenplays. Things that Lucas Licensing does not consider official parts of the continuous Star Wars history show an Infinities logo or are contained in Star Wars Tales. Everything else is considered canon

There's my world, which is the movies, and there's this other world that has been created, which I say is the parallel universe - the licensing world of the books, games and comic books. They don't intrude on my world, which is a select period of time, [but] they do intrude in between the movies. I don't get too involved in the parallel universe.

Request: anyone have the Star Wars Encyclopedia Sansweet quote?

The first two Incredible Cross-Sections books were conceived to explore bold new territory in the Star Wars universe, taking a rare look inside more vehicles and vessels than we had ever seen before, and doing in in unprecidented detail. These books would represent the most thorough research ever done on these vehicles and would receive Lucasfilm's formal imprimatur as canon. These volumes would henceforth be sent out to licensees as reference guides and would become useful manuals for Industrial Light & Magic, where some of the artwork influenced details in Episodes I and II.

It wasn't long after I began writing Star Wars that I realized the story was more than a single film could hold. As teh saga of Skywalkers and Jedi Knights unfolded, I began to see it as a tale that could take at least nine films to tell--three trilogies--and I realized, in making my way thoruhg the back story and after story, that I was really setting out to write the middle story.

After Star Wars was released, it became apparent that my story--however many films it took to tell--was only one of thousands that could be told about the characters who inhabit its galaxy. But these were not stories that I was destined to tell. Instead they would spring from the imagination of other writers, inspired by the glimpse of a galaxy that Star Wars provided. Today it is an amazing, if unexpected, legacy pf Star Wars that so many gifted writers are contributing new stories to the Saga. This legacy began with Splinter of the Mind's Eye, published less than a year after the release of Star Wars. Written by Alan Dean Foster, a well-known and talented science-fiction author, Splinter was promoted as a "further adventure" of Luke Skywalker. It hit the bookstores just as I was preparing to write my own "further adventure" of Luke, in the form of a script entitled The Empire Strikes Back.

It seems only fitting, after all these years, that Splinter would be republished as I prepare once again to write another further adventure set a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

[signed George Lucas]

Things that Lucas Licensing does not consider official parts of the continuous Star Wars history show an Infinities logo or are contained in Star Wars Tales. Everything else is considered canon.

Mr Sansweet's quote does not in fact contradict Miss Rostoni's. Both quotes emphasize the primacy of the films themselves, and then communicate, together with the Insider quote, the concept that other sources' validity is dependent upon how well they reflect the films (the immediate family of materials consequently rank highest).

The chief difficulty is the two different, though related, definitions of "canon". Mr Sansweet appears to be using "canon" in the Biblical sense, i.e., the list of books of the Bible formally recognised as Divinely inspired. In this sense, it is correct to call other sources "quasi-canonical", as it correctly communicates the idea that they are correct and valid insofar as they do not contradict the "canonical" sources ("quasi-" means "to some degree" or "in some manner").

Miss Rostoni, however, appears to be using "canon" in the literary sense, i.e., a list of books by an author accepted as authentic. In this sense, "canon" does not imply a greater or lesser degree of evidential weight or authority; rather, it simply recognizes the authenticity of the Expanded Universe as part of the genuine story of Star Wars. Notice that she makes the same distinction as has always been made -- the Expanded Universe is authoritative insofar as it does not contradict or undermine Mr Lucas's works.

Publius

The preface to David West Reynolds's article says that Lucasfilm gave its "formal imprimatur" of canon to the ICS books he wrote, and did so for at least one of them back in '99.... It seems to go against everything Sansweet and Cerasi said in 2001, and the official site's placement of the books in the EU section.

“Perhaps your confusion is with the meaning of Lucasfilm. 'Lucasfilm canon' refers to anything produced by any of the Lucas companies, whether it be movies, books, games, or internet. 'Movie canon' is only that which you see and hear in the Star Wars films.”

How long ago is a long time ago? And how far is the galaxy that’s far, far away? Was this ever decided or is the concept just left open to our imagination?

“Unlike hard science fiction such as Star Trek, where the action clearly stems from a civilization on our own planet and takes place in a definable future, Star Wars is a fantasy. As such, it doesn’t have to obey any of the laws of physics, of space, or time. George Lucas deliberately left it vague and open to fan speculation--that’s part of the fun of Star Wars. It’s other-worldly, yet somehow familiar. It’s futuristic, yet somehow anachronistic.

George could answer a lot of the fans’ specific questions, either in the films or spin-off fiction, but deliberately doesn’t. Some of the answers are in his notes and binders, others are in his head. But speculation, he believes, is healthy. It helps to create a broader, denser Star Wars galaxy and gives fans more of a sense of ownership--rightly so.

Being less restrictive also lets individual’s creative juices flow and pushes their imaginations. Over the years Star Wars films and spin-offs have inspired creativity and creative careers in countless men and women all over the world.”

We have never disavowed the existence of Marvel comics. We have, whenever feasible, included important events and characters from the Marvel comics in our other products. Some of the Marvel storylines before anyone knew what would happen in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Obviously, in many places, those films contradicted what had happened in the comics. Which ones are more important? The films, of course.

However, Lucasfilm recognizes the creativity and diversity within the Marvel comics, and feels that there is a place within the Star Wars universe for non-continuity events. You'll notice that books recognized as Star Wars canon are marked with Era symbols (so you'll know where they fall within the Star Wars timeline). The non-continuity books (at this point, the Dark Horse Star Wars Tales and Infinities: A New Hope comics) will soon be marked with a non-continuity symbol. Elements from Marvel which do not tread upon that which has been established in the films, novels, comics, et cetera, are being integrated into official Star Wars canon because we like them, they're cool, the aliens will be fun to use in the RPG, and, well, we were just feeling a bit nostalgic. After all, it's been over 20 years!

Canon refers to an authoritative list of books that the Lucas Licensing editors consider an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as that history does not conflict with, or undermine the meaning of Mr Lucas's Star Wars saga of films and screenplays.

"So how did Anakin get that scar, George?" asks John Knoll

"I don't know. Ask Howard," says George, referring to President of Lucas Licensing Howard Roffman. "That's one of those things that happens in the novels between the movies. I just put it there. He has to explain how it got there. I think Anakin got it slipping in the bathtub, but of course, he's not going to tell anybody that."

Over the last couple of days, I've been chatting plot points with Jonathan Rinzler, visiting Senior Editor from LucasBooks. More than most of the crew, we tend to think about the ramifications of the Episode III plot, and how it sends ripples throughout the fictional galaxy. As the editor of the future Visual Dictionary and other sourcebooks to be spun out of Episode III, he needs to keep in mind the big picture. Keeping abreast of Expanded Universe developments is also part of my job.

This conversation reminds me of the inevitable Expanded Universe / movie canon debates that always pop up online. I've always considered such arguments a waste of time for the most part (it's all fictional, after all), but I do respect that the stability of the universe's continuity does mean a great deal to many fans. With that in mind, here's a heads up for future debaters.

For Expanded Universe-is-canon proponents, the inclusion of a character, vehicle designs and other concept art created or expanded in literature will add fuel to their arguments. For those movie purists who like to counter with pointing out (apparent) contradictions, there's at least two lines of dialogue -- one dealing with the Jedi Council, the other with the Republic -- that will require some creative interpretation to make the universe one big happy place again.

pg. 36: To guide Jenssen and Chasemore, Lucy Wilson, Lucas Licensing's director of publishing, recommended me [David West Reynolds] for the project in 1997, with the assignment of analyzing all preceding Star Wars references, resolving discrepancies, and generating new ideas to fill out the vehicles' detail like never before. Wilson wanted the books to be absolutely definitive. To do that would require access to Lucasfilm's photo library, unpublished set blueprints, filming models in the Lucasfilm Archives, and interviews with ILM artists."

Long after the original Incredible Cross-Sections book revolutionized Star Wars "nonfiction", Dorling Kindersley continues to publish amazing resources revealing the secrets of vehicles, equipment, and locations. The latest offering is Inside The Worlds of Star Wars Attack Of The Clones: The Complete Guide to the Incredible Locations from Episode II. Illustrated by the veteran team of Richard Chasemore and Hans Jenssen, this was written by series editor Simon Beecroft, in consultation with Dr. Curtis Saxton.

While this book deals with locations rather than vehicles, the challenge remains the same, in Beecroft's words: "to accurately rationalize what's seen in the film and then extend the universe that little further." Many locations in the Star Wars galaxy are nothing if not big. Fortunately, the artists were prepared for the challenge. "One thing they've learned: never to underestimate the scale of the task," says Beecroft. "Richard and Hans put in hundreds and hundreds of hours doing a vehicles book. For a locations book, they must double that, at least. Some of these artworks are just enormous: look at the Geonosian Droid Factory or the Outlander Club."

As Richard [Chasemore] and Hans [Jenssen] got into the Star Wars universe, they became more comfortable creating new elements. Richard produced the cross-section of Slave I almost entirely on his own, for example. By the time of the Episode I book, I was contributing mainly conceptual guidance and occasional details on ship layouts. It’s a testament to the Star Wars sensibility that Hans and Richard developed that their work eventually was referenced by the Production Art Department and ILM. During the Episode II Cross-Sections book project, Richard asked concept design supervisor Doug Chiang about the weapon systems on Episode II's Slave I. Doug told him, "You should know, you put them there." ILM had followed Richard's illustration in creating the digital Slave I.

In the background stand Senator Po Nudo and his aide in returning costumes from Episode II. I'll never look at the Aqualish quite the same since I've found out that Nick Gillard has taken to calling them "beavers," inspired by their prolific dental appendages. Also in the background are Passel Argente and his aide, Denaria Kee, although they have new costumes. I'm surprised to see Denaria identified as such on the call sheet, since that name was established in the Episode II Visual Dictionary and not by Production. During Production, the aide had the jokey name of Twink Kee.

Q: Was George Lucas involved?

Ultimately everything in the Star Wars literature is inspired by or deduced from the work of George Lucas. Hans, Richard and I had no direct contact with him. However the important people at LF Licensing meet with Lucas frequently and they were able to obtain answers to questions raised during the development of our book. For example, I understand that the planet Rothana was named in an intervention by George Lucas.

We introduced lots of fun stuff, including but not restricted to:
* Cameo by the young Senator Greyshade.
* Checking that the gunships would fit out the hatches in the transport ships (they didn't fit according to the first animatics we saw).
* Why and how the Trade Federation core ships were landed.
* The meaning of the "cog" logo of the Galactic Republic, and some other pre-Republic history which could not be printed: concerning the Bendu Monks who evolved into the Jedi and the Unification Wars that formed the Republic.
* Painstaking fixes to the paradoxes of the Delta-7 Aethersprite: how the droid was able to fit, and how "a fighter that size" could get into "deep space on its own."

If your experience with Star Wars has been just the movies, you're only getting a fraction of the entire tale. Since the start, the Star Wars saga has been expanded through novels, comics, and games. Here you'll find news on the latest releases, interviews with your favorite authors and artists, and much more.

Discrepencies...tend to favor the more recent source...Most recently published (or in some cases, yet-to-be-published.) We definitely wouldn't want to ignore outright anything said previously and we try to reconcilliate any apparent discrepancies whenever possible

a clarification is needed if the C and G level are separated, i.e. do they form independent canon or are both part of the overall continuity?

There is one overall continuity.

DR: How much of a role did George Lucas play in shaping
the series (the New Jedi Order)?

LW (Lucy Wilson, director of publishing, Lucasfilm):
George Lucas has been involved in all of the spin-off Star Wars publishing, but only on big concepts or plot points . The initial five-year NJO plot outline and early thoughts on who might die were sent to him in the form of a Q&A memo and subsequently discussed by phone.

SS (Shelly Shapiro, Editorial director, Del Ray Books):
We didn’t get George’s permission to kill Chewie in particular: Chewie was simply not one of the characters George said we could not kill.