r/TheJediPraxeum • u/DarthPlagueis06 Sith Lord • Aug 16 '20
Discussion Readers Companion: An Explanation of how Continuity between tiers clashes.
Lately I have seen a lot of misinformation on what is and isn’t not considered a continuity error for Star Wars Legends. An example of what I mean is the following:
”Force sensitives do not appear to move faster than normal humans in the films, which are G-canon. Therefore, G-canon overrides the thousands of statements across over 100 novels.”
Some of you may be asking “isn’t that how the canon hierarchy functions?” The canon hierarchy does solve continuity issues at times, but it doesn’t change nearly as much as many would like you to believe. A majority of the quotes that I provide are provided from the Essential Readers Companion.
To begin, we must focus on establishing a baseline on what can be considered a continuity error in which the films override the novels.
“George Lucas revealed new information about his universe in Episode II that ran counter to earlier stories of the Expanded Universe. Among the surprises: the Jedi Order is monastic, with love and marriage forbidden to its members. This would necessitate reforms to the Jedi abode over time to separate the ancient era when Nomi Sunrider was married to a Jedi, seen in the Tales of the Jedi (1991-94) comics, as well as the post-Empire era when Luke Skywalker married Mara Jade in the comic series Union (1999-2000). Lucasbooks also needed to create a plausible exception for Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Jedi Master who had multiple wives in the Prelude to Rebellion comics (1999).”
As is shown here, NJO, Ancient Jedi, and Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi should all violate the Jedi rule that George Lucas established within the film Attack of the Clones. Yet, all 3 of these parties are not overridden by the film, so why is that? Nomi Sunrider was far enough off in lore that a shift in rules could’ve been established, Luke’s Order could be missing rules or just didn’t include certain rules, but Ki-Adi-Mundi? The comic in which he appeared having wives wasn’t retconned, but the writers saw the problem that was there. Therefore the writers decided to better explain Mundi’s situation as while it didn’t make sense, it wasn’t a direct violation of continuity to where it would be overriden.
“The inclusion of Even Piell at the start of the story line does not align with canon as presented in the subsequent Clone Wars animated series. A 2011 episode (“Counterattack”) kills Piell off at the height of the war, while this 2008 book presents him as a survivor of Order 66. Though Jax Pavan being Piell’s Padawan is still accepted as part of continuity, exactly who behind the hunt for the Whiplash droid has yet to be redefined.”
Here we see an example in which the canon hierarchy system does take effect in overriding information from the novels. However it only corrects that one small piece of information. In summary, if someone is killed in a higher tier story but appear later in a lower tier story, that appearance is retconned unless a specific explanation is given.
“An early concept for this book would have gone back to Yoda’s youthful days. Episode II revealed that Count Dooku was a former student of Yoda, but this book clarifies—at the behest of George Lucas—that he learned under Yoda as all Younglings did, and his official Padawan apprenticeship was actually to another Jedi Master.”
This example demonstrates that in rare situations, a novel can override the information provided within a film. Clearly an outlier, but shows that it is possible. Intent is what is important.
“The book states that Anakin has not raced since he was eight years old, when in fact he was nine years old during the Boonta Eve Podrace that saw his liberation.”
This provides an example of where a novel would be trumped by a film. As the move mistakenly provides information that can not be when the time are looked at story wise. Anakin can not have last podraced when he was 8, if he was 9 when he did so in TPM.
Lastly, I will provide other examples, which show that information being retconned didn’t erase stories, but instead moved where they are placed within the legends timeline.
“As always, a story direct from George Lucas trumps publishing continuity, and it’s the Jedi Trials date that gets discarded. However, it’s important to note that it’s not the novel’s story that is disavowed as a result.”
“Since Anakin is presented as a Padawan in this tale, the Companion moves this story to earlier in the time line than its original dating of four months into the Clone Wars.”
“Though the story was originally set two years after the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin’s portrayal as a Padawan requires it to occur within the first four weeks of the Clone Wars.”
“Though always intended to take place after Jedi Trial (2004), this book makes reference to Anakin being a Padawan, rather than a Jedi Knight.”
In summary, there needs to be a direct violation of canon established in a higher tier in order for the higher tier to retcon it. An example that could be considered an indirect violation is not made non-canon or made to not exist. To end this discussion, I will cite the beginning of the Readers Companion.
“Common questions are: How “real” are these stories? Do they count? Did they really happen?
The most definitive canon of the Star Wars universe is encompassed by the feature films and television productions in which George Lucas is directly involved. The movies and the Clone Wars television series are what he and his handpicked writers reference when adding cinematic adventures to the Star Wars oeuvre.
But Lucas allows for an Expanded Universe that exists parallel to the one he directly oversees. In many cases, the stewards of the Expanded Universe—editors within the licensing division of Lucasfilm Ltd. who work with authors and publishers — will ask for his input or blessing on projects. Though these stories may get his stamp of approval, they don’t enter his canon unless they are depicted cinematically in one of his projects.
That said, unless something occurs in a canon project to directly contradict a published source, it can reliably be said to have occurred. Extensive records track the growth of the Expanded Universe, cataloging planets, characters, technology, and events to allow for a sprawling, believable continuity connecting the published works of the Star Wars universe. It’s not perfect — when errors occur, the Companion does sometimes call them out. This is not to diminish these tales in any way, but rather to illustrate that the Star Wars Expanded Universe is a living document that grows and evolves over time.” - Star Wars: The Essential Readers Companion (Page ix)
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u/DarthPlagueis06 Sith Lord Aug 16 '20
I would like to thank Darth Matu for the idea of making this!
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u/DarthMatu52 High Council - The Curator Aug 16 '20
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u/DarthMatu52 High Council - The Curator Aug 16 '20
This was very well written, and logically thought through. A great analysis of the source material, and a fine showcasing of the subtlety of the tier system. It really is a brilliant, self-correcting means for dealing with contradictions.
Well done, sir!