Over 12 years after Disney and Lucasfilm created Star Wars Legends, the franchise has created a new version of the Expanded Universe. Shortly after Disney purchased the franchise, the old Star Wars Expanded Universe of books, comics, and video games was rebranded as the non-canon Legends continuity. Disney made the decision to prioritize a clearer and more concise main canon continuity, effectively leaving decades of publishing efforts behind.
Many fans were upset with that decision. While they were never considered as canon as the main Star Wars movies, the EU’s stories were some of the franchise’s most beloved. From great characters like Mara Jade Skywalker to fantastic storylines like the Dark Empire, the Expanded Universe kept Star Wars alive for decades and became a way for countless fans to engage with the story of Star Wars, especially in the 16 years between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace.
Disney and Lucasfilm, in the 12 years since Legends was created, have focused almost entirely on Star Wars canon through dozens of shows, movies, comics, books, and games. Now, however, the franchise may be changing its approach. In 2021, the non-canon anthology series Star Wars: Visions began and gave the franchise its first non-canon series in the 21st century. Now, a spinoff of Visions is giving Star Wars an entirely new continuity to replace the Expanded Universe.
“Star Wars: Visions Presents” Is An Opportunity For A Whole New Star Wars Continuity
The upcoming series Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi is set to premiere on Disney+ on August 5, and it’s set to change the entire franchise in the process. The Ninth Jedi is a spinoff of two Visions episodes continuing the story of Lah Kara in a continuous, non-anthology series. It’s also just the first show under the new Visions Presents banner, which is intended to “allow filmmakers to tell longer-form Star Wars: Visions stories,” (via Star Wars).
This new Visions Presents banner seems to be the start of a new non-canon continuity, of sorts. Potential future Visions spinoffs won’t necessarily be connected to one another. The Village Bride and The Duel, for example, have no overt ties to one another, though they could conceivably take place at different points in the same galaxy. They should all fall under the same umbrella of non-canon stories that are inspired, written, and animated by Japanese storytellers, however.
Most importantly, future Visions Presents stories will be distinct from both canon and the Expanded Universe. They’ll fall under the umbrella term of Legends simply by being non-canon, but they don’t have any outright connections or references to EU characters or stories. It seems that Visions Presents will be the third tier of Star Wars stories, especially as more Visions spinoffs get their own standalone shows.
The decision to brand Visions Presents as its own “banner” also seems to indicate that Star Wars is ready to start experimenting with non-canon stories more. Visions was the franchise’s way of dipping its toes into non-canon stories, and Visions Presents seems to be the start of a new mini-franchise within the broader Star Wars title. Disney and Lucasfilm are embracing stories that think outside the box of canon, and to great effect.
Disney and Lucasfilm may also be using Visions Presents as a way to hedge their bets. Star Wars canon has had some major disappointments recently. The sequel trilogy was divisive, The Mandalorian and Grogu lost a significant amount of money at the box office, and live-action Star Wars shows are dwindling. Visions Presents could be a way for Star Wars to continue putting out new and fresh stories without oversaturating the canon continuity.
Will Star Wars Ever Return To The Old Expanded Universe?
With the rise of the Visions Presents continuity and a renewed focus on non-canon Star Wars stories, the biggest question that remains is whether Disney and Lucasfilm will ever return to the Expanded Universe in a meaningful way. Clearly, there’s more incentive to tell non-canon stories now than at any point in the last 12 years, and Disney is more open to the idea than ever before. Visions Presents isn’t part of the EU, though, so it remains to be seen if there’s any room for the EU in modern Star Wars.
The Expanded Universe was never fully forgotten, as Legends novels consistently get reprintings and the EU game Star Wars: The Old Republic adds new lore to the continuity almost constantly. That, however, is hardly the same as Disney making a dedicated effort to tell a Legends story. Star Wars: Visions is its own separate continuity, meaning aside from SWOTOR, there hasn’t been a new EU story in over 12 years.
Star Wars Reveals Major Change Post-Rise of Skywalker, Shifting Canon for Good
“The Ninth Jedi” is a game-changing, boundary-pushing new addition to “Star Wars” lore, opening up a wild new era in the franchise’s timeline.
Perhaps, if The Ninth Jedi and future Visions Presents stories are a hit, Disney and Lucasfilm may be persuaded to explore the Expanded Universe again. That could mean new novels building off previous stories and characters, it could mean TV or movie adaptations of existing EU storeis, or any number of possibilities. There’s a treasure trove of possibilities presented by the EU that Disney and Lucasfilm aren’t taking full advantage of; The Ninth Jedi could be the impetus to start using them again.
It’s also just as likely, however, that Star Wars won’t return to the Expanded Universe. Beloved as it was, the EU had its problems. Stories by different authors were very loosely tied together and contradicted one another constantly. Star Wars canon has already superseded several EU stories, from Luke’s offspring to the Thrawn trilogy and more. Restarting the EU now, after 12 years, would be an enormous undertaking. Only time will tell if Star Wars has room for the Expanded Universe anymore, or if the Visions Presents banner is truly replacing it.
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order