Star Wars Legends " Star Wars " Legends , formerly known as the Expanded Universe ( abbreviated EU ) , encompasses every one of the officially licensed , fictional background stories of the " Star Wars " universe , outside of the original six " Star Wars " films produced by George Lucas and certain other material such as " " , created before April 25 , 2014 . It is derived from and includes most official " Star Wars " – related , , , , , , and other media created before the date . This material expands and continues the stories told in the films , taking place anywhere from over 36 , 000 years before " The Phantom Menace " to 136 years after " Return of the Jedi " . The issue of which aspects are canon was one of the most hotly debated topics among fans . On April 25 , 2014 , Lucasfilm Ltd . announced that in preparation for the upcoming sequel trilogy , the Expanded Universe would be retconned ; past tales of the Expanded Universe will be printed under the " Star Wars " Legends banner , and a new continuity has been established that consists only of the original six films , the " " television series and film , and all future material from that point onward . Though past elements of the Expanded Universe have been declared non - canon as a whole , they remain a resource for future " Star Wars " material to reference , thus bringing these elements into the new continuity as canon . Until today , the only Legends product that is still being released is the video game " " , along with short stories published at the " Star Wars " blog . The Expanded Universe had a continuity with few wrinkles . The general rule was that nothing in the Expanded Universe was allowed to contradict any other part of the Expanded Universe or the films . The films , however , do slightly contradict the Expanded Universe on occasion , and retcon s were created in the Expanded Universe to fix these contradictions . In the absence of such " ad hoc " solutions , the EU is considered incorrect only on the " particular " points of contradiction . The Expanded Universe is actually older than the films themselves , as the was published six months before the film was released . In in - universe chronology , the earliest works are the " " comics , which are set millennia before the films , while the latest are the " " comics , which are set about one hundred and thirty years after " Return of the Jedi " . History . Early years . The early development of the Expanded Universe was sporadic and unrefined , in large part because , at this time , there was so little canon material for the creators to use as reference . The Expanded Universe is generally considered to have begun with Alan Dean Foster ' s February 1978 " Star Wars " spin - off novel , " Splinter of the Mind ' s Eye " , although technically it began in October 1977 with the story " The Keeper ' s World " , in Marvel Comics ' " Pizzazz " magazine . " Splinter " drew inspiration primarily from an early draft of the " Star Wars " script . ( Although George Lucas ' s name is on the cover of the original " Star Wars " novelization , Alan Dean Foster it . Foster was given a copy of the working script and a tour of the production . Much of the early EU material from the early 1980s contained analogies to the real world , which belied the impression that the " Star Wars " universe had no connection to Earth or our own time . Development . A turning point was reached when West End Games began publishing the " " in 1987 . In order for players of the roleplaying game to create new adventures , West End Games needed to provide supplemental material describing the " Star Wars " universe in previously unknown detail and to make it self - consistent and coherent . As an example , the Aurebesh alphabet was originally a random piece of set dressing used in " Return of the Jedi " . Stephen Crane copied those symbols and turned them into a complete and workable alphabet which would later be used in the prequel trilogy . Developing and extrapolating from details like this in a consistent fashion turned West End Games ' " Star Wars " products into a de facto reference library for other developers of the EU . Around the same time , Dark Horse Comics acquired the " Star Wars " license previously owned by Marvel and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy which began with the popular " Dark Empire " series . At the same time as " Dark Empire " ' s release in the early 1990s , Bantam Spectra published Timothy Zahn ' s " " . Widely publicized as the " sequels which were never made , " Zahn ' s novels reignited " Star Wars " fandom and sparked a revolution in " Star Wars " literature . All this development began to feed back and reference itself and create cross - connections . West End Games produced roleplaying supplements based upon Dark Horse ' s comics and Zahn ' s novels . Novelists and comic creators used West End Games ' supplements as reference material . Sequels to the novels were being published as comics and vice versa , and the scope of the Expanded Universe grew at a prodigious rate . At that point , the bulk of the Expanded Universe has detailed the " Star Wars " universe after the end of " Return of the Jedi " , as numerous topics , including the rise of the Galactic Empire , the personal histories of Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine , and the Clone Wars had been declared off - limits by George Lucas prior to the development of his prequel trilogy and related material . It was decided in the late ' 90s that using the Empire as the had become repetitive and monotonous . A new threat , the Yuuzhan Vong , was introduced in the series . Specifically , the Yuuzhan Vong first appeared in the first New Jedi Order book , " " . The EU and the prequels . Prior to the release of " " , Lucasfilm specifically prohibited development of the decades prior to " A New Hope " in the Expanded Universe . The release of Episode I , however , threw open the gates to new possibilities . Since " The Phantom Menace " was set in a time of peace , it was hard to invent any kind of threat for the to fight against . Thus most material that built on " The Phantom Menace " was set either before or during the film , rather than after . " " , on the other hand , introduced another fresh conflict — one which fans had wanted to see for twenty - five years . Aside from being explored in comics and novels , the Clone Wars were given their own animated series , " " , which led up to the release of " " . In " Star Wars : Clone Wars " , many battles throughout the galaxy are seen , with the Force shown seemingly to its full extent in feats such as Mace Windu destroying a whole droid army . The second ( 2004 ) season of the series concludes by introducing the newest villain , General Grievous , an important character in " Revenge of the Sith " . Grievous was also a main player in episodes 21 – 25 , released in 2005 and leading directly to " Revenge of the Sith " . Following the release of " Revenge of the Sith " , events between the two trilogies were elaborated upon , such as the Great Jedi Purge . In addition to adding new possibilities , the prequel trilogy contradicted a number of statements involving the Clone Wars in existing novels . In Timothy Zahn ' s Thrawn Trilogy , for example , the dates given for the war were inaccurate . This was since retconned by explaining that the dates were given using alternate calendars . Legends . On April 25 , 2014 , Lucasfilm announced that the Expanded Universe was being reorganized under the new non - canon " " Star Wars " Legends " banner to make way for a new line of continuity , led by principal projects " Star Wars Rebels " and the " Star Wars " sequel trilogy , to take shape . Certain previously published Expanded Universe material remained in print as Legends stories . The first novels reprinted under the Legends banner included " Heir to the Empire " , " The Han Solo Adventures " , " The Lando Calrissian Adventures " , " Crucible " , " Kenobi " , " " , " Death Troopers " , " " , " " , " " , and the " " compendium . While new material released on or after April 25 , 2014 is generally considered canon , a certain amount of new material has continued to be released under the " Star Wars " Legends brand . This has included such material as the concluding comics in the series the " " miniseries , comic strips published in the concluding volumes of " Star Wars Comic UK " , supplements for Fantasy Flight Games ' roleplaying system and " " . Most of those , however , ceased publication by the end of 2014 . As of 2018 , the only Legends media still being released includes the game " " with its constant updates and expansions , as well as tie - in short stories being occasionally published online in the " Star Wars " blog . In the era before the Galactic Republic , the Je ' daii Order first discovers the Force on the planet Tython , and works to better understand the mystical energy . They struggle to retain balance in the Force , and come into conflict with the marauding Rakata species . The Old Republic was the government that united the " Star Wars " galaxy under the rule of the Galactic Senate . In this era , the Jedi are numerous , and serve as guardians of peace and justice . The " Tales of the Jedi " comics series takes place in this era , chronicling the immense wars fought by the Jedi of old , and the ancient Sith . After the seemingly final defeat of the Sith , the Republic enters a state of complacency . In the waning years of the Republic , the senate was rife with corruption and scandal , and saddled with a bureaucracy so immense that effective governing was nearly impossible . The ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected Supreme Chancellor , and promised to reunite the galaxy under a New Order . The prequel trilogy takes place during this era . An outcry of resistance begins to spread across the galaxy in protest to the new Empire ' s tyranny . Cells of Rebellion fight back , and the Galactic Civil War begins . This era begins with the Rebel victory that secured the Death Star plans , and ends a year after the death of the Emperor high over the forest moon of Endor . The Rebellion starts to reform itself into a body of government , first as the Alliance of Free Planets , and later the New Republic . The original trilogy takes place during this era . Having defeated the Empire at the Battle of Endor , the Rebel Alliance must now transform itself from a militant resistance force into a functioning galactic government . As Imperial territory is reclaimed , the New Republic suffers growing pains , having to fend off insurrections , Imperial loyalists , and wayward warlords . Also , Luke Skywalker , the last of the Jedi , begins training apprentices , rebuilding the Jedi order . The Jedi Knights are now a hundred strong . The New Republic has signed a peace treaty with what little remains of the Empire . The galaxy is finally enjoying a peaceful respite from decades of war . It ' s at this time that a horrible alien menace invades the Republic from beyond known space . The Yuuzhan Vong lay waste to entire worlds in their scourge , as depicted in the novels of " " . Five years later the galaxy goes through the events of " The Dark Nest Trilogy " . The novels detail how Luke Skywalker and his New Jedi Order confront the mysterious insectoid Killiks , who are a hive - minded species intent on conquering the galaxy . Having reached peace with the Yuuzhan Vong , the newly formed Galactic Federation of Free Alliance struggles to keep itself working as a single government . But many threats from inside are joined by a danger that comes from the remains of the dark side . The new Jedi order created by Luke Skywalker faces a new era as the heirs of the Skywalker legacy grow up . Jacen Solo , perhaps the wisest of that new order , now Ben Skywalker ' s master , falls to the Dark Side and attempts to create a new empire from the squabbling systems that form the GA . In the " " series , Luke and Ben travel the galaxy to determine the causes of Jacen ' s descent into evil , while Abeloth and the Keshiri Sith attempt to take over the galaxy . The Legacy era continues hundreds of years later in a series of comics that debuted in June 2006 entitled " " . Works . Radio and audio drama . A radio adaptation of " A New Hope " was first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981 . The adaptation was written by author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden . It was followed by adaptations of the next two films in the original trilogy : " The Empire Strikes Back " and " Return of the Jedi " . The radio adaptations were notable for including background material probably created by Lucas but not used for the films . Mark Hamill , Anthony Daniels , and Billy Dee Williams reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker , C - 3PO , and Lando Calrissian , respectively ; John Williams composed an original score ; and Ben Burtt , who designed the sound for all of the " Star Wars " movies , did the same for the radio adaptations . In 1983 , NPR broadcast an entirely original " Star Wars " radio drama , " Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell " . Like the radio adaptations of the films , " Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell " was written by Brian Daley . For more than a decade , " Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell " was the only " Star Wars " audio drama not adapted from a feature film . Then , between 1995 and 1998 more than a half dozen audio dramas were released as audio tapes and CDs . These audio dramas were adapted from Dark Horse comic books , and include " " ( 1995 ) , " Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina " ( 1995 ) , " Dark Empire " ( 1996 ) , " Dark Empire II " ( 1996 ) , " Empire ' s End " ( 1997 ) , " " ( 1998 ) , and " Crimson Empire " ( 1998 ) . Adaptations of the prequel films were never made . Books . " Star Wars " – based fiction predates the release of the first movie , with the 1976 ( ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster and credited to George Lucas ) . However , Foster ' s 1978 novel , " Splinter of the Mind ' s Eye " , is thought of as the first Expanded Universe work to be released . In addition to filling in the time between the movies , this additional content greatly expanded the " Star Wars " timeline before and after the film series . " Star Wars " fiction flourished during the time of the original series ( 1977 - 1983 ) , but slowed to a trickle afterwards . In 1991 , however , Timothy Zahn ' s celebrated " Thrawn Trilogy " debuted , sparking a new interest in the " Star Wars " universe . Since then , several hundred tie - in novels have been published by Bantam Spectra and Del Rey . Notable books in the series include the " X - Wing " series by Michael A . Stackpole and Aaron Allston , the " " and " Tales From . . . " series by Kevin J . Anderson , and the " " series , by various authors . Another notable series of books is the " Young Jedi Knights " , also by Kevin J . Anderson , which follow the adventures of Jacen and Jaina Solo and their friends . The " Legacy " series is another important book series , which is written by Aaron Allston , Karen Traviss , and Troy Denning . Comic books and strips . Marvel Comics published " Star Wars " comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986 , and published the first original work in the Expanded Universe with the story " The Keeper ' s World " . A wide variety of creators worked on this series , including Archie Goodwin , Howard Chaykin , Al Williamson , Carmine Infantino , Gene Day , Walter Simonson , Michael Golden , Chris Claremont , Whilce Portacio , Mary Jo Duffy , and Ron Frenz . In the , as part of its Star Comics line aimed at young children , Marvel published the short - lived series " Ewoks " and " " , based on the two Saturday - morning cartoons of the same name . " Star Wars " was also a daily comic strip from 1979 to 1984 . Among the creators were Goodwin , Williamson , and Russ Manning . In the late 1980s , Marvel announced it would publish a new " Star Wars " comic by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy . However , Dark Horse Comics published " Dark Empire " instead , and went on to publish a large number of original adventures set in the " Star Wars " universe . These include " Star Wars : Republic " , " Star Wars Empire " , " Star Wars Tales " and " Star Wars : Tales of the Jedi " . Dark Horse has also republished the Marvel series and newspaper strips in a collection entitled " Classic Star Wars " . In addition , the company has reprinted several interpretations of the films , including " " by Toshiki Kudo and " " by Shin - Ichi Hiromoto . Computer and video games . Since 1983 , over 120 video game s have been published bearing the " Star Wars " name , beginning with " Star Wars : The Empire Strikes Back " published for the Atari 2600 by . Other early titles include the " Star Wars " Nintendo Entertainment System game ( published by JVC ) and three other titles for the Atari 2600 . Atari produced arcade game s based on the original trilogy , beginning with " Star Wars " and " The Empire Strikes Back " , which were both " flight sim " style games that utilized . The third , " Return of the Jedi " , used more traditional . " Star Wars " has also , not surprisingly , opened the way to a myriad of space - flight simulations that take the space wars of the saga more seriously , teaching the player to fly various " Star Wars " starfighters along the lines of more traditional " Modern Aircraft " flight simulators . The first among these were " X - Wing " and its two expansions , " B - Wing " and " Imperial Pursuit , " dealing with the Rebellion ' s side of the war , taking place in the period right before , and up to , the destruction of the first Death Star . The second was " TIE Fighter , " dealing with the Empire ' s starfighters at the time prior to Episode VI . Both games were released for DOS and Macintosh . " TIE Fighter " had an expansion disk , " Defender of the Empire . " In addition , both the original " X - Wing " and " TIE Fighter " games saw two collector ' s edition releases ( one for DOS and another for Windows 9x ) which featured enhanced graphics quality and added missions . Newer simulators are also available , with " " in the lead . The first " Star Wars " first - person shooter , " " , was introduced by LucasArts in February 1995 . Telling the story of Kyle Katarn , Imperial soldier turned mercenary , the game featured a little over a dozen levels where the player explored various original and familiar settings . Featuring an original and interactive soundtrack by game composer Clint Bajakian using the iMUSE sound system , along with state - of - the - art graphics , the game succeeded in capturing many gamers ' imaginations . The 1997 sequel , " " , was notable for having a few cut scenes which were made up of live - action footage of certain Expanded Universe characters , such as Kyle Katarn . " Rogue Squadron " was a cross - platform title on Nintendo 64 and PC which allowed the player to experience a more arcade - action version of the same gameplay in " X - Wing " and " TIE Fighter " , similar to the action in the Nintendo 64 title " " . The game consisted of piloting several different " Star Wars " vehicles through missions on planet surfaces and in space . " Rogue Squadron " saw two sequels , both on the GameCube system . " " allowed players to compete in the " Star Wars " universe on a larger scale , focusing more on the strategic aspect of handling ( or defeating ) a rebellion , with resource management and agent allocation , as well as large - scale conflicts between entire fleets of starships . " " by BioWare and " " by Obsidian Entertainment are recent additions to the EU , and take place in the Old Republic era , right after the Mandalorian wars . The games are of the ( RPG ) genre , a type of RPG that is still turn based like most RPGs , but instead of waiting for the other player to take a turn , the turns are based on a rate of fire . This style of RPG is somewhat new and made big waves for its innovative style . Other games are " " , " " , " , " , " " , " " , " LEGO Star Wars " , " " , " " , " Star Wars Galaxies " , " " , " " , and " " . Board and roleplaying games . In a 1996 game from Hasbro Inc . , entitled , which is set during the era of the original trilogy , new live - action scenes were shot of Darth Vader on the Death Star around the events of " " . The footage was made available on a special tape , included in the box of the game . When playing the board game , the players could put in the tape , which would play while they were in a game . David Prowse reprises his role as Vader , and James Earl Jones returned as the voice of Vader . Some of the original crew for " " came back to shoot these scenes . Several editions of the " Star Wars " roleplaying game s have been published . The first edition ( a d6 version ) was published by West End Games in 1987 . The second edition was published by West End Games in 1992 . The 2 . 5 edition was published by West End Games in 1996 . In late 2000 , Wizards of the Coast released the third edition ( a d20 version ) . In 2002 , Wizards of the Coast released the 3 . 5 edition . Bill Slavicsek worked on all the editions . He included a conversion table ( from the previous d6 versions to the new d20 version ) at the end of the third edition that helped " Star Wars " gamers adapt to the new d20 version . In 2007 , Wizards of the Coast released the Saga Edition Rulebook , which offers a revised d20 system for players to develop their characters and take advantage of the vast number of miniatures that Wizards produces . In 2010 , Wizards of the Coast announced that they would not be renewing their license to produce new " Star Wars " material after the third quarter of that year . In 2005 , Hasbro developed and released a based on " Star Wars " and utilizing the game - play format . In 2012 , new license holders Fantasy Flight Games released their " " miniature space combat game and . Star Tours . In 1987 , Lucasfilm and Disney , utilizing the power of Industrial Light & Magic , teamed up to produce Star Tours , an amusement - park simulator ride through the " Star Wars " galaxy , eventually opened in multiple Disney parks . The ride is advertised as an opportunity to take a tour to the forest moon of Endor via the StarSpeeder 3000 . The ship is controlled by a robot named Rex ( voiced by Paul Reubens of fame ) , who is new at giving the tours , and your riding experience happens to be his first time at the controls . Along the way , the rider encounters many mishaps , including run - ins with Imperial Star Destroyers and near collisions with icy comets , until the ship finally makes it safely into the port . George Lucas and Disney announced an updated version of the attraction , known as " " , set between Episodes III and IV . The new ride opened May 20 , 2011 in Walt Disney World and June 3 , 2011 in Disneyland . A limited - run line of action figures is also available exclusively in the Star Tours gift shop , based on droid characters from the ride and the attraction queue . Toys . In addition , many other toys have been made . The " Star Wars " toy phenomenon began in 1978 with the original action figures , toy lightsabers and blasters , twelve - inch figures , toy vehicles , and many more products . These toys are known as the vintage " Star Wars " toys . Today , many of these " vintage " figures are quite rare . Many are also worth a lot of money . Recently , a toy line called " Star Wars : The Original Trilogy Collection " brought back elements of the original vintage toy line , such as vintage packaging . With the coming of " " , LEGO began creating buildable " Star Wars " characters and scenes . A few years ago , the LEGO creators invented light - up lightsabers for their figures . These lightsabers are no longer used . LEGO has cooperated with LucasArts to make four video games ( " LEGO Star Wars " 1 , 2 , 3 and Complete Saga ) . Many types of toys have been made . Darth Vader helmets and voice changers now inhabit the shelves , usually right next to the Ultimate Lightsaber Kit , which contains parts to design and assemble your own functional lightsaber toy . The term " Expanded Universe " was first used with Kenner ' s assortments of action figures based on the various " Star Wars " novels , comic books , and video games . Previous toys based on novels were sold by Galoob as " Epic Collections . " Continuity and canonicity . The Expanded Universe was intended to be a continuation , and an expansion , on the six " Star Wars " theatrical films produced by George Lucas from 1977 to 2005 . All EU material , combined with that presented in the films , was meant to function as a complete story . However , in order to allow this story to function as a whole , it was kept in an order of continuity . Lucasfilm held this of such high importance that a team ' s sole job at Lucasfilm was maintaining continuity between Lucas ' s films and the EU , which was created by many other authors and artists , many times out of order , and with many different ideas . Lucas , while supporting the works of the EU , nevertheless told the stories he wished to in his films , which sometimes contradicted material previously seen in the EU . When asked in an interview his general opinion on the EU , he replied : During his time heading Lucasfilm , Lucas retained ultimate creative control over the " Star Wars " universe . For example , the " death " of central characters and similar changes in the status quo were required to first pass his screening before authors were given the go - ahead . In addition , Lucasfilm Licensing devoted considerable effort to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across multiple companies . Nothing in the Expanded Universe was supposed to contradict the films or any other part of the Expanded Universe . Upon occasion , Lucas ' s new films , reedited original trilogy films , or statements contradicted existing EU material , and several retcon s were used to fix these inconsistencies . Some purists rejected the Expanded Universe as , believing that only the events in the film series are part of the " real " " Star Wars " universe . ( Palpatine ' s clones , for example , seem to contradict the " chosen one " theory . ) This line of thought was supported to the extent that some Expanded Universe material released before Lucas ' s prequel films drew conclusions that Lucas later overturned . However , elements of the Expanded Universe were adopted by Lucas for use in the films . For example , the name of planet Coruscant first appeared in Timothy Zahn ' s novel " Heir to the Empire " before being used in the prequel trilogy ( with a different pronunciation ) — though the planet itself , under a different name , had existed in a previous version of the " Return of the Jedi " script . Also , the Twi ' lek Jedi Aayla Secura originally appeared in the ongoing Dark Horse comics series " Republic " ; apparently Lucas saw the cover which featured her and liked the look of her character so much that he included her in the Jedi battle at the end of , played by Lucasfilm employee Amy Allen , and her demise is later shown in . These examples sometimes ended up confusing the issue , having blurred the lines between the Expanded Universe and " his world . " This was a hotly debated issue among " Star Wars " fans . Superficially , one allure of the films is that they are organized numerically and logically whereas the Expanded Universe was published out of chronological sequence and occasionally contained minor contradictions and in some cases even major discrepancies , despite the best efforts of Lucas Licensing . On the other hand , the Expanded Universe provided depth to the world of " Star Wars " . Some readers accused the EU sources of being excessively self - referential , to an extent that misrepresents the " Star Wars " universe ( e . g . , " EU minimalism " , the creeping reduction of technological abilities and physical scope in EU sources ) . Some other fans found that the Expanded Universe convention destroyed many of the good dramatic elements of the movies by explaining things in a way they find unfavorable . These critics felt that writing a new story within the context of the EU handcuffs the author . In theory , the films were the absolute canon and everything else official is part of the Expanded Universe that , while generally valid , cannot contradict anything in the movies . Wherever an EU source contradicted movie canon , the EU source is invalid on that specific point , though the rest of the source is still considered part of the continuity . Despite the unpopularity of works like the " Jedi Prince " series , they were considered just as canonical as popular works like " " , to the degree that they were not contradicted by material from a higher " canon tier , " later work , or some other statement from an official source declaring them to be non - canon . However , this sometimes did not appear to be true in practice . For example , " Prophets of the Dark Side " featured the wedding of Han Solo and Princess Leia , but Dave Wolverton ignored this and featured the same event in his novel " The Courtship of Princess Leia " , which was released a few years later . According to the rules of the Expanded Universe , both versions were within continuity , though it was the wedding in Dave Wolverton ' s book that is most often referenced . Fans tried to fix this problem by suggesting that , since the scene in " Prophets of the Dark Side " concludes just as Han and Leia are walking down the aisle , the event was disrupted and postponed until the time of " The Courtship of Princess Leia " ; the authors of " Prophets of the Dark Side " confirmed that they had planned to write another series of novels which would begin with the wedding ' s disruption , but their contract was cancelled before they could do so . There were also minor disputes about what was , and what was not , part of the Expanded Universe . For example , the spin - off films " " and " " were written by George Lucas and are films , but neither of them is one of the six main films in the series , so they were usually considered a part of the Expanded Universe . Both films were later officially confirmed as part of the continuity of " Star Wars " Legends and no longer official canon . The original Star Wars Databank entries distinguished movie information and EU information , providing them in separate tabs . As of April 25 , 2014 , no material originating purely from an Expanded Universe source is considered canon . In order to be considered canon , the material must have appeared within one of the " Star Wars " films from the original trilogy or prequel trilogy , the or its , or most material released on or after April 25 , 2014 . While such material often features material originating from the Expanded Universe , only the details featured within the new material are considered canon . For example , while " spicebrew " appears in both material from the old Expanded Universe and the new canon continuity , one cannot assume that the drink is part of the mixture that makes a Sonic Servodriver , these details being provided only in a Legends source . Official levels of canon . The Holocron continuity database was an internal database maintained by Lucas Licensing for the express purpose of trying to maintain continuity within all licensed products , prior to the April 2014 declaration of a single official canon . This Holocron was sorted into five levels of canon that reflected LFL ' s canon and continuity policies : G , T , C , S , and N . G , T , C , and S together formed an overall continuity that was considered by Lucasfilm to be the " true " " Star Wars " canon prior to the decanonization of the Expanded Universe . Lucas ' s use of the EU . EU in the films . C - canon elements from licensed creators have appeared in Lucas ' s films . Most of these are brief , cameo appearances , almost taking the form of Easter eggs ( which may have been added by animators or others under Lucas , rather than specifically dictated ) , but others are more substantial . It seems that elements of the Expanded Universe influenced George Lucas in the writing of the " Star Wars " prequels , at least insofar as knowledge of the EU helps in understanding the prequels . The Clone Wars – era EU also introduced characters such as General Grievous and Commander Bly , Lucas ' creations slated to appear in " Revenge of the Sith " . Lucas ' s involvement with the EU . Lucas has often worked very closely with EU creators : Lucas / EU contradictions . On the other hand , Lucas has been known to ignore C - canon material when creating his films , even when this material is well - established and central to the EU continuity . This has led some to believe that the C - canon material is not , in fact , closely aligned with Lucas ' s vision . Examples of these inconsistencies include : Film cast and crew participation in the EU . On a number of occasions , cast and crew from the films have been known to participate in the EU .