What are Canon facts in the EU?

[Dave]

In another thread CommanderCain wrote:

Originally posted by CommanderCain
If you read the ROTJ novelization that is Vader's plan.......

Can we quote books as Canon fact?

I have a ROTJ novelization (by James Kahn, 1983) it has a lot more background story than was ever revealed in the film, and answers a lot of questions we have discussed in this forum as possible spoilers for the first trilogy:

The molten lava pool is mentioned twice as beings Anakin's downfall, Obi Wan actually says that he fought Anakin there in a final battle. This may or not be in Episode III.

It says specifically that The Emperor = Senator Palpatine (something else we have discussed at length here.)

Obi Wan also tells Luke that Anakin didn't know that Luke's real mother was pregnant with twins, that she took Leia to Alderan to live as an adopted daughter of Senator Organa, while Obi Wan took Luke to Tatooine to with live with his brother Owen.

Episode II showed Owen Lars to be Luke's stepfather's son, no relation to Obi Wan.

If Lucas can change that to make a better story, he could easily change any of the rest too.

That's why I wouldn't take any books as Canon fact. Only the film scripts are definately true.

But the 'Expanded Universe' is very detailed, expansive, and supposedly everything has been 'okayed' by Lucas first. So, is it all Canon?

Someone mentioned in another thread that should he ever make Episodes VII - IX he will need to stay true to the EU. Would he? I doubt that he would.

What is the post ROTJ history that cannot be changed?

[pkgrl]

First, I think that, for the most part, the books can be taken as canon. Lucas has only changed a few details, and most of what was in the novelizations was originally in the script as well. The stuff that Obi Wan says about taking Luke to live with his "brother" Owen was taken out of the film early on, but was in the script given to the novelist, so he included it.

That's pretty standard for Lucas. He often changes things last minute so they only really make sense to him. He never takes anything as canon except what's in his own head. The name Coruscant came from a novelist, not Lucas, as did the names of Leia's children.

As for what details in the post-ROTJ books wouldn't be changed, I'm thinking Leia and Han's marriage, their kids, the progression of the Alliance into becoming the New Republic, Luke's Jedi Academy... or some version of it. Stuff like that. The big strokes, in other words.

[timdgreat]

i think we can quote the books as cannon, but then i would only point to several books, some of the EU books that were written were so bad that i have never heard anything of them ever mentioned in anything. so on a case by case basis:rolly2: