Do we really want Legends characters in Star Wars Canon?
By Elaine Tveit
Should Star Wars Legends become canon?
But the question of whether some Legends should be made canon is still a double-sided coin. You can look at it from the perspective that the Story Group made clear when it first came to power: most legends have at least a little bit of truth in them. There are some things like Leia and Han have three children, that are clearly not canon anymore. But the one child they had in the new canon, Ben Solo, did turn to the dark side, like their son Jacen in the Expanded Universe.
“But it was so artistically done” – Grand Admiral Thrawn
The Story Group has a rhyme and a reason for making some parts of Legends canon, so it makes sense to support their decision to do that with Thrawn.
On the other side of the coin, bringing more Legends into the canon can be a borderline rehash of the same stories, which defeats the original purpose of Legends.
There is also the possibility, however remote, that a Legends character in the new canon wouldn’t be written right with respect to the original incarnation, which would ruin the experience for Legends fans.
Moreover, new fans might not understand the reference to the old canon, causing yet more conflict between fans of the new canon and fans of the old as one group rejoices in the “new character” while the other riots for the same character not being faithful to the original. As I said, it’s a risky business, and it’s one some fans may not be ready to negotiate.
Next: The origins of Ahsoka the White
What do you think of the bringing of Thrawn into Star Wars Rebels and making him canon? What do you think of picking and choosing Legends in general to make canon? Talk to us in the comments below.