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Writer's pictureMatt Wilkins

From Roosters to Crickets: How EU Hate Went Silent

I remember when the Expanded Universe was declared “Legends” and taken out of its previous “canon” status. Suddenly a huge swarm of articles came out praising Lucasfilm’s decision and ridiculing how silly the EU was.


But where are those same people today now that the new movies and canon have taken off? Where’s the list of similar complaints today?


They’ve seem to have all disappeared and it’s not really hard to see why.


So today I’m going to recount the Top 3 complaints I herd from fans who hated the Expanded Universe as well as the 3 questions I have for them in return. Let’s start shall we?



1) The Cloned Emperor


Every article referenced the story in Dark Empire as one of (if not THE) worst story in all the Expanded Universe. The thought of the Emperor cloning himself was ridiculous to them. Forget the fact that in Episode 3 we see Palpatine is obsessed with eternal life and would do anything to get it. Oh and not to mention he’s in control of the galaxy’s largest cloning facility too. It’s not hard to connect the dots there.

But prequel logic be DAMNED! These fans would distant themselves from this connection rather than go with the obvious plot lines laid out in the movies.


However when Rise of Skywalker came out….



Yeah, it’s been crickets from them ever since.


Those same exact people who belly ached and moaned about Dark Empire got to see the real thing unfold before their very eyes in Episode 9 and not a one of them has spoken about it since.


Question #1: Are you happier that the cloned Emperor is featured in the main saga of the films instead of a comic book over 30 years old?



2) Superweapons


Another thing they mocked constantly was the fact that the EU was always showcasing another Superweapon that the New Republic had to defeat. I remember them saying “That’s not Star Wars is about.” They even mocked creations such as the Suncrusher in Kevin J Anderson’s Jedi Academy Trilogy.


However, when The Force Awakens came out….



Oh my! What’s this? I Superweapon 10x larger than and deadlier than the Death Star?! Why surely this isn’t what Star Wars is all about?!


And again, silence is all I hear from the opposition.


Question #2: What’s more realistic? A small ship with a weapon that can trigger a star to go nova or a battle station so large it makes the Death Star look like a tennis ball, with the power to destroy entire star systems from anywhere in the galaxy?



3) Skippy the Jedi Droid


Finally, the most ridiculous complaint folks gave for why the Expanded Universe had to go away was in reference to a NON-CANON story about a droid who was a Jedi.


However, in the High Republic comic series…



Yep….a rock. And this IS canon.


Question #3: Let’s pretend Skippy was “canon” too back in the day. Would you be happier with him or a slab of granite as a character in Star Wars?


I won’t be expecting an answer from them anytime soon.

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