Whether you’re a lifelong Star Wars fan or completely new to the franchise, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about “Canon” vs. “Legends.”
Specifically, there’s a lot of debate about which category some of the movies fall under. Are all of them Canon? Even the Sequel trilogy? Which have received harsh scrutiny from the fanbase.
The Sequel Trilogy is part of Star Wars Canon, as are the Prequel and Original Trilogies.
“Canon” refers to all stories and media accepted as “true” within the Star Wars universe, while “Legends” are the “fanfiction” of the franchise.
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What is Star Wars Canon?
The term Star Wars Canon refers to all Star Wars media that are currently accepted as “true events” within the cinematic universe. If Star Wars were real, then Canon would be the actual historical films and documents connected to it.
On the other hand, Star Wars Legends are all media that are not considered Canon. These are unofficial stories set within the galaxy far, far away, and many of them follow alternate timelines and characters that are not part of the “official” story.
Many of the books, games, and other media that came before Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2014 are considered Legends. Meanwhile, all that has come after is now considered Canon.
Are the Star Wars Sequels Canon?
The movies of the Sequel Trilogy were released by Disney in 2015, 2017, and 2019. As such, they are considered Canon by default.
Many fans would argue that these films aren’t Canon, either because they don’t “feel” like Star Wars or because fans simply don’t like them.
But, unfortunately for these fans, they don’t have the right to officially say what is and is not Canon. That right is currently held by Disney.
The Sequels were some of the first Star Wars films released after Disney bought Lucasfilm; and everything released by Disney is considered Canon, unless otherwise stated as Legends.
The Sequel Trilogy may not seem to fit with the Originals and Prequels, and many fans don’t like it, but it is Canon because, essentially, Disney says it is.
And, for that matter, it will remain Canon unless another entity buys the rights to Star Wars from Disney and declares the Sequels aren’t Canon, which seems highly unlikely to happen.
Are the Star Wars Prequels Canon?
Perhaps you’re also wondering about the Prequel Trilogy. You may be thinking, the Prequels came out before Disney bought Lucasfilm, so are they Canon or not?
The Prequels are considered Canon.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the original six Star Wars movies were grandfathered in as Canon.
Episodes I through XI, which encompass the Prequel and Original Trilogies, were kept as part of Canon while most other Star Wars stories to date were relegated to Legends.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which began airing in 2008, was also kept on as Canon.
There are still many fans who don’t like the Prequel Trilogy any better than the Sequels, and these fans may not accept either trilogy as being Canon.
Again though, the Prequels will remain Canon unless someone buys the rights from Disney and declares otherwise.
All Star Wars Canon Movies and TV Shows
Most of the movies and shows that have been released are still accepted as Canon, all the way back to the original Star Wars movie, which came out in 1977.
The current list of Canon movies and TV shows is as follows:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020)
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2022-)
- Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
- The Mandalorian (2019-)
- The Book of Boba Fett (2021-)
- Kenobi (2022)
In addition to this list, many books, comic books, and games are also considered Canon–everything that came after Disney bought Lucasfilm.
Is the Star Wars Expanded Universe Canon or Legends?
The Star Wars Expanded Universe refers to all Star Wars media other than the movies that came before Disney’s 2014 purchase of Lucasfilm.
When the original movies came out, many people wrote books and created other media set in the same universe.
Though these stories were initially approved by Lucasfilm as part of the official world of Star Wars, most of the ideas and concepts were discarded when Disney took over.
With the 2014 acquisition, the Expanded Universe as a whole was rebranded as Legends.
So, basically, the Expanded Universe no longer exists, and none of the stories have any real bearing on Star Wars anymore; the stories still exist, but they are not considered a part of Star Wars history.
In other words, if Star Wars was real, the stories of the Expanded Universe/Legends would be nothing more than tall tales, legends, fan fiction, and unofficial accounts of major events.
Conclusion
The Star Wars Sequels are considered Canon, along with the Prequels, the Original Trilogy, a couple of standalone movies, and several TV shows.
Canon also encompasses all books, games, and other media that have been released since Disney took over Lucasfilm in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Expanded Universe, encompassing many books and media from before the Disney acquisition, was rebranded as Legends and is no longer considered an official part of the Star Wars universe.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.