Why These Characters In ‘Star Wars’ Were Changed When They Came Into Canon
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When Disney first announced the deal with George Lucas, I believe everyone was a bit surprised that George took it (Or maybe that was just me). But then, they announced that the Star Wars books and comics released before the Disney deal were no longer canon. That sent everyone into a frenzy, myself included! I mean, come on. You've got the Mara Jade who kicka$$; the mysterious Starkiller; the original kids of Leia and Han (Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin); you name it, it was gone. Just like that.
However, since then, directors, writers, and producers have been trying to give a nod to the Legend's continuity to let us fans know they haven't forgotten about them. But what has changed about how the characters were portrayed in Legends compared to now? Here are a few examples of some characters and how they've changed from Legends to Disney canon.
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Thrawn
Image Source: screenrant
Thrawn is introduced into Disney canon through Star Wars Rebels (2014), an animated series taking place 5 years before the Battle of Yavin. However, he was first introduced in Timothy Zhan's series Heir to the Empire (1991), 9 years after the Battle of Yavin (ABY). In the book, he leads the Empire back to its glory, whereas, in Rebels, he works under Grand Moff Tarkin and fights with Director Krennic to get his project approved first. This character was probably the most "caught off guard" brought from Legends into canon. Timothy Zahn did a fantastic job bringing Thrawn from the Legend books into Disney, probably one of the smoothest transitions, as Thrawn is, in my opinion, one of the best antagonists in the Star Wars Universe (besides Vader).
Jacen/Ben Solo
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Now, I know this is a HUGE change from Legends because Jacen (from Legends) had a twin named Jaina, whereas Ben (from the sequels) is an only child. Then there is Ben Skywalker, who was Luke and Mara Jade's son and not at all mentioned in the movies. So, to combine the two would just be ludicrous because not only would the last name have changed, but so did the parents. It would be just smashing two characters together to create a villain that means so much to us and Leia and Luke. But let's take a look at both of these two characters real quick. Jacen and Ben wanted to uphold the Vadar legacy and wore helmets to be taken more seriously. Both changed their names so they could no longer be affiliated with the Skywalker family. It is a bit of a stretch to think that the writers would just combine the two since Ben Skywalker didn't fall to the dark side, but I could see them making a nod to Ben (Luke's son) and instead having him be Leia's son because there is a lot of evidence as to why Leia would name her son Ben.
Rukh
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When Rukh was brought into Rebels, I was not expecting him to look so...small. However, his origin wasn't changed too much; he's still Thrawn's bodyguard after all. But, we aren't sure where he came from, and he dies at the liberation of Lothal. We only see him, not his species, as in the books. I would like to think they did this to introduce his species in the live-action shows that will be coming soon, so they don't have one all-powerful being as Thrawn's bodyguard that can survive falls.
Plenty of other characters were brought into the new Disney Star Wars universe, but we can never be too sure because the different production teams will always have a creative difference compared to the Legends books. Until next time!
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Source(s): Animo App, Star Wars Fandom, Screen Rant, Whiteboard Advisors