Star Wars has focused heavily on canon movies and TV shows for many years, particularly since Disney bought Star Wars, yet Star Wars: Visions has truly brought the Expanded Universe back. When Star Wars established a clear divide between canon and Legends—previously called the Expanded Universe—it proved incredibly divisive.
For many fans, letting go of certain characters and story arcs (especially those set after Return of the Jedi), at least in terms of their canonicity, was not easy. This included characters like Mara Jade, who was written entirely out of Star Wars canon, as well as the glory of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple in that arc.
To make matters worse, Star Wars effectively overhauled much of what was done in the Expanded Universe, such as in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which continues to be seen as some of Star Wars’ worst movies. However, Visions has provided a way for Star Wars to bring the Expanded Universe back, and so far, it’s paid off.
The Ninth Jedi Show Means Visions Has Become Its Own Expanded Universe
Visions just released its third season—or Vol. 3—earlier this year, and just as the two previous seasons were, these episodes were all anthology-style, and none of them was canon.
In fact, Visions is innovative both in terms of its art style, anime, and in the fact that it is a non-canon Star Wars show, neither of which is common for the franchise. Yet, this show’s deviations from Star Wars’ norms don’t stop there. Now, Visions has an upcoming spin-off, The Ninth Jedi, which is another major update.
With The Ninth Jedi, Visions isn’t just a one-off non-canon show. On the contrary, it is officially building a non-canon universe in the larger Star Wars franchise. In that sense, this is a brand-new era of the Expanded Universe, at a time when canon stories have absolutely dominated the franchise.
Disney’s Star Wars Has Been All About Canon—Except For Visions
It’s been somewhat surprising just how much Disney Star Wars has emphasized canon stories since the company’s acquisition. This isn’t just true of the movies, all of which have been canon, but also of the TV shows.
Be it animated shows like Star Wars: The Bad Batch or live-action shows like The Acolyte or Skeleton Crew, the focus has clearly and nearly exclusively been on canon stories. This is particularly notable when it comes to live-action TV shows because they have spanned a huge part of the Star Wars timeline.
What’s more, these shows, especially The Acolyte, have at times been subjected to significant backlash and criticism. Yet, Star Wars has planted its feet in terms of each of these shows being canonical—Visions and its impending spinoff, The Ninth Jedi, being the exceptions.
This has also been interesting in terms of the stories that Star Wars shows have brought in of late. While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was said to have been the end of the Skywalker Saga, recent shows have proven that the importance of the Skywalker family isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
After all, Luke, Leia, and Anakin were all front and center in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and not only was Hayden Christensen back as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka season 1, but also, Anakin’s return in Ahsoka season 2 is already confirmed. This not only reflects a prioritization of canon stories but also a return to form in terms of w whose stories.
Star Wars: Visions’ Reception Is A Reminder That Not Everything Has To Be Canon
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<figcaption>Ryan Gosling with Flynn Gray in front of an ocean in a behind-the-scenes image from Star Wars Starfighter </figcaption></figure>
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<p>Although<em>Star Wars'</ em > upcoming movies are all canon , at least as far as we now know ,<strong>these new movies will also be following an interesting Expanded Universe trend </ strong >: moving all around the<em> Star Wars </ em > timeline. The next two movies to be released,<em>The Mandalorian and Grogu </ em >and<em> Star Wars : Starfighter </ em>, aren't very far apart.</ p ><p><em>The Mandalorian and Grogu </ em >is set between the original and sequel trilogies , whereas<em> Starfighter </ em >will take place a few years after<em>The Rise of Skywalker </ em>. However , if all the<em> Star Wars </ em > movies currently slated for future are indeed going to be released—which is a pretty big if—then they represent a huge span of time.</ p ><p><b /> As just one example , James Mangold's<em> Star Wars </ em > movie , thought to be titled<em> Star Wars : Dawn of the Jedi </ em>, would reveal the first Jedi , thousands of years before any stories we've seen thus far. In that sense , even the canon<em> Star Wars </ em > projects are borrowing from the Expanded Universe , but it's<strong><em> Star Wars : Visions </ em >that has truly brought it back.
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