The upcoming Star Wars show The Acolyte will draw inspiration from the Expanded Universe and may make some of it canon in Disney's Lucasfilm timeline. The Expanded Universe (now referred to as Legends) is the roll-up of content produced in Star Wars books, comics, games, etc. prior to Disney acquiring Lucasfilm. In order to create a way forward that wasn't already written, Disney put the Legends label on anything made prior to the Star Wars sequel trilogy as a means of differentiating it from the current timeline and not being beholden to the complex, lengthy stories that had been published prior.
As Lucasfilm continues its run of original Star Wars shows for Disney+ they've worked in various aspects from the Legends stories, but never adapting any of it directly. Most recently, the inclusion of Grand Admiral Thrawn in The Mandalorian (by name only thus far) is one such example, with many other similar aspects worked into various Star Wars projects since Disney bought Lucasfilm. Among the many shows on the way from Disney+ is The Acolyte from Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland, which will take place 100 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga and may well have some Expanded Universe surprises in store for Star Wars fans.
In a profile with Vanity Fair, Headland is said to be "drawing extensively from what’s known as the Expanded Universe, or 'the E.U.'" with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy saying the creator is "a gigantic Star Wars fan" who has "read a gazillion books inside the E.U." The fandom was initially in an uproar over the compartmentalization of the Star Wars book/comic/game canon, but it appears many aspects are slowly making their way back into the new narrative, helped largely by fans-turned-creators like Headland. "There are little bits and pieces that she’s drawing from that no one has explored yet in the onscreen storytelling," according to Kennedy, which is good news for Legends fans, as they may see parts of the E.U. become canon once more with the evolving Disney+ format.
Headland is a confessed fan of the Luke Skywalker era, but is focused on a time before his reign that will ultimately build toward it. "Let’s hang out here for a little bit and check out what Star Wars looks like when the good guys are actually in charge. What happens? We know what it eventually leads to, so let’s explore," said Headland of The Acolyte show's story. To date, no live-action Star Wars project has ventured that far back into the past, so The Acolyte will take the franchise on a bold new journey. Currently, Star Wars is homing in on an even earlier time period, set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga, which will certainly help inform what The Acolyte becomes as well.
Star Wars fans upset about the Expanded Universe stories being kicked to the curb when Disney acquired Lucasfilm is an understandable reaction, particularly for those that followed the stories religiously. It makes sense that Lucasfilm would take that direction, however, as it stifles all creativity when everything is mapped out in excruciating detail from a garden variety of authors and artists. In order to make it their own and allow for surprises and twists along the way, separating Legends from the new canon was necessary. That said, there are so many amazing creations, stories, characters, etc. from the Star Wars Legends canon that it would be a shame to let them languish completely. Working those aspects into ongoing Star Wars projects is a win-win for fans and creators alike, and allows those stories to find new life within the franchise, which could even end up being better than their original incarnation. The Acolyte is currently set to debut sometime in 2023 on Disney+.
Source: Vanity Fair
