Out with the old, in with the new EU.
The Star Wars Expanded Universe: Past, Present, and Future
What's canon?
While Lucasfilm always strived to keep the stories created for the EU consistent with our film and television content as well as internally consistent, Lucas always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU. He set the films he created as the canon. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align.
With the release of Star Wars: A New Dawn, every official release going forward is considered a part of the new Star Wars canon. Whether it be on film and television, or in a novel or video game, everything counts. This is a clean break from the old expanded universe, and the only prior knowledge of Star Wars you might need to enjoy these new stories are the films (and TCW to a lesser extent).
Novels
A New Dawn: Star Wars Available Now!
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .
The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.Emperor Palpatine
For a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights brought peace and order to the Galactic Republic, aided by their connection to the mystical energy field known as the Force. But they were betrayedand the entire galaxy has paid the price. It is the Age of the Empire.
Now Emperor Palpatine, once Chancellor of the Republic and secretly a Sith follower of the dark side of the Force, has brought his own peace and order to the galaxy. Peace through brutal repression, and order through increasing control of his subjects lives.
But even as the Emperor tightens his iron grip, others have begun to question his means and motives. And still others, whose lives were destroyed by Palpatines machinations, lay scattered about the galaxy like unexploded bombs, waiting to go off. . . .
Tarkin: Star Wars November 4, 2014
Hes the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.
Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkins guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxys lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heelby intimidation . . . or annihilation.
Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkinwhose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empires supremacy . . . and its enemies extinction.
Heir to the Jedi: Star Wars February 17, 2015
A thrilling new adventure set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, andfor the first time everwritten entirely from Luke Skywalkers first-person point of view.
Lords of the Sith: Star Wars April 21, 2015
When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their awesome martial skills to prevail.
Television
Star Wars Rebels
Set five years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope following the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Council,[6] the series follows a motley group of rebels (all of whom have been affected by the Galactic Empire in one form or the other) that band together aboard a freighter starship called the Ghost. The series will also focus on the origins of some of the groups that form the Rebel Alliance.
Premieres October 3rd on the Disney Channel, but can be viewed in advance on WATCHDisneyXD.com and the WATCH Disney XD app on September 29th.