1. Is The Expanded Universe Really Meaningless Now?
Mostly, yes, and if you're expecting any sort of continuity between this new trilogy and the Expanded Universe stories, then you're going to be disappointed. However, as more is revealed about Star Wars: The Force Awakens and its backstory, it is becoming clear that J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm are at least borrowing some ideas - and potentially some characters too - from those stories to flesh out this world. The loss of the Old Republic stories probably hit fans the hardest (for those of you unfamiliar with them, they were set thousands of years before the events of the movies and were the focus of the popular Knights Of The Old Republic video games). However, it turns out that the cracked crystal within Kylo Ren's lightsaber may actually be tied to that series, an indication that we'll see some elements from them adapted down the line. The Visual Dictionary also reveals that the design of that blade's hilt is ancient and actually dates back "thousands of years to the Great Scourge of Malachor." Sound familiar? Malachor V was a planet which was part of the Sith Empire in Knights Of The Old Republic, and is somewhere which is extremely strong in the Dark Side of the Force. Could this be where Supreme Leader Snoke is currently hiding out? Whatever the case, it looks like the EU isn't totally irrelevant. What big questions do you still have about Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Shout out what you thinks going on in the wider galaxy down in the comments.
