STAR WARS, Expanded Universe, legend, canon? « I thought he was a myth! »
Edited by Marc Joly-Corcoran (University of Montreal) and Laurent Jullier (New Sorbonne University)
Theme
Since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, the Star Wars universe has never been so disrupted. George Lucas is no longer involved as a producer, for better or worse. In 2014, in what seems to be a marketing move that mainly serves to distinguish what would be now officially “canon”, the status of the Expanded Universe (the EU: novels, video games, comic books) was classified “legend”. Consequently, apart from the fan productions, and all the fanon, SW post-2014 stories are officially “canons”.
That being said, one can only speculate about the impact of this diegetic change for the fans and the future Lucasfilm productions. Indeed, the EU is becoming a fabulous paradigm from which new creators are free to draw any ideas they feel necessary, without any constraint nor pressure to use ‘this or that’ to respect a pre-established continuity set in the EU, which is no more canon. Nevertheless, many fans have invested a significant amount of time reading all the novels and comics, covering 20,000 years of history in “a galaxy far far away”. Now, we could push this ‘legend logic’ further: why could the infamous prequels, directed by George Lucas, not be classified “legend” too, intradiegetically acknowledged by the characters in SW? The same could apply for the original trilogy. Isn’t it Rey who says about Luke Skywalker: “I thought he was a myth!”
Exclusively devoted to Star Wars, this issue aims to analyze the impacts of the upheavals following this diegetic change:
– On the official productions (two feature films, The Force Awakens and Rogue One, the animated Star Wars Rebels series, books, video games, etc.)
– On the fan creations: what impact these films had on their audiovisual works (fanfilm), fanart or fanfic, which they continue to produce since their release?
– On the reception side: how were the last two feature films received and appreciated according to the audience? – connoisseurs, fans of the original trilogy, newcomers, beginners, etc. How are the six original opus of the saga now “revised”? What consequences changing the status of the EU to “legend” really had on their “image” or “value”?
This issue seeks well-researched papers that address topics such as (but not exclusively):
- Amnesia in SW screenplays and retroactive continuity
- Revival, remake, reboot, soft reboot: why the fad?
- Transmedia as a way for saving screenplays, and retcon
- The relevance of the notions of legitimacy, “canon” or “non-canon”, “officiality” and authenticity in a fictional universe
- Revisionism through the history of reception, specifically concerning Episode IV released in 1977
- Case studies: The Force Unleashed, KOTOR
- Case studies: Rogue One, marketing, trailers and reshoot
- Should The Force Awakens be called New Hope 2.0?
- Fans’ contributions to the Expanded Universe (Fan theories, fanfilm, fanfic, fanart, etc.)
How to submit?
Please send an abstract, between 300 and 500 words (excluding references), in English or French, by August 1st, 2017, to marc.joly@umontreal.ca AND laurent.jullier@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr
The abstract must specify the topic and the object(s) of study, along with the preferred methodology. Don’t forget to indicate key bibliographical references, your name, email address, and your institutional affiliation.
Selected contributors will be advised by email by the end of June 2017. Full papers will be submitted by the end of september 2017 (anonymized). The issue will be released during the beginning of 2018.
Editorial rules
Kinephanos is a peer-reviewed journal. Each article is evaluated by double-blind peer review. Kinephanos does not retain exclusive rights of published texts. However, material submitted must not have been previously published elsewhere. Future versions of the texts published in other periodicals must reference Kinephanos as its original source.
For the editorial guidelines, refer to the section Editorial Guidelines.
Kinephanos accepts papers in English and in French.
The Fan Studies Network 
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