1
Credit: LucasfilmThe subject of canon or continuity has always been hotly debated among Star Wars fans, particularly since Disney’s reclassification of the Expanded Universe material in 2014, and even more so since The Last Jedi (2017) divided the fandom. The Rise of Skywalker (2019) was received just as poorly by audiences and critics as its predecessor, leaving countless Star Wars fans hoping that Disney will one day de-canonize the sequel trilogy in the same way the EU was.
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Will Undergo Massive Shift in 2027 After ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ Flops
Of course, that hasn’t happened, and it’s unlikely ever to happen. But what is canon within the franchise, and what isn’t? When it comes to Star Wars canon/continuity, things are mostly straightforward. Though there are a few exceptions.
Star Wars: What’s Canon?
Aside from films such as The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984), and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), the Star Wars Legends line (formerly the Expanded Universe, a massive collection of novels, comic books, video games, and lots of other spin-off media released before Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 and which was reclassified in 2014), parody media like LEGO Star Wars, negligible shorts, and the anthology series Star Wars: Visions (which is neither part of Legends nor canon), the vast majority of Star Wars media released after the 2014 canon reclassification is considered canon.
That canon includes every Disney+ animated series (excluding Visions), every live-action television series since and including The Mandalorian (2019), the sequel trilogy films, and the three standalone movies, Rogue One (2016), Solo (2018), and The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026).
The main pre-2014 works retained within modern canon are George Lucas’ original six films (Episodes I–VI) and The Clone Wars (2008) film and the television series of the same name.
Related: Disney ‘Star Wars’ Abandons Beloved Female Jedi, Not Expected To Return in Future Projects
A New Star Wars Timeline Has Been Created
Despite not being canon, however, Visions is one of the more standout entries from the Disney era and is widely considered to be some of the best Star Wars storytelling we’ve ever had.
Star Wars: Visions, which consists of standalone episodes, launched on Disney+ in 2021. It received critical acclaim and has since received two more volumes. A fourth is now rumored to be in the works, with entertainment industry insider Daniel Richtman (via The Direct)Â reporting earlier this year that Lucasfilm is developing Volume 4.
However, while Visions isn’t canon — at the same time, none of its episodes share continuity with one another — Volume 3 featured sequels to select Volume 1 episodes.
“The Duel: Payback,” “The Lost Ones,” and “The Ninth Jedi: Child of Hope” expanded upon “The Duel,” “The Village Bride,” and “The Ninth Jedi,” respectively.
As such, especially now that some of those standalone episodes have sequels, Visions has essentially created multiple new continuities (or timelines) within Star Wars, even if they are neither connected to Legends nor the mainline canon.
And later this year, Disney+ will premiere Star Wars:Â Visions Presents, a new banner reportedly focusing on extended stories from select Visions episodes, beginning with The Ninth Jedi, which is expected to continue the story established in Volume 1.
Now, per StarWarsNew.net, it has been reported that the upcoming event Anime Expo 2026, which takes place from July 2 — 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will feature a special screening of the debut episode of Star Wars: Visions Presents‘ The Ninth Jedi.
While Visions is non-canon, its anthology format, sequels, and soon dedicated series, have still created self-contained continuities. And now one of those continues is set to expand even further.
Fans Still Want the Sequels “Erased”
Rumors that the sequel trilogy is being erased resurfaced online again recently, with several content creators claiming that Disney plans to somehow “erase” its three hugely divisive Star Wars films from canon.
However, these rumors tend to emerge every few years. This happened before Ahsoka (2023) premiered on Disney+, when many fans were convinced the live-action series would de-canonize the sequel trilogy using the mystical and mysterious realm known as the World Between Worlds.
Star Wars: Visions volumes 1-3 are streaming on Disney+.
Do you think Visions deserves all these new follow-ups? And would you like to see the sequel trilogy declassified as canon? Share your thoughts in the comments!
