Lucasfilm Story Group Member Officially Shares His Unofficial Opinion On Star Wars Canon
In the last few years, one of the most perplexing elements of fandom has been the concept of "canon," especially considering how many beloved properties have expanded into multiple different mediums. With the Star Wars saga having a history that dates back 40 years, some fans might nitpick the details of various incidents that could seemingly cancel one another out, causing a cry for someone to determine the official canon. A member of the Lucasfilm Story Group, Pablo Hidalgo, recently took to Twitter in hopes of sharing his official thoughts on the matter, despite those opinions not necessarily being an official opinion of Lucasfilm.
Against my better judgment, about to start a few tweets about the dreaded C-word, canon. But first, one ground rule. This is just my opinion
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) July 4, 2017
As to make sure he didn't get himself into any hot water with his employers or the policies of any other group or individual that determines canon, Hidalgo made sure to remind his followers that his thoughts weren't universal truths.
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Considering the Lucasfilm Story Group was founded for the purpose of unifying Star Wars storytelling across movies, TV, video games, book, and comics, Hidalgo is quite familiar with the many discussions that arise from the arguments of what is canon.
On occasion when asked about something specific, I'll answer, 'Canon doesn't split those hairs.' What do I mean by that?
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) July 4, 2017
Hidalgo used the phrase "Canon doesn't split those hairs," which he would go on to explain means that very specific details of an incident don't specifically matter.
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The Story Group member used one of the most argued about details of Star Wars is over who shot first, Han Solo or Greedo, during the Mos Eisley cantina scene, as an example. The original film depicted Han shooting first, with the 1997 Special Edition being altered by George Lucas to show Greedo shooting first and Han retaliating, with a subsequent release showing they fired at the same time.
"All that's canon is that two people entered that booth, & Greedo died," Hidalgo explained of the situation.
Another example Hidalgo used was that of where individuals stood during an interaction.
In my mind, there's no such thing as their canonical distance from one another. The only 'fact' is that these guys were there and talked.
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) July 4, 2017
Naturally, Hidalgo's opinions resulted in a slew of follow-up questions from fans, but the explanation above definitely helped shed some insight on how an "official" history of anything can be open to interpretation, so long as it doesn't overtly contradict details.