With such differences in the story, one can see where confusion would begin and debate would occur. Especially when the Expanded Universe is factored into the equation.
THE EXPANDED UNIVERSE
There's so much of the Star Wars story going on that you obviously can't put it all into six two hour films. Certain characters such as Boba Fett and Darth Maul, while fan favorites, don't get as much development. And there are also the gaps between each of the movies that leave people wondering what happened during those times, such as the Clone Wars and events that helped lead Anakin Skywalker towards the dark side. And what about events that happened before the movies, or even after?
As part of the marketing for the series, Lucas created the “Expanded Universe” of the Star Wars saga. Basically, it's simply all the licensed products related to Star Wars, such as novels, comic books, video games, television shows, toys and other media that expands the story of the main films. Each product, once approved by Lucasfilm, becomes part of the Star Wars continuity and interconnects with the films, describing events that happened before, during or after them. Characters such as Boba Fett and Darth Maul are developed further, getting their own novels and comic books that tell their own adventures. Events such as the Clone Wars between Episodes II and III are described, giving fans further insight to events that take place in the main films. The Expanded Universe has also introduced new characters to the saga, such as the aforementioned Mara Jade, who started out as a former agent of the Emperor who wanted revenge on Luke but made peace and fell in love with him, and Asajj Ventress, a Dark Jedi and disciple of Count Dooku who fought the Jedi during the Clone Wars. None of these characters have appeared in the movies (Ventress, however, was a character in the Cartoon Network Star Wars: Clone Wars animated micro-series), but have managed to become fan favorites and even getting their own action figures.
Probably the best thing about the Expanded Universe is that it continues the story after Return of the Jedi, going as far as forty years. In that time, the New Republic has been established, Han and Leia have married and had three children, the twins Jacen and Jaina and their brother Anakin, and Luke has become a Jedi Master, rebuilt the Jedi Order and married Mara Jade. Naturally, things have not gone smoothly, as numerous Imperial remnants attempt to disrupt the peace and restore the Empire, the most prominent being the military genius Grand Admiral Thrawn and a revived Emperor, who transferred his essence into a cloned body and managed to briefly turn Luke to the dark side. The biggest part of the Expanded Universe was The New Jedi Order series of novels, which introduced a new threat, the Yuuzhan Vong, who used their bio-engineered ships and weapons to try and conquer the galaxy. It was during this storyline that Luke and Mara's son Ben was born, but also saw the deaths of Chewbacca and Anakin Solo. In the current Legacy of the Force novels, a new war is on the rise due to problems within the new Galactic Alliance, with Han Solo's homeworld of Corellia being at the center. Meanwhile, Jacen Solo is being tempted towards the dark side and the Sith much in the same manner as his grandfather, with the idea that he can bring peace to the galaxy this way.
Many elements from the Expanded Universe have been used in the plot summaries that are popping up on-line, such as Mara Jade and the new generation of Skywalkers. However, there are differences that contradict a majority of that continuity. For one thing, Chewbacca is still alive, as opposed to having died during New Jedi Order. The same can be said for Anakin Solo; not only is he still alive, but he's the same age as his cousin, Ben, whereas he was born six or seven years after Return of the Jedi. And sometimes Ben isn't even named “Ben”, and Anakin is left out or replaced completely. These sort of things end up conflicting with what's been established in the Expanded Universe, almost to the point of negating them entirely.
Of course, there is also the debate as to whether or not the Expanded Universe, approved by George Lucas or not, actually is a part of official Star Wars continuity. Many purists dismiss it entirely, claiming that the films are the only “real” part of the saga. It doesn't help that events of the prequel trilogy have often contradicted with material that was previously established in the Expanded Universe. The biggest of these was the events of the Clone Wars, which, before Episodes II and III, was originally described as a struggle between the Old Republic and an army of insane clones. On the other hand, a great deal of material from the Expanded Universe has ended up being used in both the prequels and the revised editions of the original trilogy. Coruscant, the central planet of the Republic in the prequels, first appeared in the novel Heir to the Empire, written by Timothy Zahn as part of his “Thrawn trilogy”. Also, certain Jedi seen in the prequels, such as council member Ki-Adi-Mundi and Knight Aayla Secura, originally debuted in the Dark Horse Comics-published Star Wars comic books. Even important characters from the movies such as Boba Fett and General Grievous made their debut appearances in the Expanded Universe; Fett first appeared in an animated sequence of The Star Wars Holiday Special, and Grievous was introduced in Star Wars: Clone Wars, which itself leads right into the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. All this continues to add to the debate, and make one have to consider the Expanded Universe when thinking about a sequel trilogy.
THE OFFICIAL WORD
The official word from George Lucas and Lucasfilm regarding any sequels to Star Wars is this: there is no new trilogy in the works. No plans are in development, and Lucas pretty much considers the six films he's done to be the official story. Nor does he plan to let others take over the franchise, even if he did play a major role in the development, such as screenwriter and/or producer.
At one point, there was buzz going around that Lucas had announced that he had two new films in the works. This, however, was a misquote. Lucas, in fact, was talking about the two new television series he has in the works: a CGI-animated Clone Wars series set for a 2008 release, and an as-yet-untitled live action series, set between Episodes III and IV, due out in 2009.
Adding further to the confusion is an “interview” with George Lucas found on
Supershadow. This “interview” has Lucas answering questions posted by fans not only about a possible sequel trilogy, but also about the entire Star Wars saga itself. There is no indication, however, that the interview is official, especially since much of it contradicts what Lucas has stated in the press.
So it doesn't look like there's going to be a sequel trilogy. But don't count the possibility out just yet. Lucas is working on a new Indiana Jones movie with Harrison Ford, so who's to say he might not get inspired to do some new Star Wars films? In the end, it may all just be something fans will just have to continue to speculate on and be content with what they have.
