This is definatly non-canonical according to Leland Chee, Database Content Administrator, Lucas Licensing.
" I just bought some Polyhedron Newszines from 1994/95, containing original roleplay material by Bill Slavicsek and Michele Carter! Are these considered canon, just like the recent Living Force chapters? - Anon"
"Another requirement for material to be considered canon is that it be approved by Lucasfilm/Lucas Licensing. This would be evident by the listing of a Lucas editor in the credits, which I am sure that these materials do not have.
Living Force and the new Star Wars-related material in the current issues of Dungeon/Polyhedron magazine do go through Licensing for approval and are thus considered canon."
source: http://forums.starwars.com/thread.jspa?threadID=93010&start=2640
Geekmasterflash 11:55, 1 Dec 2005 (UTC)
- However, Abel G Pena has also stated that anything in the early Polyhedron's can be considered canon unless it contradicts any licensed product. This was the case when I asked about Merili's backstory which was published in an early Polyhedron. I can find the link later. Please do NOT touch the ambig tags.
- Sorry, I just saw a DB admin saying it wasnt canon, thought I was doing what should have been done. Geekmasterflash 12:13, 1 Dec 2005 (UTC)
- Quote from Abel G Pena, conserning the old Polyhedrons:
- Sorry, I just saw a DB admin saying it wasnt canon, thought I was doing what should have been done. Geekmasterflash 12:13, 1 Dec 2005 (UTC)
Source: http://boards.theforce.net/authors_artists/b10347/18750535/p9/
" On that note, how much of those old Polyhedrons do you consider canon? I don't think they were all LFL sanctioned, but..." -Rouge Follower
Date Posted: 10/28/05 " Ah, the Undefinables. I'm indebted to JF Boivin for first bringing these to my attention.
If they have any kind of status, they'd be Infinities, but of an informal sort. Given that many of those articles are authored by folks doing official Star Wars work for West End Games at the time, I think people have a clear right to include them in their personal canons.
If there's any line to be drawn, I tend to do so at the Polyhedrons (i.e. Challenge, etc. don't count) mostly because Polyhedron actually had the license in recent years.
The safest way I know to think of them is as easter eggs. If you see a reference to one of the old articles, just smile and nod knowingly. happy
Take care, Abel" - Abel G Pena
Geekmasterflash 12:23, 1 Dec 2005 (UTC)
Possible contradictions, need admin ruling
I have here four quotes, split evenly between Leland Chee, and Abel G. Pena.
- First:
Date Posted: May 06, 2003 12:42 PM
" I just bought some Polyhedron Newszines from 1994/95, containing original roleplay material by Bill Slavicsek and Michele Carter! Are these considered canon, just like the recent Living Force chapters? - Anon"
"Another requirement for material to be considered canon is that it be approved by Lucasfilm/Lucas Licensing. This would be evident by the listing of a Lucas editor in the credits, which I am not sure that these materials have.
Living Force and the new Star Wars-related material in the current issues of Dungeon/Polyhedron magazine do go through Licensing for approval and are thus considered canon."
source: http://forums.starwars.com/thread.jspa?threadID=93010&start=2640
- Second:
" On that note, how much of those old Polyhedrons do you consider canon? I don't think they were all LFL sanctioned, but..." -Rouge Follower
Date Posted: 10/28/05 " Ah, the Undefinables. I'm indebted to JF Boivin for first bringing these to my attention.
If they have any kind of status, they'd be Infinities, but of an informal sort. Given that many of those articles are authored by folks doing official Star Wars work for West End Games at the time, I think people have a clear right to include them in their personal canons.
If there's any line to be drawn, I tend to do so at the Polyhedrons (i.e. Challenge, etc. don't count) mostly because Polyhedron actually had the license in recent years.
The safest way I know to think of them is as easter eggs. If you see a reference to one of the old articles, just smile and nod knowingly. happy
Take care, Abel" - Abel G Pena
Source: http://boards.theforce.net/authors_artists/b10347/18750535/p9/
- Third: Abel G. Pena, earlier the same month as the last post:
Date Posted: Oct 03, 2005 05:15 PM
Jaymach Ral'Tir:
I'm just curious then...does Merilli's backstory (which appears in issue #103 of Polyhedron) count as being canon, seeing as the character was later re-used in the same role in Abel Pena's Grand Admiral article?
You can probably consider that her backstory until something newer should supercede it.
Take care, Abel
Source: http://forums.starwars.com/thread.jspa?threadID=222689&start=840
- And finally: Leland Chee again
Tasty Taste
Date Posted: Oct 03, 2005 04:17 PM
Just a quick question: what (if anything) is the continuity status for the RPG scenarios that were published in Polyhedron magazine in the 1990s, most of which appeared under the byline or co-authorship of WEG's Bill Slavicsek? -McEwok
My understanding is that the 90's Polyhedron articles did not go through the LFL approval process, thus they have not been considered official continuity. -Tasty Taste
Source: http://forums.starwars.com/thread.jspa?threadID=222689&start=840
So whats the word? Geekmasterflash 13:01, 1 Dec 2005 (UTC)
- Though Abel is an author, he isn't part of the team that sets Lucasfilm canon policy; Tasty Taste is. Additionally, Abel never said that they were officially canon; indeed, his first quote says exactly the opposite. As for Merilli, I think what he means to say is something like "since I'm the only one writing about her, and I include the Polyhedrons in my personal canon, then you can assume that the Polyhedron story is true unless someone else decides to write something else about her." jSarek 01:15, 2 Dec 2005 (UTC)
- McEwok has actually made several comments on Geekmasterflash's talk page in referance to this. Was Bill Slavicsek ever an official editor? He certainly was at the time of the Imperial Sourcebook, as he was listed as the editor of that book. Seeing as most of the articles in Polyhedron, and one in Dragon Magazine too, are written by him, is it possible Tasty doesn't actually know for sure? Certainly when he used the terms "which I am sure that these materials do not have" and "My understanding is", it seemed to me that he wasn't entirely sure, but was erring on the side of safety by not including them as canon. —Unsigned comment by Jaymach (talk • contribs)
- Seems to me that we need to tag it with an {{Ambig}}. I see it like this: Most authors create a backstory for new characters they create just to create a sense (mostly for themselves?) of what that character is like. Then they write the story with that character in it. What they actually write is canon. The backstory the author created would be {{ambig}} because it cannot be canon until it's actually been written and approved by LFL, but it most likely won't conflict with any canon. Then any SuperShadow article about that character would be {{Noncanon}}. WhiteBoy 07:58, 3 Dec 2005 (UTC)
At the time, Jean Rabe, editor of the Polyhedron, indictated to me that the articles (well, my articles, anyway) had been submitted to Lucasfilm for authorization. I distinctly remember being pleased that my material (as much as it makes me cringe these days) had made it through the doors of Lucasland and back out the other side.
Joe Littrell - joe.littrell@gmail.com --84.40.25.240 02:27, 9 April 2006 (UTC)