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The following article details the official guidelines that govern fictional activity in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, as established by Grand Master Pravus, and enforced by the Voice of the Brotherhood and Dark Council.
Defining Canon
The word canon is used heavily when talking about the fictional aspects of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. At its core, the “canon” designation helps separate the do’s and don'ts of writing creatively within the Star Wars universe. Star Wars Canon (often referred to as nuCanon by members) creates a hard line of separation between the future of the Star Wars universe and the long standing history of the old expanded universe (often referred to simply as the “EU”).
The following quote is the official policy on defining canon material by Disney and Lucasfilm, the controlling companies of the Star Wars franchise:
On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm announced that all Expanded Universe material is now reorganized under the non-canon "Legends" banner to make way for the "new canon" to take place. The new canon began on screen with the Star Wars Rebels animated television series and in print with the novel A New Dawn. Under the direction of the Lucasfilm Story Group, all elements of Star Wars canon now operate in a unified and collaborative storytelling setting. The "new canon", which was set forth on April 25, 2014 and which is overseen by the Lucasfilm Story Group, exists in a connected "one universe" continuity. This means that, beginning with the Star Wars Rebels animated television series and the 2014 novel A New Dawn, all officially-licensed Star Wars storytelling from this point forward stands on equal canon footing.
Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars Rebels
The important words to take from this are that the old expanded universe has been “recategorized.” This is very important to understand. It is important, because it means that your favorite stories and characters were not deleted. They have not gone anywhere. They are still there for you to read, reference, and love. Beyond that, so far we’ve seen a commitment by the nuCanon to bring back or allude to events or characters from the Legends. Prominent characters like Thrawn have already been brought back into the new canon timeline thanks to shows like Star Wars: Rebels.
Fan favorites like Jacen and Jaina Solo, Mara Jade, Corran Horn or even the Yuuzhan Vong are still there for you to love and cherish. You can still go back and re-read your favorite paperbacks and comics. They are no longer, however, considered to be part of the new canon universe that we base our canon on. They will continue exist solely in Legends, until a time in which the Lucasfilm Story Group brings them back into the fold.
You can see a handy breakdown of things from Legends that have resurfaced so far (as of 2/11/17) in an article published by iO9 here.
Dark Jedi Brotherhood Canon
With the Star Wars franchise taking a hard-line stance on this approach to new Canon material, Grand Master Pravus made the decision to have the Dark Jedi Brotherhood conform and adapt to the new Canon timeline. The reason for this decision was to keep the club as current and forward-moving as possible with the aim of growing and appealing to a new generation of Star Wars fans that might not necessarily know about the characters or events of the Legends expanded universe.
This decision obviously created some challenges and obstacles, as the Dark Jedi Brotherhood’s long standing fiction and history has been deeply rooted in the now Legends EU material since its earliest days. To create a working compromise and solution, the Dark Council created a separate label for the Brotherhood’s fictional material: “Brotherhood Canon”, or DB Canon for short.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Q: What is DB Canon?
A: “DB Canon” mirrors Star Wars Canon, and uses its material as a source book. Creative liberties are then taken by the leadership of the DJB on a case-by-case basis to both preserve the history of the Brotherhood and its characters while also creating the best optimal experience for new, current, and returning members.
Q: Where do we draw a line between the new Star Wars Canon, and the Star Wars Expanded Universe? Who makes these decisions?
A: The line is determined by the Dark Council as a collective. We discuss and make decisions based on logical application of material made available to us in order to create what is ultimately the "DB Canon." The focus for this is to keep the club as current and forward-moving as possible, with the hopes of growing and appealing to a new generation of Star Wars fans that might not know anything about the events of the characters and stories that are have been rebranded as “Legends”. There is also a subjective element that comes into play. This element is harder to define, because there are simply things that we, as the leaders of the club, do not think make logical sense. That means balancing the fictional applications of things.
Q: What happens if something from “Legends” shows back up in the new Canon?
A: The Voice, Dark Council, and often their staff look at the new material and determine if it fits into the DB Canon and Character Sheet system.
Q: Star Wars Rebels is “Canon”, and I saw one of the Inquisitors use their gyroscopic lightsaber to fly. Does that mean I can use my lightsaber to fly too!?
A: Just because something happens in new Canon doesn’t mean that it will automatically become DB Canon. This is where that subjective element comes into play from the Voice and the Dark Council as a whole. We draw certain lines based on our knowledge of the Character Sheet system and its intended vision for use in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.
In short? No, you can’t use your lightsaber to fly because it makes no sense and doesn’t fit into the confines of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood’s Character Sheet system.
DB Canon Restrictions
- Lightsabers cannot be used to fly.
- Lightsabers are powered by kyber crystals, but members of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood are not required to adhere to the “Bleeding” crystal properties that were established in the Ahsoka novel. In the story, Ahsoka learns that kyber crystals have to “bleed” and become corrupted by the dark side in order to get to the crimson hue known to adherents of the dark side and the Sith. Ahsoka is able to purify the bleeding crystal, which gives her a set of argent gray crystals she uses to power her new lightsabers.
- In the DB, your lightsaber color can be whatever you select, based on the options available to members of the DB. See the Lightsaber codex for more information on lightsaber colors, types, and restrictions.
- While Ahsoka is able to cause the crystals inside the Sixth Brother’s lightsaber to malfunction and “blow up” in his face, this was a result of the mechanical elements of the lightsaber itself being overwhelmed versus the kyber itself self-destructing. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to use it to power her “pure” lightsabers.
- Cybernetic limbs, such as Luke or Anakin’s replacement hands, function the same as a the limbs they replace. They function cosmetically and offer no bonus attributes like added strength or agility.
- While Kanan in Star Wars: Rebels is blinded and now able to “see” through the Force, it is important to keep in mind he is a powerful Jedi with years of survival that has demonstrated his talents in defeating an overpowered cybernetically-enhanced Count Vidian, a Grand Inquisitor and even Darth Maul. The DB Character System features the “Eyes Wide Shut” Feat which allows a character to “see” through the Force with limitations. This power is currently restricted to Equite 4.
Possessions Integration
With the launch of Possessions, the fictional elements of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood now have a solution to organizing and maintaining what items are available to members. Possessions is managed by the Regent team, and works alongside the Voice Staff to maintain cohesion with both systems. The following lists are not all-inclusive, but look to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions in terms of fictional application of possession items.
Q: What materials are not available for us in Brotherhood fiction and possessions?
While it’s easier to maintain a whitelist than a blacklist, the following items are the most common materials that are not available based on changes established in the new Canon and rolling into DB Canon.
- Mandalorian Iron (from KOTOR) is not a lightsaber resistant material.
- Phrik is not available to members.
- Cortosis was, in the EU, a material that short circuited lightsabers. In new Canon and DB Canon, Cortosis is now treated as a highly conductive material that could absorb shock/blaster bolts.
Q: Which items in Possessions can block a lightsaber?
At the current time, the following items within Possessions are able to block lightsabers.
