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{{Update|[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]}}
{{Quote|Retcon is retroactive continuity&mdash;the science of making stuff fit and getting better stories out of it.|[[Karen Traviss]]|url=http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345477514&view=qa}}
'''Retroactive continuity'''&mdash;commonly contracted to the portmanteau word '''''retcon'''''&mdash;refers to deliberately changing previously established facts in a work of serial fiction. The change itself is referred to as a retcon, and the act of writing and publishing a retcon is called "retconning."

When [[George Lucas]] re-edited the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, he made changes directly to the source material, rather than introduce new source material that contradicted the contents of the previous material. However, the [[Prequel trilogy|''Star Wars'' prequels]] qualified as "new source material," and many fans have pointed out instances which apparently retcon elements of the original trilogy.

Although the concept is older,<ref>Tupper, E. Frank. ''The Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg''. Philadelphia: Westminster Press (1973). p. 100, 221. {{ISBN|9780664209735}}. Note: This book seems to be the first printed use of the concept.</ref> the term "retroactive continuity" was popularized in 1983 by DC Comics writer [[Roy Thomas]],<ref>Roy, Thomas. ''All-Star Squadron 18'', letters column. DC Comics (February 1983). "We like to think that an enthusiastic ALL-STAR booster at one of Adam Malin's Creation Conventions in San Diego came up with the best name for it a few months back: 'Retroactive Continuity'. Has kind of a ring to it, don't you think?"</ref> and the shortened form "retcon" on Usenet in the late '80s.<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/rec.arts.comics/x_9N8KL0NDc/lgcGfP8-eUUJ|title=Damian Cugley's mail copy|publisher=Groups.google.com|archiveurl=https://archive.is/qjSA9}}</ref>

==''Star Wars'' movies==
{{Original research}}
*In [[Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|Episode IV]], [[Obi-Wan Kenobi|Ben Kenobi]] told [[Luke Skywalker]] that his father was betrayed and murdered by a pupil of his, [[Anakin Skywalker|Darth Vader]].<ref name="E4 Quote">{{Film|IV}} &mdash; Obi-Wan Kenobi: "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father."</ref> [[Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back|Episode V]] reveals [[Darth]] Vader to be Luke Skywalker's father.<ref name="E5 Quote">{{Film|V}} &mdash; Darth Vader: "No. ''I'' am your father."</ref> In [[Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi|Episode VI]], Obi-Wan explained to Luke what he meant by telling him that Vader murdered his father, informing what he said was true, "from a certain point of view", since the Anakin that Obi-Wan remembered fondly "was destroyed" when he fell to the [[dark side of the Force]], and therefore no longer considers him "Anakin" (this is supported by Obi-Wan only calling Vader "Darth" in Episode IV and not by his real name). While the in-universe explanation holds up fairly well, whether or not this was actually a retcon out of universe is one of the most hotly debated topics concerning the [[original trilogy]].<ref name="LBUnion">{{Cite_web|url=http://www.lbunion.com/literature/631-luke-i-was-not-your-original-father.html|title=Luke, I was not your original father|author=Novotny, Ben|date=2013-04-06|publisher=lbunion.com|archivedate=20130430173540}}</ref><ref name="SWBlog">{{Blog|official=true|2011/01/11/another-1978-father-spoiler-discovered|Another 1978 Father Spoiler Discovered|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123082836/http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2011/01/11/another-1978-father-spoiler-discovered}}</ref><ref name="Straight Dope">{{Cite_web|url=http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=152338|title=Evidence that Star Wars wasn't initially planned as 6 movies?|date=2002-12-23|publisher=boards.straightdope.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817074231/https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evidence-that-star-wars-wasnt-initially-planned-as-6-movies/144651}}</ref><ref name="TheForceNet">{{JCFcite|threadnum=50009206|board=Classic Trilogy|thread=CT Did Lucas know Darth was Luke's father in ANH?|accessdate=2013-04-18|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418124252/http://boards.theforce.net/threads/did-lucas-know-darth-was-lukes-father-in-anh.50009206}}</ref>
*In the original release of Episode IV, [[Han Solo]] proceeded to pre-emptively shoot [[Greedo]], while in later re-releases up to the Disney acquisition it was shown that Greedo shot first and missed Han by inches while Han shot back, with Lucas later claiming that Greedo always shot first in spite of the shooting script stating otherwise. This infamously resulted in the "[[Han shot first]]" controversy among fans.
*In Episode IV, Ben Kenobi says the [[Galactic Republic|Old Republic]] existed for a thousand generations,<ref name="E4 Quote 2">{{Film|IV}} &mdash; Obi-Wan Kenobi: "For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic."</ref> which [[Star Wars Legends|Expanded Universe]] sources interpreted to mean [[25,053 BBY|25,000 years]]. However, in [[Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones|Episode II]], [[Darth Sidious|Palpatine]] said that the Republic had "stood for a thousand years".<ref name="E2">{{Film|II}}</ref> This would be rectified in the Legends Expanded Universe with the creation of the [[Ruusan Reformation]]. However, after [[April]] [[2014]], the Expanded Universe, now known as [[Star Wars Legends|''Star Wars'' Legends]], is no longer considered canonical. [[2020]]'s ''[[The Star Wars Book]]'' would further establish that the [[canon]] Old Republic was indeed founded more than 25,000 years prior to Episode IV.<ref name="The Star Wars Book">''[[The Star Wars Book]]''</ref>
*In Episode V, Ben Kenobi's assertion that Luke was the last hope<ref name="E5 Quote 2">{{Film|V}} &mdash; Ben: "That boy is our last hope." Yoda: "No. There is another."</ref> could either mean that he was unaware of Luke's and [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia's]] relation, or that he did not believe Leia could take Luke's place. In [[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|Episode III]], he was present when [[Padmé Amidala]] gave birth to Luke and Leia, and even helped arrange for [[Bail Prestor Organa|Bail Organa]] to adopt Leia. One possible explanation could be that, at the moment, Obi-Wan only saw Luke as their last hope since Leia was being held prisoner by the [[Galactic Empire|Empire]] and the hope that [[Yoda]] was referring to was that he sensed a possibility that Leia might be able to escape (which ''does'' happen later in the film).
*In Episode VI, Obi-Wan states that he decided to train Anakin to become a [[Jedi]]. This would later be reverted in [[Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace|Episode I]], where he initially doesn't want to, but does so to fulfill the dying wish of his master, [[Qui-Gon Jinn]].
*In Episode VI, Leia tells Luke that she vaguely remembers how her mother looked,<ref name="E6 Quote">{{Film|VI}} - Leia: "She was very beautiful. Kind, but...sad."</ref> though in Episode III, Padmé Amidala dies soon after giving birth to them. There has been some debate whether Leia was talking about [[Breha Organa]], her foster mother, though [[StarWars.com]] stated that Leia was indeed remembering Padmé, so it is now unclear if this is canonical or not.<ref name="Q&A">{{SWArchive|url=qa|text=''Star Wars'' Q & A|archivedate=20070703041104}}</ref> It should be noted that when illustrator [[Iain McCaig]] was assigned to draw concept art for Breha, he gave Breha all of Amidala's traits in an attempt to explain how Leia remembered her mother's smile.<ref name="Art of ROTS">''[[The Art of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith]]''</ref>
*[[Poe Dameron]] and [[Rey Skywalker|Rey]] met for the first time in [[Star Wars: The Force Awakens (novelization)|''Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization'']], but then it was retconned that their first meeting was in [[Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi|''Star Wars'': Episode VIII ''The Last Jedi'']].<ref name="TwitterPabloContinuity">{{Twitter|pablohidalgo|status/948220194207363073|[[Pablo Hidalgo]]|quote=Their meeting was cut from TFA. It made the novel, but novels end up having abandoned threads like that. Which is why when asked if novelizations are canon, I say that those are aways tricky since they're written before the movie is done by someone who hasn't seen it.|archivefile=File:Pablo_Hidalgo_Rey_and_Poe_meet_TFA_deleted_scene.png}}</ref><ref name="VIII">{{Film|VIII}}</ref>
*[[Ben Solo|Kylo Ren]] and Luke Skywalker both stated in [[Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi|''Star Wars:'' Episode VIII ''The Last Jedi'']] that Kylo had intentionally destroyed the [[Jedi Temple of Luke Skywalker]] and taken several students with him, while slaughtering the remaining students. However, [[The Rise of Kylo Ren 1|''The Rise of Kylo Ren'' 1]] shows that no students left to join Ben, only to pursue him when he fled.<ref name="TROKR1">[[The Rise of Kylo Ren 1|''The Rise of Kylo Ren'' 1]]</ref>
*In the novelizations of [[Star Wars: The Force Awakens (novelization)|Episode VII]] and [[Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition|Episode VIII]], as well as the [[Star Wars Visual Dictionaries|visual dictionary]] for Episode VIII, [[Snoke]] is established to be a dark side user with no connections to the [[Sith]], who had previously seen the rise and fall of the [[Galactic Empire]]. It was also stated in the novelization for Episode VIII that Darth Sidious had sensed Snoke shortly before his death, coming to believe that Snoke would succeed him as the leader of what would become the [[First Order]]. [[Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker|Episode IX]] instead states that Darth Sidious had created Snoke and had been directly responsible for the events that resulted in the rise of the [[First Order]] and the corruption of Ben Solo to the dark side.

==''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]''==
''The Clone Wars'' made many retcons to established continuity when it debuted. However, the vast majority of the show's retcons were rendered moot after the [[April 25]], [[2014]] continuity reboot that shifted all of the media then retconned into the [[Star Wars Legends|Legends]] continuity, leaving ''The Clone Wars'' film and series in [[Canon]] with the original and prequel trilogies.<ref name="Reboot">{{SW|url=news/the-legendary-star-wars-expanded-universe-turns-a-new-page|text=The Legendary ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe Turns a New Page}}</ref>
*In the [[2005]] [[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (novelization)|''Revenge of the Sith'' novelization]], [[Anakin Skywalker/Legends|Anakin]] says that he had only ever read about [[IG-100 MagnaGuard/Legends|MagnaGuards]] before fighting them onboard the [[Invisible Hand/Legends|''Invisible Hand'']]. However, [[The Clone Wars: Season One|season one]] episode "[[Duel of the Droids]]" has him fighting [[IG-100 MagnaGuard|MagnaGuards]] to rescue [[R2-D2]].<ref name="DOTD">{{TCW|Duel of the Droids}}</ref>
*Previous Legends media had depicted [[Ryloth/Legends|Ryloth]] as being a tidally-locked planet with one side permanently facing its [[Ryloth (star)/Legends|sun]].<ref name="GatORW">''[[Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds]]''</ref> When [[Ryloth]] appeared on ''The Clone Wars'', however, it was as a planet with a normal day/night cycle and a consequently less harsh environment.<ref name="Liberty on Ryloth">{{TCW|Liberty on Ryloth}}</ref>
*[[Clone trooper]] [[Echo]]'s designation number was originally given in "[[Clone Cadets]]" as [[CT-21-0408]]: although not spoken aloud, all of the members of [[Domino Squad]] had their numbers written on their [[Clone training armor|training armour]].<ref name="Clone Cadets">{{TCW|Clone Cadets}}</ref> Both the unfinished and final versions of the later episode [[The Bad Batch (episode)|"The Bad Batch"]] changed Echo's number to CT-1409.<ref name="The Bad Batch">{{TCW|The Bad Batch (episode)|The Bad Batch}}</ref>
*[[The Clone Wars: Season Three|Season three]] episode "[[Hunt for Ziro]]" includes [[Gardulla Besadii the Elder/Legends|Gardulla Besadii the Elder]], retconning her death in the video game ''[[Star Wars: Bounty Hunter]]'', which had depicted her being fed to a [[Krayt dragon/Legends|krayt dragon]].<ref name="HFZ">{{TCW|Hunt for Ziro}}</ref><ref name="SWBH">''[[Star Wars: Bounty Hunter]]''</ref>
*The tie-in graphic novel [[The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom|''Shipyards of Doom'']] involves a Republic strike team which includes Anakin Skywalker [[Carbon-freezing/Legends|carbon-freezing]] themselves as an infiltration tactic.<ref name="SOD">''[[The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom]]''</ref> Third-season episode "[[The Citadel]]" involves the [[Carbon-freezing|same tactic]], but has Anakin claiming never to have undergone the procedure before, invalidating the earlier work.<ref name="The Citadel">{{TCW|The Citadel}}</ref>
*"[[Citadel Rescue]]" retconned the novel ''[[Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight]]'' by killing off [[Even Piell]], who had first been depicted as dying in that novel, later in the timeline.<ref name="Citadel Rescue">{{TCW|Citadel Rescue}}</ref><ref name="Jedi Twilight">''[[Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight]]''</ref>
*[[The Clone Wars: Season Four|Season four]] episodes "[[Kidnapped]]", "[[Slaves of the Republic]]" and "[[Escape from Kadavo]]" were adapted from the [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Slaves of the Republic|first story arc]] of the [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (comic series)|''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'']] monthly comic series. However, in the course of the adaptation, a large number of elements were changed:
**The comic, coming out around the same time as the [[The Clone Wars: Season One|first season]] of the show, was set early in the [[Clone Wars]], with [[Ahsoka Tano]] as a young and inexperienced [[Padawan]]. The TV series, by season 4, had moved a few years into the war, and Ahsoka was much more experienced.<ref name="Kidnapped">{{TCW|Kidnapped}}</ref> This change also resulted in the removal of several characters: in the TV show, [[Asajj Ventress]] had been kicked out of the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems|Separatists']] service during season three,<ref name="Nightsisters">{{TCW|Nightsisters (episode)|Nightsisters}}</ref> and [[clone trooper]] [[Waxer]], who made a brief appearance, had been killed off in "[[Carnage of Krell]]", the episode immediately before the beginning of the arc. As a result,  [[Boil]] took over Waxer's role.<ref name="Carnage of Krell">{{TCW|Carnage of Krell}}</ref>
**The Separatists' involvement is downplayed, with Separatist forces no longer participating in the [[Battle of Kadavo]], and a plot thread where [[Count]] [[Dooku]] attempted to frame the Jedi for having murdered the colonists of [[Kiros]] being excised.<ref name="Escape from Kadavo">{{TCW|Escape from Kadavo}}</ref>
**Multiple characters original to the comic strip, including [[Onyx (individual)|Onyx]] and his crew and [[Xerius Ugg]], were omitted.<ref name="Slaves">''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Slaves of the Republic]]''</ref> They were replaced with TV-series original character [[Darts D'Nar]] and his ship, the ''[[Tecora]]''.<ref name="Kidnapped" />
*"[[An Old Friend]]": In her entry on the [[Databank (original)|original Databank]], [[Teckla Minnau/Legends|Teckla Minnau]] was said to have survived the [[Clone Wars/Legends|Clone Wars]], going on to marry a [[Teckla Minnau's spouse|writer]] while serving as a handmaiden to Queen [[Kylantha]].<ref name="Teckla ODB">{{DB|character|teckla|Minnau, Teckla|archivedate=20110905052456}}</ref> This episode retconned that by killing her off during the events on [[Scipio]].<ref name="An Old Friend">{{TCW|An Old Friend}}</ref>
*"[[The Lost One]]": [[Republic 61|''Republic'' 61]], the events of which were dated to [[22 BBY/Legends|22 BBY]] by ''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]'',<ref name="TERC">''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]''</ref> depicted former [[Supreme Chancellor/Legends|Supreme Chancellor]] [[Finis Valorum/Legends|Finis Valorum's]] death in a [[Terrorist attack of 14:9:19|terrorist attack]].<ref name="Republic 61">[[Republic 61|''Republic'' 61]]</ref> This episode, which was dated to [[20 BBY/Legends|20 BBY]] in the Legends continuity,<ref name="Fact File">Non-Canon Ref</ref> depicted Valorum alive and well.<ref name="The Lost One">{{TCW|The Lost One}}</ref>
*The "[[Clone Force 99|Bad Batch]]" arc which opened the series' revived [[The Clone Wars: Season Seven|seventh season]] was initially released on [[StarWars.com]] as a series of unfinished story reels. The final versions of the four episodes featured multiple changes:
**The finished versions of all four episodes have different opening morals to the ones in the story reels.
**"[[The Bad Batch (episode)|The Bad Batch]]":
***The explanation [[Rex]] gives to Anakin Skywalker and [[Mace Windu]] regarding how exactly the Separatists seem to be keeping the upper hand during the [[Battle of Anaxes]] has been changed: in the story reel, he is more upfront with his theory that the presumed-dead [[Advanced Recon Commando|ARC trooper]] [[Echo]] may still be alive, and about the existence of the [[Rex's battle strategy algorithm|strategy algorithm]] the Separatists are using that has led him to this conclusion. In the finished episode, he instead gives the [[Jedi General]]s a more vague explanation, and only confides his real theory to [[CC-2224|Cody]] later in the barracks in a new scene as he feels the Jedi wouldn't have believed him.<ref name="The Bad Batch" />
***[[Kix]] has his original almost-bald hairstyle in the story reel, but in the finished episode sports a full head of hair. Similarly, [[CT-5597|Jesse's]] ARC trooper [[helmet]] has a [[rangefinder]] in the story reel that is absent in the finished episode.<ref name="The Bad Batch" />
***In the reel, Jesse makes a comment while the Bad Batch is fighting the [[battle droid]]s in the canyon, wondering "Are these guys for real?" The line is gone in the final version.<ref name="The Bad Batch" />
**"[[A Distant Echo]]":
***The story reel includes provocative nose art of Padmé Amidala on the [[Marauder (Omicron-class)|''Marauder'']]. The nose art is no longer present in the final release of the episode, nor is it visible in other episodes in which the shuttle makes an appearance. Instead, the scene where Anakin Skywalker objects to the nose art is replaced with a scene where he has a private holo-call with Padmé, while Rex attempts to keep Obi-Wan Kenobi from interrupting.<ref name="A Distant Echo">{{TCW|A Distant Echo}}</ref>
***[[Hunter]]'s dialogue about the ''Marauder'' not being an obviously Republic ship is not present in the final version.<ref name="A Distant Echo" />
***The insensitive remarks [[CT-9904|Crosshair]] makes on [[Skako Minor]] that lead Rex to lose his temper and punch him are, in the story reel, an insinuation that Echo may have willingly gone over to the Separatists after being left for dead. In the final episode, Crosshair instead goads Rex by suggesting Echo's death was Rex's fault.<ref name="A Distant Echo" />
**"[[On the Wings of Keeradaks]]": The scene where [[Wat Tambor]] demonstrates the [[Decimator]] on a [[Poletec]] [[Unidentified Poletec test subject|test subject]] is gone from the final episode.<ref name="OTWOK">{{TCW|On the Wings of Keeradaks}}</ref>
**"[[Unfinished Business (episode)|Unfinished Business]]":
***In the story reel, Echo says that [[Trench]] is unaware of his rescue because Wat Tambor is too afraid of the [[Harch]] [[Admiral]] to inform him of that crucial fact. In the final episode, he instead frames Trench's ignorance as due to Tambor's greed making him loath to admit the loss.<ref name="Unfinished Business">{{TCW|Unfinished Business (episode)|Unfinished Business}}</ref>
***[[Gold Leader (Anaxes)|Gold Leader]], in the story reel, is wearing the same [[flight suit]] and face-revealing helmet as the [[Cloning|clone]] [[pilot]]s in ''Revenge of the Sith''. In the final version, he is instead wearing the face-concealing helmet and [[Phase II clone trooper armor|Phase II]] armour introduced for clone pilots in season 4.<ref name="Unfinished Business" />
***The reel version of the episode ends with a medal ceremony. In the final version, the last scene is instead Rex seeing Echo off after the latter decides to take up the Bad Batch's offer to join them.<ref name="Unfinished Business" />
*The four-part grand finale of ''The Clone Wars'' ("[[Old Friends Not Forgotten]]", "[[The Phantom Apprentice]]", "[[Shattered]]", "[[Victory and Death]]"), released in [[2020]], retcons almost all of the details about the [[Siege of Mandalore]] and Ahsoka Tano and Rex's survival of and escape from [[Order 66]] given in the [[2016]] novel [[Ahsoka (novel)|''Ahsoka'']].<ref name="Ahsoka">[[Ahsoka (novel)|''Ahsoka'']]</ref>
**In the novel, Ahsoka's last conversation with Anakin is him warning her about how dangerous [[Maul]] is.<ref name="Ahsoka" /> "Old Friends Not Forgotten" has their last conversation be them wishing each other luck and discussing the changes Anakin made to [[Ahsoka's lightsabers]]. In addition, the [[lightsaber]]s themselves are now blue, whereas the novel has them with their original blade colors, green and yellow-green.<ref name="OFNF">{{TCW|Old Friends Not Forgotten}}</ref> Editions of the novel published after the episode's release updated the description of the lightsabers to match the TV show.<ref name="Ahsoka" />
**In the novel, Ahsoka owns a weapons [[belt]] that she wore during the Siege and used to hold her lightsabers.<ref name="Ahsoka" /> The TV series gives Ahsoka a [[Mandalorian]]-designed combat outfit that lacks a separate belt and has catches located at her hips for her to carry her weapons.<ref name="OFNF" />
**Ahsoka's last duel with Maul during the Siege, in the novel, takes place in a plaza in [[Sundari]]. Their conversation is an exchange of insults regarding her departure from the [[Jedi]] and him only being "half" a Sith. Maul is captured when Ahsoka lures him into a [[ray shield]] that her allies activate.<ref name="Ahsoka" /> In "The Phantom Apprentice", conversely, their final duel takes place on the support beams of Sundari's bio-dome, and their conversation is about Maul's earlier offer to her to team up so they can defeat Darth Sidious. Ahsoka is disarmed before she captures Maul by knocking him off of a beam and suspending him in mid-air with [[the Force]], whereupon Rex arrives with backup in several [[gunship]]s. Two [[Mandalorian]] warriors then secure Maul with their wrist-cables before Rex shoots him with a [[stun]] blast.<ref name="TPM">{{TCW|The Phantom Apprentice}}</ref>
**In the flashback of the Siege, Maul addresses Ahsoka as "[[Lord|Lady]] Tano",<ref name="Ahsoka" /> which is what he calls her in ''[[Star Wars Rebels]]'' episode "[[Twilight of the Apprentice]]".<ref name="TOTA">{{Rebels|Twilight of the Apprentice}}</ref> The novel states that Maul got the title from the [[clone trooper]]s, who called Ahsoka that as a form of respect since she was no longer officially part of the [[Republic Military]].<ref name="Ahsoka" /> In the episodes, conversely, the [[Cloning|clones]] treat Ahsoka as if she never left, addressing her as "[[Commander]]" in reference to her former rank of [[Jedi Commander]] up until Order 66 happens.<ref name="OFNF" /><ref name="Shattered">{{TCW|Shattered}}</ref> The only character referred to as "Lady" in the episodes is [[Bo-Katan Kryze]].<ref name="OFNF" />
**While the novel does not show the execution of Order 66 itself, it is implied that it is issued quite soon after the end of the Siege, while Ahsoka, Rex and Maul are still on [[Mandalore]]. It is hinted that Maul takes the opportunity to escape in the chaos, and Ahsoka is forced to choose between killing him or saving Rex's life, opting for the latter.<ref name="Ahsoka" /> While the order is given after the end of the Siege in the TV show, Ahsoka and Rex have already left Mandalore, intending to deliver the captured Maul to the Jedi Council on Coruscant, and as such they are onboard [[Tribunal|a]] [[Star Destroyer]] in [[hyperspace]] when it [[Skirmish aboard the Tribunal|happens]]. Maul does not escape his confinement, but is intentionally released by Ahsoka as a diversion for the clones.<ref name="Shattered" /> Ahsoka is indeed forced to make a choice between dealing with Maul or saving Rex at the climax, but the decision with Maul is whether to let him escape in the shuttle he is stealing.<ref name="Victory and Death">{{TCW|Victory and Death}}</ref>
**Finally, in the novel, after escaping, Ahsoka and Rex fake their deaths to the Empire by burying [[Unidentified clone trooper (Rex's false grave)|another clone]] in Rex's armour, marking the grave with a headstone claiming that they killed each other. Having acquired two starships and having decided to split up, Rex leaves first before Ahsoka, left alone in the night, turns on her lightsabers one last time before kneeling and placing them on the gravesite to seal the deception. She then leaves as well.<ref name="Ahsoka" /> In the episode, the gravesite is, instead of Mandalore as implied in the novel, on a [[Unidentified moon (Tribunal)|moon]], where the Star Destroyer they were onboard crashed after Maul destroyed its [[hyperdrive]]. No attempt is made to create a fake grave for Rex, as he keeps his armor and he and Ahsoka instead bury the bodies of the clones who died in the crash, and no inscribed grave markers are created, as the clones' [[helmet]]s on poles are used instead. Ahsoka does not abandon her weapons at night, but in the daytime, and does not abandon her lightsabers together, with her only being shown abandoning her primary weapon, not the [[shoto lightsaber]]. She does not ignite the blade, instead only briefly hesitating before dropping it on the ground. She and Rex are also implied to leave the moon together, only parting ways afterwards, as they only have one [[starship]].<ref name="Victory and Death" />

==''Star Wars: The Bad Batch''==
Series premiere "[[Aftermath (episode)|Aftermath]]" directly contradicts events depicted in the ''[[Star Wars: Kanan]]'' comic series regarding the [[Conquest of Kaller]] and how [[Depa Billaba]] and [[Kanan Jarrus|Caleb Dume]] experienced [[Order 66]].
*In the comic, [[CC-10/994]] "Grey" is a [[Clone Commander]] with red armor markings and equipment including a [[pauldron]] over his right shoulder and a [[vibrosword]] on a bandolier.<ref name="Kanan 1">[[Kanan 1|''Kanan'' 1]]</ref> "Aftermath" depicts him as a [[Clone Captain]] with green markings, no sword, and a pauldron over his left shoulder.<ref name="Aftermath">{{TBB|Aftermath (episode)|Aftermath}}</ref>
*Billaba's [[Depa Billaba's lightsaber|lightsaber]] goes from green in the comic<ref name="Kanan 1" /> to blue in the episode,<ref name="Aftermath" /> following up on the reference book ''[[Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection]]''.<ref name="Lightsaber Collection">''[[Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection]]''</ref> The blue color originated from concept art created for ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' prior to the series' initial cancellation.<ref name="Aftermath EG">{{SW|url=series/the-bad-batch/aftermath-episode-guide|text="Aftermath" Episode Guide}}</ref>
*In ''Kanan'', Commander Grey and Captain [[Styles]] attack Billaba and Dume at a campground at night on [[Kaller]] after the Separatists have surrendered Kaller to the Republic. Grey responds to the order with "Yes, my Lord." Billaba and Dume fight together until Billaba orders Dume to run while she is shot down. Afterwards, he is hunted in the [[forest]] by [[Rostu Squad]].<ref name="Kanan 2">[[Kanan 2|''Kanan'' 2]]</ref> "Aftermath" has Dume separated from Billaba during the daytime in the immediate aftermath of a battle as he follows [[Clone Force 99]]. At this point, Captain Grey receives Order 66 and, saying nothing in response, attacks Billaba with his men. Dume runs back towards his Master, but, after being told to run, escapes into the forest and is followed by [[Clone Sergeant]] [[Hunter]] and [[CT-9904|Crosshair]]. The latter attacks Dume, while Hunter attempts to help him. Dume eventually escapes by leaping over a small canyon.<ref name="Aftermath" />
*''Kanan'' has Dume use his [[Jedi robes|Jedi cloak]] to conceal his identity while evading clone forces.<ref name="Kanan 2" /> "Aftermath" shows him losing it in the woods while being followed by members of the Bad Batch.<ref name="Aftermath" />

==[[Star Wars Legends|''Star Wars'' Legends]]==
{{Original research}}
*In one [[1978]] series of strips that was later titled ''[[The Constancia Affair]]'', Luke Skywalker's [[Parent/Legends|parents]] were called "Master and Mistress Tan Skywalker." At the time, the Expanded Universe was in its early stages, and nobody knew what the name of Luke's father was going to be, save that the two probably shared the surname Skywalker. The given name "Anakin" was only revealed in the [[1983]] movie [[Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi|''Star Wars'': Episode VI ''Return of the Jedi'']], five years after the release of ''The Constantia Affair''. The name "[[Tan (title)|Tan]]" was later retconned into a title-rank that was bestowed to exceptionally skilled pilots.
*Since [[Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|Episode IV]], the Republic was known to have fought the [[Clone Wars]], and the Expanded Universe (EU) added several other conflicts, such as the [[Great Sith War/Legends|Great Sith War]]; but in [[Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones|Episode II]], [[Sio Bibble]] stated that "there hasn't been a full-scale war since the formation of the Republic." The above-mentioned Ruusan Reformation also handled this discrepancy.
*In the [[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (novel)|novelization]] of Episode VI, it's said that Darth Vader fell into a pool of lava. In Episode III, Anakin doesn't actually touch the lava, but the fumes were hot enough to set fire on his clothes. However, more than a retcon, this idea was most likely altered in order to make Anakin's survival more plausible. In addition, it's revealed that Obi-Wan Kenobi and [[Owen Lars/Legends|Owen Lars]] were brothers, though in Episode II it's shown that they were unrelated (coincidentally, in real-world, [[Nash Edgerton]], [[Joel Edgerton]]'s (young Owen Lars) brother, doubled [[Ewan McGregor]] (young Obi-Wan) and that Palpatine was loved by the [[Coruscanti/Legends|Coruscanti]] (which was further supported by the sourcebook [[Coruscant and the Core Worlds]] and its statement that the populace specifically viewed Palpatine as a virtual demigod), while in the [[List of changes in Star Wars re-releases|Special Edition]] of the film, it's shown that Coruscant [[Coruscant Uprising|celebrated]] Palpatine's death, even bringing down a statue of his.
*The Imperial capital was originally referred to by writers as "[[Coruscant/Legends|Imperial Center]]"; when [[Timothy Zahn]] introduced the name of [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]], the name '''Imperial Center''' was retconned to be what the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Empire]] designated Coruscant.
*Likewise, the capital city of Coruscant was originally called [[Galactic City|Imperial City]]; when Coruscant was determined to be an [[Ecumenopolis/Legends|ecumenopolis]], '''Imperial City''' was retconned to be the designation of that part of the city as opposed to the planetwide city as a whole (which was renamed [[Galactic City]]).
*The [[Coruscant Uprising]], and the brutality with which the Empire suppressed it, retcons the [[Battle of Endor/Legends|post-Endor]] celebrations on Coruscant seen in the [[The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition|special edition]] of [[Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi|''Return of the Jedi'']] with the fact that the planet would not be [[Liberation of Coruscant (Galactic Civil War)|freed from Imperial rule]] for another two years.
*The name of the Republic's leader was for many years simply the [[President of the Senate]]; when the prequels revealed the title to be the [[Supreme Chancellor/Legends|Supreme Chancellor]], the term "President of the Senate" was retconned to be one of the Chancellor's several official titles (some say that this was the title before the Reformation).
*In the ''[[Jedi Prince]]'' series, [[Kadann]] and the others were trying to steal power away from [[Ysanne Isard]]. Isard is never mentioned in the series&mdash;in fact, it's frequently implied there is no Imperial leader other than [[Trioculus]]&mdash;but this retcon was created to fit the series into the established timeline.
*The EU established that [[Raith Sienar/Legends|Raith Sienar]] gave [[Wilhuff Tarkin/Legends|Tarkin]] the designs for the [[Death Star/Legends|Death Star]], and that [[Bevel Lemelisk]] developed the superlaser; after Episode II revealed that the [[Geonosian/Legends|Geonosians]] gave the plans to [[Dooku/Legends|Tyranus]]/[[Palpatine/Legends|Sidious]], it was retconned that the Geonosians developed the details based on outlines given to them by Sienar and Lemelisk. Indeed, the history of the [[Death Star/Legends|Death Star]] has become so convoluted that a [[Death Star (novel)|novel]] was created on this topic. The novel was, in effect, one large retcon.
*The show ''[[Star Wars: Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO]]'' showed [[C-3PO/Legends|C-3PO]] and [[R2-D2/Legends|R2-D2]] having several adventures in the time between the rise of the Empire and Episode IV; after the release of [[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|Episode III]] showed them to be in the employ of the same people they are with in Episode IV, it has been retconned that the two droids somehow were separated from their owners because of [[Corla Metonae/Legends|Corla Metonae]] after Episode III, then returned to them sometime before Episode IV.
*While [[RZ-1 A-wing interceptor/Legends|A-wings]] are not supposed to exist before the [[Battle of Yavin]], they appear in the ''Droids'' series, which happens between the two trilogies. The identical [[R-22 Spearhead starfighter|R-22 Spearhead]] was then "invented" as a predecessor of the A-wing, in order to explain the appearance of such ships in the ''Droids'' era.
*The title [[Darth/Legends|Darth]] was supposed to be invented in the period of the [[New Sith Wars]] until the game [[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic|''Knights of the Old Republic'']] introduced Darth [[Revan/Legends|Revan]] and [[Darth Malak]], who lived 2,000 years before the beginning of the aforementioned period. It is generally assumed that the title was forgotten sometime between, so the tradition was lost. The first Sith Lord to use the title Darth in the New Sith Wars era also constantly shifted into the past: first it was thought to be [[Darth Bane/Legends|Darth Bane]], then [[Darth Rivan]], and later [[Darth Ruin]].
*[[Timothy Zahn]], in [[Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy|The Thrawn Trilogy]], cast the [[Clone Master]]s as the opponents of the [[Galactic Republic/Legends|Galactic Republic]] in the Clone Wars, as several authors of the '90s considered that the cloners and their clones were the "villains." However, after [[Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones|''Attack of the Clones'']] revealed the clones were on the Republic's side, the Clone Masters were retconned into being renegades who did not attack until after the formation of the Empire.
*The [[Confederacy of Independent Systems/Legends|Confederacy of Independent Systems]]' use of [[Morgukai]] clones during the [[Siege of Saleucami/Legends|Siege of Saleucami]], shown in the ''[[Star Wars: Republic]]'' [[Star Wars: Republic: Siege of Saleucami|storyline of the same name]], and a young [[Gilad Pellaeon/Legends|Gilad Pellaeon's]] presence among the Republic forces, explains Pellaeon's claim in ''[[Heir to the Empire]]'' (part one of the aforementioned Thrawn trilogy) to have battled unstable clones during the Clone Wars many years before.
*The [[Galactic Standard Calendar|BBY]] system used in many sources to represent dates in the ''Star Wars'' timeline is itself a retcon. It originated as an out-of-universe dating system and, after becoming popular, was retconned into an in-universe system used by the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]], et al.
*According to their first back-story written in ''[[The Star Wars Sourcebook]]'', the [[Mon Calamari/Legends|Mon Calamari]] and the [[Quarren/Legends|Quarren]] had their first contact with offworlders when the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]] discovered their world. This generated continuity problems when Quarren appeared as background aliens in Episode I, and when the Mon Calamari [[Padawan/Legends|Padawan]] [[Bant Eerin/Legends|Bant Eerin]] appeared in the ''[[Jedi Apprentice]]'' series. The idea that the Mon Calamari's conflict with the Empire was their first experience with offworlders was retconned away when they appeared as loyal members of the Galactic Republic in ''[[Star Wars: Clone Wars]]''. ''[[Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds]]'' explained these previous references as Imperial propaganda.
*[[Little Kessel/Legends|Little Kessel]] was created for ''[[The Essential Atlas]]'' to confirm that the lush, idyllic "Kessel" seen in ''[[The Second Kessel Run]]'' and the "regular" [[Kessel/Legends|Kessel]]&mdash;a desolate, misshapen world unpleasant enough to serve as an in-universe synonym for Hell&mdash;are not the same planet.
*[[Jaster Mereel]] was originally supposed to be the real name of [[Boba Fett/Legends|Boba Fett]]. However, when Episode II stated that Boba was a clone of his "father" [[Jango Fett/Legends|Jango Fett]], Jaster Mereel was retconned into a separate character, Jango's mentor and predecessor as [[Mandalore (title)|Mandalore]]. It was stated that Boba took the alias in honor of the real Jaster. It was also stated that there were many rumors concerning Boba Fett's identity due to the fact that most people in the galaxy knew very little about him, with Fett having deliberately spread some of them to throw others off his actual background.
*As revealed in the [[Star Wars (Marvel Comics 1977)|Marvel ''Star Wars'']] comics series, Boba Fett was believed to have served with a group of supercommandos from the planet [[Mandalore/Legends|Mandalore]] towards the end of the Clone Wars. According to reports, only three [[Mandalorian/Legends|Mandalorians]] survived: Boba Fett, [[Tobbi Dala]], and [[Fenn Shysa]]. However, it was later retconned that this "Boba Fett" was not Boba Fett at all, but a rogue [[Advanced Recon Commando/Legends|ARC trooper]] named [[Spar]] who had become obsessed with returning the Mandalorians to their former glory.<ref>{{InsiderCite|80|The History of the Mandalorians}}</ref>
*The rumor mentioned in ''[[The History of the Mandalorians]]'' that the renegade clone Spar was in fact Jango Fett's son rationalizes Fenn Shysa's claim that, during the Clone Wars, he and the [[Mandalorian Protectors/Legends|Mandalorian Protectors]] had served under Boba Fett - who was later shown to have been only 13 at the end of the conflict.
*[[Stormtrooper/Legends|Stormtroopers]] during the [[Galactic Civil War/Legends|Galactic Civil War]] were rarely indicated to be clones before the prequel films, except in the article ''[[Soldiers of the Empire!]]''. Additionally, multiple Expanded Universe sources mentioned normal human stormtroopers (such as [[Davin Felth/Legends|Davin Felth]] and [[Kyle Katarn]]) and showed the existence of Imperial academies (such as [[Academy of Carida|Carida]]) which trained normal humans as stormtroopers. Large numbers of clones were later retconned into the stormtrooper ranks. (See also ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II]]'', which established that the [[501st Legion/Legends|501st Legion]] was the only stormtrooper unit still made up of Jango clones.)
*The [[Phase Zero dark trooper]]s&mdash;aging and wounded Clone Wars veterans essentially turned into cyborgs&mdash;explain how, while the Empire's first use of them did not occur until after the Battle of Yavin, the ''[[Battlefront]]'' games include "[[Dark trooper]]s" in the Imperial arsenal as early as [[18 BBY/Legends|18 BBY]].
*The novel ''[[I, Jedi]]'' places [[Corran Horn]] at the [[Jedi Praxeum]] during the events of [[Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy|''The Jedi Academy Trilogy'']], and also fine-tunes some of the events of the trilogy to fit later canon.
*In the [[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (novel)|''Return of the Jedi'' novelization]], [[Obi-Wan Kenobi/Legends|Obi-Wan Kenobi]] said that [[Owen Lars/Legends|Owen Lars]] was his brother, and there is a reference to Obi-Wan's brother Owen in ''[[Jedi Apprentice: The Hidden Past]]''. With ''Attack of the Clones'' depicting Lars as a completely different character, [[Owen (Kenobi)|Owen Kenobi]] became a retcon.
*The [[Dark Jedi/Legends|Dark Jedi]] [[Jerec (Inquisitor)|Jerec]] wears a blindfold, originally because his eyes were destroyed by the dark side of [[The Force/Legends|the Force]], not because he was a member of a species that lacked eyes. [[The New Essential Guide to Characters]] referred to Jerec as a human and the fact that he once had eyes is mentioned in a voice-over in ''[[Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II]]''. However, sources published more recently have retconned him as a member of the eyeless species [[Miraluka/Legends|Miraluka]].
*Although the 2002 [[video game]] ''[[Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast]]'' refers to its Imperial antagonists as the "[[Imperial Remnant]]", they were later retconned into in fact being representatives of the [[Empire Reborn]], an Imperial splinter faction first introduced in the [[1994]] novel ''[[The Crystal Star]]''.<ref name="The Crystal Star">''[[The Crystal Star]]''</ref>
*The character of [[Quinlan Vos/Legends|Quinlan Vos]] was originally written by [[George Lucas]] to appear in Episode III as being one of the many Jedi who were killed during [[Order 66/Legends|Order 66]]. ''[[Star Wars: Republic]]'' writers inserted the scene in the film's comic book adaptation in spite of their plans to do more stories with Vos. However, when they became aware that Lucas never filmed Vos' [[Death/Legends|death]] scene, they retconned Vos' death to just a wound, bringing him back, albeit injured, in [[Republic 82|''Republic'' 82]].<ref>{{Twitter|Randy_Stradley|status/929489523444039680|[[Randy Stradley]]|quote=In George's original screenplay for RotS, there was a scene where Vos was killed, so we put it in the adaptation -- even though there was more we wanted to do with him. Later, we learned Vos's scene was cut (never filmed), so we decided he was only wounded.|archivedate=20191205232917}}</ref>

==Notes and references==
{{Scroll box|{{Reflist}}}}

==External links==
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{{Interlang
|da=Retcon
|es=Retcon
|fi=Retcon
|ka=რეტროაქტიური უწყვეტობა
|nl=Retcon
|ru=Реткон
}}

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